AN: I'm currently on march break, and I hope everyone else enjoys theirs!


Chapter 6

It was silent. Daniel's lips were moving as if he were laughing above her, but it was silent. A quiet ringing sounded in Rachel's ears, getting louder and louder until it was deafening.

"You'll see them again in hell!"

In hell?

What does... that mean...

Her head throbbed.

Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

... Oh.

I remember...

Shadows crossed over her face, hiding her eyes, and Daniel ceased his laughter.

"Rachel?" His voice sounded muffled, far off but so close to her.

"Ah, Rachel! Your eyes! How wonderful!"

My eyes...

His hands let go of her wrists.

"I'm so glad! They're perfect, absolutely perfect!"

His voice sounded clearer now, the ringing in her ears starting to subside.

"Please stay with me, Rachel!"

"Like hell, she will!"

A familiar voice spoke up from behind Daniel, and suddenly he was pulled away from Rachel.


Daniel grunted as he felt his back collide with the floor, and an abnormally heavy foot planted itself squarely against his chest. His eyes flicked up, meeting with two pools of molten gold, and he shuddered at the anger in Edward's eyes. All directed at him.

"How did you get out?!" Daniel shouted incredulously, grabbing onto Ed's ankle and attempting to move his foot- it wouldn't budge. "I took the key with me! You shouldn't have been able to get out!"

"Shut up!" Ed snarled, pressing his foot down against Daniel's sternum. "I'm about to beat your ass!" He moved his foot away, reaching down and grabbing a fist full of Daniel's shirt, pulling him forward. Daniel's hands went for Ed's face, scratching and clawing, and Ed ignored them in favor of swinging his fist, slugging Daniel in the face. A hand hit Ed's cheek, sharp nails tearing down, and he could feel the burn as heat sprung to the area.

"You're getting in the way!" Daniel seethed, crazed eyes glaring holes into Ed, and Ed brought another swing down onto the doctor's face, knocking his glasses off and breaking them. Some swelling could already be seen under his left eye, and his lip was split. Daniel spat, sending blood into Ed's eye, making Ed recoil as he brought a hand to wipe the offending substance away. He backed away, rubbing his wrist furiously against his eyes as Daniel sat up.

"I'm going to kill you, boy!" Daniel screeched, making to get to his feet. "I'm going to-!"

Shink!

Ed blinked away the blood in his eyes, brows furrowed at the sudden silence. His vision cleared, and his breath caught in his throat, eyes widening as his blood ran cold.

The killer was there, once again, but this time, he had claimed a life.

Daniel sat on his knees, staring ahead as blood dripped down his chin. The blade of the scythe had struck him in the shoulder, dangerously close to his neck, and blood blossomed across his shirt and the white lab coat. The crimson liquid pooled beneath him as Daniel coughed, the sparkle of life in his one brown eye fading as the blade retreated from his body, and Daniel's body crumpled to the floor.

The killer laughed, making Ed flinch as he watched him firmly plant his foot on Daniel's back, digging it into the body. "Hey, Danny! Sorry about that, but your shouting was getting on my nerves! My bad, but no hard feelings, right?" He mocked, sadistic grin stretching as he received nothing in reply.

Walking over the body, it took the killer a moment to realize that others were in the room-giving Ed enough time to pick up Rachel's still body from the table before those mismatched eyes landed on him. Ed returned the killer's smirk with a scowl.

"You don't stay down, do you?" Ed asked, keeping his distance as the killer stalked forward and circled around the table; Ed did the same, preferring the small obstacle it provided in the man's path.

"Nope." The maniac sneered, scythe resting against his shoulder as he eyed the duo. "And I'd like to see ya try and fight me now. C'mon, put her down and face me, pipsqueak." He taunted.

Ed gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on Rachel as he glanced down at her. Her eyes remained hidden by her bangs, and she was so still that it was hard to tell if she was awake or not. The only thing that kept Ed from believing she was dead was the fact she was breathing. His gaze shifted, moving to Daniel's body bleeding out on the tiled floor, before settling on the killer once more, who managed to get closer while Ed was distracted.

He put distance between them once more.

"How could you do that to him?" Ed asked, nodding his head to Daniel. The killer blinked. "Weren't you two working together?"

The man snorted. "Don't make me laugh! Our only jobs here are to deal with victims on our floors." He said, pausing to circle around the table in the other direction, making Ed back up despite how close he was to running through the exit. Ed narrowed his eyes. Maybe he was a bit smarter than he gave him credit for.

"Wait, your job? Then, were you suppose to come up here and kill him?" Ed asked, and that made the killer stop entirely. He frowned.

"Uh..." He trailed off, when above them, the speakers flickered to life. An automated voice spoke once more, making both Ed and the killer look up.

"The resident of floor B6 has attacked the resident of floor B5. As this violates the rules, the traitor is now also a sacrifice."

Ed laughed at the scowl that formed on the killer's face, getting louder at his incredulous yell of "Are you fuckin' kidding me?!"

Never mind, he's a complete moron!

"You dumbass, now you're like us!" Ed mocked, shoulders shaking. He felt his grip on Rachel go slack, and he knelt on the floor to sit her down before he dropped her.

