Chapter 16

Sarah wakes up feeling hazy. As her eyes start to adjust to the world around her, she sees her brother tied to a chair, sitting in front of her. She tries to move toward him but her body won’t budge. Her mind clears, noticing she’s tied to a chair herself. Her hands and legs are bound, just like her brother’s. “Noah.” She says. Then again, louder. “NOAH!”

Noah starts to wake, his mind foggy as well. “Sarah?” He blinks heavily, trying to focus his eyes. “What are you… Why are you sitting like that?”

“Noah! Thank God! Where are we? Do you remember anything?”

“Any… Any what? Where…” He realizes his hands and legs are tied to the chair. He starts to pull, trying to yank them free. “Why… What’s, what’s going on?”

Sarah sees her brother start to panic. “Noah, I need you to calm down. Do you remember what you were doing before you woke up?”

“Before I woke up?” He shuts his eyes tight, thinking. “No, I… No. The last thing I remember is going to bed.” He opens his eyes. “What about you? Didn’t you go out camping this weekend?”

She thinks back, trying to remember. “I was in my tent with Jenny. We talked, then fell asleep. After that, I woke up here.”

“You were taken from the middle of the woods, and I was taken from my bed at home? Who the fuck would do something like that? And how?”

“I don’t… I don’t know.” Sarah racks her brain, trying to come up with some sort of explanation.

The sound of footsteps echo throughout the room, each step a little louder. They look, but see nothing in the darkness surrounding them.

A baby’s face appears from the shadows. The creepy mask covers the man’s head as he walks over, carrying a red jerrycan. The sight frightens the siblings, silencing any questions they once had.

He walks over to the chairs, unscrews the cap, and starts pouring something on the ground between them.

Sarah instantly smells it. “Is that gas? What are you doing? Who are you?”

The man doesn’t acknowledge her questions, his baby mask focused on pouring the gas. He moves slowly in his bulky clothing, resembling that of a firefighter. He then puts the jerrycan down and pulls out two large candles from the bag on his back. He puts his hand in his pocket, pulls out a lighter, and lights both candles. He then places a candle under each of their seats, being careful not to set the gasoline soaked floor on fire.

Noah’s still in shock, not knowing what to do or say.

Sarah yells at the man, “TELL US WHAT YOU WANT! WHY ARE WE HERE?”

A deep, calm voice resonates from the mask, “I want silence.”

“SILENCE? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU? LET US OUTTA HERE!”

The man picks the jerrycan back up. “The rules are simple. If you can remain silent until the candles burn out, you win. But if you don’t, you will be the one who burns.”

“WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN? YOU JUST WANT US TO SIT HERE AND NOT SAY ANYTHING?”

The man walks over, stepping behind her brother. He forces the canister’s spout into Noah’s mouth, holding it there for a moment. “I’m gonna remove this now. If you spit it out, or let it spill, both you and your sister will burn. Nod if you understand.”

Noah nods, slowly. His sister just watches, terrified.

“Good.” The man walks over, standing behind Sarah.

She starts to shake her body, trying to yank free. “DON’T TOUCH ME! DON’T COME NEAR ME WITH THAT, YOU FREAK!”

He grabs her face and shoves the canister’s spout into her mouth. As soon as the gas touches her tongue, her movement stops, now afraid of spilling the gas.

“If it spills, you both burn. Understood?”

She nods, slowly.

“Good.” The man removes the spout and steps back. “As I said. All I want is silence.” He then walks back into the darkness, disappearing from their sight.

Sarah and her brother stare at each other, both of their mouths full of gasoline. Sarah’s eyes examine at the candle placed underneath Noah’s chair, realizing hers must look the same. She knows that if a single drop of gasoline hits either candle, they’ll both end up burning alive. Her mouth is already getting sore and it hasn’t even been a minute. She sees three wicks on the candle. Trying to calculate how long it’ll take to fully burn, she estimates about a day, maybe two if they’re unlucky. 

Her gaze once more locks on her brothers. Only using her eyes, she tries to calm his nerves. She’s feeling confident in her ability to stay alive, but she’s nervous about her brother’s. He’s always been easily scared, and doesn’t care about things like self-discipline. She knows that whether or not they survive this, depends on how he reacts.

After only a few minutes, a sound comes from Noah’s mouth. “MmmMMmM,” he starts to moan.

Sarah tries to make eye contact with him again, wanting to reassure him that everything’s going to be okay. Her eyes can’t quite catch his as he starts flailing his head, his moaning getting louder and louder.

She thinks about trying to spit the gas out to the side of them, but if even a drop falls on the candles, it’ll be the end. She decides it’s better not to risk it unless she absolutely has to.

Noah starts squirming more and more, when a drip leaks from his mouth. Sarah’s eyes widen as she watches it fall onto his lap. Relieved, she tries to get her brother’s attention.

She’s too late. His mouth opens, the gasoline spilling onto the his clothes. All she can do is watch as the gas drips down onto the candle beneath him. She closes her eyes. The Whoosh sound fills her ears as she starts feeling the heat. She hears her brother scream but still doesn’t open her mouth. She’s afraid of making the fire grow even more than it already has. Right as her legs start to burn, her chair gets yanked backwards, screeching along the floor. She then feels a freezing cold foam all around her legs. She opens her eyes, seeing the baby mask standing in front of her, a fire extinguisher in hand. Behind him are massive flames, her brother’s screams ringing from them.

She slowly opens her jaw, letting the gas leak from her lips. She coughs and spits, the taste still sharp on her tongue. “MY BROTHER! PULL HIM OUT!”

As the screaming stops, the man squats down next to Sarah. “It was never about keeping the gas in your mouth. All I wanted was silence. Your brother screamed, therefore he lost.”

“SO THIS WAS ALL JUST A GAME TO YOU?”

“I told you what I wanted right from the beginning. Those who listen get to live. It’s rather quite simple.” He moves behind her, loosening her hands. “Once you untie your legs, you’re free to go.” He then slowly walks away, disappearing into the darkness.

Sarah quickly unties her legs and thinks about running after him, but she can’t. She can’t leave her brother. Picking up the fire extinguisher, she runs over to the flames, trying to put them out. It does nothing. Like adding a single drop of water, it makes no difference to the size of the fire. “COME ON YOU STUPID HOSE, WORK!”

The extinguisher runs out. She drops it as she falls to her knees, completely powerless. 

She watches until the flames burn out. As she sits with her eyes glued to her brother’s burnt body, her sanity starts to unravel. “Ahh, I get it now,” she tells him. “It really is beautiful… the silence.”