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 numerous twists and turns in this maze were maddening. She used her psychic abilities to track down her doppelganger. It became increasingly infuriating as her duplicate continued playing with her, following her laughter and singing, only to disappear down another hallway.

            Eventually, the sounds stopped. She glanced around, trying to gauge where the attack would come from. She was still caught unawares, a strong grip latching onto her from behind and throwing her into an adjacent room. She quickly scrambled to her feet when she landed, fully facing her adversary. Her duplicate was smug, someone who knew that she had the upper hand.

            "What's in it for you, huh?!" Rose exclaimed, taking a few steps back. Her clone matched them. "You know he'll get rid of you once you're not useful anymore."

            The doppelganger's smirk deepened. "You think I care about that?" A chuckle escaped her. "You really are so naïve." Her expression widened into maniacal glee. "It's fun tormenting you. I'm just grateful to Father for giving me the opportunity." With that, she lunged forward, hands wrapping around Rose's neck, squeezing. An attempt to knock her out by strangling her.

            Rose clawed at her duplicate's fingers, desperately scrabbling to pry off those tight fingers. Gasping and choking, her legs flailed wildly, trying to land a blow on the other Rose. She managed to kick the clone's shins a few times, but it didn't affect her.

            Finally, her knee sunk hard and deep into her twin's gut. She released the original, doubling over to draw in air. She was completely winded. Rose took the opportunity to shove her attacker viciously to the floor, the clone's head cracking painfully against the stone. The girl's eyes landed on a huge, coffin-like contraption, spikes inlaid within. Without thinking twice, Rose rushed over and began to tip over the device, one of its doors aimed right for her doppelganger. The clone snapped out of her dizzy state long enough to see the iron maiden descending on her. A scream escaped her before it landed, crushing her head and puncturing her body with dozens of spikes. The cry was prematurely cut off, deafening silence following everything afterward. Blood pooled out onto the floor underneath the toppled device, the clone's arm sticking out, still and lifeless.

            Rose fell to her knees, the reality of what she had just done crashing down on her. She had... killed someone. No matter which way you looked at it, she had taken a life. Her chest grew tight, making every breath a struggle. She barely noticed Ravenwood then, appearing in the doorway, Maddie draped in his arms, unconscious. "Rose! Oh my god." His concerned cry halted abruptly, taking in the scene. His eyes widened in surprise and disbelief at the body crushed under the iron maiden, Rose collapsed next to it. He noticed his niece's distress, attempting to reach her. "Rose, come on. We gotta go."

            For several moments, the girl didn't move or look away. Ravenwood believed she hadn't heard, prepared to call out again, before she slowly started pulling herself to her feet. He couldn't see her eyes as she approached him, her black hair shrouding her face. But he didn't have to see her expression to know what she was feeling. "C'mon," he urged, providing room so that his niece could join his side. "Let's go home."

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            Darkness consumed her. She couldn't remember what happened previously to get her here. But she didn't like it. Something sinister lurked just beyond her sight, eying her and licking its lips.

            A distant scream. She turned around, wondering if she just wasn't hearing things, but it rang out again. She moved quickly towards the sound, a sudden urgency in her stride. She broke out into a full sprint once the voice grew louder.

            A light appeared in the distance. It was familiar. The closer she got to it, the more she recognized it. Slowly, the burning house came into view, flames licking out of every opening. She ignored the strange balls of fire falling from the sky, scorching the earth in their intensity. She was only focused on the screams coming from the structure. She had to get there. She was running out of time.

            "Mom, Dad!" she cried as she ran, desperately peering through the bright flames, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone inside. "Where are you guys?!" She drew closer to the fire, the suffocating heat washing over her. She had to find them. She couldn't let them die, no way.

            Suddenly, a figure emerged from the flaming front door, stumbling and coughing from the smoke. She could make out a second, taller silhouette behind her. "Mom!" she called out. The woman snapped her head towards the sound, eyes widening once she caught sight of the girl. Her short, curly blonde hair bounced around her shoulders, blue eyes filled with terror. She could make out the outline of her father's styled, black hair behind her.

            "Maddie!" Her mother held out a hand, a gesture for her to stay back. But she plowed ahead anyway, reaching out for her. She heard her father shout.

