Never Ending Lullaby

Ellie was relieved that there was another girl in the group. Her hand strayed down to scratch her dog behind his ears, causing him to growl his affection. Her lips curled into a sympathetic half-smile at the two nervous boys, they were oddly similar in some ways. Her smile faded as she thought of the other dangers they are going to face as she realized that the previous trap had just been the beginning; there was going to be more, they are going to get more and more difficult, people are going to die.

She raised an eyebrow at Todd's women comment, but let it slide, there is no time to be a bitch. at least not right now. they had to find there way out of this shitty house. She dug in her pocket until she found her dagger, it felt warm in her hands, like it belonged. She already discovered all the personalities of the others. Prestal was the nervous one, Lawn/Kwan was the anxious one, Todd was the over-confident one, Angel the Sweet one, and Rhyme the talkative one. Ellie guessed she was the quieter one as she noted that they didnt seem to notice her much, not that that bothered her, oh no, she loved lying unnoticed, she prefered it that way.

She blinked and wondered aloud in her accented voice, "I wonder what's next in this shit-hole."
 
Prestal was getting confused by all the odd anecdotes flying around, he took mental note of Todds comment so they could discuss it later, but for now Prestal had more important things on his mind. "S-so?" he said looking around the group. "Does anyone know anything useful?" He took another deep drag on his spliff, which was doing a wonderful job of relaxing him, but the air in the hallway was starting to fill with a dark blueish layer of smoke, combined from him, Todd and Ellie. "Miss angel? do you know the way out?" he said dramatically. "Or Kwan, why are we here?" he took another drag and continued. "Miss Ellie, why were we the ones chosen for this? Miss Rhyme, what waits around the next corner." he left the most important one to last, re-enforcing a point Prestal had no idea had just been made. "Todd, who here can really be trusted?"
 
"How the heck am I suppossed to know what lies around the next corner?!" Rhyme said, her voice rising. "I can't even remember the run to where all the noise you people were making was coming from!" She took a deep breath and fiddled with her fingers in nervouse agitation. "And how come you don't get asked a question? Why don't you answer mine." A frustrated huff escaped her lips and she tried to control her thoughts, there were just so many and she had no idea where they were all coming from. "And why can't we all be trusted...?" This last thing was said in a very low voice so she wasn't sure if they had heard her.
 
IC:

"To be hones I doubt we can trust anyone but as long as we are here we should at least try to gain each others trust so we can make out." Angel replied. "Kwan with his puzzeled look spoke just as Rhyme did, "How the hell would I know why we're here if it were that easy I doubt we'd even be here. Plus we're all hit by amnesia all we remember is our names." Angel heard the soft voice whisper to her saying that the one named Todd can not be trusted and she understood that and looked at the wall at her side from the corner of her eye, a chill went down her spine the voice warned her yet scared her. "We should head the other way find a way under the open air inside I bet it's impossible." Angel suggested. "I'm not sure what's next but we an only be too careful right." She referred to Ellie.
 
Todd yawned, a typical Todd action. He didn't know who could be trusted, probably no one. The thing about humans was that they snapped easily, giving away into the downward cycle. Humans were flawed like that, and those flaws they tried to compensate with pride, vanity, and cruelty. These things, though they might not be fair to other humans, kept Todd and his co-workers employed. He wished Cor was here. Cor would make this situation so much better - he would come in and convince them to rid each other of the most prevalent problem - each other. Unfortunatly, Todd was not Cor and didn't have the brute force that his stock and stalwart companion did. Todd had to be clever. This was not, however, the best circumstances to practice his craft. He smirked, then, and pulled out another black cigarette and slipped it between his lips and teeth - and lit it with a single finger in his favourite parlor trick.

" I remembeh more than just me name," Todd said in his strange foreign voice that echoed through the rooms, "I remembeh bein' an enjmaber, and doing my job with pride and a sense of accomplishment. I remembeh my last client. Kid named Jason. Jacey, I called 'im. I remembeh bein' shot by somebody I thought I loved," He shrugged, and his tone showed that he didn't regret or feel saddened by the whole ordeal. Not really. Todds came back, after all, "I remembeh the Paris Opera House, 1915. The lead singeh is beautiful - but she cries when she gets fucked," He grins pleasantly, and the blue smoke wafts through the room, "If there's somebody yeh can't trust it's probably me. Howeveh, I'm an 'onest chap," He ran a hand through his hair, "And will answer any questions with the truth."
 
