Promises

1 | I always keep my promises

♡☾I didn't know what to do for a header, I wanted to do an aesthetic image or fanart but it felt wrong. Whatever, enjoy lmao. Also btw, one of my inspirations for this story is A Chained Heart by @ellpara, please give it a read it's SO good, so if you see some similarities, that's why.☽♡

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"Game Over!" 

With that, the bloodied 'corpse' shut the door of the bathroom, leaving Adam in a room ingulfed in darkness. Adam screamed every name in the book at him, letting out choked out sobs in between his screams. He soon realized that is was no use to scream anymore, considering Lawrence was probably already dead, and Jigsaw would obviously not be coming back. 

Adam shut his eyes tight, praying that any second he'd wake up from this sick nightmare. He'd do absolutely anything to be back in his shitty old apartment with the stray cats that always visited him, and his neighbors yelling at him to be quiet.

However, when he opened his eyes once more, he was still in the bathroom. His gunshot wound hurt like a bitch, he was achy and exhausted, he was laying next to a man he just killed not even 5 minutes ago, and he was surrounded by darkness and loneliness.

The bright side to being here in the first place was that someone else was there with him, but Lawrence was gone. The only remanence that he was here in the first place, was his bloodied foot laying in his shackle across from Adam. A feeling of nausea overcame Adam as he replayed Lawrence cutting off his foot, while he could only stand there and scream. 

He leaned over and vomited, his body screaming in protest at any movement. He let out choked out sobs in between the spurts of bile coming from his mouth. He coughed and another few tears escaped his eyes. He never thought he'd die like this. If anything he thought the cigarettes would've killed him first. 

He knew Lawrence promised to come back for him, he promised to get help for them both. But as the clock in the room ticked rhythmically as Adam spent more and more time alone, he started loosing hope that Lawrence even made it down the hall. 

Adam leaned against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. He let out shaky breaths as he replayed the last 6 hours of his life. He had hoped so hard that this was all just one giant, fucked up prank. But the last few hours had proved that statement false. He wished that he hadn't taken that stupid commission from that fucking detective. Maybe if he wasn't so money hungry, he wouldn't  even be here.

He had so many regrets, but all he could do is sit and wallow in them as he slowly starved to death. He looked over at the broken hacksaw on his end of the room. Even if it was functional, he wouldn't have the physical or mental strength to cut off his foot. He wanted Lawrence to be here, to tell him that he'd be okay like he did when he first woke up, but he was probably dead. 

All Adam could do was sit there and die of either infection from his wound or dehydration. 

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Lawrence sat against the pipes on the wall as he quietly sobbed. He felt defeated, he had made an attempt to cauterize his wound to slow the bleeding, but it only worked so well. He had never felt so helpless in his life, guess there's a first and last time for everything. He couldn't muster the strength to continue crawling along the floor with his bleeding leg.

He didn't know if it was the blood loss causing him to hear things, but he swore he heard very faint footsteps in the background, echoing off of the walls making them more noticeable. Through his blurred vision he saw a bloodied older man in front of him, he couldn't be younger than late 60's. He bent down to Lawrence, putting an arm on his shoulder.

"Congratulations Dr. Gordon, you won." The man rasped.

The doctor was way too dazed and had lost too much blood to even think about what that meant. He heard the older man call to someone further down the hall. That was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

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He didn't know how much time had passed, if he was even alive at all, but Lawrence heard voices talking in the background. He stirred, testing to see if he was even alive.

"John! I think he's coming around." The doctor heard a presumably female voice say. 'Who the fuck was John?' He thought momentarily.

Lawrence opened his eyes to see a women leaning over him. She had dark brown hair that was styled in a pixie cut. She had tired brown eyes and was wearing a cyan shirt, the ones that nurses wear. He groaned, his body felt so numb but hurt so much at the same time.

"Am I at the hospital?" He said, his voice hoarse and raspy.

The women scratched her head awkwardly, "Uh, not really?" 

Lawrence became confused. "Wha- then where am I? Who are you?"

"My name is Amanda. You're in our workshop, well part of it anyway." The women said, giving a shy, awkward smile.

Workshop?? Why would he be in a workshop and not a hospital? Was he kidnapped again? Where was Adam? More importantly, who are these people? Lawrence had so many questions. He mad an attempt to sit up but as soon as he tried, he got dizzy and fell back down.

"Woah there Lawrence, calm down. You're on a lot of pain killers right now, you're in good hands I promise you." Amanda said, trying to calm him down.

"How do you know my name?" He mumbled. 

"We had to know your name, Dr. Gordon." Said a raspy voice in the background, scaring both Amanda and Lawrence. 

Amanda turned towards the voice and shuffled her feet. "He's awake, but he's confused." She said quickly. "As he should be. When you loose that much blood you become disoriented and don't usually recall what happened before hand." The older man said. The elderly man walked over to where Amanda was and leaned over the doctor.

He gave a prideful smile, "Hello Dr. Gordon. I was starting to wonder if you had lost too much blood, but that is not so."

