Thanks so so much to my reviewers. Angst is here, peeps! I do have a couple of things to say first. A couple of chapters ago, I found out via a reviewer (thanks sassa001) that Atwater is a real school! I honestly had no idea, but I thought it was cool. If anyone's heard of it or been there or whatever let me know ;-)
Now, this doesn't happen in your average high school. I know that. But how much fun would it be if it was like a normal high school? This may seem farfetched now, but bear with me!
Feels like I'm taking a massive risk with this chapter so I hope you like!
Read, Enjoy, Review!
Chapter Twenty Eight # Welcome to the House of Hell #
Morgan stared at the flowing fabric as she turned slowly. "Wow..."
The ivory dress hugged her arms and her torso lightly, and the skirt puffed out slightly from where it was drawn in at the waist.
"You look really nice." Greg grinned slightly shyly as they followed Lord Oswald up a large flight of stairs into a large hall. The hall was dimly lit, giving it an eerie feel despite Lord Oswald saying that the horror movie part wouldn't happen until later.
The man led them through each room, explaining in detail each rooms purpose and features. At noon, they were taken into the 'dining hall' where they could see the other teens. However, they were led to a well set table at the front of the room so they were able to talk to the others but not sit with them. Instead Susannah led them each to a specific seat. Ryan and Archie sat at opposite ends of the table. Around the edges sat Greg and Morgan, Nick and Tali, Catherine and Warrick and Tony and Sara.
"This is so cool." Sara couldn't wipe the grin off of her face.
"I know, right?" Half of the others said at once.
"Hey, Sanders, you dress like a fag often?" Stetler jeered, leaning over.
"Nah, I leave that to you." Greg shrugged, not even glancing at the genuine 19th century suit he'd been given.
Stetler stood up but one of the costumed men walked over to him and spoke to him harshly. Stunned, Stetler returned to his seat.
"Care for some fresh fish, Miss Sidle?" Tony asked in his poshest accent.
"No thank you, Mr. DiNozzo. I am of the vegetarian tendency." Sara smiled.
"Really? How come?" Tony asked, returning to his normal voice.
"Uh, we did this experiment in Grissom's class with this pig and this flies, it was about like...decomposition or something." Sara shuddered lightly. "I haven't been able to touch meat since."
"That's too bad." Tony frowned.
"How's your baby doing?" Warrick asked Catherine.
"Good, I think." Catherine smiled and nodded, feeling ridiculously shy. "I'm two and a half, three months right now, so I haven't had a scan yet. I got one scheduled for two weeks time, but I went to the doctors, had a couple of tests and the doc said I'm good for now."
"How you holding up?"
Catherine looked into Warrick's eyes, eyes she had heard cruel jokes about from other kids, and saw nothing but warmth and light concern. "I'm good." She nodded, smiling wryly. Then she looked back down at her plate.
"You sure?" Warrick shook his head. "Sorry, none of my business."
"It's okay." Catherine looked back at Warrick. "Really. And I am sure. I just... I kinda feel..." she sighed. "Never mind."
"Okay." Warrick shrugged. "That's cool."
"So Jamie called you last night?"
Tali nodded, poking at her food with a sigh. "Yeah. Said he made a mistake..."
"And are you...?"
"No." Tali shook her head, placing her fork down. "I'm not ever getting back with him. Uh uh."
"Okay." Nick held his hands up. "I'm not tryin' to attack you."
She smiled at him. "I know, sorry Nicky."
Trying to squash the butterflies that fluttered up in his stomach when Tali called him 'Nicky' he smiled. "It's cool. You know, he gives you any trouble..."
"Thanks, but I don't think he will."
"You need me, you call, okay?"
"Okay." Tali smiled. "I promise."
After lunch, they were shown around the horror movie set, still in costume. The hours flew by as they were taken through the sets and props, even being able to speak to a couple of actors.
"Russell?" Grissom asked quietly as the teens laughed at one of Lady Madeline's impressive jokes.
"Yeah?"
"Do you have your watch?"
"Yeah, of course." Russell lifted up his wrist but there was nothing there. "Dammit!"
"Same here." They kept the low tones, not wanting to distract the students and Grissom pulled out his mobile phone. "Oh, god, we were supposed to leave half an hour ago, why didn't they..." He scrolled through the texts on his phone and he felt shivers down his spine.
"G, R, we're leaving now. Where are you?"
"On our way, go ahead we'll be along soon."
He never sent that text. Russell frowned at the phone and checked his own. A text had been sent to one of the other teachers.
