Hetalia - Axis Powers 1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya and the HetaOni game is a fanmade version of Ao Oni.

Note: This fanfic closely follows the plot of the HetaOni game, except that there WILL be differences between the game and the events going on in this fanfic.

Note#2: I made a challenge to do every chapter with about 3000 words in it, so I can balance my time effectively

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Chapter 1: The Mansion Nobody Should Enter (But They Do Anyway)

* * *

Five figures walked out from the lush forest surrounding a large mansion together. A figure wearing a long black coat excitedly ran forward and spun to face his companions.

"Here we are! The place I was talking about!" Denmark declared and pointed to the large structure. "Let's go inside already!"

_From the world meeting building they came from, it takes 3 hours on foot to reach this mansion. A mansion that is rumoured… to be haunted. Nobody knew who the owner was or what happened to them, but the rumour is that the mansion itself is abandoned._

"I don't know… it looks so spooky…" Fin gulped and stepped back subconsciously, only to have Sweden rest his hand on his shoulder. He only meant it to be reassuring, but it frightened the Finn and he squealed, jumping back, but tried to relax and laughed nervously. "S-Sorry! I was sooo caught up in my mind! Heh…" Sweden just gave him his usual stoic expression and turned away.

Iceland huffed. "Is that it? Just an old house in the middle of nowhere? What a waste of 3 hours."

Norway glanced up, taking in the sight of the pale-coated building and the dark frames of the blurred windows. He blinked and looked at the front door, which rattled when a sudden gust of wind blew against the mansion.

"Let's go in!" Denmark yelled and ran up to the door and turned the knob, pushing the door open easily and it creaked loudly. His black boots thudded the wooden floorboards as he charged inside and he pirouetted around, taking in the blank surroundings. "Come on!"

Reluctantly, the other Nordics followed him inside…

The main hall was oddly clean and there was very little furniture to go around. To their left is a corridor and on their right is another corridor, but directly head on the left is another corridor with a set of wide stairs besides it leading up to the second floor.

"Okay, we looked, now let's get out of here," Norway said impatiently.

_Smash!_

Everyone gasped (Finland unexpectedly clung onto Sweden's jacket sleeve and Iceland and Denmark both squeaked and hid behind Norway) and turned sharply towards the east-facing corridor, but they could see nobody.

"Wh-what was that!" Denmark shrieked. "It has to be a ghost! Just in that horror RPG I played with Estonia!"

"No such thing 's ghosts, ya idiot," Sweden murmured for the first time since they all arrived at the mansion. "I'll check it out."

"Y-Yeah, good luck getting out alive!" Denmark snapped with a hint of attempted bravery in his voice, but he still crouched behind Norway.

"Nothing's going to happen to Su-san!" Finland sighed. "This mansion is abandoned! You even said so…"

Sweden just walked into the East corridor and disappeared…

* * *

Sweden's boots clunked against the floorboards with a rhythmic beat as his trained ears listened for things that his eyes cannot see. His calm demeanour seemed to have an affect against the eeriness of the cold mansion around him as he felt calm enough to not walk quickly like others would do. But even though he believed the mansion is abandoned, he cannot deny that something strange is going on…

His eyes glanced to his left at a lone door, but the sound of something breaking didn't come from there. It sounded too distant to be behind that door. With that, Sweden carried on walking without stopping until he reached a door and strolled inside, entering a large room. Immediately, he saw some fragments on the floor by the table and his gloved hands lifted them, ignoring the counters by a cupboard full of stale bread and food.

"Sharp. Bett'r not let Finn touch them," he mumbled and pocketed the fragments. "I better g't back before Denmark does somethin' stupid…"

There was another door in the room too, but when he tried to open it, all it did was clatter and click. He mentally scolded himself for wasting time on supernatural thoughts and wandered back through the door to exit the room.

As soon as he walked to the main hall, nobody was around.

Sweden frowned and glanced around, thinking that Denmark made the others hide in the doorway to surprise him, but there were no cheers and obnoxious Danish laughs. There wasn't a trace of the other 4 left anywhere.

"Where…" Sweden muttered under his breath and he glanced around again, hoping that it wasn't his already-poor eyesight deteriorating. He could've hit himself when he thought of the front door. "Probably outside…"

His hand reached out and turned the knob—

But it wouldn't move. It's too stiff. Sweden turned it harder, but the material of his glove is just slipping on the brass handle. He pulled away and tugged the glove off, revealing his large calloused hand and he tried again to open the door, but the metal rubbing harshly against his skin was too much and he grunted. The door is locked. Was he locked in while the others are outside?

He was stumped. But more than that he felt trapped.

* * *

Finland leaned against the wall, taking in deep breaths and he clutched his shirt with evident panic. He can't even remember why he and his friends suddenly scattered like blind mice away from the main hall, but whatever chased them was frightening…

All sense of direction was hopelessly lost on him. He can't remember which corridor he took off into. He knows it wasn't the one Sweden walked down otherwise he'd be sure the taller male would quickly seek him out by smelling his fear and try to protect him from whatever is scaring him.

He finds himself waiting – for what exactly? – and waiting while taking fearful glances up and down the corridor. His legs trembled from clambering up the stairs and another set of stairs during his flight earlier. He tried opening the doors, but these strange ones on the 3rd floor were locked tightly.

"Su-san… Denmark… Norway… Iceland… Hanatamago… Sealand…" Uttering those names did nothing to calm his wild heartbeat, but his mind was more eased and he took in a long shuddering breath before sliding down the wall and he sat down, staring at the door which was directly in front of him.

He shut his eyes and tried to remember how he ended up here. He tried the same technique that Japan does to recall memories after a long night out drinking with Greece and France; and imagined that time reversed with him in it like rewinding a video to the part you want to see again. But that part in Finland's mind was severely fuzzy like how a video on a VCR is when a child replayed it again and again. He tried harder to think, rewound time in his mind and he imagined himself standing up again, giving out a long exhale of breath, body shaking from the frantic heartbeat, suddenly running backwards and his hand shakily trying to open the 3rd floor doors, him running backwards down the stairs to the second floor where- THERE! He was with Norway, Iceland AND Denmark at that point! But no… wait! They all split from him in different directions and a tall grey humanoid figure chased after Iceland until they were out of sight—

Finland whimpered and pressed his hand against his forehead as the other pushed him off the ground. Hid mind reverted back into focusing in the present time as reality took over fiction.

"O-oh, Ice-kun… I'm so sorry…" he gulped, holding back frightened sobs.

His deep breathing eventually turned shallower as his skin paled more. Panic set in and only one phrase flew through his mind. Panic attack. Panic attack. Panic attack.

