…As Mad As The Hatter...

Author's note/Warning: This is a Yaoi story, male x male. The pairing is Seme Eren x Uke Levi. If it offends you, you might want to turn back now. For those that don't mind that, I hope you enjoy the story. All reviews are appreciated.

Disclaimer: I will only say this once. I don't own anything and make no profit off this story.

Chapter 1.

…30 YEARS AGO…

Cold…

Cold….

So cold…..

That was his life ever since he was born into this fucked-up family. A rich family – wealthy and noble – but with dark secrets of a horrifying, shocking nature. If people learnt of these secrets, no one would think the same of his family after. A dark and broken family that only cared about money and nothing else. A family colder than ice - a family made up of sinners.

Eren looked at the food on his plate blankly, taking a small bite now and then. His family wasn't like any other, full of warmth and laughter and love. They never so much as cracked a smile when they sat together, didn't speak unless it was to threaten or curse, no "I love you", no "Come back soon", no "Be safe, dear" – nothing. The only sane person in this family was his poor mother, who was unfortunate enough to have a husband like Grisha.

Eren raised his head to look at the people gathered around the table. They were all sitting in silence. Not one moved their gaze up from their dinner, fixated on avoiding the others' eyes. Eren was only ten years old. He should have been growing up surrounded by people who loved him, not people who didn't give a shit. The only person who truly cared was his mother.

Eren turned his cold, dead eyes to the head of the family.

Grisha Yeager.

His father and a doctor famous in their seaside village. A brilliant doctor but a bad father and husband. He was a drug addict, which wasn't that strange to Eren considering that his father worked with medicines.

Dina Yeager.

His father's first wife, cold as ice and didn't give a fuck if you died before her eyes. She cared about her son and nothing more. Dina worked as a prostitute even with a fucked up husband who made more money than any other person sitting at the table.

Zeke Yeager.

His older brother who was a lot like their father. He was an alcoholic and a gangster, and Eren was sure he was a rapist.

Carla Yeager.

Poor Carla, who was tricked by Grisha into marring him when she was fifteen only because of her wealth. After she married him he began to show his true colours, leading her family to disown her. Grisha raped her and she became pregnant, as well as was forced to work as a maid in her own home. But even after all that she didn't hate him as much as he thought. No, it was the other way around, he was her sanity and she was his.

And lastly, there was him. Eren Yeager.

A child who didn't know what it's like to grow up with a real family, only a broken one. He didn't have toys like other children, he didn't have friends, he had nothing other than his poor mother. His upbringing caused him to become cold and indifferent, scaring people away with the blank look on his face. The other children called him the 'Ice Prince'.

"Eren," his mother spoke. He turned to her blankly but she only smiled. It wasn't much of a smile really, just a twitch of her lips, but it always made Eren feel warm inside. "I'm going to the market today. Would you like to come?" she asked him softly.

"Yes, mother," Eren said monotonously. Carla nodded her head and returned to her food. Eren blinked at her conservative response and looked at his plate once more.

Was it too much to ask for someone to love him?

EXL

Eren and Carla walked around the market of Shingashina in silence, fake smiles pasted on their faces that made people envy them. No matter how broken their family was, reputation was everything to Grisha. So while they were frigid and unloving in private, in public they were the epitome of caring, kind and compassionate towards their family. Eren didn't care about that, he didn't care about anything really, because it seemed too much to ask for a normal family.

Eren stared blankly at the toy store as they passed. Eren always stared at the toys on display. He'd never had a toy in his life so he was curious about why children loved them.

Eren hummed when they reached the market. Eren's mother always chose to go to the farmer's market instead of the supermarket, a fact he always wondered about. One day he'd learnt why; his mother was in love. He could see it in her eyes, how they shined as she gazed at the stand owner, the one who always gave a beautiful rose to everyone who bought from her. Yes, her and not him.

Eren was ok with this woman because he also noticed her eyes, how she never failed to brighten at the sight of his mother even if she was already grinning ear to ear. He saw how she always tried to cheer his mother up by giving her an extra rose. She talked with her, joked with her and always did her best to be there for her. If only his mother had the courage to leave their miserable lives and have a happy one instead.

Eren tugged on Carla's hand. She paused and looked at him with her withdrawn yet warm eyes. "When are you going to stop beating around the bush and confess your feelings to Kuchel," his question was more of a statement spoken without emotion. Carla's eyes widened slightly then narrowed at him.

