*Warning!* This chapter is rated M for harsh language, sexual content and descriptive gore/horror.
Marie stared at the cold steel hanging loosely in the mad man's long fingers. A dark, sinister humor burned in his eyes as Stein's laughter penetrated her ears.
"You know, I absolutely love how beautiful blood looks in the light of the moon. How the warm essence of a person's life can just drain from them while the stars watch over and pity them. Why don't we see how much the stars will pity you tonight, Marie?" Stein's crazy giggles wrapped themselves around Marie's brain and stabbed at her heart.
"St-Stein," she stuttered. "Please..." She knew she could run now, her brain was screaming at her to and her legs were trembling, ready to run for her life. But something else deep inside her told her this was not really him, and she needed to confront the man standing before her. But then, shouldn't I be even more afraid of him? Stein took a long, slow step to her. Then he took another. And another. He was now only about five feet away, and Marie swore she could feel the madness radiating from his warm body.
Stein looked down at his scalpel, turning it slightly so he could see his reflection in it. He looked back up at Marie and saw the raw fear in her eyes. He was the predator, and she was the prey. Stein only laughed harder at knowing just how much power he had over her. "Oh, Marie," Stein started, "don't you know that this is the only thing in this world that will never change? People will change throughout their lives, the world evolves, people can go in and out of sanity within a heart beat. However, there is always predator and prey. And guess what, my dear Marie? You are my prey, I am your predator. And in this world, no, my world, the predator always comes out on top." Stein took one final stride to Marie, his long figure towering over her, arm extended over her head and elbow propped up against the wall she was leaning on. The scalpel was hanging dangerously close to her head. He took a long gaze at her, drinking in all of her features. Her long legs (she was wearing short shorts and a spahgetti strap shirt that cut at just above her belly button), her hourglass figure, her bright amber eye. Then his eyes fell upon her plump chest, and he put his hand that was hanging freely on her hip and slowly raised his arm so his long fingers traveled up to just below her right breast.
Marie gasped at the contact and was shaking; she admitted to herself a long time ago that she wanted this man, but not how he is now. This isn't him... This isn't him... She could only tell herself that so many times as she felt pressure on her chest. Stein was leaning close to her; his neck lowered and his head bent down so that his nose was brushing against hers and their lips were about to make contact.
"Tell me," Stein said as his hand continued to explore her slender body, "what is it about women that us men find so damn irresistable? Even I have to admit..." His voice trailed off as his hand began to slowly travel down past her belly button. "That your mere presence can sometimes drive me wild." Stein's long fingers began to toy with the lace ties of her shorts before he untied them and slipped his fingers into the waistband, causing her to gasp again. Stein let out a small chuckle. He could tell Marie wanted him, but he also knew from past experiments that women easily feel violated, so he knew that he had the most power he'd ever had on her.
Stein smirked and said, "Oh, Marie, my sweet little angel. You're shaking." Stein looked down at his hand for a moment before his eyes met contact with her eye and pushed his hand down even further. Marie's brain was now on over drive. She didn't know what to do, what to say or what to think. The only thing that she could imagine was run. Run! Marie shut her eye tightly for a brief moment, then bolted away from Stein. He tried to grab her by the arm, but he missed by only a few millimeters. She ran through the kitchen then the living room, slamming her leg on the coffee table, knowing that would bruise badly later. Stein was close behind her, but she knew that he was only playing with her. If he wanted to get her, he could have the moment she ran.
Stein followed Marie down the hall; he didn't even have to run. He only took long, quick strides, and he was able to keep up with her with ease. Marie ran to her room and shut and locked the door. She looked around frantically for something to barracade the door with until her eyes fell upon a dark figure in the corner staring at her. Franken?! How the hell did he get in here?! But she soon realized a millisecond later that this man was going through her drawers; a thief.
The thief pulled a switchblade from his pocket and walked around her bed. He pushed her up against the wall a few feet to the left of the door and grabbed a thick lock of her hair and pulled it up. Marie screamed in fear.
Stein just stood by the door waiting to hear Marie say something. He only laughed quietly. He figured she would be barricading the door by now, but then he heard her scream. Stein laughed louder so he knew she could hear. "Who is that?" a deep voice came from inside her room. Who the hell is that?! She's mine! Stein's laughter turned insane and bitter at the same time as he kicked in the door. The wood flew from the hinges and the rest of the door shattered as his heavy boot collided with it.
Stein looked wildly around the room to find the intruder. Finally, his olive eyes fell upon a man wearing all black whose right hand had a tight grip on Marie's hair while his left hand was taking a long term trip down south. Stein's laughter only turned more intense as the man let go of Marie and pointed the blade at him.
