The Fifth Selection

“Don’t forget to join us tomorrow, when one of our last competitors will die, securing freedom for the other!”
05 looked over at the ‘Heaven’ door and released a long, exasperated sigh. “And then there were two, eh?”
03 sat with his back against the wall, holding his side in pain. “So, tomorrow one of us-”
“Gets to dance for the audience.”
The deer rubbed his hand over his throat, ears twitching. “If we’re lucky they’ll make it so the fall breaks our neck”
“I wouldn’t count on it.” 05 turned her attention to the EKG meters, her heart thudding at a steady 100 BPM, 03’s holding at 120. “So, are we still-”
03’s heart rate shot to 135. “Of course. What… what were you thinking? I saw some steaks I could make.”
“Yeah, Three. That sounds good.”

~

03 sat on the sofa, arm around 05 as they watched a movie about pirates, each relaxing after a filling dinner. “I wonder how many people got off to one another on those ships back in the day,” the deer mused.
The civet made a face like she’d eaten something bitter. “Pirates? Gross, Three. That lion looks like he hasn’t had a shower in weeks.”
“It’s a movie, Five.”
“I know, but still, I can’t imagine the stench that’d build up below the decks.”
03 chuckled, bringing a soda can to his mouth and chugging its contents. “I should clean up the kitchen.” He made to move but 05 reached over and snatched the can from his hand before pushing him back down on the couch with her elbow.
“Fuck cleaning this place up. Let the crew do it,” she took the empty can, crushed it, and tossed it across the room, remnant soda splashing out over the game systems.
The deer shrugged and crossed his legs. “Good point.”
“Three…?” The civet asked, voice nearly being drowned out by the cannon fire onscreen. “What… What university was Two signed up for? Whichever one of us… survives… should let them know.”
“…I don’t think he said.”
“Fuck.”
Leaning forward, 03 grabbed 04’s notebook and flipped to the pages she’d been working on before being killed. He bit his lower lip, brushing his hand over the words and closed the journal sadly.
“I wish we could both get the hell out of here. Haven’t they killed enough?” 05 asked, pulling her legs up and adjusting herself in the deer’s embrace. “Does one of us really need to die?”
03 shrugged again before tightening his grip around the tomboyish civet. “I’m so tired, I don’t think I’d have any fight left in me if my number came up tomorrow.”
05 looked up at him with worry before grinning and settling in against his shoulder. “Yeah. Fuck the audience. Let them just kill us and get it over with, right?”
“Yep. They’re going to do it either way, might as well not give them anything to work with.”
A pirate in the film swung the back end of a musket at a sailor’s face, caving in the side of his skull before screaming and charging another. 05 smirked. “I wonder how many of these they’ve done.”
“I think this is the ninth movie? Different actor for the captain though. I think the last one died of an overdose.”
The civet flicked a finger against the deer’s nose. “Not the movie, Three. This show. ‘Purgatory’. We know there’s been at least two, right?”
03 nodded.
“Fuck. That’s at least… including one of us, fifteen dead?”
“Assuming each season only uses six people, yeah.”
The civet growled and stared up at the ceiling cameras. “How do you think they get away with it? You’d think someone would have caught on by now and infiltrated this place or… something.”
The deer smiled. “Now you sound like Two.”
“I’m serious! These kind of rings… there has to be something to it, right?”
03 turned down the film and adjusted his position so he could make eye contact with 05. “What about the club you fight in? If someone’s heart can’t be restarted after flatlining, what do they do?”
The civet frowned. “There’s contracts with that. If they die, the club sends the body to the next of kin. It’s all legal.”
“And there’s ‘nothing’ illegal about anything in the club at all?”
“What?” 05 looked away. “I… wouldn’t know. I mean, there are rumors of high-stakes betting but… I’ve never seen it myself.”
“Assume there is. How do you think the club handles cases like that?”
05 pondered the question for the length of an entire scene, watching as the pirate captain was shot four times before standing up and returning to the fight as though nothing had happened. “Payoffs, I’d guess.”
“Payoffs.” 03 gestured at the ceiling. “There probably ‘are’ members of law enforcement watching us right now, people with power, listening to our hearts knowing one will soon stop. Where are they? Lining their pockets and looking the other way.”
“That’s pretty doom and gloom of you, Three.”
