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Chapter Three: Bisque

"Hey Frankie," Ray spoke softly to the 'doll' in his arms, "you need to stay awake." Frank moaned very quietly and moved his head slightly. "Gerard, he's not going to last much longer..." Ray told me fearfully.

"Yeah I know." I told Ray with anger and frustration, pushing open door after door to find nothing. "How are you?" I said with a sigh; another empty room.

"The pain actually numbed my body for the most part." Ray said, adjusting his arms slightly to hold Frank up more. "I'm more worried about him." Frank's breathing was shallow and I was boiling with revenge. Whoever did this to us was going to pay. I had no idea what was put in Frank; but whatever it was was still killing him slowly. Whatever I found in the doll was just to prolong his survival. He wasn't burning up anymore and he wasn't sweating but his heart rate was slow and his breathing soft. "How long do we have left?"

"A little over a half hour." I replied miserably, kicking open another door. We were working our way down the opposite hall of where Ray was locked up; trying to find Bob and Mikey. My heart hasn't stopped racing but only continued to pick up speed as time was dwindling. I had to find Bob, but more importantly I had to find Mikey. I mean, I love Bob like a brother as I do Ray and Frank, but Mikey actually is my brother. I've known him all his life; he's like my best friend as much as my brother. It's my job as the elder of us to protect him; I obviously wasn't doing a good job.

I had no idea what was coming next either. I didn't know anything about dolls. Sure I've heard of rag dolls and voodoo dolls, but I wouldn't have thought of them right off the top of my head. The only types of dolls I can think of are Barbie and baby; neither of which I expect I'll find. I mean, how threatening or cruel can you get with those? Hardly. But with the conditions I had found Frank and Ray in didn't make the coming 'games' to sound much easier.

"Frankie," I stopped to turn to Ray and talk to Frank, "how are you feeling?" I asked him quietly. Like I said, he's the youngest of us. He's got to be protected.

"Tired..." Frank mumbled; opening his eyes and looking at me but not moving his head. He looked extremely exhausted and his skin was losing color. "I'm scared." He told me, his distant eyes clouding with tears.

"You're going to be fine." Ray told him comforting. "You just went through a lot." I nodded to back Ray's statement up because he didn't know details of what happened to Frank. To a certain degree, neither did I. "You can't go to sleep though, ok?" Frank kept his eyes on me and nodded a little. I had no idea how Ray was remaining so calm. I mean, one look at him would make you want to yell 'bloody murder' because he's not exhausted looking but bandaged and bloody. Yet he wasn't freaking out about our dwindling time, he insisted on carrying the barely living sewn up Frank, and didn't once complain or mention pain; except for when I asked him. I think he's Jesus in hiding or some shit.

"Shut your eyes and relax but stay focused on our voices, ok?" I told Frank who again nodded, his eyelids falling down again. "Do you want me to take him?" I asked Ray, figuring his arms had to be getting tired.

"I'm fine." Ray told me. "We have to get moving again though." I nodded and went towards the next door. "Who do you think is behind this?" He asked me a little fearfully as he followed.

"I have no idea but they're going to pay." I said loudly. I was told I was being watched after all. They might as well know I'm going to find them; dead or alive. I'll make them pay for this no matter what. I'll kill them if the moment takes me quick enough. My anger is only rapidly growing as I can't find the others and the three of us are being pushed to the edge; Frank being far over it already.

"What about that door?" Ray asked, motioning towards one with his head. "It looks fresher than the others." I followed his gaze to a wooden door a little farther down and noticed he was right. The rest of these looked like they had been untouched for who knows how long but that door seemed to have something different about it; something that made me think someone had recently been in and/or out of it. I nodded and started at a quickened pace towards the door.

