𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 || 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐨 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟗

I stared at the door that now lacked its handle, and I sighed. I looked around the room, trying to figure out a way to escape. I charged at the door and rammed into it with my shoulder but didn't budge, so I started kicking at it with my foot and felt the heel of my shoe crack and break off from the force.

"Didn't like these anyway." I said taking them off and throwing them at the door angrily. I paced around the room anxiously, chewing my thumbnail. I checked under the carpet to see if there was a secret passage or something, but no luck. I also checked to see if there were any hidden cameras around but I didn't find any of those either. I shouted, trying to gain the attention of anyone, but that proved to be useless too.

Suddenly, the floor started to vibrate and I looked down to see that I was standing on a platform that was ascending upwards. I braced myself, looking up and seeing the giant chandelier had been moved out of the way and I stared up at the black hole above me. After a few short moments, the platform stopped rising and I struggled to see in the dark that enveloped me.

I heard faint whispers coming from all around me and a bright spotlight suddenly focused directly on me from above. I squinted my eyes, confused and slightly dazed. A loud, booming voice could be heard over speakers and my head snapped in the direction of the person speaking. I looked to see a man dressed in a black suit wearing a faceless mask and I spotted others sitting on the balconies that were around the giant room.

"Ladies and gentleman, thank you for waiting so patiently. Today, we have something very special to offer you all." Said the man into a microphone, and my eyes narrowed. The crowd erupted into cheers and my eyes scanned the room and I saw someone laying down on the ground, seemingly unconscious. I rushed over to them, only to realize it was Fumiko. My heart dropped into my stomach and I shook her repeatedly to get her to wake up. When she didn't respond, I checked her pulse and was instantly relieved to feel one. The man spoke once again, "Tonight's entrée consist of unusual cuts of meat, along side a very basic portion provided by both MM and Mr. Chronos." My eyes widened and the lights focused on Ryo, Fumiko's date as he stood up an smiled down at me from behind his mask.

"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, and honored friends, I am here to offer you an opportunity you would not receive elsewhere." He suddenly pointed a gloved finger at me and I froze, feeling every pair of eyes on me. "You see, this young lady here's scent is quite unusually captivating; when I first met her, I could smell the aroma of both human and ghoul emanating from her." Everyone began to whisper, and I looked down at Fumiko's unconscious body. "Her friend, the one she's holding, was extremely gullible and I managed to snag the both of them for you all to feast on tonight!" He shouted excitedly and people began laughing and whistling in response.

What's going on?

"Hey, you!" I heard a voice from behind me and I looked to see who it was. It was a young man, around my age with black hair and he was dressed in a suit. He looked oddly familiar. "What are you doing here? How did you..." he trailed off, looking up and a seemingly horrified expression formed on his face. I followed his gaze, swallowing thickly.

Overhead, I could see a young purple haired man dressed in a white suit with a crescent shaped mask on his face. Two young women stood at his side, their arms wrapping around his own as he spoke. "My friends, we all are aware that the flesh of a ghoul offers a coarse flavor not worthy of devouring. Of course, I'm sure that those of you with a refined sense of taste will think of this as nothing new." The man said, opening his arms widely as he continued. "The thing that caught my attention was his scent as well." I watched as the man pulled out a handkerchief and he sniffed it before throwing it into the crowd. Everyone began to push and shove each other, trying to get their hands on it. "Just as Mr. Chronos mentioned about this beautiful young lady here, the scent of both human and ghoul comes from him as well."

I looked at the black-haired man, my eyes widened as I watched him fall to his knees utterly distraught. Before I could say anything, a giant gated door began to rise from behind us and I stared.

"Let us enjoy tonight's show! Now then, here is the scrapper who will be serving today's main dish!" Said the purple haired man and I slowly pulled Fumiko closer to me. The room had gone quiet and I heard a loud thud, then another, then another as I watched a giant man wearing an eyeless red mask who was carrying a massive hand saw step out into the ring before letting out a loud belch and I tensed up.

Without a warning, he raised the weapon in the air and swung it downwards, nearly killing the young man I was with. Luckily, he managed to dodge it and he ran to the outer edge of the ring before shouting in my direction. "Run! Get out of there, now!" He said, his voice cracking and I looked up to see the giant standing in front me. My eyes locked onto his, black abysses staring back at me as it giggled childishly. He sat on the ground and began swinging his hand saw around, nearly cutting me in two. I pulled Fumiko's unconscious body backwards as I struggled to get her to somewhere safer, and I managed to rest her against a pillar. The crowd cheered, seemingly excited with the scene playing out in front of them. Some boo'd, probably hoping we had instantly gotten slaughtered.

"What the hell do we do?" I yelled at the man, watching as the giant sauntered over to us and he spoke.

"I... I don't know, but we need to get out of here!" He said, running towards the door and desperately pushing against it. I looked back for a split second, only to be met with a swift and hard kick to the stomach. I flew backwards, hitting the wall and feeling my head hit a sharp stone. My vision blurred and I spat up blood, wiping it away with the back of my hand. The giant man walked over to the younger man and began repeatedly swinging at him with the saw, and I watched as he dodged them quickly and managed to deliver a kick to the back of his head before running in my direction. He grabbed my arm and hoisted me up and I groaned, clearly in pain.

