Dalton stood there looking at the two bodies of Rashaan and Jay, he had seen them in the room several times before and knew they were looking out for one another, but their they laid dead at each others hands. A voice whispered in his ear. "Ain't that something, freaking losers." Dalton turned to give the moron who would mock their deaths a piece of his mind, but stood their speechless. "Amazing that they're gone and a loser like you is still standing here. Did you miss me?" Granger smirks. "What? Don't just stand there with your mouth open like some window licker, say Hi. Ah, you're wondering, how am I here? I'm not dummy, I'm dead. What I'm wondering is, how are you not dead? That's what I don't get."
"Are you a ghost?" Dalton takes a step back.
"I'm not a ghost, you idiot, I'm in your head."
"No way, not possible. You're a ghost."
"You'd rather think I'm a ghost than admit I'm a figment of your imagination? I'm not a ghost, I can prove it. Ask me when my birthday was." Granger takes a step forward.
"You are a ghost, you said when your birthday WAS." Dalton shakes.
"You know I'm dead, therefore I know I'm dead, now ask me when my birthday IS."
"When was your birthday?" Dalton asks.
"I have no friggin clue, because I'm not ME. I'm some twisted version of me from your head. And since you didn't know when my birthday was, I don't know when my birthday is. I'm guessing I'm your self doubt or something. That's probably it, but you know whats funny, what's a real gas? Not only have you given your self doubt a persona, me, but you have your self doubt be more aware than you are that I am indeed, not a ghost. Nice job dork. I'll be seeing you around."
"Dalton, come on we're gathering for the release." Ross grabs Dalton's arm. "Come on man, where are you?"
"I don't know." Dalton moves into formation with the rest of the group.
The monitor turns on, Cipher appears on the screen, "Where is lucky number 7. Courtney?" He awaits as the young women steps forward holding her number in the air. "Head to the room with the light on Courtney, its time to go home. Thank you for playing, we have some lovely parting gifts." He watches as she moves slowly to the door, barely able to walk. Her and all the others of the group sore and in pain from sleeping standing up and covered in blisters and open wounds from the the stingmore mines of the previous days torture. The door closes behind her and everyone watches as they see another survivor part their group, but they wonder still if anyone really makes it out of here alive. "Second order of business we need to remove the two bodies and you all need a change of clothing, you smell and your clothes are covered in blood, everyone disrobe. A door will open you will throw your clothes along with the two bodies in that room, then the door will close. We'll get you cleaned up, squeaky clean, another door will open it will contain new clothes, lets go. Chop Chop." He sits back in his chair, and waits.
The P90s raise their guns and stare blankly down at the group through their masks. There is no resistance, after only a week of this they have already broken down and become complacent. They strip their clothes and throw them into the room, several of the men pick up Rashaan and Jay and put them in the room along with the clothes.
"Excuse me. Cipher? Excuse me!" a man walks closer to the monitor, standing in his boxers, bruises, welts and cuts all over his body. "I wanted to say something to you." Cipher turns in his chair back to the camera and looks down at the man. "Your goal here is to give the world fear, to instill us all with fear, but I'm sorry, you failed with me." he smiles. Cipher places his hand on his chin, inquisitive. "You gave me a different F word, you gave me FAITH. On the first and second days I prayed that this was a dream, that I would wake up or someone would catch you. On the third and fourth days I prayed I would die, I knew I couldn't take my own life, but I prayed I wouldn't survive, but I did. On the fifth day I heard a voice, it woke me up, it screamed in my ear and shook my soul."
"What did it say?" Cipher asked.
"LIVE. It said live, and I knew it wasn't my voice, it was someone else, something else. This thing inside me told me I needed to live, it told me I would live. So I'm not afraid I'm going to die here anymore, I know I'm not alone, I didn't go and find God, he found me."
Cipher sits motionless and then relaxes back in his chair. "Clockwork, I must say, I'm impressed with myself." Cipher leans back.
"Excuse me?" The man asks.
"Right here on my calendar, Day 8, 'someone finds religion', at first I assumed it might take place on day 7, the seventh day is usually a very holy day, but then I felt no, day 8, and here you are right on schedule... who are you?" Cipher puts down his calendar and awaits an answer.
"My name is Jim, I'm number 84, and I don't fear you or what you'll do to me." Jim stood arms at his side, so confident in his words.
"Jim, I hope you make it to day 84 and you walk out of here, I really do, but in the meantime, I promise you one thing, you will break.Your faith will carry you only so far, and the pain and the fear will creep in and you'll forsake your God and you'll remember once again that your a man, trapped in a room, and no one is coming to save you, and your words to a man in the sky are not stopping the pain you feel every day. This room, this is your world and in your world I am your God I give you food, I give you water, I give you night." The lights shut off in the room and it is all dark but the monitor. "And I say let there be light." The lights turn back on.
"I thought this wasn't about you. I thought you were Cipher, a nothing, a no one." Daniel shouts at the screen.
"This isn't about me Mr. 100!" Cipher shouts his mask barely containing his frothing mouth. "This is about Jim and his 'faith'. You think I didn't account for this? Some of you will flock to Jim now, look to him for spiritual guidance and hope that he will bring you some comfort. By all means do! It will make it all that sweeter when I watch it crumble, because I know the world out there watching will be having hope along with you and when they see you fall, and YOU WILL FALL HARD, they too will fall. So I thank you Jim, I needed you Jim you will amplify the fear greater than you could possibly imagine." he stops and the room goes silent. Eyes turn to Jim to see how he'll respond, will it be a matter of minutes for his faith to be stripped away?
"You're wrong. We'll get through this. Right Daniel?" Jim turns to Daniel.
"Leave me alone, I'm not with you." Daniel turns and walks away.
"See. Mr 100 days knows, he has no faith. He lost it long ago, didn't you Mr. 100. What was it? Your family? Tell everyone what happened that took that away." Cipher pauses.
Daniel sits down on the floor. "Just get on with the day." and turns away.
"Very well. Jim this one is for you, let there be rain." Cipher raises his hands to the air and the monitor shuts off. The sprinkler system above turns on and showers the group on the ground.
"Rain? That's it?" Jim opens his arms as if to welcome the falling rain.
"It tastes funny... tastes like lemon and salt." Anne wiping it off her face.
"Ahhhh damn! Its getting in my welts and sores.... dammit its freaking lemon juice and salt!" Liz tries getting it out of her eyes.
The room begins to scream as its showered with lemon juice and salt water pouring over their wounds, cuts and sores from the previous day.
Day 8 finally begins.
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