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 Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 3:55 am
Retribution
[READ] Alright, so this is just an idea I sort of had and I guess I wanted to see if anybody else was interested. The basic plot outline's pretty easy (and not very original):
Five guys (no prize for guessing who) wake up to find themselves trapped alone in separate darkened rooms with only one dying flashlight apiece to light their way. Each of them discover they had been placed in a lethal situation that, contrary to the popular blockbuster series this obviously stems from, is meant as a means of torture, not to teach them the value of life. They must each find the way out of their individual prison before the room becomes their tomb.
Anyone interested?
If so, the cast of characters is in the third post.
[NOTE 1]: I'm not uber-active on Gaia, so don't feel like you have to wait for me to continue the story. You don't need my role to keep it going.
[NOTE 2]: Don't end the story too quick. That'd just be boring.
[NOTE 3]: As much as it pains me to say it, this is a roleplay where you CAN kill off your character. And we all know who the characters are... crying But what would be even cooler is if you actually find a way for them to escape. I'm looking for ingenious methods, people. Don't give me crap like, "He found a key hidden in the wall, which he used to open the door and escape." See how boring that is? Originality, people. Please.
[NOTE 4]: I will be saving this story once the whole thing is complete, but I will give everybody who participates the credit they deserve ^_^Table of Contents:
Main - Post 1
Rules - Post 2
Cast - Post 3
Intro - Post 4
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 3:56 am
Rules
[READ] Rules are pretty basic, so don't expect too long a list.
- Follow guild rules
- Language is perfectly fine, but don't just go overboard for the hell of it
- Like Trocks said, no sex, though I shouldn't have to remind you again
- DO NOT POST IF IT IS NOT PART OF THE STORY OR YOU HAVE NOT BEEN ACCEPTED YET. If you have questions or comments, just PM them to me with the word "Retribution" somewhere in the subject
- The story's supposed to be in omniscent third person, so please don't start any characters in first person. That'd get really confusing
- Please be literate. Just write your stuff in a word document, then spell check. REALLY not that hard. Oh, and punctuation is your friend.
- Use the assigned color of your character
- Always put the date thingy in the corner of your entry. Since there are at least 3 different time periods where stuff happens, we need to be able to know when your section takes place
- Please keep it serious. Comic relief is okay, but this is a horror story, not a comedy
- You CAN kill off your own character, but not others. If you want someone elses character to die, you must discuss it with them and come to an agreement
- Since one of my characters is kind of the omnipotent character of the story (sorry, peoples), I may want to kill a character every so often, but don't worry; I'll ask for your consent first
And... that's everything. Most of all, have fun and be creative. This is a chance to express your creativity in the most morbid way possible. Really try to have a good time ^_^
Oh, one last thing: dates. There's like, four different time periods stuff might happen, but here's the main breakdown:
Sunday, December 24, 2006 - That's when the guys start waking up
Early Monday, December 25, 2006 - Morning when the police find out about the whole thing
Monday, December 25, 2006 - When the police find the asylum (for instance, the intro)
Though you can have stuff prior to these dates, try to not go much farther back. The majority of the story's supposed to be between the 24th and the 25th, and it doesn't go into 26th. And... that's it.
[NEW]: If you do not follow one of the guidelines, I WILL ask you to delete your post (via PM, so the story isn't disrupted)
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 3:57 am
Cast
[READ]
[UNDER CONSTRUCTION] SerenityAge: 26 years
Description: Though Serenity's background remains a mystery, she herself is a very easy character to read. Though polite and friendly, she has an incredibly twisted mind and is well-known for her horrible deeds. Serenity speaks very kindly to her victims even as she kills them, and is not the type to raise her voice or become prone to anger. However, her mood can change drastically at the drop of the hat and she has been known to change the rules of her own game for her own means.
Physical Attributes: 5'5", dark brown hair
Picture: x
Played By: ghostmelody (open-play)Harrison Matthews
Age: 34 years
Description: Born to eccentric parents, Harrison Matthews always had a very easy life, yet he found out early on that material things didn't make him as happy as being able to help others did. His parents were distressed when he informed them that he wanted to go on to be a police officer, but they understood their son's decision and stuck by him. He has been a cop ever since (twelve years to date) and has been a hard worker for every one of them. Even though Harrison suffers from asthma and is constantly injured because of his job, his courage and loyalty are as undauntable as his spirit and determination.
