Warning: Possible mutilation of others.
"Hello Jimmy and Spinner. I wonder how long it took you to realize what you had in common with each other. Something tells me that it's always in the back of your minds. I'm going to take you back to that fateful day when Jimmy's life changed forever because of a bullet. It's time to bring all the guilt, all the insecurities, and all of your regrets to the table. The strange situation you find yourselves in is a reenactment of sorts. Jimmy, it's unfortunate for you that you have no use of your hands or your legs. You are totally reliant on Spinner for your survival. I'm sure you noticed the shackles on your legs and wrists almost right away, Spinner. Your legs are restrained very tightly, you are about to discover what it feels like to lose. You have more movement available to your arms. This is because you must retrieve a key from inside your best friend's leg."
Spinner clicked off the tape. "Screw that. This is not happening."
Jimmy was silent for a few moments. "Finish the tape," he was finally able to mumble.
"This key will give you both your freedom. Refer to the metal box in the center of the room for further information as to where or how. If you fail to act, fail to develop the will to survive, you too will lose all mobility. The poison will finish you off soon after."
"What does that mean?" Spinner asked after a moment and stared down at his wrists. They continued to listen to the tape roll, waiting for more information.
"I'm not sure. The only thing I can think of is that whatever that is on your wrists are not the same kind of shackle that's on our ankles, my wrists."
Spinner could only stare down at the strange device that was holding him prisoner. He imagined the worst first, but did not see any blades that would deliver an amputation. He started to shake at that thought. He managed to get himself to crawl towards the box even though he felt numb and stiff with dread. He felt the strain from the shackles but managed to get a grip on it. He sat down next to his friend and placed the box between them. He wasn't sure he was ready for this next step. He moved quickly, not even wanting to touch the box. The metal lid hit the floor with a clang and Spinner jumped slightly as if he were avoiding the attack of a snake. Both stared down at the rusty saw that lay on top of several sheets of x-rays.
"I don't know what to do," Jimmy muttered and stared at the TV directly across from him. "We're all here."
"So?" Spin asked as he yanked on the chains and shackles.
"Well, it's got to be someone who knows us who's pulling this shit. I mean I know it seems…crazy to think of that."
"No one we know could pull this off."
"It's personal shit between us. Someone knows. You can't go and dig that up on myspace. Who else could have known about us all? I'm assuming they have shit on the rest of them, unless it's all for show and we are the only ones who know why we are going to..." He couldn't finish that thought.
"It's different people, man. People that some of us don't even associate with. I mean, assume that it's you. What the hell do you know about Jay?" Spinner said, deciding to avoid that last part. He wasn't even considering that an option.
Jimmy glared at Spinner.
"Okay, bad example. What do you know about J.T. or that Liberty girl?"
"So you think it would be someone with access to school records?" Jimmy asked even though he was really just thinking out loud. "Someone who saw Sauvé and got into her files?"
"It doesn't really matter. If he's smart enough to get access to whatever the hell this place is and build a maze for us…like we're lab rats, then he's smart enough to dig info up on us."
"Still, you'd think that he knows us. Knows how we are."
"Are you saying it's me?" Spin asked. The guilt would still eat at him. He valued Jimmy as a friend enough to force himself to look beyond that wheelchair. By ignoring the chair he could ignore the circumstances that brought him to permanently reside in the chair. He hoped it wasn't permanent. The day Jimmy would walk again could erase it all. Then maybe he could finally give up the blame game that had existed for as long as he could remember. Actually he wasn't sure if Jimmy walking would ever solve the problem. They'd still have the past. It always existed and hung over the conversation whenever they brought up junior or senior year at high school and mentioned the "oh hey remember when or remember the kid who did blah blah blah." That shooting had stained everything.
"What is it with you and the blame game?" Jimmy sighed.
"Because I know that you think about what happened. I know that you have to blame me still. Who wouldn't?"
"I don't blame you for what happened with Rick. Not anymore," Jimmy declared. He liked to think that he had to have met whatever step was necessary in moving on. It was like the grieving cycle. Shock; he felt that mostly before the shot and not after. Shock was mainly what kept him staring at Rick, or really more so the gun and not moving fast enough or ducking or just not moving in a straight line so he wouldn't be such an obvious target. Denial; he wasn't sure he would ever get over the fact that he would never walk again. Grief; it was what crept in when it was too quiet or he had to relearn a life skill yet again. It was the whisper that it was all over now. It wasn't entirely his immobility that would keep him quiet and still in that hospital bed, it was grief over what he lost. Bargaining; mainly with the hospital staff and god, they were the ones who were not trying hard enough or just didn't care enough. Searching for why this happened brought on the pointing of fingers. Sometimes even at himself he just shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place; he was a bully too at one point and he should have simply left Rick alone after the incident after all, he'd want to be alone after some humiliation had happened. Finally there was some kind of acceptance. Eventually you just had to let go in order to have some kind of life. The idea that this was it, that this would be the last conversation they would have was too much. And this was the last thing he wanted to be thinking about in his last moments. No, this wasn't it.
