Chapter 11

Finn shifted uncomfortably as he laid against the cold floor. His back was aching, and his arm was killing him. He shivered and curled himself up to try to stay warm. He didn't want to open his eyes, not yet. He was still far too tired. But the coldness of the room was making it hard to sleep. Where had Phoebe's warmth gone? He had fallen asleep next to her in the holding room, so why couldn't he feel her warmth?

"Phoebe, are you there?" Finn asked as he moved his hand over to where she had been sleeping.

Rather than finding the young princess' sleeping form, Finn's hand felt something sharp cut into his hand.

"What the flip?!" Finn exclaimed as he pulled his hand back.

Now completely awake, Finn found that he was no longer in the holding room. Dread washed over him as he quickly realized what had happened. He had been moved to another room. He had been moved to his next test.

Finn stood up shakily and looked around the room. What he found filled him with terror. Rows and rows of razor wire stretched and snaked in every direction around him. The room was filled with a dull green light that shown eerily from the ceiling. A chain linked fence surrounded the mass of razor wire, boxing it in and trapping Finn within the deadly nest.

Finn was so confused. How had he been separated from Flame Princess and the others? When did they throw him in here? What was happening to his friends? Were they beginning their second test?

Finn's eyes spotted a tape player tied to a string hanging from the ceiling. Finn carefully reached his arm through the razor wire and plucked the tape player off of the string. Finn held the player up to his ear and with a click the tape began to play.

"Hello, Finn. Welcome to your second test. Throughout your years of adventuring, you have overcome many obstacles and defeated many foes. Yet despite the lessons that your victories should have taught you over the years, you constantly choose to confront your challenges head on. And many times, your method has led you and others to great harm."

Finn felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. He was ashamed to admit it, but he did have a tendency to tackle his problems head on without much thought. And, yes, a few people may have gotten hurt as a consequence of his rash actions, but no one ever died because of them.

"Even when those you care for give you more efficient alternative methods to overcome a challenge, you always choose your way first. Well, this time Finn, you have to do things my way."

There was a loud snap of electricity as a large clock flashed to life on the opposite end of the room. Underneath the clock a door slid open with a loud hiss.

"The door to your freedom is set to the timer. Once the timer runs down, the door will shut and seal you in here. Make your way through the maze and claim your freedom. How you get through the maze is up to you. Will you rush through it as fast as you can? Or will you stop and think before you act? You have two hours, Finn."

Finn felt a small fleeting sense of relief once he knew how long he had to complete the twisted test. But any relief he felt was quickly stifled by the daunting nature of the test. Two hours or not, he still had to make his way through the deadly maze of razor wire. Finn swallowed nervously as he looked at the gleaming metal of the razor wire. One thing he was certain of was that he was not going to leave the room unscathed. Even worse was the fact that his left arm had not yet healed from his first test. Again, his eyes wandered across the vast maze of metal and pain. He knew that he was going to get hurt, maybe even gravely so. But he wasn't going to let his fears hold him back. He was a hero, and heroes didn't quit.

"Live or die. The choice is yours."

With those last words, the tape crackled and the player fell silent.

Finn felt his heart pound in his chest as the timer began to count down. He had two hours to find his way out of the maze.

"You've got this Finn!" He reassured himself as he slowly inched himself forward. "This is nothing compared to the first test!"

Slowly, Finn began to march into the maze, using his robotic arm to push as much of the wire out of his way as he could. At first, his plan was working well.
He was slowly inching his way into the maze of wire. Once every few feet a line of wire would get snagged on his clothing and the razors would slice into his skin. He was fortunate that his skin was so thick due to the amount of physical harm that he had survived as an adventurer. But thick skinned or not, he still yelped in pain every time one of the thousands of razors would slice into him.

"Cram it, a dead end!" Finn shouted angrily as the path he had pushed himself through lead him to a section of the chain linked fence.

Finn carefully turned around and tried to push his way in the opposite direction of the dead end. Suddenly, a line of razor wire snagged his leg, tripping him. With a startled yell, Finn fell forward only to be stopped mid-fall by more lines of razor wire tangling his body. He let out a small scream as the razors carved deep into his body. After forcing his way through the pain, Finn slowly untangled the razor wire from his body. He winced as blood began to trickle down the deeper cuts on his body.