While his hyperventilation distracted him, a heavy set of footsteps slowly stepped up the stairs and the same terrifying figure that Finland saw earlier stopped in front of him, looking down with huge black eyes that reflected no emotion.

Finland slowed down, feeling relief from finally relaxing when he noticed a set of huge stone-grey feet and he glanced up before he froze, letting out a strangled gasp.

* * *

Sweden decided to explore the mansion until he believed that the others have stopped laying games by locking him in the house. He may not be a practical joker, but even he secretly relished the idea of the other Nordics panicking when they saw that he hasn't returned to the main hall. He took the corridor directly ahead of him, opposite from the one he left earlier. As he for further he saw a door to his right, but with an experimental twist of the knob the door refused to open. He carried on advancing around the corner until—

He paused and his ability to feel senses all drained from his body.

Standing ahead at the end of the corridor, seeming to face away from him, was a giant humanoid creature that's grey all over and its head is huge.

Sweden reacted by… just staring at it with intense scrutiny. His hands clenched into fists, reminding himself not to say or do anything in the presence of this odd unknown creature.

Suddenly, a door opened in front of it and the monster stumbled forwards, door slamming automatically behind it and leaving en eerie silence in the corridor.

Sweden, without blinking, exhaled a long breath he didn't know (and was grateful as it was proof of life) that he was holding.

"What… the heck was that thing…" he murmured and hesitantly walked towards the door, but his hand trembled. He just turned away, looking back warily. His eyes rested on a door that's just on the left from the mysterious door and he went inside without pausing or considering anything.

It was just a bathroom. There's a toilet, which was thankfully clean, and the sinks and cupboards which are covered in a film of dust. Besides that, there wasn't anything interesting about this room, but despite its simplicity, he couldn't help but feel… safe.

Sweden left (giving the door the monster went through a quick glance) before running down the corridor with urgency that flooded his mind the moment he stepped outside the bathroom.

The main hall was still empty, but he tried the front door again though it doesn't seem to be unlocked, and he looked down, gritting his teeth in frustration and confusion.

Dusty footsteps.

In spite of what the others said earlier, the place isn't completely clean. Sweden could just about make out the dusty footstep prints that his friends left behind when they walked into the mansion.

Wait. Footsteps that only lead INTO the mansion?

He frowned and ignored his large footstep imprints on the dusty ground and turned around and made a slow account of when they all walked inside this part of the first floor. Yes, they walked inside, looked around, and scuffled their shoes… Sweden looked down the east-facing corridor that he went down to check out the source of that shattering noise; his footsteps are imprinted on the dusty floor too. The same goes for the corridor that he ran out of.

So if there are only footsteps of his companions leading into the main hall from outside… then that means that they're still inside.

And that Thing is wandering around, possibly searching for them with unknown intent.

Heart drumming, the Swede scanned the footsteps carefully and followed them to the stairs, which lead to the second floor. All four footprints of his friends are on the stairs. That's where he shall go now.

Sweden climbed the wide stairs until he reached the second floor, but that was where the trail of footprints ended. He silently cursed and glanced around. Straight to his left were 2 doors, and to his right was a single door on its own. When he turned to his left, he also noticed a long corridor leading besides the stairs towards another set of stairs going up. He guessed that there are more doors on this floor… and his friends could be hiding in them.

Sweden chose to follow his gut feeling and walked straight towards the two doors, choosing the one on the right. Contrary to what he thought before, the door was actually unlocked and he sighed in relief. He steeled his glare, telling himself it's not over until he brings his family back together, and pushed the door wide to reveal a bedroom.

Lying on the ground was a stick with a star attached to the tapered end with spots of blood on it. Sweden's blood froze and he picked it up immediately, pulling off the glove of his free hand with his teeth and the tip of his pale finger touched a spot of blood on the star, only to feel that the liquid is cold. It may be cold, but it doesn't mean it hasn't been recently shed.

"What's Norway's magic wand doin' here?" he murmured to the object. His free hand struggled to fit back in the black glove and he pocketed the item along with the shards of the plate. He hopes that magic wands don't get scratched easily.

Just as he left the room, he noticed the wand began glowing brightly through the pocket's material of his deep navy trenchcoat. Sweden remembered this happening before. Whenever Norway forgets his magic wand, Sweden would use it to guide him to find the Norwegian so he could hand it back… Norway once admitted that the wand is 'alive' in a sense and can only work for one owner, which is the Norwegian himself.

But in this place, Sweden can hardly doubt that anyone could just simply forget anything. He pulled out the object and he could feel the mystical power gently (and invisibly) tugging him towards the door which is on the right when you come up from the stairs. He entered the unlocked room and the first thing that caught his eye was a floor-length curtain in the corner. The wand shivered violently the closer he got and his hand pulled back the curtain quickly, revealing a sad sight in front of him.

The fear-aggressiveness in Norway's widened ocean deep-blue eyes shocked Sweden's soul, but it was the fact that he is curled up on the floor, hugging his knees and fingers clawing at his trousers like how an eagle grasps a dead rabbit.

The smell of blood on his clothes did not go unnoticed.

* * *

A/N: Soooo yeah. Chapter 1 of HetaOni with the Nordics.

I rushed while making this chapter, so sorry for any mistakes that I made.

In the game, where you make choices, some of them can lead to your death where you least expect it. What I'll do for every chapter is write a death scene for whenever a character makes the wrong choice. They'll be BELOW my second Author Notes, so you can choose whether to read them or not. Needless to say, the only warning is that there will be swearing and DEFINITELY some character deaths.

The alternative scenes are not part of the story, but they're there to show what would happen if the characters make the wrong choice.

WARNING. DO NOT CARRY ON READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYONE DIE. VIOLENT DEATH BELOW.

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ALTERNATIVE SCENE (Sweden)

*Sweden decided to explore the mansion until he believed that the others have stopped laying games by locking him in the house. He may not be a practical joker, but even he secretly relished the idea of the other Nordics panicking when they saw that he hasn't returned to the main hall. He took the corridor directly ahead of him, opposite from the one he left earlier. As he for further he saw a door to his right, but with an experimental twist of the knob the door refused to open. He carried on advancing around the corner until—

He paused and his ability to feel senses all drained from his body.

Standing ahead at the end of the corridor, seeming to face away from him, was a giant humanoid creature that's grey all over and its head is huge.

Sweden took in a surprised breath that sounded like a gas pipe hissing, and the thing spun around, revealing it's alien-like face and massive disk-shaped black eyes that shows nothing.

