Jou: First Blood

We're very seldom separated. That's the thing about twins, they like to stick together, even in hell. Even fate smushes us together in hell.

For me, it just makes it all a million times worse.

I hate Yurie! She gets on my nerves, she makes fun of me, never ever leaves me alone! Right now we were right here, in the middle of hell, surrounding by rotting corpses while she freaks out and cries and clings to me. For once, I'm the strong one, but it's still ruined by her constant whining. She's slowing me down as I try and find a door that opens, but none of them do. Every one I tug on doesn't budge an inch. It doesn't even rattle like normal locked doors. It's like they're just pictures. Yurie starts whining again as we reach the stairs and begin to ascend. "This is so not fair. Stupid creepy Kazuyo trapping us all here. I never liked her. I mean, have you seen the way that freak dresses and keeps her hair? I mean, what girl has short, scruffy hair like that? The only other one in the class is the one that thinks she's a boy. AKA weirdoes. God, and Sako even said she was cursing us, why didn't I listen? And now I'm stuck here surrounded by icky bodies and blood and ew and rot and a building where the caretakers have clearly never heard of spring cleaning. Oh god, look, my nail! I broke my nail!"
I forced my arm away from her at that point and walked on. Ugh, she sickened me.
"Jou, wait up you worthless shit!"
"Shut the hell up for five seconds, you stupid bitch!"
She seemed taken aback, but at least had enough brain power to slap me. I just kept walking, as though it didn't bother me. I'd had enough of the petty bullying I got every day. This was inconsequential. I stopped checking the doors as we cross the halls of the third floor, but I hear distant screams like none I had ever heard before, and it feels like ice is enclosing about my heart. I stop, my joints freezing. I'm almost too afraid to take another step, and then Yurie digs her nails into my shoulders, clearly having heard it. Clearly afraid.
"W-what was that?"
"Someone's in trouble." My voice didn't sound like my own. It came out in a terrified hiss, more like the squeak of a mouse than the voice of a grown man. Heck, it was almost like someone else was talking for me. I started to hyperventilate.

Yurie tugged my arm. "Let's go back. Maybe we can break the windows at the front door and get the hell out of here."
I didn't need telling twice, easily allowing myself to walk after her. We walked slowly, afraid running would alert whoever else was there to our presence. The screams continued, ones of pure agony, animalistic cries the likes of which no human should hear or produce. The screams of somebody in unimagineable pain, being brutally treated, close to death. A voice that would haunt every single moment of my life, awake or asleep, for as long as I live. My throat felt like sandpaper, my body tingling as though whatever was happening to her could happen to me at any moment. My knees were shaking, and I was sure I'd collapse any moment now, but for once my sister's vice-like grip was a great comfort. I couldn't even begin to wonder how scared she must have felt, and then we heard it.

The inhuman moaning.

The heavy footfalls.

The drag of something heavy on the rotting wooden floor.

We sped up. No questions asked, we just started walking a little faster. We were both terrified, no doubt about that. I risked a look over my shoulder and oh god I wish I hadn't. Behind us was something akin to the living dead. A large, loping form carrying some form of sharp hammer-like weapon. Not quite an axe, not quite a hammer. It was a grey-skinned man with dark skin and blood oozing from his eyes and mouth, and his lifeless eyes were fixed on Yurie and myself. With a terrified scream, I bolted into a run, forgetting Yurie had hold of me. She was yanked forward by me, I was yanked back by here, and the next thing I knew the whole world was spinning as I hit every piece of my poor body on something hard and sharp. Had I tumbled down the stairs? I stopped and shut my eyes against the pain. I think something was broken. Yurie tried to pull me up, her words coming in a panicked garble. Agonising pain shot through my limbs, but I got to my feet and followed, eyes still shut. I was effectively blind.  I didn't think I could open my eyes against the pain. It was too much, and then I tripped and fell, and Yurie tried to drag me despite my pained objections.
"Come on!" She shrieked tearfully. "We have to go! Jou, we have to-" She broke off with a scream. Or was the scream mine? The pain...a new pain blossomed in my arm. It was like my arm had been sliced into by something big. Like it was hanging on by just a thread. Another hit came down on my leg, and I felt the bones splinter. Tears were streaming down my face and the pain was enough to make me throw up. Now my stomach acid was burning my throat, and the hammer kept coming down, breaking my bones, hacking off limbs, peeling off skin, and all I could do was scream. I could feel things tear and burst and rupture, but the pain became one long river. I could hear the hammer come down and down again. All I could do was wait for the sweet release of death, anything to get me away from this pain. God, please...