Ready. Set. Psycho.

October 3, 2014

           

Solomon woke slowly. His eyes were heavy. When he managed to keep them open, the sun was shining brightly onto him, and it took another few moments to adjust. As he adjusted and could finally open his eyes fully, his vision was blurry. He struggled against the bondage and then relaxed. He saw the room, and he shuffled on the carpet toward it.

"Like a dog wiping its shitty ass on the carpet," Justin said, laughing.

Solomon stopped. He sat staring at the room. Justin was sitting off to his left and behind him. He could not see him.

"That's what you look like, Sol. It's fucking hilarious," Justin said, clicking a photo on his phone.

"So this is your big plan?" Solomon said. He pushed his hands into tight fists, causing a short click that sounded like his knuckles cracking, and then relaxed.

"Oh so angry, Sol, and I get it. You've really lost the game now."

"Can I still resign?"

"No. No, you offered me your life for her life."

"Hyacinth."

"Oh, was that her name? Whatever. I don't really care."

"You said you would let her go."

"I didn't mean her," Justin said.

Solomon craned his head to look over his shoulder. He said nothing. When it became too uncomfortable, he turned back toward the room.

"Look, it's not all bad," Justin said. "I was trying to think of how I should kill you. I really was hoping you would just kill yourself, and, you know, once I set a goal I don't like to give up. So here is what I'm thinking. I'm going to force you to watch another one of your failures — you couldn't even kill yourself right. So, you get to watch this bitch suffocate. And then you'll kill yourself like you were supposed to. I'll untie one arm and give you a knife. And then, then, I won't kill the next person. I'll skip one. Trust me. I'll skip one. And then I'll continue."

"How long does she have?" Solomon asked.

Justin brought over his laptop and placed it between Solomon and the room. On the screen was Hyacinth, as well as heads-up display showing her vital signs. Everything was green and beeping consistently.

"A few hours," Justin said. "Won't be too long. And you get to spend all that time with me! Plenty of time to contemplate your failures and decide how you'll end it. I suggest seppuku. If I get a vote, I vote for that. But like I said, you've got plenty of time to think about it."

Solomon smiled and stared at the laptop. "Plenty of time."

"Yes," Justin said, taking a step back. "What do you mean?"

Solomon said nothing.

"Plenty of time to think about how you're going to kill yourself. Plenty of time to think about your failures. Plenty of time to think about how I won, you lost."

Solomon said nothing, but continued to smile.

"It's checkmate, Sol. It's over and you know it."

Justin walked away from Solomon and over to another computer nearby. He sat listening to loud death metal and watching hardcore porn for a few minutes — and a few minutes was all it took for three people in SWAT uniforms to come smashing through the large windows of the loft. Another five breached the door simultaneously, tossing in flashbangs. Solomon had ducked for cover when he saw it happening. Justin did not notice and was rolling on the ground trying to cover his ears and eyes at the same time.