Lucifer's Trap
IN a room, dark, wet, cold. The only light coming from a barred off window in the corner. Cobwebs in all corners of the room. In the center there was an old, oak desk. On it were pictures of people. Surgeons, dentists, parents, miners, bankers. All were chosen for one reason and one reason only. To live. Olivia Gallo, a dentist kidnapped by a patient in her office. Charles Leroy, a banker for the Manchester, New Hampshire National Bank, stolen from his office in the middle of the day. Helen Jacobson, Edward Smith and Jack Porter all taken, vanished from society. All to be taken by Manchester's Most Wanted. Dr. Murdoc Lucifer. A disturbed man, he would say to people, The devil, my soul feeds off of thee, there is no way of stopping me. But the man is not crazy, nor insane. You may think he is but he is indeed not. Lucifer always had a crazy mind. He killed his mother and got away with it when he was five. Shot his dog in the leg and then hung it by a tree in the middle of the town for all to see. But what he had in store for these five people would change their lives forever. All five were taken, but only 1 will live.
Olivia wakes up with four other people in a room, and there is an old night stand in the corner of the room with a piece of parchment laying on it. Olivia turns and tries to wake up a man with dark hair and a black suit on. Get up! The man startled and opened his eyes scanning the room frantically, finally his eyes landed on Olivia s face.
Who are you? What s going on? The man asked.
I am Olivia Gallo and get up and can you tell me where we are? The dark haired man slowly sat up and then spoke. I am Charles Leroy and I don t know where we are. Olivia looked around at the other three people passed out on the floor and stood up. Wake up the others. I m going to find a way
out. Olivia approached the table and picked up the note it read, We are going to partake in a match of wits there is only one way out of this room someone will have to open the doors. Olivia turns around to see Charles waking the others and telling what is going on. Olivia approaches a dirty blond haired woman dressed in a sleeping gown and knees down to one knee. Hey, wake up The woman is greatly startled and starts to panic,
Where am I, who are you, what s going on?
Settle down and tell me your name, Olivia says calmly.
The woman replied I m-I m Helen-Helen Jacobson, now please tell me, where am I? Olivia stares at Helen and stands up.
Hey everyone listen up I m Olivia now we are going to have to work together to get out of here. I read the note on the table, and it stated that there is only one way out of this room-, and before Olivia could finish speaking Helen runs to a door in a frantic approach and opens the door. Click, Snap. Helen froze did not move a muscle, her hand still on the knob. A brown haired man approached Helen and put his hand on her shoulder.
Are you okay? Helen s body fell into the man s arms an arrow in her eye socket. Helen died. The man holding her stumbled backwards, dropping Helen s corpse on the floor.
What just happened? stated the man in a tone of disbelief. Olivia speaks up.
The note said there was only one way out, and before Olivia could finish, a gray haired man who looked to be about 40 interrupted What note, what the heck is going on here someone tell me, what is going on NOW! Olivia glared at him and continued There was a note on the table when I woke up and I assumed it was from our captor, now we need to find the way out of here now and the only way we can is if we work together now what are your names? The brown haired man name is Jack Porter and the gray hired man s name is Edward Smith. The group decided to try the other door.
The door opened with no problem they walked into the next room and there was a chair in the middle of the room with a note on it saying that in order to continue, Edward must sit in it. After a long
pause, the group bickered on what to do, Edward not being part of the group. Edward approached the chair and decided to sit in it. Click. Spikes popped through his back as a note fell. It said if you are worthy of life, you can take your back from the chair that binds you. Otherwise you will bleed out. The door opened to the next room, the rest of the group stared at him in shock. Edward struggled but never made it off the chair. He bled out with blood running down his mouth and back and an empty stare in his eyes. The group stood still until Olivia walked up to Edward and gently closed his eyelids and walked into the next room. The rest of the group followed.
The new room had a stone oven in it with a note above it, saying that Olivia must climb through it and grab the key for the next door no one else can because she the only one who will fit in it. Olivia walked to the oven and stood staring at the dancing flames and crawled in. Screams filled the room as Olivia threw herself out of the flames and started rolling on the floor until the flames were out. The key in her hand, with no hair and little clothing left, but still enough strength to pull herself up and open the door to the next room.