“I suppose I’m just looking at it realistically. If it weren’t us picked up, it’d likely have been another. And I doubt we’re the last who’ll die in that death chamber.”
05 huffed. “Can we just watch the movie? I’m so burned out by all this talk of death. If I die, I die.” As soon as she finished her request, the pirate captain removed the head of an officer aboard his enemy’s ship.
“Nice timing.”
The two laughed at that before turning up the sound and cuddling close.

~

05 was the first to wake, having passed out on 03’s chest. The deer snored loudly, hugging a pillow in his other arm. “Three,” she whispered, barely moving but digging a claw into the deer’s bare midsection.
03 shifted awkwardly, antlers snagging on the sofa’s upholstery.
“Hey, wake up.” 05 pinched his right nipple between her claws, the deer grunting and sitting up slowly, staring down with annoyance at the civet on his chest.
“What time is it?” he asked, looking over to the television.
“I… don’t know. But I thought I’d ask if you’d like to join me in the main hall for some sparring. I… like to train every day. Even if I’m about to die, I’m not going to sulk around.”
The stag groaned and fell back on the sofa, rubbing at his eyes and yawning. “I’m not a fighter, Five.”
“No, Three, I know. But… Gah, would you wake up?” She twisted his nipple hard then, the deer shouting and slapping her hand aside.
“I’m up! Damn…”
05 lifted 04’s journal and tapped a claw over the cover. “Just like Four trained each day with her writing…? Come on. It’ll be fun.”
03’s eyes widened and he licked his lips, nodding slowly. “Right. Of course. Sorry… I’m always groggy headed when I’m first waking up. I’ll… follow you?”
The civet nodded, carefully rising before padding quickly across the dormitory to the door leading into the main hall. Opening it slowly, she peered inside and jogged over to the black coach to begin her stretches, 03 sauntering in behind.
“So how does this work?” he asked, looking to the coach and rolling a shoulder. His eyes looked up at the EKG monitors as they stretched, both competitors hearts working in the low 90s.
“Just loosen up and follow my lead.” 05 bent over and touched the toes of her right foot before straightening and doing the same with her left.
03 mirrored her stretches, grabbing each hoof before stretching his torso from side to side.
“Have you ever grappled before?” 05 asked.
“Never.”
“Okay, here let me show you.” The civet walked up to the deer and grabbed his arms tight. “You have to get a good lock on your opponent. I often like to use their weight against them. You can maneuver them easily eno-”
The deer’s hooves slipped over the metal as she pulled, both of them falling sideways and crashing into the side of the coach. They made eye contact, both nodding knowingly before scrambling to their feet, each grabbing onto one of the wheels.
Putting all their strength into moving the coach’s wheels, they managed to break something internally, a loud crack sounding through the main hall like gears being forced into a position they weren’t made for. Two more cracks and the wheels began to turn at the speed they kept during selections.
The contestants panted, keeping up the pace until the unmistakable sound of a lock popping lose rang from within.
03 grabbed the handle first, throwing open the door and allowing 05 to hop inside. At such close proximity, the opposite wall of the coach revealed itself to be nothing more than a black sheet. They exchanged quick looks within the tight confines of the fake coach and exited through the side.
“Oh, fuck!” 05 said, losing her footing at the sight that awaited them.
“Oh… my…” 03 held his hand to his mouth and stared at his surroundings with a look of total fear.
A figure at the end of the room clapped slowly, walking down a set of stairs, a young deer with small antlers carrying a wireless camera at his back, Pale Horses at his side. “Congratulations!” Ankou cheered, ushering the cameraman forward to get a clearer picture of the contestants’ faces. “You’ve officially made it further than anyone else!”
03 turned away, legs shaking. 05 stood in shock.
Around them, locked in what appeared to be some sort of freezer, were the bodies of their fellow competitors. 04 still had the bolt in her heart, 06’s head was resting idly at his side, 01’s eyes stared blankly at the two, chest remaining open, heart between his feet. Then there was 02, frozen in a slightly curled up position, looking by all accounts as though he were simply asleep.
“Was it worth it?” Ankou asked, rocking back and forth before tapping a pen over an empty container. “One of you will go in here in a few hours.”
