Antidote Safe Room

## Design and Function

The Antidote Safe Room was a room located on the ground floor of the Nerve Gas House and was the starting point of a deadly game set up by John Kramer, better known as the Jigsaw Killer, and his apprentice, Detective Mark Hoffman. The room itself was in a dilapidated state with the windows being blocked by metal barricades in order to prevent its inmates from leaving the house. Additionally, the heavy metal door to the room was locked and secured by a booby trap on the other side. A deadly nerve agent, similar to the Sarin Gas used during the Tokyo subway attacks on March 20, 1995, was carried into the room through a small ventilation shaft. This would cause the inmates who were breathing in the gas to die after approximately two hours unless they managed to find syringes with the antidote hidden all around the house. One was located inside a large safe in the middle of the room. Under the safe was a hidden trapdoor leading down to an underground tunnel network. Unknown to the victims, they had numbers in different colours written on their necks. The order in which the colours appeared on the rainbow was also the same order in which the numbers had to be entered in order to open the safe. A tape containing the instructions and clues for the game as well as a key to the trapdoor and a warning message were hidden inside a hollow space behind a brick wall. Everything that happened in the room was recorded by a camera. (*Saw II*, *V*)

## History

### Preparation

During his series of murders, John Kramer eventually targeted seven people for a big game taking place in the Nerve Gas House: Jonas Singer, his manager Gus Colyard, the prostitute Addison Corday, the drug dealer Xavier Chavez, Laura Hunter, Obi Tate and Daniel Matthews. Additionally, Amanda Young, who had become Jigsaw's second apprentice after having survived a test on her own, was among the prisoners and played as a victim as well primarily to observe the game and make sure that the rules were followed. These people had a connection which initially none of them knew about. Daniel's father, the corrupt detective Eric Matthews, once innocently framed the other six people for crimes they didn't commit by faking the evidence.

To accelerate their proceedings John hired Obi Tate to help him with the abduction of Daniel Matthews and the other five people while he prepared the traps for each one of them. When all of them were abducted and brought to the Nerve Gas House, Mark Hoffman abducted Obi as well and took him to the same location, making him the last test subject of the game. All of them were unconscious and lay on the floor of the Antidote Safe Room. John placed the tape recorder containing the instructions behind a wall and helped Hoffman to install the booby trap connected to the lock of the room's door. Having finished all of their preparations John and Hoffman left the room and locked the door. (*Saw II*, *V*)

### The Nerve Gas House

Shortly afterwards, the prisoners woke up and were immediately frightened by the situation. Jonas tried to wake up Amanda, who was the last one who was still unconscious, while Addison yelled that someone should open the door. Xavier sarcastically commented that no one was listening to which Laura responded that someone was and pointed at a camera. However, Daniel, who squatted in a corner out of fear, said that those kinds of cameras didn't record sounds. The group's concerns grew worse when Gus suddenly started to panic. Gus talked about a movie he had seen about a man who had been trapped in a room for nine years, which frightened the others, especially Laura, and caused a discussion with Xavier. They were quickly interrupted when Addison heard a ticking on the other side of the door. However, before they could find out what it was, Amanda suddenly woke up. Playing her role as another victim, she behaved as if she were in a panic and searched the room until she finally found the instruction tape as well as the key and the message which warned them not to use the key to open any door in the room.

The tape told them that they were all breathing in a deadly nerve gas since the moment they arrived in the house. While the doors would open after three hours the gas would already kill them after two hours. In order to survive the prisoners had to find syringes with the antidote which were hidden in the house with one of them being in the safe. Additionally, Jigsaw told them that they all had a connection and told them that the clue to this connection was marked with a "X". After listening to the tape Xavier grabbed the key. Amanda begged him to listen to the message which warned them not to use the key to open any door in the room. However, he refused to do so and tried to open the door which activated the booby trap and caused a magnum on the other side to go off and shoot Gus Colyard right in the eye. While the other prisoners panicked, Jonas demanded Amanda to tell him how she knew about the tape. She then told them about Jigsaw and his games and therefore also revealed that she had survived one of his tests before.

As they now knew the amount of danger in their situation, the group began to search the whole room. Daniel picked up Gus' jacket from the floor and used it to cover the latter's mutilated head. Moments later the door of the room finally opened. Jonas was shocked when he saw the magnum trap which had killed Gus. Amanda tried to remove the gun and take it with her, albeit unsuccessful. Therefore, the group left the room behind and made their way to the entrance hall. (*Saw II*)