Log #2: I had recently concluded that 4 has cancer. Telling all the others this, 3 and 6 broke down. 1 was still asleep at the time. I was starting night treatments for Grassy since I had to watch the others during daytime. It was 3:00 am when I heard knocking on the door.It was Fries. He's Subject 8 already. I had told the others that they could spare their rations...or eat him since he is named after a food object. They were all grossed out by the thought. Subject 4 is still at no recovery. Fries tried to call someone, I told him there was no signal here. Please help... - Golf Ball

8 has already adjusted, while 3 tries to reattach 7's robotic arm. I saw 6 chatting with 1 casually. As I progress notes, I noticed how awfully...quiet it was without 4. I turned on the microphone. "I'm going to check on 4. If you want to come, I'll let you. But you must sit still." I said.

6, no surprise, wanted to come along. I led him through the corridor until I stopped in Room 30. "This is where he rests. I've seen no sign of recovery yet, so I'm only here to do some tests." I told him. When I entered, I saw his condition.

"I'll take you to another room if you-" I told him before he could see. "No! I came here to see Grassy, and that's what I'm gonna do!" He exclaimed. Rushing in, he saw his bad condition. "I had concluded this earlier, but I'll tell you now: 4 has cancer, and he's on his death bed. I'm sorry, 6." I ended.

He sank to his knees. "W-What...? You indicate he'll die?!" He asked softly. "As sad as it is, yes. According to my data, he'll weaken in two hours. When the clock strikes 4:00 pm, the heart monitor will go flat." I finished. He started crying. I felt something warm on my face. I touched it and saw a tear. "I'll take you back now," I stated. He nodded and we walked back together. At Room 21, we stopped. Entering the room, he sat down and resumed crying. I had started to test all the other samples.

All were healthy. I had walked out to Room 30 again. He was weak and barely breathing. Taking more tests, I had figured out a temporary way to make him stronger. I had tested on several different animals. One of them I had to throw out. When it was found, I injected it into 4. He woke slightly. "My cure worked!" I blurted joyfully.

He was sitting in the bed, yes. But he was existing, and with this info. I might have discovered a way that could help him live a bit longer. I went back to my office after 30 minutes; I saw that 1 and 7 were fighting. I grabbed the whip. "No fights! I told you this twice already!" I shouted, cracking the whip on 7. She seemed to be in pain longer. I relaxed.

"Why do you guys never listen? I have worse punishments for you. Don't forget that..." I told them. 3 ran up to me. She tried to punch me, but I did a flip. Grabbing her wrist, I dragged her to my room. Room 45. When we arrived, I put the two bottles in front of her. Cyanide and painkillers. "Choose a bottle. One is death, the other is life. Take one pill." I ordered her. 

I told her I never labelled the bottles; I just knew which were which. She took a pill. She swallowed it. Nothing happened. "Congratulations. You live." I said. She walked back.

Entering the room, she walked into 2's arms. I took the cyanide. Walking to Room 21, I entered and sat down next to 1. He struggled with the cap. "Push down then twist," I told him. "Thanks for the pills, G.B. I was starting to get a headache." He replied. "Wait! No!" I ordered him. He shoved the pills in his mouth. He started twitching, then threw up blood on the floor. He asked if I remembered his favourite. "The one you sang in high school?" I asked. He shakily nodded. He only sang the first verse, but I knew the song.

"What's it like to be alone on a Sunday? Remembering the time we saw them just yesterday. Sing me a song, tell me your thoughts. I could listen to you all night long," I started. He started to fall asleep.

I shook him awake. "And I don't care, about my sleeping routine. I fucked it up as it is but we've got so much time to kill. As the night rocks me to sleep." I continued, taking his hoodie. "Life's too short, to worry about the things that we've got wrong. So, hug all your friends, and let them know you're not letting go." He started to sing along with me.

"No, those aren't meant to bend. I hear your eyes and I see those cries. I hear those eyes and I see those cries. I can't be the only one who hears you. Tears falling down at the party. Saddest little baby in the room. Fears, tell me fears, don't get me started. I get a little grey hair for every scare you share." I sang alone.

"Those aren't meant to bend. No, those aren't meant to bend. Those aren't meant to bend. No, those aren't meant to bend." We sang together. I shushed him at the end. "Tears falling down at the party. Saddest little baby in my eye. Fears, tell me fears, don't get me started. I might die." I sang, crying in the process. "Thanks, Golfy." He said, giving a final twitch. His heart stopped. I started crying. Crying, hoping it would bring him back. Hoping everything could go back to normal.

