Author's Note: Hey, guys! So, this part is gonna be a little bit wild; there's gonna be seduction, there's gonna be drama, it's gonna be crazy. So, I hope you guys are ready for a wild ride. So, enough talk. Let's get on with the chapter!

Your Author, Marbella. <3

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"We turn to face the shop and see..."

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Valentina's POV:

We look at the shop and see some crazy-ass inventions, some things you could see in Saw, there was one of those choker things that I'm sure we're in the movie and this place looks messed up to a degree I'm not willing to describe.

"OK, the only thing we know at this point is that we need to find these Toxic Chambers, whatever the hell they are," Gear expressed, putting his hand in his pants pocket. "So, where do we look?"

"Maybe this could help? I swear, they need to hide this stuff better. This is getting WAY too easy." Lana complained, holding a notebook in her hand.

She opened it and it read:

'I've hidden the Toxic Chambers behind three tests; one of risks, one of shock, and one of power. For the test of risks, one of you must hit the switch, stick your hand into the chute lined with circular saw blades and risk losing your hand by keeping it in there for 10 seconds.'

"Yeah... no," Zach said, backing away slowly.

"Zach, I think you honestly should try to do something. Not trying to be rude, I'm just saying; make a move already!" Vanessa groused, sticking her arm out to face what looked to be a garbage disposal.

"Fuck it. I'll do it." I voiced, walking towards said garbage disposal.

"Are you sure you wanna do this? I do not want you to lose your hand, Val." Oli squalled, a look of pure concern on his face.

Oli: 'My closest friend in my alliance and this group is going to put her hand into a chute with circular saw blades in it and risk LOSING HER HAND. If he loses her hand, I finally have a reason to blame Zach for something because he had a chance to step up and didn't take it.'

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm supposed to be a badass and a badass would happily risk losing her hand if it meant you guys would be OK." I asserted, wanting to convince everybody I will do whatever it takes to help them out.

"I'm just going to take your word for it, where's this switch?" Lia pondered before finding it.

I already had my hand in the chute and I was just acting like there was nothing there. Everybody was counting to 10, and I was just pretending I was reaching into a claw machine to get something for a kid.

Yes, I've done that before.

"10!" Everybody finished counting. I took my hand out of the chute and it was still intact.

Gear: 'What. The. FUCK?! Valentina just stuck her hand into a garbage chute with circular saw blades in it and acted like nothing was happening! This bitch is a badass and I'm not even kidding.'

Whilst we were all trying to process the situation, a slot popped open on the side of the table, revealing a lever. There was also a note. It read:

'Pull the lever if you can handle a surprise. But be careful; it will shock you how hard it is to hold on to.'

"This must be the test of shock," Lia confirmed, looking anxiously at that note.

Lia: 'As much as I want to prove myself to this group and protect myself from Zach, I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of Gear, so... I'm pulling out.'

"Well, I've got a tattoo before if that counts for anything at all, so I'll do it." Gear insisted, shrugging.

"Babe, I'm not sure if this is the smartest idea." Lana stuttered, fidgeting with her fingers.

I think she's terrified her boyfriend is going to get killed by a metal lever. And I don't blame her; Zach really was persistent about killing him.

"Don't worry, Lana; I'll be fine." Gear reassured, giving Lana a hug and a kiss on the forehead before approaching said lever. He attempted to pull it before putting it down almost immediately.

"See? I told you he's the weakest link!" Zach shouted, trying to call out Gear.

Gear: 'So, I try to pull this lever, but as soon as I grab it, it feels like getting pins and needles and getting electrocuted at the same time. The only reason I said I've gotten a tattoo in the past is because I thought it would be like that; it kinda is, just times the pain by a thousand.'

"Gear, are you alright?" Vanessa quavered, jumping back from the sound the lever made when it hit the desk again.

"Yeah, I'm good. My god, that hurt." Gear muttered, shaking his arm.

He grabbed the lever again and pulled it across, this time succeeding.

When he finally pulled it across, another section opened up at the end; it looked like a puppet show stand, but with sticks instead.

There was a note there with a key attached to it.

