Lights out

"Rise and shine everyone! If I could have your undivided attention, please!” A high-pitched shrieking voice booms through the pounding headache, clouding my mind.

Loud ringing through my head is replaced by dozens of muffled voices, screaming from all directions. Initially I don’t even recognize my own voice pleading along with them, muted as being smothered with a pillow.

Swirling the tongue around my mouth, I’m feeling rough fabric pressing against my lips. Trying to cover my ears to escape this harrowing madness, I notice they’re stuck in place- bound against armrests of the rickety wooden chair I´m shoved into.

Why am I tied?

Am I dreaming?

What the fuck is this?

My face is swallowed by something blocking out the light and covering my sight.

Forcing my eyes open I can barely see anything through the small gaps and the luminous ceiling lamps above are instantly blinding me.

" All 10 of you have been carefully selected to prove your will to survive. Do you really want to end your life? Have you truly given up?”

The haunting voice echoes in the room, belonging to a broad man in Indigo blue suit, face covered with a Serpent mask.

He drags his feet as he walks around the room, no- prison cell; staring us into eye.

That´s when I notice another man in a mask, standing by the door. His mask seems to imitate a dragon, almost like Basilisk.

He´s standing by the door and hasn´t spoken a word since they both came in. Did I get an invitation to a costume party?

Shut the fuck up Aiden, this is serious.

“If your answer is no- would you end a life in order to save yours?”

The Serpent gives me a glance and starts slithering towards me, keeping his eyes at me.

He puts his mahogany leather-gloved hands gently on my shoulders, leaning towards me from behind the chair.

“No time to be a coward now, Aiden”

He hisses silently to my ear and a shiver runs through my body, the coldness in his voice unmistakable.

The room goes dark with a flick of a switch, a heavy metal door being dragged across the ground and shut from the outside. Eerie stillness and silence makes the room grow smaller and smaller until it´s broken up with a commotion. People are shifting around their seats, hoping to be freed from the shackles and get a happy ending.

There are no happy endings in real life.

I don´t know why they even bother, I find it pointless. Might as well accept it now to avoid disappointment later on.

My eyes are adjusting to the darkness, making out the shapes of other people around me. Desperate pleads by other prisoners are only adding to the stress.

Some of them are rocking in their chairs back and forth, others sitting quietly and admitting the defeat.

My fingers are gripping the ends of the armrests, wires poking through my skin and keeping them from any movement. Legs are bound separately against the chair, sealed tightly.

Everyone seems to be wearing a different animal mask. A slender guy in the left corner is wearing a Rodent mask, possibly a rat. Another woman beside him wearing a Bunny mask, looking around the room like a lost rabbit that she is.

This is so disturbing.

I wonder which animal am I wearing though.

A voice crackles through the room, echoing from all the corners through the intercom speakers:

“ My sweet little lambs, don’t you get it yet? There is no one to save you or hear your cries. The only way to escape is by putting yourself above the others...”

He goes silent- I´m thinking he is gone until he whispers in:

“A little warning as a gesture of goodwill- if you try to communicate with each other in any way, remove your masks or gags- there´s gonna be trouble.”

A cackle fills the room, followed by a static hissing in the background.

You can feel the air going thick with dread and silence. I’m not sure if anyone dares to even breathe.

The door lock clicks open, and the lights are on again. Two faceless men wearing black balaclavas are pushing a high table between them that´s covered with a long tablecloth.

Whatever it is, it can’t be good. I highly doubt there’s a Swedish buffet waiting for us under the cloth, given the lack of hospitality so far.

The Serpent in Indigo suit saunters through the door, no sign of hurry in his steps. The same kind of walk when you admire the art in museums while sipping on a glass tube of expensive champagne.

Basilisk stands by the door, staring at us in silence.

Finally the Serpent speaks in a calm voice:

“ I brought some presents to all of you. Use it for attack or defense- up to you. Fair amount of variety and the fast pickers get rewarded.”

He chirps excitedly, rubbing his hands before proceeding:

“Make your choice. Although- I wouldn’t want to be the last one to take their pick.”

He gives us a cheery wave and leaves the room with other men, locking us in once again.

The wires on our arms and legs are detracting at the same time while everyone jumps from their seats, running towards the covered table on the other side of the room.

