Mystery's Circus: The Lost

Mystery’s Circus: The Lost

Prologue Pt2: Not A Joke

We all stood there frozen. This guy…is the mastermind behind all of this!?

Mystery: “Now, allow me to explain a few thi-“

Hakim: “W-what the h*** did you do to us!? Who the h*** are you!? Answer me!!”

Mystery: “Ah! Shush! No talking while I’m explaining! It would be bad if you didn’t understand the rules and die because of it, wouldn’t it?”

That made Hakim quiet.

Mystery: “As I was saying, let me explain a few things. First off, this isn’t Saw, so don’t it call it that and please don’t sue us!”

…What?

Mystery: “Let’s start off with you guys! Here are your profiles to help you get a better look at your new friends!”

He showed all of us our profiles:

Name: Ayaka

Location: Japan

Age: 18

Race: Asian

Gender: Female

Name: Hakim

Location: South Africa

Age: 18

Race: Black

Gender: Male

Name: Grace

Location: New Zealand

Age: 19

Race: White

Age: 19

Name: Emily

Location: Colombia

Age: 12

Race: Latin

Gender: Female

Name: Bernard

Location: Lalivenie

Age: 19

Race: Elf

Gender: Male

Name: Nadia

Location: Saudi Arabia

Age: 19

Race: Arab

Gender: Female

Name: Alan

Location: Poland

Age: 18

Race: White

Gender: Male

Name: Michael

Location: Florida, USA

Age: 18

Race: Black

Gender: Male

These were all of our profiles. Mine was the same as last time except they didn’t include my last name, or anyone’s last names for that matter. Our names were the same so no one was lying about that, but the main thing that caught my attention was that the Indian man’s profile never showed up.

Nadia: “Hey! You can't just show everyone our personal information!”

Mystery: “SILENCE!! YOU WILL NOT ARGUE IN THIS COURT!!”

Mystery had a deep, echo voice now! It definitely startled Nadia, but it startled Ayaka even more.

Mystery: “I’m just joking! C’mon, laugh a little! Hahahaha!”

His voice went back to its previous state. I don’t think anyone here thought that was funny, giving the circumstances that we’re in. Wait, what am I saying!? Why would that think about it even being funny!? This guy is a total nutcase and a half!

Mystery: “Nothing on your profiles was too private. I even left your last names alone! Now, what was I saying? Oh yes! The rules! You have all been summoned here to play my game! A game a life, death, and free air conditioning!"

Nadia: "Listen here! I don't know who you are but-"

Mystery: "I just told you. My name is Mystery. Do you have memory loss?"

Nadia: "You-!"

I cut Nadia off.

Michael: “I don’t want to play your crazy a** game! No one here does!!”

Mystery: “Sure you do! Its not like you have anything better to do! If so, then please tell me what that better thing to do is.”

Bernard: “Um, it’s called living Mr. Mystery sir.”

Mystery: “And what will you do with that life Mr. Bernard?”

Bernard: “Anything that doesn’t involve death, duh."

Grace: “We have families and friends!”

Mystery: “Ahahahahaha! Funny joke! Don’t blame me that you’re here. you all CHOSE to be here!”

Hakim: “Funny joke. I do not remember agreeing to this.”

Mystery: “Oh, but you did. You all did! Well, except for one of you, but don’t worry about that!”

That’s absurd! Me, choosing to play this!? I don’t remember agreeing to play any kind of game!

Mystery: “Now I maaaaaay have took your memories about signing up, and maybe a few other things…but believe me, whether you want to believe it or not, you all signed a contract to play this!”

He took our memories? How is that even possible!? This guy is full of it!

Grace: “Well, give them back to us!”

Mystery: “Sorry, no can do! You’ll have to work to get them back. We’ll get into that later. Now let's get a few things straight. You may have noticed that you are from different locations around the world and therefore, you may not speak the same language. Thankfully, the masks I have put on all of you lets you understand each other! (For the sake of this story, all the characters will speak English :)”

So that explains why we can communicate, but why are we all from around the world? This is making less sense!

Alan: “These masks can do that?”

Mystery: “Indeed they can! That’s not the real reason why I gave you the masks though. It’s just a bonus!”

Bonus my a**!

Michael: “Why should we believe anything you say? You could be lying about everything right now! How do you expect us to believe that you took our memories!?”

Mystery: “True. I could be lying, but consider everything that has happened. The monster you were chased by, the weird mask you can't take off, and the fact you can all communicate with each other. Is it really that hard to believe in stolen memories?”

Michael: “…”

He’s right. This all seems unreal already. It doesn’t seem impossible now that I see it.

Alan: “It’s true. I speak polish, and so do all of you.”

Nadia: “All of you are speaking Arabic for me.”

Everyone is English for me.

Grace: “How does this work?”

Mystery: “Don’t worry about little details like that. Now to clear things up, that mask that you’re all wearing, you can't take it off. Obviously, you knew that already but I want to warn you that the masks are important, and if you DO somehow manage to take it off, you’ll die, so don’t even try!”

Bernard: “Noted.” He pointed his finger up to show he understood.

Mystery: “Also that beast in the next room? I call them Scrapers. You’ll learn more about them later.”

Ayaka: “T-them!?”

Mystery: “Now that those things are cleared up, let me tell you your goal. Your said goal is to beat the elaborate trials my fellow guardians and I have made up! They’ll be so happy to meet you all! You have to go to each guardian to pass their trials and games to achieve a special key! There are 5 guardians and 5 keys. Once you’ve obtained them all, you will have access to me! Beat me and YOU will become the CHOSEN ONE!”

The chosen one? Guardians? I don’t even know where to begin with all of this!

Mystery: That pretty much sums up the game in the fastest way possible. It’s more complicated than that. Don’t worry, I will guide all of you along the way. Now, about the chosen one, becoming the chosen one will allow you to leave the game and go back to your life! It also comes with you obtaining my powers!”

We can go home!?

Nadia: “Your…powers?” Nadia says in disbelief.

Mystery then sticks his left arm out. Before our eyes, it formed into a giant black tentacle! Ayaka fainted, though no one paid attention to her. Everyone was fixated on Mystery.

Mystery: “THIS, is the power of the shadows!”

Mask-less man: “W-what the h***!?”

Bernard: “How is that even…”

Michael: “How do we know that’s not just video editing!?”

Mystery: “Michael…sweetheart...I already told you that nothing here is natural. Do you really find this hard to believe too? Or are you just refusing to believe it?”

I grew angry at that remark. Am I really just in denial? But what if this is all some kind of drug dose or hallucination? But everything seems so real…

Mystery: “Anyhow, this is just an example of my power. There are many more tricks up my sleeve! Now I’d like to thank the winners of my very first game! The ones who came from the right door in the main lobby! Congratulations Bernard, Alan, Grace, and Nadia!”

