Pandemonium

Stage Four

The staircase at the end of the fire doom floor led to a floor similar in nature. There wasn't an inscription above the door this time but the openness of it all was eerie. There weren't any clues. No marks on the walls, floor, or roof. Nothing. Nada. How were they supposed to solve this then? 

"Well, Claude, have at it," Fonso pushed him forward. "You're going to be our honorary guinea pig for the rest of this torturous experience until you finally kick the bucket." 

"As much as I would love to agree with this," I began. "Something is wrong with this floor. We all should walk it together. I've got a bad feeling. Call it near-death experience intuition." 

"And you want us to trust your judgment?" Claude scoffs. 

"I trust him," Pandora nods. "He has been able to solve a lot of the puzzles so far. I trust him!" 

"Everyone, make a chain by grabbing someone's hand. This floor looks too safe." Everyone nods and listens to my advice. I lead the way and step onto the floor. Nothing happens at first but I can feel the shaking underneath me. "We have to run!" I run through the floor, powering through it despite everything that has happened. I really shouldn't be able to move this fast or move at all. My body is exhausted from, oh, I don't know, nearly dying at the hands of my step-father.  

We are halfway there now. I continue to run until I hear a scream behind me. Pandora, staring up at the ceiling as a giant cage falls from it. "You idiot!" Fonso snaps, letting go of my step-father's hand and pushing Pandora out of the way. The cage falls on him instead. Panic washes over his face as he notices the crumbling ground beneath him. Empty tiles in the back reveal spikes similar to the ones we saw after solving the first floor. 

"Grab the cage, it's still connected to the ceiling!" I yell, dragging Hector's hand reminding everyone that we still need to move. 

Faust holds Claude's hand tighter, shooting him a glare. "Don't think I'm taking my eyes off of you just yet," they warn. 

There is no need to search for the doorway, it's already opening. We make our way towards it but Pandora stops, turning back to look at Fonso gripping the bars for dear life. He nods and makes a run for it, back towards Fonso. 

"You idiot! Get back towards the elevator!" Fonso yells. 

"I'm not leaving you behind after you saved me!" Pandora grips the side of the bars and hugs them tightly as the remaining pieces of the floor fall onto the spikes. There is nothing left to walk on. Just two guys, hugging crusty old cage bars. 

"That isn't going to last much longer!" Lucien calls to them. 

"The chain!" Odette points. "It's breaking! You have to think of something fast!" 

"You didn't have to die with me," Fonso frowns. 

"You didn't have to save me, you big idiot," Pandora sobs. "Why are you always saving me?" 

"Some people," Fonso slides down the bars to grab the base of them. He starts swinging to the best of his ability to gain momentum. "Are worth saving." The cage swings back and forth, getting closer to the elevator's door with each passing swing. Faust and Lucien reach out their arms to grab Pandora's shirt, anything to grab ahold of him. 

In one final swing, they manage it and a loud crack echoes through the room. We stare out, watching in horror, as Fonso falls. Pandora pushes Faust and Lucien away, kneeling out at the edge of the doorway, reaching for a body that is on the other side. "Fonso!" he screams over the noise of crushed bones and a bleeding body. 

"Pandora!" Gilbert grabs him, pulling him away from the edge. "You did all you could. There isn't anything else you can do."

"No! Fonso! Fonso can't be dead! He saved me. He saved me! A worthless piece of hopeless trash like me! What about his other shoe? Who is going to lend him a shoe to throw at the game master now? Huh? Who is it?" Pandora's tears fall in a steady stream, making his shirt wet. "Mr. Gilbert...Fonso can't be dead...He is strong and rude and mean, he is too stubborn to die..." 

"Shhh," Gilbert holds him, hushing him, trying his best to calm him down. "You did everything you could. Pandora, it's not your fault." 

"He saved me! Why did he save me!? I'm not helpful to anyone here at all!" Pandora shook from his tears, his fears. 

"You're right," Claude speaks. Everyone stalls, turning to him, wondering if he really just uttered those words. "You are useless. Completely unhelpful to us. You were unconscious for practically an entire floor. What good is there in saving you? Fonso was strong. Fonso would've gotten us a lot further. But you," he scoffs, "pathetic."

"W-what?" Pandora's tears stop as the words sink in.

"Why don't you join him then?" Claude offers, gesturing to the spiked pit. 

"Are you insane!?" Rose storms over half of the elevator and slaps Claude. "We've lost two people now and you want us to lose a third? Have you any consideration in that skull of yours? We need as many people as we can muster to get us through these challenges and you want to dwindle our numbers! What is your problem?" 

Claude reaches up to touch the red mark on his face. He lifts his hand and returns the slap to Rose, much stronger than she slapped him. She stumbles back a bit. "Don't test my patience, girl." 

"Girl?" she curls her hand into a fist and raises it. "You sexist piece of sh-"

"Silence!" I shout, moving to stand in between them. "Can't you see that Pandora is about to break? Control yourselves! I understand more than anyone how difficult this is. He tried to kill me!" I point at Claude and turn my back on him to face the rest. "But we can't cause more crisis! Fonso is gone. My mother is gone! There is no way to get them back. Rose is right, we need to keep as many of us as we can to get through this!" 

"No," Lucien shakes his head. "Fonso was right. We need to find the Traitor and I'm certain now that Claude is what we are looking for." 

"Back to this again?" Claude forces a laugh. "I'm the King." 

"No, you claim to be the King. The real King is hiding, I'm sure of it," Lucien declares. 

"Please stop," Pandora grabs his knees and tries his best not to shed another tear. "I don't want to see any more people die..." 

"We need to make it to the game master, all of us," Hector agrees with me. "We can't taint our souls like Claude has tainted his." 

"We won't make it to the game master if Claude keeps killing us off one by one!" Lucien slams his hand down on the wall. Odette grabs his arm, shaking her head. 

"Calm down, brother, this isn't the time to lose your temper. Let's all sleep for now and return to this topic when we wake up." 

"How can we sleep in the same space as that murderer!" Lucien points to Claude. "What if he tries to kill us next!?" 

"Have no fear," Faust twirls around into the center of the group. All eyes are on them. "I will make it my sworn duty to protect us through the night," they smirk.  

"Oh, great," Rose rolls her eyes. "The least trustworthy one of us all is going to keep us safe." 

"I'll stay awake too," I offer. 

"No, I will," Odette raises her hand. "I trust Hendrix's judgment wholeheartedly. Hopefully, you can trust in me, if not him. I have given you no reason to doubt, right Rose?" 

"Whatever," she throws up her arms, giving up, and finds a sleeping bag. Like before, sleeping bags are scarce. Not everyone is going to get their own personal one. I look around for food and sigh, just one basket. How are we going to survive this? If Claude is going to kill us all?