Welcome To Hell

"Arise, puppy."
Charlotte said, splashing a bucket of ice-cold water onto my unconscious form.

I gasped loudly, only to feel an unfamiliar pressure pressing down on my tongue and spreading my jaw wide open. My eyes widened, and by the time I had realized what was happening, it was already too late to retaliate.

My hands, which had been aching from having been pierced, were zip-tied to the back of a metal chair, and my legs were duct-taped together at the ankles. I could feel metal wires running up my naked chest from my navel, and a ball gag lodged deep in my mouth to prevent me from speaking.

Before me stood Ninagawa Charlotte, her hair completely unkempt as she fidgeted with a remote controller in her injured hand. The room was pitch black, save for the dull flames of multiple candles surrounding a tray of various tools. Two vice clamps, a pair of pliers, a scalpel, a lighter, and a Smith & Wesson hammerless revolver, loaded with six bullets in the chamber.

No fucking way! Charlotte's going to kill me!

I yanked against the zip-ties, cutting deep into my wrists, flailing desperately as my voice got caught in my throat. My muffled screams fell on deaf ears, and Charlotte circled around me like a predator, tapping against that remote.

"You've been a very, very bad girl. Normally, I would have killed you on the spot for such foolish behavior, but I've never seen someone so agile during a fight before. Honestly, you impressed me."
Her voice was hoarse as she spoke.
"Just look at my pretty hand. You absolutely destroyed its silky smooth skin, and for that, my puppy, you will have to pay dearly. Death is simply too merciful for a unique tool you."

I could feel my breath quicken. My eyes flickered between Charlotte's face and the tray of tools resting beside me. I let out strangled groans, trying to break the zip-ties around my wrists with strength I definitely didn't have.

"Watch now, puppy, as I take something precious from you. The rules are simple: don't make a single peep and I'll lessen the damage. If you decide to act out, I'll crank up the voltage and continue my assault."
Charlotte pressed a button on the remote, causing the metal wires surrounding my chest and abdomen to heat up red hot, burning my skin to the point that it began to smoke.

I muffled my own shrieks, not wanting to show her even a glimpse of pain as I endured the heat.

What does she mean, "take something precious," from me? I don't have any possessions or valuables. Is she talking about ruining my skin? If so, I'm already damaged goods. What's your angle, Charlotte?

Charlotte stepped forward into the darkness, bringing with her a candle and setting it on a table that rested straight ahead. The light began to illuminate a silhouette in the shadows, and I had to force my eyes to squint just to see the shape.

By the time Charlotte placed the second candle on the table, it was perfectly clear just who was sitting in front of me.

She wore a navy-blue school skirt and a white buttoned-up shirt with a bowtie. Her silky black hair was styled atop her head in two adorable buns, and her delicate lips had been quivering with pure fear. It was Hidaka Nozomi, my dearest, closest friend that I had promised to save.

The blood in my veins turned cold. I could feel my heart sink so far into my own chest that I thought I was about to throw up. In a fit of pure horror, I mustered every ounce of strength I could, yanking so hard against the zip-ties that my wrists began to gush blood onto the cold floor below. I let out a deafening screech, my eyes widening with hatred as I screamed,
I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU, CHARLOTTE! DON'T TOUCH HER! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! PLEASE STOP! I'LL DO ANYTHING! PLEASE, JUST TAKE ME INSTEAD!

Of course, none of my words were coherent. With rage boiling in my blood, I began to weep like a dog, my tears and snot spraying from my face as I thrashed.

Charlotte's lips curled into a sinister, haunting smirk. Her blood-red eyes gleamed with pure excitement as she gently pressed that same button on the remote controller, heating up the coils around my chest.
"Such disobedience. Did I or did I not just tell you to keep quiet? It seems that even following the simplest of instructions is too much for you."

I could feel my skin melting against the wires, but I didn't have the time or patience to care about my own pain. Nozomi was in grave danger, and it was all my fault. Nozomi, the girl I had grown so close to over the past two weeks; the girl who cared for me like a sister and invited me into her home. Nozomi, the girl who fed me and kept me warm when the nights were cold; the girl who sympathized with a nobody like me. She was tied to a chair, her expression frightened and silent, all because of me.