"We're gonna drop the students off at their own homes as they're all on the way to school. See you tomorrow."
"Uh oh..." Russell muttered. He and Grissom exchanged a look. "
Guys, we've gotta go now." Russell announced. "In fact, we should've gone half an hour ago."
"What?" Tony frowned.
"Thanks for the tour but we'll be leaving now." Grissom nodded at Lady Madeline politely.
"As you wish." She nodded.
"You take them out, I'll talk to her, ask her who the hell sent those messages, I'll meet you back at the minibus in ten minutes. Don't trust any texts." Russell told Grissom quietly.
"This way, guys." Grissom led them back into the changing rooms. "Quickly."
Sensing but not questioning the urgency in their teacher's voice they raced into the changing rooms.
"Uh, sir? Our clothes have gone!" Morgan called, sounding irritated. They boys came out of their room fully changed, but the girls were still in the long dresses.
Greg peered out the window. "Where's the minibus?"
Grissom's heart sank. "We have to leave, now."
"But our clothes-" Catherine protested.
"I see them!" Sara pointed to a neat pile of fabric at the end of the room.
"Hurry." Grissom urged as the girls ran back into the changing rooms.
As Sara pulled the dress off from over her head with no problem, but the deep blue corset she had been given to wear under her dress refused to come undone.
"Guys, I'm stuck!" Catherine, who was already in her own clothes moved over to help her.
Tali pulled of the deep red and black dress only to have the same problem as Sara, the blood red ribbon of the deep red and black corset refusing to loosen. "Son of a..." She shook her head.
"I can't get the dress off." Morgan worried.
"This is weird." Tali stated as she tried to pull Morgan's dress loose so the small girl could escape but nothing happened.
"I'll help." Susannah suddenly said and they all jumped. No one had seen her enter. "They often have this trouble."
Sara and Tali put on their jeans as Susannah walked over to Morgan. She un-looped a ribbon and the sleeves fell away from the dress.
"Its okay, they were designed to do that." She reassured the gasping Morgan. She untied another ribbon and helped Morgan pull away the top of the dress, leaving only the ivory corset and skirt.
Suddenly someone screamed just outside the changing room and the girls whirled around. When they turned back, Susannah and the rest of their clothes were gone.
"Hey!" Sara called indignantly.
"Susannah? Can we have our clothes back please?" Morgan tried.
Tali swore in Hebrew. "Now what do we...Morgan?"
Morgan's eyes were unfocused and wide, her mouth forming a tiny 'o'. Suddenly she collapsed to the floor.
"MORGAN!" Sara and Tali shrieked, but as they lurched towards her they fell face down onto the floor.
Catherine screamed. "HELP US!"
As soon as she sucked in the air, she knew it was the wrong thing to do. Her eyes felt so heavy, she was so, so tired. She was unconscious before she hit the floor.
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Catherine forced her eyes to open and almost screamed. She was in a glass box, standing upright. Her torso, neck, arms and legs were tied to the back of the box with a smooth grey rope. She looked around the room. Tali and Nick were both awake and alert in two adjacent old fashioned prison cells. Both were chained to the wall.
Sara and Tony were chained to chairs, back to back, fabric gags in both of their mouths. Tony looked unconscious but Sara was wide awake, staring at Morgan who was curled up in what looked like a dog crate, duct tape stuck over her mouth. Next to her was Ryan who was laying hog tied on the floor, a gag in his mouth.
When Catherine turned her head she saw Warrick with his arms and legs chained to the floor. His glasses were gone. Next to him was a small, suspended cage containing Archie who was almost as cramped up as Morgan, a similar strip of tape over his mouth.
She couldn't see Greg or their teachers anywhere.
The man, Lord Oswald strode into the room his heavy stride woke those who had still been unconscious.
"Hello, children. Are you wondering what's going on? Of course you are." He picked up a knife and he turned it over in his hand. "I'll tell you why you're here. The values that you children hold today make me sick. When you say you are friends and you would not hesitate to run away in a fight. You sit around and moan and complain about how hard your lives are and you've never truly had to work for anything. You are educated constantly about the dangers of things like smoking, alcohol, drugs, unprotected sex, and do you listen? Do you hell! You are a generation filled with disrespectful layabouts and filthy sluts. Take Ms. Willows. You're pregnant and I can guarantee that you aren't married. What sort of morals are they? Your generation have to wake up and smell the stench of the society they are choking the life out of. We will use you to make them see." He smiled a creepy smile and bent down, peering through the cage at Morgan. He poked his fingers through, stroking her cheek. She flinched away but there was nowhere to go.
