Confused with how everyone seemed to be behaving themselves, I kept on looking around. My body felt heavy with the atmosphere. Players already aligned when I entered the gate of Charity has grim faces. But some have vicious smiles.
Something must've happened.
The line progressed like the water in a river. Everyone in front draws on what seems to be a ballot box. After reading the paper they drew, the players went to the building. It was bigger than the common ones I have seen and is made of brownish bricks.
"Bad Depart Charity" is also written at the top of the entrance to the building.
No commotion happened until the player, two people in front of me in the line shouted in disagreement. He's a bit taller than me but has a huge build. Though he couldn't hold a candle to Uricks'.
"Hell! How'd you expect me to donate this!"
Waving off the piece of paper he has in his hand to the nun, the guy continued shouting his dissent.
The nun in the booth still has a big smile on her face and didn't move an inch from where she stood.
While the player continued with curses and profanities. He kept on looking around trying to talk to the viewers and even the moderators for the substage.
He's furious. Crumbled, he threw the piece of paper, attacked the nun on the booth, and tried to strangle her to death.
The piece of paper landed near me, I picked it up while players near me also tried to peek at what was written inside.
"Donate your heart," I read aloud.
Players near me heard what I said. As we looked back in the direction of the booth. The angry player still tried his best to strangle the nun in the booth. But the nun's expression didn't change.
She looked like a person having a cup of coffee as she relaxed. While the player grits his teeth as he increased the strength of his grip.
"Sir, are you going to donate?"
There's no distortion in the nun's voice as if nothing was hindering her from speaking. The guy continued to try and strangle her.
"No! Go to hell!" he said.
I saw how the nun's face changed. Her eyes widened and the veins on her face bulged threatening to explode. Though, the smile on her face remained.
She grabbed both of the arms of the player trying to strangle her. Compared to the player's arms, hers appeared tiny. There's a huge gap between her thumb and middle finger when she held the player's arms.
In reality, there's no way a petite woman could match that guy's strength. Well, this isn't reality.
Screams came from the guy's mouth. The nun pressed the player's arms at a slow rate making his grip on her neck loosen up. Cracking sounds could be heard from his arms. He cursed the nun aloud including the game moderators and viewers.
"I'll.... kill you! I'll... kill you... all!!"
His words are interrupted by his screaming. When the nun stopped, his arm flailed like a piece of cloth. Trying to straighten it but to no avail. Some of the people in line laughed at him. He was drawn back, screaming as he looked at his arms.
The nun left her booth. She approached the player and looked at him straight to his face.
"Sir, are you going to donate?"
But he's still busy screaming while looking at his arms. Pissed, the nun kicked his left leg. It bent like a straw. He wiggled before hitting the ground. I heard someone joke about how his legs looked like the letter "K".
His screams grew louder as he rolled around the floor.
The nun walked closer and looked down at him.
"Sir, are you going to dona-"
"...es ...uck!"
Still looking at him and unable to comprehend what he said, the nun repeated her question.
"Sir, are yo-"
"Yes... God damn it!."
The veins bulging on the nun's face have subsided. She closed her eyes and while still having a smile, called for people inside the facility.
Three people came out of the building. I assumed that they were also nuns since they have the same attire and all of them are women. They were strong. Lifted off the wailing man on the ground and brought him inside the building.
As if nothing happened, the nun returned to her booth and greeted the next person in line with a smile.
The two people in front of me drew in the box and headed inside, no questions asked.
It's my turn. The nun stared at me, she presented the box in the booth with both of her hands showing her palms.
"Sir, are you going to donate?" she said.
Her smile which I thought beautiful when I first saw it, now became creepy. I was nervous and lost in my thoughts.
"Sir, are you-"
"Ah. Yes... yes"
I delved into the box. As I moved my hand inside the box, I could feel rolled papers. After mixing the papers inside, I drew a piece.
My sweat kept on pouring down my cheeks, again. Seems like Deja-vu. Since the first task, I have been sweating buckets. I feel like my sweats could fill up one.
If most of the rolled paper tells us to donate a heart or a certain body part, is there no way to pass this task unscathed?
My eyes fixated on the rolled paper, it took me a few seconds before having the resolve to see what was written.
"Right Leg" was written on the paper. Confused I decided to ask the nun.
"The word 'donate' is not written... It just says right leg. Is it okay?"
Without any change in her expression, she replied,
"Please head inside."
Is luck by my side again? Or is it just to provide more entertainment to the viewers by giving players false hope? I thought as I walked inside the building.
I also thought about how they would monetize this stage and leaned to thinking that I must've really lucked out again. The inside of the building is much bigger than it appeared from the outside.
Inside is a lobby with four hallways filled with rooms that seemed infinite. Quite a number of nuns are walking around.
A nun greeted me inside, "Please follow me" she continued as she led me to a room in the hallway on the right.
My head filled with worries, I didn't bother counting the number of rooms we have passed. We walked for a couple of minutes before stopping in front of one of the rooms. It has no label, just a normal wooden door.
The nun that brought me there turned the knob and opened the door.
"Please head inside," she said with a smile.
Inside the room, another nun sat on a chair beside a bed. This place is filled with nuns, huh? I thought. There's also a vacant seat and a drawer.
As if already waiting for me, she pointed to the bed signaling me to lie down. Soon as I lay on the bed, the nun placed cuffs on my belly, arms, and legs.
"Come inside!" the nun said.
Once the door opened, a young man about my height entered. The young man lost one of his legs and is holding a crutch for support. I already have assumptions about what's going to happen next and gulped down a mouthful of saliva.
The nun took out a measuring tape. Lifted up the pants I am wearing above the knee, measured my right leg, and nodded to the young man. I felt cold, yet my sweating didn't stop.
Without saying anything, the nun took out a hand saw like the ones used in cutting wood before. Then tapped the blade on my right leg.
"Wa-wait"
She smiled in reply. Then began sawing. The feeling of the first push and pull of the saw has been engraved in my head. My screaming was enough to make me unable to hear anything else.
The intense pain made me move my body as if I were being possessed. In return, the nun placed another cuff just above my knee for it to be immovable. She also stuffed a piece of cloth inside my mouth.
A muffled sound came out of me as I watched my leg being cut off by a saw. Every time the nun pulled the saw which results in its teeth tearing off my flesh the pain heightened. The white bed sheath has turned red with my blood coloring it.
It lasted a while. Tears falling from my eyes combined with my sweat, clouded my vision. The nun seems to be taking her time and enjoying what she's doing.
I could feel my consciousness seep away. What I remembered that happened next is, the nun holding my right leg and showing it to me. She then gave it to the young man sitting on the chair watching my torture. He looked ecstatic, well, he gained another limb.
A few seconds later the screen appeared. I didn't even remember when the nun released me from my cuffs. With blurry vision, I just kept on tapping on the screen to click the next gate to challenge. After a couple of attempts, I managed to choose another gate.
Again with the feeling of being pulled in a swift, I've been transported to another location.
In the process of regaining my consciousness. I could feel my legs, but I couldn't move them. Even my arms. When I finally managed to get my thoughts aligned, I realized I am tied to a bed again.