The Scars of Kate Madison (A SAW FanFiction)

NINE.

--
Sometimes the only

difference between

life and death

is the ability

to retain the smallest

scrap of hope

LISA KLEYPAS

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Chapter Word Count: 1,327
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NINE.
--

A rush of relief ran over Kate as Lawrence groggily sat up from the floor, clutching his throbbing head. She crawled as close as she could to him, a large grin on her face. "Oh, thank God! We thought you were dead!"

"He...he electrocuted me."

"I told you! I fucking told you! The same thing happened to us, see? We weren't lying!" yelled Adam, flinging his arms excessively in the air. Kate felt like doing the same just to add further support towards Adam's words, so she did.

The doctor didn't say anything as he watched the other two prisoners, instead he lifted the chain that still had him bound to the wall. His fingers stroked the chain, his mind overworking like a gear as he eyed the source of electricity. He couldn't feel his leg. The entire foot had run numb.

"Fuck this shit!" he snapped. As he and Adam had done before, Lawrence began struggling with his chain as he pulled on it. He began trying to pull the numb foot out of the cuff, wincing as feeling and blood rushed back to the area. Adam watched from the distance while Kate, still as close as she could towards the doctor, covered her ears to muffle the sounds of Lawrence's screaming and moaning.

The phone, closer towards the blood puddle of the unnamed corpse due to Lawrence's previous bout of anger, rang.

Lawrence grunted as he fell flat on the floor, tile dust collecting on his already pale face. Just a foot away from the phone beckoning him. He needed to answer. It seemed that everything depended on this one cellphone, that one call. Suddenly, he stopped his attempt towards the phone and crawled towards the now broken hinged box, tearing what was still left of it with his hands. A long jagged piece in his hand, he returned towards the phone and resumed his failing attempts. He still couldn't reach. Lawrence threw the sliver to the side and curled up into a ball, letting the ringing of the phone echo.

Adam watched Lawrence intensely, standing still and speechless. This was it, he thought. This was how the end wanted to end.

"No!" Lawrence yelled into his abdomen. "No! No! No!"

Adam gulped. Quickly, he glanced at the still cowering Kate who watched Lawrence with a blank stare. Then he looked at the broken Lawrence. Lastly, he looked over at the wall with the broken mirror, letting the remaining shattered pieces reflect their imperfect images. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Lawrence, calm down." Adam managed to say without trembling or showing any sign that he was just as terrified. Now, it was time for him to be the one in charge. "There must a way out of this."

"No!" yelled Lawrence. "I can't be calm! My family needs me! No, God!"

Kate desperately began clawing after the now silent phone. She pushed herself towards it, even used her coat to fling at it. But it was no use. Collapsing on the floor, Kate closed her eyes and let the anguishing pain overcome her. A line of drool escaped her mouth and pooled on the floor. Lawrence began yelling at the top of his lungs.

Adam did a double look at the two prisoners giving up. He wouldn't allow, not if there was still just a little bit of time-or in this case-no time left on the clock. Speaking loudly to push behind the doctor's yelling, "Lawrence, Kate, I have a family too! I don't see them, that's my mistake. It's a mistake I'd like to fix!"

Kate stood up from the floor weakly, her body moving left and right. She clambered towards her wall and pipe for support. Lawrence sat up again, once again pulling at his chain. He never stopped yelling, even when his throat began to sore up. His family needed him.

"Lawrence, stop it!" Adam ordered, losing that cool and collected touch he sought after.

Lawrence decided he was going to do it. He started unbuttoning his blue button-down, but when that proved to be too slow, he began tearing and ripping it apart from his body. He was going to do what he was suppose to do in the very beginning.

"Lawrence," Kate said, "There's a way out of here. I...I can see it. It's near."

Methodically, the doctor began tying a sleeve to his manacled foot. Kate watched with heavy eyes then fell to the floor. Her legs felt like rubber and could not longer support her. She coughed and watched as the blood escaping stained the tile dust on the floor a crimson red. Like tears, she thought, just like tears. Tears always fall down.

"Lawrence! No!" Adam yelled as he fell on the floor to crawl towards Kate who fell into a dark unconsciousness. "Oh my fucking God! What are you doing? Don't!"

Lawrence put the shirt in his mouth, biting it as a brace for the pain to come. The look in his eyes were all madness. He reached for the hacksaw with his free hand, gripping it hard as he placed it towards his chained ankle. With no hesitation, the man began to saw.

This time, still on his knees, Adam began to scream alongside the doctor. He felt faint, an uneasiness filling the pit of his stomach. So much blood, so much red, so much screaming. It was everywhere, squirting and flying. Adam fell flat, wincing as his throat began closing up and his breathing became hard. He begged for the doctor to stop, and finally, he did.

Flinging the bloodied saw away from him, Lawrence grunted. The ankle was gone. Lawrence's face was even paler than before. Adam remained frozen on the floor, shocked by what he had just seen.

Still sleeping, Kate muttered to herself. Slowly she was waking up again, her chin numb and slick with her own drool. She bit her tongue to become more clearheaded. A few whimpers escaped as her blurry eyes adjusted to the blood on the walls. Meanwhile, Lawrence dragged himself towards his ripped envelope which still held the one bullet.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked as she pulled herself up to her knees, still groggy.

Adam quickly crawled his way towards Kate who lurched forward to release her dinner. "Why is there blood on the walls? Wha-what happened here?"

The doctor ignored her, still dragging himself, but this time towards the phone and the headless corpse. Kate opened her mouth to speak again yet nothing came out. Reality finally dawned upon her.

Someone was going to die.

"Oh my God! Oh my fucking God! Lawrence, don't!" pleaded Adam as he watched the bleeding out man reach the headless corpse's hand to pry the pistol out. "Please! Don't! I'm begging you!"

Lawrence shakily put the bullet in the chamber. "One of you has to die. And I get to choose."

"Lawrence," Kate mustered, "It doesn't have to end like this. We can write our own ending. If anything, shoot me. Don't hurt Adam."

"No!" Adam shook his head violently. "Shoot me! Fuck everything that just came out of her mouth. Shoot me, you motherfucker, shoot me!"

Lawrence swayed back and forth, the gun changing directions towards the bleeding Kate and the angry Adam. In protest, Adam stood up. "Shoot me, goddamn it! Either shoot me or don't shoot anyone at all! Leave Kate out of this! Shoot me, you bastard! Shoot me!"

Adam began moving back and forth to avoid the gun. "Let us live!"

"I'm so sorry..."

Kate began to cry and Adam looked at her with pleading eyes. Then the shot rang out and he fell forward on the floor. Kate screamed and reached out for the limp body to no avail.

He was dead.