Winners? Very first game? I went over to Grace.

Michael: “Grace, what is he talking about?”

Grace: “I’m guessing-“

Mystery: “I'm talking about the very first game you all played involving the room you first woke up in! the losers went down the slide which were Emily, Hakim, Ayaka, and you Michael. The winners managed to open their door and got to be greeted with a scraper!”

Nadia: “And how was that a reward for winning!?”

Mystery: “It wasn’t. The scraper was meant to lead you guys in the right direction. Your real reward is…drumroll please…Nothing!! :)”

Nadia: “What!?” Nadia said in an irritated tone.

Mystery: “Yep! No reward! It was just a test!”

This guy IS crazy! I’m wondering though, is he watching us from somewhere? I looked around to find any cameras but there weren't any. So how does he know what happened? Also why didn’t he mention the mask-less man as one of the winners? He did come out of the same door…right?

Mystery: “I just wanted to get your blood pumping by lying about killing you if time ran out! Sorry about that btw. I also just wanted experiment if you guys took it seriously.”

Hakim: “B*****d! Of course, we did!”

Hakim stole the words right out of my mouth.

Alan: “But we could’ve been killed by that…scraper, right?”

Mystery: “Possibly, but you didn’t, so that’s good!”

Alan: “Yeah…great…”

Grace looked like she was about to punch the monitor.

Mystery: “Water under the bridge, am I right? Anyways, let me tell you what your goal is right now! Your goal right now is to get to the gate keeper! The gate keeper is behind that big door in the lobby with my face painted on it. You’ll need to find a way to ‘Unlock’ it first.”

Hakim: “I think you are forgetting a little something…What About the Monster on the Other Side!!?”

Mystery: “Oh yes! You’ll need to find a way to ‘defeat’ it. Don’t worry, I locked it in the lobby so it can’t escape until you open the door. I’m positive you’ll find a way to stop it.”

Bernard: “Okay, so how do we unlock said door anyway?”

Mystery: “I can't tell you that! That would be a spoiler! Search around the building for clues and resources that will help you! That’s the only way you’re gonna get through this place after all! This place has items scattered all over! Think of it like an escape room like the one you just did, only bigger, and deadlier! Don’t worry, there is no timer, so don’t be pressured!”

Hakim: “Would this happen to be one of your items?”

Hakim holds up a key in his hands. Where did he get a key? When did he get a key!?

Mystery: “Correct! That particular key so happens to unlock the door just up these stairs! It’s a shortcut! You’re ahead of the game! You actually weren’t supposed to find that now but lucky you right?”

I look up to see a regular-looking door just up the staircase.

Mystery: “Well that should be everything for now! Careful though, death lurks in every corner. If you die, you die. No redoes, so be on your tiptoes! Good luck, have fun, don’t die! Oh, and Michael…”

He looked at me.

*BOOM*

Suddenly, a loud boom was heard! Before we knew it the whole room turned pitch black! Tentacles, hands, and masks were coming out the walls! They were all laughing! The tentacles and hands grabbed us and strangled us! I can feel them! I can feel pain! It hurts!

Mystery: “I ASSURE YOU. I AM VERY REAL.”

Then in a split second everything was back to normal. We were all on the floor breathing heavily.

Mystery: “I will see you all soon. Bye-bye. Hahahahahahahaha!”

The TV turned off. We were left there. My body just showed a pale expression. I couldn’t move. All I could do was breathe. Crud! Why is this happening to us!? What did we do to deserve this!?

Emily: “A-are we going to die?”

Emily was on the verge of tears again, but no one responded to her. I wonder if anyone could even answer her question. Ayaka was still fainted, but she started to wake up, not that anyone noticed. Everyone was paralyzed with fear.

Bernard: “T-this is just a dream, right?"

Nadia: "W-why am I part of this?"

Hakim: “W-what the h*** was that…?”

Alan: “…So we’re dead. I figured as much...”

We were all in despair. We were all pale. We were all lost.

???: “Hey! Snap out of it!”

Michael: “Ah!”

I was snapped out of it that’s for sure. That went for everyone else too. Everyone looked to see who said that. It was Grace.

Grace: “Don’t look down yet. We will get through this. We all will. I promise!”

Grace didn’t even look lost at all. She had a look of confidence behind that mask.

Grace: “Sure, it seems like we’re in hell, but we don’t belong in hell! We don’t belong here! We’re all victims! Before you look at despair, look at hope!”

She was something else entirely. I gave in to her words.

Michael: “Y-yeah. Yeah! It’s too early to give up now! If we work together, we will get through this hellish game!”

Everyone stood up.

Alan: “Fine by me.”

Bernard: “Now that’s using your nogging!”

Emily: “I-I don’t want to die here!”

Nadia: “I suppose it is the wise card to play. I want to get back at that Mystery guy for trapping me here.”

Hakim: “Tch, if I must work with you. It would be faster.”

The Indian man was helping Ayaka up.

Ayaka: “W-what happened…”

Michael: “What’s happening is we’re getting out of this nightmare!”

Ayaka: “G-get out of this nightmare?”

Grace: “Hakim, Mystery said that key leads to that door, right?”

Hakim: “I believe so. He said it was a shortcut or something.”

Michael: "Where did you find it anyway?”

Hakim: “Huh? I found it in one of the paintings back there. I would have said something but then…’that thing’ happened.”

Oh, so he found it in that room. Thank god. And here I was starting to question him. But…why do I still find it strange?

Bernard: “Bingo! We’ll get out of here in no time!”

Mask-less man: “Perfect.”

Ayaka: “Ah!”

I turned around to look at the man. He grabbed Ayaka, and he pointed at her head with…a gun! He has a gun!!

Mask-less man: “That is all I needed to hear, give me that key.”

This guy…has Ayaka at gunpoint! Is he gonna kill her!?

Hakim: “What the h***!?”

Grace: “Why!? You…!”

Mask-less man: “Not another step, or else she dies.”

He pressed the gun further into her skull, warning us! Nobody moved. Emily ran to the back and hid behind one of us.

Michael: “What are you doing!?

Mask-less man: “I’m simply doing a little negotiation. The key. Now.”

Michael: “B-but…I thought we’d all-“

Mask-less man: “Work together? Don’t make me laugh! I know you are all working for the masked-man! Impressive acting by the way.”

Michael: “Acting!? We weren’t-!”

Mask-less man: “Silence! You are all wearing masks! You are all criminals in disguise!”

This man was getting angry! He was gripping the gun very tightly right at Ayaka’s head!

Emily: “P-please stop!”

Ayaka: “M-mr-”

Mask-less man: “Shush! Not another word from you.”

Michael: “Sir please believe us! We’re all victims just like you!”

