Mona finds herself in a precarious situation.
She didn't know how long she'd been out, just that it must have been quite a while given where she woke up. Mona jolted awake, shaking the table she'd been strapped to by her arms and legs. Though it was hard for her to focus through her panic, she was at least able to discern that this was some kind of operating theater, predictably grimy and burned like the rest of this hospital hell she'd ended up in.
Less predictable was the enormous circular saw hanging above her. It was an ugly, rusted thing with several teeth either chipped or missing, plus a thick layer of blood and viscera dried to the outer edge for good measure. Given the sticky feeling across her back, it hadn't been long since it was last used.
Then she heard the whispers. "Save it," they chanted, scratchy and dry as if the speakers had just inhaled a bunch of broken glass earlier. Just, "Save it," over and over again. She probably wasn't the "it" they were referring to here but figured that whatever "it" was would require her to die to be saved.
Then the saw started. It whirred to life with a sickeningly high-pitched whine, tossing a few bits of gore around the room as it first began moving. As her eyes turned up, she also caught a glimpse into what looked like an observation deck, seeing a group of the shadowy figures from before looking down on her. They might be the ones chanting, as well, but it was hard to tell given how sound moved in this place.
Screaming wouldn't do much besides waste air. It was hard to fight off the urge, but she managed for the sake of trying to approach things with as much sense as one could be expected to have in this situation. "Shit," she cursed between haggard breaths, struggling as hard as she could against the restraints. She gave up on her legs quickly, instead shifting focus to her right arm while using her other limbs to brace against the table and pull at the leather cuff with as much strength as she could generate.
It was no good. She just wasn't strong enough to rip through it even with how aged and damaged it was. Even if she was, lying prone on her back wasn't any position to generate the power she'd need to do it. Still, she kept trying. She couldn't give up after all this time. Especially not to die yet another gruesome death like this.
The saw crept ever closer from above, poised to slice down from the top of her stomach and bisect her like a gutted fish. With how slowly it moved, it wouldn't touch her for at least another minute or so. She guessed that was just for the sake of torturing her more, forcing her to watch for as long as possible while helpless and struggling to survive.
If this was the intent behind this design, it may have just backfired. A thought popped into her head, right arm ceasing its struggle and sliding down towards her pants pocket. Twisting as much as she could while strapped down, she tried to move her hip up to bridge the small amount of space between her fingertips and the pocket. It was a desperate and stupid gambit but quite possible the only hope she had of getting out of here.
Straining so hard she thought her shoulder might dislocate, Mona finally stretched enough to reach inside. Her fingers wildly flicked and fidgeted, barely grazing the top of the coin she'd collected before. Nudging it upwards just enough, she was able to get a good grip on it and slide it out onto the metal tabletop, finally taking it between her thumb and index finger.
Just as she'd remembered, the grooves around the edge were thick and rough. Drawing her arm up, she found a tear in the leather cuff, frantically sawing at it as best she could with her wrist bent over. Amazingly, it kind of seemed to be working, the ancient leather beginning to fray and break down against the coin's edge.
The chanting grew louder, the figures sounding as desperate as they were angry. All she could do was saw ever more recklessly, the coin nearly slipping from her fingers a few times in her rush. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of stress and fear, the strap was weak enough to be ripped off. The leather crumpled and snapped with a disgusting popping sound after just one tug.
The saw was only a few inches from her at this point. She had to move fast. The first thing she could do was untie her left arm, fumbling with the buckle before managing to pull the strap loose. Next, she had to sit upright while sucking in her gut, whole body trembling as the wind generated by the blade rushed across her stomach.
Leaning around it, she barely reached the straps holding her legs, undoing each of them with seconds to spare. She was able to scoot herself off the other side of the table and fall to the ground in a heap, the saw finally coming down on where she would have been when this all started. While she managed to avoid falling onto her head, she still took a hard hit against the bloody stone floor.
Back throbbing with pain, she had to collect herself quickly as the observation deck's glass began to crack. The creatures watching her didn't seem to agree with her escape attempt. If they caught her, it was obvious what would happen.
Scanning the room, she saw a pair of double doors off to the right. Scrambling up, she sprinted towards them and smashed through with her shoulder. Thankfully, they weren't locked, or at least not locked well enough to keep her from getting to the other side.
What existed on the other side almost made her want to turn around and face those monsters.
This seems like anything but a romantic Valentine's Day for Mona. Maybe she'll meet a nice lady at some point and things will get better. I doubt it, though.
That's all we have for now. Thanks for reading. Share if you're enjoying. Always remember to wash before surgery.