Physical Attributes: 6'1", brown hair
Picture: x
Played By: ghostmelody (open-play)Amanda Davis
Age: 29 years
Description: Amanda Davis comes from the polar opposite family background of Matthews. Growing up, she lived in a lower class household and was constantly abused by her parents and relatives. She joined the police force for much more personal reasons and continues to serve even though she has long since gotten over her painful childhood.
Physical Attributes: 5'5", brown hair
Picture: x
Played By: ghostmelody (open-play)Bob Bryar
Age: 25 years
Description: It will come...
Physical Attributes: 5'10", blonde hair
Picture: x
Played By: ghostmelody (previously played by cyanidehappiness55)Frank Iero
Age: 25 years
Description: It will come...
Physical Attributes: 5'4", black hair
Picture: x
Played By: ferris_wheel_ablazeRay Toro
Age: 29 years
Description: It will come...
Physical Attributes: 6'1", brown hair
Picture: x
Played By: kyuuria (previously played by dontsupersizeme)Gerard Way
Age: 29 years
Description: It will come...
Physical Attributes: 5'7", bleached hair
Picture: x
Played By: thun_der_katMikey Way
Age: 26 years
Description: It will come...
Physical Attributes: 5'9", brown hair
Picture: x
Played By: kyuuriaAmy Lee
Age: 25 years
Description: It will come...
Physical Attributes: 5'4, black hair
Picture: x
Played By: ghostmelodyIf you're interested in joining up, please send me a PM with your name and what part you'd like to play before you post anything. Once I approve your role and you're sure it's not already taken, we'll get you up and running.
[NOTE 1]: I will be the one deciding what situation each character is in. When you PM me, I'll explain it to you so no one else knows the plot of it and the story can be a lot more fluid
[NOTE 2]: I've already assigned colors for each character. Please write your parts in your assigned font color so we can keep things fluid.
[NOTE 3]: The pictures in the links next to the names are just visual ideas, or how I picture them. A few of them *koffkoff* should be pretty obvious...
[NOTE 4]: In case you don't pick up on it from the context clues in the intro below, only two of the characters in the asylum survive. No more, no less. Two have to make it through from the beginning to end, which means the rest have to die sad I know it's sad, but it's for the better of the story
Also, since some characters (Serenity, for the most part) are pivotal in all the characters' individual story lines, feel free to insert her or any other kind of free-for-all character into your part of the story. All I ask is that the inserted character's dialogue remains their assigned color. (for instance, in a part about Frank, everything would be in blue, except for a part where Serenity talks, which would be black from one quote to the next)
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 5:29 am
Intro Monday, December 25, 2006Harrison Matthews stepped carefully through what remained of the Belleville Mental Asylum. Brittle, charred drywall crumbled into ash beneath his feet, stirring up clouds of soot and snow that swept up through the air and onto his hair and clothes. He held the sleeve of his shirt over his mouth and nose to prevent the dust from getting into his throat and triggering a coughing fit. The last thing he wanted was to have an asthma attack in a place like this, where he couldn't even be sure the rest of his patrol would hear him calling for help.
Overhead, the baby blue sky was so smothered with ash and smoke that the sun could barely pierce the veil. Harrison had to use the aid of a flashlight to light his way through the burnt-out corpse of the facility, making sure he didn't miss any evidence as he went. Most people would have been lost in the darkness, but not him. However, it wasn't because he had good sight or cat-like night vision; no, his reasons for knowing the way through the asylum were much more personal than he'd let on.
Stepping through a familiar doorway, Harrison found himself in an open, courtyard-like exterior area of the building. The grass on the ground was singed to a crisp and the trees were nothing more than decrepit wraiths, but he could tell this place had once been the hospital's only beacon of hope in the dreary drudgery of its halls. A towering cinder block wall ran the length of the park's exterior, and even amid the smoke and soot, he could see the rolls of barbed wire that lined its top.
As he walked further into the park, Harrison saw the ambulance that was parked beside the courtyard's iron-barred exit. The gate, which had been sealed shut upon arrival, had been forced open by the fire crews in an attempt to penetrate deeper into the building to search for survivors. They found only two.
