Chapter 17


Marceline's eyes flickered open as a wave of nausea rousted her from her unconsciousness. Her body felt cold and stiff. The last thing she remembered was keeping watch as the others slept. Marcy's numbness was quickly replaced with a sharp searing pain in her stomach. Her eyes widened in terror as she stared down at her body. Several long metal spikes had been driven through her chest, arms, and her legs, pinning her in place. A black leather harness was strapped tightly around her waist, binding her to a thick metal column.

Marceline's eyes darted around as she took in her surroundings. The room she was trapped in was small and cramped. The walls were covered in x-rays and medical charts. The x-rays had points marked out on them. Each mark represented one of the many spikes.

The medical charts confused Marceline as none of the marks shown on the x-rays were placed in fatal locations on her body. She was a vampire, and these wounds would not be enough to kill a vampire. That is what she thought, at least until she noticed that one of the spikes was not completely metal. The spike that was jutting out of her chest was tipped with wood. Luckily, so long as the wooden end of the spike stayed out of her chest, she would survive.

"That's not good." Marceline muttered bleakly. "I guess things could be worse though."

Marceline's ears perked at the sound of a low mumbling coming from behind her. She quickly realized that she was not the only victim in this game.

"Oh, glob, my head is killing me." A surprisingly familiar voice groaned.

"Ash?!" Marceline asked in disbelief. "Ash, is that you?!"

"Marcy?" the young wizard asked groggily. "Where am-"

Ash screamed in terror as he looked down and saw the metal spikes jutting through his body.

"What is this?!" he screamed in a mixture of fear and pain. "What's happening?!"

Marceline didn't even know how to explain the situation to Ash. It all sounded too crazy to be real. But the pain they were both feeling proved to them that it was very, very real.

With fear coursing through his body, Ash felt a something weighing down on his wrist. Ash strained his neck as much as the spikes would allow him to and found that a tape player was chained to his wrist.

"I-I found something!" Ash exclaimed as he worked the player into his hand. "It's some kind of-"

"Tape player?" Marceline asked grimly, cutting Ash off. "No point in waiting. Play it."

With trembling hands, Ash pressed the button and the tape began to play.

The small speaker of the player crackled with static before a familiar voice spoke.

"The human body is a fascinating organism. It can withstand the most brutal of injuries…and yet repair itself miraculously. The same can be said for vampires, and to an extent, wizards as well. But you both know this all too well. Throughout your long, long lives, how many how many flesh wounds have you both endured? How many flesh wounds have you caused? How many wounds have you inflicted upon each other, physically or emotionally? With time, the wounds have healed, but your pain has not. Today, I empower you both to take control of your lives. Can you disconnect from the one that has brought so much pain? With time, the wounds will heal. But for one of you, your wounds will not. Remove the ties that bind you…or starve and bleed to death from your inactivity. The choice is yours."

With a loud crackle, the tape player fell silent.

A deathly silence filled the room as the two processed what they had been told. Marceline's eyes darted in every direction as she tried to look for a way out or a clue on how to escape. She may have hated Ash's guts, but she didn't want to kill him. He was as much of a victim as she was in this twisted game. There had to be a way that both of them could escape, she just had to find it.

Marceline took a moment to study the medical charts that were plastered all over the room. She was hoping that there would be some kind of hidden message within the charts and graphs. But before she could begin to formulate a plan, a sharp pain ripped through her body. The spike that was sticking through her stomach was being pulled through her from the other side. Ash was pulling out the spike to free himself.

"Ash, what are you doing?!" Marceline shouted angrily as she grabbed the spike with her hands.

"What does it look like?!" Ash snapped angrily. "I'm not about to die here!"

Marceline bared her teeth as she tried to keep hold of the metal spike. Inch by inch, it was slowly being pulled through her.

"If we work together, there a chance we can both get out of this!" Marceline growled as she held the spike firmly. "Neither of us have to die!"

"Sorry, babe. But I'm not taking that chance." Ash responded coldly.

Ash suddenly lurched and ripped the spike out of himself. Marceline and Ash both screamed in pain as the spike fell to the floor with a loud clang.

