The ropes and chains begin to lower back down from the ceiling slowly until everyone touches down on the floor, everyone but Ross and Daniel. They still dangle in the air above. The participants of the room unhooked their shackles from their chains and slide them off their wrists. They rub their arms trying to soothe the pain and redness that encased their wrists.
Liz and Anne looked up at their chivilrous friends still hung above, higher than anyone else had been for the entire day. They heard no screams from them at any point throughout the night, no crying, not a murmur from either. Several people insisted they were dead, and that their bodies were now like carcases in a butcher shop dangling above just dripping and draining of life.
"People are saying they're dead." Dalton walks over to the girls.
"They're not dead." Anne looks at him and glares.
"I didn't say they are, I'm just saying people are saying they are." the group begins to assemble in the center. "Everyone's assembling, what should we do?"
"Are you day 12?" Liz shoots him a look.
"No." he responds
"Well then what the hell do you care that everyone's assembling." She snaps back and then looks to the monitor waiting for Cipher to come on, or the P90s to enter the room.
The group has formed in the center of the room and wait, an older woman, Jordan McCollough holds up her day 12 tag in the front. The monitor comes on and Cipher addresses the group in his normal tone and demeanor. "You've all assembled, very good, Jordan, I see you right in the front, excellent, I'm glad we've had no fatalities during your stretching period."
"LET THEM DOWN!" Liz screams at the monitor.
"Excuse me?" Cipher looks at her through the monitor.
"YOU HEARD ME, LET THEM DOWN, THE DAYS OVER LET THEM DOWN DAMMIT!" her fists are clenched and if she could jump through that screen and rip his mask off and face along with it, she would.
"Let who down?" Cipher sits back in his chair.
"Daniel and Ross are still hanging above." Jim grabs Liz by the arm trying to stop her from saying something she'll regret.
"Seriously? My cameras aren't catching that part of the ceiling. P90s are the two knights of the round table still overhead?" They don't answer verbally, they nod and gesture to the ceiling. "Wow. I really had no idea. Oh wow, that's too funny. Hold on." he turns to his keyboard and begins typing. He turns back to the camera. "There we go."
Everyone looks up and Ross and Daniel don't move one bit. The P90s look back to Cipher and shrug, shaking their heads no.
"Hmmm, okay... hold on." Cipher goes back to the key board and types again. A motor buzzes loudly and their chain begins to move and they begin to ascend only to stop after only moving only about a foot. "Yes?"
"NO!" Liz screams back. "Quit it right now, let them down."
"Seriously, I'm trying here. See, its about craftsmanship and pride really, I didn't build those motors so you can't hold me responsible, and clearly whomever did, didn't put in the best day of work they've done. They failed and now I'm failing you, I really do apologize here. Tell you what lets just move on with this day, they'll be fine. Jordan, do you see the light on the wall to your left?"
"No, dammit! Let them down, get them down now." Liz steps in front of Jordan as do Dalton, Scott and Jim.
"Liz, that's hardly fair, it's time for Jordan to go home." Cipher snidely comments.
"Let them down, we know your screwing with them." Jim stands beside Liz
"Jim, doesn't everyone already not care for you enough, lets let Jordan go home, begin the new day, I'll get them down somehow, but right now we need to do business." Cipher still with the carefree attitude.
"Let them down." Jordan steps in front of Liz and Jim. The rest of the group take a step forward and speaks along with them.
"Let them down." they chant.
"Cut the crap and let them down!" Bonnie shouts out and everyone now becomes more agitated.
"Fine, fine." Cipher turns back to his screen, types away and the motors buzz once more. The chain moves them about a foot slowly and then they drop another ten feet in free fall coming to a hard nasty stop their bodies snap and crack like a towel in a locker room. "Whoaaa, sorry." The motors buzz and they fall the last eight feet to the floor, hitting hard and ending up a crumpled mess entangled in one another like a load of laundry dumped from the dryer.
The group runs to them removing their shackles, they are alive but neither awake, Ross's face and shirt are caked with dry blood, Daniel face a red shroud of blood but fresh and wet, the fall had clearly busted him open and lacerated his forehead.
"Jordan you leave now or you forfeit your day, enough of these foolish antics." Cipher awaits for her to walk to the door that has been lit. She does, exits and like those before her leaves with everyone wondering what her true fate will be. "Now let us begin day number 13. I know its a bit of superstitious number and usually one representing bad luck. Funny thing is that is what this day is going to be about. Today you will be split up into four groups, you will then enter the four rooms we have, as you have done in the past. Four groups go in, either three or two groups come out. You see, I've run out of supplies and I need to make some rationing so I'm sorry but you all can no longer stay, it would seem I was a bit presumptuous that this would go 100 days. However I am not without heart, therefore before you enter the rooms you will all be allowed to approach the cameras that you used to give me your number. I've set up four, one on each wall, an alter of sorts, a temple for you to profess your love and message to your family. Your last words recorded for the world to see and hear. Prepare yourselves, day 13 begins in 20 minutes."
Day 13 begins
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