"Leave her alone!" Nick called bravely as one of only two of them that could speak.
Lord Oswald's eyebrows rose. "We have a brave one. It probably hasn't sunk in yet that this is all real. Do you need some help in finding out what's real and what's not? Well, my name's not really Lord Oswald. It's the most ridiculous name that I thought of. You can now call me Azrael."
"Like that's not a stupid name!" Tony scoffed, but through the gag it came out as "Mmk mm mm mm mmmm m!"
Azrael acted as if he hadn't heard. "I want to show you something." He pressed a button and a large TV screen appeared.
Tony made another sarcastic comment but it didn't get past the duct tape.
"Shh, Mr. DiNozzo." Itzli tapped him on the cheek. Tony thought he would have preferred a slap.
The screen blinked to life on one of the men that had been outside school at the beginning of the day in what looked like the kitchen carrying a limp body in his arms. Morgan whimpered as Greg's face fell into view.
The man lay Greg down on the table in the middle of the room, tying his limbs one by one to the table. Greg didn't stir. The man pulled out a large butcher's knife and Morgan screamed in horror through the gag. The knife rose into the air and smashed down inches from Greg's fingers.
Greg's eyes fluttered open and he took in his surroundings in growing fear.
"Who are you? Where am I, what are you doing?"
The man turned away, lighting a stove beneath a saucepan. Greg struggled against the bonds, fear highlighting every feature as the man turned around. Greg seemed to be trying to shrink further into the table as the man showed him the knife wordlessly.
"How many horror films have you seen?" The man sang and Greg's breaths got caught in his throat.
"Leave him alone!" Tali and Nick called desperately, speaking for all of them. Azrael raised his eyebrows and turned wordlessly back to the screen.
The man onscreen picked up a large wooden hammer type thing that Sara recognised as a meat tenderiser. She cried out through the duct tape the man raised it above Greg's stomach.
"No! Stop, please don't!" Greg wailed as the man hit his stomach. Greg screamed out in pain and tried to squirm but there was no escape from the next five blows.
By the time the man put the wooden hammer down, tears were trailing down Greg's cheeks. Sara, Morgan, Tali, and Catherine also had tears on their faces. Nick's eyes were full of tears but he managed to wipe them away. Warrick looked like he was going to throw up, whereas both Ryan and Archie had stopped watching.
"Now, you've all seen horror movies." Azrael announced. "We have been dying to actually get some true horror going in this place, real life horror and you are the lucky winners of the trial, thanks to pregnant Barbie over there." The man nodded at Catherine who was more confused than ever. Upon seeing the look on her face he clarified. "Madeline hates a whore."
Catherine went bright red.
"Now it's far more interesting to play all of cat and mouse so here's what I'm gonna do. I'll leave a key on this table here for you. You can try to escape if you want. In half an hour, two things will happen. I will come back here, and -" he glanced at the screen. The man onscreen nodded and pulled up Greg's top, tying a candle upright to his stomach and lighting it. "- and that flame with reach little Greg's stomach. Have a nice day." The man disappeared out of a small door which locked heavily behind him.
"Oh my god!" Tali cried.
"This is bad!" Nick's voice was high. Warrick said something through the gag which sounded a lot like 'you don't say?'
On the screen, the man pressed a length of duct tape over his mouth and left the room, leaving Greg alone. Greg started moaning and then screaming in pain as the hot wax dripped onto his skin.
Behind him, Tony could feel Sara shaking. Stretching as far as he could with his hand he found hers, giving it a light squeeze. She turned her head in shock but couldn't get close enough to see him. She hesitantly but gratefully squeezed back.
"What are we going to do?" Tali whispered.
"Mg!" Morgan strained toward the screen.
"I have an idea. I'd Sara and Tony could shuffle the chairs over to the key and brush it off to Warrick then he gets it and unlocks himself and then gets the rest of us out." Nick suggested.
"Good plan. What if the key doesn't unlock that?' Catherine yelled so she could be heard from behind the thick glass.
"We'll think of a Plan B. Could you do that, guys?"
Sara and Tony nodded determinedly, pushing up onto their toes to shuffle the two chairs closer to the table. When they got there, Sara leaned her head onto the table, brushing it off. It landed with a soft clang centimetres away from Warrick's hand.