"Ash, don't be stupid!" Marceline shouted angrily. "You're only going to end up killing yourself!"

Marceline hissed as Ash began to pull out another spike. The spike was pierced through the two's shoulders. Ash grunted and whimpered as he tried to pull the spike out. Marceline's hands shook as she tried to keep Ash from pulling out the spike.

"Ash, please, I begging you!" Marceline exclaimed. "Don't make me kill you!"

Marceline screamed as Ash suddenly ripped the spike out of them. Blood gushed from Ash's shoulder as the spike fell to the floor.

"Begging? That's not like you, Mar-mar." Ash stated with a tremble in his voice.

A part of him knew that he was dooming himself, but the other part of him really wanted to make Marceline suffer.

He looked down at the several spike tips that still jutted out of his body. He then looked up at the medical charts that covered the room. Each of the charts showed that the spikes had been driven through a vital part of his body. None of the charts showed anything of Marceline. The warmth left his body as he quickly realized the twisted truth behind this game.

It was rigged from the start.

Ash felt a searing pain as one of the spikes was quickly ripped out. With a loud clang, the spike was tossed to the floor. Blood bubbled and seeped down Ash's leg as the wound opened and bled.

Marceline let out a ragged growl as she gripped another spike.

"Fine, if you won't listen, then you've given me no choice!" she hissed as she began to twist and pull the spike out of her right shoulder.

Ash grabbed the spike and pulled as hard as he could to keep Marcy from removing it. Despite his best efforts, Marcy was simply too strong for him. With a snarl, Marceline ripped the spike out of her shoulder and tossed it to the ground.

"It didn't have to be this way, you idiot!" she screamed as she grabbed another spike. "We could have worked together!"

Again, Marceline pulled the spike out of the two of them and tossed it to the floor. The light pitter-patter of blood hitting the floor could be heard as Ash began to bleed out.

"I didn't want to do this, Ash!" Marceline snarled between ragged breaths. "None of it!"

Marceline hung her head as she looked down at the spikes that were still jutting out of her body. The smell of Ash's blood was heavy in the air. The metallic stench was making her dizzy. The cursed collar on her neck felt like it weighed a ton. Her tongue hung from her mouth as she tried to catch her breath.

The fog in her head was cleared by a sudden pain in her chest. Marceline looked down and saw the spike in her chest slowly sinking into her. Marcy gasped and grabbed the spike with both hands. The wooden tip of the spike was inching closer and closer to her heart.

"If I'm going out, I'm taking you with me!" Ash exclaimed as he pulled hard on his end of the spike.

With a sudden movement, Ash pulled the spike out even further; bringing the wooden tip of the spike dangerously close to Marcy's heart. Marceline hissed and pulled on the spike with all out her might. If the wooden tip entered her heart, it was game over. The only way out was for her to pull it out before Ash could.

Marceline hissed and bared her teeth as she began to pull the spike out of her chest. The medical charts on the walls showed that the spike had been driven through an artery in Ash's chest. Once the spike was removed, Ash would bleed out in seconds. Marceline couldn't believe what this game was forcing her to do. Sure, she hated Ash's guts, but she didn't want to kill him. But Jigsaw was giving her no choice. It was her or him.

"I'm sorry, Ash." Marceline stated somberly. "I really am..."

With a snarl, Marceline ripped the spike out of her chest and threw it across the room. Black ichor spouted from the hole in her chest before it quickly healed shut.

Ash let out a weak gurgling sound as his blood poured from his chest and onto the floor. His limbs began to grow cold and numb. His eyelids grew heavy as the life spilled from his body. After a few seconds, his heart stopped beating and his body fell limp.

Marceline sucked in air through her bared teeth as she tried to collect herself. She felt a terrible guilt crashing down onto her. She hated Ash, but he didn't deserve what had been done to him.

It wasn't my fault. Marceline told herself. It's Jigsaw's fault. They did this, not me!

With nothing left to hold her back, Marceline quickly ripped the remaining spikes out of her body and undid the harness that kept her in place. Both Marceline and Ash's body fell to the floor with a wet thud.

