Shelter me from this again, dedicated to the end. Help me break my conscience in to free us from our innocence. I am losing you again. Let me out and let me in. Cause your not alone here (not at all). Let me belong here, break my fall.
She struggled to open her eyes, her head throbbing on the left side of her temple but the cold sensation of the concrete against it gave her a strange sense of relief. Slowly she shuffled her hands until they were underneath her body and pushed herself up, her arms shaking as she pitched from side to side a little. She was not only dazed but so dizzy she felt like she was going to get sick. Her blurred vision focused in and out but this time it was worse then it had even been and it took her a moment to focus on the floor underneath of her but not very long to realize that it was tinged with a dark cherry colored red blood stain that was abnormally large. Blinking a few times to rationalize this in her mind, she reached up to the side of her head that started throbbing, wincing a bit since even the slightest touch was ungodly painful. As she pulled her hand away, she looked down at it to see it coated in the same dark cherry red as the stain on the floor and abruptly fell backwards into a sitting position, rolling her fingers together in it. Now, normally anyone else would have screamed but this lifestyle she was living desensitized her so much that she merely sat in a state of confusion and not hysteria.
Looking around the room through slanted eyes that were having trouble focusing thanks to whatever hit her in the temple, she saw nothing that would indicate she was in any trouble. The only thing that registered was the cloak overtop of something rather large, causing her to tilt her head to the side in confusion. It took her a while to get up, stumbling as she pressed her hand to the side of her head, her shirt soaked in her blood. She tried to regain her balance, stumbling blindly over to the door first. Before pushing against it she peered at the almost invisible wire and then around the doorway realizing that there was indeed a trip wire here to detonate whatever was on the door. Frowning, she stepped back and sighed, shaking her head - if John was trying to test her ability to think on her feet like he did from time to time she was going to kill him (and that still didn't explain the unnecessary bashing in of her temple). Next her attention turned to the cloak and she slowly approached it, fingering the material cautiously and looking around to make sure that pulling it off wouldn't give her any unnecessary surprises. Whatever it was it was big and very carefully she started to pull it off before jerking it hard to get it to come off the top after all she saw were someone's legs. As the cover billowed down to the floor she put her hands up to mouth, feeling a strange sickness in the pit of her stomach.
"Oh…oh shit JOHN!" rushing up to the motionless man in the trap, she stopped short at the bottom of the platform and simply stared in disbelief. Realizing that wouldn't help she started to call his name in an attempt to wake him up - how the fuck did the creator end up playing his own sick and twisted games?! "JOHN! John answer me. Fucking answer me! Wake up!" Searching around frantically for some way to free him from the trap, she paused as she heard a groan and realized she was holding her breath, waiting for a sign from him that he was indeed alive.
Slowly John lifted his head, running his tongue over his lips due to the parched sensation in his mouth before he tasted the ever familiar taste of blood in his mouth. His vision was slightly blurry and it took only few minutes before his eyes focused on Michelle standing in front of him with an expression of horror on her face - not only that, she was covered in blood and he could faintly hear her calling his name through the buzzing in his ears. He noticed he had free movement in all of his limbs but there was a strange sensation around his neck - interesting, a collar and a chain. John wasn't really calculating what was happening to him as much as he was trying to figure out if where he was was real. Seeing the panic in Michelle's eyes clued him in to the fact that he was indeed in a rather precarious situation and there were only two people that could be blamed for this - which one was going to pay first when he got out was another question. He finally managed to find the ability to speak after collecting all the necessary data, extending his hand in her general direction to calm her down "Relax. Remember, panicking won't help either of us."
"…how the fuck does this happen in the first place?! John, is this a fucking joke cause it's not funny, I'm going to tell you that right--"
"No. I didn't do this, but I have two guesses as to who did."
The expression of horror turned into sorrow as she dropped her head momentarily to look at the ground. Oh, so this is how it happened huh? They were tested to see if they trusted one another and now they were testing them? Why would Amanda go against the man she idolized and why would Hoffman take that risk of losing his own life? She heard that eerie buzz, knew it well, and quickly turned around to face the TV as Billy spoke to his very own "father".
"Hello John and Michelle. I'll skip the formalities as I'm sure you already realize the situation you have found yourselves in. John, you claim that the heart cannot be involved, however you have essentially disobeyed your own rules by allowing yourself attachment to a test subject. In this time you have selfishly requested her love and attention with the realization that you will one day leave her very early on to fend for herself with the promise of your eternal guidance. You appear to love this girl yet seem to only be using her, unable bring yourself to even profess it to her with the very word "love". Are you willing to leave her with no true notion of your affections, to mourn what might have been, or will you tell her the truth of how you feel? You have neglected your so-called "daughter" in pursuit of your own selfish happiness.