Mask-less man: “Regardless, victims or imposters, I do not care. If I escape it is for my own benefit. I am more important than all of you.”

I grew angry at that selfish remark, but Nadia grew angrier.

Nadia: “What did you say!?”

Nadia took a step towards the man.

*BAM*

He shot at the floor right in front of Nadia! Then he pointed the gun right back at Ayaka’s head. Nadia didn’t say another word.

Mask-less man: “Have I made myself clear now!?”

He looked straight at Hakim, the one holding the key.

Mask-less man: “Unless you want your precious ‘friend’ to perish, you will do as I say.”

I thought Hakim was gonna blow, but he just stood there, looking just as shocked as the rest of us.

Mask-less man: “I will only ask one more time. Give. Me. The. Key.”

Hakim stood there for a moment, angry and confused on what to do, but then he slowly walked to the man, holding the key out. The Indian reached his hand out for the key, still holding the gun at Ayaka’s head in his other hand. D****t! we have no choice but to give it to him! He dropped the key into his hand. The man smirked.

Mask-less man: “Good choice. Now back up! All of you back up!”

We all slowly backed up away from him. Hakim gave him a stern look behind his mask for a second, but then backed up as well. The man walked up the staircase with Ayaka still as a hostage. He used the key on the door and it unlocked. he grinned.

Mask-less man: “Hehe…”

He then threw Ayaka down the staircase! I wanted to catch her but she already made her whole trip. Thankfully she was still alive. The man went through the door and looked down on us with the gun still in his hand and the grin on his face.

Mask-less man: “Thank you all for being so cooperative! I wish you all the best of luck! Hehehehe!”

He closed the door and locked it with the key, leaving us stuck on the other side. I couldn’t see anyone’s face but I could tell we were all angry. I went to help Ayaka up. She didn’t seem too injured luckily.

Michael: “Are you alright?”

Ayaka: “W-why…? Why is this happening to me...? What did I do to deserve this...?”

She was crying. Tears formed through the drawn eyes of her mask. I didn’t question it.

Ayaka: “I-I didn’t mean to! Why does this always happen to me!? Forgive me! Please, I have suffered enough!"

Michael: “It’s not your fault. We’re all victims here. don’t blame yourself.”

She just kept crying.

Bernard: “Well, this was a turn of events.”

I don’t know why but Bernard’s comment made me angry. Couldn’t he take this more seriously!?

Hakim: “That b*****d! He used me! I swear when I see him again…”

Nadia: “You will get shot if you do, remember? Did you forget the obvious weapon he had in his hands?”

Hakim: “Shut it!”

Nadia: “If anything, we should avoid him as much as possible. That gun is a real game changer.”

Alan: “Where did he get a gun anyway?”

Grace: “I don’t know but that’s not important right now. We need to figure out how to get out of here!"

Alan: “What can we do? The guy took the only key to escape. We're stuck here."

He’s right. He took the…wait…no he didn’t!

Michael: “No, wait! Mystery said that was just a shortcut! Their still should be another way! We haven’t even checked these doors yet!”

I pointed at the doors in the corridor. There were 4 of them. 3 along the side and one at the end of the hall.

Michael: "We can't give up yet! Let's at least check where these doors lead!"

Grace: "Good idea."

Hakim: “Well? What are we waiting for? Let us go!”

Ayaka: “No! I’m not going anywhere! Those doors are obviously traps!”

Hakim: “Then stay here for all I care. The rest of us will actually try to escape.”

Michael: “H-hey, that’s a little-“

Bernard: “Perhaps we should split into groups. That way we will cover more ground!"

Hakim: “Fine by me. Thanks for volunteering to be my partner.”

Bernard: “Huh? Me!?”

Hakim: “Yeah. You are the smart one so you should find clues quickly.”

Bernard: “Oh. Um…well…”

Hakim: “We will take that door.”

Hakim pointed at the middle door in the wall.

Nadia: "Why take that one?"

Hakim: "No reason, I just picked one. No need to waste time on choosing."

Bernard: “Uh…sounds good to me Hawk!”

Michael: “Woah, hold on! Is it really okay for us to split up? How do we know if these doors are not trap?”

Bernard puts his hand on my shoulder.

Bernard: “Mikey, buddy, you’re thinking too much about this. It’s not like this is a horror movie.”

I wanted to argue against that statement.

Bernard: “We got to play smart here or we’re never going to get out of here! We aren’t going to die, and this is the smart one talking so you can trust me.”

I wanted to argue against that statement too.

Grace: “Michael, you gotta have trust. Trust in your allies as we trust you.”

Nadia: “It would save time…”

I still didn’t like this but everyone else was on board with it so I’m outnumbered here.

Michael: “Right…got it. We’ll split up then.”

Alan came back from the door at the end of the hall. I didn’t even realize he left.

Alan: “The door on the end is locked. It has a note on it which says, ‘The key is in the dark surrounded by the light’. Don’t ask me what it means.”

Nadia: “Well that doesn’t really help us at all does it?”

Grace: “Its probably a clue then. I just don’t know what it means. Let's ignore it for now."

I went to the first door along the hallway. This door wasn’t locked.

Michael: “These doors aren’t locked. Okay, me, Grace, and Emily will check this one.”

Alan: “You mean Grace, Emily and I.”

Michael: “Y-yes, right. Hakim and Bernard will go check that middle door-wait! Where are they!?”

Nadia: “They’re already in that room. That brute dragged the wimpy one without any hesitation.”

Michael: “Oh…um…alright. So Nadia, Alan, and Ayaka can go check-“

Ayaka: “No! I’m staying here where its safe!”

Michael: “But I don’t want you to be left alone out here. Being alone is the worst-case scenario.”

Ayaka: “I feel safer alone! I don’t trust those doors, and I don’t trust any of you! Maybe that man was right about all of you being criminals!”

Nadia: “My, this girl has really lost it hasn’t she? She's even siding with the man that almost took her life.” Nadia said in a mocking tone.

Michael: “Ayaka, I don’t even know where to begin with that statement…”

Emily: “U-um…I can stay with her.”

Michael: “You? No no no. I don’t trust her with you.”

Emily: “B-but I want to help her. She looks so frightened…”

Michael: “But-“

Grace: “Michael, you’re saying the same thing Ayaka is saying. You don’t trust her or Ayaka.”

Michael: “Huh? But I-“

Grace: “We need to trust each other. Doesn’t matter if we’re all wearing creepy masks. If we want to get out of here, we need to cooperate with each other.”

I sighed. She was right.

Michael: “Alright. Is it okay if we leave Emily with you then, Ayaka?”

Ayaka: “…fine. I don’t care if it’s a kid.”

Michael: “Emily, promise me that if you see danger you run into one of these rooms where we are. If needed you drag Ayaka with you, understand?”

