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"Is someone in the toilet?" The toilet didn't have regular plumbing, and just seemed to Doug to be a hole like an outhouse.

"No. I am in another cell. I found I can sometimes talk to the others through the toilet."

The voice had a bit of an accent. "Others? Is that weirdo trying to destroy the souls of other people too?"

"Ronove is very evil. I think there are maybe a dozen of us he does experiments on."

"Last Children like me?"

"Yes. It is hard to talk with each other, but I try to find ways. We must not give up hope. My name is Chimezie."

"That's a weird name." One Doug didn't think he'd be able to remember. "I'm Doug."

"Why were you shouting earlier?"

"I'm just tired of the Devil bothering me."

"That is good to hear. Too many are accepting of the Devil."

Now the toilet had Doug's full attention. "The Devil talks to other people?"

"He tries to infect all minds."

"Then why did I get singled out and brought here? He just came to be in a dream, started talking to me about how there is this power out there that watches over me, and --"

"Wait. The Devil told you about God?" Chi-something sounded confused.

"Yeah. Like what the people used to believe in. The dead people."

There was a brief pause. "I'm not sure we're talking about the same Devil. He is very evil."

"Well, this one seems like just more of a big jerk. I thought he was helpful at first, trying to say its actually possible to fight the Trans. Now I got captured and brought here just for listening to him. Why were you sent here?"

"Not for talking to the Devil. I was imprisoned for talking about Jesus."

Doug had heard the name before, but mainly as an exclamation. "That's some religious guy, right?"

"He is God's son. He gave his life on our behalf."

Though it was nice to have someone to talk to, but the feeling of nausea from the smell of the toilet wasn't helping the feeling of general unease from whatever Ronove did to him. "No offense, but I don't really believe in all that. If God is so powerful and whatnot, then He should do something about the Trans. Someone needs to kick their ass if they're locking people up and doing weird experiments to them."

"I pray every day for justice. I know my prayers will be answered. Nothing is impossible for God."

Doug wished he could just shut off his doubts and believe. "The creepy guy says prayers don't work anymore."

"He doesn't know what he talks about!" Chi-something answered quite sharply.

"Probably not... but I don't know anything either. I'm just hope my friends come rescue me soon."

"You have friends who would have the courage to come here?"

Doug thought about that for a bit. He knew they all got annoyed about him a lot, but he still could just not imagine them just leaving him. "Yeah. We're all we have."

"God must have really blessed you to give you such friends, then."

As horrible as things were now, they reminded of him of before he and three other kids formed they're own little group to belong to -- back when he had no one to turn to. He didn't know of prayer back then, but it still felt like a prayer had been answered. "Well, if they're coming for me, I guess I shouldn't give up my soul without a fight."

"I know you will not, Doug! I will keep you in my prayers, and I will tell the other about you. You are not alone here."

"Thanks... um... toilet-guy."

"Chimezie."

Doug tried to say that a couple of times in his head, but he lost grip of it pretty quickly. "I need to come up with a nickname for you."

* * * *

"So we're all in agreement that if we end up with millions again and once again Doug is captured, screw him?"

Lulu sighed. "That's not helpful, Bryce." Bryce, Charlene, and Lulu were in small room in one of Dammon's warehouses looking over the information Dammon had on Ronove's research lab. He had given them a basic plan to get in that relied on no one paying very good attention to regular security practices, and the three only had the rest of the day to come up with any ideas that might increase their chance of survival.

"Don't waste time," Brock said threateningly. He was one of Dammon's men who had more muscle than the three of them put together and pretty much said everything threateningly. "This is going down tomorrow no matter what, and don't think we're not well prepared for the likely possibility of you three failing."

"We could use our time better if we're left alone!" Charlene snapped at him. "You don't look like much of a strategic mind, so I don't see what you plan to contribute by hanging around us."

Brock backhanded Charlene, knocking her into a table. "I guess that is about all I'm good for." He left the room and closed to door.

Bryce walked over to help Charlene back up. "This is why we don't insult people larger than us."

"She's just as tired of all this crap as the rest of us." Lulu pounded her head against the keyboard. "Maybe we're looking at this wrong. If we're quite certain we're going to die in the next day or so, what do you want to do?"

"Kill as many assholes as possible," Bryce said. "Starting with everyone in the near vicinity." He turned to Charlene. "Happen to keep any guns on you we can use as a start towards a shooting spree?"

Charlene rubbed the bruise on her cheek. "I lost perspective for a moment. Let's not do anything stupid."

"But anything stupid is what we're best at," Lulu whined. "I just came up with five new stupid idea in like the past minute. One of them requires a gorilla costume that's at least semi-realistic looking."

A man started screaming outside the room, but the scream was soon cut off sharply and replaced by much more liquidy noise. There were more screams, but none of them lasted very long.

"Well, that's a promising." Bryce looked around the room for something to use as a weapon, but decided he didn't really care that much.

They all stood still for a second staring at the entrance to the room. Either they went out to see what it was or they stood there waiting for it to come to them. It was an easy choice.

Charlene threw open the door. Bryce then scrambled to close the door while his mind worked on repressing what he just saw.

"That was quite a lot of blood out there," Lulu commented.

"Not as disturbing as the chunkier stuff." Bryce moved a table in front of the door. "Things just keep getting better, don't they?"

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Hellbender Take Two
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