“Escape Room”

“I told you it would be too difficult with only two people,” I sigh as I press the ‘hint’ button for the fourth time.

“Come on, it’s still fun though!” Kaia protests. The hint pops up on the screen in front of us. “Oh! I know where that is!”

She rushes off into the darkness to finish some convoluted puzzle. I just stare at the jumble of words on the screen that makes absolutely no sense to me.

Leave it to Kaia to think that being voluntarily locked in a pitch-black room for sixty minutes would be considered fun in the first place. Not only that, but a zombie-themed escape room with live actors who might jump out at you at any second?

Not fun.

Something clicks behind me. I spin, heart pounding.

“Got it!” Kaia’s voice calls from the darkness. “Come on!”

I start forward, hands out in front of me to make sure I don’t bump into anything.

Kaia grabs my arm and I gasp. Before I can say anything, she tugs me forward, through the opened door.

A bright light flashes on. I blink, temporarily blinded. When my room comes into focus again, I see Kaia standing on the other side of the room. Her face is pale as she stares at me.

“Wha—”

The hand squeezes my arm. I freeze.

Slowly, I look down. A blood-stained hand that most certainly doesn’t belong to Kaia is gripping my arm.

I scream.