Chapter Text
He hit his head.
That's how the brit in green woke up, sitting up as the sound of an engine filled his ears. He tried to rub his head, but found his wrists stayed to his sides. He looked down, seeing that they were cuffed to an oddly metallic belt around his waist. He looked around, realizing that he had fallen off of the seat in the back of a truck, Matt and Tom sleeping near him. Their cuffs were connected to the wall of the truck by a short chain, so he assumed his had broken. He kicked Tom who was closer, getting a groan from him as he woke up.
"Tom get up!" He whisper yelled, hoping that whoever was driving wasn't listening. He had no idea where they were, how they got there, or by who.
"Whut... 'm tired." Tom looked over at Edd, tired to the point where he could barely move. Or at least, that's what he hoped it was.
"Shh. Do you know where we are?" Edd sighed when Tom just shrugged a bit. "Well can you at least kick Matt awake for me? I can't reach him from back here." Tom tried ,with little results, to kick him getting another sigh from Edd. He scooted over to Matt, about to kick him till the truck hit a bump, sending Edd into the air for a bit before he landed face first to the floor of the truck.
The noise did wake Matt though.
"What happened? Where am I?" Matt looked around, seeing the drunk looking Tom Infront of him and Edd who groaned as he lifted his head, blood dripping from his nose. "Edd! Are you okay? Where are we?"
"I'm fine. And I'm not sure I-"
Edd slid forward slightly as the truck stopped, him and Matt looking at the back of the truck as footsteps got closer. When the door opened Edd was grabbed immediately.
"What are you doing out of your spot?" They yelled at him, calling someone over to help with his bloody nose. They were wearing all black from head to toe. Edd couldn't see their face or even recognize their voice because of the effects the mask they wore put on it.
"I don't know! I woke up on the floor! Who are you?!" They ignored Edd, instead talking to whoever came to help aid him. He tried again, stopping when a needle was pushed into his neck, passing out by the time it was removed.
Another person went into the truck as Edd was haled off, this time going for Matt. "W-What do you want from us?!" He asked, only for a needle to be pushed into him as well, him passing out as he was unlocked from the cuffs.
When the next person had come to get Tom, they noticed he was barely moving and didn't ask questions, just sitting there slumped against his seat. "Hey, get up." They said, poking Tom with their gun. In response Tom moved up a bit only to slide back down, his head rolling to the side as he mumbled. They grabbed a phone like object, pressing a button on it. "One of them is still under the effects of the sleep drug. He's partially awake and can barely move. Do I still have to get him asleep?"
"No need it'd just be a waste. Unlock him, take his blood sample, and carry him to their room." Was the response.
"Yes sir." They put it and the needle away, instead pulling out some keys to unlock Tom. They slung him over their shoulder, bringing him to the first aid person who pushed an empty needle into his arm. When the blood came out a purple like color instead of red like the other two, he was taken to a different building instead to be tested.
He woke up on the floor again.
This time though, he wasn't in cuffs. He was on a carpeted floor, Matt by his side. He rubbed his head, sitting up, and seeing a hammer on the floor in front of him. It was bloody.
"Ugh, my head." Matt said as he woke up, facing the opposite way of Edd towards the door. "Did they hurt my face?" Matt looked at Edd who just sighed, a slight smile on his face.
"No Matt, it's fine. Are you feeling okay though?" Matt nodded and put a hand on Edds cheek.
"Your nose is all bruised, but at least it's not bleeding anymore." Edd nodded, felling a bit of comfort from the hand. Matt then looked away again as his mind began to rase. "Do you think... Do you think he has something to do with this?"
They had agreed never to say his name again, Tom getting mad to the point where he began to shift just at the slight mention of the Norwegian. Speaking of which, where was Tom?
Edd looked around, what he was looking for leaving his mind as soon as he saw him.
A man, wearing nothing but boxers, his arms stretched out, forced in a crucified position by nails that dug into his wrists, his ankles the same, a cross painted onto the wall behind him, and two hair horns that seemed to point directly at Edd.