"Don't panic, you still got this." Finn reassured himself as he tugged his arm from a stubborn line of wire.

While he may not have been the smartest person in Ooo, Finn was not stupid. He knew that if he struggled and panicked, then he would only get more tangled in the deadly razor wire. But after an hour of wandering through the maze, Finn began to feel the cold hand of dread grip at his heart.
He was lost, and even deeper into the maze than he had been.

"There has to be a way out!" Finn exclaimed as he squeezed through the wire. "There has to be!"

Finn let out a small yelp of pain as his arm was snagged by a line of wire that had coiled it, reopening some of his unhealed wounds.
He hissed and winced as he pulled the wire from his arm, dragging the razors through his now bloodied flesh.

With his arm throbbing in pain, Finn fell to his knees and clutched it tightly. Tears began to roll down his cheeks.

"There has to be a way out." He whimpered weakly as he cradled his wounded arm.

But no matter how many times he told himself this, it did nothing to reassure him. Everywhere he looked was nothing but darkness and pain. The metal wires gleamed in the eerie green light of the room.

With his hope slowly fading, Finn curled up into a ball and laid against the ground.

"I'm so stupid!" Finn cried as he smacked his head against the floor angrily. "I'm so, so, so, so stupid!"

As his head struck the hard floor again, the jolt of pain from the impact jarred Finn's vision. After blinking the stars from his eyes, Finn noticed something that he hadn't before. Between the floor and the nest of razor wire was a gap that was only half a foot tall.

"No way." Finn stated in a dumbfounded tone.

As he looked through the gap, he could see a way through the maze and to the exit.

"No flippin' way!" Finn exclaimed as he slowly crawled on his stomach.

As rush of glee flooded his system as he crawled through the gap under the wire maze.

"PB, Marcy, Phoebe! I'm coming for you guys!" Finn shouted as he crawled under the maze.

Finn's plan was working far better than he could have ever imagined. By crawling on his stomach, Finn could crawl under the majority of the wire maze while slowly making his way towards the exit. But even with this new plan, Finn was not spared from suffering. The floor was rough and uneven. The tight fit between the wire and the floor also meant that Finn's back was still exposed to the majority of the lower hanging razor wire. With every inch that Finn crawled, more and more of his back was slashed open. Finn felt like his back was on fire, but he didn't care. All that mattered to him was reaching the exit before the timer ran out.

After crawling for half an hour, Finn had to stop to catch his breath. His body throbbed with pain. His back was covered in deep cuts and his chest was bruised and battered. Most of his shirt was in tatters having been torn to shreds by the razor wire. Finn hadn't even noticed that his hat had been snagged and pulled from his head. Finn's heart was pounding in his chest and his muscles ached.

A loud bone chilling shriek echoed throughout the room and rattled into Finn's ears. The shriek was unhuman and filled Finn with dread. Finn could recognize the source of the scream anywhere. It belonged to Marceline. For her to make such a loud shriek could only mean that she was in great danger. Or in great pain.

"Marceline!" Finn exclaimed as he frantically began to crawl under the wire. "I'm coming!"

Row after row of wire passed by in a blur as Finn crawled like a man possessed. He could not feel the pain that had been clawing at his back. He could not feel the fatigue in his limbs as they carried his body forward. All he could feel was desperation and determination. His friends were in danger and it was up to him to save them. Just as it had always been.

Another shriek split through the room and rattled in Finn's head. Abandoning reason, Finn leaped off the floor and began to run towards the exit of the maze. His vision was red and his ears were filled with a loud ringing sound. One by one, Finn ran through the rows of wire, snapping them with an untapped strength. Blood stained the floor as he shoved his way through the maze. Nothing was going to stop him. Nothing!

Finn let out an animalistic scream as he tore through the last row of razor wire. He had only five minutes left on the clock, not that it mattered now that he was free. Without stopping to look at the clock, Finn ran through the exit.

