'Dark...'

'It's dark again...'

'How many times has it been now?'

'How many times have I DIED now?'

'I don't even know.'

'Ah... that's right.'

'Seven.'

----

The first by his own hand.

The second at the hands of numerous zombies.

The third at the hands of Amy, after enticing her to become a killer.

The fourth at the hands of yet another hoard.

The fifth at the hands of the madman who had captured and tormented countless girls, indoctrinating them with his own obsessive beliefs.

The sixth at the hand of Number One, for the simple reason that he had interrupted her.

And finally, the seventh - at the hand of Number Two.

The reason? Marcus did not recall.

His memory of the event was hazy, yet there was one thing for certain that he remembered without question.

'My... heart...'

The agony of having his heart be gripped still boiled within him, causing Marcus to want to shout out in the pain.

Alas, he was locked in this land of nothingness.

This land of death which he had visited so many times before, Marcus almost felt himself become accustomed to it.

Yet never could he truly find that he was USED to death.

For with each death came the agonizing pain of having to die once more.

[Hahaha... good evening, Marcus. It would seem that you've died again.]

"Have you... taken over my body?"

Marcus spoke out into the void, and despite the fact that he held no voice his words reached the creature which spoke to him.

For this creature was a part of his mind.

[Oh, not this time. After all... I want to accompany you for a bit.]

'Eh?'

'What... what does he mean?'

'Accompany me?'

'Wouldn't that imply that I am going somewhere?'

'Where... could I possibly be going?'

These thoughts bombarded the mind of Marcus, however it was at that moment that he felt his eyes opening.

'Eh?'

'I'm waking up? Already?'

'Usually it takes longer than this...'

However as Marcus opened his eyes, he immediately knew that something was wrong.

'What... is this?'

The first thing he saw was a metallic ceiling.

The wrists of his arms came into contact with cold metal restraints, and so too did his feet.

He was currently naked, wearing nothing more than a patient's gown as he lay on an operating table.

'Where... am I?'

Yet the change in location was only the first of his horrors.

'Why... can I feel my limbs... but I can't move them?'

It was then that Marcus began to shake.

His hands began to tremble, as if he was attempting to escape his shackles - yet it was not Marcus who made any attempt to move.

His head looked around to see that he was in some sort of experimental chamber, with all sorts of contraptions, devices, concoctions, books, and even pickled body parts covering the vast number of shelves which surrounded him inside this workstation.

Yet even as his head looked around, Marcus knew immediately that he was not the one who moved his head.

[Where am I?]

And then, a thought.

A thought.

Yet it was not his own thought, but a thought spoken by that evil voice which lay inside his head.

However, it was the strangest thing.

For this voice did not sound evil at all.

It sounded like the innocent voice of a normal man.

'What? That... that was Number Seven's voice inside my head, right? But why did he sound so....'

[Where am I!?]

'Scared?'

[What am I? Who am I? Where am I? What the hell am I doing in this place? How did I get here? I... I can't remember!!]

The voice inside his head which was clearly that of Number 7 began to panic - something which Marcus would never have expected.

The body moved on its own as the head frantically looked about with fear, however the motions which the head made were different from the ones that Marcus commanded it to perform.

'Wait... wait... wait... hold on just a minute...'

[I... I have no idea!! I can't remember anything!! What am I!?!?]

It was as the frantic thoughts played in his mind that yet another voice interrupted the thoughts of Marcus.

[Ah... how adorable I was, don't you think? So innocent. I knew nothing at that time. Well... I suppose you should just watch and learn, Marcus. After all... not many have the opportunity to experience the life of another. Heh...]

It was then that the evil voice spoke, and Marcus realized what was happening.

[And you've been granted a front row seat.]

----

'I... am inside your body?'

'Just as you... were living inside my body?'

'Am I... experiencing your memories?'

As Marcus realized this, the creature chuckled.

[That is correct. Enjoy.]

And then, the voice disappeared.

'Wait... just a minute...'

'I... I'm chained here...'

'I'm chained in this chamber...'

'What do you expect me to do?'

[I... I have to get out of here. But where will I go? What will I do? No... scratch that. What even am I? What is this thing? Why am I in it?]

Marcus watched as if he were a spectator as the Number Seven of the past frantically panicked, unable to even come to a decision on what to do.

However, Marcus could not find himself blaming him.

After all, what would Marcus have done?

He was trapped.

Chained to a table with no key for escape.