Lights start flickering in a rhythm, shunning us into darkness every 5 seconds like a German underground rave.

Disoriented, barely feeling the legs under me I make a beeline towards the table, trying to not pump into anyone, but feeling shoved back and forth as I´ve entered a mosh pit.

Lights out.

Almost there- the table is just out of my reach.

Lights on.

Half of the people are already at the table by the time I make it there. The woman in a Bunny mask standing next to me yanks a scalpel from the table, slicing my arm in the process.

With a tiny incision, the blood starts streaming down my arm, making me wince in pain. The sight of blood is making my insides shrivel, panic lodging itself in my throat.

Focus for once in your life and finish what you already started.

The only options left at the table are a baseball bat, brass knuckles and.. a fucking spoon?

Lights out.

Knuckles are gone by the time the light goes back on, so I end up grabbing the bat.

One of the prisoners with a Rooster mask remains seated. Their head is down, hands still resting on the armrests.

Wake up, sleepyhead.

The intercom starts booming again from the speakers, crackling with a familiar voice:

“ By not choosing a weapon, you have already made a choice. You could also switch up your weapons if you’re not happy with your pick- simply eliminate a person and claim their own.”

He talks nonchalantly, like stating basic rules about a board game.

" Did I mention the best part already? The game is over when there is one of you left. Now give us something worth watching, my puppets. The stage is yours.”

He cuts off mid-chuckle while everyone is taking his words in.

A broad-shouldered guy in a Gorilla mask and axe in his hand darts towards the Rooster still sitting in his chair, raising the ax before him.

Holding my breath while waiting for the impact, the light goes off again.

Lights on.

The Rooster goes has stood up, hovering over his attacker with the ax and not a scratch on him. The Gorilla lies on the ground, hugging his knees and rocking back and forth.

Lights out.

Ear-splitting crack fills the area. When the lights come back on, everyone is standing at their spot, terrified eyes gaping at the still body on the ground- the body with an axe lodged in its skull. The Rooster is watching over him in silence.

Clutching the bat on my side and inhaling a sharp breath, the guy turns his head slowly to my direction.

Message received, buddy.

Also- what the fuck just happened?

Excruciating pain shoots up my leg, making me drop the bat to the ground in shock.

The woman in Bunny mask kneels beside me as she slices my leg with a scalpel.

I grab her by the other wrist and shove her to the ground, hitting her head against the pavement with an echo.

The scalpel lands between my ribs and I´m screaming, suffocating by the rag gagging me, stars dancing between my eyes. I yank the scalpel out of me with a wince, gasping for air and without hesitation, I push it through her eye as she goes still under me.

Free lobotomy, bitch.

I wiggle the scalpel around the brain matter until it comes loose, swiping it against her sweatshirt and slide it carefully to my pocket while I grab the bat and try to balance my shaking legs underneath.

I just killed someone.

Fuck.

My head feels light and I´m in danger of passing out any minute. If I lose consciousness now, I´ll be dead before my body even hits the ground.

I´m locked in a room with mental people who have nothing left to lose.

There´s more people lying on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding them- one with Goat and the other with Pig mask covering their profiles.

Slaughtered like animals.

The Rooster has sat down in the corner, watching everyone in ominous silence.

My stare is broken by a loud squish coming from behind me.

I really don´t want to turn around, but the next one might hit too close to home.

A tall guy in a Stallion mask is yanking a machete out of a body lying on the floor that´s covered with blood from head to toe, face behind a Bison mask.

Machete back in hand, he stares down another one in Rodent mask and marches towards them.

Lights out.

A deliberate cough nearby reaches my ears.

Glancing to the left there´s a guy in a Puppy mask staring me up and down.

He takes a step towards me and I raise the bat, aiming for his head, only to miss and hit the wall instead.

The bat breaks in half with the brute force, sending jagged pieces flying around the room. Two rough hands are grabbing me by the shoulders and dragging me down to the floor.

The brass knuckles are shining above me- that´s when I fly the knife from the pocket into his thigh and he rolls off me with a muffled scream.

I grip his arm, forcing his fingers to let go of the knuckles one by one and slide them into my right hand.

Lights on.

The sad Puppy underneath me is shaking his head vigorously.

I give him brief wave with my left hand before I drive the knuckles into his face, smashing it in.