From where he stood, Harrison could just barely make out the outlines of the two men who'd been rescued from the building. One leaned up against the side of the ambulance, shaking violently and breathing hard as he took short, frantic drags on the stubby cigarette in his hand. The other, in much worse condition than the former, was strapped down to a stretcher inside the vehicle. Medical attendees were swarming over him constantly, not sure whether he'd make it or not.
“Kinda ironic, isn't it?” someone said from behind Harrison, making him jump slightly. He turned around to see Amanda Davis standing behind him, arms wrapped around her waist in a guess-what-I've-got-behind-my-back kind of stance.
“How so?” Harrison asked, glancing back at the two survivors.
“The guy by the ambulance.” Amanda murmured. “Just barely escaped with his life and he's inhaling those coffin nails like there's no tomorrow.”
“Cut him some slack. He's been through quite a lot.”
“Speaking of which,” Amanda started, “I have something here that might interest you.”
She held out her hand, revealing the thing she'd been hiding behind her back. Harrison looked down at it and a confused expression crossed his face.
“A cassette player?” he muttered, staring at the little device suspiciously. It was zip-locked into an evidence bag already, but he could tell that it didn't appeared scarred by the flame.
Amanda nodded. “We found it in the control room. It had been wrapped in a non-flammable blanket, which protected it from the inferno.” She pushed it closer to him. “Here, check it out.”
Harrison took the cassette player from her and held it in his hand.
“Is there a tape in it?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“Have you listened to it?”
Amanda nodded.
“And now you want me to?”
She shook her head. “You want you to. Trust me, Harrison. You're gonna wanna hear it.”
He looked over the device for a second, then asked, “Is it rewound?”
“Harrison, stop stalling and just play the damn thing.”
Finding the play button on the side of the machine, Harrison sighed and pressed it down. Immediately, the tape came to life with the sound of white noise. He stared at the device for a few seconds, waiting to hear something, but no more sound came.
“I don't get it -” Harrison started.
“Shh!” Amanda cautioned. “Just wait.”
Harrison rolled his eyes. He waited for twenty more seconds and still nothing.
“Amanda -” he began, but stopped when he heard something on the tape. A voice to be more specific.
“What was that?” he asked.
“Just listen.” Amanda whispered.
And that's just what Harrison did. He remained silent as the woman on the tape began to speak, slowly and clearly in an obviously deliberate fashion.
“Hello, my faithful,” the voice on the tape began. “I must begin by saying I am glad to see you've found this little tape. However, if you aren't among my faithful, then I must congratulate you on your audacity in being able to find me. For those of you that do not know me, allow me to introduce myself:
“My name is unimportant, but you may call me Serenity. The details of my own life are unimportant, so as such, I see no need in giving them. The real purpose of this has nothing to do with my past; it is the future of those unfortunate few who happen to fall into my hands that you should fear for.
“By now I realize that any authority figure who finds this recording will be searching for a motive behind my 'madness' -” (at this, Harrison glanced up at Amanda, who gave him a nervous look in return) “- but I will save you the time. Truth be told, there is no reason for what I do. I just do it. Now tell me, as unorthodox as it may be, is there something wrong with having a passion in life?
“And to my faithful followers, do not fear. As always, I have recorded my exploits and, once again, I will make them available to you over the beauty that is the world-wide web. And as always, I will not charge you a cent for them. All that I need is the satisfaction of knowing there is someone else that can truly appreciate my art for what it's worth.
“As a last word, I, Serenity, wish to all of you a very merry Christmas and a very happy New Year.
“Until next time, my dears, and remember; the game never ends.”
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 6:21 pm
Sunday, December 24, 2006
It was very dark.
At first, he wasn't even certain if he had opened his eyes. His mouth was dry and chalky. Every part of his body ached from being set in this strange position. He was sitting against a wall, he knew that from the cold that seeped through the back of his shirt. His legs were drawn up to his chest, and his neck had been tilted down towards his shoulder.
Mikey coughed. Was this a dream? It certainly didn't feel like one. The cold was very real. Massaging his neck with one hand, he used the other to reach out and find something to steady himself with--a mistake.
He let out a yelp of pain and drew his hand back. Something sharp and jagged had made a shallow cut in flesh of his right palm.