"What do you mean, dear?" she said with a half-genuine smile in the hope she could distract her son from inquiring further. Eren had never told her how easily he could read her expressions but she sometimes forgot that he was a genius and putting two and two together was simple for even him.

Eren stared at his mother dispassionately for five whole minutes, the result being that he made Carla very uncomfortable but didn't do more than fidget with the hem of her sleeve. "She's in love with you," Eren replied at last and turned his gaze back to the toys. "Maybe it's time for you start thinking about how you really want to live, mother." He let go of her hand and started towards Kuchel's store.

Kuchel Ackerman.

The strange but beautiful teen with long black hair, grey eyes and milky-pale skin, who was in love with his mother. Always quiet and hardly smiled genuinely unless she was talking with his mother. Kuchel had turned 18 this year and quite a few men had already asked for her hand in marriage, only to be abruptly rejected.

Eren stood before her and cleared his throat to draw the woman's attention. "Eren! How are you, little one? Is your mother here?" Kuchel said with a smile. Eren didn't bat an eye and instead cast an appraising look over her.

She frowned at his behaviour. "I know how you feel and I accept it, so why don't you confess to my mother already?" Eren impertinently asked. Kuchel gasped. Eren waited patiently for her response as she got herself together.

She forced a laugh and looked Eren smack dab in the eyes. "Those are big words for a little kid. I'm sure that you're mistaken," she whispered softly. Eren's brows rose; it was so obvious that she was trying to scare him off without drawing attention to herself.

"It's obvious that you love her," he said monotonously. Kuchel bit her lip, the precursor to worry forming on her face. "You must be an idiot if you think you can fool me. She's my mother."

Kuchel looked around her market stand and sighed as she noticed the basket of roses not too far away from her. "She's married, Eren, Kuchel murmured as she picked a bright blue rose and fiddled with it so as to avoid this child's knowing eyes.

"Yes, she is married, but that doesn't mean she's happy." Kuchel glanced up at him, brows furrowed in confusion. "She feels the same as you do but she's too scared to make the first move." He ignored Kuchel's small gasp of surprise and pressed on, "If you want to get anywhere with her, it's up to you. You may use this information however you see fit."

Eren turned around and left. As he walked, he thought if his mother wouldn't make the first step to reaching happiness, then it was going to be his job to help her.

Eren approached his mother who was waiting for him in front of the toy store, none the wiser about his little 'talk' with a certain market stand owner. Good, he didn't want his mother to interfere with his plans. He joined her at staring into the display window. Carla sighed, "Maybe I can ask Grisha to buy you one. What do you think?" Carla asked as they glanced into each other's eyes.

Eren knew that it was impossible. Grisha wouldn't allow him something as trivial as a doll. He was the Yeager's genius; a boy who graduated junior high at the age of 10 and was expected to have a bright future ahead of him. If only those people who thought so highly of him knew that he wouldn't have any kind of future if he and his mother stayed with the Yeagers. Instead of voicing all this Eren sighed and looked back at the display, eyes roaming the action figures, bouncy balls, yo-yos and more. "Can we make one instead?" he asked, thinking more about preventing his mother from coming into contact with his father as much as possible.

He didn't say it, but Carla knew he was thinking it and sent a grateful yet admiring look his way. Her son was always the one to take care of her, even though it was supposed to be the other way around. "Yes we can. I have everything we need at home," she told him as she took his hand in hers. "What shape do you want your toy to be?" she asked, already planning how she was going to sew it all together.

Eren stared around thoughtfully, looking for inspiration. "Can it look like me?" he requested as they journeyed back to their 'house'. In Eren's mind, the mansion was neither warm nor homely, just a prison without bars the two of them had been forced into. Coming back to the present, Eren felt a flush of relief when his mother smiled and nodded.

"Can it wear the Mad Hatter's clothes? Or his hat!" he chattered more enthusiastically, though still operating inside his boundary of dryness. Carla laughed at his request, which made Eren's lips twitch up. He loved his mother's laugh, but with the life they led didn't give her the chance to very often.

Carla reminisced for a moment about the first time she read 'Alice In Wonderland' to her son, when he was only five years old. Eren had immediately loved the story and dubbed the Mad Hatter as his favourite character. She was happy to be reminded that there was something that made Eren act like a child, even if it was an old story she had taken with her from her old home.

