One: brunette woman that works at a bar
Two: blue-haired man with congenital analgesia
Three: timid, pink-haired high school girl from Detroit
Four: salmon-haired man that works in psychology
Five: green-haired boy in college, Six's brother
Six: green-haired girl in high school, Five's sister
Seven: tall, blonde college graduate
Eight: teal-haired waitress with two children
Nine: female exchange student with short blonde hair

Seventeen

Len gingerly sat Three down on the dusty green carpet and stood against the wall next to her as the others filed in. Everyone looked weary and distraught after the maze of the dark staircase; however the sight of the room ahead of them was in no way relieving.

The hallway was short and straight. There were no doors on any of the walls, with the exception of the closed elevator opposite the staircase the nine had just come from. Flickering lights exposed peeling yellow wallpaper and mold growing on the ceiling. The hallway was barely wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side. Len rubbed his chest and let his head hang low. This game was becoming taxing on everyone, and it was hard to imagine that only six hours had passed. It felt like days. Weeks.

"I guess we should go ahead and scout out the floor, then," Four said. There was conviction in his voice but his eyes were dull. His expression made him look older, and Len could see the gray hairs peeking through around his face and the lines that tugged at his features.

"Right," Len said, after nobody answered for a while. He and Four felt their way down the walls the few steps to the end of the hall. They stared at the elevator, and the dirty metal door stared back. The number 17 was illuminated above. Four rubbed his arm subconsciously. Len looked through his shirt to see a blobby 17 glowing softly through the fabric. Len and Four exchanged a glance as Four's finger hovered over the button next to the elevator.

He pressed it.

The door opened.

To an empty elevator shaft.

Len's heart was pounding out of his chest. He could hardly comprehend what he was looking at. Four crouched down and looked into the empty shaft.

"I see a light about ten feet down," Four said.

"So… what does that mean for us?" Len whispered.

Four paused. "We should discuss this with the others," he decided.

Len nodded and led the way back.

"What's… going on?" Three mumbled from the floor. One patted her shoulder, holding her bandaged head up on her knees.

"It's an elevator shaft," Four said.

"That's it? Just an empty elevator shaft?" Seven asked.

Four nodded. "I can see a light from about a floor down. There's a cable going down. I… I think we're supposed to climb it."

Five and Eight frowned at his inference. "And you're sure that's all there is?" Eight asked.

Len nodded. "I didn't see anything else," he confirmed.

"So, that's easy. We just climb down to the next floor, right?" Five said, starting toward the end of the hall.

Nine grabbed him by the arm, quick as a snake. "No," she said, "it's not that simple."

The fact hit Len straight in the face; he almost laughed. "Don't you remember," he said, "the rules?" He couldn't hold back a chuckle, and he held his forehead. "We can't leave the group!"

Five looked at Len like he was insane. Maybe he was.

"Ten's right," Two said. "They said at the beginning, if we go on to the next floor without the group, we'll only have 20 seconds to get back before…"

"Elimination," Four finished darkly.

"And then if a group of people goes on, the smaller group must join the larger group in 20 seconds, or else," Eight added.

"Groups of the same size… will both be eliminated within 20 seconds of their separation," Four finished.

"So we'll have 40 seconds to get everyone down that elevator shaft, essentially," Len concluded. "20 seconds for the first group, and another 20 for the second."

"Don't forget, we can't return to a floor we've already been to once we leave it," One said. "So whenever we do this… there will only be one chance, and no turning back."

The others nodded together.

"So… what order are we going in, then?" Five asked.

"Whoever is the strongest needs to go first, so that they can help the others onto the floor. The cable is a bit far from the door," Four said. "So that would be either you or Ten."

"I'll go last," Len offered immediately. "We need someone up here to help out, too." He chanced a glance at Three from the corner of his eye.

Four nodded, partly affirming and part understanding. "All right, then; who wants to go next?"

The order went as follows: Five, Two, Seven, Nine, Eight (in the safest spot of the pack), One, Four, Three, Ten.

"All right. That's settled. So… shall we begin?" Four said.

The other eight were nervous, but no one could think of an excuse to wait any longer. They were an hour behind as it stood, so it seemed that the earlier they started, the better. The thought made Len's stomach twist into a knot. Their lives were being dictated by something as simple as a clock.

Len and Four grabbed Three under her arms and helped her halfway down the hall, where she asked to rest again, leaning against the two men heavily. The other players lined up beside the elevator rigidly. Eight held her arms around her stomach, shoulders shaking hard as One placed a hand on her back, trying to comfort her.

"It's okay," Len heard One croon. "It'll just be like gym class, only not as far to go. You'll be fine. It'll be over before you know it."

"Is everybody ready?" Five said. His shoulders sagged and he was hunched slightly forward, and yet he stood taller than anyone else in the group. "We've only got one chance, but it's only forty seconds. Forty seconds and it's done. I'm going to start on the count of 3. Ready?"

Never.

