BLUFF [AIB]

Stage One: IV

[Started: 12/25/2022]
[Ended: 12/25/2022]
[Song: Sunglasses At Night (Jean Jacket Mix) by Corey Hart.]

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Alice In Borderlands
BLUFF
STAGE ONE: Rubatosis
"The unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat."

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Chapter Four
"Fingers and Nails"
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     'Fuck this.'
     Y/n and the old man stood outside a lit-up building. It was a church much to Y/n displeasure. She hated religious people or anything that had to do with it. All that hope made her scowl, particularly because she didn't have it.
     They walked in and joined the people waiting. There were four other people beside them, none of which seemed to know each other. Once they registered the game started.
     "Registration closed."
     "Difficulty 9 of Spades."
     "Game: Telephone."
     "Each player will enter the confessional and give up something to use the telephone. In total the telephone must be used six times or everyone will be eliminated."
     "Please proceed to the altar."
     The group walked farther into the church. On the altar was an old red telephone. Above it was a screen with everyone's picture on it. The old man's picture lit up.
     "Player Fives turn."
     "Wait for that ring then." He said walking over to the confession box.
    After a minute they started to hear grunts and heavy breathing from the box. After two more minutes, it stopped and the phone rang. One of the randoms picked it up.
    The phone hung up and the Old man moseyed out of the box hiding his hand from everyone. "Who's next?"
     Y/n picture lit up.
     She took a deep breath and entered the box. On a little ledge was a butcher's knife, pliers, and an odd contraption Y/n didn't recognize. On the other wall was a blue phone. She sat down and looked up at the screen above the entrance.
     "Spin the wheel."
     She looked down at her phone and pressed a large red dot that appeared.
    "To use the phone you must donate one nail." A diagram of how to use the contraption appeared on the screen.
     'Oh shit.'
     "Lesson three, it's all about self-control." The old man's voice came from outside the box. "These games are going to push you to the limit. You have to take the pain or die."
    "Did you seriously do this without screaming?!" She asked in bewilderment.
     "I've had my fair share of torture done on me."
     "Jesus." She clawed at her hair. The mere thought of ripping off her own fingernail made her squirm.
     Taking a deep breath she grabbed the contraption and put her pinky in it. That's when she noticed the leftover blood on it from the Old man. Her breath grew shaky as she looked down at her finger.
     "Don't think about it."
     Without another second she pressed down on the contraption and let out a scream as it slowly ripped off her nail. Pain shot up her finger as blood pooled out.
    When it had come off Y/n tossed the contraption back on the ledge and put the nail in a bucket below the telephone before picking it up. As soon as someone picked it up she put it back and stumbled out of the box into one of the pews. Sweat covered her forehead as she caught her breath.
     "Ripping off one's nail is a special kinda fucked up feeling." Old man sat next to her as another person went in.
    She looked at him. "No fucking shit."
    "I'm surprised you were able to do it. Most people can't."
     As if on cue the person in the box screamed out in pain and came barreling out of the box. His finger had been cut halfway through and it was spewing blood everywhere.
     Old man looked in amusement. "Poor idiot, the ring finger is connected to many veins and arteries in the body. Without proper medical attention, he'll die."
     "Does this mean someone else has to cut off a finger?" Y/n asked.
    Old man sighed before getting up. "Nope."
     He grabbed the bloody knife from the box and went over to the bleeding man. He grabbed his hand and pinned it to the side of the box.
    "Hey man, what are you doing?!"
     The man let out a blood-curdling scream as the Old man chopped off the remainder of his finger. The stranger crumpled to the floor holding his hand. The old man went into the box completing the man's turn. Y/n just stared in absolute shock as he sat next to her again.
     'He's insane.'
Slowly she turned away and directed her attention to the statue of an angel in the corner. She stared it down as she held her pinky finger. Y/n was envious of the religious. They had so much faith...so much hope, despite something as gruesome as this going down in their place of worship.
At the alter one of the participants dropped to their knees and began praying as the screams of agony came from the confession box.
"Lord save us."

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     "See now that wasn't so bad now was it." Old man sat as he patched up his finger.
     Y/n looked down at her own bandaged nail. "It was the worst thing I've ever done."
     "For a first-timer, I'm sure it would be." He shrugged. "You'll get used to it eventually."
     'How does someone get used to torture?'

     That night Y/n lay on the front of the boat looking down into the water. The old man was far asleep by now but she had more questions. This time they were all about him. She wanted to know what changed him from being a greedy vile person to an almost normal regretful old man. She was sure he would never tell her.
     She pulled the 9 of spades card from her pocket. She wanted to throw it in the ocean and forget about what had just happened but it was too important. Sometimes bad things change people and even though they may be bad you wouldn't have it any other way. That's what Y/n felt.
    The event was gruesome and pushed her much farther than she would have liked to go but she felt stronger. She felt like she could see the end of these games. But she wasn't sure she wanted to go home. This free lifestyle she has been living was better than anything she had before. The only downside was the games.
     Y/n pocketed the card again and looked up at the shore. By now all the games had ended but in the distance, there was a light coming from a hotel.
     'What is that?"

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