But nothing would. "Why did I even try this? I hate myself! Why couldn't it have been me?!" I pleaded. I felt a swelling of sadness. I felt someone pat my back. I turned to see 8. I cried onto 1's hoodie, which smelled of a long day in the factory. Oils and smoke. I walked back to my office. It still records. I put 1's last moments on a USB. Turning on my laptop, I saw that my wallpaper was a picture 3 took of me and 1 having our first crepes. My eyes were wide with curiosity then.

I cried some more. Walking to room 30, I saw our memories on the walls. They seemed to play like a VHS. I arrived in Room 30. "I'm not leaving until you make that kid better." I heard. I jumped, slapping whoever followed me. Blocky rubbed his cheek. "O.M.G.C.! I'm sorry!" I exclaimed. We entered the room together. Once he saw Grassy's health, he became more determined. "Don't stay awake for too long, don't go to bed." He sang gently.

I heard the heart monitor. Beep. Beep. I got to work, hoping to make step one to recovery. For him physically, and for me emotionally. But eventually, the monitor had run flat. Awful with friends, awful with health, awful at leading and managing. My tears turned into laughter. Jagged, rough laughter. I had started laughing maniacally. What am I becoming? I can't lead my team anymore. Why am I just the worst? I heard the door open, and I quickly got myself together. I had started taking notes on what time, day, and room he had died in.

It was 2. He must've heard me through 6's monitor. "Before you say it, I will. The deaths of your beloved have caused you to wonder and question yourself and your worth. You want to give the team a captain who'll get the job done. You're saying things that aren't true. Now come on, who's our captain?" He told me.

"I am?" I said hesitantly. He asked me again. I repeated myself a little louder. He asked for a third time. A little louder of a response. "I will ask you one more time here, G.B. WHO IS OUR TEAM CAPTAIN?!" He shouted. "I AM!" I responded. He nodded, then he seemed to vanish...

Strange... Alone, I started to walk out. When I arrived at my office, I started to file 4 and 1. I should probably write a note to the search committee. They had yet to identify me, or even my gender. Committee, I regret informing you that I have had two deaths on my premises, 4 and 1. You probably know them better as Grassy and T.B. While Grassy died of his illness, T.B died of a cyanide intake. Yours truly, The Maniacal Maiden.

Putting down my pencil, I went to go dispose of the dead bodies. I first went to get Subject 1. Taking the body, I dragged it to Room 30, where 4 was. As I brought them to my office to bag and dispose, I realized how wrong I've been all this time. Why I did this...It was for reactions. I overheard 8. "G-Get away! Stop! Leave me alone!" He had shouted.

They had actually taken my advice. I saw that 2 and 3 were surrounding him. "I can't do this, 8-Ball...It's sickening!" 3 had told him. She looked at Subject 8 with hesitation. She started to cry."We have to! You heard Golf Ball! She's cutting our supply; we have to take what we can get!" He snapped at her, making her cry even more. I heard screams. I watched as he ate Fries. I had put tracking chips in them earlier, so I took out the ones in Grassy and Tennis Ball.

They were small squares, each with an alarm that would go off if they had gotten 5 feet away from the lab. Taking a screwdriver, I had dug it into their flesh, opening the thick flap I had made to take out the tiny chip.

I did the same to 4. I kept the chips and deactivated them. I looked at photos on my laptop. I had seen pictures of Grassy and Blocky playing several games together, while T.B and I had pictures of dinner and arcade dates.

I had put Grassy's final moments and all the photos of him and Blocky onto a USB, and the photos of Tennis Ball and I on the USB I had put his final moments on. Taking the bodies, I had disposed of them and was walking back in. I had then noticed how pale I really was. "Add vitamin pills to my shopping list. I'll need a way to keep my intake stable." I muttered.

Returning, I heard the of 8 screams run silent, and there was blood on 2's face. His hunger had seemed satisfied and he had smiled contently. There was only 8's head, and that made me dizzy. It looked like he had screamed and fought for his life the whole time. Remember, this is only the head...with a brain. No need to be so dramatic... Picking it up and bagging it, I had kept myself from vomiting in front of them. I had to assert my dominance.

After disposing of his head, I changed the note around:

Search Committee, I regret informing you that I've had three deaths on my premises, 8, 4 and 1. You recognize them better as Fries, Grassy, and T.B. While Grassy died of an illness I'm not sure many knew he had, T.B. died of a cyanide intake, and Fries had passed in more of a disturbing way. Being...eaten by Subject 2. Yours truly, The Maniacal Maiden.