"I'm warning you, it can be bad." I told Ray as I put my bloody sore hand on the knob. I had already used the shock my body produced on what I found before. At this point, I was expecting anything; the most gruesome and torturous of situations. No matter what I know I would still be slightly shocked because you can go room to room to find corpses and still be shocked each time, wondering how someone can be so cruel. Ray nodded, adjusting Frank slightly again. Frank whined slightly but I saw that as a blessing right now. Any noise meant he was still alive. Because at this point, that was about the only way we could tell. "Whatever the situation, I need you to stay with Frank." Ray nodded again.

I took a deep breath and turned the knob slowly (it stung my hand) then pushed the door open. The lights instantly flipped on and my heart fell down to my stomach. "What the...?" Ray mumbled to himself with shock and confusion as he looked inside. I pointed to the ceiling and Ray nearly dropped Frank. "Bob?!" He yelled.

"He's unconscious." I told Ray, biting my lip down until my shock passed. Ray stared at me with confusion as well as the 'how the fuck do you know?' look in his eyes. "That." I told Ray, pointing towards a monitor across the room. A very recognizable machine. A heart monitor. It was creating small mountain like patterns of various height that corresponded with each beat of Bob's heart. I could only imagine what I would have to do here.

"We have to help him!" Ray told me with angst.

"No," I put my arm in front of Ray to stop him, "Only I can do it." I said. Somehow I knew that I wasn't supposed to have any help. I mean if I was, I wouldn't have been the only one who wasn't in some torturous set up. I wouldn't be the only one wearing a fucking shock collar. "By all means sit in here but no matter what, keep your focus on Frank." I told Ray as I walked inside the room to figure out what to do. Ray nodded absently, following me slowly. "Don't tell me what to do either."

"What if you need help?" Ray asked me a little harshly. I know he wanted to help free Bob but he couldn't; only I could.

"I get shocked." I told Ray, pulling at my collar a little. His eyes grew wider and I realized that he didn't even know I was wearing it. It didn't matter though. As long as I obeyed rules, I was fine. "Sit in a corner and make sure he stays awake. No matter what happens in here, we still have to find Mikey." Ray looked at me with horror but again nodded and carefully lowered himself in a corner, resting Frank in his lap while Frank's arms still wrapped around Ray's neck.

Once they were set, I studied the room. I've learned that by now. Anything in this room could be part of the 'game'. For one, Bob was about twenty feet off the ground; resting on top of a glass platform which was held only by four chains connected to the corners. The room had an incredibly high ceiling that led to a point in the very middle like the tower of a castle. I took my focus off Bob and searched the walls. Next to the heart monitor, I found a note. I went and pulled it off the machine to read it.

One of the most widely known type of dolls are bisque, or porcelain dolls. That line alone made me swallow hard. These dolls are gorgeous, but very fragile. I knew why Bob was suspended at the ceiling now. One small slip and they could shatter into a thousand pieces. Then all you would have left are their captivating eyes. Shivers ran up my spine. Bob's eyes were beautiful; a stunning blue. No wonder he got this set up. I have seen porcelain dolls before. Their eyes are the most memorable feature on them because they're made to look exactly like human eyes. Porcelain dolls scared the fuck out of me because of that. They just seemed so real. Hanging from the ceiling you'll see my favorite porcelain doll, Bob. Play with him with care for he's very breakable; like a wax doll. Should three of those chains come undone, he'll fall almost twenty feet into the floor; shattering into many pieces. I didn't know why the word 'wax' was bolded but I figured it was for emphasis. Just thinking about Bob falling made me shake a little. Would you endure the pain to keep him whole? Tick tock, tick tock. My heart was jumpy again.

I re-read the last line of the note again. Then I saw it. Hiding behind the heart monitor was a line of boxes; all of which led to a red button in the back. My mind was now working perfectly and I knew that one of the buttons would lower Bob safely to the ground; the other three causing chains to let go. What I didn't know was the 'pain' part that I would endure to do so. The boxes seemed perfectly fine. However, I was smart enough to know it wasn't as simple as it looked.

