10: The Locked Room

The silence inside Daniel Cross’s suite felt unnatural.

Winona stepped farther into the room slowly while the others followed behind her. Everything looked spotless, untouched, and painfully normal. The king-sized bed was perfectly made, the curtains were drawn neatly across the windows, and not a single personal belonging remained anywhere inside the suite.

It looked less like someone had disappeared and more like someone had erased him completely.

“That’s impossible,” Keisha muttered. “He was literally checked into this room yesterday.”

Liam walked toward the closet and pulled the doors open sharply. “No luggage. Nothing.”

Julian whistled softly. “Either mega-rich people travel extremely light or our dead actor got vacuumed out of existence.”

Moira ignored him while examining the room carefully. “Nobody cleans a suite this quickly unless they’re hiding evidence.”

Ava moved closer to Winona nervously. “I officially hate this hotel.”

“This was your idea.”

“Don't remind me..."

Winona glanced toward Adrian instinctively. He stood near the window with a tense expression, scanning the room like he expected something terrible to happen at any moment, which honestly did not help her stress levels.

“You remembered this too?” she asked quietly.

Adrian looked at her for a second before nodding once. “Part of it.”

“And?”

His gaze shifted briefly toward the others. “We shouldn’t stay here too long.”

Before Winona could ask why, the hotel room door suddenly slammed shut behind them.

Everyone jumped. A loud metallic click echoed immediately afterward.

Julian blinked. “Okay. That sounded deeply concerning.”

Moira rushed toward the door first and grabbed the handle hard but it's locked.

“Open it,” she snapped loudly.

Nothing happened, then the television inside the suite flickered to life.

Static filled the screen for several seconds before the smiling host appeared once again.

[Welcome, contestants.]

Nobody looked happy to see her anymore.

[Your first survival task will now begin.]

“Oh, absolutely not,” Ava whispered.

[You have thirty minutes to uncover what happened inside Daniel Cross’s suite.]

A digital timer suddenly appeared across the television screen.

29:59

[Failure to discover the truth will result in punishment.]

The screen switched abruptly to security footage.

Daniel Cross appeared stumbling into his room shortly after midnight looking terrified. He locked the door behind himself before frantically searching through drawers like he was looking for something.

Then the footage cut.

“That’s it?” Liam demanded.

[Find the missing truth.]

The screen went black again. For a brief second, nobody moved.

Then Julian clapped once. “Fantastic! We’re in an escape room sponsored by psychopaths.”

“We need to search everything,” Moira said immediately.

Everyone spread out quickly afterward.

Winona moved toward the desk area while Adrian quietly followed beside her.

“You’re unusually calm,” she murmured while checking the drawers.

“I’m trying not to panic in front of everyone.”

“That’s weirdly considerate.”

His mouth curved faintly. “You panic enough for both of us.”

Winona rolled her eyes, but despite the situation, warmth flickered briefly in her chest.

Then suddenly, a violent electric shock exploded through the room.

Keisha screamed. Everyone turned instantly. Keisha collapsed near the bathroom entrance gasping in pain while sparks flickered briefly from the wall beside her.

“What the hell?!” Monica shouted.

The television turned back on immediately.

[Incorrect action detected.]

[Next punishment will be stronger.]

The timer continued ticking downward.

27:13

“Oh my God,” Ava whispered. “This place is actually trying to kill us!”

Moira helped Keisha sit upright while Liam inspected the wall carefully. “There are hidden tasers installed inside the suite.”

Julian looked horrified. “You’re telling me the room itself attacks people?”

“Looks that way.”

Panic slowly spread through the group. Winona’s pulse quickened as thunder roared outside the hotel windows again. Then Adrian suddenly grabbed her wrist gently.

“Wait.”

She looked up at him.

His eyes focused on the painting hanging above the fireplace.

“A few minutes ago,” he said quietly, “that painting was facing the other direction.”

Silence filled the room. Then everyone turned toward the painting slowly.

And behind the frame, something moved.