Written by @da_homosapiensapien

Part 1

Amelia was walking down Raven's Street with her hands in her pockets, whistling a random tune. At first glance, she seemed like a boy, with her mannerisms, her boyish Metallica shirt and loose jeans and her bob cut.

The night was bitterly cold, with a strong wind making the leaves rustle. The curtains of the houses in the desolate street were closed and there was not a single soul present, except Amelia. There was deathly silence, except for the rustling of leaves and the echoes of Amelia's footsteps.

Suddenly, she heard a bloodcurdling scream."AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" She stopped in her tracks and turned around. The sweat glistened on her face as she made her way to the abandoned white house at the end of the lane, from which the sound came. She looked frightened. Every step of hers made the leaves crackle, adding to the ghastly effect of the horrendous night.

I smile. Yes, this is working. Innocent, poor little Amelia has fallen into the trap.

Amelia stepped inside the house and looked around, frightened. She was not exactly as brave as she made out to be...

The room was dark, with only a single candle which gives the room a haunting effect. Amelia heard a clicking sound, like someone was moving. She stood, frozen in her tracks. Her face was drained of colour and her eyes were shut tight.

A haunting melody issued through the gramophone:

"A young man on a cold morning was found lying dead.

Holding in his hand tight a glass of mead.

Eyes rolled up and tongue to the right,

He was such a ghastly sight.

They thought he was drunk and it was accident,

It did not cause much bewilderment,

They think it was just a normal drunkendeath,

That drink was the cause of his last breath.

But no, that wasn't it, I knew more,

That behind this there was a story of gore.

Five probable people are all my suspects,

One of them did it, I detect.

First: A pretty young milkmaid.

The one whom my brother betrayed.

Second: An old gentleman,

A lawyer, who's originally, from Japan

Third: A young girl at the medical shop,

She could be the one who made his heart stop.

Fourth: There is my brother's best friend,

Who might have caused my Jacob's end.

Lastly: An old woman of eighty three,

The maid she was, who wanted to be free.

You're all hear to face your death.

Here you shall breathe your last breath.

Right or wrong, you shall pay,

I need to avenge the light of my day."

And the lights clicked on. And then they saw each other, their partners in death- Rosa, the milkmaid, Lawson Cripps, the prestigious lawyer. Amelia, Benson- my brother's 'best' friend and Matilda Johnson-Brown, the old servant. They stare at each other in surprise. Amelia breaks down. Rosa and Cripps look stunned. Benson stares at me, right through the camera, and whispers 'Jason?'

How did he know?

Note to self: He'll have a painful death.

"Yes Benson. You are cleverer than I thought. But then, you aren't exactly a suspect. Maybe a secondary suspect just added on to make an odd number. Odd numbers are very interesting, aren't they?? Anyway, back to the topic. You have all been convicted by me, Jason William Davidson, for the murder of my dearest brother, Jacob Davidson. You all will be killed before the crack of dawn, and believe me, your deaths won't be quick and painless." I said.

Amelia stared at the camera Benson was staring at. There goes my plan to get them scared about an invisible enemy.

"You have ten minutes to introduce yourselves and then settle your plan for the night. Your last night." I giggled. "Your time starts.....now!"

I started my timer and sat down, looking at the five terrified faces through my camera. "Let's start by introducing ourselves." Cripps said. I moistened my lips in anticipation.

"I'm Rosa Anderson. Jake and I were college sweethearts. We met up recently and started talking. Suddenly, he was dead. I don't know anything about his death but I'm sorry that he had to leave us so soon." Rosa said and burst into tears. Matilda rushed up to her and patted her on her back soothingly, muttering something I couldn't her, no doubt trying to console her.

"I'm Benson Jefferson. I work at the garage nearby. I don't know why that Jason involved me in this game....and that too, just for the sake of an odd number. Sounds like something an idiot would do. But then, Jason's always been an idiot....And Jason, if you're watching, stop this at once...."

"I'm Lawson Cripps, solicitor in the firm Cripps, Cripps and Blackman. I deal mainly with your financial matters and will be your lifelong lawyer. Our establishment has provided service to several generations of gentlemen and ladies of noble blood...."

"Oi! Stop it Cripps! We asked for an introduction about you as a person, not a big sermon about your firm. Dimwit." Matilda interrupted.