[I... I should calm down. I should calm down. Let's think this through. What happened before this?]

Number Seven seemed to rack his mind, yet nothing came to memory.

[I... can't remember anything.]

[At all.]

It was then that the sound of a shaft opening filled the ears of the black haired man, who sat his head up just enough to peek over to see that a man had entered the room through an air lock.

"Hahaha... oh, excellent... today has been such a wonderful day. Six successful trials and counting. Now then... let us see if this one is a failure or not."

The man who walked into the room carried himself with pride, slithering into the room with a sinister grin.

His golden eyes gleamed as they fell upon the man who sat on the operation table, and he ran his hand through his slightly messy white hair as he approached him.

The man wore a lab coat and there were bags under his eyes, as if he had been up all night. As he stood over the subject, he looked down with a grin as he walked around him, inspecting the man from head to toe.

"Hm... hm... I see... interesting. Subject 2543. Tell me your name."

[Name?]

Number Seven looked to the man with confusion, as if the word was foreign to him.

[What... Do you mean by that?]

However as soon as Number Seven asked this question, the man's smile seemed to broaden with vivid excitement.

"You... don't know your name?"

[How... would I know such a thing? I don't even know what a name is.]

"You... haha..."

The man then began to frantically walk around the subject, studying him intensely as he eyed the specimen up and down.

"Yes... yes... condition number 1 has been satisfied. Excellent.... then, tell me about yourself."

It was at that moment that the man brought his golden eyes mere centimeters away from the eyes of Number Seven.

"What are you?"

[What... am I?]

Number 7's voice seemed to quiver as the man intimidated him from such a close distance, and he glanced away uncomfortably.

[I... don't know.], he whispered in an intimidated manner.

It was as Number Seven said this that Marcus felt it.

Fear.

His chest became tense, and his heart rate increased.

He felt fear well up inside of him, however there was something which Marcus was certain of.

The fear which this body felt was not his own - but rather the fear which Number Seven had held.

'He... could feel fear?'

'Who... is this man?', Marcus wondered.

It was then that the scientist's smile deepend as his eyes thinned with joy, and he ran his hands through his hair with pleasure.

"Ah... I see. So you have no memory of even what you are?"

[That... is correct.]

Marcus knew this situation all too well.

One of predator and prey.

One who held control, and one who was being toyed with.

'How... could this be?'

'That thing which holds me in the palm of its hand... was once in such a situation?'

"I see.... wonderful. It would seem that you... are now alive. I will inform you of what you are then. Listen up, creature."

Marcus felt the warmth of the scientist's hands as his cheeks were grabbed, and he was once more met with that mad expression of the scientist.

"You are a parasite. My creation. You are a monster who will serve humanity with every last inch of your worthless life. Do you understand?"

The eyes of Number 7 wide as he was informed of such a reality.

[A... parasite?]

"Yes."

[I will serve... humanity?]

"Indeed."

[What is... humanity?]

[What is... a parasite?]

As Number Seven asked these two things, the man became slightly shocked, though for just a moment.

"How... interesting. That you started off with this level of intelligence... It is truly wonderful."

And it was at that strange moment, for some reason, that Marcus overheard a thought inside the mind of the white haired man.

'Just like the other six, he holds almost no common knowledge aside from basic language skills. These are exactly the results I have been searching for. And I have finally succeeded in reproducing such a phenomena.'

With a grin, the man turned around as he walked over to a desk of tools.

And as he walked over, Marcus continued to listen into his thoughts.

'This is perfect. For without even the memories of common knowledge... I am free to mold their minds as I please.'

Grabbing a syringe filled with a bright pink liquid, the man walked over to the specimen as he once more towered above him, squeezing the syringe as a slight amount of the pink fluid squirted out.

"A parasite is an invasive species which holds no purpose in this world aside from TAKING from others. Leeching off those who are excellent, parasites suck away anything and everything which is of worth without permission."

Then, sticking the needle straight through the forehead of the man, Marcus felt a surge of pain as his brain was pierced straight through.

[AGH!!]

Number Seven began to struggle, however his hands were bound by the shackles, and thus he was left only to tremble as he shouted out.

Squeezing the syringe so that the fluid flowed into the mind of the specimen, the scientist continued to speak.

"And humanity is the superior race of this world. We are the elites who give everything in order that this world can be such a wonderful place. We are the immortal, all powerful beings, who you will serve with every inch of your life... until the day you cease to exist. We are.... your benevolent and loving creators."

