He stared down at the floor, and all that crossed his mind was the painful thought of choosing between the three.

He sat in his room and sent a text message reading: "The year 2008 is almost up. Now I ask you if there is anything you want to tell me before the year ends. Please be honest." A few minuets later he receives a text message back from "The Sara" it read: "U make me feel like I can stand up to anyone. That I am invincible. Thx" After reading he smiled and felt special, powerful, and important. He never knew that he made people feel that way.

Driving to pick her up, as he had been doing for a week now, he smiled when he saw her. She was a good friend, one that wasn't afraid to keep their friendship alive in public. He watched her get in the car and smiled, "Hey Jaya". As he drove he made some stupid conversation, and dumb remark; following a laugh, she joined in. He smiled with the satisfaction of making a friend laugh for the hell of it.

He had been out of school for a week, a week that felt too long; a week that he also knew he needed. He walked into the choir room filled with conversations of the day that was ceasing. He went in and started talking and in the corner of his eye he saw her, "HOLLIE!" he screamed out. She confirmed his calling by running up to him and giving him a big hug. It felt awesome, for he felt missed and loved by someone he had barely gotten the chance to talk or hang out with.

His attention was brought back to the clock that flashed red numbers at him, 2:45:06.

"Fifteen minuets and someone, two people who I love dearly…are going to die." A tear fell from his cheek. "How do I do this?" He slowly got up, glancing up at the three girls.

Sara was panicking as the water was close to her chin, she got more and more frustrated trying to suck in air. Her eyes were bloodshot from the fear within, and she kept slamming her hands into the glass walls so hard that she had busted a knuckle.

Jaya was suffocating to the maximum, but still being kept alive for torture. Her eyes kept shutting and fluttering open as she gasped for air. She began coughing, and soon blood came up. She herself had tried slamming her fist into the glass, but her strength was no longer interested on getting out; her strength was actually concentration on staying alive.

Hollie was the goriest to witness, for her skin was being devoured from the mice that crawled around her. She was crying loudly, you obviously could see if for you heard no sounds. After her legs got eaten so badly she feel to the bottom of the chamber and broke down crying hysterically and trying to escape from the hell she was in.

"God…what the fuck do I do? I want to save all three…not just one." He thought slowly, but quickly went back in fear. He gazed back up to the clock, 2:34:05. "Shit…I'm spending too much time thinking!"

The clock counted down…and Stephan was left speechless, for he had no clue who he wanted to save. He kept coming up with the right person, and then had the urge to save another; he feared that in the end all would end up dying since he couldn't make a choice.

"God I hate just not being able to do anything…" Emily cried out.

"All we can do is wait. I mean we can't do anything. We have no idea where he is…and we have no fucking clue what more he has to go through." Victor said, trying to sound as calm as he could.

"Oh my god man, I mean seeing those three like that. It's so hard." Luis said softly.

"C'mon Stephan…you can do this." Emily whispered.

The clock broke its final countdown, the minute to their deaths were close. Sara had be holding her breath for as long as she can, now blood trickled within the water. Jaya had a puddle of blood that lied below her, for now she was throwing up blood. Plus, she was bleeding from the eyes, this poison was killing her. Hollie was almost barely moving as the final minuet struck, the rats kept feeding of her skin.

"Stephan…!" Sara exclaimed after the long week of being absent. "I missed you so much!"

"Oh my god, are you gonna be okay now?" Jaya asked. "It's gonna be hard, but I know you can get through it."

"I missed you!" Hollie exclaimed. "I'm glad you're back." She smiled.

It was at that precise moment he knew his decision. He knew a way around, if it was a way around. These three were chosen for a reason, and the reason was to test his value of friendship. He glanced at the clock, 2:30:58

"Okay John!" He screamed. "I give up, I won't let one survive without the other two…so I chose to let all three die." He gulped.

The clock hit 2:30:00. But it still kept counting down, and the three girls lied within the chambers; until a click had been heard.

"You are a true friend; you value these three more than most would value one." He paused. "They should be so grateful that you are their friend, for because of you they get to see the light of another day."

The first chamber opened as water poured out pushing Stephan back, and continued by making him fall. Sara then lied in an empty chamber coughing water up. When all water was free from her lungs she let out a screeching cry.

The second chamber opened as the gas had disappeared; the gasping Jaya struggled to breathe, seeing the chamber open brought tears, normal tears, back into her eyes. She then joined in with Sara while she kept hyperventilating and crying her ass off.

Hollie's chamber opened and the rats had scattered out. Stephan only shooed them off by threatening to step on them, they hurried away into a crack in the wall. Hollie lied in a corner of a chamber almost motionless, until she gasped loudly and begged for air. When she realized that she was live, and the only thing that didn't get eaten was her face; she joined in with the two others.

"Oh god…" He said, "I'm sorry…" Stephan added. "I didn't ask for this…"

Suddenly the room went dark, and all four victims let out a shriek. When the room had any light again, it was towards a door behind him. He slowly turned towards the door and motioned to the girls to follow. While moaning and groaning, struggling to get up, they achieved hidden energy to follow.

He slowly walked up to the door and touched the lever; he felt three hands on his back.

"We're here Stephan; you won't have to finish this alone." Sara said.

He pulled the lever and the door clicked. There was a short hallway beyond them led to another door. Stephan sighed and ascended onwards with the three behind him, shaking and in pain. He wanted to get out and see the light of a cold winter day; he wanted to see his mom, his brother, his family, and his life.

He reached the second door he again pulled the lever, looking back at the three again who nodded encouraging him. He pulled and the door opened, it was a dark room with a spotlight in the center. He walked in and had a groupie behind following closely. When they reached the center the door had shut and bolted. Suddenly the room had 6 lights that went off from hanging lamps. Below those six lights sat six people who remained unconscious.

"No…not again." Stephan stated in fear and in agony.

"Hello Stephan, welcome to stage two…"

From then all that could be heard was the screaming of the four in the center of the room. It was a nightmare that was only getting worse, a nightmare that was intended to happen from the beginning.

"There'll be blood sir?" The man asked.

"Yes…there will be blood." He laughed, "Don't go thinking he's going to be able to save everyone today, because he has no idea what's in store for him."