"You really think you can hurt me?" Stein giggled.
"Yeah, I do. What? You think you're fucking invincable just because you're tall?" the thief asked confidently.
Stein chuckled at the man's arrogance. "Oh, not because of that. Surely, you've heard of me?" the man only stared at Stein in confusion as Marie whimpered in fear.
Wait a minute... Is this...? Oh, God... Then his eyes widened, and Stein's laughter was now worse than before. He knew that this man was now terrified of him; he didn't even need to use his Soul Perception to tell. This guy's face was like and open large print book.
The burglurar tried to speak, but no words came, so Stein decided to talk for him. "Yes, I'm him." Stein took a step toward the man.
"Please, you need to run..." Marie's voice was quivering and quiet, but she was too late to speak. The man was held in place by fear, but there was something else. I can't move... Why can't I move? he thought frantically.
"I've sewn your body in place with my soul sutures. If you take a glance at your feet," Stein unlaced the sutures on the man's neck so he could move his head, "you will see the white lines that are tying your shoes to the ground." the man's eyes darted down only to see exactly what the professor had said.
"So, now what? You gonna kill me, huh?" it was obvious the man was trying to act brave, but he was dripping with a cold sweat.
Stein's sickly laugh once again penetrated the man's ears. His cackle alone was enough to instill fear into the man's heart. He took several steps toward the intruder until he was towering over him, the glare of his glasses stopping the man's ability to see Stein's eyes. "You really are a stupid one, aren't you?" Stein grinned as he grabbed his neck and released the soul sutures. Immediately he began to kick his legs and tug on his neck. But the thousand year old instinct to be afraid took over completely, and the man's body went limp.
Stein raised the hand that was holding his scalpel and waved it around in front of the man's face with a vicious grin. Then Stein lowered it to the man's stomach and slowly pushed it in. He could feel the flesh slice around the blade as he cut deeper. The thief screamed wildly in pain, and Stein's eyes flashed over to see Marie cowering in the corner, terrible sobs escaping her. He continued to push the blade into the man for a brief moment before he decided to pull up, thus cutting the man's abdomen causing him to scream out even more. Marie cried out, begging for help. This is not him... The madness has taken over. But what do I do?! God, help me! She hadn't even noticed how she had been screaming for help until Stein had let the man drop to the floor drop to the floor limply and saunter to her.
"Marie..." his voice trailed off as he brushed his gore- covered fingers across her face, leaving streaks of blood. Her tears fell over the blood, causing the salty liquid to turn pink as they rolled down her cheek. "Oh, shhh... It's ok... Shhh..." Stein hushed as he wrapped his long arms around her shoulders and held her as a mother would a child that had a nightmare. He stroked her hair, leaving crimson streaks of the warm liquid. When will he wake up?! she screamed in her mind.
Stein stood again, then walked back to the man bleeding out on the floor. His breaths were ragged and short, he was so close to death. Stein bent his knees completely and he sat on the balls of his feet. He tilted his head to a ninety degree angle and slid his hand into the incision, working his fingers around all of the man's organs. Stein could feel the abdomen muscles tighten as the thief winced in pain. Then he grabbed the lower intestine and twisted it out, smiling insanely as the man's life essance gushed out from his paling body. Choked gurgles came up from his throat as a stream of crimson poured out from his lips.
The giggles only continued. "Aww, look at that. Well, it seems like you're just about dead now." He pulled the intestine out further, "Looks like-" he trailed off as confusion spread through his mind. "Like..." he shook his head, trying to understand what was going on. He then blinked several times, and he finally woke.
His mind was rational, and he was trying to remember what had happened. He couldn't recall anything, but he focused his attention on the man lying at his feet, covered in blood with his lower intestine pulled out. What the hell...? Stein straightened his legs and stood, and he rolled his eyes around the room, trying to find some clues on what had happened. His eyes came across a mirror, only to find himself with blood all over his clothes and his hands covered in it completely. He gazed through his grey bangs and looked into his eyes. They were the same color as he had seen in the mirror the night that Marie had first arrived, a sick reddish- green.
Marie... Stein slowly turned his head to the left to see Marie huddled in a corner and crying. She looked straight into his eyes, and he wondered if she saw the color too. No, it is part of the madness. She can't see it. "Marie, I-" he cut himself off as Marie gasped in fear when he took a step forward and reached his arm out to her. He looked down, trying to comprehend what he was feeling. He felt something warm traveling down his cheeks. Am I... Crying...?