Ellie nodded in agreement at Angel's words and took a long drag. She sighed, the oddly coloured smoke billowing out of her mouth. She smirked at Todd's words and watched as her dog began to get antsy and started to go sniff everyone. She shook her head and softly called her dog back to her side as he licked Prestal's hand. "Sorry 'bout Gale, he's to friendly for his own good. And to answer your question, I have no fucking clue." she took another quick drag and shut her eyes for a moment. She really didn't have any clue, one minute she was taking her dog out on an evening stroll, the next she was lying in this place.The air was tense, nobody was sure what to do next, wait and see to the next trap? Or go looking to find other people that have been unfortunately chosen for this... Adventure. Either way, she knew she was going to have to give it her all to get out of this place alive.
 
As the dog licked his hand, Prestal petted it. "P-p-perhaps..." Prestal began then froze for thought. He had a few memories left, the important ones anyway, maybe they had some relevance here. "Perhaps we should sh-sh-share whatever we can remember... perhaps it can... help? Anyone mind sharing what they know, it m-m-may help us get out?" He thought back over what he could remember, The death of his mother and escaping his father, then running, vague memories of running then... his first customer on his first day at his job at the coffee house, and of course his proposal to the same coffee addicted girl 2 years later. He hung his head, he couldn't believe he'd forgotten Aurie and Garf. It only intensified his desire to get home. He took another drag.
 
Rhyme bit her bottom lip when Prestal suggested that they all share what they remember. Earlier she had had a sinking feeling that someone had once insisted that she was crazy but now... She knew what that memory was about. She shook her head to try and ease all the thoughts that were running through it at once. "I..." Her voice caught in her throat and she coughed to clear it. "I don't remember anything...Sorry." She hoped they all over looked her, especially since she was so soft spoken. It really sucked to talk about so much and be aware that nobody was listening to you, but sometimes their silence could be a good thing. With this thought in mind she continued to chew her bottom lip.
 
Todd smiled and plucked off his glasses, revealing clear blue eyes - very light, nearly blood shot. He began to clean his glasses with the hem of his shirt, "I remembeh lots things. Nothin' that you people would find interestin'. In fact, yeh might actually 'ate me for it," He considered his statement for a moment, and looked over the group of people that he had gathered around him, "Well, 'ate me more than you alreadeh do." He flopped on the floor of the room, tossing out the Baretta from his pocket, and leaning against a wall, looking up at the peeling ceiling. He thought about everything he had ever done, all the wrong he'd ever done, and realized that despite all of that, he regretted very little of it. It had all been fore a reason. There had to be enjambers, because without them, nothing would ever come to an end, and the natural order would be completely upset.

He looked up at the ceiling as if inspecting and listed off some of what he remembered, and told himself 'to hell with whatever they might think of you. You are going to live and they are going to die -- so it doesn't make a difference what they learn', "I remembeh my name. Me name is Todd Renard. I'm an enjamber and cause enjambment. Me last client was named Jason. 'e died alone in a filtheh 'ole like an animal. I remembeh that I did my job, and 'e raped his best friend. I remembeh that Cor did 'is job and Jason blew his buddeh's and his brains out," Todd swallowed, and went on, remembering everything about that job, "I remembeh eatin' candy with Cor in the park. He drew his and I drew mine and we blew our brains out. Just like Jason. It din' mattah. Todds come back. There's always a Todd," he glanced at his compatriots. They couldn't understand that. Todd wasn't even immortal, but he jumped around, jumping in and out of people through time and through history, and he had always been a part of the world.

He stood up, and placed his sunglasses back on his face, blowing out a cloud of blue smoke from a black cigarette, "Yeh know, I've been doing my job since the Victorian fops were persecuted? Previously, my job had been done by other Todds, but this Todd 'as done 'is job since 1880," He smirked a little, and stretched. Todd glanced at Prestal, "So you've gotta wife. How nice fer yeh," He looked at Ellie, "You've gotcher dog," and he pointed at Rhyme, "And she don't got anything except 'er own lack o' clarity," He smiled a bit to himself, leaning against the wall, nudging the gun on the floor with his foot, "All I got is the dark 'eart of man and the tiniest hope that as the days go by, man will still want, and man will still rape."
 
IC:

Angel had a question in mind she wanted to ask Todd but his last line got her raging inside, something about that word itself made her shiver. Kwan on the other hand was curious yet a bit scared of this fella named Todd. Strangely Kwan asked what Angel had been wanting to ask, "Todd what are you basically?" and he swallowed hard. Angel kept to herself when there was a noise heard, loud and clear as a door creaked open and echoed all over. By the sound of it, it seemed to be a big door and then it was followed by a melody being played on a piano and it was echoing all the way to the group and ever person could hear it. It was strange how when the music played Angel in her head a after a while could sing to it as if she knew the lyrics to the melody her mind was trying to jog her memories as she recalled a fragment. She saw a record player playing the song, vague feeling of a party and then there was a horrifying laugh of girl that made her head ache and she was brought back to reality.

Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf-RV7EqLYA

this is the one with the lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jig_BSvn8wE
 
Rhyme was about to comment on what Todd had said when she caught what she thought was a look of confusion pass over Angel, then she heard the sound of a big door opening too. A melody so soft and sweet drifted from the newly opened door, and Rhyme instantly recognized the sound of a piano playing. It seemed to engulf her and she felt her consciousness slipping as what appeared to be a fragment of her memory came before her. And before she knew it she was out of the hallway and in her own mind, once again the scared little girl hiding in her closet.

He was huge and scary, not what she had expected when her momma told her she had a new dad. But why would momma marry such a mean man? A man who hurt her only daughter? It might have been because he brought home a lot of money, and for a single woman raising a child that seemed promising. So here Rhyme was again, a little girl hiding away in her already too small for her closet, crying softly so as not to be heard by the man. Another drunken rampage meant another bruise and more mental scars than she could count on her two little hands. "Where are you, you crazy little bitch!" A small gasp escaped her trembling lips and she tried to stop breathing, anything to avoid what might come next. "Your momma done told me that you said you been seeing things again! There aint no demon inside of me, ya' hear" His voice caused her to shake, a nervous breakdown making her gasp for air. The closet door slammed open and she yelped, what happened next she would never forget.

Rhyme snapped out of the memory to find her self shaking and tears streaming down her face. How she could have forgotten such a horrible moment in her life she would never know, but she realized now that she was thankful for it. She also realized that she wasn't crazy, she could just see and sense the good or bad in others, and her step father had had one dangerous demon in him.
 
Todd smiled, and laughed a little at the question, answering it quickly, and with a grin on his face, white teeth glimmering in the gloom, "I'm a person 'ooh one suspects neveh existed, made up of ideas and thoughts of othah people," He ran a hand through his short blonde hair, and spat out his cigarette, which he proceeded to stamp on to put it out, "Society made meh," He said as he walked down the hall-way, hearing the piano music play as he stated the fact, "What am I basically? I am too much to sum up in a singel word - I'm Todd. I 'ave no personal demons cause I am all your personal demons," He smirked, 'Well, not all of yours, others have had their effect."

He looked at the ceiling inspecting the cracks and riffs amongst the paint, "I'm what you think of when you see a girl with her skirt ridin' up her legs and you think to yer sad little self, 'i want her', I'm the one that makes yeh take her," He smirked to himself, "I could tell yeh my real name, I suppose, but I've always found that 'Todd' suited me best. I've been callled that for thousands of years," He shrugged, "Besides, my real name is inelegant."

Todd glanced at them, "Besides, names have power. 'Least, thas what they always say. I am evreh Marquis De Sade, each of them that touched Lucretia and brought 'bout the Roman Empire, every Nazi who did some 'corrections' on inmates," he looked a little sick to his stomach, now, as if the realization of what he was was happening to him for the first time, "I am the most unreported violent crime, and I'm proud of it," his tone might have indicated otherwise but he kept it confident, his smile remaining on his face, "I am, afterall, Rape." He grinned, and ducked into an open door, where he thought he could hear the music coming from, as his last words trailed off after him, "You believe whatever the 'ell you want."

He opened the door to find a player piano. The keys were playing themselves, the melody echoing through the room. The swivel chair was covered in a layer of dust. Nobody had sat at this player piano for several years, and yet, the keys played themselves, beautifully and horribly. Todd peered over, glancing at the sheet music. No bars with the stems of eight notes and such. Just some fast, scrawled words - written with a quill pen at some point, Todd figured. He picked up the dusty book, and glanced at the words that had been scrawled. They were not illuminating by any means.

Todd glanced around the room a little more, until he saw, a glimmer of light through an adjoined room. The light was on. He heard dripping. He cracked the door open to find a bath-tub, filled with a black liquid. Not water, just thick, black liquid with the consistency but not the colour of blood. Todd could see his reflection in it. He glanced around, and then, in a rare display of forethought, looked up.

On the ceiling was a naked woman, crucified with what looked like giant pins. She was missing her head.

"'ey guys!" Todd shouted, "You better come and see!"
 

