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Mad Little Mollusk

It didn't long at all for the screaming to stir up again. It was terrible. So terrible. And it never stopped. One after another. It was the same routine, there was walking around, a period or silence, the screaming, the silence, again. Walking, nothing, screaming, silence, again. Walking, nothing, screaming, silence, again. Again, again and again. I don't know how long I've been here. I think it's only been a couple of hours. Not even a day. The skin still sat in my lap, with it sitting there unable to eat it made me even more hungry as each second passed. The ropes around my arms weren't budging at all. It was so infuriating. Just then, I could hear the screaming nearing closer. What's happening?
"I wouldn't go in there if I were you." I hear Merchant say. The door opens. "Oh, you just did that to spite me, didn't you? Not very smart of you."
Whoever it is runs in and backs into the shelf not even noticing me, until she looks over and we make eye contact. Her eyes are soft, wide, and scared. It was only for a moment before he... He swung an ax and the blood went everywhere. Warm pools landed on me and I felt so sick. She fell at my feet, dead. My whole body started shaking, I was frozen, everything was too slow and too fast. I couldn't stop tears from rolling down my face.
"That was a bit gory, wasn't it? A little too messy for my taste." I stayed silent. "Oh! You haven't had that yet, I would've expected you to eat that by now. Let me help you." He brought the skin to my mouth, and I ate it. I wasn't like I had a choice, I wanted so badly to throw it up but I couldn't. To make up for it. I bit his finger. So hard, it actually managed to make him yelp. But then he just laughed.
"Aw, are you mad, Alice? Or is your fight or flight kicking in? Which one, which one? Tell me, are you a happy little clam, a sad little oyster, a mad little mollusk, or maybe you're just a scared little conch?" His eyes, I hate them so much. When my mind had caught up with me, I felt only one thing. Rage. I so badly wanted to just take those eyes and rip them out. I didn't know much about what was going on at all, but I did know one thing. I am going to kill you.
"Oh, you're a bloodthirsty prawn. Is it my blood that makes you look like that? That's good, you'll need it. I should clean this up before it gets really ugly. There's more to bodies than just blood, and you don't want to see that. It's disgusting."
I watched him throughout the whole thing, the girl's hand was limp, it made me want to cry. She had a life somewhere tucked away. Somewhere she might've been a sister, a daughter, and tonight they will sleep knowing they won't ever see her again. Tonight they will sleep knowing that tomorrow they'll have to pick out what coffin they want to bury her in. I wonder if they'll blame me. If I had never come, there would be no reason for her to be challenged. None of this would've happened. I hope they do blame me, and I hope they never forgive me.

...

I think it's been about a day. Day three, I think, since the game started. It's been the farthest from quiet. The screaming never stops, and even after this is all over, it's possible that it never will. I'm worried about Melodie, Macy, Marcie, and Michael, they might think I'm dead right now. I didn't even say goodbye to everyone. I wish I had at least thought about saying goodbye to him.
Merchant checks up on me, well, really it's him popping in and giving me something to eat and drink.

...

The only thing I can do to escape is sleep, I wonder if I'll be able to do it ever again.
On the bright side the rope is loose. I can move my hands, but my legs were a different story. They weren't bound by simple rope, they were bound by locks. Locks I could work with, the problem is the light. I can't pick what I can hardly see, but just to gauge what I was working with, I started messing with it. It was the farthest from ordinary. It kind of looked like... huh. This is about to sound weird, however, it's all I've got.
"Excuse me? Sir? Can you hear me?" I whispered. There was silence for a moment, and for that moment I felt so stupid. But then I heard a voice that sounded so fragile.
"No need to be so formal with me, I am just a simple lock, not a Russian Prince."
"How do you know about Russia?"
"That's your question?"
"Yes, that is my question."
"Too bad I don't have an answer for it." You bastard.
"Great, anyways, can you, oh I don't know, unlock yourself?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Don't want to."
"Oh yeah, and that's a good excuse."
"You can come up with a better one yourself, however I'm still not unlocking. You'll need a key for that." He reminds me of Dee and Dom, except I want to bash him against the wall. Well now what am I supposed to do? Wish I had a 'drink me' potion and have one magically appear? That's not how things work. I heard a pop come from my left and on the bookshelf there was a new glowing bottle. Oh, well I guess that is how things work, huh. I reached out and opened it, putting the tiny thing to my mouth, it smelled funny. Like gas, almost...
"I wouldn't drink that." The lock told me.
"And why not?"
"I've seen people drink those and die in all sorts of ways, addicted and overdosed, organs never grew back, organs didn't shrink, stepped on, exhaustion, eaten by bugs, et cetera." So I was right the first time, good to know.

