The music stopped. The voice that came from this puppet was distorted. That was one of the first things that Mariah made out alongside its completely creepy vibes. A masculine voice. A masked voice. A modulated voice. Hollow. Ghostly. Ghastly. Empty. Lonely.
A lonely, lonely voice.
“If you lose…you die…” Toneless. If deep as the darkest pit. “If you win…you live…”
To say that she didn’t like this would be quite an understatement.
“All you have to do…” The puppet continued. It hadn’t moved during this. Suddenly it did. Slowly its head shifted. “...Is survive…”
What…the fuck…is this?
“Is this some kind of sick joke? Some prank?” No answer from the thing. Nothing. “Who put you up to this? Even if this is a legitimate kidnapping, even if you want my money, or my family's money, you won’t get away with it, you know?”
She spoke her words with vigor. With strength. She was a strong woman. She had to be. However, she could not deny her heartbeat. Her breath. The heat beneath her skin even in this cold dark room. She couldn’t move. She wanted to.
“Let’s begin.” It spoke with puppet lips, as expected, of which the movement of its mouth was all the more disturbing. Stupid. This is stupid. This is a dream. Or this is some stupid teen.
“First, I want you to take the fish. Take it…and shove it inside yourself. Between your two lips like tulips. As if it’s Darth Vader’s burnt member.”
Breath caught between Mariah’s lips. She can hardly believe this. The audacity. The speech. From this puppet. Though surely the ridiculousness of its request was just further indication that this was really was some twisted joke? The thought of that gave her some calm. Even though its words gave her anger.
“No fucking way.”
“You’re right. Unfair comparison. The fish is too frozen… How about Anakin Skywalker’s member? He was a rather handsome man.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
“No? Not him either? Thorne’s sword? A woman like you ought to set him on a straight course… Ha. Ha. Ha.”
It laughed. It…laughed… A flat deadpan laugh. This is crazy. This is silly. This isn’t even happening.
“Kidding.”
Where am I? Where’s the exit? I want out. I need to get out. Where’s Kayden?
“I hate to spoil the fun but here’s just a taste of what’s to come in this game.”
At that, and though Mariah was already short on tongue, though she wanted to speak, to plead, to threaten, there was another movement from the puppet. A projection emitted from its left eye like a holoimage.
“This is where you are.”
“This is some of what you will be facing in the cold. In the dark.”
“I added the music. Hope you liked it. The cameraman didn’t get to hear it. He didn’t make it.”
Nonsense. Stupid. This is nonsense. Anybody could fake footage in today’s day and age. She didn’t believe it. Wouldn’t buy into it.
“In this complex, you will face obstacles like what you saw. You will be hunted. You will also face obstacles in the form of…puzzles. Traps. You are in one already, Mariah…Boucheron.”
It knows my last name.
“You are in the great game now. How you play, whether you win, is up to you. Shoulder the burden. Freedom is in the eye of the beholder.”
“Kayden. Where’s Kayden!?” Her heart skipped a beat again. Unless… “Kayden? Is this…is this...you? Kay..?”
There was a delay.
“Your first obstacle is to get out of this room.”
Light illuminated the majority of the chamber just then. Mariah looked around, searching for hope, for an exit, for Kayden. Nothing. Nobody. Just me. Just this thing. Just meaningless equipment fit for a basement, for a factory even.
“Let’s get back to the fish for a minute.”
No. No fucking away.
“I want you to pick it up...and slap yourself in the face with it.”
“Shut up. Shut up!"
“Go on. Do it. It will be absolutely hilarious.”
“No. I’m not playing. I want out of here. Right now.” Light in her environment. Where’s the exit? Has to be here somewhere. Darkness still lingered near a corner. Covered it. Over there?
“Do it.”
“If you let me go now I won’t report any of this. I promise. Just…just let me go…okay?
“DO IT.”
Suddenly its voice changed. Its pitch. No. No not this. What is this. That was just too disturbing.
“DEW IT.”
“No! No I’m not doing this. I'm not doing this!”
“PICK UP THE FISH”
“Fuck you! FUCK you!”
“FISH FISH IT RHYMES WITH DISH”
“FUCK YOU!” She picked up the fish. And she swung it. “FUCK YOU!” Again. Right into the puppet’s head. A frozen fish against the mad and maddening puppet. “FUCK YOU YOU PIECE OF SHIT!”
Again.
And the puppet just…laughed.
“Hahahahahahahahahahaha.”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”
It didn’t. So she kept hitting it. Over and over again until she was out of breath and the fish was as broken as the puppet’s face. Still, it laughed, but the laughter faded away.
“Hahahahahahahahahahaaahaaa-haaaaaa-haaaaaaaaa-haaaaaaaaaaaa…”
Until no more laughter came.
Just then light illuminated the corner that had earlier caught her gaze.
A door. A DOOR. Mariah dropped the fragmented frozen fish and rushed toward the door to open it. It was solid. Windowless. No. She pounded it with her fists. It wouldn’t open. “NO!”
She just then noticed the small window on it. She looked through. Saw nothing. Just a corridor. Something more. Adjacent from her was another door, another window, light, but nobody. Nothing. There was a handle that wouldn’t turn on her door. A lock that had no key. Key! KEY!
