Chapter 41: Haunted House (1/2)
“Mother! When did this sly rope drop down?”
Wang Ziwen jumped from surprise and grabbed the top of the rope, dragging it down, but the rope was securely fastened to the ceiling, unable to be pulled down any further.
“Forget it. I won’t pull on it anymore. I’ll have to pay for the damages if I break it.”
But, it was strange. No matter how much Wang Ziwen tugged on it, the noose wouldn’t budge. It still maintained its current height and swayed in small arcs, just as it did when they first entered the room.
Seeing the rope stop sagging, Wang Ziwen unconsciously relaxed and released a sigh of relief. She felt that the anxious feeling she experienced just now was completely gone. Just as she thought, a staff member was manipulating the props, moving them as he pleased to give them a good scare. If she had pulled on it more, the staff member would be worried that she’d break the rope.
“Xiaojing, I told you that there’s no need to be scared. No matter how intimidating it is, it’s still fake.” Wang Ziwen quickly took out a tissue from her pocket and handed it over Xu Xiaojing, saying with concern in her voice, “Come and wipe your tears away. We’ll be playing in the haunted house next, don’t be scared and be driven to tears like this again later.”
“Strange. How could this girl not encounter any trouble? Could it be that the way to survive in this level is through unrestrained courage? If we confront the ghosts without any fear in our hearts, then we won’t die?” Su Yize had second thoughts. He continuously poked Bai Yan’s side, softly asking, “What do you think?”
“I think that this escape room isn’t technically part of the haunted house, so the ghosts haven’t killed anyone yet.” Bai Yan opened the trunk, rummaging through it while continuing, “The tip that the game had given us before, about the escape room, it didn’t seem to have anything wrong with it. The ghost also hasn’t showed up, so maybe our actions would be the ones to lead us to danger.”
Seeing Wang Ziwen once again court disaster, Bai Yan acted quickly, and based on an NPC’s values and principles, he warned, “When I first saw the hangman’s noose, I felt that it was somewhat amiss. Perhaps there’s something wrong with this escape room, so let’s quickly find the key and leave. Don’t dwell on unnecessary things.”
“Right, right. A person has died in this escape room, and the maggots and flies from the corpse’s body had shown up on the bed’s mattress, so there’s a possibility that a ghost is here.” Su Yize also advised, “Didn’t the hangman’s noose scare you when you saw it? You have such big guts for a girl!”
“It’s not because I’m brave or anything, it’s just that you two are cowards.” Wang Ziwen didn’t care at all as she continued to speak, “My friend is faint-hearted, so don’t go on and make the situation creepier to scare her. I really can’t believe it today!”
After Wang Ziwen said her piece, she swiftly walked towards the bed and lifted the bed’s mattress.
However, there was nothing under the bed.
Wang Ziwen didn’t believe this anomaly. She still thought that there was surely a machine under the bed. As a result, she opened her phone, kneeled, and crouched to look under the bed’s board, but the brown-colored wood looked flat, with no signs of anything stuck to it. Once she was done inspecting the bed, she couldn’t find anything that suggested a mechanism was hidden in there.
“That’s weird. There’s no way that there aren’t any.”
Wang Ziwen called over Xu Xiaojing and handed over her phone with the flashlight still on, wanting to lean in closer and take another look for the concealed mechanism. Fortunately, by this time, Bai Yan was finally able to find the key hidden away in a small crack on the desk and opened the escape room’s door.
“Handsome brothers and pretty ladies, congratulations. You solved it.”
Once the door opened, Bai Yan heard the guide’s congratulating voice.
The guide had been standing close by the door with a smile plastered on her face as if she were waiting for them at the exit.
When the door had already opened, the staff members were standing outside, making Wang Ziwen’s cheeks flush with color from the embarrassment of seeing her lift bed’s board.
She awkwardly got up from her position and snatched the cell phone from Xu Xiaojing’s hand, pretending as if nothing happened and following everyone as they left the escape room.
After they departed from the escape room, the guide led the group through a dark and eerie passage, not asking to cover up their eyes this time.
As they reached the end of their path, they turned left and finally reached their destination. Inside the entrance was painted only black. Even if everyone was just a few steps away, they still couldn’t make out what items were inside.
“Okay. Ahead of you is the haunted house. Prior to entering the haunted house, I need to explain some ground rules first.”
The guide clapped her hands, grabbing everyone’s attention to her alone, and with a smile on her face, “First, under any circumstances, everyone must not hit staff members disguised as ghosts. Being employees in a haunted house is not easy. I hope that everyone could act in a civilized manner and not hit anyone.”
The two girls nodded their heads in understanding. Having guests unintentionally hit the haunted house staff because of fear was a common occurrence, but naturally, both girls would never do such a thing.
Bai Yan and Su Yize also believed that this statement was normal, and continued to quietly listen to the guide’s instructions.
“Second, the passage inside the haunted house is extremely narrow. For the sake of everyone experiencing the thrill, may I ask everyone to stand in one straight line. You may decide amongst yourselves what order you want to go in, but once you enter, you won’t be able to switch places.”
After the guide had stopped talking, Xu Xiaojing was the first one to react, saying, “I don’t want to be at the front or at the very back!”
Once she finished speaking, she looked at Bai Yan and Su Yize and hesitated, “Ms. Guide, may I ask? Will you accompany us inside the game?”
“Yes, I will be standing at the very front and will be leading the way. Pretty lady, if you’re afraid, I can hold your hand. It’s alright.” The guide displayed a wide smile.
Seeing that the guide looked good-natured, Xu Xiaojing had made her resolve again. She could ask the two men she was unfamiliar with to stay at the back. Wouldn’t it be too embarrassing if they see her cry again from terror?
And, if she were the first in the line, she would be pulled along by the good-natured guide and behind her would be her close friend, having her back. This arrangement made her feel at ease the most.
As a result, Xu Xiaojing shyly said, “I’ll still be at the front. Wenwen, could you stay behind me? I get scared easily, so I might be more comfortable if you’re there.”
She looked inquiringly at Wang Ziwen and the boys, none of who seem to have a problem with it.