...

Day four, that's what Merchant told me as he brought me more Dragon's Tear. The vial still sat, open, the fumes never left, and rather got stronger. And the game is almost over. All I did was sit here and do nothing. I was powerless. How could I just sit here, I could've tried harder. I could've done more, I could've helped those screaming people. Why didn't I do anything? What's wrong with me?
There's a clock somewhere around here. I hate the sound of it. Tick Tock. When did he put it in here? Tick Tock. He did that on purpose, I'm sure he did. Tick Tock. The room is spinning, everything is so blurred.
"Mr. Lock man, sir. Lockman sir? Sir..."
"Yes?"
"Why is everything so loopy? Topsy Turvy? Topsy?" Topsy is such a funny word, so funny. I could feel myself laughing but I couldn't hear it. So I started laughing louder and I quickly became panicked as I slowly became unable to hear anything.
As he spoke some of the syllables drew out, "Youuuu opened a... zzznake."
"A snake? What about snakes?"
"No! Aaaa mu..dgru-ff."
"What's a mudgruff?"
There was a large crash, it was so slow and so loud, and my ears started to feel wet. When I took my hand to check, my hand immediately felt like it was being drowned in some type of liquid. I brought my hand back down to see that it was covered in something dark red. It was blood, so hot that it felt like it was burning through my skin. I wanted to scream but all that came out were giggles, it felt like something was pulling down that scream, causing it to scratch at my throat. What is happening to me?
Suddenly bubbles started to surround me, when they popped, tiny fires started pricking at my skin. A sweet small voice spoke to me.
What a bloodthirsty prawn, you're a murderer, Jane. You do know that, right? You're a horrible person. You'll die alone, no one loves you! No one loves you! You should just drown yourself! After all, that's what your mother did, didn't she? Like mother, like daughter! Those are the rules!
None of this is real, my mother didn't drown! Make it stop! Make it stop! Everything was so painful. I heard the clock again, loud and clear, it was going so fast. Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock... Then the alarm went off and suddenly everything was gone.
I was drenched in sweat, I looked around. What just happened? It didn't take me long to realize that my legs were no longer bound by a chain and Mr. Lock was nowhere to be found. I stood up but it took me a minute of stumbling after not being able to walk for so long, not to mention that I was still recovering from whatever just happened.
I walk through long hallways, I can feel myself covered in so much dirt. I'm glad I didn't wear the dress. I don't know where I'm going, I just follow where the hallway is taking me. I found a door after a while. I opened it to find an empty bedroom. This must be Merchant, and speaking of the devil, as I discover the room, I can hear him. I quickly walk in and close the door. I look around the room for a hiding place just in case he starts coming in here. He walks past, and goes into what I guess was the room that he was keeping me in. Then I hear him walk back out and slam the door.
"ALICE!" He screams out. That is the angriest I've ever heard anybody and it installs fear in me. What's around the room, what's around the room! I see this one area of wall, where the wallpaper's color is somewhat worn. I quickly dice toward it, prying at it with my bare hands. It opens. It's a little cubby-like area. He's going to find me here. I know it, but I don't have any other option. I shove myself in and wait. The door to his bedroom slams open with him standing in the doorway. I can't see him but I can hear his heavy breathing.
"Alice... It's very rude of you to try and run away. You know I'm going to let you go eventually, you're ruining everything! But it's fine, when I find you, I'll just put you back in the room. That's all. I won't hurt you."
No, I don't want to go back to that room.
It was immediate, the wall that blocked me from him swung open and his arm quickly grabbed my arm. NO! I'm not going back!
I start wildly flailing making it harder for him to grab me. I try my best to fight him off but it's hard when he's been dealing with this for the past week. I look around for something, for anything. I see it there lazily thrown on the bed, and he sees that I see it. An ax. I don't know what I did but in one quick movement I got my hands on it.
"Now Alice, let's not get hasty... I can easily overpower you."
"But you won't." I say before start swinging, he doesn't fight or struggle. The blood gets everywhere. Burning into my skin, seeping into my hair, and soon it becomes one of the only things I can see. After a minute, I stopped. I can hear him still breathing somehow. His breathing struggles against death.
"You did it, Jane. You won." Then life fades and he dies with a smile.