FUCK YOUR CULTURE

===

"Under-?" Erebus glanced up, trying to figure out what Shein meant. The grin that was spread across the officer's face unnerved him ever so slightly. "How do you know my name?"

Shein huffed. "Oh, I know a lot of things," he said, dismissively waving a hand through the air. "How I do is not your concern right now. The only thing that is important is the fact that I know you, and I know what you have done." He took a step forward, his expression unreadable behind his sunglasses. "You are under arrest for murder."

An invisible hand of dread clutched at Erebus's insides. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, stepping backward. "How did you find out about that?"

"Don't move," Shein snapped warningly. It was a harsh command, one far too sudden for Erebus's liking - it reminded him of Malacoda. "Unless you value yourself, you will do as I order without hesitation."

Erebus's eyes narrowed. "Who are you to speak to me in this way?"

Shein was unfazed. He took another step forward, one of his hands going to his waist and curling around a black, rectangular object in one of the holsters on his belt. "You have the right to remain silent," he sneered. "I suggest that you take advantage of it, before you get hurt."

Stunned, Erebus desperately tried to think of a comeback to Shein's words, but found that he was unable to. It didn't make sense - why was he freezing up? This was just a stranger, so why did he sound so familiar? The way he spoke bore an uncanny resemblance to Malacoda, the taunting comments and harsh orders driving memories into Erebus's mind, memories that he had prayed that he would forget. He didn't understand why this was happening - he was safe, wasn't he? He was safe, he had Angel to look out for him, he was no longer in danger from Malacoda, or anyone else-

He was shaking.

Looking down at his hands in disbelief, he watched as they trembled ever so subtly, that now-familiar growing panic within him causing them to do so. It was happening again, that unstoppable dread that Erebus knew was like a wave crashing down on him again and again and again, determined to drown him, just as it had back in Minecraft when his fear of Malacoda had gotten too much for him to handle, just as it had when Erebus had been tempted to shove his hands underwater to see if they would burn.

No, no, no, why was this happening again? Was he really that-

"Pathetic."

A sharp pain erupted in the side of Erebus's face, causing him to stumble slightly, caught off guard. Shein's mocking smile spread wider on his face as he watched him straighten up, lowering the hand he had used to hit him with. Gathering every ounce of remaining courage left within him, Erebus let out a screeching snarl, dashing forward.

"You don't get to fucking hit me-"

He only got two steps in before the rectangular device that Shein had threatened him with was pointed directly at his chest. A pop sounded through the room, followed immediately by an awful crackling and a shrill, agonized scream.

Erebus collapsed to the ground, every muscle in his body feeling as though it were ablaze with white-hot flames. This was beyond anything he had ever experienced before, far unlike the burning of water at his skin - no, this was inside him, so unbearably painful that he no longer knew where he was. He couldn't move, couldn't fight, couldn't do anything other than howl in anguish as the excruciating pain tore through him-

And then it was over, ending just as quickly as it had come. Lowering the taser, Shein chuckled wryly, shaking his head.

"I can do what I want with you, Erebus," he said. "Stand up, get off of the ground, before I hurt you again."

Gasping and trembling, Erebus attempted to back away from Shein, his overwhelming panic having tripled at what had just happened. "What did- What did you just do to me?"

"I tased you," Shein told him simply as he held up the device - the wires that had projected from it were still embedded into Erebus's chest. "It's a fascinating device, really. I had the pleasure of testing it out on a particularly peculiar couple the other night - that was before I killed them, of course. Now stand up, before I do it to you again."

Erebus obeyed without hesitation, the unbearable sensation of being tased too much for him to handle a second time. He slowly rose to his feet, his gaze fixated on Shein in fear that he would attack him.

"Good, now sit down."

Shein pointed at one of the chairs in the dining room, following behind Erebus as he grinned in triumph. This was exactly where he wanted him - well, for now, at least. Soon, they would move, but at least he could settle a few matters here.

As Erebus sat down in the chair, Shein pulled out both sets of handcuffs that he was carrying. "You actually obeyed a set of instructions for once," he mused, the mocking praise causing Erebus to wince a little. "I knew you had it in you. All it took was a little torture to make you pliant... perhaps I should have done this earlier."

Through Shein's harsh words that bore an uncanny resemblance to Malacoda's way of speaking, a hint of a different sort of familiarity percolated. "Do I know you...?" Erebus asked.

"That's not a question I think I should have to answer," Shein huffed, moving behind Erebus and grabbing one of his wrists none too gently. He could hear the sound of metal clicking against metal as Shein restrained him to the back of the chair, only cementing his unease further into his mind. The fact that he was letting this man control him like this, just to avoid a bit of pain - how pathetic was he?

Straightening up once more, Shein walked around in front of Erebus, arms crossed smugly over his chest. "What a sad sight," he mused, not looking sad in the slightest. "To see you reduced to this... what has that wretched girl done to you?"

"Don't you dare bring Angel into this," Erebus snarled, momentarily forgetting that both of his wrists were restrained by handcuffs and pulling forward. "She is not at fault for this."

"So you admit, then, that being reduced to the sniveling mess that you are was none other than your fault?"

Erebus glared up at Shein, forcing away the thoughts nagging at him, telling him that this truly was his fault, his own fault, his own most grievous fault. "You speak as if you know anything about me."

"Ah, but I do," Shein said. "Like I have said, I know a lot of things, especially about you."

"How?"

Another dismissive wave of a hand through the air was the only answer he received. "All will be revealed in due time. For now, we must wait... I wonder how long it will take for your dear Angel to notice your absence, if she even does. Either way, it will be no matter, for I still plan to speak with her myself-"

"You will do no such thing," Erebus snapped, forcing confidence through the fear clearly projected in his voice. "You will not go near her, you understand? You-"

A harsh smack sounded through the room as Shein backhanded Erebus, hard enough to draw a whimper from him. "You just don't learn unless pain is involved, now, do you?" he sneered, stepping forward. Reaching out, he grabbed a fistful of Erebus's hair and wrenched his head back at a painful angle, ignoring his high yelp as he leaned in close to his face. "Unless you want Angel to get hurt, you will show some respect, understand?"

Wincing and trembling, Erebus shook his head as much as he could, trying his best to maintain his sense of reality - Shein's face was far too distorted by that of Malacoda. "Don't hurt her," he whispered, his defiance clinging on by merely a thread, far too overwhelmed with panic to be as prominent as he had hoped. "Leave her out of this, whatever this is - please, just- just keep this between us, don't hurt her- ah!"

The overwhelming agony that had struck him before jolted through him once more, and he cried out, pulling desperately at the handcuffs that dug harshly into his wrists. His body twitched and tensed up as wave after wave of electric pain was sent through it, and his screams echoed throughout the house as Shein laughed, both sounds combining with the crackling of the device and forming a cacophony that assaulted Erebus from every direction, tearing away at his sanity and replacing every remaining bit of courage in him with panic, even after the agony subsided.

He was letting this happen. He had allowed Shein to restrain him, to make him unable to fight back, like he had been created to do. This was on him, everything that was happening and that was going to happen was on no one but him. And Shein knew this. Somehow, Shein seemed to know more about him than he did, and it was terrifying.

It was far too abrupt for him when he figured out why this seemed to be the case. There was a flash of white, followed swiftly by a pang of realization, so sharp and so sudden that it felt like an arrow driven straight through his chest.

'Shein' chuckled menacingly. "Oh, this will be fun."