What is this place? he wondered, bringing the cut to his mouth. It was bleeding, he could feel it spilling over his fingers.
Slowly, cautiously, he began sliding up the wall. His eyes had adjusted somewhat now, and he could see that he was a in a large room with a high ceiling that stretched into the shadows. Standing, he felt a bulge in his pocket--something narrow and light, made of plastic.
A flashlight! he thought excitedly, fingering the switch. It was tiny, and the light dim, but much better than being blind. He turned it to the floor.
Mikey gasped in horror.
Shards of glass, broken bottles, scraps of twisted metal--he even thought he saw the blade of a rusted chainsaw--littered every inch of the floor, except for the small area in which he had been sitting. Some of the horrific debris even stretched above his head and curls of sharp, rusting metal. The walls looked to be made of concrete, and the ceiling was coated in a fuzzy sort of insulation. There were overturned tables, too--a cafeteria? Yes, it was. Shining the flashlight across the room, he saw a serving window, boarded shut with thick planks of wood, as were the other windows. No door. How could there not be a door? Unless...
Behind him, something was pressing into the small of his back. A handle. Whirling around, he grabbed hold of it and pulled with all of his weight--which, admittedly, was not very much--and it didn't budge. There was no lock or keyhole. He tried again, yanking and pulling with his arms until they tembled with fatigue. A slow sort of panic was spreading through his stomach, making him nauseaus. His head was pounding in a dull, even pattern. He had to keep in control.
"That would be too easy, wouldn't it?" he panted hoarsly.
Mikey allowed himself to slide back down the wall. He turned off the flashlight to conserve the battery, knowing that it was his only chance of survival, and shoved his hands under his arms for warmth. Helpless. Cold, alone, and utterly helpless.
Suddenly, he heard something above him, a dull sort of thud. Then another. Dust drifted down from the high ceiling and into his eyes, stinging them and making them water. He peered up into the shadowy space above him. Was he alone?
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Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2006 3:12 pm
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Damn it, Serenity thought as she heard the sound below the floor of the control booth. She was close enough to the source of the noise that she didn't need the cameras to know where it had come from. Rising out of her seat, she made her way out of the room silently, leaving behind the wall of video monitors that filled the room.
It only took a few minutes for Serenity to descend the steps down to the third floor of the building, where she knew the sound had originated from. Though most people would become lost in the winding maze of identically-designed corridors and whitewashed walls, she knew this place like the back of her hand. She had made it even easier for herself by leaving little colored markings on the barren floor of the halls, which stuck out clearly amid the surrounding sea of snow-like flawlessness. The specific trail of marks she followed now was comprised of a string of red numbers painted onto the linoleum, and as she came closer to her target, the numbers decreased slowly but surely.
Thirty yards... twenty-five... twenty, Serenity counted down as she walked past the clearly-marked intervals on the ground. When she reached the zero, she found herself standing before a room identified on the door as "SOLITARY CONFINEMENT." She took a set of keys out of her pocket and inserted the smallest of the cluster into the door's lock and spun it to the right until she heard a distinctive click that signaled the bolt had been successfully unlocked. Stepping into the room, she flipped the lightswitch. Whe she did, Serenity found everything to be in order. For the most part, at least.
She walked over slowly to the device that sat in the center of the room, being careful not to make any noise so that the man strapped into the machine would remain sleeping. Looking down at the floor, she saw that one of the smaller contraptions that had been hooked to the side of the machine had come unbolted. Sighing, she bent down and picked it up carefully, cautiously avoiding the razor-sharp saw blades on the edge of the device. When she picked it up, one of the opposable joints on the end of the machine creaked, and instantly, she heard the man in the chair murmur something groggily. He seemed to stir slightly, something Serenity certainly didn't want right now.
Acting quickly, Serenity reached down to her belt and extracted one of the many syringes she had fastened there. The one she chose was a small dose – large enough that it would put him out for the next couple minutes but not so large that he'd be unconscious for as many hours as the first shot. Taking her time to make sure she did it right, she stuck the needle into his neck, making sure she hit the correct artery before pressing the end of the syringe down. The second she did, the man's noises stopped and he went still.
After that, it took a little over three minutes for Serenity to restore the contraption back to its original position on the side of the machine. Once she was sure she had the wiring right and that it would remain in place, she stepped back, admiring her handywork.
