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Arming myself with courage, I dip my toes onto the first step, and it creaks under the weight of my body. My muscles freeze. I want to let someone go in front of me, allowing the terror to sink in and take control, but I can’t. Swallowing the dryness in my mouth as if I’ve choked down a bunch of sand, and I push through. I steadily make it to the end of the stairs and poke around, hoping to find a light switch.
I discover a single cord hanging from the ceiling and pull it.
Red neon lights spark through the large space. It’s not an actual basement like I thought it was. Instead, a long hall unfolds in front with multiple doors at the sides. Five that I count. Two on each side and one at the end.
Tension builds in the room.
Not a single sound can be heard other than the huffs of our breathing patterns. We’re on edge. Even if nobody wants to admit it, anxiety keeps us tense and reeling. It’s like those moments in horror movies when you realize a jump scare is about to happen and you try to brace yourself for it, and it always catches you off-guard.
I venture deeper into the hall until the entire group is touching the ground. Panic rises in my system. My pulse hammers against the ribs. Sweat pools in the palms of my hands. Chills skitter down my spine, keeping me alert and hypervigilant.
Something’s about to happen. I know it deep in my core. A heavy pressure forces my stomach deeper into my insides, while my heart crawls up my throat, getting stuck in my airways.
A deafening bang comes from atop the stairs, and Nance lets out a shriek that makes me jump. When a shadow appears on the steps, everyone backs away in my direction. Nancy screams the entire time, the noise vibrating in my ears.
I tug at Nancy’s and Jen’s arms.
“Move, dude! He’s coming after us,” Sean bellows, pushing his friends out of the way.
The door at the end of the hall swings open, revealing a new figure. It’s an outline made of a swirl of shadows; the neon red lights casting an unholy halo around it. While I cannot distinguish the person’s identity, I’m certain of who it is. The memory vividly pops into my brain as if it were happening in front of my eyes all over again.
And it is, and it catches my breath just the same.
The figure tilts their head, allowing the red rays to reflect off the mask.
It’s him.
Silver Mask.
This time, he’s so much closer than he was when I first saw him. In a closed room, I can take in how tall he is compared to the frame behind him. I estimate his height to be over six feet high, though he might as well be a giant. It’s different to see him being overshadowed by the outside world than to witness him where his aura drowns and overpowers everything around him.
He commands the place.
His stance bounces his weight from one boot to the other, swaying with anticipation as his hands fidget with the knife in the same way they did before. Rolling the hilt between his gloved fingers.
Silver Mask is even more attractive with adrenaline pumping through my veins, affecting my senses like a sweet cocktail.
My heartbeat races with a mix of fright and excitement.
This isn’t real. It’s a simulation. My brain knows this. I’m all too aware of that fact, but it doesn’t change the way my body reacts to the scenario. Even though this is a performance, part of me wants to scream and allow terror to paralyze me, letSlashedwin, and escape this tiny pod of hell.
The other side of me, the one that buzzes with the thrill of the adrenaline coursing through my veins, doesn’t want the jocks to be the ones left standing.
I plan to outsmart them and deceivethe masked man.
Somehow, the thought of him chasing me becomes appealing and exciting, instead of scary and off-putting. Almost… exhilarating, and it fizzes in my system, awakening my senses with its effervescence.
Even more conscious of what’s happening, I move faster and more determined to achieve my goal, dragging Jen and Nancy with me toward the first escape route I find.They locked the one from the left side of the hall and I shuffle with the knob a few times before moving on to the right one. I twist it, and—thank God—push it open with enough time to squeeze my friends into the new room.
Ty, Steve and the other guy follow inside before Silver Mask catches us.
Sean almost reaches the doorway when a gloved hand wraps around the neck of his varsity jacket and pulls him back with a surprising amount of strength. My ears ring from the screams echoing around me, and I rush to slam the wood shut to prevent Silver Mask from eliminating us from the game.
However, this leaves Sean outside to fend for himself. Not that I’m mad about it. The earlier the Slashed actors eliminate them from the simulation, the faster we can leave.
Still, it doesn’t make it easier when his fists slam against the wood.
Fast, hard, and desperate.
