A far away scream awoke her. “No, no, no, no…,” she cried. This could not be happening to her. She had promised herself that she would be more careful… that she wouldn’t be like those dumb girls who would carelessly walk into a trap. She was much more intelligent. She would be careful and crafty. When did he slip that sedative into her drink? She did not leave her drink unattended even for a minute, or so she thought. She wasn’t sure anymore. She wasn’t even sure of herself anymore.
She opened her eyes but it was if her eyes were still closed. Pitch blackness surrounded her. Not even a sliver of light was visible. She was in some dungeon. But where did that scream that awakened her come from? Her heart was pounding. This would not be the end. This is not where everything would end. She needed to get out. She had to get out.
Thrusting her arms out, she started walking blindly around her, feeling for the end of the room. As soon as she touched the wall, that same scream echoed from a distance behind her. It must be coming from another room, she thought. She didn’t even want to imagine the cause of that scream.
Slowly but carefully, she started feeling her way through the wall. There had to be a way out. She loved solving mysteries. She could do this. She had to believe in herself.
She could feel sweat dripping down the back of her top in spite of the chilly coldness of the dungeon. And the stillness of her surrounding was getting on to her. If only there was some sound. At some point, she started longing to hear that scream again, just so she doesn’t go mad in the silence.
It felt like an eternity but finally she found something on the floor below. It felt like a small ring but she couldn’t easily move it. Maybe it was a trap door. But she was already in a dungeon. Did she want to risk going down even further?
It can’t be worse than this, she thought and gave the ring a tight tug. This is the end – was her last thought before she hit the bottom.
A plush carpet cushioned her fall and a handsome man was standing next to the carpet holding out his hand to help her on to her feet. “Well done, miss, you have successfully escaped our Dracula’s locked dungeon in record time. Please take this survey and tell us which effects you found most scary and which ones could be improved. Also, let me remind you that you have signed a voluntary participation form and we shall not be responsible for any injuries you sustained during the game. We are happy to have hosted you and hope you enjoyed playing with us. Please have some refreshments before you leave us.”
As the person left, her date walked up to her with a big smile on his face. “So what did you think of my new escape mystery room?” “You are a bloody genius,” she screamed at him with all the excitement of a child. “Please let me try any game that you design in future. I don’t think I was ever so scared before in my life. I LOVE IT! This has to be the best date ever.”
Her friends were wrong. A puzzle maker could be an amazing date for a mystery lover.