I had turned the note into a Google Docs and changed it there. I have messy writing, so they would know it was me the second they look at it. Printing the letter, I had put it in an envelope and put their address on. Sending out the letter, I checked on the rest of the Subjects.

3 was traumatized, while 6 still cried over 4's death. 2 was asleep, and 5 still looked at the roof. 7 was eating her rations. I heard a pounding on the front door. I had smudged my makeup to make it look as if I had been crying. Opening the door, I saw it was Pie. I knocked her out and dragged her to Room 21. She's subject 0. "Better Namers, we have another food object. Spare your rations or eat her. That's the rule, and you know it." I said over the intercom. 0 seemed to take a few minutes to wake up.

Walking out of my office, I glanced at the door. I saw red. I looked again. It was covered in blood. "Help" was all over the door, with writing I couldn't understand. The door had these on it. From what I could tell, someone escaped and managed to get blood from themselves.

Then they wrote the message on the door. I decided to study this. Chipping off the message, I had taken it to further decode in my office. 3 escaped. I found out by looking at the cell movement. It matched! I had to confront the others. It took a lot of interrogation, but I was able to cram the answer out of 7. My room!

I ran up the emergency stairs and as I arrived in the hallway, I saw the two sides of the world. T.B. and I had painted it together. One side France, other side Italy, and on my room door; our top destination, Spain. I walked to my door and tried to keep from crying. I brushed the door and felt something. I blew dust off it.

A carved heart, with our initials carved into it. I felt something hot on my face. I felt my face and felt a tear. I walked into my room, and I stared in misbelief. "Basketball...What happened to you?" I muttered. She was in a pool of blood, a blade in between her ribs. There was also a note on my nightstand. I slumped to my knees. I felt her heart. It still beats. I may have been bossy, but I still have a heart. I picked her up and carried her to Room 21.

As I arrived at the door, I opened hesitantly. The subjects turned to me and Basketball. "Golf Ball...You murdered her! Why did we trust you?!" Subject 2 shouted. "She isn't. She was like this when I got to my room. I wasn't fast enough. I'm a cheap leader..." I told them. 7 seemed to nod. 6 slapped her.

"Subject 2, you take 3 to Room 30. Turn right down the corridor and you should find it immediately." I told him. He nodded and took her. We exited the room and split paths, him to the right, me to the left. I put on my baseball cap and left the lab. Opening the trapdoor, I had flinched at the sunlight.

As I arrived at the flea market, I saw the missing posters for my team were gone, as they assumed that I was the only one of them alive. There were now posters for Pie's disappearance.

I entered the market and sold several old things. "What about that hood, miss? Seems a little old and musty." The salesman asked me. I shook my head and explained what happened, but with a couple twists. "I had tried to stop him! He just shoved the pills in his mouth! It was too horrible to bear..." I told him, breaking down. He didn't ask any more questions. I received my money and went to buy something important. I bought several parts of a critical machine, and a blueprint.

When I paid, I was shocked by the expense. "Only seventy bucks?! Shouldn't this cost more?" I exclaimed. "Yeah, but I give discounts to all escapees of The Maniacal Maiden, so yeah." Ruby told me. I nodded and laughed. Handing her the cash, I had gossiped with her. She told me all about Bubble, and how well she's been doing.

Pencil and Match have been put in jail as abusers to another human. Pencil was 'leader', and Match was the 'accomplice'. I feel very sorry for Match. She was just starting her redemption, and she was thrown in prison.

I thanked Ruby for the nice time, and she threw in a magazine subscription; her treat. Walking home, I got offers from polite others for a drink at a bar. I respectfully declined, as I needed to see the files of the others.

In the lab, I walked towards Room 30. I saw 8-Ball in intensive care mode. Basketball was in an awful state, and he needed all the help that he could get. I threw the supplies down and started to help. "She's already asleep. All we need to do is pull out the blade." 2 said.I slipped on gloves and started to gently pull out the knife that inhabited her. It slipped out. 

Blood dribbled out. 8-Ball bandaged her. When he finished, I carried her to Room 21. "You take care of 3; I'll get her a wet cloth for her head. It's boiling." I told him. 2 nodded.

