A staged captivity (m+f+/f) (complete)

[Beaumains]

Ashley and I stepped in view while discussing our day loudly. She narrated an anecdote featuring an impossible algebra test that she had failed again. I knew this was a lie; Ashley was top of our class in math, and there hadn’t been any quiz. Besides, she had recounted her tedious story twice today already. But I responded enthusiastically. Precisely as I had to do. I was merely following the script of the Halloween play of our junior year in high school. This was the big performance in front of the entire school.
Ashley and I walked to the center of the stage, where we joyfully greeted four other actors. The concept of the play was a typical horror movie trope: a group gets killed one-by-one by some mysterious murderer. The initial survivors slowly split up, and almost all die due to their own stupidities. However, one or two would survive.
We formed this group. We played six teenagers who were spending a night in an old sawmill. Two masked killers would hunt us down while engaging in sadistic games. All of us were exaggerated stereotypes to complete the cliche. Josh was a dumb football jock, Tyler was a nerd with glasses, and Bruce and Jenny were in love. Ashley played the naive class slut. Because she was intelligent and shy, this was totally out of her comfort zone. But she killed it. Finally, I portrayed the only reasonable person. However, my character wasn’t popular and almost disliked by the rest. Still, I would be the sole survivor of tonight. So I had an important role. To make the whole play more natural, we used our own names for the characters.

Since the start of the year, we had devoted weeks developing this play. We didn’t only have to write it; we had to arrange everything as well. This included technique, costumes, decor, and many other small things. Our final grade was heavily based on our performance tonight. After tonight, we didn’t have to do anything for this subject until Christmas. That was the advantage of this play.
Such a remarkable course was possible since our school was tiny. This created the disadvantage there weren’t many courses to choose from. But in exchange, most teachers gained the liberty to organize their subjects as they desired. Hence, the traditional Halloween play by the juniors was born.
Another unusual aspect of this project was our drama teacher had only received the synopsis of our play. She graded our performance tonight and not the path leading toward it. So she was unaware of our plans.
We were content to receive so much freedom but were urged to keep everything child-friendly. So nothing gruesome or scary was allowed; it was a school play after all. In our eyes, this was the core of a great Halloween play. Like the years before us, this made us even more imaginative. I seriously suspected we had crossed some limits, but I couldn’t care less. Our drama teacher couldn’t fail us all.

After the six of us had ended our small-talk, we placed our sleeping bags around the wooden support pillar at the front left corner of the stage. Then we changed in comfy, light-colored sleepwear. The remainder of the play, we would wear this because it looked funny and less creepy. In reality, this choice was made because the light, uniform colors made us noticeable with little light.
I wore a short, white nightgown and sheer pantyhose. The latter was meant to look modest. Due to some outdated, sexist rules, nude legs were banned for girls. The white fabric, combined with my long, blond hair, made me look like a ghost.
Now we were prepared to go to sleep. But nobody of us was actually going to sleep. We were in a deserted old sawmill. Obviously, it had to be explored in the dark. I stayed behind with Tyler, who was supposedly scared in the dark, on the right side of the stage. The rest was impressing each other by scaring each other and playfully climbing around on the decor. To create an eerie vibe, our two killers were occasionally running across the unlit background. They were virtually indistinguishable, but their presence could be heard.
Meanwhile, I studied the audience. All my teachers and classmates were present. In the middle, I spotted my parents and younger brother. Even my older sister had come from her college two hours away to witness the play. Now I was even more motivated to put on an exceptional performance.
After several minutes, I heard Jenny scream piercingly from behind the curtain. She ran panicking toward me while her hands and sky-blue pajamas were drenched in fake blood. Then she attempted explaining what had occurred. I hugged her strongly. The first red stains formed on my pale dress. Due to her hysteria, the audience could hardly comprehend her words. So I recited her words calmly. The head of her boyfriend Bruce had been rammed into an old sawblade by some unknown person dressed in black. His skull had been split open, causing him to die instantly. His murderer had vanished.
Bruce had only been given a minor role. But we had to kill someone off at the start to keep it interestingly. We had drawn straws, and he had lost. But later on, his girlfriend Jenny would lose her sanity, and he would haunt her as his ghost. So his role wasn’t over yet.