“What… what the fuck is this?” 03 asked, looking over his shoulder at 02 before closing his eyes tightly and shaking his head. “What are you doing with their bodies?”
“Ah, that’s the question, isn’t it, viewers?” Ankou turned and posed before the camera, smiling and striking a pose beside the freezer containing 06’s decapitated corpse. “Don’t you think it strange that, even after such fatal wounds, my Pale Horses make certain your brain is dead?”
05’s lips quivered with the beginnings of a snarl, hands balling into fists as she looked over the fallen.
“No? Well, in addition to it looking fantastic on film, we like to make damn sure that nobody can revive you when they’ve purchased you.”
“P… purchased us?” 03 asked, swallowing heavily before turning to face 05. He walked over, hooves shuffling numbly over the floor, and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “People buy our bodies? For what?”
Ankou shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care. But that’s the fate of all who die here. That’ll be one of you too. Mounting, ‘mounting’, food, fetish material, whatever.” The coyote gestured for the cameraman to follow, the young deer unfazed by the presence of a fellow cervine, taking the time to get a full shot from 03’s antlers to his hooves. “In case someone wants to get a closer look at what they’re buying,” Ankou explained as the cameraman did the same to 05.
“You fucking-” The civet hissed and lashed out at the small deer, the cameraman hopping backwards gracefully, holding the image of her face at the center of his viewfinder.
“Good work,” Ankou praised, patting the operator’s shoulder before pointing at 05 with his pen. “Last season we had another attempted breakout. Nothing so coordinated as this, however. A bear, hothead with a chip on his shoulder, took offense to our lion. Despite the turret lowering from the ceiling, this bear refused to give up. Naturally, I had to intervene.” Ankou tapped the pen against his chest in three separate locations. “The turret turned the bear’s heart to hamburger. Well, in the ensuring chaos, this little fox, clever fuck that he was, used the sofa and jumped atop the turret’s arm.”
“Good man,” 03 cut in, rubbing 05’s back.
“Yes, well, valiant as his effort was, he found that the housing for the turrets was barely big enough for him to breathe in let alone escape through. The audience rewarded his courageous heart by voting him in that night and giving him the opportunity to ‘show’ his heart. Just like wolfie here.” Ankou jerked his head towards 01 and grinned. “But nobody has managed to make it backstage before now. Nice work!”
05 growled. “So, what do we win?”
Ankou clicked his pen three times before spinning about and leaning against one of the freezers. “Sarcastic as you’re being, I ‘do’ actually have a reward for you!”
03 and 05’s eyes narrowed at that, neither one daring to speak.
“In a few hours, when the audience has chosen which of you will be dying, I’ll allow the winner into the ‘Hell’ chamber to watch. And!” He paused, snapping his fingers before jerking his thumbs back towards himself. “I’ll be the one to kill you. Normally, I don’t like to steal my Pale Horses’ thunder but… in your case,” his voice grew dark, “I’ll make a happy exception.”
05 broke free of 03’s grip and charged Ankou, the cameraman falling to one knee and zooming out for a wide shot. “Bastard!” She duck low and spun, swinging her fist behind her, falling into her style as easily as breathing.
Before the blow hit, however, Ankou ducked low, giving one of his bodyguards the opening to slam the civet to the ground. The cameraman stood over her, focusing in on her expression of pain. Ankou laughed.
“You know, I’ve seen every manner of person behind these walls but you six have been my favorites. Thank you.” Ankou pointed at his Pale Horses before returning to the staircase at the back of the room. “Take them back to ‘Penance’ and watch after them until it’s time.”
05 and 03 didn’t even fight as a Pale Horse took each of them by the arms and dragged them through the coach façade and back to the dormitory.

~

“Have you guys ever felt bad about what you do?” 03 asked, sitting beside 05 on the middle sofa, the two Pale Horses each sitting on a flanking couch and staring. “Come on, I might be about to die. The least you can do is answer a question. I know you can talk.”
The right horse shook his head. “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it.”
“Killing. You enjoy killing?”
“I enjoy the show.”
05 sat forward, glaring at the executioner. “Don’t you ever wonder what it’s like? Dying? Feeling that big heart of yours stuttering uselessly in your chest?”
The Pale Horse chuckled and held a hand over his heart. “Of course I do. It’s a thought I rather enjoy.”
