Route 4.3.2 – Treat

You blink once. It probably doesn’t make any difference. You can’t win here, only lose. What do you hope to gain by even giving him an answer? Well, you would have had to blink soon anyway, but why did you choose ‘treat’? Do you have a spark of hope left deep inside that you are now using to believe in a miracle? And what do you think this ‘miracle’ is? That you will be given a quick death? You know damn well yourself that you won’t get out of here alive and that he will torture you to death. And no matter which ‘game’ he chooses for it, it will mean hellish pain for you in any case. Does it really make a difference in which way and how the pain is inflicted on you? Hardly.

The man in the wolf mask drops your head ungently and your chin lands on your chest again. “Hmm. Not the best choice, little sheep, but not a bad one either. After all, we’re just playing great games, aren’t we? Haha, how could it be otherwise when I’m making them up!” He disappears from your sight and you hear him rummaging around at the tool table with the instruments of torture. Seemingly finding what he was looking for, he returns to you. In the corner of your eye you see him holding something behind his back. “Well? Curious already? Can you guess what game it is if I show you what we’re going to use?” Amused, he brings out the object in his hands from behind his back and presents it to you. It is a large saw, equipped with fine teeth. At first you think it is red, but the next moment you see patches of silver metal and realise that the red pattern must be dried blood.

Chuckling, he guides the saw to the middle of your left upper arm and places it there. Even though you were expecting further torture and horrible pain, it is no less terrible for you. What have you done to have to suffer like this? H-he doesn’t really want to… saw off… my arm? N-no… Please… Why can’t that horrible person just kill you directly? Why do you have to go through this hell? Playfully and obviously amused, the man in the wolf mask removes the saw from your arm again and again, only to apply it again and again. Your tension increases immeasurably, your nerves break down inside. In a moment… in a moment he will do it… in a moment… no… I… can’t do anything… I don’t want… him to… take my arm… my arm…

And then the psychopath doesn’t keep you waiting any longer and the time has come. A low, vicious laugh comes from his throat as he places the saw again. But this time he presses its teeth into your flesh and begins to move the tool back and forth. Sharp, ever-increasing pain radiates from the fresh opening in your skin and you feel nerves and tendons being severed. You see the saw blade sink deeper into your arm, without any problems it glides through flesh and muscle and within a few seconds you feel it hit the bone. But even its harder consistency causes the saw little difficulty and the killer seems to put all his seemingly inexhaustible strength, motivated by your suffering, into cutting off your arm.

Shocked and helpless, you watch as the serrated tool has already sawn through half of the body part and not much time passes before the work is complete and the saws teeth emerge from under the muscle flesh. And then it falls to the ground with a dull sound. Your arm! A disturbing amount of blood flows in a finger-width stream from the fresh, skin-streaked wound and collects in a red puddle on the floor. You don’t want to see it anymore and pinch your remaining eye shut as a draft of air further inflames the burning pain of the open wound. Your left side feels creepily light from the now missing limb, throwing you slightly off balance even when you sit, and though you know your arm is no longer complete, you somehow think you can still feel the breeze between your fingers. But they lie motionless on the floor in a pool of blood.

Without opening your eye, you notice the killer turning towards your right leg. N-no! Not the leg too, please! Please… Stop… But since you can’t defend yourself anyway, you quickly give up and feel the prongs of the saw pierce the skin a little above your knee. You notice that you are getting dizzy. Probably due to the loss of blood.

Then the saw cuts its way through your flesh, muscles and bones again. Suddenly you can see your family in your mind’s eye. They smile at you, wave at you. For a brief moment you block out the excruciating pain and a familiar warmth and security fills your heart. How will they make ends meet from now on? Who will protect them and take care of them in the future? Will they miss you very much? You miss them already because you will never see them again. Can’t say goodbye. Not be able to hold your children in your arms one more time and tell them how much you love them. Do they even know that? Do they know how much you love them? Have you told them often enough? You can only hope so, because now you no longer have the chance. Longing spreads through you and you wish that you had enjoyed your time with your family much more. To live each day as if it were your last. Read their every wish from their lips, experience even more beautiful moments with them, create even more wonderful memories. But the die is cast and you will never again have the opportunity to put into action those realisations you now have. You are grateful. Grateful that you were able to share your life with such wonderful people, grateful that they gave you their endless love. And you know that although they will be devastated, they will also be proud of you for giving your life to save another.

Your leg separates from your body and the pain returns. The warm feeling also fades and you open your eye sadly. Your vision is very blurred and you notice how you are becoming more and more tired. Then you feel the killer grab you by the hair and pull your head back. “You should be honoured… You are the main character here, the person on whom all eyes rest. When have you ever received so much attention in your life? I’m making you the star of this show! It’s all about you right now… and your agonising death. Hahaha!” Yeah… really funny… That’s right… I’ve always wanted to die a hero, dear Mr. Murderer. Thank you for making this possible, I owe you one… The man in wolf mask puts the saw to your neck and you slowly close your eyes. You are ready. Ready to die.