The remaining actors returned to us, and we grieved collectively. But this didn’t last long. The concern of our own lives kicked in rapidly, and all of us wanted to escape from the unknown killer. We walked to the only entrance while we sobbed. The flashlights of our phones produced the only light on the stage. The vibe was both spooky and sad.
An old wooden door on the other side of the stage represented the entrance. As one might expect, it was barred. Tyler tried dialing 911, but there was no signal. We couldn’t leave this building, and there was nobody we could contact. We were alone. Jenny mourned in a corner while Ashley yelled; the horror was starting to unfold.
After a brief discussion, we returned to our sleeping bags. Here we discovered lots of ropes and a chain together with a padlock. On the thick, wooden pillar hung a handwritten note on old, yellow paper. Josh, our tough jock, grabbed it with a shaking hand and read it aloud.
“You are stuck where you are. The first has died already. We aren’t troubled to kill you all. But we present you with an option. Secure one of you to this post and leave this room. That person will provide our entertainment tonight, so we leave the rest untouched. The instructions for how he or she has to be restrained are on the back of this letter.”
This was their first cruel game: determine who has to die. Everyone was already emotionally broken by Bruce’s death, so a nasty argument erupted. No-one was sacrificing themselves voluntarily. So one of us had to be forced. Lots of personal attacks were made seeking to prove whose life was more valuable. The tight-knit friendships had ended. Ultimately, we voted who would die. After three rounds, it was decided that I would be the next victim.

I tried running away, but Josh grasped my legs and thrust me on the hard floor. While I screamed and kicked, I was fastened to the wooden post. They showed no mercy. If I died, they could live. We weren’t friends anymore. My ankles, knees, hips, and chest were tightly bound with ropes to the pillar. My hands were chained behind my back and secured with the padlock. The entire time I cursed toward my fellow actors, so they silenced me with a small, black ballgag the killers had thoughtfully provided. Now I could merely grunt angrily.
All of this was staged. But falling on the floor actually hurt, and the ropes, ballgag, and lock were genuine. It was much more vivid if I had to struggle for real against my bonds. I had accidentally escaped a few times during repetitions. Hence, we had trained a lot to tie me up properly. My hands were truly secured, and my feet were tightened by proper knots. I couldn’t escape myself. The ropes encased my body tightly, so there was almost no movement possible. I hated the ballgag. But we filmed a repetition last week, and I couldn’t deny it looked and sounded impressive. So I had accepted it would be shoved in my mouth.
When I couldn’t reply anymore, the remaining four actors said their goodbyes. It felt like my own funeral. Ashley gave me an intense hug after she had voted me to die. Then they left the stage.

For half a minute, I fought my bounds on the stage while our two villains in black slowly strolled over the stage. Their stifled laughs were clearly audible. The audience was speechless, so it wasn’t difficult to let the terror spread over my body.
When they arrived near our sleeping bags, they playfully kicked them aside and inspected my bonds. They were satisfied and gently stroked my body. The female killer started speaking while she laughed sadistically.
“Poor girl. So you are the least loved person in this building. They would rather leave you for dead than defy us. And they even believe we will spare them. How foolish. Isn’t abandoning you here not already murder? If they were your friends, your entire life should have been miserable. But I want to provide you an option. I can grant you your life. But then your beloved friends will die. Will you make the same choice? Will you choose for yourself? So can I shove this knife in your throat?”

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This is based on a request of scandi (https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=2456).
I think there will be one or two more parts.

[TamatoaShiny123]

Yay! You wrote another story!

[slackywacky]

"I think there will be one or two more parts."

As always, very well written, easy to read and extremely enjoyable. Can't wait for the "one or two more parts"

[Beaumains]

[mention]scandi[/mention] here is your story. I forgot to tag you for the first part.

Yay! You wrote another story!

Indeed!

"I think there will be one or two more parts."

As always, very well written, easy to read and extremely enjoyable. Can't wait for the "one or two more parts"

Thanks! Means a lot to me. But I am starting to worry if I can finalize it in three parts.