"Look, Spin, I don't blame you for what happened. I cannot feel anything. Just do it," Jimmy said. He noticed that his voice was louder and he could barely get the words out his throat was so tight.
"I can't do it. If you don't shut up I'm throwing this saw across the room."
Jimmy sighed. He had come too far to give up now. He nearly had his life taken away from him. When he was strong enough to rebuild what was left, he found that he had to completely relearn a new lifestyle. Sometimes he felt like he had been reincarnated as another person and every once in awhile he'd experience a spell of déjà vu and he'd remember what had existed before. Maybe that was why he felt the need to start things up with a former flame. He wanted her to breathe some of that old Jimmy back into him. Sometimes he couldn't wait to get away from Degrassi. So much haunted him there. Even the friends, the people that he adored, just served as a bridge between old Jimmy and new Jimmy. Sometimes he didn't want to be aware of old Jimmy anymore. If he could just get into a car and drive away, run away and never be found, maybe he'd find some peace. But that was the thing. He couldn't do that. He was dependent on everyone else. And here he was depending on someone again. The anger that boiled inside of him made him see double. At this point, he was certain that if he held that blade in his hand, he would finish what was asked of them. And the tricky thing was that someone had to have known that. Someone had to have paired them up to ensure something that wasn't cracked easy. It had to be based on the people. Two people with history, two people who had bad blood between them, two people who were too different, it all added up in this game.
"I swear, if I had the saw in my hands right now I'd do it. Just finish what you've started."
"Now the truth comes out. You do blame me for Rick shooting you."
"Well, I have to admit, if it wasn't for you trying to fucking blame someone else for the tar and feather incident, I probably would have been the least likely to get shot. Actually, I think you would have been number one. What kind of jack ass pops off on someone he's already gotten beaten down so low?"
"I don't know why I did those things. Jay."
"Oh get off it. Everyone in the whole school blames Jay for anything that they've done wrong."
Jimmy realized he just blew the game. He did exactly what was expected of him. His loss had interfered with the game. He could barely control the words flying out of his mouth. Now he had alienated his only team member. He knew that Spinner could never inflict harm on him with the shooting on his mind. He was feeling the sting of guilt. He remained quiet and Spinner was doing the same. He wanted to say something. He wanted to switch the topic to something cheerful, something that would give them some hope to keep trying. But he couldn't push the weight of their fate off of him. The last thing he wanted was for the shooting to be the last thing they discussed.
"…hairnet," Jimmy muttered.
Spinner looked over at him, confused. Jimmy was relieved to see a strange half smile. Something normal and real did exist here.
"I was just thinking about all the times we've butted heads. Remember the 80's dance?"
"How can I not remember the 80's dance? You have a way of inflicting drama…I mean trauma, on people. Sorry, just recalling a certain incident in Kwan's class in Grade 9 during some drama exercise."
"But hey, I was right there afterwards."
"To gloat."
"No…I don't think so. I don't know. I can't even really remember. Seems like I did it as an educational message," Jimmy paused. He had it now, "The point was that I was there. We don't just have bad history between us." He glanced over at the saw, then back at Spinner's face. He moved his gaze back onto the saw trying to seal his message.
"I can hardly feel my hands," Spinner mumbled as he picked up the saw.
"I won't feel a thing. I'm just not going to watch," Jimmy stated. He tried to keep his voice from shaking. He closed his eyes when he heard Spinner start to gag. He wasn't sure if that meant that something was happening or not.
Spin heard himself scream as felt the crushing sensation. Jimmy could only bear to glance over at the distortion the clamps had inflicted on his friend. It seemed hopeless. How could they possibly discover a solution now? They were both left utterly dependent on another party discovering them and doing what they wished. He compared himself and Spinner to a blind man and a deaf man trying to communicate without any knowledge of each other's disabilities. The blind man was shouting now and the deaf man swinging. There was no way they could work together now. They did it all wrong. He felt his mind slipping. He glanced over at Spin, wondering what he was thinking, but his face told him that he probably wasn't capable.
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