Lawrence tried to sit up again, this time slower. He turned towards the older man. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"My name is John, John Kramer." The older man said. Amanda looked at the doctor anxiously to see his reaction.

Lawrence took a moment to process the information before a flood of anger overcame him. "I know- I know who you are!! You're Jigsaw! What do you want? Why am I here? Why did you test me? Where's Adam!!?" He yelled, causing Amanda to jump a little and look at John. 

John put his hand up as a motion for the blonde to calm down. "Relax, Dr. Gordon. You already proved that you appreciate your life, so I have no reason to test you again."

Lawrence would've punched him in the face, but the pain killers made him feel so woozy and weak that he wasn't even sure if he could hit where he wanted. "You sick fuck...why was it necessary in the first place!"

John looked at him, his expression unchanged and unreadable. "You will come to understand why in time Dr. Gordon. Like Amanda here." He said, smiling and gesturing towards her. "As for your partner, he lost. Therefore he must suffer the consequences, that's how this works. YOU won however, you did as instructed. I'm proud of you." 

The doctor snarled, "I don't give two fucks if you're proud of me or not! You're fucking crazy!" John shook his head gently, "We live in a crazy world, Dr. Gordon. We're all a little crazy."
Lawrence laughed smugly, "You're more than a 'little', buddy!" 

John looked over at Amanda, giving her a nod of confirmation before she left to another room. He stepped a little closer to the doctor, but he gave him a look that shot the idea down. John understood this and sat down in a chair near where he was. "I understand your confusion and anger, Dr. Gordon. But I suggest you not scream at the man who saved you." 

"Right after you tried to kill me!!" Lawrence yelled.

"I did not try to kill you. I left you with 2 choices and you made the right choice. I have never killed anyone, you even said it yourself." John said, making eye contact with the blonde. 

"I saw someone who needed to be tested, who needed a chance to be reborn, and I provided it to you. I didn't hurt you Dr. Gordon, I helped you. You just don't realize that yet." 

"I think you're full of shit! You don't help anyone! All you do is make things worse! You have no idea how much pain you've caused other people and their families, including mine!" 

John simply shook his head, "If you believe I don't help, I guess you don't want that." He said, pointing to what was on the cart Amanda was rolling in. It was a prosthetic foot, a fairly well made looking one as a matter of fact. Lawrence was quiet. He looked at Amanda and then at John. 

"It's not quite done yet. All it needs is to be reinforced, but if you do not want it Doctor, then I will-" The older man began before being cut off by Lawrence. "I want it!" John looked up at the doctor. "Then you will do best to listen to me."

Lawrence reluctantly gave him a nod and John continued. "As you know, I am not the healthiest right now. I have cancer and it's slowly getting worse every day. When you realize you're going to die, you see life in a whole new perspective. One that was once inaccessible to you. You appreciate everything, even something as simple as a glass of water."

He nodded, urging him to continue. 

"So many people take that for granted. They don't realize how much of a gift their lives are and they take advantage of it and others. That's why I started my work, to teach others how much of a gift life is. You don't properly appreciate life until you are faced with death. Once he or she has survived death, they are instantly rehabilitated. Amanda, you can vouge for that, can't you?"

John and Lawrence looked over at the young woman and she nodded. "It works. Y-You may not think it does in the moment but it works." 

The doctor looked over at John once more. "I still don't see your point. Why am I here?"

"You are here because you are one of the few survivors that I see potential in. You are a wonderfully skilled medical professional, once of the best if I do say so myself. You see Dr. Gordon, I won't be around for much longer, which is why I've enlisted people such as Amanda to help me with my work." John spoke, before taking a moment to cough. 

"There is so much work to be done yet so little time to do it. That is why I want your help as well, once you are healthy and back on your feet literally speaking." Lawrence was flabbergasted at all the new information he just received. He processed for a moment before speaking slowly.

"You....want me to be your apprentice?" The doctor inquired. John nodded. "Yes. I know it will be a hard adjustment, but you will understand my ways, how to build and plan traps, how to truly teach others to appreciate their lives in no time. And if you mess up, I will be there to pick you up and push you in the right direction. And so will the others." 

Lawrence took a moment to process it. He just couldn't believe that he was having this conversation. "If you do not wish to, I understand. I will have Amanda drive you to the hospital and you can return to your life, my only plea being that you never speak of this."

"I'm sorry, this is a lot. Can I have a minute? Alone?" He asked. John gave a nod and stood up, signaling Amanda to follow him. 

Lawrence put his face in his hands. He didn't know what to do. Was it worth it to go back to his life or should he take this opportunity to start anew. He was stuck. He looked at the bandaged stump that was once his foot and sighed as he replayed him cutting it off. He shuttered, never had he thought he'd be strong enough to cut off his own leg. 

He looked up at the clock in the room. 4:57 am. He had no idea what time it was when he left or what time it was when he woke up initially, but it has probably been only a few hours. He had to go back for Adam, you can only survive so long without food or water, but he couldn't in this state. If he did join Jigsaw, he would betray not only him but his family. 