Angel held on to Rhyme instantly seeing her cry and put her arms around her to make her feel better. Kwan on the other hand was lost he closed his eyes and frowned, there was a headache and then he recalled seeing things he shouldn't have. Walking down a darkened hallway that was lit up by only one candle which was opposite to a door which was cracked open. He remembered peeking in and seeing a shadowy figure of a man he would say, he had long hair which confused him at times with a woman. The room was dark and all he then remembered was his little memory ending to form another fragment. Although this one was an illusion as the music played he imagined the same person sitting in a huge ball room all dark with the terrace door wide open letting in the cold night breeze. He could see the same person it was a man alright or a shadowy monstrosity in form of one who sat there by the piano playing the same melody and then there was nothing blank screen and back to reality. Kwan didn't here anything until where Todd ended.

Angel on the other hand only looked with disgust of what he spoke and literally felt like spitting on his ugly mutt face, but even Kwan jerked up a bit after seeing that illusion or memory and then the part where Todd spoke, "I am, after all, Rape." Tod though moved on further to look where the music had come from. He vanished around the corner and that's when Angel hissed in a low whisper to Prestal specialy, "I don't trust this guy, we have to get rid of him."

"'ey guys!" Todd shouted, "You better come and see!" Angel looked at Rhyme and held on to her, "Walk with me okay you're okay with me." Angel spoke and moved further, Kwan hurried along somewhat curious only to end up gasping. "Girls you might not want to see this." Kwan spoke as he walked out horrified and pale.
 
She listened quietly as everyone shared their bits and pieces. Ellie was contemplating what to do next, she certainly was exhausted from all the chaos. She caught herself thinking about her parents, almost wishing they were there. She quickly snapped out of that thought because she knew if she got out of this alive, her parents would rather her dead. As a teenager, she got a little caught up in the drugs. She first tried marajuanna. after that infamous drug lost it's effect, she moved on to Meth. The unfortunate teen did that for quite some time before being introduced to Exctasy. That, was her favourite. F course, later on her parents found out and kicked her out immediatly. Eleanor wound up going to her then-boyfriend's place, until turning 19 and finding out he was sleeping with a different girl. She then got Gale and lived happily ever after, she had to quit the exctasy, it lost it's effect once again and she was low on money. Her eyes widened a bit when she heard the soft melody. It was so inviting, it made her want to waltz around the room. She wouldn't be caught dead doing that of course, but still. The steady beat, sweetly singing. Her eyes widened even more when Todd proclaimed he found something. Ellie turned pale, making her freckles stand out even more, when she saw the ghastly corpse of the poor beheaded women. She automatically reached out to her dog, knowing that their next trap was soon approaching.
 
Rhyme felt Angel's arms tighten around her shaking form and she was greatful, it helped to stop her tears and she sniffed away her runny nose. When Angel said to stay with her and that she'd be okay with her Rhyme nodded, feeling as if those words were true. For once in her life she had seemed to lose her voice, the thoughts going through her head slowed down, everything appeared to be going at such a slow pace. It was as if it took them forever to reach the room with the piano and another year to make it the other door in the room, the one that Todd had apparently went inside of. But when Kwan said that maybe the girls shouldn't see what was beyond that door she stopped walking, holding tightly to Angel, agreeing completely with the boy because she did not want to see what it was. The steady drip drip coming from past the door made fear grip her tight, an idea of what could be inside was forming in her mind and she didn't want it confirmed. Yet she whispered, "What's in there...Exactly?"
 
Todd smirked, looking up at the beheaded woman. He reached up to trace a line over the corpse, and was taken back a bit, thinking of every time he had touched a woman, a man, a child, like that. Her stump of a neck was still dripping, a consistent patter on the white tile floor. The fluid of her blood was the same colour as the black liquid in the bath-tub. The constant drip echoed through Todd's head, and he swallowed roughly, his throat sore and aching. Carnage like this was no stranger to Todd - but somehow, in this dark house, it was so much worse. He reached up, and yanked out one of the pins in her hands, then the other. She fell into his arms with a rubbery, wet sound. Her white skin was gluey and slippery - the consistency of acetone. Todd had touched many women in his time, and none of them felt like this. Something was terribly wrong about this.