“Then why don’t you kill yourself right now? Draw that gun of yours and blow a hole right through it? Hell,” 05 offered a hand, “give it to me and I’ll do it.”
Shrugging, the horse folded his arms. “It’ll stop on its own someday. Maybe on camera. It doesn’t need my help.”
“But, ours do,” 03 said.
“Yes,” the second horse replied.
The contestants were quiet then, staring down at the coffee table, left to their own thoughts. The television had remained off since entering the dormitory, neither feeling like sharing their final moments enjoying a film with the Pale Horses over their shoulders or relaxing in a hot tub. Even 03 didn’t feel like making a last meal. Tensions were high, their last hope of escape having dissapeared and revealed to them what their fate would be after they died.
“Ankou,” 03 asked the talkative horse. “Is he the leader of this whole thing?”
The horse looked to his brother before answering. “No.”
“Who is?”
The Pale Horse pointed at the ceiling and drew a thumb across his throat.
05 chewed on her thumb claw, rocking back and forth. “Is that your fur’s natural color?” she asked.
Laughing, the horse bowed his head. “For what it’s worth,” he offered, “I find your attempt of escape admirable.”
“But, one of us is still going to be killed.”
“Of course.”
“But… look how you’re talking to us right now!” 03 pressed. “How can you go home knowing you held a conversation with the one you murdered?”
The second horse spoke then, “Technically, this round you will be killed by Ankou.”
“Some ‘reward’,” 05 groaned.
“One other thing that I admire,” the Pale Horse continued, “is your fortitude. By this time last season, half of the bar had been drained.”
03 looked over at the liquor cabinet and hummed. “Yeah, well, I’d like to remain in my senses if I’m about to die.”
“I hadn’t even thought about drinking to hide it,” 05 added.
“No,” the first observed. “You two have been busy making sure the others were as comfortable as possible. My proverbial hat is off to you.”
03 pointed his hoof at the horse. “Why not take the hood off and show us your face?”
The door to the dormitory opened then, a shirtless Ankou entering. “Why are you even wasting your time with them?” he asked his bodyguard, leaning against the doorframe. Though his chest was bare, he wore a pair of pants similar to the executioners’ as well as a headset attached wirelessly to his ear, long microphone stretching down the length of his muzzle.
“Is it time, sir?” the Pale Horses asked in near unison.
“Yep. It’s time.” Ankou held up a tablet and drummed his fingers over the buttons. The siren wailed, the coyote’s tail lashing with excitement. “Let’s get going, shall we?”
05 looked over Ankou’s form and smirked. “So, you’re showcasing your heart too?”
The host looked down at his chest and pushed it out proudly, his heart standing out more visibly than any of the competitors’. “A trait of being a boney coyote,” he shrugged, pressing a finger against the apex, “I rather like it, don’t you?”
“I wouldn’t mind watching it stop,” 05 mumbled.
“Oh, ouch. Such painful words!” Holding his hand over his heart dramatically, he pointed at 05’s. “But, mine’s much slower than yours right now, Five. Let’s go see if you’ll be showing just how strong it is.”
03 took a deep breath. “Don’t we get an hour?” he asked.
“Not this time. Come on.” Ankou looked down at his tablet, his grin widening as their heart rates nearly doubled at the more immediate news of their deaths. “We’ve set the ‘Hell’ chamber up ahead of time since Gallows is the last option. No need to congregate in the main hall. Your EKGs will be broadcast in ‘Hell’, along with the voting monitor.” Nodding to the Pale Horses, he turned away from the two and exited.
Neither deer nor civet moved, both of them realizing that for one of them, they’d soon be freed. The fear their hearts displayed intensified as the Pale Horses went to their couch, each placing a hand on one of the contestants’ shoulders.
05 sighed, stiffening at the equine’s touch. For a moment, she appeared as though she’d try and fight it, but after a tired breath, she rose and helped 03 to his feet. They exchanged glances before silently exiting the dormitory for the last time and following Ankou to the ‘Hell’ door.
“If I win,” 05 asked quickly, “is there anything you want me to do? Anyone… you want me to find…?”
The deer paused before the execution chamber, staring up at the ‘Hell’ sign, orange lights blazing and reflecting in his eyes. “No. My immediate family has all passed and I was just a line chef. There’s nobody to-” the word caught in his throat. “There’s nobody to mourn my disappearance.”