Michelle, for the past months you have brought yourself deeper and closer into the world of Jigsaw when you swore to yourself that you would never become a killer like this man. Not only have you involved yourself in his work but you have involved yourself in every part of his life, selflessly giving your body to him at his every call. But do you truly love the man before you in the way that would dictate your actions or are you just seeking your own physical satisfaction? You know the consequences for getting attached to this man, the length of his life being short, however you continue on this path - is it one of self destruction? You struggle to express your feelings, well tonight you'll show him and I just how you feel."
A spotlight flickered on to a metal box with on glass window and a key hanging inside, both of them staring at it silently, deep in thought as the instructions continued.
"In that box is the key to unlock the collar around John's neck. You have 30 seconds to get the key to him. If you fail to do so, the platform under his feet with drop out and his neck will snap. Seems simple? Listen carefully, there is a trick. Upon approaching the box you must stand on the metal pedal on the floor in order to get the door to open Upon reaching into the box you will have snake venom injected into your bloodstream - there is no escaping this. There will only be a very short period of time after you are injected before your internal tissues start to dissolve and your heart stops. The only antidote for the venom is upstairs. Ironic, isn't it? Michelle, are you willing to sacrifice your very life to save John or will you let him die?"
As the TV buzzed off she looked to John before looking at the camera in the corner of the room. "You stupid motherfucker this is an unwinnable fucking trap!!! John gave both of you a chance to live! One of is going to have to die!!" That was it, the realization hit her - one of them was going to die, whether she chose to die for him or he chose to die for her. Turning back around to face him, she saw the timer on the wall ticking down quickly, with only 20 seconds left to spare. "John…"
John sighed and shook his head, disappointed and clearly aware that Hoffman was the one behind this. There wasn't anything he could say to make her feel better…except for one thing "Michelle. My time is up soon anyway. Do not make this sacrifice for m--MICHELLE!!!" Before he could finish he watched the young woman rush to the metal box and pause before the pedal, turning to look at him once more. "Don't do this! LISTEN TO ME!"
"But--"
"But nothing. Come here!" he turned his head to glance at the clock on the wall as the remaining 10 seconds were counting down before turning to face her.
She was hesitating, looking to the clock herself - 8 seconds left. Oh god, she couldn't let him die like this, she cared she…she really did. "John, I can't let you die, okay, I can't! I would give anything--"
"I know!" he shouted as he looked to her, seeing her expression change as the last remaining seconds ticked away. "I know that you care. I know that--"
"But…shit, I love you okay?!" she turned to face the box, tromping on the pedal as the metal door swung open but the sound of John screaming her name stopped her once again.
"Michelle! Listen to me I lo--" The clock ticked to zero and the platform opened up. Michelle watched helplessly as the weight of John's body carried him towards the floor, his neck snapping, the metal collar cutting into his flesh, causing a spray of blood to shower the very floor beneath him. The very sound caused her heart to stop, the tears suddenly pouring from her eyes and it was as if it lasted forever as she rushed towards him, feeling as though the distance was just too far away.
"OH FUCK NO JOHN!!!--"
"JOHN!" she sat up abruptly in the bed, her body covered in a cold sweat, her heart racing, and her hands shaking uncontrollably as tears ran down her face. What the fuck?? It was just a dream? She shivered even though she wasn't cold, looking around frantically for any sign of John before seeing the light above his desk on, realizing that he had mentioned he was going to work on a trap tonight. She could have woken the dead with the way she just screamed and at this rate, she felt like she did. She wrapped her arms around herself, shuddering before realizing she was about to throw up. Quickly rushing out of bed, she ran into the bathroom, practically collapsing to the floor as she did the one thing everyone hated doing - "praying to the porcelain god." She could feel the burning sensation, closing her eyes as the tears continued to flow, wrapping her arms tightly around the toilet. "Oh god…" the very dream itself was what caused the reaction but now she would be haunted by it for the rest of the night. Why did she even dream that? Was it because she was afraid of what life would be like without him? Was it because she worried about knowing how he felt for her? Was it because she questioned her own existence within the walls of this warehouse, within the life of John Kramer? Or was it because of what she witnessed with Hoffman and Amanda that day? She didn't have the answer but the person standing in the doorway who heard her screams would want to know...