Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or the poem this is based of off.
Summary: The team wakes up in a locked-down house and find themselves caught in a hellish nightmare. They are forced to participate in a macabre game of elimination - a game only one of them will leave alive. How much blood will they shed to stay alive? BB. AH. I guess it's AU.
A/N: I read several different takes on this in different fandoms. There's not one for bones. (or at least I don't think there is, sorry if I'm mistaken) Well, anywho, this is my take on it. Oh, and stole a few lines at the end from Saw2. It fits, trust me.
And special thanks to my beta! CSIJaina.
Chapter 1 ~There were Nine ~
Booth let out an agonizing groan as he slowly opened his eyes. His temples burned, and the constant drumming inside his head seemed to intensify with every minute. As he drew in gulps of air, he forced his eyes open and focused on the ceiling above him. Slowly the room stopped spinning, but the pounding in his head didn't cease.
It felt like a hangover from hell. What the fuck did he have to drink last night? But the odd thing was he couldn't remember anything from the previous night. Shouldn't he have at least some recollection of opening a beer?
Pushing himself up, he glanced around the room once again. For one startling moment his stomach dropped inside of him. He didn't know where he was. Of course, this wasn't the first time he'd woken up in a bed he didn't know, but there was something different. The feeling of safeness wasn't there, and there wasn't a mattress, only a floor. The room was dark and held a strange smell of dampness. A basement, maybe?
That's when he saw her. She was lying not too far away from him, and she wasn't moving.
A sudden wave of fear forced him to fully regain consciousness, and he stumbled over to her. Brennan was laying on her side, eyes closed, with her arm in an almost impossible position. Bile rose in the back of his throat at her unresponsive form.
"Bones?" he forced out.
Booth inhaled sharply as he felt for a pulse. He sighed in relief when he felt the steady beat under his fingertips.
"Booth?"
His head shot up at the all too familiar voice. "Angela?"
"Oh, God. What… where… Brennan?" Angela choked out as she crawled over to him.
Booth could see that she was crying, and from the looks of it she had been doing it for awhile now. "She's alive, Angela. She'll be okay," he reassured, praying that he was right.
"And… Hodgins… Oh God." She inhaled sharply, a reaction that would surely set off hyperventilation. "And Cam…Sweets… why? I've been awake… for so long…? I don't know… I don't know…"
Booth reached out to grab her wrists. "Breathe, Angela. Take a deep breath. You're having a panic attack." Her breathing was torn and came heavy in heavy gasps as she struggled to calm herself. He wasn't sure how long it took her to pull herself together, but once she did, he asked, "Now, what were you saying?"
She lifted one shaking finger and pointed to the far side of the room. His heart stopped at the sight of the three of them, slumped against the wall. He crawled over to them, and the pounding inside his head seemed to grow louder with ever step he took. By the time he reached them Hodgins and Cam were coming back to life, looking extremely drained and exhausted.
"Hey, kid," Booth said, fear sneaking into his voice as he shook the young doctor awake. "Sweets. Come on…"
Sweets let out an indignant noise as his head fell forward onto Booth's shoulder. "Booth?"
"Yeah, kid?" Booth sighed in relief.
"W-what… are… you doing here?" Sweets licked his lips which were chapped and crusted with blood. "Why… you… my house?"
"If this is your house Sweets, you need a serious make-over," Booth told him, trying to force humor, but it hadn't come out in the way he'd hoped. "And I'm still trying to figure out the first one."
Hodgins, who was slumped against Sweets, blinked wildly in an attempt to clear his eyesight. His piercing blue eyes fluttered open, as did Cam's. "Angela… where's…?"
"I'm right here," Angela told him, already at his side cradling him in her arms.
For a moment, Booth felt a stab of hatred towards her for leaving Brennan alone. But a soft moan tore his attention from that thought. "Bones, thank God," he breathed out with a heavy sigh, and in the blink of an eye he was by her side, checking for any signs of serious injuries. He slowly helped her up and she somewhat slumped against him, completely drained and lost.
"Booth… what?"