"You will definitely look good in the hat," Carla commented. She felt her smiled grow a little less forced as her son's eyes a fraction less cold. When was the last time she saw her son genuinely smile without those lifeless eyes? She knew the answer – years. He had learned how dysfunctional their family was when he was five. Only five years old, Carla thought sadly. Too young to be faced with issues such as this.

"Will I find my 'Alice' one day?" Eren wondered as they walked up the road to the large mansion on the rise. Carla held back a giggle.

Her son had this strange obsession in calling his future lover 'Alice'. When she asked him about that once he had responded with, "Because she was as mad as the Hatter." Carla never really understood what he meant and probably never would. "I'm sure you will, Eren. When you're older, that is." They continued walking.

EXL

"Eren, could you find a gold and a teal button in my sewing kit?" Carla asked as she sewed clothes for the toy currently lying naked on the table. Eren hurried to search for them eager to complete their half-finished labour. The toy had pale skin and black hair like his, and it was smiling too, just how he'd asked his mother. The only things missing were the eyes - the clothes had already been made and only needed some final touches. Then everything would be ready.

"Here, mother," Eren called as he handed her the buttons that were near-replicas of his eyes. Usually, Eren had two eye colours instead of one – gold and teal – that was another reason why kids stared at him as if he was some sort of freak. Eren didn't care. He loved his eyes; it made him unique like the Hatter.

"Thank you, dear." Carla expertly put the finishing touches on the clothes then began sewing on the eyes. Once that was done she carefully pulled the doll's clothes on. She pulled the jacket on and held the doll before her, examining it. She frowned, something is missing… AHA! Carla grabbed some extra fabric and skilfully crafted the hat Eren had wanted.

Once she finished, you could immediately see the striking similarity between the doll and her son. Carla smiled and turned at Eren who was searching for something in the drawers. "Eren," she called for his attention. He hurried to her side.

As Carla handed over the toy, she gasped sharply, staring at the foreign phenomenon taking over her son's face. A gentle smile had painted itself onto Eren's face and his eyes almost melted her heart. Carla made a teary smile, rejoicing that her son was once again showing emotion. "Are you happy?" she asked in a hopeful voice.

Eren looked at his mother and gave her quick kiss on the cheek. "Yes, mama!" Carla had to bite her cheek to stop herself from imploding. Her baby was finally happy! "Now it's time for you to find your own happiness," Eren declared.

"Eren." she said softly trying to change the topic only for Eren to shake his head at that making her look at him.

"Promise me that you'll get out of this hellhole, mama," Eren eyes were desperate. "Promise me you'll confess to Kuchel and live a happy life together." Tears began running down Carla's face as her son demanded she take what she wanted, as if she was the child and he was the mother. "Promise me, mama! Promise!"

His mother may not know that she could run away from this place anytime and live the life she deserved, but Eren did. He knew if she confessed to Kuchel the two of them would be happy together, then they could leave the village and start over somewhere far, far away from here - with or without him. Eren didn't care so long as his mother was happy.

Carla wiped her tears and met Eren's gaze. Her son had always carried such a heavy burden on top of his little shoulders, always having to look out for her. It hurt that ten-year-old Eren couldn't be like the other children, free to laugh and play and have fun. It hurt to see him always trying to care for her when Grisha had his way. It hurt that her son's mind wasn't innocent anymore.

Right then and there, she promised herself that she would do whatever it took to get the two of them out of this mansion and on the road to freedom - even if it meant she died trying.

Carla smiled gently at her son, wrapping him into a hug. "I promise," she murmured softly as she kissed his forehead. Eren breathed out in relief.

EXL

Eren held his mother's larger hand with his little one and held 'Hatter', his doll, in the other. Today was the day! His mother would finally confess her feelings to Kuchel, and the two would finally be happy! Eren was thrilled for his mother even if it didn't show on his face. After a month of pressing, his mother got the courage to stand up for herself at last.

They reached Kuchel's stand and were met with Kuchel's bright-eyed grin. "Carla! Little Eren! How are you two?" she asked them enthusiastically.

"We're fine," Carla answered with a smile that made Kuchel blush. Carla laughed nervously, her courage quickly deflating. Eren nudged his mother and motioned towards Kuchel with his head, silently egging her on. Carla returned her focus to the task at hand, taking a deep breath. "Could I talk to you? In private," Carla added. Kuchel cocked her head curiously but nodded, then opened her mouth to no doubt ask a question Eren was expecting.