"Anyway, I'm Matilda. I used to work for the Davidson brothers. But they became unbearable and I picked up a fight with that idiot older brother Jacob. He's got a bloated up head...complacent....thinks he's the best...he doesn't know even quarter of what I, Matilda, know. He dies the day after the quarrel and that dimwit Jason thinks I killed him. Does he think I'm that brainless??" Matilda rambled in her crackling voice. Benson and Amelia looked at each other and shrugged.

"I'm Amelia. I worked at the medical shop. I rebuffed Jake's advances but we were good friends. I don't see eye to eye with Jason's logic. Why would I have killed Jake, huh? I already have my life laid out in front of me. I'm engaged to the best boy in the world. Life was perfect, until Jake was murdered and this Jason lured me into this trap. Why does it have to be me?" Amelia said and sniffed softly. Her voice had risen to a shout as her little speech progressed. "Why do these things happen to me? And as your partner in death, I'm going to get each and every one of you out of here alive!"

Benson and Cripps looked a bit shocked at Amelia's outburst. Matilda just stared at the floor, twiddling her thumbs. Rosa looked on unperturbed with blank unfocused eyes. Meanwhile, I sat there trying to twiddle my thumbs in par with Matilda, observing every guest...

Rosa has the usual attractive blond hair and blue eyes with rosy cheeks. She was attractive and had a husky voice.

Benson was a well built guy with brown hair and green eyes. He had those nerdy glasses that are really popular nowadays. He looked disturbed...which is very normal in this situation.

Matilda was a hunched, old woman with grey hair. She had a pruned look about her and her jaw line and features were painfully plain and severe. Her eyes were a steely, cold grey and made me shiver.

Amelia was my favourite. With her black hair and black eyes, she looked angelic. Her mood changes were the cherry on the cake. One second, she was scared and was bursting to tears like a damsel in distress and was next vowing to do the impossible, like saving herself and the other four from my clutches. As if.

Cripps too was a middle aged man with reddish-brown hair that was balding. He had slightly protruding teeth and an unsightly paunch that made him look hilarious... His wheezy voice added to the hilarity.

I looked at my timer and saw that five minutes were up.

"AWW...my sweet little babies! Five minutes up, five more left. After your time is up, I'll explain the rules of my little game." I whined. All of them looked up with startled and bemused expressions.

Amelia and Benson sat up. Benson looked at every one with a grave expression on his face. "Look, we don't split up. We move in a group with Cripps and Matilda in the middle and us younger ones up front and at the back, ready for the surprises. If you spot anything, inform the whole group about it. And if you're the murderer, time to confess." Benson droned, but the other four listened with rapt attention and nodded. When no one confessed, Benson looked up at the camera, "Jason, we're done. Tell us the rules of the bloody game." He spat.

I grinned to myself. "You move through the mansion. It'll be full of surprises and deaths. However, if you manage to find me, yes, I'm in the mansion too," I snickered, "you will be left scot free."

"You demented...."Rosa started. I gritted my teeth. I rolled up sleeves and pressed a button.

Crack.

The sound was followed by a scream, as Rosa, the milkmaid; fell through the air, her body curved in a graceful arc, with the ghost of her last scream still etched on her face.

Amelia, Cripps, Benson and Matilda looked at each other frantically and back at Rosa. Matilda bent down, whispered something about Rosa's soul resting in peace and the terrified foursome got up, and made their way to find an invisible enemy, through a journey full of peril, danger and high odds stacked against their survival.

Part 2

It was 11 in the night. Amelia and Cripps had insisted on a break as they were too tired to continue moving on. Despite her eighty three years, Matilda wasn't the least tired. Terror. That was what gave her that burst of energy.

The foursome had tried to contact the outside world in all means possible. They tried using their phone, but the signal was too weak. They tried to make paper rockets and send it outside, but the wind wasn't on their side that night. They even tried screaming for help, but a random knife whizzed by and pinned Matilda's dress to the wall. One inch nearer and it would have meant death.

All of them had given up hope. There was no hope of escape from this impenetrable prison. I smiled to myself. This is much more fun than I expected.

Cripps held on to Benson as he stepped forward. He was a weak man. This was going to be fun. All I had to do was to separate him and drive him to the drawing room... I smirked. This was going to be awesome. Much, MUCH more fun than the Hunger Games.

I grinned and pressed the button. I picked up my bucket of popcorn and started watching through the camera's monitor.

The floor was vibrating. Matilda looked faint and Amelia and Benson were trying to get Cripps to get up. But he kept falling on the floor. Cripps face was green and he held on tight to his stomach. Suddenly, the rocking stopped. Benson heaved a sigh of relief, and I spoke.

