Amanda's Last Stand
Chapter 1
Everything happened in such a blur that it seemed like time had stopped for them so they could understand all of it. Amanda had came close to shooting Lynn but Jeff tackled Amanda causing her to shoot the ceiling instead. Under the threat of Jeff, Amanda unlocked Lynn's collar but kept her in the room. John had begun speaking to Jeff starting the last part of his test. Jeff kept calm until John had asked for forgiveness. Then Jeff fired the only bullet out of his gun killing Jigsaw only allowing enough time to play a tape. A loud explosion resulted from the collar going of and Amanda dropping her gun.
As the smoke cleared Amanda attacked Jeff. She barraged him with punches. When he fell she kicked him into the wall. Jeff reached for the gun Amanda had dropped. She saw him move then smashed his hand with her boot.
Lynn pulled Amanda away from Jeff. She helped up her husband, examining him. Amanda was still steamed. She took her gun and aimed at Jeff. Lynn restrained her against the opposite wall.
Lynn kept her hand on Amanda's shoulder. She spoke in a calm voice. "Amanda, you need to calm down. Just stay-"
"Calm down?!" Amanda screamed, "That bastard just killed…H-He just k-killed…" She couldn't bring herself to say it. She began shaking then slipped down the wall. She hit the floor sitting down. She breathed frantically. "H-he…k-killed…J-j-j." She still couldn't say it.
Fear consumed Amanda. Her heart raced so fast she thought John would be able to hear it in hell. She was breathing hard almost hyperventilating. In an instant everything in Amanda's world fell down.
Thoughts of her life filled her head. Memories of being beaten came first. She cringed remembering every blow she had every taken. Her memories of jail came next. She thought about cutting herself and trying drugs for the first time in her jail cell. As she began recalling more recent memories her breathing became harder and her heart beat faster.
Amanda allowed herself to slip further down the wall. She remembered waking in the jaw trap. Then killing the drug dealer. She shook harder hyperventilating. Her next memories were jumbled. She could remember John asking her to help him. Then she thought about the house. She still had small faded scars from some of the needles.
Lynn kneeled in front of Amanda. She knew Amanda was having a panic attack. After forcing herself to, Lynn placed her hand on Amanda's shoulder. "It's going to be okay." Lynn comforted. Amanda tried to nod but continued to shake. Soon tears poured down the girl's face. "Amanda. You're okay just stay with me. Try to think of a happier memory maybe something you and John shared."
Hearing John's name made Amanda even worse. There was tightness in her chest restraining her unsteady breaths. He heart beat tightly. She tried remembered a good thing that happened but she blacked out any good memories and only thought of the bad ones. Lastly she thought about everything she had done before and everything she had to do now.
The panic attack finally took its toll. Amanda couldn't breath. When she tried only harsh painful coughs escaped her mouth. She then turned away from Lynn to vomit. She started coughing blood. Lynn placed Amanda on her side trying to hold her down as she went in to a seizure.
Jeff watched Lynn. He hadn't seen his wife work before. It was miraculous. Looking around he could see crude medical equipment around the man in the middle. Carefully piecing everything together he concluded that his wife must have been held hostage by the exploding collar to nurse the man. The girl, Amanda, may have been the older man's daughter and made sure nothing went wrong. Lynn must have been through hell with this girl yet was trying to save her.
Jeff stood up to look at the man. Blood soaked through his yellow shirt, staining the blue bed sheets. A bandage was wrapped around his head. He looked at the place where the bullet pierced his chest. Then Jeff understood the truth. This man and Amanda had set up the traps. They had kidnapped his daughter.
Amanda made it through the seizure. Blood dripped down the corners of her mouth. She calmed down. She was facing the wall crying. Lynn stayed next to Amanda.
Abruptly Jeff rushed to Amanda almost knocking over his wife. He picked up Amanda and pinned her to the wall with one arm. The other arm held the small saw blade. "Where's Corbett?" he yelled "Where's my daughter? Where the hell is she? You better tell me now or I'll kill you with this blade."
"An hour ago all you cared for was your son and he's dead." Amanda snarled, "You didn't care about your wife. I pretty sure you forgot your daughter even existed."
Without realizing what happened she screamed noting the saw protruding from her right shoulder. She grasped the blade and threw it across the room. Jeff punched Amanda knocking her into the table. She crawled along the floor. In an unseen move she pulled Jeff down. His head made a sick thud against the cement.
Amanda grabbed her gun from the floor. She refilled the gun with bullets she carried in case the one she had didn't kill Lynn. Then she sat across Jeff's stomach holding the gun in his mouth.
Between unsteady breaths Amanda said. "You want to see your daughter?" Jeff weakly nodded. "The tape recorder. Where is it?" Jeff saw it on the ground. It must have fallen when Jigsaw had died. He reached the recorder which Amanda took quickly. She smiled then took the gun out of Jeff's mouth and placed it on his heart instead.
With the crackle of static the tape started from where it had ended. "The game I want to play requires some deep thinking. You've had your revenge on those you believe responsible for your son's death. You also killed me for your wife's suffering. However you can escape this building with your only family: your daughter. There is a way out of here, Jeff. Can you find it and save your daughter, Jeff? Let the game begin."
"Only family? I wonder what he means by that." Lynn asked.
"You were supposed to die." Amanda explained. She stood up and helped Jeff up. Although he initially refused he thought it was a nice gesture.
Amanda picked up a wax covered tape and showed it to Lynn. "This is the right tape. It may not be ruined. You two start looking for the key out. I'll try to fix this."
Lynn nodded in agreement. Jeff shook his head no. Lynn hit his shoulder. "Corbett's life is on the line." She whispered. He groaned, "I better find my daughter."
Our daughter, Lynn thought.
Amanda nodded. "You will. Now start looking." She began picking at the wax on the tape then stopped realizing something was wrong…
She walked toward John's bed not looking at the dead man. She shut off the heart monitor which was still emitting a smooth tone. She removed the machines from John then at on the edge of his bed. Tears filled Amanda's eyes. She bit her lip.
The memories of everything she and John have been through were vivid. The fact John cared so much was foreign to her. Amanda had never been truly loved by anyone before. She felt John was looking out for her. She kissed his cold forehead. Letting go had to be done.
Almost furious Amanda covered the dead man. She looked at the walls. John's, no, Jigsaw's work was everywhere. "Where to start first?" she whispered. Looking at a wall she attacked the drawings.
Lynn and Jeff rushed opening drawers and cabinets. Jeff threw aside anything in sight. Lynn inspected everything. She found a few trick tapes that taunted her mistake. Five minutes passed then Jeff found a small box full of keys. He eagerly began trying the keys inside.
Amanda continued destroying the work on a wall. In a rage she tore down the poster of the human body. When the poster several tiles fell down from the top row.
Amanda hit the tiles breaking more of them. She tackled the wall with all of her force. The section where the poster covered completely collapsed. A wooden door was six inches in the wall.
Amanda looked at it. "Well, how about that? It seems John has some secret places I didn't know about. What a bastard to hide stuff like this."
"You didn't know about this?" Jeff grunted as he tried another key on the door. The key moved a little then got stuck.
"I need a little help with this door." Amanda said.
Lynn joined Amanda so did Jeff. They hit the door with enough force that it came off its hinges. A pitch black tarp covered the entrance. Amanda pulled back the tarp as if it was a bomb.
All three people stopped as the tarp hit the ground.