"You're okay, Bones," he reassured as he subconsciously pulled her closer to him. Booth had no idea how much time had passed before she finally came to her senses. It could have been hours or mere minutes until she finally pulled away from him, but when she finally did, Booth felt a feeling of emptiness wash over him.
"Booth, where are we?"
He rose to his feet, leaning against the wall for support. Looking around, he found himself in a room completely unknown to him, with his entire team waking up at his feet. The excruciating pain in his brain sidetracked him from the dangerous situation they were in, and if he had been sober, he definitely would have been worried. But for now, the only thing he could focus on was the humming in his brain.
"Oh, God!" Sweets practically screamed, finally regaining consciousness. "Daisy…Wake up… please. Oh God…"
Daisy? What was Sweets's girlfriend doing here? Booth shot them a confused look. Sweets was hovering over top of her lifeless form, shaking her wildly, while Cam was doing her best to calm him down.
"I'm sure she's fine," Cam reassured him, but she didn't sound too sure herself.
"Booth…" Brennan began as she stumbled to her feet, but fell when she tripped over something large and heavy. Her knees came down hard on the cement floor, and she cried out in pain at the sudden blow.
"Bones!" Booth ran to her side, and practically dragged her away from whatever it was that she had tripped over. He was standing in front of her now, already in his defensive mode. If they were under normal circumstances she would have told him to back off, but in all honesty, she was too drugged to notice.
The figure she tripped over let out a moan before violently jerking to life. He rolled over, spitting up what seemed like half a lake, and then with one cry of pain he slumped down again, motionless. She peered around Booth, getting a glimpse at whoever it was. Her breath caught in the back of her throat at the realization that she knew him.
"Zach?" she asked, disbelief etching into her voice.
"Ow," Zach muttered, rubbing his arm from where Brennan had tripped over him.
"Zach?" Hodgins crawled over to him, more than surprised to see his friend. "What… how?"
Zach was wearing the white prison uniform from the psych ward, and he too seemed at a loss to explain the predicament they were all in. "I… I don't know. It feels like someone injected me with something."
"I don't like this," Angela said.
"Whoever drugged us made sure not to let us see his – or her – face," Hodgins told them all.
Booth punched the wall. "This is fucked up."
By now, Daisy was finally coming around, and Sweets cried out for joy. "Thank God… I thought… I thought…"
Daisy just blinked up at him, for she was still coming out of her daze. "What… where…?"
Sweets smiled. "You're okay… you're okay."
"If there's a way in, there's a way out," Cam reasoned.
"But where are we?" Hodgins asked, more than irritated. "And how the hell did we get here?"
But no one knew. Everyone's minds were blurred and confused as they tried to remember the night before, but nothing clicked. None of them knew the answers. None of them knew where they were. None of them knew anything. The room was strange to them all.
It was a basement. One that was worn and grim. There was no furniture, only stone walls and a cement floor. The air was damp and moldy, and held the smell of abandonment. There were no windows, but a broad door was at the very far side of the room. It was left ajar, leading into what looked like a dimly lit hallway.
General confusion hung in the air as everyone took in their surroundings.
"I can't remember how I got here," Zach broke the silence, slightly dazed. He was holding his head in his hands, trying to stop the drums that pounded like a chant inside his head.
Brennan eyed him as if he were a ghost. She couldn't remember the last time she saw him, and if they were anywhere else she would have hugged him, or done something. "I don't remember either." She forced herself to bring the words to life.
There were murmurs of agreement from the others, but it was Daisy who began to shriek. Booth rubbed his temples, desperately trying to drown out her screaming. If he hadn't liked her company before, he definitely hated it now. Of all the people to be taken hostage with, he was stuck with her. Were they slowly trying to kill him?
"Calm down," Booth snapped, but Daisy didn't stop.
Daisy's eyes grew wide as she clutched at her chest and stomach. "I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" she screamed over and over again.
Apparently he wasn't the only one who was frustrated because Brennan snapped too, "Screaming isn't going to solve anything."
It was Angela and Sweets who managed to calm her down. "Everything is going to be okay. You'll see," one of them told her.