“There! There he is! That’s the killer!” Suddenly, shrill cries of a familiar voice ring out, followed by heavy footsteps on the ground and rattling, metallic noises. You hear only muffled sounds but realise that it is the girl who has fled and two other people. A wild noise rises in the room, indicating a scuffle. A short time later there is a rumbling and the hateful voice of the murderer is heard. “Argh! You damned knights! What the hell are you doing? How did you find me? Did that little bitch lead you here?! Well wait, you’ll regret this, you’ll wish you were never born!” Your tiredness overcomes you and all sounds fade into the distance. The last thing you hear before you lose consciousness is the girl’s desperate voice. “It’s going to be okay, you’re safe now, it’s over! Hey? You have to stay awake! Stay with me! So much blood loss… Don’t fall asleep! You have to stay awake!”

Slowly you come to and open your eye. I’m… alive? What… what happened…? You feel enormous exhaustion and fatigue and notice how with each passing second your pain comes to the fore again, albeit greatly dampened. You look around as best you can and realise that with some effort you can move your head a little again. But you are too weak to straighten up, even if your body would now obey you again. You are in a room lit by chroma shine, mint green curtains are at your sides and if you look straight ahead a window adorns the pastel green wall. You realise that you are lying in a sickbed. Where… am I?

“Oh my goodness, you’re actually awake!” A raspy but meek voice brings you out of your thoughts and an older man with grey-brown short hair in a dark blue smock steps out from behind the curtain to your right. He hurries to your side and looks at you anxiously. To your surprise, you manage to utter a few feeble, quiet words. “Who… are you? What… what happened?” I can speak again… Thank goodness… The elderly man seems visibly relieved and answers you. “I am Doctor Svange, a medic. The only one in all of Archdorf. You are here in my clinic… To be honest, I didn’t know if you would survive or succumb to your injuries… All the better to see you awake! And the effects of the serum seem to be slowly wearing off too. If all goes well, you will be able to move fully again and hopefully recover completely from last night. You survived hell…” Inevitably, snatches of memories of the house of horrors flash through your mind. What you went through sits deep in your bones and you remember exactly what happened. More and more you realise that you are really still alive. A rollercoaster of emotions flows through your body, but one thing clearly comes to the fore. The longing to see your family again. You want to return to them and embrace them. The idea of never seeing them again was unbearable, but until a few hours ago it was still reality. But now the tables seem to have turned and at the thought of really being able to hold them in your arms again, feelings of happiness trigger inside you and you burst into tears of joy. “Doctor Svange… I’m alive… I’m really alive… My family… I need to see them… I need to go home…” But as much as you want to leave for home, you realize that it wouldn’t work yet. You have the greatest difficulty in speaking at all, and as powerless and exhausted as you are, you can’t even get your body to stand up in this state. Doctor Svange notices this too and he smiles at you sympathetically and understandingly. “Now, now, take it easy. I can understand you well, but you should rest a while longer. You may be out of the woods now, but your condition is still far from good. You’ve lost a large amount of blood and had body parts taken from you… And I’m sure your family would also want you to rest well first after what you’ve been through before you set out to join them. Don’t worry about the cost of your stay and treatment… It’s on the house. After all, the Halloween killer was stopped by your actions.” So, it really was him… You nod and decide to find out more about what happened after you lost consciousness. “You’re probably right… Thank you very much… How exactly… did I get here? What happens to the Halloween killer now? And where is the young girl who was also in the house…?” The doctor in the dark blue coat answers your questions again. “The girl, whom you helped to escape by risking your life, went for help. She knew the area around the house and even in her panic thought of it as a chance to catch the Halloween killer. To end his cruel deeds once and for all. And besides, she didn’t want to just leave you there to your death after you saved her. So, she returned to you with two knights and the men in armor managed to catch the murderer after a small fight. At the moment he is in custody, but with all the lives he has taken in a torturous way, he will most likely be sentenced to death. In any case, he will never again be able to do his mischief at large. Archdorf can finally breathe a sigh of relief. After all these years. Turns out that this man actually lives in Mechatropolis… There he probably works for a big company and is even a bigwig in the company… Has a wife and even children, money and a big apartment in the middle of the city. Actually, a perfect life, as one can only wish for. But apparently this success has gone to his head… Every Halloween he has taken some time off to come here to rural Archdorf and… has indulged in his crimes. I wonder if it was a form of stress management for him? Whether there was a deeper psychological background to it, or whether he’s just mentally ill? I can’t tell… In any case, his outrages have come to an end. As for the girl… She is doing well given the circumstances. Physically, she will recover completely. Mentally… Well, those wounds will never fully heal… Just like yours. As for your injuries, I did my best, but… I can’t restore your missing extremities, of course… I was able to cauterize the flesh wounds and give you painkillers. It’s all bandaged up. If there is no infection, everything should be fine. You should rest now, it must have been unimaginably horrible for you… but you made it through.” Doctor Svange puts his hand on your shoulder briefly and then disappears behind the curtain again. The conversation has cost you all your strength and your eye falls shut from exhaustion.