I pushed the heart monitor to the side a little, now exposing the boxes. They were glass; completely see through. They stuck side by side all along the wall; extending into the walls. The red buttons were just barely at the wall line and I examined them as quickly as I could to get a basic understanding. I was running out of time. I dropped the paper to the ground and inhaled deeply. There was only one way to find out what it meant. "Ray," I called to him, "Whatever you hear or see, don't move and keep quiet. Your only job is to make sure Frank stays alive. You can leave at any time."

"O-okay." Ray told me hesitantly. I had no idea what would happen but I had to make sure they stayed safe. If I failed, we all die anyway. With another quick breath to 'relax' myself, I faced the boxes again. I slid my arm into one, waiting a moment to see if anything would happen. Nothing. I pressed the button and to my horror, I heard a chain let go of the platform. I went to pull my arm out when the hole suddenly locked around my arm. Hot wax started to fill into the box. I pulled on my arm but it wouldn't budge. The wax touched my skin and I screamed because it burned; a lot. I pulled on my arm harder but it was still stuck. However, when the wax started to touch more of my arm, burning me, my arm started to slide out. It was like a lubricant; a very painful one. I continued to scream, tears pouring from my eyes as my skin was torched, until I managed to get my arm out; dislocating my shoulder in the process. "Gerard!" Ray yelled.

"Don't move!" I yelled back to him, falling to my knees while I cried. I was pretty much gasping for air as I used my left arm to pick up my right one. My once pale skin was scorched red; my hand surrounded by cooled wax over my once bleeding slices. The pain was unbelievable. On top of the burns, my shoulder hurt incredibly bad from being pulled out of its proper place. "Get out of here." I yelled back to Ray through my tears, shaking even more now.

"I won't leave you." Ray told me, luckily staying still. I could hear in his voice how bad he wanted to come help me but he knew that I would only be worse if he tried. My watch caught my sight so I wiped my eyes and pulled myself to my feet again; my burning arm dangling by my side. I walked to a box on the other side of the one next to the one now full of wax. With a deep breath, I shut my eyes and stuck my left arm in it; pressing the button. Another chain fell and I started to cry all over again. At least it was opposite corners so the glass platform was still hanging and holding Bob up.

More burning yellow wax filled the box and I started to scream, cry hysterically, and wait for enough to cover my arm so I could slide it out. Two boxes down, two left; one chance. My arms were completely red, burning, and even bleeding again. I had burns so bad that my skin split and blood came out. I was barely able to inhale oxygen from the pain. Tears poured from my eyes and I bit so hard on my lip that blood even started to leak into my mouth. I was shaking rather violently now but I was running out of time by just sitting on my knees in immense pain. Pulling myself to my feet again, I examined the remaining boxes to chose which one to press. One button would bring Bob to safety, the other kill him.

"Ray...please leave..." I told him with tears. I didn't want him to see Bob fall to the ground should I press the wrong button; nor did I want him to listen to my screaming anymore. I was hurting my own ears so I had to be hurting his. I couldn't help it though. The pain was unbearable.

"I'm not leaving." Ray told me sternly. I sighed and knew I wasn't changing his mind so I picked the box to my left since that's the arm I would have to use to get the button. My right shoulder made it extremely painful to move my right arm at all. With another long inhale of oxygen, I carefully slid my left arm into the box. Just touching the plastic made my skin scream with pain. At least when it wasn't touching anything it just radiated with pain and heat. There were blisters developing as well as the open wounds. I shut my eyes, leaned against the box since I was shaking, and let my burning bloody hand fall onto the red button. I squeezed my eyes, waiting to hear Bob's body slam into the ground and hear his bones break. But I didn't' I heard the chains moving; lowering the platform slowly. I finally found the right button.