"I'll stay here. Don't worry about me," Eren told the women and took a seat in Kuchel's usual chair, determined to man the stand until the two returned. The women cast a glance between them then looked back at him. He rolled his eyes and shooed them away so they could talk.

Eren hummed to himself as he looked at Hatter, his doll, and worriedly frowned. "Do you think mother will tell her?" he whispered to his little stitched friend, hoping Carla wouldn't back out at the last second and make everything all for nought. "I hope she does. She deserves to be happy." Eren waited for fifteen minutes before he caught sight of his mother and Kuchel. Eren had to actually make an effort to hide his smile at the sight of his mother's happy face.

She was giggling! She tried hard to control her mirth as the two headed his way. "So, I take it it went well," Eren deadpanned with a small smirk, causing the women to burst into wide smiles. "I wasn't going to say it, but I will. I TOLD YOU SO," he deadpanned. They paused at his expression, then found the whole thing too funny and burst out laughing. Eren just smiled.

His mother would finally be happy. For him, that was all that mattered.

EXL

Eren looked at his doll and sighed softly, standing up from his bed. Something was wrong - really, really wrong. He exited his room, plodded down the stairs, heading for the kitchen only to freeze as he saw Zeke drinking a bottle of alcohol. He was gambling with Grisha, Dina and some strange people he'd never seen before.

Something was definitely wrong.

Eren didn't like the sharp feeling in his gut not one bit, especially with all the drugs and alcohol spread out across every available surface. Eren hugged his doll tightly to his chest and pressed his lips into a thin line. He had to get his mother out of here.

Eren backed away slowly and quietly until he reached the stairs and was certain no one had noticed him. He pelted up the stairs and sprinted to his mother's room across from his. It was nine in the evening; a little after the time the two of them usually went to bed– which was good. His mother could slip out and stay at Kuchel's house without raising any alarms.

Eren opened the door to his mother's room and ran to her side, shaking his mother awake roughly. Carla grunted as her son attempted to drag her out the room. "Eren? What are you doing? It's so late, why are you still awake?" she moaned sleepily. Eren rechecked his efforts and tried again in a much calmer manner – he didn't want to arouse her suspicions and make her worry, so it was better if he pretended nothing was wrong.

"We're out of milk, mama. Can you go to Kuchel's house to get some?" He looked around for anything she might need and picked up a long black coat. He glanced at a clock, they should hurry up.

Carla collapsed back onto her bed, completely wiped. Why did Eren have to wake her for something as trivial as that? "Dear, can't you wait until tomorrow?" she asked softly, hoping to snag a few more hours of rest before facing the day brighter and lighter, only for Eren to shake his head and drag her away from the bed.

"Mama, please! I can't go to sleep without it! Kuchel's house is nearby - the sooner you go, the sooner you can come back," he begged with a hint of desperation, managing to wrangle his mother into her coat and push her towards the door on tired, unsteady feet.

Carla yawned and studied the clock on the wall. The time was nine pm, so it wasn't too late. "Alright, alright. Wait for me to change into some actual clothes and I'll go." She wandered to the dressed and rummaged for something decent to wear – this was Kuchel's house after all.

Eren heaved a sigh of relief and gripped Hatter to his chest. He started calculating how much time he had: Kuchel's house was more than twenty minutes away, which meant it would take at least an hour for his mother to return home. However, Eren was counting on the fact that Kuchel wouldn't allow Carla to return all by herself and convince her to stay the night. She would be safe.

"I'm ready," Carla announced with a slight stifle as she stepped out the door. She had no idea why her son was acting like this now but maybe it would be fine once she came back with the milk? She certainly hoped so. She could only cope with so few bedtime hours under her belt.

Eren held up his finger and made a hushing sound which caused Carla to frown. "We can't go waking everyone! Let's keep it a secret." Carla 'Oh'-ed at that and nodded her head.

They two of them treaded quietly to the front door. Eren kept a vigilant look out for anyone out of bed and not for the first time thanked God that their home was big and hid the sound of their footsteps. Eren little heart soared in relief as he pushed opened the front door and scanned the garden for late-night wanderers. Just a little bit farther and his mother would be safe.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, so don't make a mess, ok?" Carla reminded him with a soft, exhaustion-laced smile. Eren did his best to imprint his mother's soft and caring features into his mind, and smiled at her. He didn't understand why, but he felt as if this would be the last time he ever saw his mother.