He stretched as far as he could and drew it toward him with his fingertips. He managed to bring the key to his other hand and slipped it into the lock of the chains. With a satisfying clunk it burst open and the nine teens exhaled with relief.
Warrick was quick to unlock all of the chains binding him to the floor and pulling gag out of his mouth.
"Sara next?" Sara shook her head violently at Nick's suggestion and jutted her chin towards Morgan, who couldn't physically move in the tiny crate.
Warrick nodded and stumbled over, but there was a padlock with a letter combination securing the door. Warrick tried as many obvious combinations as he could but nothing happened. He frowned, remembering the scary smile on 'Azrael's face. He tried one more time.
The padlock burst open and Warrick threw it to the floor, the word "haha" staring up at him.
He helped Morgan to ease out of the crate, the mother of all pins and needles attacking every limb causing her to fall straight towards the floor. A pair of strong arms caught her and lowered her gently downwards.
She smiled gratefully at Warrick, but then her eyes returned to the panicking Greg on the screen and fresh tears began cascading down her cheeks as she slowly removed the gag.
Warrick pulled the chains off of Sara and Tony next, and Sara ran to untie Ryan whilst Tony went to Archie's aid. Nick turned to Tali and she nodded.
"Catherine next, Warrick."
Warrick nodded and went straight to the thick glass box. He pulled it open with relative ease.
"Thank you." Catherine breathed. Warrick smiled and tugged on the ropes, but nothing happened.
"Wait!" Morgan cried. "He said Barbie."
She shakily got up and went around to the back of the box and started unravelling the top rope. Catherine took a deep breath of relief as the rope around her neck fell away.
"I remember being a little kid, getting a Barbie doll for Christmas...They were always tied to the back of the box with these little wires." Morgan said as she untangled each of the ropes one by one and Catherine was freed.
"Thanks." She gave Morgan a quick hug, and they all crowded around Nick and Tali. To everyone's disappointment, the key didn't fit.
Onscreen, Greg screamed in horror as a large portion of wax slid of the candle onto his stomach. Morgan's heart fluttered with her breathing and Nick's arm flew towards Morgan through the bars. It fell just short of her arm, but she stepped forward, dropping her head against the bars.
Nick massaged her shoulder. "Go."
Everyone looked at him. He looked at Tali for a minute, but spoke to the others. "We have to split up. Greg's gettin' hurt every second, and if that guy, Azrael or whatever comes back then we're all screwed."
"I'll stay with you." Warrick volunteered. "Get you two out."
"I'll stay too." Catherine declared.
Nick sighed. If Tali wasn't still stuck too, he might have protested a little longer. "Okay, but everyone else try find Greg."
"And then what do we do? Get out, come back?" Sara asked.
Nick shrugged. "Get help. Find Grissom and Russell. We'll try and find you."
"Be careful!" Tali added as the five headed for the door.
"It's locked." Morgan cursed.
Tony pushed past her gently and pulled off his shoe, pulling a small blade out from the soul. "Gibbs' rule number nine, always carry a knife." He stuck the knife into the crack and lifted it up so he moved the bolt , pushing the door open.
"See you soon." Sara looked over her shoulder at her friends as they disappeared down the hall.
"Okay, let's get you two lovebirds out of your cage." Warrick muttered.
"Lovebirds?" Catherine frowned.
"Warrick!" Nick moaned.
The door swung behind the others, and the screen went black.
"How the hell are we gonna get you out of here, man?" Warrick worried.
"I don't know, but we've only got ten minutes so you better hurry." Nick glanced at the ancient clock on the wall.
"Okay..."
"There are two separate doors, so..."
Catherine swore. "I have no idea what to do."
"Get Tali out first." Nick insisted.
"No, get-"
"No, trust me." Nick shook his head, looking at Tali.
"Either way, how the hell are we gonna do it?"
"It doesn't look like a lock with a key. Its downwards."
Tali swore. "I know what it is."
"What?" The others asked.
"It requires liquid of a certain consistency to fill it and open it. My father showed me once. It is designed to weaken any escaping prisoner." She tried to reach the door but was chained to the wall. "It needs blood."
"Oh, that is wrong!" Warrick complained. He sighed, picking up the key and stabbing himself in the arm with it.
"Warrick!" Nick and Catherine yelled.
"You didn't have to do that." Nick shook his head.
"Its fine." Warrick put his hand above the strange lock and waited impatiently as it filled with blood.
Sure enough, when it reached the top the door sprung open and Warrick moves over to Nick.
"Kinda like Harry Potter, in the cave in the Half Blood Prince." Nick mused as the door sprung open.