“Don’t say that,” 05 snapped, stepping aside as a Pale Horse unlocked the door and began ushering them inside.
“It’s just true. I don’t want to die, of course, I like my life. But, that’s the thing. It’s my life. I don’t share it with anyone. Maybe I never will… What about you? If I win-”
“If you win, go to the club I fought at, Bloodsport Seven, in the back, locker 143, combination code 26, 14, 22. I’ve got some personal journals there…” 05 looked down at her feet as she walked into the room. “…Find my brother and explain… all of this to him.”
“All right,” 03 promised. “26, 14, 22. Locker 143.”
“Yes. And one more thing?” 05 stopped then, swatting a Pale Horse’s hand off her shoulder and facing 03 with kind eyes. “If you win, find a partner. Someone that you can share your life with.”
“…I will if you will.” 03 grinned, rubbing her arm reassuringly.
“You’ve got a deal, antler boy.”
Ankou stood patiently at the center of the room, leaning back against a gallows made of metal. As always, the chamber had been fitted to the method chosen, the finale being no different. The gallows was a simple thing in its way, a single noose hanging down from the steel crossbeam. At the foot of the stairs leading up to the stage was a flat platform connected to the first stair.
The coyote waved as they approached. “That was a surprisingly cute set of final words, but, I wonder, will the fear come out when a number is decided?”
“Can we just get this over with?” 03 asked.
05 nodded, folding her arms over her chest and faking a yawn. “I’m tired and I’m ready to either die or get out of this shithole.”
Ankou looked up at the EKG monitor, eyes widening at the relatively low rates, 05 sitting at a solid 140, 03 riding at 153. “For two people, neither knowing who is going to die, you two seem awfully calm. I’m… impressed.”
“Was that a genuine compliment?” 05 asked, feigning shock. “Did it hurt?”
“Moving along…” Ankou danced over the platform and jumped up the stairs in two leaps. “Ladies and gentlemen!” He stood, arms wide as the ceiling cameras panned around his body. “Welcome… to the season finale of ‘Purgatory’! Before we move on to the selection, can I first say just how amazed I am at our competitors this season? Each has died for you, facing death in their own unique ways! And now, here we stand, two competitors remaining. Who will go free? Who will die in the relentless caress of the noose? Well, my fine audience, that, is for you to decide.”
“Let’s just get on with it, all right?” 03 ushered, taking a few steps forward as though he were going to climb the stairs on the spot. A Pale Horse moved to intercept him but Ankou waved him off.
Tapping in his password, Ankou looked up at the screen, eyes practically glowing as the votes began to flow in. Being a season finale, the coyote was used to abnormally high numbers. The turnout, however, went above his expectations. It practically choked him up.
Unsurprisingly, the numbers rose alongside one another at a relatively even rate, 03 pulling ahead of 05, the civet rising above 03. The graphs continued fighting with one another, each growing taller than the other until the final votes began being tallied and one bar rose above the other.
“Five.” Ankou lowered his gaze, staring down from the stage at the civet.
She laughed, closing her eyes tight and taking in a deep breath. Nodding, she exhaled and turned to 03. “Remember our deal. Locker 143, Combination 26, 14, 22.” A Pale Horse grabbed her by the arm then. Yanking free, she shot him a deadly glare. “I’m not running anywhere, damn! And Three, I mean it. Live. If there’s anything this shit has taught me it’s that life’s too fucking short.”
The deer opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Instead, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms tight around her shoulders, hugging the small civet to his chest and resting his chin between her ears.
05 sniffed and laughed nervously. “I’ll be all right, Three. I’ll be all right.” She returned the deer’s affections before allowing herself to be pulled free by one of the hooded executioners. “One more thing?” she asked, stopping atop the panel at the foot of the stairs.
03 looked up, wiping his eyes.
“Thanks for all the meals.”
The deer let out a shaky, breath. “You’re welcome.”
Ankou waited at the top, both for the sake of drawing out the finale as well as finding the spectacle fascinating. When she turned to face him, however, he held his hand up and pressed a button on the tablet. “Wait there. I need to get your weight.”
“Heh, going to just break my neck?” 05 asked, standing atop the panel, feet side by side.