"Mama," he stared up into her eyes and grabbed her warm hand in his small one. "If it gets too late, stay at Kuchel's house. I don't want something bad to happen to you," he gazed up at her earnestly, every part of his body practically screaming his sincerity to her. Carla felt the weight of his words and at once all the exhaustion left her entirely. She slowly nodded her head, wondering why he was so serious.

Eren bit his bottom lip then spoke his next words, "I love you, mama." Carla gasped in shock, and suddenly overcome with emotion her face morphed into a bright grin, her smile glowing. It was the first time Eren had said those words to anybody, even herself. It made Carla overjoyed that she was the first person her son said those three little words to.

"I love you too, my little Hatter," she said as she pulled him into a hug and kissed his forehead, some small part of her wondering if there was something more going on when she was only going to get milk? "Be careful and go to bed. I'll be back soon." She pulled apart and made her way to the front gate at the end of the garden.

Eren breathed easier as he watched his mother grow smaller and finally disappear down the hill. He pulled the door quietly shut and hurried to the stairs, anxious to get back to the relative safety of his duvet. But his mind was in no hurry - his mother was safe; he could rest easy now.

"EREN!"

Eren stiffened at his brother's yell and turned to see him swaying drunkenly in the hallway, glazed eyes fixed on him. "Whyyyy aren't youuuuu inn yourrrr bed?" Zeke slurred as he shuffled closer.

"I wanted a glass of water," Eren provided emotionlessly, his eyes rivalling that of a carcass. Zeke shivered at those lifeless… things and scoffed, his grudges guiding him.

Zeke had always hated Eren purely for what he was. The genius who graduated junior high at the age of 10, the handsome boy who was always polite and postured. The perfect person that everyone wanted to be like, or wanted to be noticed by. Before that little bastard stole the show, it had all been about him. Zeke was amazing, Zeke was talented! His parents always watch him with pride.

Now, his drug addict asshole father wouldn't so much as spare him a glance! And all because he had destroyed any reputation he had left by joining that fucking gang! Look who's talking: an asshole, alcoholic deadbeat who raped a fifteen-year-old girl and lost half their income on gambling!

Eren watched his brother warily, hoping against hope that his mother wouldn't randomly walk back through the door and witness whatever was about to happen. "What's going on here?!" Dina's yelled as she stepped around the corner with Grisha right behind her. Eren didn't flinch. Meeting her narrowed eyes with his own cold ones. "What are you doing here?" she asked him pointedly, the threat only lightly masked by her tone.

Eren replied, "I wanted a glass of water." She rolled her eyes, not caring about something so trivial. The only thing Eren was grateful to Dina for was she didn't take drugs or drink alcohol like the other two, even if she was a whore.

"Fine. Just go to your room, we have guests," she shooed him away offhandedly, her attention already diverting. Eren nodded and turned around to head up the stairs. He would stay in his room and pray that Kuchel keep his mother safe.

"IT'S NOT FAIR!" the shriek interrupted his thoughts. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS HIM?!" Zeke howled. Eren spun just in time to see Zeke lunge towards him, an insane glint in his eyes and a flash of steel in his hand. "I'LL SHOW YOU!" he screamed, thrusting the knife towards his shell-shocked half-brother.

Eren was frozen in fear but instinctual self-preservation kicked and forced his body to move. He stumbled back, trying to get out of the way. But it was already too late.

Zeke plunged the knife into his chest, mere millimetres from his heart. Eren choked up, staring into the wild, murderous eyes of his elder brother in shock. The doll fell from his hands. Vaguely he heard Dina's screams and Grisha's shouts coming from far away. Red bloomed through his shirt. He was unable to look away from those eyes until he coughed up blood, the liquid joining the red puddle growing on the ground.

The knife was extracted and Eren fell to the ground, his blood painting the carpet at an alarming rate. This was bad. He was losing blood too quickly. He had to get a bandage over the wound. Why wasn't someone helping him? He barely managed to crane his head to look at his family, to ask for help – beg if it was necessary. What he got was a sharp pain in the gut that hurt more than any flesh wound.

The view of their retreating backs stung more than anything Eren had ever felt before. It was then that he knew the true extent of his family's cruelty. One of their own was dying from a stab wound and all they felt was relief it was him and not them. They left him bleeding out on the floor.

Harsh coughs wracked his lungs, red spraying from his lips as the internal bleeding intensified. His eyes fell on his doll and he used the last of his strength to reach out and grasp it in his weakening hands. He embraced it, pressing it against his chest as hard as he was able to extract all the courage he could from it.