Zach saw it and read it. It read:

'The group must now divide in two; one must go to the Inventor's Warehouse to claim the Power Crystal, which can open the chambers frame. The other group must remain in the shop to solve the trial of intelligence. But hurry, the Steampunk Twins are close behind you. Eventually, you must lure them into the police station and lock them up or they'll stab you and you'll find yourself in the voting pile.'

"So, it's like that situation where if they attack you, you instantly go into the challenge?" Oli pondered, looking at the note again.

"Yeah, I guess so. So, who's with who this time?" I confirm, nodding.

This time, I was with Gear, Lana, and Lia. Oli went with Zach for a bit of a change. They ended up darting off to the warehouse quickly before the twins found them.

"Lia, I think I saw something over there. Like, I think it's a note or something over there." Gear lied, pointing to a nearby shelf. Lia, for some strange reason, ran off to the shelf to find something.

"Gear, what the fuck are you doing?!" I whisper-shouted as I huddled up with Gear and Lana in a corner, Lia still looking.

"OK, I've had this really crazy idea; I'm thinking of seducing Lia since A) I'm the Lady Killer, B) she has a crush on me, anyway and C) we gotta kill Zach, eventually." Gear blurted out quietly, making sure Lia was still distracted. I was confused, but Lana looked fine.

"You guys just cover me, OK?"

"Well, just don't actually break up with me, OK? I love you too much to lose you, Gear." Lana faltered, slightly blushing.

"Lana, you know I wouldn't do that." Gear acknowledged, pushing some hair from her face.

He was about to kiss Lana until...

"Yeah, I see nothing, guys," Lia called out.

Lana: 'Well, that's one way to kill the vibe.'

I look around to find something and underneath the puppet, box-looking thing, I find a drawer.

I open it and inside are six brass feathers, each with an answer on it, and a box filled with riddles labeled 1 to 6.

Valentina: 'We realize that each of the things on these brass feathers is the answer to one of these riddles in the box and we need to get the riddles right to find words or numbers or something. So, we need to solve this puzzle which opens something else, which leads us to another clue.... which basically means somebody else is gonna die.'

Lana found the first riddle and reads it. It read:

'You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. I'm quick when I'm thin and slow when I'm fat. The wind is my enemy. What am I?'

I immediately searched through the brass feathers. Soon enough, Gear and Lia came over to help us out.

"OK, what did we miss?" Lia chimed in, rummaging through the feathers.

"We're looking for a feather that says 'Candle' on it. That's the answer to the riddle." I passed on, my eyes fixed on the brass feathers.

Soon enough, since we actually have brains and we know what we're doing, we got all the feathers. Sure, the one about the 500 coffins took a while, but at least Lana does some in her spare time.

Each riddle gave us a number, and we realised it was a code, but we didn't know where they were. So, we look around.

And soon enough, we find this large box with a number lock on it.

"Wait, I got so... WHOA!" Lia shouts, nearly dropping the box.

"My God, how heavy is this thing?!"

"Oh, wait! Let me get that for you." Gear insisted, grabbing the box from Lia.

I had to facepalm and cover my mouth to prevent myself from laughing, and Lana had to pretend she was jealous about the whole situation.

"I swear, this is one of the many reasons I started dating this guy, Val; he sure knows how to be a lady killer," Lana whispered to me, trying her hardest not to blush in front of Lia.

I looked over at Lia and, no joke, she was blushing like CRAZY.

Lia: 'Honestly, the fact he broke up with his girlfriend for me is just so romantic. I'm not kidding, this guy could knock me out and I'd thank him!'

"So.... 395860 is the code for this box, right?" Gear mused as I nodded.

We ended up getting the box open and using the key we found inside of it on the keyhole in the wall, which opened a secret door.

Lana: 'Just as this door is opening to this secret room, Vanessa, Oli, and Zach all come running back into the shop with the Power Crystal and I'm like, 'Yes! We did it!'

"And you guys better not kill me; I got the gold key to the Box of Dynamo!" Oli rejoiced, holding a key in the air.

We were all celebrating; we were going to open the Box of Dynamo to claim an advantage for later in the night.

After we all calm down, we enter the secret room.

But what was in there was not pretty.

We look at the centre of the room and see...