He set the be-headed woman on the floor, and looked at her with his strange, sunglasses-eyes. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, blowing out a cloud of blue smoke. He nudged her corpse with his foot, and mumbled something to himself. He shouted again, to those not in the room, "Nuthin' special, realleh. Just a stiff without a 'ead!" He left the bathroom then, and returned his focus to the player piano. He looked at the player piano's sheet music. The words had changed from nonesense words to one sentence repeated over and over; 'You did this. You did this." He slammed the sheet music down on its face, not allowing the words to be read by anybody else, and the piano music abruptly stopped.
He glanced around the room, and then up at the ceiling. The same black liquid on the ceiling. Half-scrawled words and then an arrow pointing to the blonde's head, right at the angle he was suddenly standing at. He didn't even have to read the words to know what they said. He knew they would be some indication of his guilt. Just like the sheet music. Just like the be-headed woman in the bathroom. He looked up and read it anyway. The lines read: The brutalized bodies of the women - Hope of the generations -Strangled in blood cowardice stupidity -Laughter of dead bellies, How do you do, Mr. Fox? Murderer and Bluebeard? and then, The arrow, pointing to Todd's head. He looked up at it and scoffed.

"I'm notta murderer. Maybeh a Bluebeard, 'casionally, but not a murderer."
 

Angel let go of Rhyme and was curious to go and see but Kwan held her arm and tried to stop her. "Trust me it's not a good sight." Kwan spoke almost trembling. "But I want to-" she was cut off by Todd. "Nuthin' special, realleh. Just a stiff without a 'ead!" and then he came out. Angel only glanced inside and looked away instantly. It was the most horrible sight ever she had seen. She held on to her forehead eyes wide wondering what could have done this. The Piano had finally stopped and Angel joined Rhyme. As they observed the room. "Uhhh g-g-g-guys." Kwan trembled as he stared up at the ceiling. "Oh lord, oh lord." Kwan mumbled he was horrified yet he couldn't keep his eyes off of the ceiling. The brutalized bodies of the women - Hope of the generations -Strangled in blood cowardice stupidity -Laughter of dead bellies, How do you do, Mr. Fox? Murderer and Bluebeard? There was an arrow pointing towards Todd and Angel demanded angrily, "Is there something we should know Todd, are you the reason we're here? Huh? Tell us goddamn it." Angel hissed in anger.
 
Rhyme took hold of Angel's hand and gave it a soft squeeze. She was finally regaining her senses enough to try and grasp what was going on. "Calm down." She said gently, giving the other girl a worried look. "Don't point fingers until he has a chance to tell us what's going on." She looked over at Todd, her eyes going to the ceiling to read the message above, and she frowned. "I'm not really one for riddles so... If you would explain yourself that'd be great." ~Nothing in this damn house makes any sense...~ She thought as she waited for someone to explain what was going on. ~And was I the only one to remember something just now?~ A small sigh escaped her lips and she continued to look at Todd. "Well guys?"
 
Todd glanced at his small band of companions, and his smile melted into a small frown. They suspected him. That was fine, except that for the first time in his life he hadn't done anything. He tilted his head, looking up at the words written in the black fluid. He scratched his chin, his stubble starting to bother him and itch. He yawned then, and lit up another of his black cigarettes. He was running low on them. He blew out a cloud of blue smoke, and coughed a bit, "It's not true yeh know," He said flatly, "Well, part of it is, but the rest..." He trailed off, looking up at the condemning words, "The rest ain't true."

He swallowed his pride. He had to tell them. He had to tell them about being an enjamber - as he stll enjoyed life and wanted to keep on living. He might have been an idea, but still could be killed, "Listen Misteh Fox is just a reference to me name," He swallowed, "Misteh Fox was also a rapist and murderer," He shrugs, "As was Bluebeard," He looked around the room with his black sunglasses, "All of this," He gestured, "Is meant to turn yeh against me," He puffed his cigarette and blew more smoke, "I'm tellin' yeh this as a friend, I am a rapist, or ratheh, the idea of rape," He slumped on the piano-stool, "But I didn't murder nobody," He tapped one of the keys and the sound resonated through the room, "My partner is Murder. I can't murder. I'm inacapble of doin' anything but my job, and mah job is to Rape."
 
"Rape..." The word passed through Rhyme's lips in a strangled noise. The memory of her step dad and that horrible night. She let out a small whimper as the images flashed through her mind, the feelings from that time taking hold of her once more. She felt like throwing up, but she still couldn't even remember the last thing she had eaten before waking up in this place. "Todd..." Her voice cracked and she coughed to keep it under control, these emotions that seemed to cloud her brain. "Call me stupid or whatever..." ~I'm still not understanding...~ She thought to herself. ~Or maybe a small part of me is refusing to understand?~ "But what exactly do you mean by 'the idea of rape'?" Just the idea that this man could possibly be the reason for her suffering, it didn't make any sense.
 
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