As the doll turned crimson with his blood he cried feebly. "I-it's n-not f-fair." Fat tears flooded out of his eyes and joined the thick mix beneath him. He glanced at his blood-soaked hands, struggling to see through the tears and blood loss. "I d-didn't even f-find… my A-Alice." His tiny form trembled, thoughts of his mother filling his mind. "At le-least… m-mama is ok," Eren told his doll as the warmth started to disappear, replaced with numbing cold. He could feel death approaching, and held on to the toy with all his might, murmuring, "She… is… fin-ally… out of t-the… ra-rabbit hole…" With that, Eren took his last breath, staring deep into his doll's eyes.

Carla was back the next day with milk and sweets…

Kuchel had broken her wrist that night, so Carla had stayed with her…

She looked everywhere for her little boy, but he was nowhere to be found…

The only thing that seemed out of place was a suspicious red stain on the carpet that smelt of iron…

Eren was missing, but she found his treasured doll in his room…

It was clean and new…

Carla never found her son, a wound that refused to be heal…

She and Kuchel left the village, taking the only thing Eren left behind…

His doll…

But something strange happened…

The doll went missing…

Followed by the Yeager's massacre…

Everyone in the mansion was found dead, even the servants…

No one knew who the killer was…

The only thing they found was a doll dressed as the Mad Hatter, surrounded by a pool of blood…

"DON'T YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU DID?!" Grisha yelled, slapping Zeke hard on the face. The force sent shim reeling and he fell to the floor, cheek throbbing hard and destined to swell. "YOU KILLED MY SON YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, deranged with anger. "HE WAS A GENIUS - HE WOULD HAVE EARNED US A FORTUNE!"

The sound innocent laughter caused the Yeager family to involuntarily shiver. Something about that sound made their hairs stand on end. The three looked around for the source of the laughter, sounding like it came from every direction. Grisha's eyes snapped onto the figure leaning inside the door and froze. The other two looked to see what had caught his eye. They gasped.

A boy of about fifteen years of age was smirking at them, dressed oddly in the clothes of the Mad Hatter from that fairy tale. He looked bizarrely familiar, but his glowing eyes and obvious insanity made him difficult to place. You could see it in every feature, every mad twinkle of his eyes, every movement of the knife in his hand. That's when they realized it was covered in blood – dripping and glistening red.

He chuckled, "My, my. Did you just call me your son, King of Hearts?" The boy slowly and deliberately showed off his weapon, sending chills running down each of their spines.

Dina gasped out first. "E-Eren? Y-you're alive! How?" And not only that, but looking so much older than the boy who had died only three months ago. As soon as she spoke the name she knew it to be true, knew that somehow her stepson was alive and here acting like a mad lunatic. No, it wasn't an act. That bloodshot gaze was truly psychotic. She stepped back in fear.

"Revenge, my dear Queen. After all, you're not the only one who can behead those who wrong you." She was standing closest to the door and so was unable to react as he closed the distance nearly instantaneously and sunk the knife deep into her stomach. Dina screamed in pain and collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.

Eren cackled, revelling in his victim's pain with downright glee. He swiftly pulled the knife out and opened the way for her blood to pour out without restraint, her life ebbing away through her fingers. "Goodbye, Queen of Hearts." In one swing he expertly severed her head from her body; it rolled across the floor and stopped at Zeke's feet, who was still sitting on the ground. He yelped, eyes wide and hurriedly edging away from the head of his mother's corpse.

Eren turned to Zeke and Grisha, his face shadowed in darkness. Nothing could describe their feelings of horror, despair completely overwhelming them. Suddenly Eren smiled, his face shifting into the light to reveal the total elation expressed on his face, in his eyes and through his blinding white grin. "Who's going to be the next?"

His cheerful tone sent pure fear straight to Zeke's core. He yelled and stumbled, crawling to get away, escape, anything! All he wanted was to flee from his mother's murderer. "Good boy! I was getting bored anyway," the crazy boy chuckled as he swung a well-aimed kick right in his brother's face. Zeke howled as he watched the white teeth scatter through the air, torn from his mouth.

"You know, big brother. I still owe you for making my life hell. Let me repay you." Eren kicked and kicked at Zeke's prone form until he lapsed into silence, too pained to even scream. Eren kicked his body over to see Zeke's chest rise and fall shallowly; he was still breathing. Eren would have to fix that. "Goodbye, Knave of Hearts, and welcome to hell." He drove the knife handle-deep into Zeke's chest, killing him instantly as it pierced his heart.