"Perfect," she whispered to herself. She stood there for a few seconds, watching as the man in the chair continued to breathe silently, completely unaware as to what was going on around him.
If he only knew, she thought, smiling sweetly as if she were greeting him for a first date rather than sentencing him to his death. Flicking the lightswitch as she left, Serenity passed out of the rubber-padded chamber soundlessly, more than ready to get back to the control booth and watch the game unfold.
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Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 2:23 pm
Sunday, December 24th.
The first things that registered as he came to, were pricks of cold on his face and neck. He twitched involuntarily. There was another p***k of cold, right under his chin. His hand flew up and rubbed the spot. It was damp.
"What the hell...?" Gerard thought as he opened his eyes to a grimy darkness. No matter how many times he blinked or stretched them, staring wide-eyed, his eyes just would not adjust. There was too much enveloped in the velvet. He might as well have a blindfold on. It took him a moment to realize that he was lying on his stomach on a damp tile floor. His feet were bare, and he was without a shirt. The floor was cold, and he curled onto his side. The cold damp pricks hit his face again, and he stretched a hand out on the floor until it met a small pool of cold liquid.
A drip from high above fell on his hand. "Ah ha. It's splashing. That's what that is." he thought aloud. His throat was dry, but a growing suspicion prevented him from immediately drinking it up. Instead, he dampened his fingertips and smelled them. Nothing. Tentatively, he tasted the liquid. It was water. There was a funny aftertaste he couldn't place, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. He decided not to drink any more of it until he could figure it out.
Gerard sat up and stretched his back. The overwhelming silence of the room settled in his brain, and a sense of dread made itself at home in the bowels of his gut. He had a suspicion in the back of his head that something was going to happen to him. And although he didn't particularly want to find out what it was, he decided to conserve his strength. Finding a wall nearby, also of tile, he sat against it and thought of what to do. Where was he? Was he alone? While trying to suppress a growing panic, it struck him as odd that he hadn't tried to find this out yet.
"Hello? Hello? Help! Someone help me! Is someone there? Hey! Oh s**t, I'm probably dead..."
The words echoed back to him, and his only answer came in the form of the sporadic drippings somewhere to his left. He reached into his pockets for his cigarettes, but found nothing. Damn, if I had my lighter, I could see where I am. He shoved his hands into his armpits and slouched against the wall. I hate ******** mind games.
There was a dull thud somewhere beyond the room he was in. He jerked his head around and sat very still for several minutes, listening, but there was nothing.
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Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 8:39 pm
i will do ray since he is unnasigned
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Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 3:19 pm
Sunday, December 24th
A huge shiver went straight down his spine. Even though he
knew he had opened his eyes, the darkness around him made him unsure.
He began to feel a hollow feeling in his stomach. Wherever he was, he was far from home.
Frank felt around on the floor beneath him. It was ice cold, but
so was everything else around him. He shivered violently. The temperature
of the room was much lower then any person should be subjected too.
He pushed himself into a sitting position and slipped his hands in his pockets, hoping for some warmth. There wasn't any to be found but there
was something metallic. He pulled it out and let his fingers explore its surface. It was flashlight.
He flipped the switch on the flashlight and a small beam appeared.
He let out a sigh of relief, his breath showing white in the air. Shining
the dim light on the wall in front of him, he saw that the wall was tiled, some of the tiles red, the others white.
Sliding backwards, he saw that the tiles spelt out "HELL".
Frank began to scream.
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Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 6:48 pm
sunday, december 24, 2006
Bob's head throbbed as if someone had hit him the head with a sledgehammer when he awoke. He groaned at his hazy state and tried to bring his left arm to his head but it didn't move. He relized that his right arm was free and he brought it over to his left and felt cold straps holding it down. He felt an object sitting in his lap and he frantcally reached for the object. once his hand grasped the cold, metallic object he relized it was a flashlight. he instintaly switched on the small light source and gasped in horror at what he found.
