Scene vii
"Please! Help me!" Carl shouted. He pulled on the cuff around his neck and moved forward in a desperate attempt to rip the chain from the wall, though to no avail.
Paula gripped the wall and pulled herself up. She looked up to Carl and shook her head with gritted teeth. "Why? Why would you put yourself into a trap instead of me?" she asked with tears in her eyes.
"I couldn't bare to see you die," Carl whispered to his ex-wife. "That man on the recording, he gave me a choice: to place you into trap that could possibly kill you, or place myself into it. I had to choose myself. I didn't want to see you harmed in anyway...though I guess I didn't really help much," he said as he glanced down to Paula's wounded foot.
"I'm all right," she assured him.
"He promised a swift and painless death for me," Carl explained. "He…he told me that my sacrifice was for the greater good. He told me that I'd be doing a great act of justice."
"God damn it, move!" Kevin shouted and Grace flinched. Geoff held the gun but Kevin gave all the commands.
"Oh you can go shove it," Grace hissed.
"Listen," Geoff said, interrupting Kevin before he could assault Grace. "This is a game of survival. And I have no problem with killing you, cutting you up, and sticking each of your limbs into those damn holes!" he screamed. "So you better take this wonderful opportunity to keep your life."
Grace kept an unchanged face through Geoff's threat. Her eyes locked with his and she took not another step backwards. "Go ahead then. Shoot me," Grace said with a smile. "Jigsaw was right. You have no sense of what's right or wrong. You've become consumed with the thought that everyone is evil. How many people have you imprisoned that didn't entirely deserve it? How many people are suffering because of your little emotional problem?" Grace asked with chuckle.
"Geoff, you're a police agent, an upholder of the law. But in your quest for justice, you've gone a bit over the edge. After the death of your wife you have sought out relief from your pain through your job. You see evil everywhere, and you fight to put people away in prison."
Geoff gave a scowl as he placed his pistol by his side as the timer above Carl reached '150'.
"And you, Kevin," Grace said, "you're just fucking nuts. You think Jigsaw's got problems? You deserve to be in jail just as much as any of Jigsaw's victims."
Geoff took several steps forward as Grace continued to speak, interrupting another possible assault by Kevin. Geoff quickly grabbed the handle of his pistol and smacked Grace across her cheek and brought her straight to the ground.
Grace fell hard and began to push herself up off the ground, blood running from her mouth. Geoff used one hand to pull up Grace by the hair and used his other hand to push the gun to her injured cheek. "Well, sometimes you gotta be a little fucking nuts to get the job done," Geoff told her with a grin as he moved toward the wall with Grace's hair still in his grasp.
Kevin watched from a distance with awe as Geoff slammed Grace's face into the wall and backed up, keeping his gun pointed at her. "All right, put each of your hands into a hole," he ordered Grace as she gripped the wall and looked back at him, a bigger wound on her cheek than before.
"Does it look like I'm kidding!?" he asked with stern authority in his voice.
Jigsaw's apprentice turned from Geoff to the holes a foot above her head. She moved her arms up to the holes and slid each hand into a hole simultaneously. Paula took a few steps back from Grace and looked up at Carl. His view was focused on the scene between Geoff and Grace.
Grace's eyes immediately widened as she let out a loud shriek. Drops of blood continued to fall from her cheek and to the ground from the pistol-whip.
Geoff turned his head to look at Kevin. "Come on. Grace is taking two of the five holes so you, Paula, and I will take the other three," Geoff explained as Kevin simply stood still. He looked to Paula for a moment who was silently pleading to Kevin to help her ex-husband.
Thud!
Agent Geoff fell to the ground after a punch in the back of the head from Grace, who never fully pushed her hands into the holes. The pistol escaped Geoff's grasp and Grace placed a well-deserved kick to his side.
Grace bent over to pick up the pistol and took a few steps back and pushed herself up against the wall, aiming the gun at Geoff's neck.
"You bastard!" Grace screamed, pulling the trigger to the gun just as the timer above Carl hit '100'.