[Beaumains]

My heart pounded rapidly. The male killer revealed a long, shiny machete that he rotated in front of my eyes. I knew it wasn’t a prop. It reflected the light beam aimed at me over the stage. Under these circumstances, it was straightforward to be frightened.
The female killer spoke once more. “So what will your decision be? Your life or theirs?” I bobbed my head. Her latex, raven-black plague doctor mask with darkened glasses was almost pressed in my unprotected face. The remainder of her head was covered by a balaclava, making her unrecognizable. Due to gloves, socks, and a stunning catsuit with a long cape, all her skin was covered by black fabric. She looked terrifying.
“Hmm, maybe I had to phrase it differently. It is hard answering with that ball in your mouth. A simple yes-or-no question would be less complicated.” She audibly scraped her throat. “Will this be the last minute of your pathetic existence?”
I shook my head. Who wouldn’t be so selfish to retain their own life?
The male killer stroke the blunt side of the machete across my face. “Very well. You will remain here while I inform your ‘friends’ of this arrangement. If we would allow you to talk, you could assist me in deciding my following victim. But that isn’t a risk worth making.” He laughed. Our male killer wore a gas mask with equally darkened glasses, another balaclava, black gloves, and a totally black suit. Even his shirt underneath was black.
He placed the machete back in his jacket. “Just slaughtering them one-by-one would be a bit dull, wouldn’t it? The night is still young. So we can take our time. To begin with, we will inform them about your choice. I am thrilled what they would do to you, aren’t you? So please, for our enjoyment, stay where you are.” Then they grasped each other’s hands and walked off the stage.
Merely being killed off one-by-one was a charming idea for a play. However, chaos would spread through our group due to these games. It made all decisions much more complicated. Could we trust each other? Who would we sacrifice to survive? What was a life worth?

I screamed in my gag; an essential prop was missing. The killers hadn’t hung the key of the padlock around my neck. Now my hands couldn’t be released. Moreover, they had skipped two lines revealing their evil masterplan. In all repetitions, this had never gone wrong. I yelled again, causing the female to turn around with a spinning cape. She blew me a kiss and continued her path. They hadn’t detected their error.
Our play was falling apart. In the following scene, I should have been released by my remaining classmates. However, I reckoned some improvisation could repair the damage. If they received it backstage, they could pretend to encounter it near my legs. I calmed down, examined the audience, and couldn’t help but note how powerful we had acted. Everyone was gaping at me in shock. My mum grinned proudly and gave a thumb up. They hadn’t noticed anything went wrong. Nonetheless, I had to stay in character, so I directed my gaze on the back of the theater.

My former friends sneaked across the back of the stage before detecting me. Initially, they seemed content that I was still breathing. But this feeling rapidly flipped to paranoia. Why was I unharmed and alive? Bruce’s blood was on their clothes, and Josh carried a two-foot-long wooden bar as self-defense. They were horrified but still united.
“What happened? I thought they were going to execute you!” Tyler was the first who dared to speak to me directly. I grunted, and he noted I had some difficulties answering. So my gag was removed. Both I and my character enjoyed the ability to close my mouth. But it was dropped around my neck, so my saliva slowly dripped on my nightdress. This made my problems more evident to the audience, and Tyler hadn’t had to touch my saliva. I had hated this during every repetition. It was nasty.
There were multiple possible responses in this situation for my character. One could get hostile, insult everyone because they sacrificed you. But, we argued when we wrote the script, this wouldn’t aid me in my current situation. I had to be more tactful. The other extreme was revealing the truth that I had betrayed them. However, this would also be plainly foolish. So my character had to appease the rest.
So I lied to them. “I was stuck while those masked bastards taunted and threatened me. To them, this is some sort of wicked game. They want to divide our group because I wouldn’t survive this either way. They will kill us all! Please help me!” Then I started crying. I couldn’t deliver my usual lines due to the missing key. I would beg for release, but that wasn’t possible anymore.
Tyler consoled me while the rest whispered about the key. They hadn’t brought it with them. Ashley stepped forward and clasped my hand. “Ssh, don’t cry. Everything will be alright. But there isn’t much we can do right now. You have to believe in us.”
This improvisation was magnificent. How naive could you be? A murder had occurred, and all of us were frightened. And now everything would be alright? I was searching for a reply, but only more crying came to my mind.