The coyote shook his head. “The opposite actually. Data has shown that our audience,” he licked his lips and gestured to his bodyguards, “prefer a dance.”
“So much for not torturing us,” 03 spat.
05’s heart skipped on the EKG line but her smile didn’t falter, even as her feet found the top step. “All right. How are we going to do this?”
Ankou stepped forward and placed his hand on her lower back.
The civet slapped his arm and padded over to the trapdoor herself. “I said I wasn’t going to run, that means I don’t want you feeling me up.”
“All right,” Ankou relented, padding over to the trapdoor and adjusting the noose’s length to accommodate for the civet’s weight. He froze then as she shot her arm forward, palm pressing flat over his heart.
They met eyes and Ankou held his hand out to his approaching bodyguards.
“I just wanted to feel this for myself.”
“…Do you like it…?” Ankou asked, surprised.
05 shrugged, digging her claws a little into his chest before lowering her arm. “It feels like a heart.”
Ankou stepped behind the civet then, taking her wrists and tying them together with a bit of rope from his belt. “That’s all?” he asked. “No witty comeback about me not having one?”
05 tugged on the bindings, testing their strength before answering, “Nope. I just wanted to feel it. Your fur is softer than it looks.”
“I’m flattered.”
“You should be, you look raggedy. Not getting enough sleep at home?”
Ankou left the civet’s legs unbound, knowing that the audience tended to enjoy the kicking as the condemned’s feet searched for purchase. Drawing a cloth hood from a back pocket, he began fitting it over her head, growling as she stepped forward and off the trapdoor.
“Is that necessary?”
“It’s traditional,” Ankou replied.
“Was attaching wires to Six’s head to broadcast his brain activity traditional? I don’t need a hood,” 05 backed back up onto the trapdoor and stuck her chest out.
“Very well.” Ankou tossed the hood aside and began instead fitting the noose around the civet’s neck. He brushed her short hair aside, taking care that wouldn’t pull, before tightening the knot and going to her front to admire his handiwork.
“How’s the fit?” 05 called down to 03.
03 laughed, arms folded, and nodded his head in approval.
“Good.”
Ankou pressed the button connected to the microphone in 05’s chest, the rapid, 170 BPM shaking the room with each pump. For a long moment he stood there, hand on the release mechanism, enjoying the sound of 05’s heart vibrating in his ears. His fingers curled around the top of the lever.
“I’m ready,” 05 said before he could ask, taking a deep breath.
The coyote grinned wickedly and drew the lever back, the trapdoor falling from beneath 05’s feet.
As Ankou had calculated, the fall was not enough to sever 05’s spinal column or cause any ripping of the soft tissue. She hanged, heart immediately lurching and losing rhythm as the rope dug itself against her carotids. A foot dragged up along the length of her opposite leg, the momentum of the fall causing her to spin slightly.
Nearly ten seconds passed before the civet’s heart began to beat normally, only the occasional blip showing up on the EKG. Her toes flexed, curling and uncurling as 05 instinctively tried to find something – anything – to stand on.
Ankou noticed 05’s heart slamming visibly through the cutout of her top. Jerking his finger at the sight, a camera lowered and focused in on the struggling chest, giving the audience a clear view of her heart beating to match the thunder through the speakers.
05’s tongue passed her teeth, sticking ever so slightly from her mouth as the noose constricted her throat, her fight slowing as her legs began to relax. Eyes tightly shut, the civet moved her shoulders, fighting against gravity to draw in even the slightest amount of air.
Ankou looked down at 03, expecting him to be covering his eyes or looking away. Instead, the deer watched with a strange expression of pride as 05’s dance continued uninterrupted.
Still, 05 fought, her body refusing to quit even as it burned away her oxygen. The civet’s pulse climbed to 200, remaining there for nearly a minute before beginning to slow down, each beat slamming against the microphone. Her legs no longer kicked, feet hanging limply below her, chest straining of its own volition, the instinctual fight for life battling with her dying body.
“Not long now, viewers!” Ankou said, watching with amazement as the civet’s proud heart began to drop below 100, holding at a steady 70 for over a minute.
03 paced, eyes never leaving the sight of 05’s body. The deer’s heart slammed at over 180 BPM as if trying to make up for the civet’s missed beats.
