Infectious Love

Chapter 12: A Warning

(Warning: this chapter contains gore, character death, and blood/Ink.)

8's nose was greeted with the strong smell of ink and iron. He opened his eyes to find himself standing in an ominous hallway. 8 froze in horror when he saw the bodies.

Cassandra's lifeless body was slumped over Leo's body, blood trailing from stab wounds on her back and soaking the back of her shirt and white skirt. Leo's body was lying face up, empty-lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling. Leo's body seemed to be the bait in a trap, with Cassie being snared in, stabbed from behind, and left to bleed out on top of Leo.

Looking farther ahead, 8 spotted Callie's body slumping against the wall with pink ink splattered on the wall behind her and dripping from her head. Marie was lying in a pool of light green ink in front of Callie, with what looked to be bullet holes in her chest. Becca and Geno's bodies were behind Callie and Maire, except Geno had a few axe marks on his neck and shoulder, with a fire axe impaled in Becca's chest.

"Wh-What the hell?" 8 thought, covering his mouth with his left hand in disbelief at the scene before him.

The stench of blood and ink was starting to mix, creating a powering stench that made 8's stomach turn. What happened here? Was it the Octolings that were still loyal to DJ Octavio? Or was it something else entirely?

8 reluctantly took a step toward Cassie and Leo's bodies to find that the blood looked fresh. So, whoever or whatever did this was probably still lurking around, and 8 wasn't sure if he wanted to meet them. But a small part of him wanted to meet the person responsible, so he could make them pay. Sadness and anger were beginning to surface, adding fuel to the fire.

"No, stop, please!" A voice pleaded on 8's right. "N-No, stay away!"

8 knew that voice anywhere. His anger dashed down, as he turned to his right to find another hallway with a door at the very end. The door was opened ajar, and the light from the room was seeping out. Pearl's body was leaning against the wall with stab wounds on her chest. Jeremy and Captain Cuddlefish were near the door and were slumped on opposite sides of the hallway.

Suddenly, a scream echoed down the hallway from the door. 8 walked toward the door, catching bits of someone talking to 3.

"Shhh, it's okay. Just trust me 3, it's me." A soft and comforting toned voice said to 3.

"Go to hell...you evil doppelganger." 3 growled while taking a shaky breath.

8 glanced over to Jeremy and Cuddlefish's lifeless bodies; Jeremy had bruises around his neck and dry tear streaks staining his cheeks, suggesting he'd been strangled. Cuddlefish had a blow on the side of his head, his cane at his feet with ink on the handle. His beloved walking cane is the instrument of his demise.

8 peeked in through the ajar door, and what he saw made his ink run cold. It looked to be a hospital patient room, 8 spotted Catherine, Marina, and 4 all lying on the floor...dead in pools of blood/ink. 8 slowly opened the door to find an injured 3 in his sanitized twin's arms.

3 looked to be in pain and her wrists were tightly tied by 8's yellow 10,008 bracelet, yet she was still hatefully glaring up at her sanitized assailant. Sanitized 8 was innocently smiling down at her, holding her up with one arm and holding a cloth in his other hand.

"This isn't you 8," 3 wheezed.

"Shhh, it's okay sweetie," he whispered, wiping some ink from her lip. "Just hold still."

"No..."

"When you wake up, we'll be starting our new life."

8's evil twin forcefully smothered 3's mouth and nose with the cloth. She desperately tried to pull away from him, but he kept her in place, 3 slowly went limp in his arms and closed her eyes as the drug took effect.