Chapter Nine - Heads or Tails
uh oh uh oh uh oh I'm back uh oh uh oh uh oh
"I need to be alone. I need to ponder my shame and my despair in seclusion; I need the sunshine and the paving stones of the streets without companions, without conversation, face to face with myself, with only the music of my heart for company.
~ Henry Miller
Nino's Point of View
It'd been a crazy two weeks since seeing the state Chloe was in in the hospital. Marinette had basically gone off the radar. I only managed to speak to her a little yesterday, when despite not answering any of our messages, she showed up for the group's meeting. She didn't say much; she actually looked pretty sleep-deprived, and maybe even a little sick. It probably didn't help that both Nathalie and Jalil had faced their respective tasks by this meeting, and so both shared their results with us.
Jalil's task basically boiled down to him deciding what was worth more: someone's past or someone's future. He was told that, using his job position, he was to steal an artifact from the Egyptian exhibits - he told us the name at the time, but I don't care for the semantics of it all and couldn't be bothered to remember it - and destroy it. If he didn't within 24 hours, the person tethered to him would die. And Jalil did it. He stole it and destroyed it, all because he couldn't bare to see Alix die. He said that if he wasn't caught before our friends were rescued, he would turn himself in afterwards. But until then, he couldn't risk it because he wouldn't be able to explain why without endangering our friends. However, he swore he intended to once everything was said and done. I personally felt like the man got off easy all things considered, but apparently destroying a piece of history took a toll on him.
And Nathalie? She was an absolute mess. We could barely even decipher what she was saying at first. However, we eventually managed to string together the bits and pieces she gave us, and it wasn't pretty.
The implication of it all hadn't even sunk in yet.
Apparently, her task sprung from the idea of the overloaded schedules she was always making. Which sucks, because it generally isn't her fault. After all, it's her boss, Gabriel Agreste, who wants all those things scheduled. But either way, that's where the Gamemaker's inspiration came from. Hiding the pages of a calendar in the sewers, it was Nathalie's job to travel through there, find them, and reassemble the calendar at the entrance she started at.
She barely managed to find four before running out of time.
I don't really remember what all happened after that. Jalil began trying to comfort her. Most of us just sat there, staring at each other as we tried to let what she said sink in. I don't even remember when Marinette left, but when I did finally have the presence of mind to look to her, to make sure she was holding up alright, she was gone.
The poor bluenette must have been distraught after that news. Despite not being able to say much around Adrien, Alya told me that she genuinely loved the guy. And if we were to believe Nathalie was tethered to him...
Once again, I feel sick to my stomach. It's so surreal. Even though all the facts point to it, I still can't accept it. There's no way my best friend is dead.
Right?
Right?
Right?
Breathing heavily, I pace around my room. There are two of us left now. Two. Marinette...and me.
The real question is, which one of us will the Gamemaker target first?
When there's a knock at the door to my apartment, I don't even try to fool myself into believing it may be someone else checking in. That's my answer.
I open the door, and then I'm out like a light.
I wake up in complete and udder darkness.
"Hello, Nino Lahiffe," The deep, distorted sounded voice sounds right at home in the horror show that has become my life.
"What do you want, sicko?" I snap back, looking around to try and see where this psychopath might be hiding.
A light bulb flickers on above me, giving off just enough light for me to see the things directly surrounding me. I've been hooked up to some sort of machine that's screen occasionally flashes another number. As my breathing slows, the number lowers, and it's only then that I realize what the wires attached to me are telling the machine. It's a heart rate monitor.
"Heads or tails?" The voice booms out again.
"What?"
"Heads or tails?"
After everything my friends have said, I know there's no point in trying to continue questioning him or refuting his actions. That would only end up harming Alya. No, I need to obey him. And that means making a choice.
"Tails?" I finally ask, going with the one my gut tells me to pick as my heart rate once again begins to quicken.
"How...disappointing." For a moment, I panic, ready to beg to choose 'heads' instead, but then the man I can only presume is the Gamemaker says, "You've chosen the much less interesting option." I make the mistake of breathing a sigh of relief. "On second thought, perhaps that choice can influence something different. Otherwise, this would be far too boring."
"Wait, you can't just change your mind like tha-"
Now he's angry, and I curse myself for protesting. "The rules of the task have yet to be laid out for you! Therefore, I have every right for them to change. Understood?" I read that threat loud and clear. This time, I simply nod, not trusting myself to speak. "Good. Now, Mr. Lahiffe, this is how things are going to work. As I'm sure you'll have noticed by now, you have been hooked up to a machine, one you most likely will recognize as a heart rate monitor. That monitor is going to be incredibly important to you in this task.
"The goal of the game is simple: keep your heat rate below a sixty, and you have nothing to worry about." I can already see the number beginning to spike up, much closer to one hundred than the sixty he's mentioned. The Gamemaster chuckles as I try to remaster my breathing to take it back to a slow, even pace. "However, if after an hour it's spiked above eighty? Well, it's bad news for your partner."
"So it's never allowed to go past eighty?"
"If you can get it back under control before the hour is up, then it is allowed. But, if the hour is up and the number is eighty or more, you lose."
Okay. So as long as I can calm myself down, I'll be alright. "Do I have a clock?"
