CHAPTER 5

"What do you mean he's gone?"

Amon was still smarting from where Dojima's knuckles had collided with his lip and was unable to answer right away. "It's just like I said; he's gone missing."

Recounting old facts didn't ease Dojima's pain in the least bit. "How the hell can you come in here together and end up letting him bet captured?"

"Ryotaro, please..." Karasuma looked to Amon, "How in the world did this happen again?"

"I don't know, I can't remember clearly. We were both in the car when all of a sudden I felt something in my neck. I can't remember anything after that."

Karasuma approached Amon and examined his neck with her flashlight."Ah, looks like a punture wound..."

"No kidding," Amon said back, rubbing his sore neck.

The troop of investigators were busy poking away at the crime scene, checking every last car from top to bottom and all turning up the same exact thing; nothing. That is until Sakaki made a discovery. "Sonuva bitch! Miho, look at this!"

He was crouched on his hands and knees with his head underneath one of the double seats. Karasuma joined him and shone her flashlight through the gap "Sonuva bitch..." she breathed. She extended her black leather-gloved hand underneath and retrieved the object of interest. It was a large hypodermic needle. "This could give us some answers." She sealed the hypo in a plastic evidence baggie and stood up to face Mr. Dojima. "This will likely provide us with the answers we're looking for," she said.

By now, Dojima had regained some semblance of calmness, though it still took every fiber of his being to keep from screaming at this woman, "And what answers could that possibly bring you? You think it will tell you where my nephew is?"

"Not exactly, but we'll get the next best thing; the prints of whoever took him. And that person is likely to be the same one who attacked Amon." Dojima expelled a long breath and clenched his teeth. It was evident to him that these little PI's were content to play who done it until some kind of answer showed up. Well, he didn't have that kind of time, and he was sure Altair didn't either. Before anything else was said, he whiped around and left the crime scene. He knew he didn't have any juristiction in this backwater precinct, but his title would at least afford him the cooperation of the local authorities

Dojima climbed into his black cruiser and keyed the ignition; the car didn't start. "Ah, HELL! NOT NOW!" He turned the key again and once more the engine remained dead silent. Dojima slouched down in the seat and tried to keep himself from screaming again. Altair was in the hands of some lunatic trapmaster and here he was... with a dead battery. Dojima made to lean forward to maybe make another attempt at starting his stupid car, but the hand that suddenly clapped over his mouth made leaning anywhere impossible. Before he could even shoot his arms up to defend himself, there was a quick pop in his neck and everthing began to blur. In his fading conscienceness, Dojima caught sight of something in his rear veiw mirror that didn't make any sense. There were two enourmous yellow eyes with beady black pupils, there was purple...and red a..nd ye...llo...w...

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Chihiro limped down the decrpit corridor not sure which way to go. she was positive she had passed the same door about three times already, but then again, everything pretty much looked the same down here in this half pitch darkness. Chihiro wobbled into another hallway and came to a dead stop. This door looked different than the rest, as it was much larger. The faded peeling letters above it read: ATRIUM. And written on those same doors, in the red lettering that Chihiro had grown strangely familiar with, were the words:

ALL NEED NOT BE LOST

Chihiro stood dazed in the spot, but quickly pulled herself together, every second she wasted here, was another second closer to her death. She pushed open the double doors, with some little difficulty, and entered the pitch black room. "Hello..." she called softly. With no warning, the lights flared on and Chihiro felt dizzy all over again. The scene before her was something she couldn't make sense of, not unlike everything she had witnessed before. But this was different, the whole room had an air of finality to it, she couldn't shake the suspicion that this was her final test.

"Chihiro, help me!" It was Fuuka. She was strapped in the strangest chair she had ever seen. It was made of rusty gray steel and had a steel harness that was attached to the back that rose over her head, keeping her from moving it at all. "Get me out of here!" Chihiro made to dash towards her but the sudden crackle of the P.A. system stoped her in her tracks.

"Chihiro, welcome to your final test. If you have learned anything along your journey it's that trust is the key to your survival, well now, it will be the key to everyone else's. Before you now is your closest friend, she is your sole focus, however she is not alone in this game."

At this point, two more lights flashed on, revealing two more people that Chihiro didn't know, they looked like more hospital patients as they were still in their gowns. They were strapped in the same chair that Fuuka was in.

"You will find that these three people are in identical situations, and all three have been given identical information. Behind these three people you will find three doors, each of them has been given the knowledge that their door is the path to salvation. The choice of which door to take falls upon you, Chihiro. Open the right door and life shall be gifted to you all, in choosing the wrong door, however, death shall be the only reward. Make your decision quickly though, for when the timer hits zero, all shall be lost. Make your choice."

The P.A. system fell silent as a new sound filled the atrium:

"Please get me out of here!"

"What the hells going on!"

"For the love of god help me!"

Chihiro cringed and coverd her ears. The sounds of these poor people beggeing her to save their lives was too much for her to take. But that's when another sound filled the room. from the floors directly underneath each of the victim's chairs , rose something Chihiro could best describe as a long spinning drill bit. They were rising directly underneath their chins, and they could not move their heads out of their paths.

"This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening..." Chihiro could not focus through the fear.

"Chihiro wake up! You gotta help me!" Fukka was to the far left of this demented arragement. "Just open my door, please!"

"No don't do it, it's my door!" screamed the man in the middle.

"No, no , no, it's mine! You can trust me!" said the woman on the other end.

Chihiro looked beyond the three of them to the three doors behind. One of them was the key to their salvation, the other two were paths to thier deaths. Her thoughts were broken by a cry of pure anquished terror from Fukka. The drill bits were halfway up to their chins now as they rose up between the victim's legs in a hole in chairs. If Chihiro didn't decide soon, their brains would be peirced.

"Chihiro just look at me. I wouldn't lie to you, how long have we known eachother? Please help me!"

"Fuck her!" The man spoke up "That's what this maniac wants you to do! he's twanging your heart strings so you'll make the wrong choice! Pick my door, you can save us all!"

Chihiro clenched her teeth and bit back a scream. The woman on the left had given up begging and simply stared at Chihiro with the desperation written all over her face.

"Chihiro, please..." Fukka's voice was barely above a whisper.

Chihiro had to act. She ran around the three chairs and climbed the three stairs to the level the doors were on. The victims couldn't swivel their heads around to see the choice she was about to make, they had to take it on faith that it was the right one.

"Hurry!" Fukka cried.

"Okay...okay..." She paced past each of the doors, thinking as fast as she could. And that's when what the man said came back to her. She placed her hand on the middle door, and as though Fukka could sense what she was doing immediatly screamed,

"No, Chihiro! Don't!"

But her choice had already been made. She pulled as hard as she could on the handle. The door was impossibly heavy, it was at least three foot thick wrought iron. Chihiro had to pull it with both hands to gain any leverage. As soon as she managed to slide it just far enough, she squeezed her way through the crack. Right away the door behind her slamed shut. Chihiro threw her weight against it, but it was hopelessly locked tight. Now she stood in absolute solid darkness, for some reason, she got the sense that the room she was in was no larger than a broomcloset. She stood there waiting for something to happen. And then a solitary lightbulb flashed to life on the cieling, bathing the room in a haunting red glow. And there, written on the back wall were the last words Chihiro would ever see:

GAME OVER

-SAW 0-2 End

Whew, that was an ordeal. I'm really sorry about the lenth between chapter posts, I've been busy with alot of stuff. Anyway thanks for reading and be assured that part three is coming.