Redrum Origins: Part 3

Part 6: Imminent Peril

Disclaimer: I do not own Redrum. Redrum is a game developed by Anarchy Enterprises. I only own the OC characters.

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The silence was unnerving. Any noise she made was echoed throughout the tunnels, bouncing off the walls. These doors looked different as well. They weren't rusted, just shiny, stainless steel, brand new. If this was something that Fraud had built only recently, she dreaded to imagine what it was for.

Maddie decided to survey the rooms despite her uneasiness. Twisting open the handle, the door swung inward silently. Inside was something that she couldn't quite understand. There was a massive monitor equipped with a dashboard full of different buttons and switches, and other contraptions she didn't recognize. Both lay dark and dormant. Thick black cables snaked all along the floor, some connecting to the dashboard, others disappearing into darkness. This was obviously a project still in development, and she found she would rather not know what it was meant to do.

The next room perturbed her even more. It was the same size as the first one, complete with monitor and dashboard. However, it contained some kind of restraining table set up at a forty-five-degree angle. It was clearly meant for a person. The monitor and dashboard glowed faintly, waiting for some kind of input.

The teen gulped, panic starting to set in. It made more sense now that all of this was just constructed. Fraud had intended this.

This was meant for her.

She slammed the door closed, taking in deep breaths to calm her racing heartbeat. Her arms wrapped around her torso, where several sharp, needle-like spikes had plunged into her flesh. The wounds had healed over completely now, but the effort drained a lot of her energy. If any of their assailants were to show up now, she doesn't think she'd be able to hold them off.

After her head stopped spinning, she continued to the next room. This looked like a storage room for the parts Fraud was using to assemble his machines. She spotted vats of green serum lined up along the wall, the size of propane tanks. She shivered, wrenching her gaze from them. Stay focused, stay determined.

There was a desk set up amongst the rabble Maddie couldn't quite comprehend. The apparatus erected on the desk unnerved her, a wire foundation positioning needles in the shape of a cranium. There was paper on the desk, covered in frantic scribbling. It seemed the good doctor had been taking more notes. She sifted through them, bent over the surface. One entry caught her eye.

Upon further research, it appears that Madeleine's soul may be difficult to anchor in the NR due to how powerful it is. There must be a way to effectively trap her, allowing me access to her vitality. But I will cross that bridge when I come to it. I must still run some tests with the serum. Fortunately, the asset should be arriving any day now.

She swallowed down the lump in her throat, searching through more of the papers. The next one she found made her heart skip a beat: The asylum has been condemned. It means nothing. Only me and my staff know of the system below the building. I will finally be able to work in peace. Everyone will just assume I had left the state. They will be none the wiser. Once I've established my unending immortality, and with Rose by my side, the world will know and revere what a true god is.

She stumbled away, her throat suddenly dry. She knew that Fraud was referring to her as the "asset," the one who would give him eternal life. If the doctor somehow managed to keep her within a perpetual state of torture-filled sleep and not completely suck her dry, then it would be possible for him to constantly drink of her essence, using her soul's self-sustaining ability. In other words, she truly was a never-ending source of life.

A noise from the hall snapped her to attention. She grit her teeth, muscles tense and straining. She cautiously inched back out the door, prepared to meet any threat. The passage was empty. No one was here. Her terror spiked, pools of sweat streaming down her face. Someone was definitely here. They were toying with her.

She took a few steps down the corridor before freezing in her tracks, heart caught in her throat. The roaring in her ears deafened anything else. Clenching her fists, she braced herself for whatever was sneaking up behind her. She was about to throw a punch, but a strong set of hands stopped her. One wrapped around her wrist while the other held the back of her neck.

Maddie looked up at the chilling blue eyes of Dr. Fraud, wriggling in his grip. He smiled down at her, as if greeting an old friend. "It seems the surprise was revealed prematurely." Something malicious flashed in his gaze. "Oh, well. Can't do anything about it now."

The teen turned her fear into anger, still twisting in the man's grasp. "Bastard!" she cursed. "Let me go!"

"Now why would I do that?" Fraud tightened his grip on her neck, yanking upward. She cried out at the movement, temporarily halting her struggles. The doctor leaned in close, his face inches from hers. "There is still much to do. Come along now. I have your medicine ready for you."

The knee that connected with his solar plexus surprised rather than hurt him, eyes widening at the strength the girl still seemed to possess. It was enough for him to loosen his grip and for her to push herself away from him, escaping his grasp. Then, without hesitation, she turned and ran, knowing that she wasn't in any condition to put up a fight. She was too weak for that. She just had to get away.

Fraud rubbed at his chest, frowning, before looking up at the direction Maddie had gone. He smirked to himself. There was nowhere for the girl to run. She was a rat trapped in a maze with no exit. It wouldn't be long before he caught up to her.

The mad doctor clasped his hands behind his back, casually walking down the corridor, whistling to himself as he did so.

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Ravenwood stopped short as his niece collapsed to the ground on her knees, clutching at her head. Her face was twisted in pain, soft whimpers escaping from through her teeth. He knelt in front of her. "Rose! Rose, what is it?! What's wrong?"

The girl whimpered. "So loud..." she groaned, doubling over from the weight bearing down on her skull. "Have to... hurry..." she stammered, panting between pauses. "He's... coming..."

"Who's coming?" Rose didn't answer, the relentless pounding in her mind silencing her to pitiful whimpers. Ravenwood swore under his breath, gathering his niece into his arms. Secured in his grasp, he continued running through the tunnel they had stopped in. Rose started mumbling, barely audible to hear. "Help... me..." she muttered. "He's... coming..."

The meaning of those words slammed into him like an eighteen-wheeler, nearly tripping in his stride. It wasn't Rose herself who was feeling this, it was Maddie, channeling through some sort of connection. Maybe it was part of his niece's abilities. But the desperation in this plea only meant one thing, and his blood ran cold.

Maddie was in extreme danger.

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Author's Note: Fraud's a bit creepy in this one. Feels kind of cringey to me.

I've been watching RWBY Volume 8. I don't know whether to be triggered or shook.

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

See you next time!

-The_Mayflower