(BOOK 2) MARK/HOFFMAN: A Saw Fanfiction

NINETEEN

The next big game was taking place at an abandoned zoo on the edge of the City. 

The only people Hoffman was worried about running into were druggies and young teenagers. They rarely--but still sometimes-- showed up here to do drugs or hook up. He got at least one call a year with a disturbance in the zoo. Most people tended to steer clear of this area of town, so he wasn't too worried, as long as that one call didn't fall on today or tomorrow. 

The most daunting task for tomorrow was going to be getting everyone there. 

As he set up the traps, he counted 14 people that he needed to obtain. It was insane. He was even considering enlisting in the help of Jill Tuck because it was going to be so difficult. Did John really expect him to be able to do that? 

Besides, he didn't even know who these people were. 

He had a lot on his mind. 

The traps for this game were gnarly. Luckily, he, John, and Amanda had all built the traps almost completely before John died, so it wasn't like Mark was scrambling to get that part done. He loaded the shotgun for the carousel trap after verifying it was working. He hung a freshly painted Billy Puppet with some barbed wire and put him in position for the hanging trap. 

He made sure all of the tapes were set up and would go off at the trigger of different events. Even now, he couldn't help but be impressed with John's ingenuity. He somehow had everything set up to turn on itself when the main game player walked into the room. He still had no idea how it worked. "Just put the tapes in place and it should all go as plan," John would say. Mark found it slightly comical. 

When Hoffman built the pendulum trap, it had taken months with a lot of trial and error. He had a slight background in cars, but a swinging blade that would cut someone in half was a bit out of his comfort zone. It did the job, and he got away with it, so he wasn't too annoyed with any of the hiccups he had, but it was difficult nonetheless. 

But these traps were all very well done. 

He took a break in the surveillance room and checked his messages. It was early in the morning, about 6:30 am. He'd snuck out of the apartment at around 4 and texted Abby that he had been called into work early for a new lead on Jigsaw. She had yet to respond. 

He had to actually be at work soon. 

As he made sure all of the security cameras worked, he thought about the Seth Baxter tape. He was terrified, despite being skilled in hiding it. He was still trying to come up with ways to divert their attention, but between Jill, Abby, and this elaborate game he hadn't had the time. 

Everything looked good. 

He planned on starting the game the following night. 

Hoffman left the zoo quietly and without being seen. Fisk had roughly a week left, but he had taken leave to go find a different job. 

He had to be around the dreaded Matt Gibson for 8 hours a day at least, which was motivation enough to finish up John's games and move out of state with Abby. He genuinely couldn't stand the guy. His attitude after moving to IA had gotten so much worse. All he did was do things to boost his own ego and objectify women at any chance he got. If it was up to Mark, he'd put him in a Jigsaw trap and feel no remorse if the man died. 

Hoffman got in his car and discreetly turned onto the main road. The morning traffic wasn't near as bad on this side of town, but the police department was still a fifteen minute drive. He didn't mind the silence in the car.