Walking out of the room, I turned back to the subjects. Pie, 8-Ball, Basketball, Grassy, TV, Blocky, and Robot Flower. Wait...Grassy?! Subject 4 has died. I looked again. He was gone. I walked out. In my office, I had started to wonder what was going on with me.Insanity? No...maybe schizophrenia. Possibly the first one... UGH! I can't understand anything anymore!

Time seemed to fly. I couldn't understand anything. I heard an unfamiliar rumble. It audibly snapped back to me. I haven't eaten in ages! And I just got back from the shops in town. I'm also all out of food. "At least Ruby will be glad to see me." I muttered. Walking to the surface seemed to take much longer than before, when I hadn't realized how hungry I was. I felt dizzy and stressed too.

It was evening now, and I walked swiftly to the markets. In the grocery store, I was just looking at fruits when I heard a familiar sound: "Grassy wants a melon!" I turned around quickly. How is this even possible? He died weeks ago... I ignored the feeling. Picking up some blueberries, I walked over to the meat. "Hey, Golfy! Mind grabbing me some ham?" I heard.

Only T.B. calls me Golfy. I picked up some turkey slices and walked over to the dairy cases. I picked up a carton of passion fruit juice and put it in my basket. I needed to clear my mind. Walking over to check out, I saw Ruby await me. "Golf Ball! You usually don't come here after about a month or two. Why so early to come back?" She asked me.

"Out of food. I was hungry too. Still have my favorite?" I responded. She nodded. I picked up a chocolate bar. "Must be rough. You know, everyone on your team gone and all." She said. I nodded. After paying, I waved goodbye and walked home. She ran up to me as I got to the trapdoor. "Wait! What if we have a sleepover?" She exclaimed.

"That would be so cool! But I need to tidy up first, wait here?" I responded. Walking down, I went to my office. On the intercom, I told them I would be away for the night. They cheered. I told them I had the keys with me, and they would still be monitored. They quieted.

"I need you all to behave while I'm gone. I'll bring a reward to anyone who does." I stated as I changed into my pajamas, and they all nodded. I walked back out to Ruby. "Alright, I'm all done. Let's go now!" I told her. We walked over to her place.

It was a small house, but it was nice inside. "Did you hear that Snowball and Lightning are together? I mean, finally! They look so cute!" She told me. I gasped, because I actually didn't know that. "I don't really get much news to me, because of my underground lab. I'm studying the behavior of Four and X now. From a distance, of course." I responded.

We lied down head to head. The sun set ended, and the rain had begun to patter on the roof, I started to snooze. Ruby shook me awake. "Not yet. We need to play my favorite party game!" She exclaimed. I asked what it was. Ruby tied a tiny little ribbon on my wrist. "GOLF BALL!" Ruby yelled. I snapped to reality.

I felt a warmth on the back of my wrist. I noticed saliva. I stopped this a long time ago...Why did I start again now? Whatever... I thought. She told me to look. I saw ship figurines. T.B. loved to study ships.

I smiled at the teal ribbon. I did the same to Ruby. When she looked at her ribbon, there was a tiny dictionary. Book loved studying anything to become as smart as me. I was her teacher, the one who never gave up on her. She smiled. I started to fall asleep on one of the armchairs. "I'll boil some water. I'll tell you when the tea's ready." Ruby told me. I, a huge fan of the British drink, nodded. I heard her walk off. Looking at my phone, I saw the subjects asleep too. I dimmed the lights from my phone.

Drifting off to sleep, I dreamt that 2 and I were surrounded by the dead subjects. "Why didn't you come home? I NEEDED YOU TO HELP ME! Everyone else caught her fever and died. Other than Pie. She...didn't last long enough." He shouted at me. "I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" I pleaded.

He started to yell at me some more, and then mentioned Ruby. "RUBY NEVER HAD A PART! I...I only used her. A...human shield," I snapped back. He stared in misbelief. He spread out his hands, and boiling hot water rained down on me, cold drops following after. "So that's all I am to you?! An alibi?!" Ruby shouted, I woke up, warm saliva on the back of my wrist.She held an empty kettle. I must have been sleep talking... "Ruby, I was-" I started, but she cut me off. "Please leave...I need some time alone. I'll see you later." She said blankly. I nodded. I wouldn't blame her.

Walking home, I shivered at the cold breeze on my shoulders and unprotected arms. I walked back to the trapdoor. Entering, and the warmth on my body again, I rushed to Room 30. 8-Ball was perfectly fine. "What happened?! Is she unconscious?!" I exclaimed.