05’s heart skipped, regained rhythm, and skipped again. The EKG fell into fibrillation for over fifteen seconds before returning at a slow, 35 BPM. The civet’s body twitched in the rope’s embrace, nearing her end while her heart continued fighting with each dying pump.
Another skip, and the heart never regained its pace. One minute later, 05’s heart gave out, displaying on the meter a solid, green line.
Ankou turned away from 05 and climbed down the steps, passing in front of 03 and taking one of 05’s limp feet in his hands. He felt over the top of the foot, searching for a pulse that didn’t come. Then, taking his pen from his pocket, he dragged the cap over her sole pad. To his amazement, the toes twitched.
“Defiant even in death,” Ankou growled. Flicking his eyes up at the camera, he pressed his nose deep into the arch between her toes and sole pad and inhaled, filling his lungs with the civet’s scent. He shuddered, tail bristling.
“Can’t you leave her in peace?” 03 shot, stepping forward but pausing as the Pale Horses peered down at him, one popping the button of his holster loose.
Ankou exhaled, standing sideways so that the camera could clearly pick up his racing heart. Spinning the pen about his fingers, he planted a kiss atop 05’s foot and repeated the test. The toes didn’t move.
“And there you have it,” Ankou killed the connection to the microphone in 05’s chest and bowed to the camera. “Congratulations, Three. You win!”
The deer swallowed heavily, watching 05’s limp body with tear filled eyes. “All right… what do I win?”
Ankou looked up at his bodyguards and grinned. “The fastest death we have. One bullet to the head!”
03’s heart broke 200 BPM. “What? You can’t be-”
“I’m not! That never gets old, eh, boys?” Ankou laughed and crossed the distance to 03 as the Pale Horses descended the stage. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a small case and held it before the deer’s eyes.
Accepting the case, 03 popped the lid off and widened his eyes. Sitting in a fitted, plush cutout was a small syringe. “…Explain?”
“Of course! This will knock you out cold for about twenty-four to thirty hours. I’d recommend you inject it sitting down. When wake, you’ll be safely home in bed.” Ankou pressed the pen he’d used to check 05’s reflex against the deer’s chest. “Don’t worry, we’ll cut the microphone out of you. Our surgeons are excellent, there won’t even be a scar!”
03 ran his thumbs over his ‘reward’, hands shaking violently. “Then… it’s over…?”
“Yes, it’s over. You won’t die,” Ankou laughed, “at least not for hopefully many years! But in the end… we all die.” The coyote hopped in place.
The deer lifted the syringe from the case and rubbed at his arm. “I just… here…?”
“Yep! The quicker you do it, the quicker you’ll be back at the dungeons smelling and licking feet.”
03’s eyes narrowed, chest rising and falling quickly. “And you…?”
“You’ll never see me again.” Ankou held a hand to his heart, holding his other up to the ceiling. “On my honor.”
“Honor.” 03 spat, popping the cap off the needle and sitting on the floor.
“I’m fair, aren’t I?” Ankou asked, lifting a foot towards 03’s muzzle.
The deer slapped the foot aside and stuck the needle into his arm. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the plunger down, body immediately swaying as the drug rushed through him.
“What do you say we have one final listen of our winner’s heart, viewers?” Ankou asked as 03 began to fall backwards. He dropped to one knee and grabbed the deer by the antlers before his head bashed against the floor. Laying him out gently, Ankou pressed the button linked to 03’s internal microphone.
Turning down the volume, using 03’s slowed heartbeat as background music, Ankou faced the cameras for the last time, each of his Pale Horses standing at his side. “And there you have it, folks. Six entered ‘Purgatory’, five found their way to ‘Hell’, one to ‘Heaven’. We sincerely hope you’ve been satisfied! All of us here at ‘Purgatory’ thank you for joining us this exciting season and hope to see each and every one of you back for the next!” The coyote lifted his chin, lips curling upwards in his trained, devilish smile. “Until next time… thank you!” He held his hand up, letting 03’s heart beat for several seconds before turning the microphone off and staring straight into the camera.
The three bowed in unison.
At that, Ankou thumbed the hotkey on his tablet linked to the camera watching the ‘Heaven’ door. The final bolt released, red light disappearing into the void. After a few moments of silence, the door popped open, white smoke filling the main hall and obscuring the camera’s vision.
And then the stream went offline.