Reaper: The Novel

The Second Salvaged Truth

For the next few seconds, the girl made no attempt to move, lest she be eviscerated by the abomination in front of her. The robot kept the silence, like a valuable treasure. It simply kept staring at her.

The light bulb flickered.

It was then the girl realized that all the light in the room was no longer being emitted by the futuristic wall lamps, but instead from a lone light bulb hanging from the room. The girl remembered the robot in front of her, and grabbed the T.A.S.E.R near her, but the robot was no longer in front of her...

The tape suddenly sprung to life once again.

"Shock the light bulb."

The girl wondered if her ears were playing tricks on her, but a sudden screech from the tape jolted her into action. In a swift motion, she brought the T.A.S.E.R upon the bulb.

Kzzzzzt.

The light flickered again. This time, darkness ensued.

Jingle
Jingle
Jingle

The girl heard three eerie jingles. She was about to turn her head towards the source, but then she realized that the jingles were coming from the direction of the tape. She dared not to look at the darkness, for fear of her life.

So instead, the darkness looked at her.

Two white pinpricks.

They were staring at her.

The girl shocked what she thought was the bulb.

But it was the cold, merciless hand of that which did not belong in this world.

The presumed owner of the two unblinking eyes shrieked. The girl closed her eyes.

Then it lunged at her.

She could feel the cold, steel teeth rip into her left arm. She tried to scream, but It had crushed her jaw. She could feel its cold, metallic fingers worming into her insides. Her vision started darkening. In a last attempt, the girl desperately tried to find the light bulb, waving the T.A.S.E.R. in the air. The T.A.S.E.R hit something, and it caused a small tink.

With no hesitation, she pressed the shock button.

She hoped it was the light bulb.

...

Fortunately, it was.

The light went on again. In front of her was the robot, but now it was slumped on its chair, its eyes no longer glowing. It was looking down on the table. It was deactivated.

The girl felt a wave of relief, but she was confused. Why was she not dead? Glancing at her left arm, it was still attached to her body. She felt it being severed a few seconds ago. She tried to speak.

She still could.

Lifting up her shirt, there weren't even any scars on her. She knew that the wounds she took were fatal, but here she was, with not even a scar present.

Shuddering, the girl followed protocol and opened the drawer under the table. She took the sheet and closed it immediately, not wishing to experience any more incidents.

As if on cue, the tape started playing again.

"Congratulations on getting here. However, the Salvage is just beginning. Place the sheet in front of you and simply say "I will now take you apart." Ignore any movement deviations and proceed to the next step. In the same drawer you took the sheet from, you are to retrieve a pen. Take only the black one"

The girl placed the sheet on the table, and then said "I will now take you apart."

The robot twitched its head slightly, but the girl did not try shocking it again. The girl reached for the drawer, but she remembered the instructions.

"Only open the drawer on one occasion, and that is when you will retrieve the paper."

So the girl waited. Looking around her, she wondered if she was still on the Renegade base. With the door no longer there, she wondered if she could find a new one. Just as she was about to leave her seat, the cassette tape resumed, prompting her to sit down and listen.

"I commend you for following my instructions. Had you failed to comply, you would already be dead. That compliance is necessary. If you've done something wrong, you'd be dead before you knew it... I'm joking. You'd be dead after realizing you made a mistake AND after suffering a miserable death. Anyway, the pen's in your pocket. Don't ask why. When you're ready, softly ask the subject if they are ready. If they are, they won't do anything. But if they aren't... let's just say your family won't have much to bury. Complete the first round for more information."

The girl sighed. She wondered how many games she'd have to play before she learned everything. Reaching into her pocket, she felt the pen, and took it out. "Huh, this pen is pretty new.", the girl thought. As the instructions said, she asked the robot softly (She didn't ask aggressively lest she die) "Are you ready?". The girl sounded calm but she was already very nervous. If what she saw was only a nightmare, then she didn't want to find out what would really happen.

Silence.

Nothing happened.

The girl waited.

Silence.

The tape played again.

"If you are still alive, congratulations. You may begin the salvage. Face this tape (Don't worry, it's fine right now) and press the "》" button. IGNORE WHAT YOU HEAR. When the audio finishes, only then are you allowed to tick the box. If the subject moves outside of the tickbox movement description, shock it. Do not shock it too many times. It's already angry."

The girl faced the tape, fearing the worst, but nothing happened. She felt scared. She never knew what would happen if she stepped out of line, and it was in her best interest not to experience it. Looking at the tape, she pressed the 》 button.

And that's when it began.

(Author boi here. All I can say is Yeet. Like, comment, and follow for more!)