Every Puzzle Has Its Pieces (A Saw Fanfiction)

Chapter Eight

There was cold metal against my neck and my right eye was throbbing with pain. The room was eerily silent. I opened my eyes but could only see out of one of them. Was I blind? I looked down to see the metal contraption that was around my neck, it resembled a mask but the inside was filled with sharp nails. I was back. The Jigsaw Killer had trapped me once again. The room I was in was small, dark and empty. In front of me was a television.
The TV started to hiss and crackle and suddenly a picture appeared. Amongst the static was a white puppet with red swirls painted on its cheeks. The puppets nutcracker mouth creaked open and a familiar deep voice spoke.

Hello, Alicia. I want to play a game, again. You must be wondering what brought you back here. You see, I thought after the bathroom you would have learned your lesson, learned to value your life more but I've been told otherwise. You're unworthy of the body you possess, of the life that you've been given. The device around your neck is a death mask. The mask is on a spring timer. If you do not locate the key in time, the mask will close. Think of it like a Venus Flytrap. Taking into account that you are at a great disadvantage here, I am going to give you a hint as to where I've hidden the key. So listen carefully, the hint is this: it's right before your eyes. How much blood will you shed to stay alive, Alicia? Live or die, make your choice.

I stared in shock as the TV turned itself off, the swirls of the puppets cheeks still burnt into the screen for a moment. I looked down at the floor to see a small, handheld mirror. Slowly, I bent down to pick it up when I heard the scrape of metal against metal behind me, then a ticking noise started. This must be the timer.
Quickly I picked up the mirror and held it up to my face, my right eye was completely swollen and bruised a dark purple colour. I looked horrible. Ugly.
I looked back at the TV and noticed something sat atop it. I leaned forward a grabbed the laminated sheet of paper to see it was an xray. An xray of my head and over my right eye was the clear outline of a key.
My shaking hands dropped the xray as I let out a scream that echoed around the room and tears started to pour down my cheeks. I reached up and lightly touched my eye before wincing in pain.
"I'm sorry!" I sobbed as I looked up at the camera in the corner of the room. "I've changed!" I screamed. "I want to live!"
I waited for a moment as the ticking continued, hoping the door would open and I would be let out. Wondering if my luck had run out.
I swung my foot in impatience when I hit something under the chair. I looked under to see a small metal box. I kicked it forward with my foot and then reached down with my hand and picked it up. I opened it to find a scalpel.
I had to play this game properly.
With one hand I held the mirror up and with the other I held the scalpel. Slowly I pressed the blade under my eye and pushed it in gently so it broke the skin.
"Arghhhh!" I yelled out as I slid the scalpel along an inch. The pain was too much. My arms dropped and the scalpel and mirror clattered to the ground, the mirror shattering as it did so. I hung my head and sobbed for a moment.

Suddenly, I stopped. The room had gone quiet, quieter than it had been previously. I wiped my eye and held my breath, listening to what had changed. Then I realised, the ticking had stopped. I was out of time. There was a loud clink of metal and creaking of hinges as the mask snapped shut around my face.

- Princexiero xx