"What the—"

Suddenly the thing charged so fast that Sweden only saw a blur before a heavy force slammed his chest and his blood squirted out from the long gashes that tore through his thick coat and shirt underneath; the strike threw him back and he stumbled, collapsing onto his back and smacking the back of his head. Pain rumbled and blurred his vision and he cried out. Fuelled by adrenaline, he struggled to stand up, but a large hand with sausage-thick fingers wrapped themselves around his strong neck and lifted his body in the air. A copious amount of blood poured from his severe wounds and dripped onto the pure polished floor to form a crimson pond as he kicked out, trying but failing to hit the thing. His voice was trapped in his throat from the increasingly deadly pressure on his neck.

Sweden, without blinking, exhaled a long breath before his eyes glazed over and his glasses slipped from his face, falling to the pool of blood and the lenses cracked, fragments bouncing and smothered in the warm liquid.

Silence.

The muscles in the monster's arm trembled with intense strength before the sharp, crunching snap of a broken spinal cord echoed around the corridor and Berwald Oxenstierna's arms limply fell to his sides like a rag doll without stuffing.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry I didn't update this sooner ;w; But enjoy it now~!

And don't think about directions and room locations too much. I'm following the map system from the HetaOni game itself, so check out the walkthrough videos on SotetAG's YouTube channel.

Now, HetaOni may be on indefinite hiatus, but in spite of that I will create my own ending. I may not be the original creator of HetaOni, but count this story as AU (if you like), meaning that anything new can happen that never happened in the original version of HetaOni.

Oh, and one other little change… I'm making it so that the nations call each other on how they would call each other in their native languages – I cheated with Google, so comment or pm me on any mistakes I make.

Thanks for your patience, and onto the show!

* * *

The smell of blood on Norway's clothes did not go unnoticed.

"Norge?" Sweden murmured, staring at the bloodstains and he knelt down immediately. "What happened?"

Norway didn't talk, but opened his mouth and shut his eyes, but he just trembled all over and shook his head, holding his hand up as if telling Sweden he needs time.

"'s it about that… thing?" Sweden asked cautiously, turning back just to make sure they're safe before turning back to the Norwegian. Norway gulped silently and nodded. "Wan' me t' get ya some water to drink?"

Finally, Norway spoke with a croak. "N-no… not on your own. Let me come with you…" But when he stood up he fell to the side against the wall from shaking so much.

"Stay behin' that curt'n," Sweden ordered quietly. "I'll b' back with th' others. They must b' hidin' somewhere."

Turning around as Norway gripped the red velvet curtain, facing away in what seemed like shame of being incapable of walking a few simple paces without quivering, he mumbled, "Be safe…" before closing the curtain.

* * *

So now Sweden is puzzled. One confusion after another, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of fear from just walking around in the corridor on the second floor. Even his steps seemed sluggish despite promising that he'll find the rest of the Nordics as quickly as possible.

Something seems to be dragging him with invisible talons of powerful hopelessness…

And then… something came up that unsettled his stomach severely. A strong stench of rusty blood wafted from somewhere, but the Swede couldn't quite place where it's coming from. All he's hoping is that the smell of blood isn't coming from one of his brothers or all.

The rest of the doors on the second floor were all locked, which isn't very reassuring since very few doors were left unlocked in the house in the first place. So he reluctantly decided to go upstairs…

But there was nothing. All there was were two doors in view when he got onto the third floor, but when he turned around the corner he saw a puddle of blood and a few bullet cartridges scattered around.

Sweden paled. Those cartridges came from Finland's rifle.

Now he's on extreme high alert with more adrenaline speeding around his body than ever before. Finland would never shoot unless he's in genuine danger, and the space of the third floor isn't appropriately big enough for a sniper to shoot around in at close range. To confirm the Swede's fear and suspicion, in the narrow gap between the other set of stairs and a simple wall, there were holes in the wall where his bullets ended up at. Sweden pulled them out, surprised that they were cold and clean. If they were hot, they'd be recently fired, and if they're clean, then they didn't hit their target.

'_This is dangerous. Finland has NEVER missed his target before, even in close range,_' he thought and gulped silently, rolling the two bullets in his large palm.

Then… the blood on the floor could only belong to him. It wasn't a large puddle, but with the amount of blood lost here the injury has to be enough to knock someone unconscious from blood loss.

"I have t' find Fin…" Sweden muttered and checked the other doors, which are (unsurprisingly) locked and he advanced upstairs. The fourth floor corridor is just as narrow as the third floor's, but there are two doors. The first one didn't open, but the second one leading to the attic did.

But before he entered, he noticed blood on the brass handle and his heart's pace quickened. His hand slowly reached under his long coat and his fingers wrapped around the handle of a staff that he keeps hidden, while his eyes were trained on the door. He pulled out a steel staff and extended it quietly until it's as tall as his height, and he quickly opened the attic door and stormed in, holding the staff in the air.

But he relaxed when he saw that nobody was inside the room and he loosened his grip on the weapon.

It didn't make sense. There was blood on the handle outside. Someone must've gone inside this room at some point… Sweden looked at the handle again from the inside of the door, but it was squeaky clean and shiny, devoid of any stains or blood. Someone is still in this room.

And then his eyes turned and landed at the corner where there is a door frame with a long curtain concealing the entrance. There. Even with his eyesight he could clearly see bloody fingerprints. He walked over carefully, whispering. "Finland?"

Immediately, the curtain was pulled aside and Finland charged forward, hugging Sweden tightly. His rifle dropped to the floor with a clatter, but he didn't care as long as his arms were around Sweden and not an attacker's neck from behind.

"RUOTSI!" he whimpered loudly and buried his face in his chest. "I was so scared…! You have NO IDEA what I went through!"

Sweden awkwardly hugged him back, not ever expecting Finland to make contact like that with him. "I found Norge. He's hidin'."

Finland huffed shakily and broke the hug. "G-good! Where's Islanti and Tanska!?"

"I dunno… I only found you an' Norge so far…"

"I don't like this place one bit!" Finland squeaked and shivered all over and he hugged himself but then he murmur "oh" as he lifted his bloody hand from a wound to his side above his left hip. Sweden didn't notice until now how pale Finland looked. The wound seemed pretty deep.

"Finland, yer wound…" he reached forward, but the Finn winced and stepped back. "N-no! I'll be fine… I just need to get out of here…"

Sweden is going to hate himself for saying this. "The front door is locked. I tried, but it's locked."

At that, the smaller male moaned and doubled over, collapsing into Sweden's arms.

"Finland!" Sweden shouted and he held his face with one hand. "Don't die! I'll get ya some treatment!" But Finland closed his eyes, looking faded before he could say anything and he went limp. His pulse was still going, but only slowly. He's unconscious.