Hodgins pulled himself to his feet. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to get the hell out of here." With those words said, he headed out the door, leaving them all dumbfounded.
"Damn it, Hodgins," Booth screamed. "I'm not going to save your sorry ass…"
But nevertheless, he still ran after him, and the others soon followed. The hallway was dark; hardly any light shone through from the light bulbs hanging up above. It seemed like it went on forever, and even Brennan was intimidated by the black abyss.
"They're all locked," Cam announced as she tried the various doors on either side of the hallway.
"Hey guys!" Hodgins screamed from up ahead.
Everyone felt their hearts sink at the sight of the large metal door at the hallway's end. Now almost all hope of escaping just vanished.
"There has to be another way out," Cam noted.
Angela buried her fingernails into Hodgins's skin. "I really don't like this."
Sweets pulled Daisy closer to him. She was shivering uncontrollably now, and her skin was burning up. "Daisy, are you okay?"
"I… I don't know."
"Guys, I think something is wrong," he said, but they all either ignored him or hadn't heard.
Brennan approached the large door, studying it intently. Latched onto it was a large clock with bright red, nerve-wracking numbers. It was set for a little over ten hours, and it was counting down. Down to when it opened? To their deaths? She didn't know. "It's a timer," Brennan told them without the slightest bit of fear or disappointment.
"For what?" Zach asked.
"This is bull." Booth ran at the door with all of his strength and crashed into. However, it didn't even budge; he just bounced off of it like a ping-pong ball.
"Maybe there are windows," Angela suggested hopefully.
"No, there's not," Cam said, as Booth threw himself at the door again.
"I don't feel good," Daisy moaned.
Sweets crumpled to the floor as his legs gave out from under him. "Whoever brought us here made sure not to let us escape. He or she managed to get us all here without being caught. They're smart. I guarantee you that the only way out is going to be through those doors."
"Well, aren't we Mr. Pessimistic?" Booth snapped. And then –once again – he started for the door, but Brennan stopped him.
"Would you stop that? You're just going to end up hurting yourself," she scowled him.
"At least I'm doing something."
"He's right," Brennan agreed, ignoring his attitude. "It doesn't hurt to try. There has to be another way."
"We're going to die!" Daisy sobbed. "We're all going to die. I'm never going to see my family… Oh God." If possible, she paled even more before wincing in pain and spitting up blood. She screamed at the sight of the cruel color. "Oh… God…I can't die. I just can't. I –"
"Shut up!" Hodgins shouted, who hadn't seen her spitting up blood.
Sweet pulled himself up, dragging Daisy behind him. "Hey, don't talk to her like that." Hodgins didn't let his guard down; he only took a menacing step towards the doctor.
Booth rolled his eyes at their childish behavior. "Okay, while you children sort this out, Bones and I are going to take a look around."
"But Daisy?" Sweets choked out.
Brennan took one look at girl. "She seems to be experiencing –"
A loud moan from the adjacent room cut her off. They all froze except for Brennan, who gladly walked towards the door. Booth caught her wrist. "Bones, stop! You can't just go opening doors. You don't know what's behind there."
Brennan glared at him. "I can take care of myself, Booth."
"What if the guy behind the door has a gun? Huh? What are you going to do?"
She didn't back down. "Do I have to remind you that I have more than three black belts?" she shot back.
Booth frowned, pushing himself in front of her. "I don't care if you're queen of the world. You're not going in there alone."
"I don't know what you're talking about. It's impossible for someone –"
Hodgins cut her off. "Dr. Goodman?"
Brennan's and Booth's heads shot towards their colleague. In the mist of their fight, Hodgins, Sweets, and Cam had opened the door.
"What are you doing here?" Zach asked to his utter disbelief.
"I could be asking you the same thing, Dr. Addy," Goodman told him. With the help of Hodgins and Cam, they managed to get him on his feet. "I just woke up here."
Booth groaned at the sight of yet another person. "Are there any others in there? 'Cause I'm getting sick of this."
"Are you okay?" Angela asked, always the caring one.
"It feels like I've been drugged." Goodman gave her a weak smile. "I would say it's nice to see you – all of you – but the statement doesn't seem to fit under these circumstances."