"Greetings to all you four. If you don't want to die, you will do what I tell you. Now all the four of you will separate. Matilda will move to the kitchen while Benson will move to the bedroom with the blood red wallpaper on the third floor. Amelia will go to the starting point. And will Mr. Lawson Cripps be kind enough to move to the drawing room?" I enquired.

"And yes, here's a catch. You will go to the area I assigned to you for half an hour. Anyone out of that area during those 30 minutes will be killed brutally by a surprise attack which I guarantee you won't survive. And remember, I have my camera. If any of you go to the other person's area or if two people are together, I will enable the attack in that room, and believe me, you will be killed. Helping another person to find their safe area is also banned. You have five minutes to find your safe areas before the attack starts. And your time starts....NOW." I said and smirked to myself.

All of them shook hands and Amelia and Benson gave each other a short, awkward hug before getting started.

Ah! Affection....this would be fun. Even if it was not romantic, it was obvious that they were starting to trust each other. This is working. Very well. Very, very well.

Amelia walked up to Cripps and offered to escort him to the drawing room. He agreed.

"Stop. Remember what Jason said?? You cannot help Cripps, Amelia. Matilda and Cripps have to work on their own now. So should we both. Undoubtedly, this is a trap to kill at least two in isolation. Divide and rule, that's what this is. We cannot do anything to stop Jason. This would be his idea of fun. But make sure to do your best to survive through these thirty minutes. Will meet whoever is left right here. Best of luck." Benson said with a grim expression.

Cripps' eyes went round and he nodded. "Thanks for that, Amelia dear." She gave him a quick smile, patted Matilda on her back and gave a thin lipped smile to Benson. She stated making her way towards what she hoped was the huge room where they all had started.

Meanwhile, Cripps hobbled to the drawing room. He saw the blood red drink placed on the table and shivered. He saw the bolted windows and then, he saw it. He looked up. My 'entrance'. Finally.

"Lawson Cripps, you have been convicted for the murder of Jacob Davidson. You shall die by...hanging." I whispered. Lawson's face drained out all the blood and became ghostly pale.What irony! A ruthless judge who sent so many people to their deaths killed due to a death sentence!

He stared at the camera and stood straight up, and put his neck through the noose. I'd figured that he wasn't a strong character. I pressed a button and grinned. You thought it would be easy? No way, Lawson, no freaking way.

Lawson Cripps dropped to the floor. He winced and sat up, rubbing his back gingerly. The door suddenly shut. It was dark. In one corner, a light brightened and my face was projected on a screen. My flair for theatre is remarkable and so I've been told.

"Did you know, Lawson Cripps, that hearing a certain sound for 36 hours, and no other, can kill a person? In your case, I think half an hour would do."

The sound of dropping water wormed its way into the room. And the blood rain started. The splattering was the only sound that could be heard. Cripps was too shocked to speak. I grinned. The money I spent to get 15 pigs from the butcher was nothing compared to Cripps' expression. Then again, I'm a rich man, after my brother's death...

Meanwhile, Matilda stood in the kitchen, cleaning the knives. Her neat freak attitude drove her to clean the knives. I just have to wait for her to pick the syringe....And yes, she found it, my cue to speak up.

"Hello!" I said. The old woman of eighty three poked herself with the sharp point of the syringe. I grinned to myself. She fell into trap. Oh yes, she did...

"Matilda Johnson-Brown, you have been convicted by me, Jason William Davidson. Did you know that when concentrated salt solution is injected into a person's body, the person dies within fifteen minutes? And for your information, the syringe that you poked yourself with contained concentrated salt solution. And not to worry, the syringe has been modified to inject high quantities of liquid into the body at the slightest touch." I laughed.

What irony, that the old idiot lady got a death sentence from the same person whom she swore to kill just five days back?

Matilda's eyes widened and she dropped into a nearby chair, the features of her face etched with shock and worry. She put her head into her hands and cried I suppose, as the salt solution worked its way through her thin, pruned body.

Part 3

Fifteen more minutes. Benson stared at his watch as he sat at the desk, sipping a glass of blood red wine. Except that he, being the cautious fellow he was, had smelt it and tasted it gingerly and had even performed some well known poison tests on them.

Hell, that dude could have passed for a detective. That idiot.....why did he have to be so suspicious.

He walked to the door and opened it. He saw a knife whiz past and quickly shut the door. He was twiddling his thumbs. He'd tried the windows, I suppose? He'd opened the drawers of the tables and tried to discover all possible escape routes, but there was nothing, except a gun. He had checked the bullets in it and was waiting for time up, looking at his watch.