"S-Sorry..." He said awkwardly and I scoffed.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." I said coldly, staring at the giant man as he skipped towards us once again, saw held high in the air. We began running towards the door once again and without a warning, the younger mans legs seemed to give out on him. We stumbled to the floor and I slowly sat up, staring as he tried to move his legs.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it seems the drug is starting to work! Though the effects are delayed, even if the young man and lady here didn't drink the coffee offered to them they had inhaled a gas that slowly inhibits motor skills. Soon, neither of them will be able to do anything! Please enjoy the finale." Said the announcer into the microphone, and the crowd cheered louder.

"Hell yeah! Rip 'em to pieces!" Said someone in the crowd, cheering and laughing. "Break their bones one by one!" Said another.

I looked at the young man as he struggled to move. My arms suddenly felt weak and jello-like and I fell forward, my head nearly hitting the ground. "Shit..."

The young man spoke, "I-I can't move my legs-"

SLAM!

The mans words were cut off when I watched in disbelief as the giant kicked him against the door, causing it to splinter and crack. His body crumpled and he fell limply to the ground before he was grabbed by the neck by the giant man. My stomach churned as I watched the giants grip tighten, and the younger man struggled to breathe. The giant laughed happily and the crowd cheered loudly. I glanced back at Fumiko's body then back at the younger man. He choked and slammed his fist against the giants arm, only seeming to aggravate it.

"Aren't you gonna do something?"

I heard a familiar voice from behind me, and I glanced back to see the other me from my dream earlier in the taxi. She paced around me, humming and giggling before she wrapped her hands around my neck and hugged me. My breath caught in my throat and I inched away. She didn't let up and whispered in my ear softly.

"C'mon, Ari. Can't you see? Fumiko and that young man are going to die. And it'll be all your fault." She said tauntingly, and I stared as the giant choked him mercilessly. He looked back at me, trying to call out but all that I could hear was wheezes. My heart dropped into my stomach and I doubled over, clutching my head and shaking it in disbelief.

"Get out, get out, get out, GET OUT! You're a liar!" I screamed repeatedly, my shoulders shaking as I struggled to keep my composure. The other me sighed and crouched in front of me, cupping my face as a tear rolled down my cheek.

"Do you want to become a murderer Ari? Could you live with yourself, knowing you let two innocent people die?" She cooed, smiling at me as her eyes gleamed excitedly. "Look." She motioned towards the young man, and I realized he was passing out from lack of oxygen. I looked back at Fumiko, who was still unconscious. I felt my throat close and I ducked my head.

"I... I don't know what to do..." I admitted quietly, my voice breaking. The other me gently brought her hand up to my right eye, covering it for a few moments before retracting it. I stared up at her, and she spoke.

"But you do know. You're no longer a human, Ari. You're a ghoul; a monster."

"I am a human! I..." I trailed off, looking down at my hands that were shaking violently. "I swear I am..." I whispered, clenching my hands into fists.

My mind swirled as I gazed at the giant and I stood up. For some reason, in that moment, something switched inside of me; my heart hammered in my ears as I staggered towards the giant, nearly slipping on a pool of blood. She was right. I wasn't a human anymore.

"Very good! Now... kill it. Tear it to shreds! Hell, even rip its guts out!" Said the other me happily and my fingers twitched, feeling my right eye sting as my kakugan took its place.

I was broken from my trance when I heard someone yelling from the crowd.

"D-Don't tell me... they're both one-eyed ghouls!" Said a young man, and a woman added on. "Only one of their eyes is red!" The whole crowd gasped, shock on their faces.

I looked back to see the young man's left eye had also turned red. He managed to escape from the giants grasp by twisting its arm and breaking its elbow with his knee. It cried like an annoying infant and I was now itching to tear that thing to pieces. Yet, a part of me hesitated.

Could I even do something like that? What would Fumiko think if she saw me like this? Would I get turned in? Hunted down by the CCG like a diseased animal and forced to live my life alone forever more? Fuck... this was hell on Earth, huh?

"Hey, big guy." I said coldly, glaring at the giant as he looked at me angrily. He grabbed the hand saw with his good arm from beside him and stood up clumsily, running at me like a giraffe in heels and brought the weapon down in an obvious swiping motion. Swiftly, I dodged his attack by slipping through his legs and beneath him. I crawled up his back, digging my nails into his skin which caused him to whine. "Quit your crying and die for me, will you?" I said softly, wrapping my arms around his neck and twisting as hard as I possibly could. I heard a deafening crack and a whimper come from the giant before he fell to his knees, seemingly having died instantly.

The crowd shouted angrily. Some whispered and muttered amongst each other.

I stepped off the corpse, giving it a swift kick to head to make sure it had actually been killed. I glanced down at my hands, watching as they trembled and had been stained with blood. I looked up to see the younger man had nearly collapsed on the ground, struggling to keep himself upright. He stared at me, a relieved look on his face.

I heard a soft tap come from behind me and I saw the man named MM approach the two of us, a wide smile on his face. I took a few steps back and he leaned in closely, whispering.

"This was all meant to be a little joke. I know it was a bit rough, but... do you mind forgetting this ever happened?"