Emily: “Okay!” She seemed happy. I don’t know why.

Grace: “You act like a father Michael.” Grace giggled.

Michael: “What? N-no I just don’t want anyone to die that’s all.”

I feel like Grace is smiling behind her mask. I just want to protect her. It’s not fair that a child got thrown into this hell.

Michael: “Alright, me and Grace…”

Alan: “You mean Grace and I.”

Michael: “Whatever! Grace and I will check this door and you two will check the third door!”

Alan: “Okay.”

Nadia: “See you on the other side.”

Alan and Nadia went to the third door, while me and Grace-I mean, Grace and I went to the first door. Emily and Ayaka stayed behind.

Michael and Grace:

We were met with a room, just a regular looking room with a table, a couch with pillows, a shelf with figurines, and a…

Michael: “A…shower?”

There was a shower in the corner of the room.

Grace: “Never mind the shower, look what’s on the wall over there.”

I looked to where Grace was pointing. There was a letter panel on the wall ahead. We went up to it. It was in a glass pane with a lock on it. There was a question above it that said:

‘What word looks the same backwards and upside down?'

Michael: “Is it a riddle? I bet they want us to input the answer in the code. Backwards and upside down..."

Grace: “Problem is, it’s locked so we can’t even answer it. Let’s look around more.”

Grace checked the shower while I checked the shelf full of figurines. Upon closer inspection, these figures were wearing swimming accessories. Diving gear, floaties, snorkels, etc. and of course, they all wore a mask, can't say I’m surprised. While we investigated, I chatted to Grace.

Michael: “So Grace, how did you escape that room anyway?”

Grace: “What room? Oh, the room we all started in?”

Michael: “Yeah that one.”

Grace: “Well…in the room there was a schematic on the wall which showed a bunch of hidden hatches. You had the same thing, right?”

Michael: “Yeah.”

Grace: “Well, the hatches had a bunch of kiddie pranks.”

Michael: “Right…”

How could I forget...

Grace: “But one of them, a jack-in-the-box, had a square head with a keyhole on the back of his head.”

What? Is that why it had a square head? I didn’t even bother checking it. I was too pressured and p****d off at the little pranks.

Grace: “I didn’t ponder it since I was too pressured. Then another hatch had a sign that said ‘Check the Closet Dummy’ on it.”

I never saw that one.

Michael: “Which hatch was that?”

Grace: “It was the one on the ceiling, just above my bed.”

The ceiling!? I didn’t even bother checking the ceiling. Then again, who would think to check the ceiling? Grace went to search the couch. I guess there was nothing in the shower. We spent quite a while searching the room.

Grace: “So I checked the closet like it said. I happened to find a key on the top shelf.”

Michael: “Yeah, that’s where I found it. I thought it was the door key.”

Grace: “Nope. It was the key to the jack-in-a-box's head.”

Michael: "I wouldn't have found that out."

Grace: "Inside its head was another key, which lead to the box under the bed. Actually, the door didn’t have a key. At least I never found it.”

Michael: “Huh? But I thought you won the game.”

Grace: “I did. The box just had a note in it which said ‘Get To The Door!’ and just like that, the door opened on its own. It just swung right open.”

How does that work? Was Mystery watching us? Or, was the room self-aware…?

Grace: “When I dashed out the door it slammed shut, locking me out. All I heard was something that sounded mechanical inside.”

Michael: “That probably was the floor opening up. That’s what happened to me.”

Grace: “I see...Oh! I found the key!”

She held up a tiny key in her hands. Mystery really likes keys...

Grace: “It was in this cushion!”

Michael: “Perfect! Let’s try it on the glass box.”

Grace inserted it in the keyhole. It unlocked! We had access to the panel now. There was a button next to it.

Michael: "I'm guessing we have to press this when we input a word."

Grace: “I see, so we have to match the letters to create a word that fits the riddle.”

‘What word looks the same backwards and upside down?’

This had us puzzled.

Michael: “What could it be? I bet if just try a bunch of words it should eventually open up.”

‘Boom!’

Suddenly, we heard a loud noise coming from the shower! The shower was running water, and at a massive speed too! It only took 5 seconds for the water to flow into the room! The shower had no door to stop the water and no drain either!

Michael: “W-what is happening!?”

Grace: “That shouldn’t be possible! I couldn’t even turn the shower on! Why is it on now!?”

The water was rising in the room at an impressive rate! At that point I knew what was going to happen, we were going to drown!

Michael: “Grace! Quick, get to the door! Forget the puzzle!”

We ran to the door, but it was locked! Why!? How!? When!?

Grace: “It won’t open! What do we do!?”

My mind raced like crazy! Before I knew it the water was up at neck-length! What do we do!? What do we…the riddle!

Michael: “Maybe if we solve the riddle, it will turn off! It’s all I can think of!”

Grace: “But I don’t know the answer! We don’t have time to guess!”

We were already swimming for our lives! The water was almost done filling the room! Think Michael, think!! I we don’t solve it then we die! Then I saw the figurines floating in the water…and then it hit me! We’re drowning, figurines wearing swim gear, we’re swimming for our lives, that’s it!

It’s swim! The answer is swim! I dove down under the water to the riddle.

Grace: "Michael! Where are you go-!"

Grace couldn't even finish speaking. The water already flooded the entire room! I was at the code frantically scrolling up and down for the right letters! I’m losing consciousness. I’m losing vision. I’m losing my mind. My vision was turning black. This is it. This the end.

…Is what I thought.

I found the right letters finally. It said swim perfectly. Without hesitation, I pushed the button next to it. The riddle changed to say ‘Correct!’ on it. Before I knew it, my body was being drained out with the water. I saw that the door opened. All the water came flooding out, along with us.

Alan: “Woah!”

Nadia: “What the-!?”

Ayaka & Emily: “Aaaaahhhh!”

The water came out in the hall. Thankfully, it didn’t drag anyone with it, just got them wet.

Nadia: “My dress!!”

Grace and I laid on the floor. We coughed up so much water. Alan and Emily went over to help us.

Emily: "Are you okay!?"

Grace: *cough* "Y-yeah, I'm okay..."

Alan: “What in the world happened?”

It took me a second to respond.

Michael: “We almost drowned…”

I looked over to Grace. Thank god, she was still alive.

Alan: “Jesus, you guys had a rough time too huh?”

Had a rough time!? Do you not see the water everywhere!?

Nadia: “We came close to death too. Thankfully, the brave and courageous Alan managed to solve the riddle, with my help of course."

Alan: “…”

Alan just gives her an unamused look behind his mask. Something tells me that’s not how it went.

Nadia: “We also managed to obtain this!”