            The house blew apart like an oil drum, the force of it making her stumble backwards. She covered her head with her arms, protecting it from the flying debris and surging heat. Once the noise and the light died down, she peeked over her limbs, assessing the damage. She felt her heart shrivel up in her chest.

            There was hardly anything left of the structure, a few charred support beams the only indication that a house had once stood there. Flames continued to dance around her. Her parents were gone, most likely incinerated. A gaping hole yawned open in her chest and she fell to her knees. She cried and wailed as destruction occurred around her. She didn't notice. She was too lost in her despair, her loss fresh and bleeding.

            Why them? Why did it have to be them? And why couldn't she save them? Some rational part of her said that it was out of her control, but that wasn't how she felt. What kind of person was she? She was a failure, through and through. No matter how much she wished it, the most important people in her life weren't coming back.

            She gasped at the feeling of someone touching her. She looked down in horror, discovering the hands that had burst from the ground, latching onto her. She twisted her body around in their grip, but they were too strong. Panic seized her. The flames around her had somehow drawn closer, gaining ground by the second. She thrashed and screamed, attempting to escape the doom that was bearing down on her. But it was no use. No one could save her from this.

            The fire singed at her clothes and hair. Soon enough, they engulfed her completely, ravenously devouring her flesh. She screamed in agony, knowing that no one was around to hear it. She smelled her burning skin. She felt the flesh melt off her bones. She was consumed in constant torment, damned to a trial by fire.

            Abruptly, the pain stopped. She tentatively opened her eyes, not realizing she had squeezed them shut. It was the same darkness again, but walls seemed to form just beyond her peripheral vision. She glanced around in fear, waiting for whatever came next.

            She wished she hadn't found out. Skittering echoed around her, the source coming into view quickly. Her heart caught in her throat, frozen at the mass of spiders crawling along the ground towards her. She managed to curl up into a protective ball as the first ones reached her, trembling. All the little legs climbed over her, forging ahead on their path. She felt every single one of them on her skin, and she shivered, trying desperately not to flinch. Eventually, the bombardment receded, the arachnids vanishing. She stayed in her protective shell for a few minutes before peering out between her arms.

            She screamed, a spider the size of a large dog hissing as it lunged for her. The scream was cut off as the creature's fangs plunged into her neck, drinking her blood while simultaneously injecting the venom that kept their prey docile and calm. However, all it did was paralyze her. She had to lay there silently, unable to scream, as the over-sized arachnid sucked her dry. A few tears escaped. She closed her eyes, waiting for sweet oblivion.

            It didn't work out that way. She barely peeked from behind her eyelids before sharp spikes slammed into her, confining her to the feeling on all sides. Oh god, she was in the iron maiden again. This time, it seemed that someone had laid heavy stones on the contraption, adding pressure to her body. The pain from the spikes slowly being driven into her flesh was so great that she couldn't cry out. All she could manage was choked gasps.

            She had been left here to experience this torment alone. Despair filled her as the agony filled her entire being, becoming a part of her. She dared not move, wanting to avoid the risk of being punctured further. There were no words she could think of that could describe this pain. It engulfed her thoughts until there was nothing but, "ithurtsithurtsithurts make it stop, oh god, please make it stop-"

            The weight was lifted, and she gasped, immediately checking for injuries. To her bewilderment, her clothes and skin were intact. She barely had time to ruminate about it before she heard a whistled tune belted out somewhere behind her. Her heart skipped a beat, plunging into blind terror once again. She began to run, not looking back. She didn't have to. She just had to get away from him, dreading what would happen if she was caught.

            A hand grasped the back of her hoodie, yanking her backward into a broad chest. She shrieked, struggling against the strong arms that wrapped around her. A deep voice spoke in her ear. "It's time for bed, Madeleine."

            She was rapidly flung onto a stiff surface, only realizing it was the gurney he used to trap his patients until the man secured her in its restraints. She pulled and thrashed, but there was no room to wiggle out of them. She panted heavily, hyperventilating, as he filled a syringe with green liquid.

            "No, no, please!" she begged, sobbing and wailing. "I don't want it, please!" Her pleas went unheeded, the doctor positioning the tip of the needle on her neck. "Sweet dreams." She screamed as the contents were injected into her system, blinding pain setting off every nerve in her body.

            The cycle repeated itself, over and over again.

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Author's Note: Big exposition dump for my OC. Next chapter is last chapter.

Feeling depressed again.

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

See you next time!

-The_Mayflower