She turned around, bit her lip, and began her quest. Search the room. Find it. Find it. Find it. Or, if no key, use the equipment, break it. Somehow. Find it. Break it. Get the fuck out.
A lonely, lonely voice.
“If you lose…you die…” Toneless. If deep as the darkest pit. “If you win…you live…”
To say that she didn’t like this would be quite an understatement.
“All you have to do…” The puppet continued. It hadn’t moved during this. Suddenly it did. Slowly its head shifted. “...Is survive…”
What…the fuck…is this?
“Is this some kind of sick joke? Some prank?” No answer from the thing. Nothing. “Who put you up to this? Even if this is a legitimate kidnapping, even if you want my money, or my family's money, you won’t get away with it, you know?”
She spoke her words with vigor. With strength. She was a strong woman. She had to be. However, she could not deny her heartbeat. Her breath. The heat beneath her skin even in this cold dark room. She couldn’t move. She wanted to.
“Let’s begin.” It spoke with puppet lips, as expected, of which the movement of its mouth was all the more disturbing. Stupid. This is stupid. This is a dream. Or this is some stupid teen.
“First, I want you to take the fish. Take it…and shove it inside yourself. Between your two lips like tulips. As if it’s Darth Vader’s burnt member.”
Breath caught between Mariah’s lips. She can hardly believe this. The audacity. The speech. From this puppet. Though surely the ridiculousness of its request was just further indication that this was really was some twisted joke? The thought of that gave her some calm. Even though its words gave her anger.
“No fucking way.”
“You’re right. Unfair comparison. The fish is too frozen… How about Anakin Skywalker’s member? He was a rather handsome man.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
“No? Not him either? Thorne’s sword? A woman like you ought to set him on a straight course… Ha. Ha. Ha.”
It laughed. It…laughed… A flat deadpan laugh. This is crazy. This is silly. This isn’t even happening.
“Kidding.”
Where am I? Where’s the exit? I want out. I need to get out. Where’s Kayden?
“I hate to spoil the fun but here’s just a taste of what’s to come in this game.”
At that, and though Mariah was already short on tongue, though she wanted to speak, to plead, to threaten, there was another movement from the puppet. A projection emitted from its left eye like a holoimage.
“This is where you are.”
“This is some of what you will be facing in the cold. In the dark.”
“I added the music. Hope you liked it. The cameraman didn’t get to hear it. He didn’t make it.”
Nonsense. Stupid. This is nonsense. Anybody could fake footage in today’s day and age. She didn’t believe it. Wouldn’t buy into it.
“In this complex, you will face obstacles like what you saw. You will be hunted. You will also face obstacles in the form of…puzzles. Traps. You are in one already, Mariah…Boucheron.”
It knows my last name.
“You are in the great game now. How you play, whether you win, is up to you. Shoulder the burden. Freedom is in the eye of the beholder.”
“Kayden. Where’s Kayden!?” Her heart skipped a beat again. Unless… “Kayden? Is this…is this...you? Kay..?”
There was a delay.
“Your first obstacle is to get out of this room.”
Light illuminated the majority of the chamber just then. Mariah looked around, searching for hope, for an exit, for Kayden. Nothing. Nobody. Just me. Just this thing. Just meaningless equipment fit for a basement, for a factory even.
“Let’s get back to the fish for a minute.”
No. No fucking away.
“I want you to pick it up...and slap yourself in the face with it.”
“Shut up. Shut up!"
“Go on. Do it. It will be absolutely hilarious.”
“No. I’m not playing. I want out of here. Right now.” Light in her environment. Where’s the exit? Has to be here somewhere. Darkness still lingered near a corner. Covered it. Over there?
“Do it.”
“If you let me go now I won’t report any of this. I promise. Just…just let me go…okay?
“DO IT.”
Suddenly its voice changed. Its pitch. No. No not this. What is this. That was just too disturbing.
“DEW IT.”
“No! No I’m not doing this. I'm not doing this!”
“PICK UP THE FISH”
“Fuck you! FUCK you!”
“FISH FISH IT RHYMES WITH DISH”
“FUCK YOU!” She picked up the fish. And she swung it. “FUCK YOU!” Again. Right into the puppet’s head. A frozen fish against the mad and maddening puppet. “FUCK YOU YOU PIECE OF SHIT!”
Again.
And the puppet just…laughed.
“Hahahahahahahahahahaha.”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”
It didn’t. So she kept hitting it. Over and over again until she was out of breath and the fish was as broken as the puppet’s face. Still, it laughed, but the laughter faded away.
“Hahahahahahahahahahaaahaaa-haaaaaa-haaaaaaaaa-haaaaaaaaaaaa…”
Until no more laughter came.
Just then light illuminated the corner that had earlier caught her gaze.
A door. A DOOR. Mariah dropped the fragmented frozen fish and rushed toward the door to open it. It was solid. Windowless. No. She pounded it with her fists. It wouldn’t open. “NO!”
She just then noticed the small window on it. She looked through. Saw nothing. Just a corridor. Something more. Adjacent from her was another door, another window, light, but nobody. Nothing. There was a handle that wouldn’t turn on her door. A lock that had no key. Key! KEY!
She turned around, bit her lip, and began her quest. Search the room. Find it. Find it. Find it. Or, if no key, use the equipment, break it. Somehow. Find it. Break it. Get the fuck out.