"Edd? What is it?" Matt called out. Edd didn't hear. He was more focused on the words painted above the man's head.
"The devil's advocate"
Blood dripped onto the floor from his face, worryingly, nothing came from the nails. There was no way he was alive, there shouldn't have been any way for him to be alive, and yet, the sound of his harsh, slow, breathing was heard.
"Edd?" He called out again. No response. He turned around, looking at Edd then to whatever caught his attention. It was almost enough to make him throw up.
Edd stood up as Matt held his hands over his mouth, watching cautiously as Edd picked up the hammer and walked towards Tord.
"Wh.. What are you doing?"
"He can't stay like this. No matter what he's done we can't just leave him, Matt." Edd stood in front of him now, looking down at the poor man. He was half relieved and half pained when Tord looked up at him.
He had a black eye and there was blood coming out of his mouth, not to mention the look in his eyes. He looked ready to give up. Ready to die.
When Edd moved towards Tord's left arm and held up the hammer, Tord was immediately alert, babbling out begs and pleads for Edd to just leave him. For him to not touch the nails.
But Edd didn't listen.
Matt had to look away, keeping his hands over his ears from the sounds. Of the nail being pulled out, and the sounds that left Tord. He looked around for something- Anything that could help, eventually finding a bag that had some bandages and a few other things.
At least whoever was doing this had a bit of a heart.
He covered his ears again as Edd went for his ankles, Tord now sobbing. It almost hurt more than them going in. Almost.
Edd stopped to breath when they were out. He didn't realize he had held his breath the entire time. He held the hammer tighter in his hand. The only thing left now was Tord's right arm. He had to hold the norsk when he wasn't being held up by the nails anymore, the blood from his moth soaking his hoodie and pajamas a deep red.
Matt looked over, immediately regretting it when the urge to throw up overcame him. He poured all the supplies out of the bag before he hurled into it. Why was it so hard to see? He'd seen blood, he'd seen death, he'd caused death, and yet he couldn't even think about what was happening to the norsk without wanting to throw up. He tied the bag, crawling towards one of the mattresses on the floor before covering his ears again.
He wanted to be back at home. Back in his own bed. He had just gone to sleep before all of this. They all had. Why them? Why this?
"Matt!" He turned around, nearly throwing up again from the bloody Edd that sat next to him. "Are you okay? I saw you throw up." Matt nodded, sitting up.
"Is he okay?" They both looked over at Tord who Edd had laid down onto the other mattress.
"The nails were heated when they went in, so he isn't bleeding as much as he should be. I'm not sure if he'll be okay though." They went over to him, Matt nearly throwing up again.
"Should we bandage or at least sew the holes up? I found some first aid stuff in the bag I threw up in. Don't worry, I poured it out first." Matt put a hand on Tord's cheek, moving his bangs slightly out of the way.
Besides whatever he had been subjected to here, he looked fine after the robot incident. Matt expected major scaring or even death from that explosion, but Tord looked like he was fine after. Too fine.
"Matt?"
His voice was raspy and barely audible, sounding nothing like the norsk. It sounded of pain.
"I'm here, don't worry. We're going to help you, okay?" Matt tried his best to smile. It didn't work well.
"Don't bother. I'll be fine when they come in." Tord kept his eyes off of them.
"What do you mean? You're hurt, we have to at least try." It was Edd who spoke this time, holding Tord's hand gently, making sure not to touch his wrist.
"They'll fix me. They always do. No matter how close to death I am, or how much I want it. They always make me brand new so they can break me again. I'm sorry." Tears stung Tord's eyes, the norsk not even bothering to stop them as they fell.
Matt wiped them away the best he could.
"Don't apologize, you have nothing to apologize for-"
"Don't act stupid, Matt. You know what I did. And I'm sorry I was so stupid. And I'm sorry you've become a part of this. And I'm even more sorry that I'm not brave enough for you. For you all."
They were all crying at that point. It stopped when the door opened.