* * *

In a part of the house unknown to Sweden or any of the other Nordics, Iceland quietly roamed around a library, looking through the shelves at many volumes of books, which of each are in different languages. Some of these languages are extinct and therefore unfamiliar to the teen at all, but a majority of these volumes are recognisable as modern languages… but those don't matter, because he seemed to be looking for a specific novel.

And he found it with his thin fingers as they trace the leather binder of a simple, thick, black book. He tugged it out of its space and opened it, looking through the yellowed pages that smell of age and years of confinement combined with neglect. The pages were all blank, except for the first page.

"Found it… this should be the last time if I get it all right according to plan…" Iceland muttered and he picked out a pen from his pocket before flipping the lid off and writing 'Emil Bondevik' at the bottom right corner of the page. "There… this time, I'll save everyone…"

* * *

A/N: Sorry for making this a shorter-than-usual chapter, but it's as much as I could do when time is limited right now.


	3. Chapter 3

It was all a blur for Finland. He remembered only fragments of his encounter with the thing and then running away upstairs to the attic, and he remembered diving behind that velvet curtain and curled against the wall, aiming his rifle at the curtain... and he remembered that part when Sweden came for him and he dropped his guard straight away, but he eventually blacked out from the wound on his side…

'How did I get this wound again? I could've sworn my right arm was ripped off… wait… why did I think that…? And Ruotsi… I thought he got blinded completely, but he can still obviously see me…'

Thoughts conflicted in Finland's puzzled blacked mind. Inconsistent memories were melting together, creating and swirling dreams of memories that apparently happened, but there are no physical scars to prove it. It's terrifying him. He wants to wake up, but wake up at home in the comfort of his soft warm bed and Hanatamago sleeping by his side like always, not in an unfamiliar mansion.

He can feel his body bouncing and rocking as though someone was carrying him, but he couldn't open his eyes long enough to confirm it. He's only relying on his hearing and feeling now.

* * *

Iceland was still in the unfamiliar library, writing down in a black diary quietly while hiding in a small gap between the wall and a random bookcase. He seemed relaxed until he heard a loud thump somewhere and he almost had a heart attack and was close to dropping his pen, but he held on and put the objects in his pocket.

He focused intensely on the sound of heavy footsteps until he got a headache, but he sighed quietly when the door to the library slammed shut. But the headache was still there. Pain grew with slight intensity and he moaned, rubbing his forehead.

"Someone just remembered a past time-loop memory… that isn't good… it's too soon… I gotta find that key immediately…"

* * *

Sweden, while he carried Finland, didn't stop for anyone or anything. His determination suppressed all worries of encountering those Things because he'll be damned if he has to slow down to fight when he's got an injured loved one who could be possibly dying.

He immediately ran to the second floor, to that room where Norway is, and charged inside. Relieved that none of those monsters are around, he pulled the curtain aside, but sees only a dark space. His heart sank.

"Norge?!" he cried out and his voice echoed.

"I'm here." Footsteps from the dark hollow space grew louder as Norway appeared from the darkness, covered in dust. His eyes fell on Finland's bloody form and he paled, reeling back.

"He's st'll al've, but only jus'. W…w' have t' get out of here…" Sweden's voice cracked and he shook all over. Norway tugged at his sleeve.

"Come on, I found somewhere safe for us to rest in."

"Sa—"

"Trust me. Hurry…" Norway turned and ran up what sounded like stairs, but stopped and spoke again from the darkness. "See that lever besides the door? Just push it down and the gate will close it."

In no time, Sweden forced the stick down and an iron door slid down from a gap in the door frame, plunging the corridor into total darkness.

* * *

…Outside the mansion, two little boys stood there together while looking up at the huge building. They both have their backpacks on and a little white dog bounded besides them, yipping and wagging his small tail.

"Is this the place that Iceland talked about?" the kid with ginger hair asked.

"Yeah! It is! He said that you can find treasure in here left behind by the old owner!" the blonde companion declared. "If I find that treasure, then I'll be declared as a full-fledged nation!"

"What do you mean 'I'?" the other kid yelled. "If that treasure gives you incredible strength, then I'll need it to beat that Swedish idiot and become a country for real! It's 'our' treasure!"

"Oh not if we race for it!"

"Fine! I'll beat you to it!"

"Yip!"

Both kids ran towards the front door of the mansion and tugged the handle open, easily opening the door with a squeaking noise, and they stumbled in when they tripped over each other's feet.

The door slammed shut just as their dog barked loudly and bounded inside.

* * *

A/N: So since I haven't been doing very well at all with writing fanfiction… I hoped you liked this chapter…


	4. Chapter 4

Note: No more disclaimers – just check out the beginning of the first chapters of my stories from now on -.-

Note#2: EPIPHANY! I just want to personally thank midnightlily456 for giving me a great idea for the story's new title – NordicOni! I can't believe I didn't think of it before OTL Nice title – short and sweet :D

* * *

Sweden looked around the room as Norway tended to Finland's wounds while the Finn was laid down on a cleaned bed. This room seemed odd compared to the rest of the house because it's dusty, it's strangely spacious despite there being many boxes lying around…

Plus… the room is filthy…

Though there were signs that Norway started to clean up the place manually without using magic and he cleaned the sheets of all the 10 beds there. Strange of Norway to clean up without using magic.

"…For some reason, my magic isn't working as it usually would," Norway spoke without looking at Sweden as if he read his mind. "I've been feeling strange lately, so I tried to use some magic to clean up, but it was working at a quarter of the speed… I'm conserving some energy for later…" He sounded depressed as he spoke. Maybe that's why he's refusing to look at Sweden directly in the eyes. The Swede noticed him stiffen. "Did you find the others…?"

"Nej…" Sweden grunted and walked over to stroke some blood off Finland's cheek. Blood doesn't show up very well against black gloves anyway, but he doesn't like it when clothes get sticky with blood… He took a silent breath. "I'll go and look for Danmark and Island."

Norway finally spared him a glance with a hint of a glare behind it. "Good luck."

* * *

…As Sweden left through the iron door, he glanced down and noticed a shining object right by his feet just as it bounced off his foot. He let out a surprised gasp and stared at a shiny key before hesitantly picking it up, looking around the room and wandered how it appeared out of nowhere. There were some words written on the hand-sized key: "1st floor library."

* * *

"…I'm telling you, we shouldn't have gone in here…" a boy with ginger hair grumbled as his blonde companion kicked the front door in frustration.

"Keep telling yourself that, Ladonia!" Sealand hissed as he relaxed his kicking foot. "What the hell? I'm made out of metal! Metal ALWAYS beat wood!" He yelled again and body-slammed the door, but it didn't budge a single inch.

Ladonia sighed heavily. "That's just great… Now what?"

Suddenly they heard loud footsteps approach them at a fast pace and the boys turned around and screamed.