Meanwhile, Amelia was staring at the grandfather clock, her black eyes not missing the slightest movement. She wasn't bored; there was alertness in her eyes and her posture.

She'd found her gun too. It was time for the ultimate showdown."Well, well, well. We have two suspects left, each has a gun. I will not tell you who your enemy is; it's up to you to find out. Each of your guns has two bullets each. So use your bullets wisely. You cannot kill yourself or refuse to fight as an act of sacrifice, loyalty, hopelessness or love, as it can endanger the life of the other person. You will play with the spirit of a true sportsperson. You will not cheat, you will not give up. You will take all your failures in your stride and play to win. The winner, unlike what I told you before, will be left scot free from the mansion; there will be no obstruction from freedom." I said.

"Your time. Starts. NOW!" I roar as I watch Amelia and Benson slowly get up and move towards the door.

Amelia stood behind the door and closed her eyes, no doubt preparing herself for death. She looked at a locket she had, brushed a tear away and prepared herself to fight.

Meanwhile, Benson sat in the room stiffly, deep in thought. He looked at his watch that read 11:45 pm and walked towards the door. He carefully opened it, looked around and stepped outside.

Amelia was approaching. She saw Benson going into the drawing room, which was at the end of the corridor. She went and hid just behind the door of Benson's safe area and made a soft noise.

Benson walked towards the drawing room, which was just four doors away. I suppose he chose that since that was the only door closed. He opened the door slowly and the odour of blood hit him. He closed the door again and calmedhimself. 'The person inside is DEAD. Be strong, Ben boy. You must do this to win." He whispered to himself and opened the door wide. He switched on the light carefully.

And he saw the figure of Lawson Cripps, covered with blood, hanging from a noose in the centre of the room. Benson's eyes widened. His eyes wandered to the droplets of blood falling from the ceiling, now like a drizzle. He had a disgusted expression on his face. Suddenly, he heard a soft noise. His hair stood up on the nape of his neck as he closed the door of Cripps' safe area and turned around.

He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw no one. He noticed that the door of his safe area was slightly ajar. He narrowed his eyes and walked towards the door, slowly, not making a sound. As he stood outside the door, he heard the soft sound of a female breathing. The sound was soft and musical. His opponent was Amelia. He opened the door roughly, making Amelia scream. She was hiding behind the door.

He pulled her out by her hand and held her pressed to him, with her hand twisted behind her, and her back facing him."B-Benson?" she whispered.

"Amelia." He acknowledged in a cold voice.

Benson held the gun to Amelia's head and fired one shot.

She slumped to the ground. She was breathing hard. "One more shot Benson. One more shot will do it." She said softly. He gave her a hard look and pointed the gun towards her heart. Suddenly, she held her hand up. "Wait. Before I d-die, I want to-to s-say something."

Benson knelt down beside her, with the same icy look in his eyes.

"I l-love you B-Benson." She said.

Benson froze. He pressed the barrel of the gun towards her head and fired the second shot, as Amelia's eyes glazed over, staring behind him, into the unknown.

Part 4

A winner for my little game. At last.

"Very good Benson. Congratulations on your win! But before you leave, I'd like to congratulate you. So please come to the starting point. Means of escape is nil, and I'm warning you, any antics to escape will cost you your life, which you fought hard to gain. Maybe not physically, but psychologically. I will meet you there in three minutes time. Exactly at 11:59. If you do not meet me, you know the consequences, I'm sure. Now get going."

Benson walked towards the starting point. He only missed his way a couple of times. He reached there exactly at 11:59.

I swept open the curtain and made my entry.

Benson gasped. "Jason! I-I will kill you now!"

"Uh-uh-uh!" I said playfully, shaking my index finger in his face. "I will kill YOU."

"You think I'm going to release you after showing you my face? No freaking way."

Benson rubbed his face and removed his glasses. He showed me his face as the clock struck twelve.

Dong.

Dong.

Dong.

Dong.

Dong.

Dong.

"J-Jacob?"

Dong.

Dong.

Dong.

Dong.

"What's up, bro?"

Dong

*************************

Author's Note:

Dedication: Wormy Apple also known as @prof_calc_da_nerd for providing solace and happiness when I was in need of it and for being such a perfect sister.

Credits: The salt solution idea came to me due to a mention of this fact by my classmate in Chemistry class a month or so back.

What is your theory about the Davidson brothers? Message it to me. The most creative solution will be mentioned in the sequel to this book! :) *************************