Tasked With Insanity || A Hetalia Horror Story

The Disappearance of Ludwig Beilschmidt

'Your friends, and everyone you know,

They're all happier and more laid back than you.

Don't you wish you were able to be that with them?'

If it's to be better for my friends...

**

English girl found dead in abandoned house in Germany. Autopsy claims she was strangled to death. Culprit unfound.

Ludwig had to be the most responsible person in the Axis. Surely, without him, the whole group would have fallen apart into chaos of Feliciano shouting pasta all the time, Kiku staying all by himself in a personal bubble that was way too large, and, if you consider the brothers of Ludwig and Feliciano as part of the group, then why don't you go ahead and throw in Gilbert shouting about how awesome he is and Lovino calling everyone a bastard.

Surprisingly, we've got through.. A couple of hours so far without that happening.

Ludwig Beilschmidt went missing in some early hour that none of us know the previous night, and hasn't shown up again in the.. However many hours he had been gone for.

Feliciano had only just stopped freaking out, Lovino had only just stopped cursing Ludwig with every name under the sun for upsetting his brother, Gilbert had only just stopped taking it as a joke, and...

Nevermind Kiku, I don't know what he's doing. You see, he's already retreated to his personal bubble.

So to stop the chaos that was soon likely to ensue, what was a better compromise than to go and look for him?

Great, yeah?

What if I added 'we split up to look for him' into that compromise?

Not so good, right?

Yeah. Definitely not for me.

The place I had to search was an abandoned house in Ludwig's home country, Germany.

And I, unlike Feliciano- he had refused to search without his 'fratello', because he would get too scared on his own- was all alone.

All on my lonesome.

Not that I was afraid, or anything-!

Just...

The abandoned house, with darkened windows, a lifeless aura..

It was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine.

With eyes closed, I shook my head, quickly opening my eyes once more before walking forward, towards the door- well, where the door would have been if bad weather, or the like, hadn't smashed it to pieces already.

"Might as well get this over with," I sighed, and stepped into the house.

Inside, the temperature didn't differ much at all, though the lighting did. It was light outside- daylight, the sun lighting up the Earth like some big giant lantern to guide us in the day- but it seemed that those windows I had seen from the outside refused to let in any of that.

Moth eaten curtains still hung, closed, behind the glass?

Or perhaps the glass was so covered in grime, so dirty, that it wasn't possible for the sunlight to seep through?

I shrugged my shoulders and continued, absentmindedly letting my eyes wander and search for any windows, just to see which one of my theories on the cause of the dark lighting was true.

"Ludwig?" I called, eyes still wandering. "Ludwig, if you're here, please say something. We need you back. The Axis is chaotic."

No one answered.

A sigh slipped from my lips as I carried on walking around the abandoned house, which was, so far, empty.

That was, until I found the stairs.

Seeing as finding them was the most eventful thing so far on this search, it was safe to say I was actually feeling as if today at least just a little productive.

Without a care in the world, though I dashed up the flight of stairs, and nearly falling through the missing step near the very top.

"Easy as pie," I boasted, though no one would have heard it- unless Ludwig was indeed here and was deciding not to be cooperative- and continued on, a smirk on my face.

And that just goes to show how much Gilbert's has influenced me.

Although, my humor turned out to be short lived.

Because as soon as I entered the first room, there was Ludwig. Sat alone, with a book in his hand that he seemed to be very absorbed in.

And all of a sudden, I was feeling quite annoyed, quite aggravated. He had dropped his responsibilities as the most sensible member of the Axis, and to do what? Read a book in an abandoned house and leave us all the get worried and look for him?

So with a stern look painted over my face, I spoke.

"Ludwig, I thought you were supposed to be the responsible one? You can't just disappear like that to read!"

He didn't do anything, just continued to read his book.

"And you can't just then continue to read, and ignore me! Manners, Ludwig Beilschmidt! Didn't Gilbert's teach you at least something about them!?"

And he looked up. His sky blue eyes were calm, and almost emotionless.

And he smiled.

Ludwig Beilschmidt... smiled?

My once stern gaze turned to a look of confusion. My lips cracked a nervous smile, as he continued to sit, smiling at me.

"Ludwig. Say something. I know for a fact talking is something Gilbert's actually taught you correctly."

A sigh escaped his lips, and as one had done with mine earlier, and he stopped smiling- much to my relief.

"I'm not very good at this nice thing, am I? I can't even get a smile right..."

I smiled myself, and shook my head in a humored disapproval.

"That's what this is about? You know, I think we all like you as you are... Except maybe Lovino. I don't think he likes anyone other than Antonio. And maybe Feliciano."

"I'm jealous.. How can you be so carefree like that..?"

He looked straight into my eyes and stood up, another smile- a sorry one this time- passed onto his face.

Along with a dark glint that flashed in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I have to do this.. But I can't have you going back to them and telling them all of this. I can't have them being even more serious because of me..."

My head tilted in confusion.

What was he on about?

Without a moment wasted, he pushed me up against the wall that was so close behind me. The impact sent pain spreading around my back.

He moved his hands to my neck, and raised me up only slightly from the floor.

I couldn't breathe.

Beginning to get desperate, I clawed at his hands, unsuccessfully trying to pry them away from my neck.

I don't know why I tried.

He was, of course, a lot, lot stronger than me.

Maybe if I had had Gilbert come with me.

Maybe if I had just gone to some entirely different place.

This wouldn't be happening..

"Entschuldigung."

Tears formed in my eyes.

Didn't that mean...

...I'm sorry?

END