A/N: Special chapter of "The Skeletons In My Closet"! And the darkest thing I've ever written, even darker in my opinion than earlier chapters. In fact, I came up with the beginning of the full-length story thanks to this one. I won't spoil, but it'll be quite the beginning. Enjoy!^^

Disclaimer: Apply the usual here; copyright goes to Frictional Games (who thank God made "Justine" available to everyone xD)

XX

Special Chapter: Tainted

It was time for another ritual and as usual, Alexander was watching.

But it all seemed different today. There were the moans and pleads of mercy coming from the prisoners about to be sacrificed, the insults and words of fear and hate, the usual stench of blood and death. That was always present, so why did Alexander feel it was different?

There was no hesitation anymore: that's what.

Day after day after day, he'd watched Daniel perform the rituals in a meticulous way, all triggered because of his own fear. Day after day he'd watched him sweat and beg for forgiveness as he harvested the vitae and took the lives of those people. It was fear that drove him, and Alexander couldn't blame him.

But today, the change was there, right in front of him, blade in hand.

The lines had been painted, the knife sharpened, the sacrifice ready. And yet, even at that juncture, Daniel would still hesitate and Alexander would watch indifferently… but not anymore. Alexander was feeling genuinely uneasy; it was as if their souls had been exchanged. The hesitation that usually troubled Daniel was now pestering him, making him see things the other way around. Alexander could see his own indifference now in Daniel's eyes.

And then it was over. In just seconds the corpse was bleeding, the lines traced and the dagger blood-stained. There were shadows to Daniel's gaze, shadows that made Alexander aware of the extent of the change he'd perceived. Daniel was looking down at the blood, eyes wide and gleaming with wicked intent, the blade dangerously close to his own chest. Though alert, Alexander made no move: he knew Daniel wouldn't think of killing himself, not after coming this far. But still, it made him wonder: what was going through the young man's mind?

It was as if he'd forgotten Alexander was there.

His face a mask of pain, Daniel gripped his hair with his free hand, smudging blood all over it. He looked down at the corpse again, his eyes even wider than before, ablaze with hatred. "It should've stopped… It should've stopped LONG AGO!"

Yelling out, Daniel plunged the blade right into the corpse's heart with a swift motion. Blood flowed out, staining his hands even further, and that seemed to terrorize him. His anger was swiftly replaced by terror. The look on his face was the final straw: Alexander stepped out of the shadows and neared Daniel, whose breathing had become shallow and his eyes darker.

"Daniel?" But the young man remained unresponsive, gaze fixed upon the bloodied corpse. "Daniel!"

He suddenly lowered his head, his shoulders convulsing, his entire body victim of a violent shaking. But his hands would never let go of the blade.

His howl, full of pain, echoed throughout the entire castle.

A/N: Small review reply to Zeoness: "Thanks, girl, I do appreciate your support (and I'll miss being able to send you PMs). I hope you enjoyed this one!^^"

Reviews are appreciated!^^