Nadia held a…flashlight. It was rainbow covered. A flashlight…that’s what you wanted to show off?

Alan: “It was given to us after we solved the death riddle. It must be some use to us. Though we can't use it. It’s missing what I’m guessing batteries. Two of them it seems.”

Michael: “I…see. We didn’t get anything from that room. It was just a trap.”

Alan: “What’s that in your lap?”

Michael: “Huh?”

I looked down at my lap. It was…

Alan: “One of the batteries?”

Alan took the flashlight from Nadia and looked at the battery slots.

Alan: “It is.”

Oh cool. But when did I get this? From the room?

Nadia: “Doesn’t really help us much if don’t have both of them now does it?”

And as if right on cue…

Bernard: “Hey everyone! You’ll never believe what happened-“

Hakim and Bernard came out from the second door. They looked at us like they came at an awkward time, which they somewhat did.

Bernard: “Woah…”

Hakim: “The h*** happened to all of you? Why is there water everywhere?”

Grace: “We almost died.”

Bernard: “Hey, same here! We were almost killed by a crazy mannequin!”

Hakim: “I wish he was lying.”

So, everyone had problems. Good to know.

Ayaka: “I knew I was right not to go in those rooms!”

No one paid attention to Ayaka.

Bernard: “My boi Hawk was a beast! You should’ve seen us in action! He was beating the s**t of it while I used my brilliance to solve an incredibly complex puzzle!”

Hakim: “That is not what happened at all. And don’t call me Hawk! Whatever, it does not matter. The room was a death trap. Nothing good came from it.”

Bernard: “Oh contraire Hakim. Have you forgotten about…This!?”

Bernard holds up the other battery!

Hakim: “That little thing? You do not even know what it goes to!”

Grace: “But we do! This is what we needed!”

Bernard: “Ha! Told you!”

Hakim: “Well? What are you waiting for? Give it to them!”

Bernard: “Yes sir!” Bernard saluted to Hakim.

Hakim: (Oh my god, I hate this guy!) Hakim whispered to himself.

Bernard gives Alan the battery. Alan puts both batteries in the flashlight. It then shines a blue light. Alan shines it all over the room. Nothing happened.

Nadia: “…Is something supposed to happen?”

Alan: “I don’t know.”

Nadia: “Ugh! You’re useless Alan!”

Wasn’t she just praising him before?

Alan: “I know I am. Here, you take it Grace. You figure out what it does.”

Grace: “U-um…okay. Well maybe it shows something invisible?”

Emily: “But what? And where?”

What could this thing even be used for? We all looked around the hall. We found nothing. It has to be used for something! We didn't almost die for nothing!

Alan: “I knew it. This was all hopeless…”

My eyes stumble at a broken ceiling light. I saw this before but I didn’t pay much attention to it. Suddenly, my mind thought of something.

Michael: “Hey Grace, shine the light into that broken ceiling light. I have a weird feeling.”

Grace went over to the broken light and shined the flashlight into it. We saw a key inside!

Emily: “There it is!”

Michael: “I remember Alan saying something about the note on the door. What did it say again Alan?”

Alan: “Um…I believe it said, ‘The key is in the dark surrounded by light’ or something like that.”

Michael: “This must be what it meant. This broke ceiling light is dark, and it’s surrounded by the lights that aren’t broken.”

Nadia: “Ah, I see! You’re so smart Michael!”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. She's obviously lying.

Hakim: “What a stupid riddle. It seems I took the wrong smart guy.”

Bernard: “H-hey! I knew that! I just wanted to see if you guys could solve it that’s all! I can't hog all the glory.”

Nadia: "You're just jealous because Michael solved it before you."

Hakim: “Shut it. Hurry up and grab the key!”

Alan: “Um, how? It’s pretty high up.”

Hakim: “Michael! Come here! I will boost you up!”

Michael: “Huh? Oh, o-okay.”

Hakim doesn’t waste any time at all. He really is impatient. I was boosted up by Hakim and managed to grab the key.

Emily: “You did it, Mr. Michael!”

Hakim: “Perfect, now let’s get to the door!”

Ayaka: “What if it’s just another death room!?”

Emily: “It’s okay Ms. Ayaka. I’ll be with you!”

That seemed to calm Ayaka down. I jumped down from the broken light and we all ran to the door at the end of the hall, but what caught my eye was that there was no note.

Michael: “Wait, Alan, where is the note you read? You said it was on the door."

Alan: “I don’t know. It was here last time. I thought the note was for the room I went in because it was dimly lit in there. The note was right here last time."

…Is that true, or was there never a note in the first place? Alan was the only one who went to door and told us there was a note. No one else even went to this door until now. Was there really a note, or did he know where the key was the whole time?

Hakim: “Who cares about the note! Just open the door!”

Right. Maybe I’m just thinking about it too much. But when I really think about it, Hakim was the only one who found the key to the shortcut. He told us he found it in one of the paintings, but no one else here can prove that. Not to mention the Indian man took it straight afterwards. Did he really give it to him to avoid Ayaka from dying? Hakim hasn’t shown much care for any of us, so why would he care about Ayaka? He has been really impatient too. Is he perhaps on a…tight schedule?

Maybe I’m thinking too much again. Grace told me to trust everyone, but trust can be broken very easily, especially when you no clue who or what these people are. The Indian man proved that himself. Regardless, I unlocked the door and we all head though. Now we stumbled upon a…kitchen? A huge kitchen to be exact!

???: “Hehehe…”

I heard someone laughing behind us. We all turned around to find the source of the laughter. It was Bernard! He was holding a giant kitchen knife and was grinning from ear to ear!

Bernard: “Anyone hungry?”

To Be Continued :)

Mystery: “Wow! This is a very long prologue, isn’t it? It’s long in my opinion, and it’s only going to get longer! For those who are curious, here is what happened to the other groups in doors 2 and 3. Consider it as a bonus! Aren’t I so thoughtful? Enjoy! :)”

Hakim & Bernard:

Mystery: “Oh right…since Michael isn’t here to do his first-person narration, I’ll be doing the narration instead!" *Clears throat*

Hakim and Bernard went through the second door.

Bernard: “Shouldn’t we have told our fellow comrades that we were going?”

Hakim: “They will get the message. I do not want to waste any time.”

Bernard: “Oh? Do you have somewhere to be?” Bernard tilted his head.

Hakim: “No. I just do not want to be here any longer than I already am.”

Bernard: “Fair enough. What is this place anyway? A hospital?”

They stumbled into what looked like a medical room. The room was completely white. There was shelfs with various medicine and medical tools such as syringes and scalpels. There was a medical bed with a white curtain covering it. On the walls there were schematics, pictures, and X-rays of the human body.

Hakim: “Who cares what the room is. What is that over there?”