Berwald still didn't know what to do about that mysterious key. First floor library? Ah, he remembered passing a door downstairs when he went to that large kitchen and discovered the plate shards…

Just as he stood outside the room and onto the second floor, he heard some very loud screams.

Male screams.

From two little boys.

The Swede's eyes widened, too paralysed to move a muscle while his heart beat faster and faster and his mind filtered through memories of the last time he heard familiar screams like those from downstairs. He didn't want to believe it, but when more screams came from downstairs he immediately charged towards the stairs down to the lobby.

One of those tall grey monsters stood there, towering over a pair of boys sitting on the floor whimpering and hugging each other tightly as they leaned against the door. Sweden gritted his teeth and glared dangerously.

"LEAVE 'EM ALONE!" he roared and sprinted towards the monster with his telescopic pole stretching out.

The monster turned to watch him with huge black eyes as it raised a clawed hand, but before it could move its legs Sweden slammed the pole against it's arm and a loud snapping noise was heard. Running back for safety in distance, Sweden's heart dropped and examined at the pole, but it was still intact. He really did just break the arm of the monster.

Meanwhile, the boys were watching the battle intensely with a stunned silence, but they were still immobilised with fear. As the monster growled and pulled back its lips to reveal long retractable fangs, Sweden shouted at the boys; "Run! Get behind me!"

Hesitantly, Sealand stood up while gripping Ladonia's hand tightly and they immediately charged by the wall at the side of the enemy, the side where its arm is hanging limply, completely useless for attacking anything. The boys whimpered as they stood behind Sweden.

Without looking back with his trained eyes on the monster, he murmured. "When yer mama finds out that you two ar' here, he's goin' to murder me. Stay behind me." Sealand and Ladonia gulped, taking another step behind him while staring at the injured monster fearfully.

"Wh-what is that thing?!" Sealand squeaked, shaking all over.

"I dunno… I want you two to go wait for me at the top of the stairs, and if anything goes after ya, run to me," Sweden said, still watching the silent monster as it started to breathe more heavily by the second.

"But papa—"

"Now." The Sweden growled. But just as Sweden was going to attack the monster again, it collapsed to its side with a heavy thump before slowly fading into mid-air while its ominous black pits gazed at him and disappeared completely. The Swede stood there, breathing lightly before relaxing and sighed heavily. Behind him, Sealand and Ladonia nervously walked back besides him just as the thing disappeared. Without saying anything, Sweden turned around with his heart calming down before opening his arms wide enough to hug the boys tightly, dropping his weapon to the floor with a noisy clatter.


	5. Screaming

As soon as Iceland finished with his business in the library, he stepped outside quietly and closed the door after looking up and down the corridor. He slipped the journal into the inside pocket of his brown jacket and suddenly stopped as he glanced down to see a white dog sitting there, wagging its tail happily.

"Yip!" the dog barked, still sitting.

"H-Hana… Hanatamago? What are you doing here?" Iceland blinked then frowned. "Finland never brought you here… Unless…" he closed his eyes and thought deeply. "Oh no…" he sucked in a breath and hurriedly broke into a run, but screeched to a halt and glared at the white dog. "You are NOT going to tell anyone about this, got it?!"

Iceland felt stupid talking to a dog like this, but he had a stab of guilt when the dog whimpered in what he thinks is sadness. He sighed in agitation before clicking his fingers and Hanatamago suddenly walked besides him, wagging her tail. "Stay with me, and do NOT leave my side unless I tell you to! Even if I'm in trouble and I tell you to run away, then run away. Bark if you get it…"

Hanatamago stared at him with lovely chocolaty-brown eyes before yipping cutely.

* * *

In the Safe Room, Finland lay on a spare bed without his shirt as bandages were wrapped around his waist. Luckily he hasn't lost too much blood or he didn't lose any organs from the very deep wound, but Norway kept adding on more bandages as blood seeped through the material. Sweden sat on a spare bed, watching Norway work his magic with worry. On either side of him, Ladonia and Sealand sat quietly and stared at Finland's sweating, unconscious face.

"W-will Finland be alright…?" Ladonia asked, shaking, "I mean, nations can't die…" Besides him, Sweden stiffened and he reached out to hold the Finn's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Ladonia looked down at the floor and shut his eyes.

"Mama will be alright… he's reeeeally strong!" Sealand burst out suddenly to break the silence, trying to sound optimistic but his voice was wavering. "H-he even fought Russia with less soldiers than he did in the Winter War AND he still beat him against all odds!"

Deep down, Sweden smiled at the fact that his son learnt some important history about his 'mama.'

He eventually spoke in a soft tone of voice. "Ja. Finland 's much, much more powerful than ya think. He'll pull through, now that h' knows that yer both here."

"Mmhm…" Sealand hummed, managing to smile. Ladonia remained deathly silent.

Finally, blood stopped seeping through the thick wad of bandages ever since Norway used some healing magic. But even when he used a small amount of magic, the Norwegian's muscles were trembling and he relaxed, breathing heavily.

"He… he should be healing up properly on his own now…" Norway muttered and rested against the wall.

"Okay. Stay here an' rest, I'll go look fer Danmark an' Island," Sweden said and stood up, grabbing the telescopic staff as he went, which is now the length of a pencil.

"W-wait!" Ladonia yelped and jumped to his feet. "I'll go with you! I'm a nation too! I'm strong as well!"

The Swede gave him a stern glare. "Nej. I'm not riskin' yer life again. Stay here an' protect Suomi, Norge an' yer brother."

Sealand said nothing as he sat there watching Finland's face. He blinked when he swore he saw the Finn's lips tremble with a murmur. Sweden saw it too, and he stepped over to lean close and whispered; "I'll be back, Suomi. Jag älskar dig."

With that, he turned again and left through the trapdoor in the ground without looking back.

* * *

Sweden sighed as soon as he left the Safe Room. He glanced down at his boots as he remembered how he obtained the 1st floor library key in a strange way. His fingers brushed against the metal key in his pocket and his mind flashed back to when his and his group all arrived here and how he discovered that door in the East corridor that couldn't be opened. Logically thinking, Denmark wouldn't go in there if the door was locked because it obviously required a key to get in there. So… he decided not to go in there just yet, despite a nagging feeling at the back of his head demanding him to go there.

But then again… this house is working in mysterious ways that are completely supernatural. Doors that have been locked are now unlocked or the unlocked doors are quickly locked up when you walk past or close to them. Such events would be enough to make America crap his pants if he was here. Right now, in what seems like a safe place to be besides the Safe Room, the place emanates an air of mystery and suspense, like how a photograph on the wall is suddenly leaking blood from the eyes of a little girl in the monochrome picture just as the room temperature dropped to freezing. Sweden grit his teeth and ignored the picture to open the door and leave, but the door knob only rattled, preventing him from leaving.

