Heather

Heather was a woman in her 30ies, born in the mid 1960s, who aspired to live for her passion and her dream to become a doctor.
She was in her last years of medical studies, already working part time as an apprentice of Jill, owner of the Homeward Bound Clinic. All she needed was to finally obtain her diploma, and proclaim the title of doctor waiting for her.
Her brilliant mind caught the attention of one of her teachers, who felt attracted enough to openly show his interest toward her. But Heather’s goal was to be married to her job, not to focus on romance, barely having any interest in the matter as she was so used to the daily arguments and outburst of her now passed away parents.

Still, she eventually had no choice but to respond positively to his advances.
The man was a figure of authority; someone having the fate of her passing as a doctor in his hands. If he wanted, he could ruin the entirety of her efforts from one blink of an eye.
He had managed to make himself a huge part of her life, the two ending up dating a bit too quickly for her taste. Yet, luckily for Heather, this did not have any negative outcomes throughout her very last moments of school, assuring her graduation and the congratulations of her now full-time colleagues back at the clinic.

However, something was off.
After all those years of hard work to obtain the place she so longed for, her partner had planted his roots even deeper in her life, ending up moving to her apartment as they were no longer capable of seeing each others back when she was still his student.

Rapidly, her life began to take a turn that slowly but surely deteriorated her mind.

Her lover’s behavior switched, becoming someone more controlling of her life and actions, not enjoying the one thing that made her happy, being fulfilled with her independence and the time she spent at work.
Greatly impacting Heather mentally, the woman started showing clear signs of depression. The distress and anxiety creeping through her chest whenever it was time to go home reached an abnormal state ; soon ending up under medical treatment to ease her pain.

But the origins of her issues was still there, sleeping next to her every night. She couldn’t get better as long as he remained home with her, oppressing and monotoring her constantly.

Soon, she would turn into a lifeless version of the bright woman she used to be.
As she tried to make her mind about breaking up with her partner for good, this latter convinced her that a better solution was possible.
That they could be happy together if she just tried.
What they needed was a happy event for the both of them… Something important enough so she wouldn’t consider leaving anymore.

A child.

Hesitant, lost, confused. Those were only a small portion of all the things Heather felt at the time.
Perhaps was he right, perhaps she just wasn’t doing any single efforts to maintain the relationship.
And so, she accepted.

Heather was once a woman known for having complete control over her life, knowing exactly what she wanted.
But this version of herself… now seemed to be lost in the past, not knowing what to do or what could be the best for her. She hated the time she had to stay home during her pregnancy. Her exhaustion only became greater, and so was her depression, not even feeling a pinch of joy anymore as she eventually gave birth and saw her baby growing up.

The bit of hope her colleagues had in seeing Heather back to her former self had completely vanished when she came back to work. Her state had become much worse, worrying Jill and even her husband, John Kramer who often took the time to pass by to see his wife.
One night, completely exhausted, she came back home, taking a deep breath.

There was no sound… Her partner and daughter were already asleep.

She decided to take some time for herself, dragging her tired form to the kitchen to boil some water, hoping to make some tea in order to relax her overwhelmed mind.
As she sat down, starring into the void, her exhaustion eventually took the best of her as the woman ended up sleeping agaisnt the table, unaware of the fabric she left close to the fire she turned on.
She was so tired… It felt great sleeping alone, even if that was on a cold, hard surface. The medications she was on also had strong responsibilities over her contant fatigue.

It felt so great that she was in a too deep slummer to realise the fabric she left was caught on fire, spreading across the furnitures of the kitchen.

If the smell and smoke didn’t wake her up, it sure did for her partner, who rushed toward her as he confused her sleeping form with her being unconscious due to the smoke. But when she woke up, frightened as she felt someone shaking her shoulders, anger slowly filling her man as he realised she had just been inattentive.
Pushing her against the wall instead of trying to turn off the fire spreading at an alarming rate, Heather stared at her partner in fear and confusion, the smoke blurring her vision with tears, making it harder for the woman to see.
In a wave of panic, she struggled to break free from him, using her hand to grab anything that could be used as a way to make the man back off. Her grasps eventually met the handle of the burning hot kettle, to which she threw the liquid inside at her man’s face in a desperate case of self-defense.

