CHAPTER FIVE
( KEEP YOUR TEETH )

     THE LADY IN the pantsuit— or Elizabeth, as the voice had called her— didn't move from her stiff standing position. She swallowed, rubbing her arms up and down her sleeves as she slightly shook her head in denial. Joel stares at her in complete shock, before running a hand through his blond hair. His bright blue eyes were hidden from sight as he closes them, and sinks down to the floor with his back to the wall next to Aidan and Ayson.

"You people are so fucked up," he mumbles, opening his eyes again, only to look at Elizabeth with anticipation. "Why don't you just go ahead and take a seat? Struggling will only make it worse for the rest of us. So just get this over with; go sit in the chair and I'm sure he'll give us further instructions."

"I'm not crazy, I'm not crazy," she gulps, shaking her head wildly as she moves towards the chair. "I swear I'm not, I just wanted her to be quiet— that's all I wanted!"

Without any ounce of refutation, the brunette takes her place on the chair. For a solitary moment, she hesitates. But then, as if something in Joel's eyes had warned her, she leaned back into the seat. With her arms on the rests on either side of her, and her head against the neck prop, she sunk into the padded dentistry chair.

"I see you've complied by my rules. But in this game, it takes more than obedience to win. Place your lips around the designated spot on the contraption, and bite down on the rectangular slab of metal. Failure to do so will be the death of you."

Elizabeth's eyes widen at the demands, but listens, nonetheless. Ayson didn't know what to expect from the device, but she knew it would be nothing good. Aidan covered her eyes for good measure, just in case something drastic happened.

As if on cue, metal bars splayed from the frame of the chair and wrapped themselves tightly around Elizabeth's left arm, chest, her stomach, and ankles. She jerked forward, already scared by what would come. There were 'clank'ing noises coming from the back of the chair, and suddenly the machine was roaring to life. It wasn't too loud, it was just enough to where Ayson winced and Elizabeth let out a terrified wail. The mouth guard tugged her lips apart, and held them in place. It unfolded, wrapping around the span of her head.

From the metal chunk in her mouth came a claw— one that reminded her of a pair of pliers. The chunk unfolded some more, opening her mouth wide, and giving the claw access to grasp one of her front teeth. Elizabeth tried to scream, but the only sound that came out was something like that of a gurgle.

"How ironic it is that you're now the one in the chair," the voice chuckles. "There are some tools to your right that may seem familiar to you, seeing as your occupation requires you to use them. There is also a mirror on the ceiling, designated to fit the exact position in which you're laying. From here, you can clearly see what you have to work with. But there's something you haven't seen yet— something that's been there for a while.

"While you were unconscious, I hid a key inside one of your thighs; and it's up to you to figure out which one. The timer is set for five minutes. Once the clock starts ticking, cut open your pant legs to find which one offers the key to your freedom. But you can't stop there. Notice the lock that's beside your left ear . . . "

Aidan takes a seat on the floor, letting out an exasperated sigh and bringing Ayson with him. He could only imagine what was in store for him, and that was terrifying within itself.

"In order to receive the key to this lock, you will have to cut into your own flesh and dig it out with your free arm. As you do so, one of your teeth will be pulled every twenty seconds. By the end of your time, if you have failed to complete the task, fifteen of your teeth will already be gone. But that should be the least of your problems. Following shortly, this creation of mine will rip your tongue from your throat, before crushing your skull instantly. You must find the key; it's only then that you'll be able to unlock the device and set yourself free."

The lasers were back again, as bright red as ever, and blocking the remaining three from Elizabeth and her trap. Like last time, none of them made any moves to lurch forward to help. They'd only be dooming themselves in the process.

The raven-haired girl gags in her spot, covering her mouth as she gets the urge to throw up. Aidan rubs soothing circles on her back, not knowing how he'd be able to distract her from this. It was useless to even try.

"You made a big mistake, Elizabeth. And now it's time you pay the price."

Then the timer began to count down.

Elizabeth launches into action, grabbing a knife from the table and ripping open the legs of her pantsuit. With a grunt, she finds a long, jagged scar on her right leg— and wastes no time in digging the knife into her skin. She wretches out a bellow as blood begins to flow from the wound, weeping into the chair before proceeding to the floor. It drips and drips, and forms a small puddle that was bound to get bigger.

Her eyes were dead-set on the mirror overhead as she shoves her hand into the tissue of her leg. Once again, Ayson feels bile rising in her throat, and has to turn her head. She hated that she was slowly getting used to this; getting used to watching people suffer slowly, before dying. And soon enough, it would be her turn. Or Aidan's— what would she do when she no longer had her only source of comfort?

Twenty seconds had gone by. Ayson could tell because the mechanical whir of the device changed, jerking a single tooth from Elizabeth's mouth. She lets out a straggled cry, fumbling with the knife as she gurgles on her own blood. Ayson assumes she swallows it, as she composed herself and gets a grip on her leg. Elizabeth's hand is shaking profusely as she digs at the meat on her bones and searches for the key to her freedom. And although the girl wasn't sure how, Elizabeth had pulled the key out only seconds later, and had gotten excited as she held it up.

She let out a sound of utter relief, but had done it too soon— another one of her teeth were jerked out, and once again she choked. The blood stain on the floor was getting bigger as she twitched the key around in the lock. If she didn't stop the contraption soon, Ayson was sure she would die, even if the machine could no longer rip out her teeth or crush her head. Instead, she'd die from blood loss.

Ayson tugged away from Aidan's grip, fumbling to pull off her flannel. She was prepared for when Elizabeth was free, as she would need to act fast to cut of the blood circulation leading to the wound. No one else would die in these games.

Not if she had anything to do with it.

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