Saw: The Beginning (Spin-off)

8.

        We all turned to Ryan, Who went pale white at the site of the tape recorder directed to his name. "No!" Cynthia exclaimed still in pain. "He's not moving!" 

"We are playing by the fucking rules!" Monica ordered around. "Ryan's name, Ryan's tape!" I looked back at the dangling tape, from what it was dangling it didn't look dangerous. It didn't seem to have any traps around it. I snapped out of thought when I heard coughing coming from the front seats where Alvaro was. Mikey rushed over and signaled me over to where Alvaro was just sitting up and taking in everything. 

"Hey, man." Mikey patted his back as he coughed. "You remember anything?"

"It's a blur..." He gulped. "I remember a prick at my neck and-"

"They injected us all with something." I sighed touching my neck. "Made it easier for them to drag us here..." Everyone sat in separate seats, Troy was busy trying to unhinge the metal contraption around his neck. "Fuck! The tape said we all shared something!" Troy said trying to make it all clear. "We know why this love triangle is here. Look, Maybe I'm fucking wrong but I'm just trying to figure this out!"

"I played his game t-twice..." I trembled. "I have yet to figure out why I'm back." Troy turned to me with a million questions on his mind.

"Why were you in his first test?" He questioned. "I saw the news about your public test...You saved your family and that one guy." Flashbacks flooded my mind, my sides began to ache from just remembering how the blood seeped through my sides. 

"I-I was supposed to choose only one. I saved both." I recalled. "I survived...But a couple of days later...I was back in his game. This time it was him or me. Life or death. I had no choice. I had to kill him." I felt a very awkward cold silence fall over us as they tried to take in everything I said, the thought alone of killing someone for your life was enough to make them think. Troy began to silently tear up. "The only thing I've ever wanted." Troy's voice cracked. "Was vengeance for whoever sent him down to the enemy hood and got him shot." Jessica shifted away trying to take off the contraption around her head. This was real, we were in our own levels of hell and playing the same game. 

               Mikey sat in a seat by himself looking extremely sad and heartbroken, he didn't fear being here anymore. I sat next to Alvaro with my back toward him, it's not like he could steal from me, I had nothing. At this moment our past was being tested and it made us fear our present. No one had approached the tape yet or even gone up to check it out from fear of triggering something. Alvaro gently placed his hand on my arm, "Your shivering here." He pushed his hoodie toward me. I gave him a nod and put it on, in any given situation I would have rejected it. Was he here because of me? What did he do? Cynthia's cries and groans of pain grew louder as Monica tried calming her down next to Ryan. I let out a sigh looking over at the tape, we weren't gonna advance if Ryan didn't play that tape. Troy was impatiently bouncing his leg staring down Ryan and the tape. "You know what, Fuck this!" Troy burst out making everyone on the bus jump. He bolted straight to Ryan grabbing him by his shirt collar and shoving him to the front of the bus.

"What the fuck, man?!" Ryan yelled, eyes wide in horror.

"Hey, You're not the one with a metal brace around your face!" Troy yelled back. "Now play your tape and get this over with!" Everyone quickly moved toward the back of the bus including me, scared of what it could trigger. Ryan gulped trying to compose himself together as he took a few steps toward his tape. He took it off the chain and pressed play once released the chain shot up and the floor around him slanted toward the bus doors. The roof panel near the doors crashed down letting a contraption of sorts swing down pinning Ryan against the bus doors. 

"G-get me out!" Ryan screamed in a panic. The front of the bus did a mechanical whirr as needle-like tubes shot into Ryan's back making him scream in pain and terror. 

"Hello, Ryan..." The tape played. "Using a puppet for your personal game is so incredibly sick and vile that you never cared for your consequences. Making others take the fall for your actions and pumping them up of drugs for your financial gain. Unfortunately for you, This is not your game. Your life is in the hands of your puppet, and Cynthia holds the key. The key is implanted in Cynthia's side. Check your pockets, Mikey, His fate lies in your hands. You have 90 seconds. Let the games begin."  I took a deep breath as I ran up to the front trying to pull the panel off Ryan's back. "Shit!" I screamed pulling back receiving a shock the second I touched it. Mikey pulled out a swiss army knife from his pocket and flung the blade out. Cynthia has raised her shirt from where the pain was erupting, a bright red X was painted on her left side. Jessica and Monica cried staying behind Troy, who was wide-eyed and terrified of what he had just put Ryan in. 

"Mikey!" I called out taking off Alvaro's hoodie. "You gotta do what is right!" I threw the hoodie on the panel and tried pulling it off Ryan but it just wouldn't budge as another shock shot through my hands. 

"THEY BOTH USED ME!" Mikey cried out letting out a chuckle. "This is my chance!" Cynthia cried out loud hitting the back of the seat of where she was at covering her ears. 

"It's not like you!" I groaned as my hands went numb as I walked toward Mikey. "You don't have to do this! This is what he wants!" I reached out to touch his shoulder only for him to slide it off and turn to me with terror and confusion in his eyes.