There's a pause, and then a TV I couldn't see before lights up. It hangs from the ceiling, not casting enough light to give me any better of a view of the room, but there's a timer brought up on it for me that has yet to be started. "A fair enough request. There is your timer. Any other questions?"
I think for a moment. This man is particular on rules and loopholes. Is there anything I might have missed asking about?
Despite it taking me a minute, I do recognize one. "Wait, what happens if my heart rate ends somewhere between sixty and eighty?"
"The one paired to you won't die, if that's what you're asking."
Recognizing that that's all the answer he will most likely give, I nod my head in assent. "Alright. Then I'm ready."
He laughs again, actually having the audacity to sound amused. "Good, because your challenge begins now."
For a moment, I sit there in silence. My heart rate spikes up on the monitor as I wait, anticipating what might be to come. But as nothing continues to happen, I force myself to begin regulating my breathing again. I have to focus. I can't slip up. Slowly, I manage to get my heart rate down to 55, despite my heart's requests for air to be pumped to it just a little faster.
But after three minutes, I suddenly hear a whimper. My heart rate spikes back up, once again forcing me to fight to lower it again. What was that?
There's another one after a minute, and then what sounds like crying. "No no no. Please, no!"
"Alya?" I breathe her name out, eyes widening. Is she here? "Alya, babe, is that you?"
"Get away!" Her voice comes through what I have to presume are speakers somewhere in the room that I can't see.
With a sinking feeling, I realize she can't hear me. But currently, any thoughts of heart rate are disregarded as I try to figure out just what I'm hearing.
Faintly, ever so faintly, I pick up the sound of ripping fabric. And I almost throw up as the severity of the situation hits me. I can still hear Alya's crying, but it's muffled. I can only guess that she herself has been muffled as tears begin to prick at my eyes. No, no, this can't be happening. That can't be what's about to happen. Surely not. Surely no one is sick enough to-
A scream breaks through, muffled as it is, followed by a slap. The microphone being used to broadcast this sound must be turned up a couple notches, because suddenly I can hear spit being swished around, as well as someone straining against chains.
"No no, oh gosh, please, leave her alone-" I choke out the words as tears begin to spill from my eyes. "Don't touch her!"
There's no answer. All I hear in response is a moan and a chuckle, which I suppose is answer enough. He's not going to stop.
I go to cover my ears, but it's only now that I realize my hands are locked in place. I've been strapped to this chair the whole time and hadn't even realized it. It's now that I realize how hard I'm breathing, my rage clouding much rational thought.
I feel so weak. Pathetic. I can't help her. She's defenseless.
No.
No, I can help her. I have to do this challenge for her. It's all I can do to help now.
As the moaning grows louder, intermixed with whimpers and cries and other horrible noises, I force myself to breathe.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
There's another scream.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
"Do you like that?" The Gamemaker is asking. Is he asking her or me?
In.
Out.
In.
Someone is panting.
Out.
In.
Out.
More ripping noises echo in the background.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
The crying grows louder.
My heart beats faster.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
For one excruciating hour, I sit in that position, forced to listen to what the Gamemaker's done.
And then, a beeping rings out, signaling the end of the hour. The sobbing on the other end continues with a new fervor. It sounds like something drops to the ground in the background.
"Let's see how you've done now, Mr. Lahiffe. What was your final number when the hour ended?" My breathing quickens despite my attempts to calm it. "No need to calm down for my sake. I said an hour, and I gave you one. I don't care what your heart rate is now."
I sit there in agony as I await the result. I didn't even think to look at the screen. I'd been so focused on just trying to pretend I wasn't here and keep a steady breathing pace, only occasionally glancing to the cross. Oh gosh, what was I thinking? I should've been checking to make sure I was under the limit! What if-
"...why, I must say, I am incredibly disappointed."
My heart sinks. No, no, no. No, don't tell me-
"A 79. So close to letting me have some real fun. At least I'll get to play a little bit. After all, it's not below a 60."
And then everything goes black again.
Dang, that wasn't my initial idea for Nino's challenge. However, what I initially had wasn't clicking with me. At first, I changed it into this idea of forcing him to dance for two hours while keeping his heart rate above a certain number. After all, Nino is a music lover. But then, as I was thinking along those lines, well...this sick challenge was formed. It's way less descriptive than many of the ones before it. Partially because I don't want to have to put this rating any higher unless I really have to, and partially because I simply couldn't stomach it. Out of all the challenges, this one and the first one are the only two that have made me physically squirm to write, but while the first one just made me cringe, this one actually makes me feel a bit sick. Hopefully the implication of things managed to come across.
Normally I'd give my whole spiel about reviews and ask you guys questions, but this chapter's left me in a weird place. I don't regret writing the chapter, which is why I'm posting it. However, I don't feel it's right to end it on an incredibly chipper note, though please do review with any thoughts, opinions, comments, or questions. This one was, to put it simply, brutal to write. To be honest, I thought the next - and last - challenge would be the worst in that category, especially since that has been one of the few challenges not to change throughout this entire process, but I'm not sure now. I guess we'll just have to see what you guys think and have you judge that.
Anyways, thank you for reading, and I'll see you guys next chapter.
~ Dagger