As Charlotte turned the wires off, I watched her reach for the vice clamp on the tray. My heart couldn't take it anymore; I could feel the acid in my stomach threatening to rise. I knew that if I threw up, I would choke on my own vomit and die on the spot. I was about to be forced to watch Nozomi endure torture due to my carelessness, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do but cry.

"Mika-chan! It's okay!"
Nozomi shouted from her chair, forcing a smile around her own falling tears.

I shook my head frantically, unable to tell her a single thing.
Nozomi! Please, just endure it! I promise you I'm going to save you! Please, Nozomi, don't let Charlotte hear your screams!

"This was bound to happen eventually, Mika-chan. I knew I would have to face the Bara-gumi one day... so thank you for being my friend! Thank you for trying to protect me! This doesn't change a single thing between us! You're still my sister!"
Nozomi's voice shook as Charlotte began to tighten a vice clamp around her index finger. I could hear the cracking of her bone beneath every little twist of the knob, but Nozomi didn't make a single peep.

That's it, Nozomi! Don't you dare let Charlotte hear your screams!
I nodded to her, hoping she would understand the look in my eyes.

"Does this not hurt you, little Nozomi? Perhaps you're stronger than I thought."
Charlotte spoke in a giddy voice, grabbing the second vice clamp and tightening it around her middle finger.

The sound of Nozomi's bones snapping echoed in the dark space, and not too long after, she let out a whimper.

I shook my head again, accidentally shouting,
"No!"
through my ball gag.

Charlotte's smirk widened.
"What was that, puppy? Did you just make another sound?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, groaning in displeasure as I saw her turn the remote control wires back on, heating up the wires to the point of melting my flesh for a few long seconds.

Charlotte reached for the pliers, walking circles around Nozomi while gauging her reactions. To my surprise, Nozomi sat perfectly silent.

"Open wide, Nozomi. I think I'll start with your canines and work my way back to your molars."
Charlotte shoved her disgusting fingers deep into Nozomi's mouth, prying her jaw open with ease.

I stared Nozomi deep in her eyes, taking note of the fear plastered on her face as Charlotte gripped her canine tooth between the thick metal. Before long, the sound of teeth shattering filled the room, and Nozomi let out a shriek befitting a demon. Her mouth filled with blood, and Charlotte yanked her shattered tooth directly from her skull in a swift motion. Nozomi sobbed, choking slightly on the blood seeping down her throat.

I had to stay silent, watching as each tooth that Charlotte destroyed was forcibly ripped from Nozomi's mouth and discarded as garbage. Some time later, Nozomi vomited onto her own lap, the stench causing her to gag multiple times.

I could see that it was taking everything she had to stay conscious. Her forehead dripped with sweat, and her eyes appeared completely empty, like her very soul had been sucked from her body with each gap in her teeth.
"It's okay... Mika-chan. It doesn't hurt one bit!"
she spoke with a forced smile on her face.

"I think it's time to cauterize these wounds. Wouldn't you say, puppy?"
Charlotte tilted her head over her shoulder, glaring at me with sadistic pleasure written all over her disgusting face.

I didn't speak, nor did I grunt. I stayed completely silent, breathing erratically as she waved the flame of her lighter in Nozomi's face like a toy.

Minutes passed, and I could feel my sense of time fade as Nozomi endured the flames in her mouth. The scent of burning gum flesh filled the room, and Nozomi had slipped between states of consciousness with each passing second.

At some point, I must have made a sound, because the metal wires had been heated up once more, sinking deeper into my tender, burnt flesh. I couldn't be bothered to care. My only goal was figuring out how to break free of my bindings and shove that scalpel deep into Charlotte's throat. I wouldn't worry about something trivial like taking a life; no, I would simply use every ounce of my strength to ensure that Ninagawa Charlotte bled out on the cold floor beneath us.

Before long, Charlotte pulled a single yen coin from her kimono, holding it in the dim candlelight for me to see. She removed my ball gag from my mouth, allowing my jaw to finally clench shut as saliva dripped down my chin.