Fortunately, our two killers saved us from this embarrassing situation. They walked toward us while he was swinging his machete around. My classmates backed off while they approached me. Josh held his stick ready in a fighting position.
The male killer stroked my head and started to speak. “Please, keep that bat down. We aren’t here to slay anyone, or at least not momentarily.” Josh withdrew one step further but didn’t lower his stick. That machete looked dangerous.
Then the female killer tossed the key to Ashley. She didn’t catch it because she was frozen in fear. “We are incredibly sorry we startled you and are here merely to correct our mistakes. This key unlocks your dear friend. You can release her if you wish. But, if I recall correctly, you desired to kill her to spare your own lives. Would you feel safe with her? She might attempt taking revenge.”
She laughed and walked off the stage together with her partner. Ashley gently grabbed the key while apologizing for what they had done to me. I assured her I would never hurt anyone and grasped why they chained someone.
This reunion followed our initial script. Except that there hadn’t been a discussion upfront. And the killers stood in the back of the stage. But there was one massive difference. According to the script, I would tell them it was a test whether they trusted me. They had sentenced me to death. Could I freely walk among them? But now our killer had declared this, it was less persuasive.
Unluckily, I wasn’t the only one with this thought. Jenny stepped toward Ashley and snatched the key from her hands. “How stupid can you be! She just made a deal with those crooks to massacre us. She is connected to them. Bruce’s killers just handed us the key to free her. Why would we believe her? Why didn’t they kill her already? This doesn’t make sense.”
She shouted and shoved Ashley away. There had been a path to restore the damage. But it slowly faded away. Jenny’s arguments were logical, and there wasn’t a sensible counterargument.
Tyler and Josh waited clumsily for how this unfolded and didn’t dare to mix themselves in this discussion. But Ashley hadn’t given up yet. She hugged me while telling me she would never abandon me. Angrily she approached Jenny. “You always care about yourself. Yes, Bruce has died. But is that a reason to execute her? How many would you sacrifice to save yourself? Give me that key. NOW!”

For a while, the discussion went back and forth. But Bruce’s murderers rescued us again. They marched toward us, and the male killer grabbed Jenny’s face with his latex glove. “At least this one is not an utter fool. Congratulations, you survived our first experiment. Now you will live slightly longer.” He chuckled and thrust her away, causing her to slip over one of our sleeping bags.
Simultaneously, his companion had chased Ashley away from me. She caressed my face before placing the ball-gag back in my mouth. “I think you deserve to know why she still lives. She made a deal with us. If we granted her her life, we could kill all of you. Simple as that. You may reevaluate your choice with this information.”
She blew me another kiss, and they strolled off the stage. She was supposed to say this during our subsequent encounter when I was free. At that time, I had shown I wouldn’t hurt my former friends. In this situation, the words gained a contradictory meaning. Now the only reasonable way to be freed was by the killers themselves.
Jenny put the key in her pajamas and stepped furiously toward a sobbing Ashley. “Now you see how ridiculous you were. She has doomed us all only to save herself!”
Jenny seized Josh’s wooden pole and walked toward me, ready to strike me down. This added confusion to my fear. What was her plan? She couldn’t fracture my skull realistically, even if we were allowed to kill each other on stage. Therefore, Tyler forced her to the ground and grasped her weapon.
“We won’t kill anyone and will survive tonight. So there is no need for revenge. I understand her decision to protect herself. I know it might mean we will die. But didn’t we make the same choice by chaining her to this pillar? We will sit in a corner and wait for the morning. If those creeps come for us, we will strike them. They can’t defeat us at once.”
These lines were in the script. But with me cuffed, they gained a vastly different meaning.