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 3:46 pm
just then ray opened his eyes to see a bright orange light he closed his eyes and squinted really hard to make the bright effect of the light go away then he reopened his eyes to see the same bright orange light only this time it wasn't as bright as before he felt extremely warm he thought maybe he could possibly be in the desert but fortunatley he wasn't (actually it should say unfortunately but who cares) it turned out that unfortunately he was in what looked to be a boiler room he noticed something was on the floor it was a flashlight he turned it on nothing had happened then he fingered with the switch again and it turned on yes he thought in his mind oh i better turn it off to save the battery he notice there was an intercom in the room he used it to see if anyone could come and get him out *scree hello my name is ray and i'm stuck in the boiler room and i need someone to come get me out hello once again my name is ray and i'm stuck in the boiler room and i need someone to come get me out thanks scree* he waited but no one came he decided he would have to get himself out on his own
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 5:35 pm
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Pitch black. Nothing but pitch black. That was all Amy Lee could see as she awoke. Her arms sore, her chest aching, her head pounding. Not only that, but she could barely breathe.
As she began to come to, she could feel a solid surface beneath her body. No, not entirely solid... it was softer than a regular floor. The part that touched her forehead as she lay sprawled felt cushioned, almost rubbery. Her senses returning to her, Amy tried to reach out to feel for something she'd recognize, but when she made the attempt, her arms refused to move.
She tried again, tugging harder at her limbs, but no matter what she did, they wouldn't budge. Her legs kicked freely, but her arms were pinned to her sides, crossed over each other so that her hands rested on her hips. She could almost feel her belt through the thick fabric that bound her, but that was about as much as she could feel. Her entire body was numb, and as she continued to lie there, she felt a stinging pain begin to creep up from her feet and course through her body.
Now wide awake, Amy rolled over onto her back, hoping to gain some insight to her present situation from another angle, but as soon as she did, she realized it was a mistake. Instantly, the difficulty breathing became a realistic inability as something slid into the back of her throat, clogging her airway and throwing her into a fit of tortured coughs. She writhed helplessly on the floor, trying to scream but her lips unable to move as if they were propped open with something. The metallic taste in her mouth was horrible, and as the foreign object in her mouth slid further down her throat, she couldn't stop herself.
Rolling over onto her stomach, Amy vomited. The contents of her stomach surged up her esophagus and out her mouth. Though she couldn't tell where it had landed, she felt some of it splatter over her exposed skin and she felt ready to hurl again. But she stopped herself this time, realizing the obstruction in her throat was gone. However, she could still feel it in her mouth, less than an inch from her uvula. She tried to push it out with her tongue, but it wouldn't go out any further.
Her mind warped by panic and her stomach as empty as it was going to get, Amy collasped onto her side, this time making sure her teeth held the metal object in place and away from her throat. She was shaking, and without the aid of her hands, she found it impossible to steady herself. Instead, she curled up defensively, more terrified and helpless than she had ever felt in her life.
A loud thump suddenly echoed through the room. Though Amy could tell it hadn't come from within the chamber, her head jerked up as she listened to hopefully hear it again.
"Hello?" she called out. However, her voice came out so muffled that even she couldn't understand it. By now, she could tell the metal object wasn't the only thing blocking her mouth. From what she could feel, there was something around her head as well. By what she could tell, it wound around her lower jaw and just above her neck. Part of the form even wrapped around her ears, which she assumed was the reason she couldn't shake the thing off.
Now sitting on her haunches, Amy called out again,
"Hello? Hello?!? Can anybody hear me?!?" Though her words were slurred, she knew that, if somebody truly could hear her, they'd have answered. Disappointed yet not surprised, her shoulders drooped. For an instant, she considered that maybe there was somebody near her, but they might be unconscious as she had been.
But if you can't talk to them, how do you intend on finding them? She asked herself. The room was so dark she couldn't even see her own body. The only reason she could tell she was still clothed was by the fabric that rubbed up against her skin.
There has to be a light somewhere, Amy thought, trying hard to convince herself it was true. Unfortunately for her, even if there were lights in the room, it'd be impossible to find the switch in the absolute darkness. It was as she sat pondering that that her tongue ran up against something strange on the body of the metal object in her mouth. Unlike the rest of the cylindrical construct, there was one spot on the object that was raised. Not only that, but from what she could tell, it was also movable.
Eagerly, Amy pushed on the little protrusion as hard as her tongue could manage, and to her delight, a beam of light appeared from the end of the object, illuminating the room in front of her. She was so happy to see light again that it took her a second to realize where she was, but when she finally did, the smile faded quickly from her face.