Dark red curtains moved aside as Alison walked into the room. Her eyes were set on Jigsaw, who was placing the shut-off monitors into boxes.
"John?" Alison asked as the man looked up to her with his dull eyes. "What're you doing?"
"Preparing," was all he said as closed the top of the cardboard box and used a roll of tape to keep it completely shut.
"For what?" she asked.
"Every possible outcome."
"But—" she stuttered as she looked around the barren room that consisted only of a bed, chair, desk, and some cardboard boxes. "—what about the game? With Grace?"
"I don't need monitors. We'll know soon enough the outcome of our game. It's too dangerous to leave them lying about after this is all over. Trust me," John explained, placing the roll of tape down on the desk.
Alison looked to the floor and then back to John who gently sat down in the chair. "How is the investigation of the Jigsaw Killings lead by Special Agent Shaan Primo going?" he asked.
"I drove by the building," Alison said with her hands in her jeans. "There were police cars. I can't imagine it taking them any longer than a few more hours before they figure it out."
"Good," John said with a slight nod.
"But I need to ask you something," Alison said as John merely tilted his head to her. "Are you testing me?" she asked. "Am I being tested right now?"
"Why did Jigsaw choose you to help him? Think about it," Kaden said as Alison stopped. She turned her body around and was ready to tell him off. "It's because he's still testing you."
Alison remained silent as Kaden smiled. He knew he hit a nerve of some sort. "You're still upset over little Roy's death, huh? And Steven's too. He told you to move on, and you haven't. I don't think Jigsaw wants someone who doesn't obey his orders."
Her curiosity was booming.
"Always," John replied as Alison let her jaw drop slightly. "I'm always watching you. Testing you. I can't have a flawed apprentice. I know you still struggle over Roy and Steven's deaths. But now you know how to handle it. You know the reasons for why they, and so many others, have died. Everyone deserves a last chance." He paused, searching her face for understanding. "And I need someone who will listen to me and follow my orders. Right now, you are the person whom I depend on the most. I'm not going to steer you into any painful trap. I will try my best to keep you away from danger."
John became silent again for a few moments, looking up at Alison who finally spoke. "All right," she said, a bit more relieved by John's response.
"Alright," he said, slowly rising from his chair. "Come; help me take away these boxes."
Click!
Grace tugged on the trigger, but only a 'click' emerged from the gun. It had no bullets within its chamber.
"Damn it, John," Grace whispered, backing away from Geoff as he got himself back on his feet.
"Kevin!" shouted Geoff. He looked to the detective, hoping that he would grab a hold of Grace.
Grace continued to move away from the group with the pistol clutched tightly in her hand. "Don't bother. I'm still in a better condition than you," Grace snapped to Kevin who simply scowled at Grace. He was angered by the sudden turn of events.
"Guys!" Carl shouted, tilting his head back to look at the timer. "I don't mean to be a bother…but…"
Paula glanced up to the clock that counted down to Carl's death. "Look," she began, but Geoff did not take his eyes off of Grace. "We don't need Grace. Kevin and I can sacrifice both of our hands, and Geoff, you can give up one."
"What?" Kevin asked with surprise in his face.
"You have to, Kevin!" pled Paula. "I let you live, and Geoff has already injured hands." She looked to Kevin with great desperation in her eyes. "You're not going to let someone die, are you? He hasn't even done anything wrong! If anything…" Paula paused for a moment, looking at the ground. "…I should be the one up there."
Kevin clenched his hands tight. The words of Jigsaw echoed through his mind.
"You say I'm a villain. A criminal. You think I deserve to be put away. But what about you? Did you not just put three people to their deaths to come capture me? I test people who do not deserve life, and you helped me test them. You were the deciding factor in whether they lived or died."
Grace looked to Kevin. He did not move—he did not flinch. It was clear to Grace that Kevin wasn't willing to sacrifice a piece of body for the safety of an innocent person.