Then my former friends abandoned me by walking off the stage. Ashley gifted me one last smile before leaving with the rest. Once more, I was alone on the stage while inescapably bound. All eyes were focused on me. This time they made me uncomfortable. I felt vulnerable. The tight ropes around my entire body started to irritate me. My shoulders and wrists hurt from the constant pressure on them. I sincerely hoped my fellow actors had developed a plan to save this play because there was nothing I could do.

[Sportsfan]

This is a very clever concept and written incredibly well so far. Keep up the great work!

[Beaumains]

This is a very clever concept and written incredibly well so far. Keep up the great work!

Thanks a lot!
----------------------------

I saw how the four remaining friends decided to flee the stage through a door on the side, abandoning me once more. Due to their carefulness, they were slow. Josh and Jenny led the pack and were already past the door when it shut with a loud bang. A thin rope dangled at the top. The female killer revealed herself with the other end in her hand while her associate rushed to the door to lock it. Ashley and Tyler backed off to the center of the stage while Josh and Jenny loudly pounded on the door. Since the group was split in two, their numerical advantage was gone. This didn’t look good for them.

The two murderers slowly chased Ashley and Tyler across the podium while mocking their lives. They didn’t actually try, they were merely enjoying the amount of fear they produced since my two classmates were stuck in this room.
After a minute or so, the male killer drove Tyler behind the curtains. A harsh scream was followed by gory sounds. Unfortunately, the gas mask-wearing psycho revealed himself with a bloody suit and machete. He cleaned his blade with his trousers while boasting about his kill. Then he walked to me and caressed my unprotected head with his bloody glove. Tyler was no more.
Ashley sobbed next to my feet. But she received little time to grieve. The killer who wore a catsuit approached her and pulled her up. “Look at me, you fool. He is dead, and you will join him before dawn. Perhaps you should at least try defending yourself. Otherwise, there will be no fun left for us.”
The murdering doctor produced another high-pitched laugh. Her tone was whimsical and mocking. With one hand, she gripped Ashley’s hair and twisted her face toward me. “Do you recognize her? She is your friend. Or should I say that she was your friend? Due to her choices, that silly boy is dead. Look her in the eyes! You still like her? Cry as much as you want, but he won’t come back. Now try thinking for the first time in your life. All of you will die due to her. That makes her a terrible friend, doesn’t it?” She let go of Ashley, who immediately dropped on the floor. Reason had left both of them.
This scene was in the initial script. However, Ashley would lie in the center of the podium. This was far more logical when I was stuck in this position. I wouldn’t be involved in the conversation. But it made sense when attempting to turn Ashley against me. And I was merely a prop in this situation, due to my gag I couldn’t do much more than looking frightened, angry, and sad.
While Ashley slowly wept under me, the two killers left in the darkness after unlocking the door. Jenny and Josh rushed in, ready to strike. When they saw Ashley and me, Josh lowered his weapon while Ashley explained what had occurred. They believed her. Hence, Jenny reattempted assaulting me, but Josh stopped her again. I was stilled bound and gagged, so I couldn’t defend myself. Fortunately, Josh grasped her and jerked her away. Apparently, they had found an acceptable hiding spot somewhere to where they retreated.

Now it was Ashley’s turn to shine. It was time for her big monologue about how life was cruel and unfair. Without hurrying, the killers would approach her and conclude her speech by claiming her life. Killing on stage was still banned, so they dragged her away first. The scene was scheduled to occur slightly later in the play, but we had to deal with the current pace.
Initially, she would deliver her monologue to the audience in the middle of the podium. But now she stayed near me and spoke to me while untying my legs. Additionally, she included a couple of lines describing my restraints and choices. Even under these circumstances, she remained my friend. Her speech felt so heartfelt and genuine. Delivering monologues sometimes felt peculiar because it was unclear who the target was. But with me on stage, it felt much more natural. I sincerely wanted to hug her and cry in her arms. But my restraints prevented me from doing so. I started crying while I saw how touched the audience was. The change in the plot made everything even more grave and heartfelt. I reckoned Ashley had earned herself a practically perfect grade.
Ashley worked my legs up, loosening the knots one by one. But when she arrived at my middle, she had reached her last line. The two killers returned to the stage and forced her away. Another scream was heard. The play was also over for Ashley.
I used this time to stretch my legs. This shouldn’t be very noticeable, and my middle, chest, and arms were still attached to the wooden post. So I shuffled on my spot. I was disappointed I was wearing these tights. Otherwise, the rope marks would be visible. Then the audience would know I was restrained for real.

