The three of them decided to check more doors. The house was pretty much an endless supply of them. Their friends could be in any one of the hundreds and hundreds of doors, so that's where they started. Melanie looked for Ashley, Tyler looked for Ryan, and Josh looked for Brendon. They opened door, after door, after door, after door. So many things were found, but not a single one was a person.
•••
Josh examined the interior of each place he checked.
Makeup room.
Tshirt room.
Coat hanger room.
Grenade room. (Josh grabbed one of those because it could be useful.)
Bear trap room.
Brendon.
BRENDON!
Josh yelled for Tyler and Melanie.
Inside, Brendon layed passed out, face down on the ground. Scattered around him were open beartraps, set like a minefield. The traps hung on the wall as well, each with open mouths like baby birds waiting for their mother to feed them.
Brendon was in a pool of his own blood.
Josh and Melanie carefully made their way around the traps to Brendon. Tyler stayed at the doorway because there was NO WAY he was risking stepping in one of those things, even if Brendon's life was on the line.
His ankle was caught in a pair of steel teeth. The jaws clamped around his left leg and the massive serations dug into his calf muscles.
"He must have stepped on one then passed out from blood loss. We need to get him out and bandage him up." Josh said.
The two tried to pull his leg out but it wasn't going anywhere. They could hear his skin tearing around the ankle.
"Check to make sure he's breathing and his heartbeat is there. We need to cut it off." Melanie ordered.
"He's alive. Slow breathing and irregular heartbeat, but he's there."
"Ok. Tyler! Go get us a saw and alcohol!"
Tyler obeyed and came back 4 minutes later with a rusty handsaw and a bottle of whiskey.
"Not what I meant but it will work." Josh grabbed the items and handed them to Melanie. She opened up the bottle and sniffed the opening.
"God! This stuff is so strong." She took a swig and started pouring it on the wound.
"He's stilll breathing. Keep going." Josh checked his friend again.
Melanie picked up the saw and whispered, "Here goes nothing." She put the blade gently on Brendon's upper calf.
Josh and Tyler turned their heads away.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Brendon shot up from unconsciousness and began screaming and pulling at his leg.
"Brendon, lay back dow! We're getting you out!" Josh tried to push Brendon back to the ground. He was a little shocked at his friends sudden uprise.
"TAKE IT OFF TAKE IT OFF! IT HURTS!" He wailed.
Melanie gave him the alcohol and allowed him to drink half the bottle in one gulp.
Brendon took a deep breath and put his back on the ground again. "Just saw my fucking leg off and get it done."
Melanie raised her eyebrows at him but began moving the blade back and forth, as carful as she could.
"HOLY FUCKING HELL FUCK ME IN THE ASS JOSH IT HURTS!"
Josh strattled his waist and held his arms down because Brendon started freaking out again.
"Tyler! Get wrap bandages and a piece of wood!"
Five minutes later, they had what they need.
Brendon had the piece of wood in his mouth to bite on and to keep him quiet. Melanie was sawing through the bone. Brendon passed out again.
"Fuck. We should've had something for the pain. This is gonna hurt so bad when he wakes up." Josh sighed.
Melanie finished up and cut off the last bit. "Ok bandage him quickly!"
"We need to seal it he's going to die of blood loss." Josh argued
"I don't know how!" Melanie frantically waved her arms.
"Silver Nitrate! Get a bottle of it Tyler! I saw it in the chemical room! 7th door on the left! It should work!"
A few moments later, Melanie was pressing the crystals into Brendon's leg. Even though he was unconscious, Brendon groaned in pain.
"Now wrap it."
•••
"Thank god for convenient cauterizers and whiskey."
The four of them sat by the front door, eating a can of cold beans. Brendon was silently crying in pain. He was curled in a ball and was cradling his legs carefully.
"We're sorry Bren. We had to get you out. Atleast you're alive." Tyler patted his friend on the back gently.
Brendon glanced at him.
"For now."