Hakim pointed straight ahead. There was something on the wall at the far end of the room. It looked like a code covered by a glass pane. They walked up to it.

Bernard: “Looks like a letter code thingy. There’s writing on top of it.”

‘What is a mailman’s job?’

Bernard: “I think it’s a riddle.”

Hakim: “A mailman’s job? What kind of absurd riddle is that? That is not even a riddle it is a question!”

Bernard: “Well whatever it is, we can't access it. You can see that it’s locked.”

Bernard points at a key hole on the glass panel.

Hakim: “So it is. Well then, let us take our leave.”

Bernard: “Well hold on, what if the key or something useful is in this room? We should at LEAST check. Better than going through this place empty handed.”

Hakim: “True. Empty handed would be a dumb decision.”

Bernard: (Even for you)

Hakim: “What was that?”

Bernard: “Nothing! How about I go check the bed and you can check…wherever!”

Hakim: “Fine.”

Bernard went over to the bed and Hakim searched the shelves full of medical equipment. Hakim didn’t even a chance to check before a scream was heard.

Bernard: “Aaaahh!”

Hakim: “What!?”

Hakim looked over to see that Bernard had opened up the curtains to the bed.

Bernard: “Oh. Nothing! There’s a creepy mannequin in the bed. It just startled me, that’s all hehe…”

Hakim gave him a disappointed look and went back to searching. Man, this mannequin really would be a surprise only if Bernard hadn’t spoiled it!! Sorry…anyways, Bernard went to take a closer look at the mannequin dummy. It had its stomach opened for the surgeon to view the insides. The insides were of course just fake organs; heart, lungs, liver, bones, etc. Its eyes were wide opened and were staring right at Bernard, which is what freaked Bernard out the most. They were very creepy-looking, but the main thing that now caught Bernard’s attention was its arms. They weren’t even arms; they were circular saw blades!

Bernard: (What kind of mannequin is this!?)

Bernard decided not to touch the mannequin and leave it be. He then went to check out the schematics on the wall. They showed the inside of the human body as well. He realized that there were arrows pointing at the same organ on all of them.

Bernard: (Strange. Strange indeed. They’re pointing at the-)

Hakim: “Found it.”

Bernard: “Huh?”

Hakim: “The key, I have found it.”

Bernard: “Oh! Sweet! Pop that bad boy right in!”

Hakim inserted the key into the glass panel and opened it. The code was now available. There was a slot attached to the bottom of it.

Hakim: “Perfect. Now I just got to make the words spell mail and something should come out.”

Bernard: “Hey what are those letters for?”

Bernard pointed to the left of the code. It had two letters in front of it. D and E, De.

Hakim: “Huh? I do not know. I doubt it matters.”

Bernard: "Are yo sure mail is the answer?"

Hakim: “What else can it be? A mailman’s job is to give mail!”

Hakim inputted mail in the code and pressed the red button.

*Ban*

A buzzer was heard. it was the wrong answer.

Hakim: “What!? Then what is it!?”

Hakim was getting angry.

Bernard: “Hey, calm down! Look, those letters must be the first two for the word. Demail? I don’t think that’s even a word.”

It’s not, thanks to Microsoft Word’s spell check ;)

Hakim: “Well then wha-“

*Crackle*

Bernard: “Um, did you hear that?”

Hakim: “Yeah, I did.”

*Plop*

They both looked at where the noise was coming from. It was coming from the bed. They both heard footsteps.

Bernard: “Uh oh.”

Out came the mannequin! It was alive and walking! It stopped and turned its head to look at them.

Hakim: “What is that!?”

Bernard: “It’s alive!!”

Then just on cue, the saw blade arms turned on, giving off a horrible saw noise!

Hakim: “That is not a mannequin!”

Bernard: “It’s a f***ing killer mannequin!”

It came charging at them! They both split from the code and ran to the door!

Bernard: “Open the door!! Hurry!!”

Hakim: “I can not open it! It is locked!”

Bernard: “What!? Since when!?”

Bernard looked behind. It was walking slowly towards them!

Bernard: “F*** the door!! RUN!!”

Bernard ran to the side of the room. Hakim looked behind him to see that the mannequin was closing in! He booked it to the other side of the room!

Hakim: “What the f*** do we do!?”

Bernard: “Maybe it has an off switch on the back!?”

Hakim: “Good idea! You check it!”

Bernard: “F*** that!”

The mannequin turned to look at Hakim. It slowly approached him!

Hakim: “Go to h*** you f***ing monster!”

Bernard got a good look of its back. There was no off switch. Hakim was dodging the thing left and right, barely making it!

Bernard: (What do I do!? How do we stop this creature!?)

He glanced over at the code.

Bernard: (Could that turn it off? It’s worth trying anything! But what is the solution? What is a mailman’s job? De-something. What could that mean?)

Hakim was still evading the monster mannequin. Thankfully, it didn’t move very fast, but it wasn’t slow either! Bernard looked everywhere around the room for some sort of clue. Eventually his eyes stumbled upon the schematics. Just then, he had it. He had the solution! The arrows!

Bernard: “Hawk! The code! Its liver!”

The arrows were all pointing at the liver.

Hakim: “What!?”

Bernard: “That’s the answer! Its deliver!”

Hakim: “Who cares about the stupid code!? Woah!!”

The mannequin swung and Hakim ducked right under, barely making it in one piece! The mannequin lost Hakim, and instead turned to face Bernard!

Bernard: “Just do it! Please!!”

The mannequin was approaching Bernard. He was backed in a corner! The mannequin had it’s saw arm raised up! Hakim looked at the scenario and ran to the code.

Hakim: “Here goes nothing!”

Hakim inputted ‘liver’ in the code. Deliver it spelled. He pressed the red button. The question above changed into ‘Correct!’

Hakim: “You have got to be kidding me…”

The mannequin powered down. The eyes closed and it stopped moving completely. Bernard was anticipating the blow. It only took him a few seconds for him to realize it wasn’t moving anymore. He relaxed with relief!

Bernard: “Phew.”

Then he jumped up.

Bernard: “WOOOOO!! We Did It! YEAH!! We make a great team!”

Hakim: “What a stupid riddle! What is a mailman’s job; deliver. That does not even fit right!”

Hey! I didn’t want to make it too easy! I tried my best!

Bernard: “Yeah, that’s not really a good riddle.”

Oh, come on!

Bernard: Hey, what’s that thing that came out of the slot?”

The hater of the awesome, well-made riddle pointed at the slot. There was a small object in it. The hater…ok fine, Bernard went to pick it up.

Bernard: “It looks like a battery!”

Riddle hater #2-I mean…Hakim, just stared at the battery, looking unamused.

Hakim: “This…is what we risked our lives for? You are saying we ran and dodged a killer robot…for a battery. A battery. A BATTERY!!”