Covering every side of the room, from the walls to the ceiling to the very floor she lay on, was a plush, rubbery white plastic. Nothing else. The only variance she could see at any point was a tiny glass window across the chamber, but the place beyond it was dark. Realizing the light was somehow attached to her head, Amy pivoted her neck so she could guide the light around the room. She searched and searched, trying to find some sort of break in the continuous pattern, but it was to no avail.
Just about ready to give up, her eyes finally stumbled across a white, circular shape in the center of the ceiling. The only reason it stood out against the similarly-colored backdrop was the series of holes and bolts that showed up against the soft ceiling. It looked like an intercom.
Slowly at first, Amy rose to her feet. Her netted stockings rubbed together and she realized that she could now see what she was wearing and exactly what the things constricting her arms and mouth were. Amy saw that she was dressed just as she had been before from the waist down. Studded belt, black tattered skirt, purple fishnet stockings, and dark cleeted boots. There was a slight tear in the netting at her knee that hadn't been there before.
From the waist up, however, was an entirely different story. Instead of the blue-knitted sweater she'd had on before, a blood-spattered straitjacket pinned both her arms against her body. The entwining sleeves were strapped into place with rusted iron buckles that were tightened as far as they could go, which explained the constriction in her chest. It ended at her neck, where the raised collar gave way to the clunky metal contraption that embraced the lower portion of her head.
The device itself was simple in design. From what Amy could feel, it was comprised of two conjoined metal rings that circled her jaw and connected in the back. Two small clamps were shut around the backs of her ears so that the contraption was secured in place but she could still hear. Looking down, she saw that the light that filled the room came from what looked like the end of a flashlight protruding from her jaws. It took a moment for her to figure out how the illumination could escape though she could not force the object out of her mouth, but she soon realized there was a hole cut into the metal rings, wide enough for light to escape but more narrow than the end of the flashlight, preventing it from sliding out. Clever yet incredibly simple.
For a moment, Amy just stood there, glancing around the room in search of some means of escape. There had to be a way out. Otherwise, she never could have gotten in.
"Hello?" Amy begged, taking another shot at hoping someone would hear her. Knowing about the clamp over her mouth, she now realized why her voice was so muffled.
"Hello?" she called again. "Is anyone there? Please, someone help!!!"
As if in response to her plea, the intercom on the ceiling came to life with the crackle of static. Amy's head shot up, the flashlight following and illuminating the speaker device.
"Hello?!?" she cried, more urgently than before. "If someone's there, please answer me!!! PLEASE!!!"
"Someone is here," a woman's voice replied through the speaker. It was laced with the faint sound of white noise, but came out cool and crisp in the still air of the chamber.
Thank God! Amy thought, relief flooding through her.
"Please help me!" Amy shouted. "I – I don't know where I am. I think someone kidnapped me. I don't know what's going on, and... and..." Her smothered voice trailed off, hearing the slight chuckle emitted by the girl on the other end of the intercom.
"What's... so funny?" Amy asked, her voice quiet and fearful like that of a young child even past the metal rings. The fact that the woman could understand her through the metal gear was surprising, but it was her response that shocked Amy even more.
"Dear girl," she replied, "do you really think I have any intention of helping you?"
Amy moaned.
"You are not in here because of some sort of 'accident'," the speaker crooned. "You are in here for a reason. My reason. And if I were to have my way, my reasons would lead to your death."
Inching back into the corner of the room, Amy whimpered pitifully.
"Right now, there is a steady stream of neurotoxins being pumped into the room through this very speaker system," the woman said, almost seeming to gloat. "You have five hours before the amount of poison in your blood becomes so great that it will completely override your cerebral functions and send you into a very painful and prolonged agony, which will only end once every organ in your body shuts down and you cease to breathe."
Amy's eyes grew wide. Tears began to course down her cheeks, causing her mascara to run and paint long black streaks across her face.
"The only way to escape this fate is to find the key hidden in the walls of your prison," she added. "The key will open the room's only door and lead you out into the hallway, where the poison can't get to you. However, this won't be much help if you already have too much toxin in your body. You're on the clock, Ms. Lee, and there's only five hours left in the game. I suggest you start playing."
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