Marceline hissed and spat as she pulled her face out of the pool of Ash's blood that covered the floor. A door hissed open and flooded the room with a harsh light.

"I need to get out of here." She muttered bitterly as she wiped the blood from her face.

She didn't just mean out of the room she was trapped in. She meant escaping the infernal machine completely. She had had enough of Jigsaw's games and wasn't going to wait for them to get worse. She was going to escape. She didn't know how, but she knew that she and her friends needed to escape. All she needed was a tool, or a weapon.

Marceline's eyes scanned the room until they fell upon one of the metal spikes that was sitting on the floor. It was warped and bent from the magical properties in Ash's blood.

That will do. She thought as she picked the spike off the floor.

With a little twisting and bending, the spike snapped in half. Marcy took the smaller half of the spike and slowly pushed it into her arm. With the spike hidden just beneath her flesh, Marceline pushed herself off of the floor. The first step had been taken, now she had to group back with her friends and plan for the next step.

As Marceline uneasily made her way to the open door, she felt something that she hadn't felt during her time in the compound. She felt hope. It was a small feeling, but it was better than nothing.

The first thing that Marceline noticed as she floated through the doorway was that neither Finn, or Flame Princess were present. Their games were still underway, that meant that Marcy had some time to plan with Princess Bubblegum. Marcy let out a startled gasp as she saw Bonnie curled up on the floor.

"Bonnie?!" she exclaimed as she quickly flew over towards her. "Bonnie, can you hear me?!"

Bonnie's eyes were glassy and her cheeks were stained with tears. Sugary syrup dripped from her wounded hand and the smell of gunpowder was stuck to her.

Bonnie blinked and looked up at Marceline.

"Marcy?" she asked quietly.

"It's me, Bonnie." Marceline stated as she pulled Bonnie into a hug. "I'm right here. I've got you, we're safe right now."

Tears rolled down Bonnie's eyes as the guilt of what she had done washed over her again.

"No one is coming to save us, Marcy." She stated weakly. "No one is-"

Marceline silenced Bonnie's despairing with a gentle kiss on the lips. After a tender moment, Marceline broke the kiss.

"Shush, Bonnie." She stated softly. "We can't wait for someone to save us. We have to save ourselves."

Bonnie cocked her head with curiosity.

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly, not wanting to alert whoever might be watching.

"I mean, we have to escape." Marcy stated just as quietly. "You, me, Finn, and Phoebe, we have to get out of here. If we don't escape, they will just keep making us play their games until we kick the big one. Then it's game over."

"But how are we going to escape?" Bonnie asked. "They know our every move. They know the layout of this place like it is second nature. How could we ever escape from a place like this?"

Marcy took Bonnie's hand and gently held them.

"That's what we need to figure out. It's a long shot, I know. But what choice do we have?"

Bonnie trusted Marceline with her life. Deep down, she knew that the chances of them all escaping were slim to none. But she couldn't take these games anymore. Bonnie needed to get out. After weighing out her options, Bonnie finally gave in.

"Alright, what do we do now?" she asked in a whisper.

"For now, we wait until Finn and Phoebe get back." She stated quietly. "Then we will work out a plan. We will get out of here. All of us, together."

With a new found hope, Marcy and Bonnie quietly began to piece together a plan. A plan that hopefully would lead to their freedom.


The glow of several computer monitors flooded the room. The screens were being watched closely by the tusked figure and the metal armed figure. They both had been watching Marceline complete her game, and now they were watching her as she sat with Bonnie.

"Can you hear what they are saying?" the tusked figure asked.

"No." the metal armed figure responded bluntly. "They are up to something."

The tusked figure let out a low hiss as they stretched their arms over their head.

"I figured they would know by now that they need to play by the rules." They stated in a velvety voice. "Should we tell Jigsaw?"

The second figure stared intensely at Marcy and Bonnie on the screens. There was no doubt that the two were planning something.

"Not yet." The figure responded. "Keep an eye on them for now."

With a hiss of the door, the second figure swiftly exited the room. The tusked figure let out a low growl as they eyed the screens.

"What are you two planning?" they asked as they flashed a set of fangs under their mask. "What game are you two playing?"


Still not dead.