Eren stood up and dusted himself off, not managing to do much as his clothes and hair were stained with blood of all the people he had murdered. He laughed breathlessly, "That was fun! Wasn't it father?" He hummed a happy tune as he stalked towards the broken man sobbing in the corner and begging to be spared. Eren hummed happily as he turn to Grisha who was crying and begging to be spared.

Eren's eyes turned cold, staring at the man who had taken what he loved most from him. "You know, I always hated you for what you did to mother. I think she would be proud of me if she saw me right now, don't you think?" Eren said dreamily, pacing back and force as he swung the knife in his hand. "She would hold me tightly and say she was proud I had killed her rapist!" He sighed gaily and began to speak his mind.

"I will go and search for my beautiful Alice! They shall wait for my arrival and fall in love the moment their eyes lay on me! We will life a happy life together: my beautiful Alice and I, with Mama and her wife Kuchel of course! We'll be a big, happy family, just the four of us until my lovely Alice brings our child into the world." He sighed blissfully content in his delusions and wrapping his arms around himself as if to hug the very thought.

He stilled and lowered his arms, eyes blazing as they met Grisha's pale, frightened ones. "But for that to happen, you have to die." Grisha lamented at his words, face ugly from crying. He reached out to his son in desperation; he was ignored.

"Goodbye to you too, King of Hearts!"

Grisha gave an ear-piercing scream as his limbs were butchered to pieces, abruptly cut off by the separation of his head.

That day, the hysterical screams and maniacal laughter rang throughout the village from the mansion on the hill. The villages were forced to listen in petrified fear, for no pillow could muffle the sounds of the Yeager household's residents being slaughtered one by one.

EXL

"THAT DOLL'S A DEMON!" Father Nick yelled and pointed at the blood-stained doll sitting in a pool of crimson. The villages brave enough to enter the Yeager's mansion watched it in fear, not wanting to get anywhere near the thing upon hearing the Priest's warning.

Detective Arlert glanced at him and sighed through his nose, stepping closer to the offending object. He pulled on plastic gloves and kneeled next to it, reaching out to touch it. The people screamed in terror and shrunk away, mere moments from bolting. The detective held the doll in his hands and studied it grimly, feeling tremendously uncomfortable so near to it. "What should we do with it, Father?" he addressed the priest, turning to see he was muttering prayers frantically as he clasped his holy cross.

Father Nick lowered his cross once he had calmed down and regarded the doll from the corner of his eye, not wishing to jinx all his protection. "We must seal it," he decided as he scrutinised the room. "The demon has already imprinted the house with his evil deeds, so it shall be sealed where it was born." He left the room to look for a suitable place to seal the demon, a place far, far away from the humans that he might one day try to kill. The villagers staying behind in the foyer so as to be within listening distance but close enough to the door to make a break for it if necessary.

Detective Arlert followed and noticed a door under the grand staircase. He opened it and peered into the gloom below. "Father Nick!" he called. "What about the basement?" The Priest nodded his head and moved to join him. Arlert flicked on the bare-bulb lights and the two descended into the poorly light space, ancient wood creaking beneath them. They reached the bottom and tensed at what they saw.

They both gulped fearfully and approached the centre of the basement warily. It was bare except for a doll-sized table and chairs complete with a tiny tea set. Arlert placed the doll on one of the chairs. Its head bobbed to the side and its mismatching eyes fell on them, fixing them with the feeling of being hunted.

Father Nick raised his cross and started chanting a powerful sutra, backing away from the doll while being careful to not turn his back on it. With the other he motioned Arlert to do the same and they began climbing the stairs together. At the top, Father Nick completed the sutra and placed the seal on the basement door, branding it with a powerful spell.

Years passed and no one dared to go near the Yeager's mansion. Any fool stupid enough to swore that they saw a dark figure watching them from behind the curtains of the empty mansion. When they turned to leave, a bone-chilling, rasping voice roared at them, the threat of death hanging over them if they answered the voice wrong.

"WHERE IS MY ALICE?!"

So what do you think?

Well… that was my first try at horror. ^-^'

Even I shivered when I wrote the story (-"-)

Read and Review.

and let me knew what you think. I am always open for suggestions.

Nazaki-Sama.

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