From the other side, the two other remaining characters entered the stage. They ran toward me and blamed the last two deaths on me. They screamed in my face while I reacted by trying to keep myself together. I felt genuinely threatened. Fear spread over my face since I had no clue what their plan was. Even when their back faced the audience, they didn’t even wink to console me in my dreadful position.
Now my legs were free, I wasn’t completely helpless anymore. I had to defend myself. First, I kicked Jenny softly against her ankle, but she didn’t react. She pursued her verbal attacks and started making physical contact. So I kicked up with all my force. Unfortunately, for Jenny, I hit her groin. She groaned, and a loud gasp filled the theater. After she had recovered, she gave me a bitch-clap. I screamed in my gag. Habitually, one would fake the sound by having one clap loudly while their back was facing the audience. But this clap was sincere, and the red contours of a hand would be visible on my face.
“I hope this teaches your place. You will die tonight. Josh and I will hunt these two psychos down. Maybe we will survive, likely not. Either way, you die. No-one liked you before tonight, and you have no allies here. Luckily for you, there might be some at your funeral in a couple of days.” She revealed the key to my cuffs and placed it quickly back. Then she grasped Josh’s arm, blew me a kiss, and tried to walk away.

However, they were halted by the killers who approached them from the other side. “How cute are you two together. It’s adorable to see you hand in hand just after we slaughtered your boyfriend. But this obviously shouldn’t be allowed; it is against all social norms.” The male killer signed with his machete Josh should come with them.
But as one would hope for, Josh refused. He seized his pole and threatened the duo in black. The female killer walked forward to Ashley while Josh stayed focus on the male killer with his machete. Two separate confrontations started to form. The girls stayed on the podium while the two boys slowly stepped through the door. The female killer held a monologue and prevented Jenny from observing the fight. A load of screams and groans filled the back, making it unclear who had won.
From the door, a stumbling Josh entered the stage with the machete in his hand. He declared that the bastard was gone. The remaining killer screeched and jumped upon him such that they rolled through the door. A fierce scream that gradually faded away marked his death. His murderer revealed herself while telling Jenny it would be resolved between them. Then she left the stage to lick her wounds. She had lost both her companion and the control of the situation. But now I was left with Jenny alone.

Jenny picked up Josh’s stick and stepped toward me. There was no-one left to stop her from assaulting me. She started talking about how great her life had been before I ruined everything. More verbal attacks followed while she made sure to maintain her distance. I doubted she desired to receive another kick. She discussed how she wanted to terminate my life. Strangling me from behind or fracturing my skull were her favorite options.
Jenny acted like a madman, almost as crazy as the killers had been. No sensible word emerged from her mouth. Then she started mentioning her late boyfriend Bruce and blamed him because this sleepover had been his idea.
From the side, Bruce’s ghost appeared. His pajama was drenched in his own blood, and with make-up, he was given an enormous gap in his face. This was the fatal wound the sawblade had caused. Jenny stood in the center of the stage while Bruce walked toward her. She wanted to hug him, but he refused. Then he explained to her how disappointed he was in her. He had dated a sweet innocent girl who desired to execute her own classmate. Jenny looked at him in shock. But he wasn’t done.
“What did you believe? That her death would save you? Your actions have shown you would have made exactly the same choice. And you proposed choosing to sacrifice her. Perhaps this is your fault alone. Where were you when I died? You were hiding when Tyler was slaughtered. You left Ashley to die and were too frightened to defend an injured Josh. Time and again, you were spared. I am ashamed I was in love with you.” Jenny was frozen on the podium while he spoke. But after his speech, he left, and she collapsed on the stage. After Ashley and me, she was also broken mentally.