Finn's eyes stung at the harsh light of the holding room. At first, Finn didn't notice that he was even out of the maze. His blood was boiling and his mind was stuck in survival mode. He took another lung full of air and screamed up at the ceiling. He had done it again. He had survived his test. He had won.

As the adrenaline began to wear off, Finn became greatly aware of how badly he was bleeding.

"Oh, glob. Not this again." Finn groaned as he looked down at his body.

While he was not as deeply wounded as he had been during his first test, Finn was covered in cuts and gashes. The worst of the wounds were on his back, which there was little he could do to treat. Thinking quickly, Finn tore off the tattered remains of his shirt and began to tear it into smaller strips. He gently wrapped his arms and legs with the strips as improvised bandages.

Once all of the wounds that he could treat were bandaged, Finn fell to his knees and curled up into a ball. Has so cold, and in so much pain. But the worst part was the helplessness that he felt. He knew that his friends were somewhere else in this den torture. But he couldn't do anything to help them. As much as he hated to admit it, he had to play by Jigsaw's rules. Cold and alone, Finn began to weep softly as time slowly slipped by.

The figure with rotting pig mask smiled to themselves as they worked on their creation. They liked building things, it was simple and it was fun.
It helped keep their mind focused and sharp, which is what Jigsaw wanted from them. It also kept them calm, something that they were having trouble with since the abduction of Jigsaw's newest players.

As they tightened the bolt on an electrical coil, a rather large maggot crawled out of the fetid pig flesh and wandered across their face.

Hello Pepper. They greeted the maggot mentally. Good to see you again.

They always named the biggest maggot Pepper. They could feel Pepper slowly inch across their mouth. The figure's tongue snaked out of their mouth and slurped up the maggot. With a squelch, the figure crushed the maggot with their teeth. They paused and savored the sweet juices of the larva before swallowing it.

Good bye, Pepper.

There would always arise another Pepper from the squirming nest of maggots. And they would let the next Pepper grow fat before eating them again. The figure smiled beneath their mask as they adjusted several cables to maximize electrical flow.

They were so excited for the next game. For it was another chance for them to make master Jigsaw proud. That, and they also really wanted to see the player they had been tasked with testing again. They had not seen her for several years. They had missed her. They had been looking for her. They wanted to know why they had cast them aside. Was it something that they had said? Was it their breath? Why did she abandon them? What creator throws out their own creation?

Anger flared deep in their stomach. They threw down their wrench angrily and stomped the floor. They wanted her to play their game now! Why did they have to wait?!

A loud crackle from a wall speaker froze the massive figure and ended their tantrum.

"Do not let your emotions effect the game you build. You are better than that."

The figure bowed their head in shame, spilling several maggots onto the floor.

"Finish your work, and report to the observation room. I want you to see what the others have built."

With nothing left to be said, the speaker fell silent.

The figure smiled as they looked back at their creation. Soon, the players would be waking up and they would get to play their game. With a snort, the figure stomped over towards the slumped figure bound to a chair. A collar of their own making was clamped tightly around her neck. Once the drugs wore off, she would get to play his game. They were so excited they could hardly stand it!

With a snort, the figure leaned down and with their massive hand reached out and touched the unconscious player. Her pink skin was so soft and rubbery. This was their creator, this was the one they had been looking for. The one that abandoned them. Jigsaw brought her to them, to play a game. It had to be fate. She was so soft, so pretty, so royal. They needed a taste.

Their tongue snaked out from the pig's rotting maw and slithered across her face. She was so sweet that it was almost sickening. She tasted nothing like the maggots that squirmed in their mask. With a slurp, they pulled their tongue back into their mouth. Now was not the time for playing. Now was the time for work. Once all of the finishing touches were complete, the figure turned to exit the room. But before leaving, they stopped and leaned down to look at their sleeping creator.

"Hellooo Princesss…" they slurred happily, wagging their fingers playfully.

With a snort, the figure stomped past their captive, leaving her in the dark to awaken to her next gruesome test.

I will try to update as much as I can, but work as got me stressed. Don't worry, I'm not burnt out. The game will continue.

As always, feed back is welcome.