But it wasn't over yet. I still had to get my arm out. I couldn't in time. The wax came and burned my already scorched skin. When I finally got it out, I could see the white of my bone. It had burned my flesh off in some spots and my bone was showing. Shaking, I fell to down, screaming and crying hysterically. Some of my skin was coated with dried wax and they burned so bad that I couldn't move them at all. "Gerard!" Ray yelled, getting up now. Bob was safely on the ground so the game was over.

"Bob..." I muttered, starting to feel light headed. I was shaking so bad that I was pretty sure I was falling unconscious. I leaned against the wall underneath the boxes. I saw Ray get up and carrying Frank over to Bob, setting him down gently then examining Bob. Ray grabbed some sort of bottle from Bob's coat pocket and uncapped it, practically gagging then holding it far from him. He grabbed a cloth that was wrapped around the bottle, dumped a little onto the cloth, held it in front of Bob's face, and a moment later Bob came to life. He sat up, coughed, and looked to Ray with confusion.

"No time to explain." Ray told the confused Bob, dropping the bottle and quickly coming to me. "Oh my god..." Ray said as he fell down beside me. "You have like third degree burns..." By this point, I couldn't feel my arms anymore. "And your shoulder..." Ray's gentle hands ended up on my shoulder, applying a little pressure and popping my shoulder back into place as I screamed in more pain. My cheeks were probably stained with tears now. Still, Bob was safe. "Gerard?" Ray asked me.

"I'm ok..." I told him, taking quick short breaths to relieve the pain. "Just...give me a minute..." I told him. We were probably down to ten minutes now. There was no way I could find Mikey in that amount of time and play some kind of game. My arms seemed nonexistent to me now. What could I possibly do? I failed. I'm about to cause five lives to end. I'm a murderer.

Next thing I knew, Frank was next to Ray. He still looked extremely weak but he looked extremely worried too. "Gee...." He mumbled to me, looking like he was going to cry.

"'m ok Frankie..." I told him with a lopsided smile. As far as I'm concerned, Frank's my little brother just like Mikey is. You have to stay strong for them; to protect them. Frank looked at my arms and winced, looking back up to me with some tears running down his eyes. "Don't cry. I'm fine." I told him. I hated seeing others cry; especially when it was my fault.

"You're hurt..." Frank told me with a shaky voice.

"Don't touch him." Ray told Frank who was about to touch my arms. Frank stopped himself then stared me directly in the eyes with regret and pain. He was just as worried about me as I was him. But he was very weak and unable to really speak or move. Frank gently lowered his head to rest in my lap, sliding his arms around my waist to hold me in an attempt to comfort me.

"You have been a very good puppet." The voice suddenly appeared again. Ray jumped and looked around; Bob still looking dazed and confused. "I knew you would succeed."

"I'm out of time!" I yelled angrily at the voice. "I failed."

"Not yet." It told me.

"My two hours will be up in like ten minutes. There's no way I can find Mikey in that time!" Ray looked to me now and I just shook my head at him. Bob walked over to us, looking at us all with horror, but keeping silent.

"Because you've been so good, only slipping once, I decided to give you an extra thirty minutes." The voice told me with amusement. "I see you're taking very good care of my dolls."

"I'm not a fucking doll!" Ray yelled at the voice. "Neither is Frank or Bob or even Mikey! We're living beings!"

"For now." The voice replied with boredom. "Remember, don't break any rules or you fry Gerard. Have fun." The room fell silent once more.

"Bob, you take Frank." Ray stood and instructed the blond. "You have to carry him. He can't manage to get enough strength to do anything but crawl. He's dying." Bob stared at Ray with terror. "That's why we have to find Mikey and get out of here before time runs up."

"What happened exactly?" Bob asked fearfully. "All I remember is finishing a show and heading backstage when I heard this girly laughing and then blacking out." I looked to him, studying his words for a moment, before realizing that I heard the same laughter before blacking out. Ray seemed to have the same memory all of a sudden.