He'd do anything to see them again, to have them be safe and happy. Everyone. 'A deal. I'll make a deal.' He thought. He called John and Amanda back in and looked at them both. "Made up your mind, Dr. Gordon?"

"Listen here you sick- ugh, listen. I want the prosthetic and I want everyone rescued. Then I will join you. Take it or leave it." Lawrence said. John smiled, "Leaving me with a choice. You're already learning." The doctor gave him a harsh stare. 

"I will give you the prosthetic, your family is already in safe hands but I will monitor them to keep it that way, however, I can't rescue Adam." John explained. "What? Why not?" The blonde asked. 

"You see, he LOST the game. He didn't do as instructed, so he must suffer the consequences of his actions. It's the rules." 

Lawrence paused for a moment before raising his voice. "But that's not fair! He's still alive!"

"But has he learned anything? No. He's still the same cold and angry person as before. He does not deserve life." John said. 

"In this game, there are no second chances. Live or Die, that's it. Your instructions were to kill him and you have done so. There is nothing else you can do." 

'That's bullshit.' Lawrence thought. He put his head down into his hands and let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding in. "Fine. I'll join you. As long as you keep what you promised."

"I always keep my promises, Dr. Gordon. Amanda?" He said, gesturing towards the leg. 

She quickly took it off of the cart and moved to the foot of the bed the doctor was laying on and put the prosthetic one him. "Your wound was properly cauterized after we dragged you here so that's why it feels weird. It will heal in time, try and stand up Lawrence." She said, and underlying gentleness in her voice. 

Lawrence shifted to where his legs where dangling off the side of the bed. He grabbed what was closest to him for leverage and he pushed himself up. It felt strange, very strange, but it felt good to stand up. Amanda smiled at him, "Here, try and walk." She said, handing him a cane. 

He took it from her and made an attempt to walk across the room. He stumbled a few times due to the affects of the pain killers, but otherwise he could walk just fine with the cane. Amanda clapped excitedly and smiled. "Cool! You can walk!" He turned towards her and smiled. 'You shouldn't be here. You're not like him.' He thought to himself.

"That is great. Now, I want you to practice walking for a while, Amanda will guide you around the workshop. I will go retrieve your things from another room. You can stay here until we figure out where you're going to go."  

"Wouldn't I just go home?" Lawrence asked, turning towards John.

"Not in this state you wouldn't. Someone will drive you home in the morning. It's late and you need your rest, you've been through a lot." He said. Before the doctor could ask anymore questions, John had already left the room.

There were a few beats of silence before Amanda spoke. "Come on, I'll show you around." She said, gesturing for him to follow her. "Thank you, Amanda." He said. She turned around and gave him a shy smile, "You're welcome, you can call me Mandy by the way."

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It was the next day and Lawrence and Amanda were getting ready to leave. Lawrence felt terrible about leaving Adam longer than intended, but he couldn't help it. "Okay Doctor, you ready?" Amanda said.

"Almost, I wanna know if you have something here." Lawrence said. 

"Oh we have drinks and food in a mini fridge! Somewhere...." 

Lawrence gave a half hearted laugh, "No, not that type of something." He looked around for any signs of John before continuing. "Do you guys have any wire or chain cutters?" Amanda gave an anxious look. 

"Yes of course. Why?"

"I'm going back for Adam." He said. 

"Lawrence. You can't, it's against the ru-" She began before being cut off. 

"I don't give a fuck about the rules. I give a fuck about my promises, and I promised him I'd go back for him!" He said in a hushed tone. 

"Promised to go for who now?" Interrupted a voice from the other side of the room. Amanda whipped around, quickly displaying an annoying expression. 

"Mind your own fucking beeswax, Mark." She spat. A stronger built looking man with medium length brown hair glared back at her. His eyes were as blue and cold as ice. "I don't think I will." He said, stepping closer to the two. 

"I heard the conversation last night, Doctor. You better not be going back for that little twink in the bathroom." Mark said, staring daggers into Lawrence. "That's what I'm trying to-" Amanda began before being cut off again. "Shut up, I've got this." 

Amanda rolled her eyes and growled under her breath. "Don't fuck up and get off on the wrong foot here. It won't turn out well for you. Either of you. So I suggest you go home and forget about him." Hoffman said, turning around and leaving the room after he finished. 

"That's Hoffman, don't mind him. He's a hard-ass, dick faced, duck lipped, son of a-" Amanda went on to call Hoffman names Lawrence didn't even know existed. He was kinda surprised. "-fuckhole. I don't even know why he's here, he didn't have a test. But that's another tangent for another time. But he's right, you shouldn't go back Lawrence." 

"I don't care what I should do. I'm AM going back for him and there's nothing you can say to change my mind." He stated firmly.

Amanda let out a sigh and walked into another room. She came back a few moments later with chain cutters. She handed them to Lawrence. "I'll drive you there, but other than that, I have nothing to do with this."

Lawrence smiled, "Thanks Mandy, you're a sweet kid." 

"Whatever. Remember, it's your funeral. If you get in trouble I want nothing to do with it."

"Got it." He said, smiling. With that, they left the workshop and got into the car to start driving to the warehouse. 

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