Feeling fractures of his jawline clinging to my hands, I rise the knuckles again and again until my arm goes limp.

The smell of metallic iron fills my lungs.

I’m not violent.

I’ve never even hit anyone before.

I’ve never thought violence would be the answer.

As it turns out with the exception of having to fight for your life to not get massacred with others.

Lights out.

They wanted a survivor.

They are gonna get one.

Lights on.

I take a look inside the room- the only ones still alive are the Stallion and the Rooster. Stallion gives me a once-over and heads towards the Rooster, who is now standing and leaning against the wall.

Lights out.

Lights on.

The Stallion raises his machete, blade reflecting light from the ceiling.

Lights out.

The Rooster has grabbed the ax and lodges it into opponent’s knee, making the Stallion stumble backwards and fall to the ground with a loud crash.

Lights out.

Muffled screams are accompanied by a chopping sound.

Lights on.

Stallion’s leg is severed in half, tangling with nerve endings. There is no way to survive that amount of blood loss unless he gets help immediately.

Touché.

It is far from over though- I’m the only one trapped in a room with a lunatic who just chopped a guy’s leg off like he’s preparing Sunday dinner.

The Rooster walks off silently, grabbing a screwdriver from the floor at it’s wake.

Lights out.

He is facing me, and I’m ready as I’ll ever be.

Then he makes a move that is probably the most shocking sight today.

He drives the screwdriver into his ear until only the handle is visible. The Rooster drops down into the pool of corpses.

Um.

What?

Why go through all this trouble just to kill yourself in the end?

The whole cell is looking as if someone blew up like a nuclear bomb, painting the walls and floors with bloodstreams.

The reality is settling in.

I really am the last man standing.

The only thing keeping my body from being shut down is probably the adrenaline. I’m covered in thick blood, not sure how much of it my own.

Feeling lightheaded and defeated, the door opens from the outside- Serpent and Basilisk walking side by side.

The Serpent whistles in awe before he starts clapping and cheering.

As long as he doesn’t break into a dance or I might blush.

“The mighty Bengali Tiger- would you look at those lethal claws of yours. I never doubted you.”

Bet you say that to every survivor.

" You might recognize the other contestants behind the masks. No need to thank me- take it as a favor. They can only blame themselves for letting you down over and over again.”

What is that supposed to mean?

My body goes rigid, feeling like the temperature in the room has dropped to negative degrees.

I drop the weapons and walk towards the Rooster, kneeling down beside him as I remove the mask with my shaking hands.

No. No. No.

How?

Not dad.

I shout my lungs out and start hyperventilating while tears stream down my eyes.

I really thought the worst was over.

" Even though he was the only one to ever really care about you, he could´ve done so much more- don´t you think?”

I’m barely hearing anything besides the blood flowing in my body.

I keep snatching off the masks one by one.

I yank off the Bunny mask.

Uh, hi mom.

Long time no see.

Stars start to dance around me as I rip off the Puppy mask, behind it my boss Tom or rather- what´s left of him.

Behind the Gorilla mask lies one of my regulars.

He´s probably the only one I have zero remorse against.

RIP, asshole.

I shuffle towards the one with a Goat mask, taking in the small frame.

I would recognize her in a heartbeat.

No.

Anyone, but her.

Carefully pulling the mask behind, I see a face that keeps haunting my dreams.

Not my sweet Bree.

I need to get out of here.

Ripping my mask off my face, the bright orange tones with black and white stripes catch my eye.

I fly it across the room towards the snakes.

The rag is not budging.

With the last of my energy I pull it down my jawline while crying out from the pain.

The physical pain is tolerable.

Except for the heart.

I need to get rid of it.

It hurts too much.

Dropping on the knees I collapse to the floor, yelling my lungs out until my voice cracks and shatters to pieces.

“She was only holding you back. Besides- now you have closure.”

The Serpent cackles by the door, Basilisk next to him immovable.

I open my eyes and next thing I know my feet are carrying me towards the door with the axe raised above me, heading straight into the snake´s nest.

All I see is red when bullets start flying through me one after another.

I can barely even feel them.

Dropping on my knees I see the pistol pointed towards me, and the one holding it.

Basilisk.

A whisper lulls me to sleep, pulling me back into the void.

“Lights out, Aiden.”