She gave a smirk as she watched Kevin's unwavering body. Paula gave a cry of frustration.
"Come on, damn it!" Paula screamed to Kevin who only stared at the floor. "I saved your life! I could've let you die! Why won't you help me!?" she screamed, tears continuously rolling down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry…I can't," was all Kevin said.
"Are they that important to you? Your hands?" she shrieked. "Isn't this your job? To help save people? So help him! Help us!"
Kevin continued to look away. A chuckle came from Grace.
"I should've let you die!" Paula screamed as she banged her hands against the wall behind her. She turned her head to Grace, looking for some sort of assistance.
She chuckled again. "You expect me to help you? After Geoff bashed my freakin' head? Granted, I wouldn't have done it anyways. But now, first chance I get, I'm throwing you assholes to the dogs."
Paula turned around to face the wall. She bit the bottom of her lip as she reached up to slide each hand into a hole. There was a button of sorts at the end of the chamber within the holes. She pressed her hands against them and a mechanical wiring automatically took place. The walls at the end of the chamber moved in and began to crush Paula's hands.
"Aaaaahh!!" she screamed in pain as the walls pushed against her fingers. The sounds of bones breaking were excruciatingly clear. Blood rushed down the chambers from the couple of bones that broke through her skin, similarly to a knife suddenly cutting into a piece of raw, bloody meat.
Geoff watched the blood run down from the holes as the timer hit '50'.
"Kevin," Geoff said. The detective did not turn his head to look at him. "I'll put both my hands into two slots. You just need to give one hand. Please; you have to!"
Begging with all of his heart, Geoff placed one of his hands near a hole in an attempt to show Kevin he wasn't lying.
Kevin didn't budge. Trepidation filled his mind and body. If he lost even one hand he couldn't be on the force. He'd lose his job. The life of Carl wasn't worth the many lives he'd save in the future.
In Kevin's eyes, the trap wasn't that Carl was going to die, but that Kevin would have to give up his job to save Carl. And through that, Kevin wouldn't be capable of apprehending Jigsaw.
But who would understand? To everyone else, this was some unhealthy obsession. Do they not realize if Jigsaw were in jail, none of this would even be happening?
"You're scum," Geoff muttered as he bore his teeth. "You deserve to be here. You deserve whatever torture comes your way." Geoff looked to Grace who simply smiled as she watched the bickering. "Grace, help me get Kevin over here. We can put his hands into the slots. Don't do it to help me, do it to help yours—"
"I have no interest in doing anything of the sort," Grace said a snort as she shook her head. "I didn't put any one of you bastards in here. Jigsaw's deemed me unworthy to be his apprentice so he's testing me. You're the ones who attacked me. I don't know who helped John knock you out and dragged you here." Grace glanced over to Kevin who still continued to stare at the ground. "But it sure as hell wasn't me."
"I'm sorry!" Geoff shouted.
Grace laughed as she tilted her head back slightly. "All the 'sorries' in the world won't get me to help you."
An abrupt buzzer noise went off as the timer hit '0'.
"No! Please!" Paula shouted, the crushing of her hands had stopped moments earlier, but since all the holes were not filled, no blade came down to chop off her hands.
The walls slowly moved back into place inside the two chambers as all eyes moved to Carl who stared at Paula, terror in his eyes.
The room was completely silent as the walls inside the chamber were back to normal. Carl continued to stare as his lips finally moved.
"I lov—"
He was interrupted by the hook on the back of his cuff which suddenly snapped forward, submerging into his flesh and connecting with his spine.
The sound of electricity emerged from the hook as a massive shock was sent through Carl's spine. He shook in place from the strong electrical current. Blood poured from his mouth and the shaking continued for a few more seconds until the current stopped. Carl's lifeless body leaned forward; the chain that connected the cuff to the wall prevented him from falling completely forward.
Though the current continued for almost ten seconds, Jigsaw stayed true to his promise of a quick and relatively painless death.
Carl was dead the instant the electricity began to flow.
To be continued...
