🩸Saw One Shots 🩸

Day 3- Soulmates

Everyone was born with a soulmark reflecting their soulmate. Though these weren't typical soulmarks, with the first words spoken to another or even their first name written in swirly ink. Instead, it was a timer. A timer that would count down until their soulmate died.

Lawrence never paid much attention to his timer. When he first acknowledged it, he assumed there was plenty of time for his soulmate to live. His timer seemed endless, plenty of time to spare. He imagined he would find his soulmate, and they would die after many years together, wrinkled and aged, clasping hands until they took their last breath. Time never mattered, it was how it was spent, right?

From the moment he saw Alison, he disregarded the timer. All he knew was she was his soulmate, his first and only love. First meetings led to coffee dates and stargazing under picnic blankets, keeping each other warm despite the chilled March air. She was beautiful, daring, and clever, the exact sort of person he needed to be with. Time went on, and eventually they married and had their daughter Diana. It was the life they wanted to live together. A picture perfect family.

Until Lawrence started to lose track of time.

Work was the first offense. After a while he insisted on taking the long hours, relishing in curtly reporting diagnoses to helpless patients. He didn't have time to listen to them weep and ask questions, he simply moved on. Oftentimes that would involve filing papers, yelling at orderlies for not doing their jobs correctly and wasting precious time.

Ali was vocal about her concerns. First it was about his health. Then it was about Diana's sake, how their daughter should be able to spend time with her father as much as possible. Then...it was about them. Her frustrations became louder, forcing Lawrence to confront himself about his behavior. Then the shouting matches began. Intense, vengeful screaming matches that seemed endless until Lawrence would leave to cool down. Occasionally he would spy Diana peeking behind her slightly ajar door, and immediately feel a wave of guilt.

He lost track of time with Carla too. She would beckon him from afar with her batted long eyelashes and shy smile behind parted lips, and soon he would be whisked away. What felt like mere seconds of feeling her soft hair between his fingers and gazing into her dark, sparkling eyes. One kiss would lead to another, and the next morning he would wake up naked and panting on the hotel bed. He would leave with a clumsy apology, and they would return to work as normal.

He would vow to never do it again. But he was never great at upholding promises, that much was obvious. He should have appreciated the life he had, the time spent with his wife and child. And yet...he didn't.

He should have kept track of time.

Soon after he turned down Carla---hopefully for good, he was left alone to wander through the parking lot. It was getting late, he had to go home and check on Alison. Comfort Diana some more if she was still awake.

Then he was taken.

He never had the chance to scream. His attacker grabbed him from behind moments after he saw that blinding flash of light. A syringe of sorts jammed into his neck, and he was out cold.

The moment he woke up in that filthy bathroom and checked the mark on his wrist, he realized the mistake he had made. The timer was counting down, as it always had. But when the lights flickered on, blinding and bright, he saw how close it was to running out.

72 hours. 71:59:57. Less than three days until it went to 0.

He tried to pay little attention to Adam, his fellow prisoner. Adam was foolish, irritating and angry. The only reason they worked together was for necessity. To get out, and for Lawrence's sake, to save his loved ones.