"Let's raise the stakes a bit, puppy. I want you to have a say in it; heads or tails. Heads, and I send these bullets straight through her cute little stomach. Her fate rests in your hands, loser dog. If your tails doesn't sit well with me, I'll go forth with heads without a second thought."
Charlotte picked up the Smith & Wesson revolver from the tray, spinning the chamber ominously as the clicks slowed to a halt.

Think, Mika! Nozomi's life depends on your choice. Damn it!
I glared up at Charlotte, using every last bit of my wits to come up with a solution to spare Nozomi.

What would Charlotte accept as collateral? No, she's not dumb enough to accept a bribe. Should I offer my own life to save hers? Who's to say that she'll even honor that once I'm dead?! Maybe yubitsume? No, she already turned that down earlier today before our battle. Fuck, I'm running out of time!

I gazed at Nozomi's unconscious form, soaking in every bit of her beauty before accepting that I may be the cause of her death. I was scared out of my mind.

"Time's ticking, puppy."
Charlotte spun the pistol around her finger, holding the yen coin in her opposite hand like a taunt.

"Tails,"
I said,
"and you let her go. I'll be taking on the remainder of her torture, plus what you've already done to her. Meaning you'll take my teeth, break my fingers, burn my mouth... and I'll allow you to shoot me in the stomach."

Charlotte pondered for a moment, her lips curling upward slowly.
"Deal. I would shake your hand, but as you can see, you're still bound."
She chuckled to herself.
"You have my word, loser dog. If it's tails, I'll spare Nozomi and return the pain onto you."

"Not so fast, Charlotte!"
I shouted before she could flip the coin.
"I want you to flip the coin with the tails side already facing upward. The statistics say that the coin is more likely to end up on the same side it started on, meaning if you start on tails, the chances are closer to fifty-one, forty-nine rather than fifty-fifty. I refuse to abide by your rules until you agree to my terms!"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, though they softened when she remembered one simple fact,
"Deal. Truth be told, I would much rather torture you personally, puppy. I'll start on tails."

In an instant, Charlotte flicked the coin off her thumb and into the air. The metallic ping echoed for what felt like an eternity before landing in her open palm with a soft plap.

Please, be tails! Please, be tails! Please, be tails! Please, be tails! Please, be tails! Please, be tails! Please, be tails! Please, be tails! Please, be tails! Please, be tails! Please, be tails! Please, be tails!

Charlotte let out a bellow of laughter. Her cruel, sultry laugh was deafening as she cackled. Her witchy smile, the tears in her eyes... she looked disgusting. The next words that came out of her mouth were,
"Heads. You lose, puppy."

"NO! BEST TWO OUT OF THREE! CHARLOTTE, LISTEN TO ME! STOP THIS, PLEASE! I PROMISE YOU, I'LL LET YOU SHOOT ME INSTEAD!"
I screamed at the top of my lungs, yanking so hard against the zip-ties that I could feel the nerves severing in my wrists.

"Deals are deals, puppy. This is just the way the world works."
Charlotte aimed the barrel of her gun at Nozomi, kicking her foot to rouse her from her state of slumber.

"NOZOMI! NO, PLEASE, NOZOMI! CHARLOTTE PLEASE, DON'T HURT NOZOMI!"
My vocal cords began to shred, and I could feel blood begin to drip down my throat from excessive shouting.

Nozomi lifted her head, wincing and moaning in pain.
"Mika-chan? Did I... do good?"
She hadn't even had a second to process what was going on around her before Charlotte emptied the revolver's chamber into her stomach.

The deafening pop of a gun was something I had never heard before, so I hadn't expected to be temporarily deafened. I think in that moment, I assumed I wouldn't ever be able to hear again, and the fact that I couldn't hear my own blood-curdling screams frightened me.

Nozomi's body jerked with every forced entry from the bullets, and the sight of her coughing up crimson fluid burned into my retinas. Her body slumped completely forward, dripping with dark red blood, staining her blue skirt forever... and she was gone.