The next room had three doors, one with a lock on it, one with Charles name on the front and Helen s on the third. A note on the door with the lock said that either Charles or Helen must get the key through their door, and only one has to get the key for the others to survive. Charles slowly walked into his room, and once he was in, the door shut behind him.
Charles was staring into a room fill with spikes in the wall and barbed wire everywhere. Charles scanned the room and spotted the key it was at the end of the room. He took off his shirt to avoid it getting stuck in the wire. Charles moved through the maze of wire like a fox stalking its prey he moved very slowly.
Olivia and Jack heard dead silence for about 5 minutes until they heard a scream of agony. Not knowing what to do. They tried opening the door but it would not move. The pair realized that it was locked from the inside.
Charles had slipped and lashed his bosom with barbed wire struggling to stand up with the pain
he moved to the end and grabbed the key. He turned around and worked his way back, careful not to injure himself again. Charles opened the door that led back to the others and fell to his knees. Jack took the key, and opened the door knowing he was next.
Inside the room, there was another door and a wall with wood poles sticking out and upon those poles were rusty nails. On the floor next to wall was a bed of rusty nails. The poles led up to about ten feet in the air. The note, being on the door again read that Jack must climb the wall to the top and climb down.
Jack panicked I m not going up there! What if I fall? Olivia grabbed Jack by his collar, and yanked him down until they were staring face to face. Olivia spoke in a harsh tone to him.
You are going up there, or I m going to grab you and throw you on that bed of nails personally and then sit on your body until you bleed to death." Jack, horrified, slowly climbed the wall screeching out in horrific pain every time he grabbed the next pole and the pole after that and after that and after that. Jack made it to the top, and looking like he was going to fall over, grabbed the key, threw it to Charles and let go of the poles, falling onto the bed of nails. Jack died.
Continuing on, the last two survivors walked through the last door this room was different though. All the rooms had been enclosed and fit to accommodate each of the challenges that they had faced. This room was large in the middle of the room the table from the first room was sitting with a note on it. Someone has been watching us, spoke Olivia, while scanning the room for any contraptions. Charles read the last note out loud.
The next door can only be opened by me your examiner, Murdoc Lucifer, only one survivor can try to kill me so that you can escape, but the only way to move on is for you to kill each other down to the last man standing. Olivia speaks to Charles.
I m sorry, and punches him in the face. The door across the room opened and Olivia went through the door. A small gangly man walks in with a knife and speaks
You must kill me for your freedom, profligate. Murdoc charges at Olivia and starts to swing
his knife at her. Olivia grabs his hand and throws him to the floor. The knife lands across the room, and she then ripped off a board form the wall next to her and bashes it across his head Blasphemy! shrieks Murdoc as Olivia grabs his head and beats it into the ground repetitively. Murdoc is dead.
Olivia drops the plank and stumbles back into the wall, gasping for breath she squeezes out It s over. Her heartbeat slows down to normal. She looks down to Lucifer and feels strangely calm for someone who has just defeated a maniac. Olivia blinks a few times and remembers Charles. He d be waiting for her, she thinks. Back in the room where they were to kill each other. She straightens and runs back into the room. She freezes when she sees him, his still, pale body. Olivia blinks and squints, then slowly walked to him. She knelt and tentatively reaches out and touched his body. It moved, and relief swept through Olivia. She gently shook him. Charles? She whispered. Charles, wake up. He shifted, and let out a moan.
Olivia? His eyes fluttered open. Wha-what happened? He shot up and whipped his head around, his eyes searching frantically. Where s Lucifer? What happened? Olivia beamed with relief and helped him up.
He s dead. We should probably leave though, just in case. Charles is still disoriented. Wait, how is he dead? Who killed him? Olivia sighed and tugged him towards the door. We ll talk about it later. Now, let s go!
Charles grabbed Olivia hand and they ran out the door, and into the street, which is crawling with police. Someone spots them and lets out a shout. We found them! The police are soon questioning them and Charles and Olivia are taken to the
hospital. That night, in the hospital, the nurse walks in.
Everything alright in here? she asked kindly.
Yes. When can I see Charles? Olivia asked quietly.
Tomorrow, okay? The nurse smiled and left the room. Olivia sighed, leaned back against the
pillow, and slept. And on the windowsill, a raven cawed.