You wake up a few times at different times of the day, but always return to sleep. Two more days pass before you feel ready to leave after waking up on the third day. It is still early in the morning when you sit up in bed. You look at your bandaged leg stump, then your eye wanders to your arm stump. The loss of your body parts gives you a completely new, unfamiliar, but also strange body sensation. Your body will never be the same again, and your daily life will certainly be difficult to manage at first. But you hope that eventually you will be able to get used to it and come to terms with the new circumstances. It’s not like you have a choice anyways, whether you want to or not. None of that is up for debate anymore. Losing a body part used to be one of the most unbearable ideas for you, and now you’re missing an arm, a leg, even an eye and an ear. But you are alive. And that counts more for you than the completeness of your body. And probably only through this thought you are able to remain so calm in your situation.

You hear sounds from behind the curtain and Doctor Svange appears. “Hm… It’s still too early for you to leave this bed, but I see… Nothing can stop you from leaving today. Well, I got a walking stick for you here. That should enable you to get around reasonably normally. Take these clothes, too.” The doctor hands you a pair of brown pants, a black sweater, and a warm black leather coat. Socks, underpants and black shoes are also included. He leans the cane against the bed. You thank him and laboriously begin to wrap your currently naked body in the new clothes. When you don’t quite succeed, the good-natured older man helps you. After a few exhausting minutes you have done it and you try to stand up. It takes you quite a while to find your balance, which is massively disturbed by the missing body parts, on your still wobbly leg, that now has to carry your entire body weight alone. But you do your best and manage to reorient yourself to some extent, even though it will probably just take time until you are really stable on your remaining leg. You nod to the doctor, take your walking stick, and he escorts you to the door. Before you leave the office, you express your thanks. “Doctor Svange, thank you so much for everything. You have saved my life. Thank you for the accommodation and treatment. I am in your debt.” The old man smiles and also thanks you for helping to arrest the Halloween killer. He wishes you a safe journey and you say goodbye.

The doctor’s office is located in the marketplace of Archdorf and you are glad that you know where you are and in which direction the stable is, where you can hopefully still find your horse and cart. With difficulty you move along leaning on your walking stick, having to struggle to keep your balance. Your steps are timid and slow, you have to exert a lot of strength and after a short time you are exhausted again. But the thought of seeing your family again drives you forward and after a while you reach the stable. You enter the spacious building and search with your eye for your horse. To your relief, you can actually find it and your cart is still in the same place where you left it a few days ago. Thank goodness… A little perplexed as to how to harness your horse to the cart with one hand, you approach the four-legged friend. You pat him on the neck and untie him to lead him to the wagon when you hear the voice of a young man behind you. “Is this your horse? I was going to sell it today since you didn’t show up to pick it and your wagon up… It’s been here for days, but you paid for only one night. If you can’t pay the bill, I’m afraid I have no choice but to withhold the horse…” But I… I don’t have any money with me… You turn around and look at the stable boy a bit desperately, but you are aware that this is his right. At the sight of you, the young man’s eyes widen and he stares briefly at the bandage over your empty eye socket before examining you from top to bottom. “Y-you’re the one… you’re the one who saved Sarah! She described to me exactly what you look like and… what happened to you… No doubt about it. With these injuries… It’s you. Forget what I just said. Take your horse. You must know, Sarah is my sister… Thank you for saving her! And I can’t ask for money or compensation from Archdorf’s hero who caught the Halloween killer. Wait, I will help you harness the horse.” The young man comes to you and takes the four-legged animal from you. Then he starts to put the tack on it and harnesses it to the cart. You thank him for his help and order your greetings and your kind thanks to Sarah. Because not only did you save her life, but she also saved yours. Without her, no one would have come to your aid and you would have slowly bled to death there. The stable boy helps you onto the wooden bench of the cart and bids you farewell. You take up the reins and steer the horse out of the stable.

A short time later, you find yourself on the country road that will lead you home. You turn around, looking at Archdorf, which is getting further and further away. You almost lost your life here. But now the murderer who spread fear and terror has been caught and the inhabitants can breathe again. You hope that he will really get a fitting punishment. Will you ever recover from this trauma? You don’t know. Some memories of the last days and the night of horror flare up in your mind. Then you get stuck on one and an uneasy feeling spreads through you. When you woke up in the doctor’s office after your rescue, Doctor Svange mentioned the serum that the killer had injected you with. But no one except you and the Halloween killer knew about it. The girl had already fled by that time and you didn’t mention it to the doctor either. Moreover, he seemed to be extremely knowledgeable about the drug. An eerie suspicion creeps over you and sends a shiver down your spine. You turn your gaze forward again and are glad for every foot that separates you from Archdorf. One thing, however, is clear. What you have experienced in this village will haunt you for the rest of your life and you will never forget it.