Trust

Trust in me

I open my eyes, and look up at the ceiling. I'm sitting in a chair, can't move. Feels like a belt is holding my head to the backrest. I move my eyes down. I can see... Most of another mans face in front of me, his head also strapped down, his eyes moving left and right, his teeth gritted as he tried to free himself. I make my own attempts, knowing it would be useless, I try anyway. The chair is bolted to the floor. It won't move.

The man is pretty close to me. If we moved, we could probably touch. I'm scared. I have no idea how this will play out. "Hey." I say. "You know what's going on here?"
"No. I fell asleep, and woke up here, in a chair with some idiot in front of me, who's apparently in the same goddamn situation."
"Stupid question, I suppose. Can you move anything other that your eyes or mouth?"
"Just fingers and toes, damn much those can do." He says, gruffly. He tries again.
"Ok. Looks like we're stuck here; till whoever did this finishes whatever they're doing. What's your name?"
"Dan."
"I'm Oliver." I'm curious about this man. Who is he. "Do you know why you're here?" I ask. "Did you hurt anyone, steal from anyone, anything?"
"No, I've never done anything." His voice shook. "A few speeding tickets, that's it. You think someone would tell you why they kidnapped you..."
"I-I can't think of anything either." I said, truthfully. I look at him, trying to work out if I know him, or if I had ever seen him before today. I hadn't.
"Any chance you recognise me?" I ask.
"N-No... I don't think so..."
"Two innocent strangers... I guess it's just random, but... For what?" I look around as much as I can. The ceiling is high, I can't make out the walls. There's a spotlight above us, illuminating things slightly. My fingers can only feel the edge of the arm rest. I can't hear anything beyond my own breathing.

"What could've brought us here?" I muse, worriedly. "Is this torture? Is this some sort of psychotic force that brought us together?" Whatever the answer is, I can feel in my gut that someone's going to die. Hopefully not me.

I look down at him. It's straining to look so far. He's staring at me, panicking. I move my arms, as much as I can, it feels like some sort if straps holding down my left arm, metal bands on my right.
"What the hell? When are we going to-" Dan was cut off.

A loud screeching burned through my ears, the crackling, hissing sound of an old speaker. A booming voice rang out:
"Good evening, gentlemen. You have no doubt despaired in these restraints, but now all will be revealed. Between you, is a table. On that table is a gun. Soon your right arms will be released. The first person to get the gun and shoot the other wins. The winner will be released, and we will never bother them again. The other will be disposed us. If no one shoots within the first 5 minutes of being freed, you will both be electrocuted to death." The speakers shut off.

Silence. We wait for the restraints to be released. That time doesn't come.
"What the hell Oliver?"
"I-I don't know... Maybe they want us to get to know the man we have to kill..."
I don't want to kill anyone! But I sure as hell don't want to die!" The stressed conflict in his voice was obvious.
"Well would you rather kill me or die!" I retaliate, my voice strained. "That's the important question! Is your life worth the death of someone else?! Could you live your life, knowing you murdered someone, just so you could survive?"
"I'd rather die than kill someone, but I'd rather live and not kill even more."
"I feel the same! But unless you think we could untie ourselves in 5 minutes with only one hand..." We're both silent for a moment. Dan started whispering.
"But what if we could?"
"What? How can we trust we only have 5 minutes? How can I trust you not to kill me?!"
"Like I said, I'd rather die than kill someone. A chance at us both living is worth a shot!"
"I guess... I guess that's the only way to not be a murderer..." I smile, even though he can't see me. "I trust you. You can trust in me too."

So that's our plan? We hope to god we get free in time, because I am not getting anything off the table before I free myself. I dispute to myself whether to go for my head straps or arm straps first. Could I do that with only one hand? I decided when the time came, I'd put it down to my instincts.

"So... You got any family, or anythin?" Dan breaks the silence.
"No, not really... My parents are around, I see them sometimes. Some friends, no one really close though. You?"
"I have a girlfriend, a kid, the rest of the family. I want to get back there, i just got a new job." His voice shakes slightly, and he takes a moment to steady his words. "Man... Why'd this have to happen now?! This isn't fair."

The life of someone like me, to someone like him... It didn't seem fair. I'd still want to live, though I don't exactly want to kill him either. Like hell am I offering myself as a sacrifice so he can live. What a reasonable person would do is our plan.

We talk for a while, he tells me about where he grew up, what he does for a living, his girlfriend, about how wonderful his daughter is. He gets choked up again, and I take over for a bit. Told him about my old school, friends, my plans in life. We keep talking about the things we very well might loose, until we can't talk about it anymore.

We wait for what seems like an hour, until... "Hey! Come on! Are we gonna sit here all day?!" Nothing in reply but silence. Dan was shaking, as much as he could, anyway. "I want to see my kid again. I wanna get out of here!"
"Dan? Dan relax... Think about how we're gonna get out of here, plan it."
"Alright, I'm cool." He doesn't seem cool.

We wait some more. Every time I look, Dan seems worse. I talk, trying to get him out of his own head, but he doesn't talk back. We wait a while, hoping we can both be free from this accursed game.

It feels like I've been here for years, looking across the table. Dan starts... Muttering. But I-I can't hear him.
"We just assume we can get out of here... We could be locked in... There could be people waiting to shoot us the minute we walk out... I don't want to be here. I don't even know where here is, we could be in Antarctica... There could be someone 6 feet to the left of me and I wouldn't know... There's no way to get out of here, I only have one hand. Someone has to die..."
"Focus. Focus in getting out of here! No one has to die... I know it! You have to know too. Just a few straps, and we're out of here, finally free."

*click*

The restraint is released. I immediately reach for the belt on my head, and start to undo it. I see Dan reach across the table. I know I can't win.
"I'm sorry, Oliver, but I have a family, I've got more to live for than you..."
Don't do this!" The urgency in my voice rises. "Do you want to go back to your family as a murderer?!"
"Screw. You."

The belt on my head is loose. I look down quickly, and start on my left arm, sweating. I can see Dans' hands waving across the table, trying to find to gun.
It's not there.

"5 years." I say, standing up, and reaching for the kill switch. "5 years, thousands of different variations, and they always reach for the gun." I flip the switch and Dan screams in agony as thousands of volts of electricity course through him, before silence.