"Good, you can tell us when we get the hell out of here," Booth told him sarcastically.
Hodgins ignored him. "Do you remember anything?"
"No."
Booth sighed as he glanced around. There were nine– including him – and Booth felt something he hadn't felt in a long time: scared. No. That was an understatement. He was terrified. Not so much for his own life, but the lives of his friends – especially Brennan's.
"It's like a twisted version of the Gravedigger," Hodgins noted his thoughts out loud.
Goodman looked utterly confused. "Who?"
"No one." Sweets shrugged it off. Until then, he, Daisy, and Cam had stayed back, feeling awfully out of place with this stranger.
"I feel sick," Daisy moaned, and suddenly she dropped to the floor.
"Daisy!"
Brennan noted that Sweets and Angela were dealing with daisy, so she continued down the hallway. Booth groaned. "Damn it, Bones! What did I tell you?"
Goodman threw a look at his ex-colleagues. "I see things haven't changed."
Angela smirked, but it was forced. "Not in the slightest."
"Booth." Irritation filled Brennan's voice. "We have to –"
But she never finished that thought, for she was cut off once again. This time however, to her surprise, it was Zach.
"Guys…" Fear filled his voice, and it unnerved them all. "I… think I found something."
He was in the room that they had found Goodman in, and he was holding a tape-recorder.
"Where'd you find that?" Hodgins asked.
"It was on the floor," Zach stuttered. "What should I do with it?"
Booth ripped it out of the young doctor's hands. "Give me that."
"What do you think it is?" Angela asked.
"That's what I'm going to find out."
"Wait!" Sweets screamed.
Booth and Hodgins rolled their eyes. "What?"
"What if it's a trap? Like a bomb."
From across the room Angela let out a muffled cry at the possibility, and Daisy collapsed to the floor as her legs gave out from under her.
Brennan considered this. "He's right. If we push play, we could all die."
"I don't think it'd be a bomb," Zach told them, and all eyes turned to him. He stuttered to respond. "Well, if… whoever took us… wanted us to die, they would have killed us back home. He wouldn't have bothered to bring us all the way out here."
"Exactly!" Booth actually smiled. "See! I knew I liked you for a reason."
Zach didn't know if it was a compliment or not.
"Zach's right," Cam cut in. "Push play. If it's a trap, then at least we all die together."
Booth nodded and pushed the button. The room was filled with static as the wheels of the recorder spun, and then a startling voice took its place.
"Greetings," the ominous voice spoke, "and welcome."
Despite themselves, they all jerked back. Some let out cries; others just stared in shock as they listened to the cruel words that escaped this killer's mouth. The voice was contorted, sending shivers up everyone's spine.
"I trust that you are all wondering where you are. I can assure you that while your location is not important, what these walls offer for you is important. Salvation. If you earn it. Four hours from now the door to this house will open. Unfortunately, you only have three hours to live."
They shot each other nervous glances. Except for the recorder and Daisy's hacking, the room was deathly silent. It was a silence so enduring that Booth could count the erratic heart beats of everyone in the room.
"Right now, you are inhaling a deadly nerve agent. You've been breathing it since you arrived here. Those of you familiar with the Tokyo subway attacks will know its devastating effects on the human body."
The ones who knew of the virus inhaled sharply. It attacked the nervous systems and its effects were deadly. Exposure led to bleeding at the mouth and nose, tightness in the chest, trouble seeing and breathing, vomiting, drooling, twitching... and the list went on, each symptom getting worse over time.
"The only way to overcome it and escape this house is to find the antidote, which is on the other side of the door. But here's the catch. Only one can leave the house alive. The rest will not. Who it will be is up to you. As soon as one person remains, the doors will open."
By now they had all moved closer together, hoping for some sort of comfort in the people around them, but nothing came. The situation and the truth of the killer's words were too unnerving to think about.
"How much blood will you shed to stay alive? Live or die, make your choice…"
There was a long enduring pause before the voice returned.
"Let the game begin."
And the line went dead.
*DunDunDun*
haha. So should I continue?
