CHAPTER SEVEN
( SINK OR SWIM )

     JOEL HAD SUMMONED Aidan and Ayson only moments later, closing the door behind them. With a loud sigh, the man plucks the tape from its hanging string, and tosses it around in his hands. Ayson stays close to Aidan's side, studying the man as he frowns.

"This is my game," Joel announces, his eyes finding the large, clear box in the center of the room. "But before I play this, I just want to wish the two of you luck. You kids don't deserve to be here— and I'm sorry that you've had to watch everyone die like this. I don't care what that motherfucker has to say, you shouldn't be here."

He bites his lip, running a hand through his blond hair. "So good luck. I hope the two of you make it out of here." And then he presses play, signaling the lasers that shoot out from the ceiling in front of Ayson and Aidan. The two of them were used to this by now, and took a spot on the floor behind the bright red beams that blocked them from their peer.

"Hello, Joel, and welcome to your game."

The box at the center of the room was tall, but wasn't very wide— Ayson assumed it was made of bulletproof glass. Near the top of it was a large tube that led up into the ceiling, and disappeared out of sight. The top of the box, other than the tube, was covered by the glass. Joel would surely be trapped inside, along with whatever liquid the tube would deliver.

"You have managed to get away from the crime you've committed without facing the consequences— but I'm here to fulfill them," the voice pauses. "Two years ago you were abusing drugs until the physical breaking point; and one night, things went too far. Do you remember leaving your four-year-old son home alone to make a visit with your personal dealer?"

"With no babysitter while your wife was away at work, your child wondered outside and went for a swim; one he didn't come back from. So tell me, how did you manage to get through court without a single night in jail? With the help of your wealthy drug-dealing friend, of course. Now it's time that you pay the price for your mistakes."

Ayson chews on her cheek, lying her head on Aidan's shoulder. She could almost see the tears forming in Joel's eyes— along with the fog of regret. Her heart bangs against her chest, urging another sob to leave her throat and escape her lips.

"In front of you is a glass tank that is unbreakable to anything you could possibly try. The only way to get out is from the key located at the top of the tank, next to the tube that will be filling the glass with twenty-five gallons of water per minute. It's up to you to climb your way to the top, retrieve the key, and unlock the door."

Joel moves forward, prepared to take on the task. Then he stops, realizing the tape isn't finished yet.

"But that would be too easy, wouldn't it? The water delivered to the tank will be nearly at the boiling point, and will burn away at any flesh it comes into contact with. You will have five minutes to retrieve the key before the tank is filled to the maximum and the door is locked— leaving you to drown in a hot instant. Your timer will begin when you enter the tank. So, Joel, will you sink or will you swim?

"The choice is yours."

And then the voice was gone. With a stony expression, Joel drops the tape to the floor, grits his teeth, and moves forward— but not before Ayson says something to him.

"Good luck in there," the girl gives him a weak smile. "I believe in you." Aidan's grip around her tightens.

Emotion flooded in the man's eyes as he gives her a smile back, then nods once. With his back facing the two, he steps into the tank, before turning to watch as the door slams closed behind him. Immediately, the timer begins to count down from the given five minutes, and water pours down from the above tube.

Joel yelps in pain, flinching and flinging himself against the far wall of the tank as the water touches his feet. He mumbles a few words as Ayson notices the steam that rises up around him. She could only imagine how hot it was— but she didn't want to. "I can't watch," she groans, placing her hand over her eyes.

"Hey, why don't you tell me some more about what you like to do," Aidan suggests, trying to distract the raven-haired girl as Joel lets out an ear-piercing scream. "Like your books— what's your favorite book?"

"Well," Ayson swallows, "I don't exactly have a favorite, because all of the books I've read are good. But I tend to like the books that have happy endings, they encourage me to strive in everything I do—"

Joel slams against the side of the tank, yelling fiercely as the boiling water tears against his exposed skin. He begins to climb to the top, before falling back to the bottom of the tank that is quickly filling up. Aidan jumps at the sight, yanking Ayson's gaze away from the suffering man.

"Okay, now something else; um . . . tell me about the best day of your life." The boy instructs, pursing his lips. "All the details— everything you remember about it."

"My tenth birthday," Ayson says without a second guess. "My parents took off work that weekend to take me to the beach. We ate ice cream on the boardwalk and went to the state fair. That was the first time I ever got on a rollercoaster." She smiles slightly at the memory. "I was scared of heights at the time, but my father . . . he swore that he'd hold my hand the whole time. And he did."

The boy stares at her wordlessly, lost in the same familiar trance that he had experienced earlier. Except this time was different; her hands were placed in his, and there was a warmth radiating through his whole body. Aidan notices the smile on her face, the corners of his lips twitching upwards at the beautiful sight.

"I remember the view from the top. It was like I was seeing the whole world from up there— the sun was setting, the festival lights were coming on in the city . . . it was something out of a dream. Even though it was only for a second, it was like time slowed down and the moment was mine. I can't describe the thrill of it all. And when it ended, I made him ride it with me again and again until it got dark. Needless to say, I'm not scared of heights anymore."

By the time she had finished, there were no longer terrified screams coming from the tank of boiling water. Instead, the lasers in front of them had dropped, and the timer had already ran out. And Joel, who Ayson couldn't bare to look at, was floating in the water with the skin on his body melting away.

He hadn't made it out like she though he would.

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