Suddenly, the girl in the picture screeched loudly and the room shook forcing the Swede to quickly cover his ears. But the scream was at a painful frequency that cut through his flesh and made his heart beat irregularly. He yelled and fell to his knees, dropping the key with a noisy clatter before he blacked out and collapsed to the floor and the banshee's screaming stopped.

* * *

When Sweden woke up, he was in a different room. The smell of books wafted in the air and he groggily sat up to look around to take in the sight of some tables and lots of bookshelves. He felt in his pocket for the key and his staff, but they're both gone. Instantly worried, he hurriedly checked his other pockets and found nothing. He never felt so naked before despite being fully-clothed.

Where is he? This place obviously looks like a library, but is this the first-floor library that he was going to ignore until he found Denmark?

Sweden could only remember hearing the screaming photograph before passing out… and he dropped the key besides him… But his staff was firmly tucked in his pocket, it wouldn't have fallen out at all – not even by accident unless you take it out yourself.

As he moved to stand up, he almost slipped on a piece of paper on the floor. He took a breath and picked it up and read the writing: _'This was a happier time before daddy killed me'_. …Sweden raised an eyebrow at that chilling statement.

With that, the Swede turned the paper over and his heart froze over as he recognised the photograph as the one that came from the room her was in before it screamed. It is currently as silent as stone, but he can now have a proper look at the girl in the picture. She doesn't look a very happy little girl as she wore her summer dress and straw hat and held a skipping rope in her left hand; her face was in a scowl as if someone was teasing her before taking the dreadful photograph. But the longer you look at her scowl, her limp hair and dark pits that supposed to be eyes, the more sinister and accusing the scowl seems. She seems to be between 5 and 8 years old, judging from her height in the picture and her childish dress which was adorned with ribbons.

A happier time? So… does that mean a little girl lived in this mansion before it was haunted? A stab of sorrow hit Sweden's heart. This little girl probably got killed by her father before those monsters roamed the place. He's only going by with the information he's got right now, but he'll care about the photograph later- he's got to find Denmark and fast.

But then the door creaked open slowly from behind a bookshelf and loud, heavy footsteps were heard. Remembering that he doesn't have his weapon on him, Sweden cursed under his breath and hid behind a bookcase at the very back of the room, peeking over the tops of books to watch the doorway as a monster similar to the one he encountered earlier walked in.

* * *

On the fourth floor in the attic, Iceland stared at the table which had various papers scattered all over it. Meanwhile, Hanatamago was in the corner sniffing at fresh blood stains on the floor behind the pulled velvet curtain.

The Icelandic teen closed his eyes gently, thinking of his brothers. Almost instantly, he could see them in his mental map of the building, scattered around. He noted that there was a figure huddled in a second-floor bedroom, one lone figure in the first-floor library and four people in the Safe Room. His heart hummed lowly as his blood drummed in his ears and face the longer he examined the mental picture of his brothers around the building.

From the pressure of thinking so much, blood ran down from his nose as soon as he detected one of the monsters getting closer and closer to the blue figure in the first-floor library.


	6. Chapter 6

…The footsteps from the tall monster suddenly ceased on the other side of the bookcase, and Sweden's heart pounded harder as he stared over the top of dusty books at the blue-grey skin of the monster.

He could only hear heavy breathing coming from the monster, which sounded more sinister than a tiger's roar at night. The low, running growls of the Thing shook through the hiding Swede's bones – and he swore that his heart stopped – before it moved… turned…

And directly faced him.

It's huge eyes that resembled black pits stared at Sweden's eyes.

Quickly, Sweden leaped to the side just as the bookshelf got smashed and books flew everywhere as he hit the ground and scrambled onto his feet. The splinters of wood from the bookcase scattered onto the floor in clatters while the Thing slowly turned to stare at Sweden again, and then it walked towards him again. The door! Sweden spun, ran past the table and yanked a chair out of place and made it fall onto its back – but it didn't trip the Thing up as it simply stepped on the poor chair and crunched the object into splinters. The Swede's blood pulsed harder from the sickening sound and he managed to reach the door and grabbed the knob, but it could not open.

"FAN!" Sweden yelled and sharply looked back to see the Thing walking closer and closer to him, decreasing the distance between them.

In a moment of madness, he charged towards the Thing without slowing down.

It opened its wide mouth and exposed its large teeth and gob, but the man suddenly dived and slipped between its long legs, clearing it before standing up again and staring at its back. He can only hear his blood pumping around loudly in his ears. The Thing looks confused as it stepped forward and reached out to touch thin air. Now it's Sweden's turn to be confused at the odd behaviour.

No matter, because Sweden hurriedly looked around for a key or SOMETHING to break the door down and get the heck out of there. The table. While the Thing was momentarily confused, he ran to the only two large tables and shoved books, papers and pens out of the way. Where is the key?! Did he get locked in that library from the outside?!

His body felt like from so much rush of blood in his body as his hands were shaking too hard to keep composed. His mind was in a rush too, but not quite in complete panic. After a few seconds of frantic glancing and shoving books, his eyes laid sight on a bright red book with "THE KEY" written on it in bright, bold golden letters. He frowned and picked up the book, which is a hardback copy that is rather light to carry, but then the growls of the Thing alerted him and he accidentally dropped the book on the table loudly where it sprung open and the first half of the book opened, revealing a key hidden in a secret wooden compartment.

The key.

Grabbing the book and snatching the key out from within, Sweden stared at the monster, which is now walking around the table to get to him. But with newfound determination the male charged and sprinted for the door, slamming his body into it as he hurriedly shoved the key into the keyhole and turned.

It clicked and with a yank of the door Sweden was outside, where he pulled the door shut and locked it, heart hammering.

* * *

In the Safe room, Finland was out still cold, but his wound was no longer bleeding. Underneath his bandages, a very thin membrane of skin, freshly red-raw, shuddered as blood rushed around to increase the temperature to kill off any infections that managed to get into the wound. Norway's magic worked wonders, but now it's all up to the nation's body to heal and repair itself without any more outside interference.

Ladonia was still as silent as stone while he continued to stare at Finland while he sat on another bed and sat still as if he were a statue. His mind was buzzing with thoughts, information and images, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't telepathically connect to the internet without getting the connection interrupted or severed suddenly from his flesh and bones.

