See Saw Chap 9

Sophia, Wolt, Sue, and Lance finally make it out of the maze and into a safe room. They were not going to go on until their friends returned. Sophia has a connection with Roy so she can pick up what he is feeling.

"It doesn't look good guys. They are surrounded by beasts with only Roy having his sword." Sophia says softly.

Lance tries to stand up and Sue holds his side. "Lance calm down, there is nothing you can do for him. It is up to him now."

Lance smiles and gives up. "You're right Sue, Roy is the strongest person I know. They are in good hands."

Wolt joins in with his fist held high. "Yeah if anyone can do it it is my main man Roy!"

Sophia smiles but can't help but worry. "Oh Roy, please be safe."

Roy, Klein, and Tate

The group stares at the menacing pack of beasts. One howls and charges forward. Roy easily takes it down with his sword. Another charges toward Tate and she sidesteps and stabs an arrow through its head. The smell of rotting flesh is overwhelming.

Even though they are killing what seems like many beasts the pack doesn't seem to be getting smaller. The group starts to give up hope.

"Klein, Tate, we aren't getting anywhere this way. I am going to cut you guys a path and you save Clarine!"

Klein shakes his head. "No way Roy, you won't make it if we do that! We are barely winning with the three of us."

Roy realizes this but it is the only way to save Clarine. "Klein, do you want to save your sister or not?"

Klein looks at Tate. She nods in approval of what Roy is saying. "Ok Roy, but you better be alive when we come back!"

Roy smiles "Sure thing Klein." Roy cuts a path and Klein and Tate make a run for it. Klein and Tate look back in gratitude for a hero and a friend.

They are running down the path until they hear a familiar scream. "That is Clarine's scream! Clarine! Clarine! Where are you!" They follow the sound of her scream until they reach a room. Inside the room they find a ballistae aiming for a circular target. Tied on the target is none other than Clarine.

Clarine sees them walk in and is overjoyed. "Klein, Tate! You came for me! I am so happy to see you!"

"Oh Clarine, stay calm we are going to get you out of here!" Klein turns to Tate. "Do you think this is some sort of trap for us?"

"Do you even have to ask Klein? This guy is a sick twisted murderer. This won't be easy and we need to think and not let our emotions get the best of us."

The voice comes on over the rooms speakers.

Hello Klein and Tate. This test will be your hardest yet Klein and also for you Tate. The stakes are high and you will lose something important to you. As you can see Clarine is tied to a target. Underneath her is a beaker on a scale. She must lose enough blood to unlock the door for you to save her. Using the ballistae you must shoot at spots marked on her body that will let her lose a lot of blood but will not be fatal to her. You must aim carefully or the arrow could prove fatal and you don't want that to happen do you? Also to use the ballistae a small sword will have to go through your hands whenever you use it. Can you tolerate the pain and watch Clarine suffer for her survival? Let the games begin.

The target starts spinning slowly. Clarine starts to scream "Please Klein, I don't want to be shot! Please help me."

Klein starts to walk back and forth. "Klein what are you doing? You heard what the freak said. We have to play or she will surely die. If you love your sister you will do what you have to."

"You're right Tate." Klein takes control of the ballistae and when he puts his hand in to control the lever the sword drops on his hands. "Ahhh!" The pain is terrible but he bears it and shoots an arrow that lands on one of the red marks Clarine has.

She screams in pain. "It hurts! Please don't let me die!"

"You are not going to!" Klein takes aim at one of the red dots on Clarine's arm. The blood from his hand is soaking the machine. The ballistae shoots and Klein hits another mark. Tate looks away. She cannot bear to see this sick game.

Clarine is sobbing now. Blood is dripping into the beaker at a large rate.

Klein takes aim again, the sword getting more painful each time. The arrow yet again meets its mark. After three more arrows hit their mark Clarine is a bloody mess. Klein starts sobbing and cannot think straight. Tate is sobbing in the corner also. "Don't you see Klein! This was just a sick joke because we broke the rules! This isn't going to save her. When the beaker is filled she will be dead."

Klein refuses to listen to reason. "How are you doing Clarine?"

She doesn't look at him. She feels numb; she has lost so much blood. She realizes that there was no escape from this, that this was just a sick way to mess with Klein. She was not going to survive this. She had lost too much blood. She looked at her brother.

"Klein, this is it. You need to shoot an arrow to kill me. All I am doing is suffering. In case you haven't noticed, you have hit all my marks and the beaker is not filled. Even if it does fill I will have lost too much blood to survive. I love you and I don't want you to feel guilty or think that my death is your fault. It isn't your fault and I will be brave."

Klein screams "I will never kill you! I will save you!"

"Klein listen to me! I am dying. Do you want that? Please kill me! Before you do….can you tell Rutger I am sorry?"

Klein was hysterical "I will. I love you Clarine! Never think for one second I didn't."

"Thank you."

He looks away as he shoots and arrow through Clarine's chest. He hears her gasp. Klein drops to his knees.

It was painless. She died instantly.

Her head drooped to the side. Tate comforted Klein as well as she could. She didn't have the words. Words could not heal what had just happened. Klein stood up and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"He will pay for this! He has hurt too many people to live. I will personally make sure his last breath is shallow and painful!" Tate was afraid of what her husband had become. This game was making them different people. She had never seen this side of Klein. She did not like what this game was doing to him.

The door opened to the room and Roy stepped in. He was beaten up pretty badly. He had cuts and scrapes all over his body. "Are you guys all right?" He looked around and knew not to say anything about it. Klein and Tate nodded and got up. "Let us go, Sophia and the others are waiting. We need to show this freak that what he has done was a big mistake!"

The three warriors walked into the hallway with one thing on their mind, revenge for their fallen friends and loved ones.