"And…"

We'll never be ready.

"1…"

It'll never be just 40 seconds.

"2…"

It'll never be just 20 hours.

"3!"

40.

Four moved forward to help keep the line moving as Five disappeared into the empty shaft. Len felt Three let out a choked sob, her face contorted in horrible pain.

"Hey. Hey what's wrong?" Len asked, sinking down to the floor with her.

36.

"Hey, it's okay. Shh, shh. Everything's going to be fine." Len rubbed Three's shoulder in a solemn attempt at consolation as Three coughed weakly into her knees, her face starting to relax as she shook her head.

"I can't do it," she said.

Two grabbed the steel cable strongly and confidently, pulling himself into the darkness as Seven lined up behind him, stiff as steel.

33.

"Of course you can. Don't say things like that. You're gonna do just fine. I know it."

"Don't lie to me."

Len stared back, startled, for a second, by the momentary strength her voice held. He couldn't come up with a reply, and just kept staring until she spoke on her own.

Seven was more timid, grabbing the cable with two hands so tightly that her knuckles went white. She lowered herself slowly, disappearing below the door.

30.

She shook her head again. "Don't lie to me..." Her voice straining once again. "Please, no more lying." A hot tear ran down across her face and between her lips. "I'm dead." Her breathing grew shallower as the cries kept coming. "I was dead the second I woke up in this hotel."

26.

"... I know. Me, too."

Nine grasped the cable and looked back at the others for only a moment before vanishing behind Seven.

25.

"... I'm sorry."

24.

"Me, too."

"Is... Is there anything I can do? For you?" Len asked.

Three smiled a bit, but it may have been a grimace. "I don't know," she said.

By the elevator doors, One was giving Eight one last word of comfort before she reached out to grab the cable. Len grabbed Three's hand, hot and limp in his, and squeezed it gently.

"I'm here," he said. "I'm right here."

Three didn't reply. Instead she stared forward emptily, breathing slow and shallow.

20.

The most horrible feeling jolted through Len's body. He looked down to see a glowing 20 on his chest, counting backwards the time to his demise.

Three didn't seem to notice.

"... Back at home... There was a girl..." She started saying, eyes lost in memories. "We'd been best friends for years. And just a couple days before... before this... she told me she was in love with me."

17.

"Yeah? And what did you say?"

"I didn't say anything. I was too afraid to. So I told her I had to go and I ran off..."

"Well, how do you feel about her, then?"

One held onto the cable determinedly, nodding at Four before following the other five down. Four breathed in heavily, looking back at Len and Three with longing on his features. He knew.

15.

"I think I'm in love with her, too..." She trailed off, a few more tears slipping from her eyes. "Do you think she hates me now? After what I did to her?"

He knew. Four knew.

12.

Len gave her hand another squeeze. "No… No, I think she still loves you."

"How do you know?"

10.

"I just do."

Four took the steel cable in his hands, fighting back a sob of his own. "Ten, we have to go! Now!" he yelled.

Three grabbed Len by the arm before he could move. "Wait."

9.

"Before you go. I have to tell you my name," she whispered. "Someone has to know my name."

"Okay."

"It's Luka." Tears began pouring down her face without warning; she was unable to contain her emotions anymore.

7.

Len smiled down at the girl as he stood, struggling to pull away when he knew she needed him now more than ever. "I'll see you around, then, Luka." He let go of her hand and turned around, and he ran. He ran without turning back because if he turned around he might just lose himself.

5.

He leapt for the elevator cable. Causing it to shake as he grabbed on and began shimmying downward. He had to move forward. He had to go back. He had to move forward. He had to go back.

4.

He shook his head and tears rolled down his face as the numbers fell down with him, each shock sending a tremor that rocked his entire body.

3.

He made it floor with seconds to spare, met with faces of both welcome and concern.

2.

It was Four that said it first. Even though he knew the answer already.

"Where's Three?"

1.

Len shook his head as despair seized his body. He grabbed Four by the shoulders and he sobbed, collapsing onto his knees and bringing the other man down with him. He tried to form words, but could only cry out in a pain that suddenly seemed physical.

0…

Bang.

This took a long time.

Probably because every time I started trying to write this scene I started crying.

I'm sorry about that.

*sobs violently*

Anons:

Isabella314: God, it took almost a year for this update though. Man, really sorry about that. Like really really sorry. God. Wow. Sorry. Glad that last chapter worked well for you, though. And you need not worry about One, at least for the time being. ^^ History trivia. Nice idea. That'll make its way into something at some point. Thanks for reading and reviewing. ^^

Alias Stars: Yeah, at this point explosions make me much sadder than disturbed, but I also write about/draw gore for funsies so maybe i'm not a great person to reference. Anyway, glad you enjoyed that last chapter, and hopefully you'll still be around to see this one.

Sorry about the wait, my friends. Senior year of high school was gruesome, with a college class on top. I'll do my best to speed up in the future.