Norway was perfectly fine now, but since he declared earlier that he won't bother using magic unless its for an emergency, it was bothering him that his magic has become so weak. So now he's in the kitchen part of the room, dusting shelves and the cooker. The sink was alright, he risked a drink from the tap but the water was thankfully clean and non-poisonous and the biggest plus was that he discovered the bathroom earlier through a door in the far corner of the room besides three wooden seats with tall backs; they had intricate carvings into them of beautiful patterns, but he couldn't quite place what time period they were from. Norway was glad when he discovered that the oven even worked with what seemed to be a full gas canister behind the oven alongside a spare one.

While he dusted, Sealand got tired of sitting there doing nothing, so he decided to pack boxes on top of each other, but they were just full of old newspapers. Oh well. They'll make good fireplace fodder. Since he started working, Norway silently praised him in his own mind for working hard and not lose his mind. On the plus side, the floor space increased and despite the large amount of dust flying around, the one open window helped. There were two windows, but only one could open as far as 2 inches. Not big enough to squeeze through. The other window was completely sealed with badly-hit rusty nails as if someone was in a hurry to keep the windows sealed.

"Sealand, would you like something to eat? I found some pasta…" Norway asked the young boy just as he finished stacking another box.

"Yes, please…" he quietly responded. "What's taking papa so long…?"

"I wouldn't worry. He's really strong," the other male said, turning the gas hob on and placing a full pot of water on it. "He survived through worse opponents, like Danmark."

Suddenly, they both heard a sharp cry by the beds and startled them both. They quickly ran over around the corner to see Finland still unconscious in bed, but Ladonia was curled up on the sofa, clutching at his own hair while trembling.

"What's wrong?!" Sealand cried out and ran around to him.

"H…headache…" the internet nation whimpered, body still shaking and refusing to make eye contact. Norway rested his hand on his shoulder.

"Have you tried to connect to the internet?" he asked.

The boy nodded quietly, slowly relaxing. "I was going to post on FaceMag that we're trapped here, but we're too far from the nearest wi-fi spot… when I try to connect to the internet, it's like being on a bungee jump except you slow down and have smooth landing, but this time… it was like being yanked back to your spot and having whiplash…"

Norway stroked his back. "No, good idea, and thanks for trying. But don't go on the internet again unless you're absolutely ready and sure that the connection is safe…"

Ladonia sniffled, and Sealand stood up without speaking before walking away to the bathroom.

* * *

It felt like an eternity the longer Sweden leant against the library door. His heartbeat slowed down to a relaxing pace, but it slowly sped up again as he forced himself to move away from the door and stared at it. Strangely, he didn't lock the door, but why isn't the thing coming out after him? Why didn't it just break the door down?

_Squish… squish… squish…_

Sweden's eyes widened as blood flashed before his eyes like a light and letters were splashed on the wooden door in the red substance as if someone is flailing a paintbrush around sloppily. Droplets of blood dripped to the floor while the letters were gradually slapped against the door loudly with a shriek crying out every time they appeared, before silence reigned in the corridor. The Swede didn't yell or run away, but rather he stood there, paralysed at the sight of bloody letters on the door, now with excess non-dried blood running down the dark wood to the floor.

His glasses weren't broken, but it felt like his mind was breaking as it couldn't string together what the words are on the door.

_"C… o… m…"_ he muttered, feeling a slight headache._ "E… …B… a… c… k… …I… n… s… i… d… e…"_

Slightly dizzy, forgetting about his encounter with the monster earlier, he held the doorknob and turned it, opening the door and walked inside…

* * *

Iceland sat at a seat by the huge table with his eyes closed and a handkerchief pressed onto his nose. The fabric was almost saturated with blood, but the boy's mind was buzzing with mental images and maps of this building… he could still see 4 figures in the safe room, 1 in a second floor bedroom, and the last one walking back inside a library. But he couldn't see any monsters on that floor. He sighed heavily and opened his eyes, images fading from his mind.

"Thank goodness… so Svíþjóð is safe…" Iceland muttered and folded the handkerchief, tucking it into the other jacket pocket. Hanatamago barked at him, sitting down besides the seat. The boy stroked him behind his ears and the dog's tail wagged happily. "We just need to wait a little longer… then I'll get everyone out of here safely and without them trying anything to stop me."

* * *

As Sweden walked back inside the library with a cloudy mind, he automatically stepped over to the two large tables, assessing the room for any danger, but the only danger within the room are the splinters from the chair that got stomped one by the Thing. His boots crunched the splinters as he made his way to the table and he put down the book that was labelled The Key back onto the table top. However, he decided to keep the library key firmly stuck in his pocket.

He wondered why the words on the door wanted him to come back inside, because as far as he knows, he couldn't see anything important—

When took a step back, he stepped on something that didn't break. Lying on the floor among the shattered pieces of wood, was a shiny silver key. Surprised, the Swede picked it up and looked it over. It had some words engraved in the metal saying: '2nd floor bedrooms'.

"This wasn't here before… but I got a feelin' that Danmark is inside one of those rooms… and he's not doing what he'd do with Preussen an' Amerika…"

To his surprise, as soon as he looked up from the key, his staff was lying on the table in clear sight. He yanked it up as if someone might take it away, but with the cold metal pressing against his glove, he felt complete. He would've gone as far as embracing it if he hadn't realised how strange the circumstances are. Someone is playing with him. But he decided to ignore his worried thoughts and he clicked the staff back to the length of a pencil before tucking it into his pocket and he left the library, leaving the door unlocked. The bloody letters at this point have now disappeared.

Despite the place being eerily quiet, Sweden decided to make a run for it. He'd be attracting attention from all those Things because of his loud footsteps, but he didn't care. All he feels that he needed to do now is find Denmark as if his life depends on it.

He flew up the stairs to the second floor and saw the door leading to the room and its secret entrance to the Safe Room, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't take long to do his job. This is the second floor, after all, so there are about… 3 locked rooms to explore. Denmark should be in only one of them.

Sweden tried the bedroom opposite the room where he had found Norway's magic wand, but it was an empty room which was similar to the other bedroom.

Shutting the door, he turned the corner and walked on until he got to the 2 corridors. He chose to unlock the door that's all on its own. So he walked over quietly and fitted the key in, feeling relieved when he heard the loving click of the lock being turned.

* * *

The door swung open soundlessly and Sweden immediately walked inside, shut the door and noticed somebody huddled between two single beds. Frowning, his hand turned the key in the door and locked it before he walked over and realised the figure was Denmark, quivering and chattering. His bloodied axe lay besides him.

"Danmark?" Sweden said hesitantly and Denmark suddenly yelled, standing up quickly to swing his axe like a wild animal. The Swede luckily jumped back bust as the edge of the axe brushed his neck and left a small scratch where his throat is.

