Would You Rather

CH. 2 : SAVE OR KILL

"Hurry, hurry, hurry."

The slim syringe slid out into his palm the label reading, glucagon. Matt didn't know what that was, but he wasn't going to question it, it was the only chance Brian had. At the tables end, Brian was slumped back in his seat his head lolled to the side.

"Okay," Matt said revealing the needle. "I just stab it in him right?"

Tyler and Sam both nodded telling him to just do it already. Matt sucked in a sharp breath and plunged the naked needle deep into Brian's blue-jean covered thigh. There was a moment of silence before all hell broke loose. Brian's body came to life but in all the wrong ways. He started to convulse violently and white foam brewed from between his lips.

Tyler shouted, "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing! I just put—" Shaking his head Matt stepped away peeling back the syringes label to see black bold letters. "It says it's poison."

"What? That's not 'salvation lies within,' you mother—" Tyler shouted a list of foul words at the camera that still held the constant red light of being on.

Salvation lie within. Lies. It was a trick. Matt set the needle on the table and rubbed both hands into his hair. This was crazy. He watched as Sam, who was the youngest out of them all, try to wipe at the foam that just kept coming up.

"Okay. Okay. Just ah, just open up his collar so he can breathe."

Sam undid the few buttons of Brian's red polo shirt, but that seemed to have little affect on his slowly moving chest.

Tyler was trying to jump up, trying to grab the camera from the ceiling just wasting his energy. His face was a brilliant shade of red in his anger. "You're right. Whoever is behind this isn't gonna kill us. He or she just wants us to kill eachother."

"Just chill Tyler, you're not helping by screaming at us or the camera."

"Guys?" Sam reached into the little breast pocket on Brian's shirt, tugging out a folded blue sticky note. His fingers trembled as he undid each fold, "Time has run out....Two will cure. One will kill."

"It just another damn clue." Tyler turned to the camera throwing up his arms, "We're not playing your stupid game anymore! You hear me?"

"So what, you just want to let him die?" Matt gestured to Brian.

"He's already dead can't you too see that?"

Sam piped up, "He's still breathing!"

"We should just do him a favor and stop his suffering." Tyler reached for a knife off one of the table settings, but Matt lounged for it first and dragged the knife to himself.

"There's an antidote around here somewhere. Help me look or don't, but you won't touch Brian." Matt shoved the knife in his back pocket before turning his attention to the plastic covered room. There were few places to keep things. His eyes wandered to a small table near the plywood covered windows. There looked to be alcohol kept there in multiple glass-like-pitchers.

He pulled back the plastic hesitantly as if his movements would unleash some new trap. The plastic was removed and nothing happened. Thank God. He leaned down searching through the different liquid filled items. There were maybe seven in all on the silver platter. One by one Matt lifted up each, peering underneath to look for any sign of numbers. He had gone through three before he found the first number, it happened to be number two. Seconds later he found one and three.

"I think I found something." Matt carried the three pitchers to the table and lined them up according the their number.

"Hang in there buddy," Sam urged.

Tyler stood at the table now, arms crossed and mouth frowning. "I thought you didn't want to kill him, Matt? Give him number two."

"Yeah two will cure, we just got to give him that one."

Matt shook his head, hands resting on the tables edge. "Wait. Wait. No. That's too easy."

"But that's what the clue said," said Sam.

Two will cure. "What if it's a combination of two vials?"

A snort came from Tyler. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, clearly we can't listen to the clues. I gave Brian poison."

"Right, you gave him poison."

Matt pushed himself back from the table and wiped a hand down over his mouth. He could feel his blood begin to boil. Focus. Focus. Time has run out, that was the next clue. "Is there a clock in here? Anywhere?"

Sam pushed himself up looking around with little help from Tyler. Matt looked at the covered trays on the table. There was a rather large one sitting exactly in the center with smaller ones surrounding them. "Hey Ty, lift that tray up." Tyler was stupid enough to not be cautious, he pulled the tray right up revealing a silent clock. It's double arms were frozen in place. One stuck on 1:00 and the other on 3:00.

"What's under the others?" Tyler asked moving to grab the handles.

"Wait, don't!" Sam lifted his hand to stop the reckless boy. "What if it sets something off?"

"Can we just focus on Brian?" Matt lifted both glass bottles one and three. He popped off the tops of both and combined the liquids. "Here goes nothing."

"Are you sure about this?" Sam asked.

Matt nodded. "Hold his head."

Sam stood behind Brian and grabbed hold. "Here goes nothing," Matt whispered looking between both other boys before bringing the mixed liquid to Brian's lips. He carefully poured in a mouthful and pulled away.

They waited.

Brian sputtered and gasped and coughed. His eyes shot open and he looked around frantic. Sam patted his back mumbling to him to breathe and Matt gave a small smile in relief. He didn't kill someone. He saved someone.