4

 Let me tell you a story. About a young girl who loved stories. She had a lovely family. Two parents and an older brother. Her name was Megan and she loved her older brother Nathan. He used to buy her books and one day he found these stories online. Tons of them all about these cool horror characters called The Fears. He would show them to her if he thought they were good for someone her age, but what the two didn't know were that the stories were real. Reading about them attracted their attention. The Fears destroyed her family. Her mother went insane and her father was killed. Her brother disappeared and she would have been killed as well if it wasn't for The Quiet. The Quiet protected her and she became the fifth member of The Children of Nothing under the name 4.

I shouldn't have left. I know I shouldn't have left, but... I needed to contact him. I left and so 3 waited for me... That's how Faceless found him... It has to be. It had to be my fault.

The other members of The Children always found me weird. I didn't talk much. I just read stories and quoted them. It's because I always preferred stories. The real world is scary. All I wanted was somewhere safe. I thought my family was safe, but they weren't, I thought The Children were safe, but they weren't... I knew staying with 3 wouldn't be safe forever. The only place that was safe was the world of stories, but stories aren't real. They can't really keep you safe. They can't really keep anyone safe. Besides... The hero always wins in a story, but the hero isn't always a good person. This is Faceless' story and I'm just one of the antagonists. Faceless is going to kill me. I can't really fight him. I couldn't fight him when he was a nest and I can't fight him as a human. Without 3 I can't even run...

But... despite everything... There is someone out there who still cares about me. I know he's still alive and now he knows I'm still alive and he will know about my death. Faceless, I want you to know one thing. After you kill me.

My brother is going to destroy you.

The End.

I am an idiot.

I've been so busy taking care of 4 I've stopped paying attention to Faceless' blog. Lots of shit happened. I'm not surprised 11 and 12 are dead. I actually was not aware they were related to him though... And also so he's not a nest now... Which is good and yet... Even with his newfound humanity he's still intent on killing us. What the fuck is wrong with this guy? You have way bigger problems to deal with than us right now, you idiot. Please leave us alone!

So, yeah apparently he's nearby. I don't know how he found us? I don't know how he even knows what we look like. He must have just caught sight of one of us when we fled. God damn it. You killed Zero! You killed 11 and 12. Why do you care so much? What did we do to you?!

“Them as can do has to do for them as can't. And someone has to speak up for them as has no voices.” (IV)

Lastly we have 10. 10 was... Well she was a sex slave... How she became one I don't know she never said, but the story is usually the same. Either a teenage runaway taken off the street, a young girl taken from her home or sold by her parents/guardians into the international sex rings. I assume one of the latter options, because she never learned how to read before she came to us, so either she wasn't very old when she ended up a sex slave or her parents were awful parents. Regardless she spent an unknown amount of time in that life and obviously it had an effect on her mental state. She decided she just wanted to disappear. Not to die, but to cease. To not have to think or remember anything of her life and so The Quiet helped her get free and sent Zero to bring her to us. When she arrived she was ill, malnourished and generally showed all sorts of signs of mistreatment. We risked quite a bit to get her medical care. Despite our nihilistic goals, we believe in alleviating suffering. I mean after all that is the main goal we all aspire to. The alleviation of all suffering through oblivion. In her time with us she began to do quite well and some of us, even worked to teach her how to read and other aspects of a proper education she had missed out on. Zero didn't know how to read either when this first started so for a while zero and 10 were taught together. I think 1 did most of the teaching.

So, that was 10... A woman who's early life was horrible and then when she found a home with people who cared for her she was killed along with most of her new family by a masked mad man...

Well...

I guess that means she's happy I did it.

I told her and she just immediately pushed past me went to the computer and wrote up that. Then she started crying and yelled at me when I tried to hug her.

She's in her room now and I think she's gone back to sleep.

“Them as can do has to do for them as can't. And someone has to speak up for them as has no voices.” (III)

7 and 8... The Children of Nothing's first pair of siblings though much more different in age than 11 and 12.

Their parents were abusive. Horribly so, from what I've been told. 7 spent her whole life under their rule and when she finally moved out she was so happy. She finally felt free. Until she found out they were having another child. She couldn't let another child go through what she did. She spent years trying to fight for custody of the child and free the child from her parents, but it didn't work. Eventually she grew frustrated and desperate and kidnapped the child, her brother.

She fled with him to try and give him a better home somewhere safe, but she was hounded. The police were after her. She had done something that was arguably justifiable, but still illegal. Luckily for her and her brother The Quiet protected them and Zero brought them somewhere where they could be safe...

Well... I guess that ended up not working out so well...

Such a silly thing to be upset about.

4 has been in anguish for the last little while on the subject of whether or not she should tell the story of 6. I hear her arguing with herself and almost tearing her hair out most of the time.

6 isn't dead as any one following this would know, but she's worried his story will never be told otherwise. See... He's not likely to tell it himself. I'm not sure if she'll thank me or hate me, but I've decided to end her indecision for her.

I'm going to tell you about 6. He's a large built man. Ex-soldier as I understand it. Really really likes knives. He's not a blood thirsty man though. He doesn't like killing. He became a soldier because he thought he would be able to defend peace. He didn't want to kill anyone, but he was a fan of the concept of a small sacrifice for a greater reward or as fans of Star Trek might call it, "The Needs of The Many" he was willing to suffer the anguish of taking lives and do the aforementioned taking of said lives in the belief that the end result would be less suffering overall. He kept this outlook for quite some time before the reality of it all finally got through to him.

It was all a cycle. Everyone he hurt meant nothing. every war he fought simply made way for another war and more suffering. He decided he didn't want to do it anymore and simply left...

Now if you're familiar with the way the army works... Simply leaving isn't allowed and is in fact pretty illegal. I'm fairly sure that they don't execute people for desertion anymore, but I could be wrong. Regardless people tracked him down and that's when The Quiet acted. It protected him and sent Zero to find him. He was brought to us then and became six. Now he could bring a proper unending peace to the world.

Happy 4?

Oh as for why he'd be unlikely to tell the story himself. He doesn't think he deserves to be remembered. He hates himself for all the things he did while he still believed he was fighting for peace and believes that him ceasing to existence without anyone ever remembering he existed at all is best for everyone.

Huh... Whether 4 is happy or not I imagine 6 will probably not be very happy about this.

Congratulations are in order.

Facelesss has figured out the second most obvious mystery in his life. Everyone applaud. Yes I am a Dying Man shard. However, no you have not killed 9. 9 was not the person I was possessing. I am 9. Does it surprise you that a creature like myself might embrace the concept of Oblivion? Hunted by my brethren to be absorbed again into the whole. My consciousness absorbed into something else. The idea is not appealing to me. I much prefer the idea of everyone ceasing to be, plus The Quiet's power kept me nice and hidden from the other shards.

Also you seem to still be a bit groggy... Is something wrong? The gas can't have had an effect this long? Are you ill? Or maybe something is messing with your head?

Who knows...