"Basically we're in a twisted horror movie." Ray told Bob, pushing the thought out of his head. "And if we don't find Mikey in the next forty minutes, we'll suffocate on poisonous gas. So get Frank; I'll get Gerard." Bob and Ray were the strongest of us five.

"I can walk." I told Ray as Bob bent down, rubbing Frank's back a little until Frank sat up; looking like he was going to pass out any moment. "Remember, you can't go to sleep Frankie." I told Frank. "You have to stay awake until we get you to a hospital."

"Please don't die." Frank asked me with extreme pain in his voice as he looked to me; a few more tears running down his face.

"I won't die." I told Frank softly, trying to calm him down. "My arms are just burned." I made sure my left arm was turned so they couldn't see my bone. I wasn't even bleeding now; I couldn't feel my arms. They were burned so bad that it felt like nothing at all happened. My red skin was now blackened and I couldn't look at my arms without throwing up. "Now Bob's going to carry you, ok?" I said and Frank nodded weakly. "All I want you to worry about is staying awake. We'll take care of the rest."

"Come on Frank." Bob said, pulling Frank to his feet and finding out what Ray meant when he said how weak Frank was. He still couldn't stand. I had completely forgotten that I was shirtless until Frank used it to wipe his eyes a little. I had slid my shirt over him. He didn't even question why he was sewn up; why there were patches sewn to him. My only guess is he didn't even know. All I knew was that he was fighting hard to stay alive; and I would have to do the same. I would have to fight hard to keep him and everyone else alive.

"You sure you can walk?" Ray asked me as Bob helped Frank onto his back. Ray was the only one who could really carry Frank in the cradling position. I nodded, taking a few long breaths then pulling myself up into a sitting position. Ray slid his arms under mine and pulled me to my feet because normally I would push of the ground with my arms to get up. Obviously that wasn't going to happen. Ray held me for a moment until I was able to hold myself up.

"Come on. There's only one last place to search. I know we'll find Mikey there." I told them. I knew with blistering and open wounds on my arms, they would have to stay unwrapped and untouched until I got proper medical attention; if I ever did. I stumbled a bit and Ray quickly caught me until I pulled away from him. We all were about to fall off the edge. I knew that Bob couldn't be as well as he's letting on. Something was bothering him still. He just wouldn't tell us; probably because he either thought it was nothing or because we all looked like we were dragged through hell and back. We were dragged to hell; we're just still there.

The four of us went to the door and headed back to the stairs. It was time to look into the door behind the stairs. The one that gave me an ominous and uneasy feeling. That's where I would find my brother; only I was now afraid to. I didn't want to see him in pain, but I had to help him. I had no idea his situation and honestly I didn't want to. But I had three others to save and to do so I would have to find Mikey, play some game, and try not to kill myself in the process. This wasn't like video games; we only have one life. Ray's life bar was half full, mine about a fourth, Bob's I'm not sure, and Frank's almost gone completely. We weren't going to last much longer; any of us. This place wasn't just destroying us physically but mentally; emotionally.

"This way." I mumbled, leading them. Ray walked close to me to make sure I was holding up, Bob right behind us with Frank on his back. Frank was on the verge of just giving up and we all knew it. I had to get him help. I had to get Ray help because his wounds needed to be properly dealt with. I had to get Bob help so he could properly examined. I had to find Mikey and probably get him help. I had to get myself help.

When we reached the door, Ray put his hand on the knob and twisted it; the door clicking open. "Ready?" He asked. I nodded, as did Bob, and Ray slowly pulled the wooden door back.


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A/N--- There's gonna be 1-2 more chapters left in this story. I'm really fucked up. Yay! -throws confetti-

don't think too optimistically when it comes to Bob either. You should know, as Gerard learned, things in this place aren't as simple as they may seem.

What will happen to the four? Will the find Mikey? What kind of 'doll' will Mikey be? Can Gerard help them? Will Frank survive long enough?

All questions I know the answer to but you have to wait xD

until next chapter.

xoxo Tabi