Jenny sat there while the remaining killer walked toward her. Her shiny catsuit had a couple of bloodstains on it while her machete was cleaned. She seemed unharmed. The killer seated herself next to Jenny and placed her arm around her. “You should be proud of yourself. You spared yourself from the shitty life I am living. You likely don’t comprehend what I am saying, but I am also forced to do this.” She took the plague doctor mask from her head and revealed her face.
Although I had known this already, it was always a surprise to see Michelle’s face. Due to her mask, she had been a radically different entity. Now she seemed vulnerable and human again.
“Every few weeks, we stay in places like this, waiting for groups like yours. Sometimes it is just a couple, sometimes there are more. In this building, cameras record everything. This will be edited into a film and distributed over the deep web. Although we can’t quit the business, it pays generously. During the night, my boss has observed you and taken an interest in you. He desires you in his team. Your initial task was to slay your friend. After your first murder, it becomes more manageable. But under these circumstances, I want you to offer a choice. Either you kill your bound friend and join us, or I will kill you here. Think about it.”
It was a bold choice whether to include this scene in the play. Some background on our killers was preferable. Just some random, unexplained psychos would create a massive plot hole. But a twist would often be equally unrealistic. This was the best we could come up with. It was far from perfect but plausible in some sense.
Now Jenny faced the hardest choice of her life. Obviously, she desired to stay alive. But could a career that merely contained bloodshed be considered living? And even if she executed me, there wasn’t a guarantee Michelle was telling the truth. Hence, she chose death.
“I follow your choice. As an ultimate gift, I will do it quickly. But first, there are some things I have to say to your friend.” Michelle stood up and walked to me. “I will stay true to my word. I won’t kill you. However, I won’t release you either. I don’t know how long it will take before you are found. For all you know, you might survive. Likely, you won’t. But that isn’t my problem. However, I wonder how you would die. Will it be a shortage of water, or will your body collapse under its own pressure? I bet our viewers would wonder about that. I am certain to verify it when that video is released. Goodnight!”

Michelle blew me a kiss, placed her mask back on her head, and picked Jenny up before leaving. A fast scream was heard, and half a minute later, the lights in the theater were turned on. The only light on the stage was the fell, white light aimed at me. The audience was confused. The play seemed to be over, but this was an unusual way to end it. I was still restrained, the curtains stayed open, and the other actors didn’t appear for their final bow.
After a minute or so, the first spectators dared to leave. During the next ten minutes, all eyes stayed focused on the ropes around my body and me. A restrained girl like me remained a wet dream for many teenage boys. I could see they were enjoying this sight. But I stayed in character while following everyone with a tearful face. Hence, some spectators walked forward to study me up close. I was even asked was inappropriate questions. I ignored them.
My parents were among the last to stand up. They also walked forward, praised my acting, and on the play in general. I had noted them occasionally and knew this was sincere. This was cruel to ignore, so I offered my family a small wink. Then they walked away without me. According to the Halloween tradition, the drama class had a sleepover at school to reward them for their hard work. So my parents didn’t have to wait for me.
Finally, our drama teacher approached me. “I have talked to the rest already. It was brilliant. A bit scary sometimes, but I blame that on the excellent acting. I was particularly astonished by how you stayed in character for so long. Hence, I will give an A for your part in the play. Good job! I will go home now. Sleep well. You have deserved it.” I watched her leave the theater. Now I was alone. Both on the stage and in the theater.
Luckily, Michelle, Jenny, and Ashley joined me quickly. “You were magnificent. I am so sorry about the key. But everything went alright.” Michelle was delighted. “I can’t imagine how stressful tonight has been for you. I want to release you, but we don’t have the key with us at the moment. It is somewhere in the back. When we find it, we let you know.” Michelle blew me a last kiss, and the three girls walked away while they laughed.
I screamed in my gag, hoping the girls would remove it. But they didn’t react. Hadn’t they heard me or were they ignoring me? All adults had left the school already. So I relied on them and was anxious about what they were going to do.

[slackywacky]

Great read, looking forward to what will happen to our still tied up damsel.

[Beaumains]

Thanks! But I think I will end the story here.

[Sportsfan]

Thanks! But I think I will end the story here.

Nooooo!