Blinded, the man took a few steps back, leading him to hit his head with the table as he lost his balance, knocking himself out in the process.
Throwing away the now empty container, Heather cried from the burn and smoke irritating her eyes, the adrenaline still in her veins making her whole body tremble.
Kneeling on the floor, the air becoming harder to breathe, she starred down at her unconscious partner, watching in horror what she had done to him. But her mind was then set on one thing, which could be heard crying in their room, their daughter.

Still shaking, she tried to reach out to her room in which her baby was located, but she stopped herself.
Not noticing her man getting back up, he rushed toward Heather who was too distracted with her thoughts. She had her child right in front of her… but her body did not move.
The baby, personified trap settled by the man that lived with her…
The same man who proceeded to violently grab her, making her fall to the ground.

Her ears couldn’t even understand a word of what he was yelling about, only feeling his hands reaching for her neck. Everything went so fast until that point.
Her mind was now settled on one thing : surviving.
All she could do was to reach for the same kettle she previously used, hitting his head in order to once again break free from his grip. But this time, as she got up, she let her survival instincts taking over as she reached for the closest thing she had to defend herself, being the chair she had previously slept on.

Her emotions, exhaustion, fear, lack of oxygene, all those elements had lead her to one objective.

And so, she proceeded to hit her partner’s head with what she had in hands.
Struggling to remain steady, she then noticed the blue lights of the firefighters from the window… The neighborhood surely took notice of the fire, and called for help in the process.

As if it brought her back to reality, Heather starred to the man she brutally hit on the ground, seemingly not ready to get up anytime soon.
Dropping the chair she used, shocked by her own actions, she used her last bit of strength to finally escape the burning hell her home turned into…
If that wasn’t already the case before.
However, as she turned around, realising she couldn’t hear her daughter any longer, she passed out in the apartment’s corridors, enable to pursue any further.

…As she tried to open her eyes, all she could see was her figure carried away from the building, brought to one of the ambulance trucks, which would soon enough lead her to the town hospital and put her in emergency care.

...

It wouldn’t take too much time for her to feel intense guilt over this regretful event, which would obviously end up in the news.
If she already was considered an entirely different person ever since she tried to save her unsolvable relationship, since that fire, it was as if she had lost herself for good in that incident…
That a part of her died alongside her partner…

And her daughter.

Her sweet and innocent child has died, and she felt responsible about this. She hated herself for her selfishness, haunted by this nightmarish night caused by her very own inattentiveness.
Even thought it was judged as a simple domestical incident, the police not wasting the time to investigate on the scene nor the corpses found, Heather knew what had happened, this secret she would have to keep for herself for the rest of her life.

Years ago, working hard for her job was the only thing she looked forward to.
But now ? Nothing helped her living her life normally ever again.

And with that now completely vanished will to live, the woman would end up under the radar of a man, known as Jigsaw.

wip

Finally back home… After hours of interrogation from the Police at the hospital she was taken in.
What good reflex it was to go there, after suffering from a near death experience.
She just wished she went back at her place instead, and forget about everything she ever lived.
She was so exhauted… so cautious about everything around her.
She forgot to take her pills tonight, and didn’t bother anyway. As she was just contemplating her walls, soon after, she heard a knock on her door, making her jump.

Who could it be ?

She had no family left to check on her, no relatives were aware of what she just went through today… The police again ? She told them countless times about the game the Jigsaw killer put her in down to every details already.
Anxiety began to creep up from her chest as she approached her hand from the handle, considering the option of playing dead. But she knew this wasn’t the best one. Whoever that was, maybe she could just tell them to pass by later and…

"…John ?"

"Good evening, Heather."

John Kramer, Jill’s past husband… Why was he here ? Of all people ?
He was a good friend, but she only knew him from the time he was still with her superior.

"Is… something the matter ? I’m quite surprised to see you, not in a bad way, of course."

"Ah, no. Don’t worry. I expect you would rather be alone at this time of the day, but I had some things to discuss with you. Is it alright ?"

