Chapter 3
When the blindfolds came off, the only light in the room came from two dim flashlights.
Sophie let out a startled yelp and dove straight into Lucas's arms.
"Lucas, I'm scared. You have to protect me," she said.
Lucas wrapped his arm around her shoulders and chuckled softly.
"You're terrible at this, but still want to play. Who was the one who insisted on picking the horror theme earlier?" he teased.
"I don't care. If you don't protect me, I'll stop being friends with you," Sophie said.
"Alright, then hold on tight," he replied.
They carried on like a couple in the throes of a new romance, flirting openly in the dim room with no regard for anyone else.
The staff only handed out two small flashlights.
Lucas held one, and Sophie held the other.
I could only trail behind them, barely keeping up in the faint glow from their flashlights.
The sharp pain in my ankle made me walk slowly.
"Can you guys slow down? My ankle's killing me," I called out.
"There's a time limit in the escape room. Endure it for now." Lucas replied.
When they reached a fork in the path, they stopped.
They shared a look, then switched off their flashlights in unison.
Instantly, everything was swallowed by suffocating darkness.
"Lucas? Sophie?" I called out, reaching out in a panic, but all I grabbed was cold, empty air.
They had run off.
They left me stranded in this pitch-black maze, a death trap where you couldn't see your own hand.
I felt my way along the wall, inching forward in the darkness.
Suddenly, an NPC with a blood-covered face jumped out from the corner, screaming right up close to me.
I screamed.
I dropped to the floor, tears pouring down my face.
The NPC saw me crying so hard, he stopped, pulled off his mask, and revealed his real face.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.
He radioed for help from the staff.
Ten minutes later, staff members arrived with flashlights and led me out through the emergency exit.
The moment the escape room door opened, the blinding sunlight made me squint.
Lucas and Sophie were standing in the rest area by the exit.
Sophie was leaning against Lucas's shoulder, holding an ice-cold Coke, checking out whatever was on his phone.
When she saw me looking like I'd seen a ghost, Sophie burst out laughing.
"Anna, you're such a scaredy-cat. You actually needed the staff to get you out?" she teased.
Lucas frowned. "You had to be led out? Could you not find your way out alone?"
My cheeks were still wet with tears.
"Why did you guys turn off the lights?" I asked.
Lucas shrugged, as if it were perfectly reasonable. "I was helping you toughen up. You can't tell which way is which. If I don't give you a little push, how are you ever going to figure out how to get anywhere?"
Sophie sidled up to me with a grin. "Anna, don't be mad. We didn't ditch you this time. We were waiting for you at the exit the whole time."
I didn't want to deal with them, so as I was about to leave, Sophie suddenly stuck out her foot and tripped me on purpose.
I fell to the ground, my wound splitting open, blood dripping down my leg.
Sophie shoved her camera in my face.
"Guys, look at this. My bestie came out of the escape room, so freaked out, her legs went weak, and she managed to fall on flat ground. This is gold for the show," she laughed.
She was laughing so hard she could barely stand, and the flash from her camera made my head spin.
Lucas stood nearby, his gaze lingering on my bleeding ankle, looking like he wanted to say something but held back.
He still did not step forward to help me up.
He only said to Sophie, "Don't keep filming her. She values her pride."
It felt like my chest was full of broken glass. Every breath tore at my insides.
I shot up and lunged for Sophie's camera.
"Stop filming me," I yelled.
In the struggle, the camera hit the ground.
Sophie was jerked backward by the force, nearly losing her balance.
Lucas's expression shifted instantly. He pushed me away and quickly pulled Sophie into his arms, shielding her.
"Anna, are you out of your mind?" he snapped.
"Sophie was teasing you. Did you have to wreck her gear? Do you get how important her setup is to her as a content creator?"
I leaned against the wall, gasping for air.
"So her camera's more important than me?" I said, my voice trembling.
Lucas froze for a second.
I dragged my bleeding leg and limped out of the lobby.