Subsist Affliction Woe
Disclaimer: don't own them!
Please Review!
Ch4: Fight or Die
Nick hears the door behind him close. He tries to open it but it's locked, he sees two other doors but they are locked.
"Okay! I'm here now what's next?" Nick yells angry looking into the camera that was up there. The middle door opens and shows another man who is in a similar state as Nick.
"Some individuals must go through a difficult ordeal to appreciate their principles. While we should never give up our principles, we must also realize that we cannot maintain our principles unless we survive. Sometimes to survive you have to fight and to survive means you win. It's time to test your principles... It's time to fight." the man says, but instead of turning off it shows an old boxing match briefly. "Mr. Stokes, you are going to fight this man. His name is Charlie, he's an addict and I promised him enough drugs to keep him high for the rest of his time here. Your friend Catherine needs your help don't let her down." the TV turns off and the addict runs at Nick.
"Stop!" Nick runs away from the man. "You don't have to do this!
"Come here!" Charlie yells, Nick pushes him away trying to size him up. Nick punches him in the chest pushing him down. Nick tries to run to the elevator but Charlie grabs his leg causing Nick to fall. Nick kicks him away. Charlie stands landing a hard hit to the top of Nick's head.
"We don't have to do this!" Nick pleads jumping to his feet.
"He'll kill me if I don't!" Charlie swings again but Nick dodges. Nick pushes him away, and Charlie raises his fist but stops.
"We don't have to play his game,"
"I guess you're right? Who's Catherine?"
"My best friend..." Nick says and Charlie laughs.
"You think I give two shits. I could care less!" he punches Nick in the face.
Nick stumbles but doesn't fall, Charlie swings again but Nick dodges and tackles him. Nick takes all his frustration out on Charlie punching him in the face several times.
Nick realizes that Charlie is no longer moving as he lands one more punch. Nick feels fatigue and then shocked by his actions. Charlie's face is covered in blood and lumpy, his face is very disfigured and doesn't even look like the same man that Nick started fighting.
"Oh shit..." Nick says checking for a pulse and not getting one. Nick is mortified by his actions. "I'm sorry..." Nick whispers.
One moment his life is looking up the next he's beating a man to death. Just yesterday he was with the woman of his dreams doing the job of his dreams and now it's turned into a nightmare.
The door across from him opens, and he cautiously walks inside. He looks around and sees nothing except the door behind him closing. He opens the next door and sees Catherine sitting scared on the floor.
"Cath..." Nick says Catherine's face lights up shocked.
"Nicky!" she yelps running to him glad that he is alive. She wonders about his test but doesn't ask, remembering the awful clue she received and seeing the cuts on Nick's knuckles.
"Have you seen Frankie? Or Lou?" Nick begs, but Catherine shakes her head no, tears filling her eyes. Nick hugs her. They notice the television flicker on.
"Strength is often found in numbers. There's no I found in team," he says, the television turns off.
"Now what?" Nick asks looking at Catherine. He can tell that she is not herself. "Cath... Are you alright?" he grabs her shoulders looking in her eyes, her eyes dilated and glossy.
"I'm alright..." she slurs "where's the key?"
"What key?"
"He said you have the key. Give it to me," she cries. Nick turns to look around searching for the key. "Wait... It's you! You're the key!"
"What?" Nick asks Catherine grabs his hand bringing him to the door. The door had a pattern lock on it, she puts the combination in. Nick feels the scab on his back, and frowns. He was branded.
They walk down the dark hallway skittish of every noise they hear. They had to step over the dead bodies that filled the hallway, of people who didn't pass there test. Nick had to practically have to drag a drugged Catherine. She was too drugged to see and Nick's vision was blurry due to his damaged eyes.
Meanwhile Lou and Frankie walk into a room that looks like an old dining room and was fairly large. The room had a large mirror on the wall. On the table had a small first aid kit with a card that said 'a little something for your troubles'
Nick and Catherine reach the other side of the one way window and saw Lou and Frankie inside. Nick feels relieved to see that she is alright.
"Don't ever get too comfortable," Catherine slurs reading the message on the wall. Nick tried the door but it was jammed he slammed against but it was still jammed.
"Hello?" Lou yells.
"It's me and Catherine!" Nick yells slamming against the door. But Lou doesn't see the door that Nick was trying to open and goes to the only door in the somewhat direction where Nick's voice is coming from.
"Coming!" Lou says opening the door he hears a metal chain jingle and moves as a metal blade swings down. Lou just dodges the blade but it hits Frankie, nicking her side. The blade retracts dropping Frankie on the old dirty cement floor.
"No!" Nick screams finally breaking the door down but from Lou's point of view he broke through the wall. "Frankie!" Nick cried kneeling next to her.
"Nicky..." she says, her breathing a little labored. Nick took off her shirt using it to slow the bleeding.
Catherine stumbled in sitting in a chair. Lou ran to Catherine relieved that she was alive and then returned to Nick with the first aid kit. Nick and Lou started wrapping her torso with gauze, binding her tight.
"You're going to be alright..." Nick says to her.
Reviews? How are they going to survive with one down?