"Well… You know, I think it might not be that bad for me to have some company right about now… Come on in, I’ll make us some tea."

Standing against the table, he stared at his host, or rather former victim, unbestknown to her, making some tea for both her and her guest. She needed it to reduce the stress she went through today.

"I’m sorry if I’m quiet. I was not expecting any visitors at all and… Well, today was rough."

John didn’t respond to this.
He had no need to, he already knew everything that happened to her. After all, he was the perpretrator of her rebirth.
He first needed her own expertise on her experience, even though he was pretty sure she had the potential.

The potential of becoming his pupil.

"A bad day at work ?"

He asked to play around the situation, testing the waters to see her response. As she approached him with two cups in hand, she avoided his look, before sitting down.
Still up, he stared at her from the corner of his eyes, waiting.

"…No actually. It’s… I… I don’t know how to put it. I’m a bit exhausted and full on pressure because I just came back from the hospital."

"Something bad happened ?"

"…I guess you can put it that way."

There was a moment of silence between the two.
Heather’s words were stuck in her throat, struggling with the idea of letting him know what happened to her. She just felt so… unsafe.
Who knew what could happen if she told him ? Maybe because of her, he could potentially be in danger as well. But she needed to tell someone. Perhaps was it fate that led him to knock at her door.

Little did she know, it was.

"I-I… I have been kidnapped by the Jigsaw killer. I survived his game and I went to the hospital and got interrogated by the police afterward."

"And now, how do you feel ?"

She starred at him, a bit taken aback as she was not expecting that kind of question.
He didn’t seem… Shocked, nor worried. She didn’t second guessed how he was analyzing her, condisering she was so lost about everything currently. Maybe it was just how he usually behaved, John always felt a bit similar to a therapist, in her mind.

"…I don’t know, to be completely frank with you. Especially knowing that I deserved what happened to me. I know the Jigsaw killer tends to pick people who don’t cherish their lives."

"That is fascinating. And yet you managed to survive. Perhaps is it now an open door for renewal."

"…I don’t know what to tell you, John. I honestly can’t even tell how I felt when I was in this… "game".
At first, I honestly considered giving up without trying to fight back even a second. I felt like this was the punishment I deserved…"

In a way to make her comfortable, he sat down, showing how they now both were on equal footage. Heather was starring down at her cup, seeing her troubled reflection in the small spot of liquid.

"Jill told me it was hard for you to relive your life normally ever since the incident that occured years ago."

"John I… No. It’s a bit deeper than that. I never was capable of having a fulfilling life."

She finally starred back at him, her hands cupping her mug as the warmth spreaded across her body, perhaps seeking for a way to relax her. But as she looked into John’s eyes, there was no judgement in them. He was just… there, ready to listen to her.
It felt weird in a way. No one ever did that for her. Maybe…
Maybe she could tell him.

"I didn’t have the best of relationships when you first met me. I wasn’t happy… I was constantly scared of coming home when work was over."

John was still silent, listening to Heather without a word. As a way to show his support, he placed a hand on hers, silently suggesting her to continue.

"That fire that everyone talked about in the news. It was my fault. But I didn’t do it on purpose. I was too exhausted to notice I did it. B-but… everything just escalated passed that point.

I killed him in self defense, John.

I…-

I-I killed my partner that day, John… I ran away and was too fucking lost and scared to consider saving our child !"

Grabbing her face in her hands, she let out a sob she countained for too long. She couldn’t dare looking at him any longer, having exposed the darkest of her secrets. In return, John placed a hand on her head, in a comforting manner.

"Those games… are made for your salvation. If you were put in those tests, it is because the opportunity to offer yourself a second chance was given to you."

"…"

Letting down some tears, Heather was simply letting out the pain she internalized long ago.
She remained immobile for a moment, his words hitting her like a realization.

"…Are you going to kill me, now ?"

"I do not kill people. Why are you asking me that question ?"

Gazing up from her hands, she starred at John, whipping her tears rapidly from her face.

"C-come on. Don’t fool around… You’re him, right… ? The Jigsaw killer. Why would you come to my house if this isn’t to finish the job…"

"I think you’ve mistaken… I am indeed here to finish what I started. But not in the way you would expect."

