Diana Gordons eyes opened slowly. Her focus came slightly into view, albeit blurry, for a moment before her eyes closed again. She sucked in her breath filling her lungs finding that they were on fire. She moved her tongue around in her mouth. It felt swollen and her spit was sticky. She pushed it forward in an attempt to part her lips finding that her lips wouldn't open.
At this her eyes shot open to be met with concrete walls. Pipes lined the wall in front of her and hissed angrily as steam pumped out of them. She sat in a wooden chair slumped slightly but sitting upright. Diana brought a hand up to her mouth then the other in panic feeling the stitches that shut her mouth.
The taste of copper hit her tongue as she pushed her tongue against her closed lips. Quickly she stood up moaning and screaming through her closed mouth. The tick of a clock began. Frantically she turned around to find the sound. The sound of static caused her to turn sharply on her heel. The television sat off to her left in a cut out portion of the wall and was covered by by metal bars sitting in its small cage.
The static fizzled into a coherent picture. The image of a doll or puppet came on the screen. Diana felt her blood freeze in her veins. She remembered it from the news when she was a child. Periodically she would see the image pop up on the screen with the mentioning of the jigsaw killer however her mother would promptly change the channel to something more innocent or all together shut off the television.
Even after they were taken hostage and held prisoner in their home her mother vainly attempted to shield her from outside evils even though she knew that the monsters were real, they had stolen her father after all.
She stared shakily at the television screen as the puppet turned its eyes slowly to face her. "Hello Diana. I want to play a game." It began huskily. "For years now you've suffered in silence with your pain, attempting suicide multiple times; half hearted attempts all in a bid for attention yet when help arrives you don't seek it out. You choose to remain quiet only to attempt time and again."
Diana walked slowly towards the television her legs shaking as she forced herself forward despite the fact that her head pounded painfully and all she wanted to do was lay down and sleep. "I am offering you a chance to reclaim your voice and free yourself from this vicious cycle. As you may have noticed already your mouth has been sewn shut preventing you from grasping the key that will be your salvation, the key to break your silence lies with in you. On your wrists are bombs that will detonate unless you are able to freed yourself." Diana brought her wrists up into view berating herself for not recognizing it sooner, the weight on her wrists. The bulky black bracelet things.
She shook her head quickly feeling the tears flow freely. "You have sixty seconds starting at the end of this message. Live or die, make your choice." The television shut off with a fizzle and the beeping began. Dianas head whipped to the right of her her eyes resting on the digital clock. She watched as it winded, fifty nine, fifty eight, fifty seven...she sunk to her knees and screamed only hearing her muffled cry reverberate off the walls.
She clutched at her hair pulling on it tightly and stood up spinning around looking for a way out desperately or something she could use to get the stitches off of her mouth. When she found nothing she mulled over what her instructions were. 'Break my silence, that's the key...that's how I find the key.'
Diana inspected her wrists again seeing the key holes that held the bombs in place. She could feel the tightness of the binds, it would be pointless to try and even attempt to remove them...waste of precious time. She glanced back up at the clock on the wall, forty, thirty nine, thirty eight...her time was running out.
Her fingers ran to the stitches dancing across them. She pulled at them wincing in pain and realized that they were anchored very well. She scanned the floor looking for something to cut them with finding nothing. She winced again at the pain as she pulled on one. She glanced at the clock again, it was down to thirty seconds. She worked her finger quickly at the corner of her mouth in an attempt to wedge it in her starting from the other side as well.
The stitches pulled causing some blood to drip down her chin but she knew it was nothing compared to what she would feel if the bombs went off. Her mind began to panic as her adrenaline kicked in making the pain fade somewhat. She jammed a finger into her mouth scraping her tongue with her nail. With that she began to tear at the stitches popping a few, crying out as she did so.
Once one came out the rest seemed to follow suit allowing her to open her mouth slowly screaming as she did so. The last bit of her lip ripped open forcefully blood erupting from her lips as they tore painfully. Tears filled her eyes as she eyed the clock, fifteen seconds. Now where was the key. There was supposed to be a key, she broke her silence, where was the key, the key, the key. 'The key to break your silence lies with in you.'
She glanced down towards her mouth running her fingers down the string that dangled out. She tugged on it feeling it move in her throat as something sharp tore at the soft tissue of her esophagus. She winced in pain, ten seconds left. She screamed out as she grasped the sting with both hands and began pulling despite the resistance and despite the pain.
She wanted to see her mother again, to go home, to go to work, to see the sun again, feel the breeze on her skin, see the moon, see the stars...she wanted to live. She screamed as blood bubbled up from her throat choking her as she gave a final tug pulling the key free. It was attached to a fish hook, bloody fish hook. Frantically she grabbed the key placing it in the first key hole on her left wrist unlocking the bracelet and tossed it off.
Her hand shook as she unlocked the second one waiting for it to detonate on her. It clicked open and shrugged that one off as well. She ran to the corner of the room shielding her head as the two bombs went off. It shook the room she was in causing some of the wall to crumble. The blast cracked the television screen and sent some shrapnel flying towards her cutting into her skin.
When the dust settled she glanced up tentatively spitting out blood. She let out a hoarse scream as she covered her face again and began to cry.
"Congratulations." A voice said from across the room. Her eyes shot open and her sobbing stopped, she knew that voice. "You survived. There are so many people who don't appreciate their lives, Diana...do you appreciate your life now?" The man asked.
Diana slowly brought her head up staring at the man. He was older than what she remembered, it had been ten years since she had last seen him. His blonde hair was more white with some flecks of blonde still in it here or there. He had stubble that looked to be no more than a days worth. He was dressed in a simple black tee and denim jeans. Her eyes moved to the cane that he leaned upon heavily.
She stood up slowly her legs not wanting to support her weight anymore. She used the wall behind her to help her stand. Her hands grasped at the concrete trying to find something to grab onto finding nothing. She swallowed hard as the older man stared back at her. "You did this to me? You brought me here?" She whispered out feeling blood leak up from her throat causing her to cough.
"It was necessary. You couldn't continue your life the way it was, you didn't appreciate it. The life that your mother and I couldn't wait to make, the life we gave you." He replied. Diana wanted to scream at him and accost him on where he had been all this time. What he had been doing was obvious, she wanted to accuse him of being a murderer. "So I ask you again, do you appreciate your life now?"
Diana felt the adrenaline waver slightly returning her to her panic from before, it was dulled somewhat do to the pain but still there all the same. Slowly her head nodded on its own, she was grateful. She was hurt, scared beyond what she had ever thought possible but she was alive. She would walk outside and continue to live each day after.
Her legs moved on their own towards the man on the other side of the room. It had been so long since she had seen him, tears of happiness sprung to her eyes as her slow walk became a short jog. She flung her arms around his middle burying her face into his torso breathing in his scent deeply, it was still the same cologne.
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders tightly burying his face into her hair and sighed.
'If I had given up I would have missed out on this.' She thought to herself. She sighed as well smiling to herself. "Daddy, I've missed you."