"She's all good. She needed a couple minutes of rest and some cold medicine, followed by twenty or so more minutes of rest. She's in good health, but I think she should stay awhile longer to be safe." He told me.

I sighed in relief. Me and 8-Ball walked back to Room 21 together, chatting about what happened. "Sleep talking and getting kicked to the curb? That's rough. Anyways, here's my stop. I'll see you tomorrow." He stated. I waved goodbye and walked to the elevator. Inside I pressed button 45. The door closed and I started to go up.

The door opened. Walking into my room, I hopped under the covers and drifted to sleep. I awoke in my old school. "Again...?" I muttered. Walking, I saw my old class again. The three kids inhabited it, staring at my younger self. The third one didn't look so mean, as if she was forced to join.

"W-Who are you?" I asked. They turned. "Aw! The nerd doesn't know who we are!" The leader said, in a tainted voice. Pencil... "Never mind. I know who you are now. Just leave me alone." I snapped. Match and Pencil stared in shock. Bubble seemed to back down and obeyed me. I stared in shock at her. Everyone in the room seemed to lift a heavy silence. Pencil and Match did as she did, staring in horror at me.

Looking in the teacher's old mirror, I saw my eyes had a glowing green around the usual gray. My chest had cracked, all of them the color of my eyes. My hand even glowed the bright green. I twisted it, and Pencil flew with the motion. I continued to do so, a wicked grin slowly spreading, until she was bloody and bruised.

I collapsed, waking up suddenly. I felt the back of my wrist. Saliva. I got up to take a walk. Slipping on Tennis Ball's hoodie, I walked out of my room and down the stairwell. When I arrived outside, the breeze didn't have much of an effect anymore.

I just needed some fresh air and some time alone. I stared at my hands, seeing the same glow from my dream. I looked at my arms and they had the same cracks on them. I started to cry. Softly, yes. But I still cried. The ground sizzled, and I didn't know why. I had seemed to fall asleep there, because I saw Ruby shaking me awake, crying. "Oh, look at you. There's orange soda all over your face, silly- OW!" She exclaimed, trying to wipe my tears.

I wiped them easily. I looked at where my tears fell. There were scattered holes right by my sides. I looked at Ruby's thumb. There was a third-degree burn. "What the..." I asked. Ruby took me to a doctor. After a few hours of trying to get one of my tears in a small plastic cup (it kept melting through), they finally grasped the idea that my tears were lava.

"She also has a rising temperature, but no fever. Her eyes seem to have a ring of a certain color around them, and her body grows cracks when she feels deep emotions. Watch this." The doctor told us. He showed me a picture of Tennis Ball. I started to cry, and the cracks turned blue.He then showed me a picture of a pill bottle. The cracks in my body turned a fiery red-orange and started to leak. I started to fight everyone. "W-What's going on?! I can't control myself! Please help me!" I exclaimed. Calm music started playing. I started to float slightly, and the others watched the leaks dry. The cracks glowed purple.

As we left, I was stopped by the doctor. I hesitantly followed. "We need to run some tests on you. There are several pills different colors. Each color represents a different emotion. White is purity, black is mysterious, red is anger, gold is elegance, purple is spirituality, green is growth, orange is vibrance, and blue is sadness." The doctor told me.

I took the gold. I don't like to be proper for long. My entire outfit changed. I was in a shimmering grey dress, a white feather boa to compliment it. My hair was in two Dutch braids to finish it off. "This place is rather brash. I request my dismissal." I said in an accent.

After a few minutes, the effect wore off and I was back to normal. I picked up the green one. My outfit changed into an oversized sweater, hair down. "Don't be afraid to make mistakes! Always try again." I told them. Minutes later, the affect wore off. I slightly collapsed. "Geez, these pills are taking some energy from me. How many are left?" I asked.

"Seven," The nurse told me. I called 8-Ball. "I need you to watch the others for me. Really!? Thank you so much. Bye." I told him. Wait...He responded?! That cheating jeebwheezer! I took the orange pill. I hugged the doctors. A few minutes later...you know the rest. After an hour or so, we arrived at the red pill. I took it hesitantly. I threw the doctor in the air without touching. After a few minutes, I completely collapsed, the two rushing to help me. 

"I CAN DO IT MYSELF!" I shouted, flinging them away from me. They hit the walls. I slowly got up, the effect wearing off. "I'm going home," I stated. I walked out. "Unless I'm dragged in this rotten place by Ruby again, I won't be back. Put the bill on my tab."