Confused, Heather looked around in a bit of distress, but ended up standing where she was. If… this was her last night on this Earth, then, so be it.

"…Then, why ? Not even after what I told you ?"

"I believe you will get the chance to rehabilitate yourself about this past situation when the time will come. For now, I just had a proposition for you.

…I sense great potential in you. What I need to know is… If you are ready to listen."

"A proposition ? I don’t get it."

"…Come with me and you will understand. I will show you a place of mine."

After finishing up his tea, he got up, landing out a hand to Heather, like a father wanting to show a surprise to his child. Wary and hesitant, Heather eventually sighed, letting him take her hand into his.

Soon, he would drive her to a place secluded from downtown, looking like a hangar. As it was peech black outside, it took her some time to realize…
it was the exterior of the very place she was trapped in earlier that day.
Quickly, panick started overwhelming her senses, but John quickly put an end to this.

"Do not worry about a thing. You already succeeded in your test today. If I wanted to get rid of you, I had all the occasions in the world to do so, before."

"…Great. Reassuring, even."

She said, uncontrollably letting out a bit of sarcasm in her tone due to the absurdity of his words, but still following John inside anyway. The interior was far different from the perspective of a simple visitor… It didn’t seem as gloomy as the first time, almost feeling like she was visiting a "behind the scene".
There was a lot of devices here and there. A true lair.

"I still don’t get why you brought me here…"

"I’m getting to it, do not fret. But first, I want to make sure of something. My goal was not to punish you.
The purpose of your game was to make you want to feel alive again. And from what I’ve seen…
I’m a positively surprised how brilliantly you passed. You truly did something remarkable, for someone who intended on giving up."

Heather listened as her eyes went through all the things present in this place, from computers to weird blueprints and concepts of things she assumed probably were… future traps.

"I believe you would most likely understand the meaning of my actions. And since you have yet to run away, my assumptions were correct."

"Please John… Just get to the point."

"I want you to join me and become my apprentice."

"…E-excuse me ?"

"You heard me correctly."

A short, yet suffocating silence filled the place. Heather starred at John in shock, still trying to process his words.

"J-john you… you can’t possibly be serious. Are you asking me to join you to kill people on your side ???"

"I told you I do not kill people, Heather. All these victims… They did it to themselves. Some were drug addicts, others did horrible things, and there was people like you.
Lifeless, and yet, still in motion.
A life wasted that doesn't lead anywhere.
Those tests are meant to bring back up hope to those people. Make them wake up and want to fight in order to stay alive. To make them reconsider their life choices."

Heather sat down at one of the desk, all those informations at once making her dizzy.
This was wrong.
Everything about this was so wrong.
And yet, here she was, simply thinking about the situation she was in, instead of running away.

This man was… giving her the keys to have an impact on people’s lives…
just like he had with hers.

After all… She was still alive.
She survived, she fought for her life during a moment where she was at her lowest. This was the best example. It was enough for her to get up slowly for the chair, starring intensively at John.

"I… I suppose you know this was a lot for me to learn today."

"Of course. I do not expect you to accept this right away. But I can see it in your eyes that you are considering my offer. It is more than enough for me to know you are a perfect candidate.
I will take you back home. Get some rest, and tell Jill you’ll require a few days off. I'll know how to reach out to you to hear about your decision."

"...Y-yes... Maybe that's what I need."

…

She wasn’t entirely sure on what to do. Maybe she could just... tell the police? No. She would have to pay heavy consequences if she did so. The man's actions were slowly caracterized by the medias as the doing of Jigsaw: the serial killer.
Why did she have to tell him she wasn't completely innocent on her family's death, when the fire occured...
Perhaps was it… finally the time to give herself a chance ? A chance to forgive, a chance to redeem herself ?
So, as she went back home, crashing on her bed, she starred at the ceiling for a moment, her eyes eventually falling on her medications.
For years, she started taking them, ever since her past lover moved into her home and planted his roots deeper into her life. But those drugs never had the effects she expected.
She needed to put her life back together ; as everything should have been since the very beginning. And for such a drastic change,

drastic actions were required.

wip