To Catch A Murderer (Athene & Razgriz)

[Razgriz]

The voice, its eyes unseen but undoubtedly boring a hole into the man from the window where he'd seen the glint, watched on as his newest student began to shake; yes, he'd crossed into unfamiliar territory now. And it continued to watch as the young man struggled to access his memory, trying to break it down logically based on what he'd remembered.

And a small chuckle came through the receiver as the boy was lightly shocked. Of course, one could only wonder 'Would the shocks get worse each time he put in a wrong answer?' And while an answer could be given, this was something better left experienced.

"Oh dear, that looked painful...Probably should have warned you about the three strikes rule, my apologies. Would you care to phone a friend...Oh, sorry again, payphones can't make multiple calls at once, can they? Not like today's cellphones. But do be careful; electrocution has been known to make people light-headed and forgetful."

That was all the voice said to him, listening as the young man asked for the next question. "You should know now though that you needed to uncover the digits hanging above you; '2' is up there on those cardboard squares, but six was not. Didn't I say at the beginning that I was basically giving you the combination? Now that you don't know the order, your chances of making a mistake just went up. All the answers are literally within your reach, Mr. Edwards; you really should be more careful."

Letting the silence hang again, he then asked "But to show that I can be forgiving...Here's your next question. How many people died there in that studio?"

 

[LadyAthene]

Ophellia Wilson​

" .... "

David found literally no verbal reply for the combined scolding and reminder on how this game worked. The voice was right, when all was said and done. He'd fucked up. And he'd done so in the stupidest possible way. Shaking his head at himself, David slowly lifted his head and gazed up, trying to look for a number that seemed like the correct age. There were some but ... it wasn't only one. Which meant even if he hadn't forgotten to use the panels first, he may have ended up getting the answer wrong.

It's cool, it's cool. That's still only one error.

After hearing the last bits of information from the friendly reminders, David raised a hand and hastily wiped some beads of sweat away from his forehead.

Well, he's not bullshitting you, at least.

... Maybe he was just over-thinking. But it was sounding more and more like this voice was actually trying to guide him though the test. Help him pass it even. Which ... sort of made it slightly odd.

Shaking his head from side to side, David looked at the lone "2" panel, checked what was underneath, and pushed down on the dial pad with what corresponded to the right answer.

"What are we on now? Fifth question?" he asked. Though his tone was mainly calm, there was a detectable sense of fatigue and stress. Compared to Nancy, though, at least this new 'victim' seemed much more competent.

Only time would tell if things would stay that way for David.

 

[Razgriz]

Indeed, only time would truly let them know if David had what it took to pass this odd, life-or-death test. A test that would literally determine whether he might wake up to see the sun tomorrow. As it stood, he was only one strike one, and about half-way through the series of questions.

Which could only mean they were going to get even harder. And if anything...The voice had the option to make the questions so impossibly difficult that David had no chance of winning. But then, it would defeat the purpose of what it was trying to accomplish.

Still...There was ONE question it could ask, since it too had photographs of the same scene that David took.

"Why do you ask, Mr. Edwards? Don't tell me you're getting nervous; we've just reach the halfway point. You really are doing quite well, all things considered, if that helps bolster your confidence a little." the voice then replied to the young man, a hint of amusement in its tone.

"In any event, we're back on the right track...So, on with the show, as those in the entertainment industry love to say."

A silence permeated the stillness before the voice then stated,

"Be warned, however, Mr. Edwards: This is about to get very challenging; we'll get to see just how much attention you've been paying. Though for some, you'll probably wish you brought your camera along. This next question will the last easy one you get: How would best describe the previous victims' situation? There's an old saying about something walking...What in those cardboard pieces would give you the best representation?" Of course, he would see there was only one symbol piece left: The hangman's noose.

The voice let out a chuckle, "Of course...I can't imagine you would get this one wrong, but you'd be surprised at what I've seen fear do to rationality."

 

[LadyAthene]

Ophellia Wilson​

... Was the voice mocking him?

For a few seconds, it almost came off in such a tone. But then, there was an honest to gods real possibility that David was probably over-thinking. The effects of no food or anything to drink were indeed slowly taking a toll on him. Even with the sniper rifle aiding his assailant out, it wasn't immediately obvious. Like many conditions, it wasn't as easy to spot such as, for example, some specs of dirt on a person's face, freckles, or any other distinguishing features. However, David's actions and the speed he was performing them at could definitely hint to his unseen foe that everything was definitely attempting to work against David.

How long has it been anyway?

Far too long. Hours, for certain. Probably around lunch time since he had anything. Either way, he was beginning to lament the very fact he hadn't eaten in such a long amount of time.

"Yeah," David murmured, "Knowing it's the half-way point is reassuring in its own rights."

"There's an old saying about something walking..."

Had the man just left it as that, David would definitely have fucked up.

However, because he added in the reminder about the cardboard pieces, David tilted his head upward. It didn't immediately register. However, as he thought back and tried to use anything that could assist him in making sure he chose the right answer, it arrived in the form of the movie The Green Mile.

"Dead man walking!"

It had been a line that was repeated very often in that film. And so, David confidently rose his hand, moved the tile away, and pressed whatever was behind it.

Now, his heart was beginning to pound wildly in his chest because ... he understood and knew the man was right. Would he even be able to use these tiles anymore? David didn't know. So unless there was a catch for the next half of this test that David didn't immediately know about, he was fearing the worst, but definitely hoping for the best to come.