With that one near-miss, Denmark stared with wild eyes before his heavy breathing calmed down and his arms hung limply besides him, dropping the weapon to the floor with a heavy thud. "Sve." He simply said. He didn't even feign bravery or forge any excuse for his uncontrolled actions. "Agh… sorry…"

Sweden didn't spend time to relish the fact that this is one of the rare times when the Dane genuinely apologises to him, but he immediately spoke. "Are y' alright?"

Those lips forced themselves to turn up at the corners. "Y-Yeah, of course I am! …Okay, wh-when you went to check out that noise earlier, this THING appeared out of nowhere and chased me and the guys upstairs! It was an ugly butt-naked monster that's as grey as England's scones!"

"I know," Sweden said bluntly. "I saw it downstairs."

"B-But I saw it up here!" Denmark ranted. "There can't be more than one, right?! Right?!"

"Calm down…" But Sweden's heart lurched with uneasiness when he heard something odd. His ears detected a sound that is like spooky, rolling radio waves. He knows that Denmark could hear it too.

Denmark narrowed his eyes. "Sweden… you DID lock the door, right?"

The door rattled loudly and the men gasped, holding their breaths and staring at each other with equal terror, shivering all over as the door rattled again and again with loud growls being heard from behind it. Sweden's hand was on his staff while Denmark's gripped his axe tightly, ready to leap, jump or whatever…

After a few moments, the noise stopped and seconds later, the men breathed a sigh of relief. Denmark gulped a little and nodded. "…Thanks for lockin' the door. Could've been nasty, huh?" Sweden only nodded in return.

"Norge an' the others are waiting fer us. Let's go."

"Right."

Sweden unlocked the door and the men stepped outside, when another loud growl alerted them and they sharply turned to see the Thing charging towards them.

"SHIT!" Denmark yelled and dodged a blow from the thing's claws. They were huge. Sweden immediately extended his telescopic staff and lunged forward stabbing the Thing in its eye and it roared loudly, showing off it's long fangs. As it roared, the tips of the fangs automatically squirted a deep purple fluid. Sweden instinctively backed away to avoid the small spray of fluid, but some got on his coat sleeve and singed the fabric, dissolving it into blackened fibres.

"Danmark! Avoid the teeth an' the fluid!" Sweden warned sternly while the Thing screeched and held its own stabbed eye.

"Fuck that! Let's get outta here!" Denmark shouted and charged past the Thing. Sweden quickly ran after him, but ran ahead to the room where the Safe Room entrance is.

"Over here!"

Without question, Denmark just followed him inside and he slammed the door shut. He watched as Sweden hammered the steel door with his hand and it suddenly rose up, revealing Sealand.

"Denmark! I'm so glad you're alright!" the child chirped happily. He was confused when Sweden picked him up and stepped aside to let Denmark inside the small corridor before he pulled a lever and plunged the place into darkness as the steel door slammed shut, just as the distant sound of a wooden door breaking violently was heard.

The older nations both panted heavily, listening to the sound of heavy footsteps walking around inside the room outside and knocking over objects such as that table, until the footsteps faded out of view.

"Holy shit…" Denmark breathed, glancing around in the darkness. "When did you find this place?"

"That's not all of it! Go up the stairs, and then you'll be really safe!" Sealand's voice happily perked up.

Sweden just stood there silently, clicking the segments of the staff and sliding it into his pocket.

* * *

A/N: End of chapter 6

Down below this message is the alternative ending, but as usual it'll involve gory deaths of Sweden and Denmark, so if you don't like the idea of the Thing killing those two, then please just go back or review before watching cute kitten videos for some Happy Cat Therapy :)

* * *

The door swung open soundlessly and Sweden immediately walked inside, shut the door and noticed somebody huddled between two single beds. He walked over and realised the figure was Denmark, quivering and chattering. His bloodied axe lay besides him.

"Denmark?" Sweden said hesitantly and Denmark suddenly yelled, standing up quickly to swing his axe like a wild animal. The Swede luckily jumped back bust as the edge of the axe brushed his neck and left a small scratch where his throat is.

With that one near-miss, Denmark stared with wild eyes before his heavy breathing calmed down and his arms hung limply besides him, dropping the weapon to the floor with a heavy thud. "Sve." He simply said. He didn't even feign bravery or forge any excuse for his uncontrolled actions. "Agh… sorry…"

Sweden didn't spend time to relish the fact that this is one of the rare times when the Dane genuinely apologised to him, but he immediately spoke. "Are y' alright?"

Those lips forced themselves to turn up at the corners. "Y-Yeah, of course I am! …Okay, wh-when you went to check out that noise earlier, this THING appeared out of nowhere and chased me and the guys upstairs! It was an ugly butt-naked monster that's as grey as England's scones!"

"I know," Sweden said bluntly. "I saw it downstairs."

"B-But I saw it up here!" Denmark ranted. "There can't be more than one, right?! Right?!"

"Calm down…" But Sweden's heart lurched with uneasiness when he heard something odd. His ears detected a sound that is like spooky, rolling radio waves. He knows that Denmark could hear it too.

Denmark narrowed his eyes. "Sweden… you DID lock the door, right?"

Before Sweden could answer him the door burst open and one of the grey monsters ran in.

"Shit—"

The Thing reached out and swiftly struck Sweden's head, knocking him out immediately. Denmark yelled and threw himself at the creature, but he only swung his axe halfway when the Thing opened its mouth and its long fangs seized him around the trunk of his body, piercing through his clothing easily and the man gagged in horror at the dull thudding pain throbbing through his body. His axe clattered against the floor, lying next to Sweden's body.

Denmark tried to speak, to scream, to yell, to struggle, but he felt immense warmth from where his stomach got stabbed with the dagger-like teeth of the Thing. His jaw shuddered and his tongue strained to shout something – anything – but the words died in his throat. The warmth in his abdomen grew in intensity that made Denmark think 'poison!'

He helplessly glanced over at Sweden just as he woke up and Denmark mouthed something slowly at him. Sweden's mind was clouded with dizziness, not quite understanding why Denmark is looking at him pleadingly while being upside-down, but his mind cleared immediately when the Dane's eyes widened and he coughed blood before his breathing stopped.

"M-M… Mathias…" The name escaped through Swedish lips before he could stop himself and the Thing just dropped Denmark's body to the ground.

An unholy feeling of terror zapped through Sweden's body when the Thing stepped over and threw its massive hands into his chest, stabbing it with long claws. He didn't black out straight away, but he knows he's dying. The confusion and horror made the man wish his death came more quickly.

Wide stone-blue eyes looked over at the back of Denmark's body where the material was torn and strips of his flesh were exposed. As the dull thudding pain in his chest and failing heart gently pulled him gradually into a permanent world of blackness, he mulled over Denmark's last silent words:

"_Beskyt Norge…"_


End file.