"Now all we gotta worry about is being chained to a wall." Tali bit her lip. Someone screamed in the distance.
"Oh my god! This isn't happening!" Catherine moaned softly. They tried the key in both locks. Nick's chains fell off but to everyone's horror Tali's didn't even budge.
She tugged at the chain but nothing happened. She checked every inch for a way out but there was nothing.
"We have five minutes!" Warrick warned.
"Go!" Tali insisted.
"You two go, I'll stay." Nick nodded.
"I'm not leaving." Warrick protested and Catherine nodded.
"You're pregnant, you gotta look after your baby and Warrick, you've gotta look after Catherine." Tali insisted. "We'll be fine."
Warrick sighed. "See you soon."
They reluctantly left the room.
"Now you can go, Nick."
"Uh uh. I'm not going anywhere."
Tali turned away. "Nick-"
"I'm not leaving, Tali."
She turned back to him, her eyes full of tears. "I don't want you to get hurt." She whispered.
Nick swallowed. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"Nick..." Tali's voice broke.
"We're gonna be fine. I'll get you out-"
"And how are you going to do that, Mr. Stokes?" Both teens whirled around. Azrael was back.
CSIVCSIVCSIV
"Which way's the kitchen?" Morgan panicked, facing the selection of doors. They had navigated around the house for the past ten minutes, and by Tony's watch they had two minutes to reach Greg before the flame did. Tony pointed to a door.
"Its this way."
"How'd you know-"
"I've seen this place in a film or something, trust me, its this way." With nothing else to go on they silently sped through the hall. When they reached the end, the man from the screen stood guard in front of the door. Muffled sobs could be heard from the room.
"I'll distract him." Tony whispered. "You guys go in."
"No one should be on their own." Sara argued, her eyes fixed on where Greg was.
"I'll be fine."
"I'll come with you." Sara sighed.
"That makes sense. Leaving four freshman on their own." Tony pointed out.
"We'll be fine if you keep him away." Ryan said bravely. Tony nodded and he and Sara raced out into the corridor. The man gave chase immediately and the others dashed over to the kitchen, from where Greg was beginning to scream. When they entered the room, the flame was touching his skin. Morgan quickly blew it out as Ryan and Archie ran to his hands and feet.
"Thank you!" He gasped as Morgan tried to gently take the duct tape off his mouth. He sat up quickly and grabbed Morgan, holding her tightly.
He buried his head into her shoulder as he tried to steady his breathing. After a second he pulled away.
"I'm okay, I'm okay." He looked around and his heart fell. "What the hell is going on? Where's everyone else?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Susannah stepped into the kitchen, an old fashioned revolver in her hands.
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Sara ran faster than she had ever run before in her life. She forced her legs to pound harder, but she was still a foot or so behind DiNozzo. She yelled as something wrapped around her foot and pulled her over. Tony turned and stared in horror as the man used what looked like a lasso to drag Sara back towards him. Tony ran back straight to her foot, ripping the rope off and grabbing her arms. He pulled her up, took hold of her hand, practically dragging her along.
Finally Sara had to stop. "I...can't...run..."
Tony nodded, breathing heavily and the stumbled into a bedroom. Heading straight for the closet, they hid in the dark behind the coats. Sara and Tony edged further back, until suddenly there was no floor beneath them.
Sara screamed as Tony fell backwards and held onto his hand, grabbing a coat in the other. He swung his other hand up to latch onto the back of the cupboard. Light burst through the space as the man opened the door, dragging Sara away.
"Sara!" Tony screamed as she fought against the man. The doors slammed shut and Tony could hear them lock. He was trapped.
A bloodcurdling scream filled his ears and his already speeding heart sped up.
"SARA!"
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Catherine and Warrick slipped through the labyrinth of hallways and rooms as quietly as they could.
"There's gotta be more than one exit, right?" Warrick murmured.
"Sure." Catherine nodded.
Warrick walked over to the window. "It's getting dark."
"Why is this happening? Are these people insane?"
Warrick swallowed. "Psychopaths is my guess." A soft moan sounded from down the hall and they froze. "Did you-"
"I heard. Do we check it out?" Catherine breathed. Warrick nodded nervously and they tiptoed over to another room. "
One, two, three!"
Warrick pushed open the door and Catherine nearly screamed.
The two teens stared at their favourite teachers on the floor in the middle of an empty room, their eyes closed, in a giant pool of blood.
Majorly long I know. Any good?