You think I should’ve given them a better prize?

*Click*

Bernard: “Did you hear that? I think the door unlocked!”

Hakim just sighed and went for the door, saying nothing.

Bernard: "H-hey! Wait for me!”

They both exited the door, leaving the mannequin behind forever. They found everyone in the hall.

Bernard: “Hey everyone! You’ll never believe what happened-“

Upon looking closely, they were all soaked!

Bernard: “Woah...”

Hakim: “What the h*** happened here?”

One down, one more to go!

Nadia and Alan:

As agreed, Nadia and Alan went through the third door and Michael and Grace went through the first. Nadia and Alan stumbled upon a…Chinese temple room? It was red and gold. The first thing that was noticed was 3 samurai statues wearing creepy masks, but not the ones they were wearing. They were sitting in a triangle formation across the room. There were lanterns in each corner of the room and one in the ceiling in the center of the room. Those were the only light sources. There were two portraits on the left and right wall. The one on the right had a cute girl with golden braids. The left one had a girl with purple hair. The room itself was pretty dim. There was a pond surrounded by candles in the center of the room. It looked quite peaceful. Nadia seemed very pleased.

Nadia: “Well, we surely chose a magnificent room now, didn’t we?”

Alan: “I guess…”

Nadia: “You guess?”

Alan: “I don’t know.”

Alan said no more and started looking around the room. Nadia scoffed.

Nadia: “At least show some respect.” She sighed.

Alan inspected the statues. They all had real katanas raised above their heads with both arms, like they were about to strike down. Alan searched all around them. They all had some sort of letter code with a red button on their stomachs. Not knowing what would might happen, Alan decided to leave them alone. Nothing else suspicious was found on the statues.

Nadia looked at the pond. In the front of the pond there was a sign that said ‘NO SWIMMING! NO TOUCHING!’ Nothing looked unusual about the pond to Nadia. Around the pond, there were four unlit candles and one lit candle with a blue flame on it in the back. Nadia looked closely to see a tag that says ‘Use This’ on it.

Nadia: “Hey, it’s telling us to use this candle, but for what reason I am not sure.”

Alan looked around.

Alan: “Perhaps that.”

Alan pointed to the wall across the room. The wall was very dark but, on the top, it said ‘USE CANDLE HERE.’ Nadia grew angry at Alan for making her feel like an idiot.

Nadia: “Why did you not tell me that sooner!?”

Alan: “I just saw it.”

Nadia was still ticked but went to the wall with the candle regardless, Alan following behind her. Bringing the candle closer to the wall lit it up greatly, revealing a bunch of hidden text!

‘If you are reading this, then well done! You are not as stupid as I thought.’

Nadia clutched her fist out of anger, but they continued to read.

‘This room is now locked. It will not open unless you solve the riddle. The riddle is to your right in the darkness. You may answer it any time, but beware. If you get it wrong once, the pond will eat you.’

Nadia: “Eat us!?”

“ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAR!!!”

A loud roar came from the pond!

Nadia: “U-um, what was that!?”

Alan: “I don’t want to know.”

They continued reading.

‘There is a ginormous creature that lurks in the pond. If you fail the riddle, an extremely loud buzzer will alert the monster, bringing it to you. It is recommended that you keep quiet too.’

Nadia: “A ginormous creature? In such a tiny pond!?”

‘The room has no clues for the riddle’s answer. In order to get clues, you must answer the questions from the Chinese samurai statues.'

Alan: “Um, samurais are from Japan, not China.”

What!? Dang it!! How could I mess that up!?

‘Shine the candle on them to see their questions. Input the answers in the code placed on them. You can only answer 3 times for each samurai. Answer correctly and you will get an example of the answer. Answer incorrectly 3 times, and they will swing down at you, killing you instantly. Good luck.’

The lights all went out, leaving them with the blue candle as their only light source!

Nadia: “What happened!? Why are the lights out!?”

Alan: “Must’ve been scripted to happen.”

Look at Mr. Smarty-pants here.

Nadia: “Well I am not playing this! I’m getting out of here!”

Alan: “It said the door was locked.”

Nadia did not listen. She went for the door with the candle in her hands. Being the only light source, Alan followed her. They moved to the right side to avoid getting near the pond. The door didn’t open, just like the message said.

Nadia: “Let me out now!”

Nadia tried the handle aggressively.

“ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAR!!!”

Alan: “Stop! The monster is going to here you!” Alan whispered to her.

Nadia let go of the handle.

Alan: “We can't get out unless we solve the puzzle.”

Nadia grew angry.

Nadia: “I hate this. Why do I have to play this?”

Alan: “Lets look for the riddle. It said it was on the right side.”

Nadia: “Fine.”

They searched the right wall. Eventually, they found it with the candle. It looked the same as the codes the statues have, but it was painted silver, where the others were just red.

Alan: “This must be it. Look at what it says.”

‘I can be the sun, I can be the sand, and I can be a bird. What am I?’

They looked confused.

Nadia: “Sun, sand, bird? What?”

Alan: “I have no idea. We have to look at the statues for hints.”

Nadia: “Fine. Where are they?”

Alan: “I believe one is over here.”

Alan pointed in a direction to follow.

Nadia: “Careful not to get near the pond, and to not make any noise.”

Alan: “Mhm.”

When they reached the statue, they searched around it for the question. Soon, they found it right above the code. It was invisible to the naked eye, but the candle made it visible. No wonder why Alan didn’t see it before. They read what it said.

‘What is brown and sticky?’

Nadia: “What kind of question is that?”

Alan: “A stick.”

Nadia: “Huh?”

Alan: “The answer is a stick. It’s a joke.”

Nadia: “This is no time for jokes!”

Alan inputted stick into the code.

Nadia: “Wait! Don’t just-“

Alan pressed the button.

‘Ding’

It gave a correct ding sound.

Nadia: “Oh, that was easy…”

The slot dropped a fortune cookie out.

Alan: “Huh, a fortune cookie, which also originated from Japan, not China.”

Are you serious!? Is there anything that originates from China!? And don’t say Corona!!

Alan broke the fortune cookie. Inside was a fortune that said ‘Hourglass’ on it.

Nadia: “Hourglass? Is that supposed to be a clue?”

Alan: “I guess so, but I don’t really see how it fits in. The sun, sand, a bird, how does an hourglass match with any of that?”

Nadia: “Well an hourglass has sand in it, if that makes any sense.” *Sigh* “Could this riddle be any more complicated? Let us look at the other statues. Maybe they have a more reasonable clue.”

Alan and Nadia slowly made their way through the darkness. They were scared. Anything could be lurking in the darkness and they wouldn’t know. They found the next statue right in front of them, which startled them. The invisible text was in the same spot as it was last time.

