To Catch A Murderer (Athene & 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?"

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."