----

Superior.

Elites.

Immortal.

Serve.

Benevolent.

Creators.

One by one, the scientist had to explain these things to the fearful man who knew nothing of his own situation or his status in this world.

He listened fearfully, taking in each and every word which the man spoke as an absolute truth - to which Marcus was slowly appalled.

[I see...]

[So I am a parasite... and I am nothing without humanity.]

[For their sake... I must endure such pains as that sharp object which was placed into my head.]

As the liquid had been injected into the body, Marcus felt everything twitch as a numbing sensation had spread throughout his body.

He could barely even move, and all feeling had left this body - leaving only the numbness of the fluid.

Yet even so, the capacity for thought and speech remained.

[And... who are you?], the specimen asked, glancing over to the scientist who was over to the side, toying with some sort of new concoction.

"Ah... me? Well that is simple. I am a human. But I am not just any human. I am your master."

[I see... master.]

Slowly, the man smiled.

The word which he had never heard before had a wonderful ring to it, and it gave him a slight amount of joy merely speaking it.

[Thank you for creating me... master.]

"That is correct. You should thank me. For if it were not for humanity... your existence would be WORTHLESS."

[Thank you... greatly. For giving my existence worth.]

It was then that Marcus felt tears slide down the face of the body which he inhabited.

He felt terror present within this numbed body, which was tensed up with every sort of unease.

And whether those tears were once of gratitude or sadness, Marcus did not know.

It was at that moment that the man approached the creature with the knife of a butcher.

"It should have spread throughout your body at this point. Let us see... I suppose this would be the second trial, given that the first one was a success. And if this second trial is successful... then I suppose I shall give you a LABEL."

Holding the knife above the hand of the man, the scientist's golden eyes glinted with sadism as he smiled.

"If you are able to survive this, then you will be known as Experiment Number Seven."

Bringing down the butcher's knife, Marcus felt the anguish of having his hand sliced clean off as it dropped to the floor with a splat.

[UGH!!! AHH!!!]

The man removed his now handless arm from the shackle with ease, bringing the bloodied limb to his face as he shouted out in pain as he looked upon his mutilated limb.

"Ah... you weren't supposed to free yourself. Put your hand back, specimen. Before it regenerates."

It was then that the man grabbed the now handless arm of the specimen, placing it back into a shackle which he then held down with firm strength as the blood dripped to the floor.

The subject struggled in the agony, yet the strength of the scientist was firm as he was held down with ease.

[AGH!! UGH!!! MY... MY HAND!!! IT... IT HURTS!!! AGH!!]

Tears formed in the eyes of the subject as he furiously shook, yet this shaking was worth nothing in the face of the man before him.

And then, he felt it.

Blood pulsated through his hand, and looking to the source of his undeniable anguish, he watched as the hand replaced itself.

"Ah.... excellent."

Thinning his eyes with pleasure, the scientist watched as the hand regenerated, once more becoming trapped within the shackles.

The pain disappeared, but the agony with which the man had experienced did not.

He found himself breathing heavily as he looked at his hand which was now replaced with a new one.

[What... what... just happened-]

"Creature. You just disobeyed me, didn't you?"

[Eh?]

Looking into the eyes of the man, Number Seven witnessed a furious expression.

"Experiment Number 7... Trial Number 2... Success. Conclusion... the subject can now regenerate. Side note: Personality adjustment will be required."

It was then that the man waltzed over to his table of tools, grabbing a scalpel as he twiddled it in his hand, approaching seven with a sadistic grin.

"Seven. You are a mere creature. You have no right to go against the orders of a human like that. It's high time that you learned... your place in this world."

The man looked down on Seven with an expression completely devoid of any form of compassion, viewing him as a mere object to be played with.

And it was at that moment that Seven knew.

He was an inferior being.

A creature, whose existence was meaningless.

A slave who could do nothing more than serve his master.

By experiencing every form of pain and suffering imaginable.

[I suppose this is enough for now. We will continue this... next time.]

It was then that Marcus heard the voice of Seven speak once more.

Not the innocent subject who was being experimented upon, but the evil creature who had invaded his mind.

And then, everything went black.

[Return to the world. You do not have to answer just yet, but think about this question as you wander around this ruined world.]

With these words, Marcus was left with the emptiness contained within them as he felt his grip on this world loosening - for he was awakening once more in the real world.

[Us or humanity... who are the real monsters?]

----