‘What animal is always found at a baseball game?’

Nadia: “Is this supposed to be another joke question?”

Alan: “Probably, but this one I don’t know what the answer is.”

Nadia: “What kind of animal is at a baseball game? I don’t even play baseball!”

Alan: “Maybe a mascot? Worth a try.”

Alan input mascot in the code.

*Ban*

It gave an incorrect buzz noise. The statues arms moved!

Nadia: “Look out!”

Alan jumped out of the way, but the statues arms only moved an inch, as if to give a warning. Alan and Nadia took a breath of relief.

Nadia: "Don't just put in stuff so quickly."

Alan: “Okay, we have to think about this one.”

Nadia: “But what could it be? Ugh, just think of random animals.”

Alan brain stormed a bunch of animals.

Alan: “Lets see, dog, cat, horse, lizard, bug, bear, deer, lion, tiger, bird, eagle, bat, turt-“

Nadia: “Wait, bat! That’s what you use as a ball hitter right?”

Alan: “You mean a baseball bat? That actually sounds like the right answer. Should I try it?”

Nadia: “Yes. I am confident in my answer.” She smirked behind her mask.

Alan thought she was being too self-confident, but he thought it was the right answer too. He input bat in the code.

*Ding*

Nadia: “See? There was never a doubt in my mind.”

Alan could’ve argued with her, but he didn’t even acknowledge it. Another fortune cookie popped out from the slot. Alan went to grab it, but Nadia swiped it first.

Nadia: “Allow me to read this one.” She said in a confident manner.

‘Sundial’

Nadia: “What? It just says sundial.”

Alan: “What’s a sundial?”

Nadia: “It’s just a type of time device used back in the day. This clue is even worse!”

Alan: “Sundial has sun in it, so could it be related to the sun in the riddle?”

Nadia: “Perhaps but the hourglass and the sundial are two different things. They can't be both as far as I know!”

Alan: “We can't beat this. This is all pointless…”

Nadia: “Hold on, we still have one more statue to look at. Where is it at?”

Alan: “It should be diagonal from here.”

Alan pointed in to the direction of the last statue. While walking, they heard the pond make a noise, like something was swimming under. They took a few steps away from the direction of the pond. Eventually, they found the last statue and the last riddle.

‘What falls in winter but never gets hurt?’

Alan: “…”

Nadia: “What falls in winter but never gets hurt? How am I supposed to answer that? We don’t have snow in my country!”

Alan: “I don’t understand this. What falls but doesn’t get hurt? An inanimate object?”

Nadia: “That could be it. Try just putting object.”

Alan inputted object in the code and pushed the button.

*Ban*

No good. The samurai arms moved a little.

Alan: “Nope.”

Nadia: “Okay, so what could it be then?”

Alan: “I have no idea. I feel like this is impossible. We’re going to die here.”

Nadia: “Don’t say that! I am not going to die here!”

Alan: “But we don’t even have the slightest idea of what the answer is.”

Nadia: “It says in winter, so what happens in winter?”

Alan: “Uh, Christmas stuff, I guess. Santa, snowmen, Christmas trees. There’s too many things to try.”

Nadia: “Well, I have heard that a red fat guy drop presents in roofs or something. Is that true?”

Alan: “You are close enough, yeah.”

Nadia: “Then it must be presents!”

Alan: “Sure…let’s try that.”

Alan inputted presents and pressed the button.

*Ban*

Incorrect again. The arms moved slightly again.

Alan: “Figures.”

Alan didn't bother whispering.

Nadia: “Shh! Keep your voice down!”

Alan: “Does it matter? We already lost. One more wrong answer and we’re dead. We don’t even know the answer.”

Nadia: “Must you always be negative! I told you I am not dying here!”

Alan: “You keep saying that, but what can you do? Unless you know the answer, we are screwed.”

Nadia: “No, you’re the one who is screwed. As long as I don’t input anything, I’m safe.”

Alan: “But you can't leave either. You’ll die of starvation.”

Nadia: “Well, think of something, you useless male! I don’t want to die here because of you!”

Nadia didn’t even care to whisper anymore.

Alan: “Fine. I don’t care if I die. As long as it means I don’t have to be trapped in this room with you.”

Nadia: “What!?”

Alan turned to the code and inputted snow into it. Nadia just scoffed. Drama ladies and gentlemen, am I right?

Nadia: “Go ahead. Push it.”

Nadia just crossed her arms in disappointment.

Alan: “I will. I don’t have anything to live for anyway.”

Alan pushed the button.

*Ding*

Nadia: “What!?”

Alan: “Huh?”

That was the correct answer! The last fortune cookie came out.

Nadia: “Um…what did you put in?”

Alan: “I put in snow because it falls in winter. I didn’t think it would actually be the answer.”

Nadia: “Huh, guess you are not as useless after all.”

Alan: “It was luck. Just luck.”

Alan took the fortune cookie and opened it.

‘Cuckoo-clock’

Nadia: “It’s just another type of clock…”

Nadia looked displeased, but Alan thought of something.

Alan: “What if the answer is just clock?”

Nadia: “What? A clock can't be the sun, the sand, or a bird!”

Alan: “Well, a sundial has sun in it, an hourglass has sand, and a cuckoo-clock has a bird. These are all clocks.”

Nadia thought about it.

Nadia: “That…is actually good thinking. That actually might be the answer!”

Alan and Nadia made their way to a wall and moved on from there. It was safer than walking near the pond in the middle of the room. Eventually, they made to the real code.

Alan: “If this doesn’t work, then we are dead.”

Nadia: “Which is why I’ll allow you to input it. I have my faith in you.”

Alan just looked at her and then proceeded to put clock in the code. He hesitated to push for a second, but only a second. He pushed the button. Nothing happened for a few seconds, which caused tension, but then, a noise was heard.

*Ding*

Nadia sighed in relief. The lanterns in the room came back on.

Alan: “Huh, guess we were right.”

Nadia: “I knew you could do it!”

Alan ignored her compliment. Something was heard at the pond. A metal door closed off the pond, keeping whatever was in it inside! They also heard the door unlocked!

Nadia: “Finally, we can get out of here!”

Something fell down the slot of the code. Alan picked it up.

Nadia: “What is that?”

Alan: “It looks like some sort of flashlight.”

It was a rainbow-colored flashlight. Alan tried to turn it on. No use.

Alan: “It won’t turn on though. Looks like it’s missing batteries.”

Nadia: “Bring it anyways. It’s obviously useful in some way.”

They both made their way out the door. From a distance they saw Emily and Ayaka talking to each other. They turned to see Alan and Nadia come out.

Nadia: “What did we miss?"

Mystery: “And that’s all! You all know what happens next. Stay tuned for the next part! I'll be waiting. :)”