The man gritted his teeth, growling in his throat. "Like hell am I gonna end up like you two! I'm getting the fuck out of here!" Ed watched as the man quickly turned tail and ran out of the doorway, stepping on Daniel's body once more on his way out. The echoes of his footsteps echoed, before the sound of broken glass clearly rang out in the empty halls.

The glass wall... Should have broke that earlier. Then we probably could avoided all of this with Daniel...

Ed shook himself from his thoughts when he felt Rachel stir. His attention focused on her as she tentatively lifted her head. "Rachel, are you ok-"

He paused, his voice dying in his throat as her eyes settled on him, once bright and full of innocence and now dull and blank, like a doll's. He felt a chill run up his spin as unease set in, causing him to falter. He swallowed, then tried speaking again. "Rachel, are-"

"I'm fine." She answered, her quiet voice now empty of emotion. "I just... remembered." She said simply, moving to stand on her feet. She dusted off her shorts, then turned in the direction of the doctor's body. His blood still spread across the floor, yet she didn't flinch at the sight. "Is Danny dead?" She asked.

"Ah..." Ed sat up on his knees, frowning as he looked towards the body, then averted his gaze. "Yeah... There's no way he survived the strike the killer made." He said, a weight settling in his gut. He almost felt guilty that he didn't prevent the doctor from dying. Sure, he was completely ready to beat him 'til he was unconscious, but actually watching the life fade from his eye like that... it almost made Ed want to puke. Shaking the memory away, Ed moved to his feet, and he looked down at his companion. "Rachel, what did you remember?" He asked.

Rachel paused for a moment, looking away from him as if she were considering her next words carefully, before she lifted her head. She made eye contact with him, staring for a short moment, before she spoke. "I'm not suppose to be alive." She said softly, yet the words hit Ed like a blow to the chest. He stepped back, eyes widening.

"...What do you mean?" He asked, his voice but a whisper.

Rachel shrugged, looking away from Ed. "...I'm just not meant to live." She moved away, walking around Daniel's body, and she quietly crept out of the room.

"Hey! Hey, no, no, no, you can't just leave it right there!" Ed called, running after her- being careful not to step on the corpse as he goes-, and he catches up with her in the hall. Grabbing a hold of her shoulder, Rachel stops as Ed moves in front of her, staring her down in concern. "What the hell do you mean, 'I'm not meant to live'? Where did that bullshit come from?" He asked, shaking her shoulders, but she just stared up at him blankly.

Just when Ed thought she wouldn't answer him, she spoke up quietly, causing Ed to strain his ears in order to hear her. "... You wouldn't understand, Ed."

He hardened his stare on her, and she averted her eyes. "Fucking try me, Rachel." He challenged. At her silence, his gaze softened. "...You can talk to me if something's troubling you."

She seemed a bit uncomfortable under his stare, staring down at the floor, when a new sound caught their attentions; Metal clanging against metal echoed through the halls. Ed looked over his shoulder, seeing the broken shards of glass on the floor, and he frowned. He glanced back at Rachel, who looked undisturbed.

"...Stay behind me." He said, letting go of her and turning away as he rounded the corner, walking down the new hallway they now had access to. Glass cracked under their feet as they made their through, and Ed held a hand out to stop Rachel once they reached the end.

Ed peeked around the corner as annoyed growls reached his ears, and he saw the killer once more. He was attempting to open the metal doors with his scythe, and he also gave it a few kicks before he cried out in frustration. "Fuckin' open, you piece of shit! Let me the fuck out!"

Ed snorted, shaking his head, and he walked out with Rachel in tow. "That's not gonna work, you idiot."

The killer paused, turning to look at them, and he narrowed his eyes as he gripped his scythe. "Great, you two again. The fuck do you want?" He asked, resting the weapon against his shoulder.

Ed could barely resist the urge to taunt the man, knowing for a fact it wouldn't end well for him, when Rachel stepped around Ed. She approached the killer, and Ed felt his body tense. He reached forward to grab her shoulder, not wanting her anywhere near the madman. "Rachel-"

"I have a favor to ask of you, sir." Her soft voice spoke up politely.

Both Ed and the killer paused, Ed staring at Rachel in shock while the killer appeared positively dumbfounded.

"...What?" The killer asked, staring her down with a mix of confusion and apprehension.

Rachel slowly brought both her hands up to her chest, clasping them together. She took a moment to gather her words. "Please..." She started, lifting her head. Her dead eyes stared into the man's, this killer, and her next words caused Ed's heart to stop.

"...Kill me."


AN:I was having a hard time with writing this chapter, and I don't think it's my best work, but I'm glad to finally have it done! Hopefully the next chapter will be easier, and longer than this one as well. The changes from canon aren't all that big so far, but hopefully it'll start to be apparent soon!

I put some thought into the shipping, and I've decided that I'm not going to outright write any romance. Instead, it's up to the reader's interpretations on whether interactions are romantic or platonic.

Anyways, what do you all think about this so far? I hope I'm doing a good job of keeping everyone in character! Are you enjoying it? Your thoughts so far? I'm excited to read what you think!