Chapter 2

The lights in the municipal interrogation room were blinding, more suffocating than the dim lanterns in the escape room.

Across from me sat Daniel Shaw, head of the city’s Criminal Investigation Unit.

Beside him, taking notes, was a young female officer named Emily.

“Miss Sullivan, go over what happened last night again. In detail.”

Daniel’s voice was calm but carried an unmistakable pressure.

“Don’t leave anything out, no matter how insignificant it seems.”

I nodded, trying to steady my voice.

“Last night was Halloween. Our boss, William Zoo, booked out a rural horror-themed escape room. He said anyone who made it through without screaming would get ten thousand.

“There were nine of us. After we went in…”

I went through everything—the layout, mechanisms, and performance of the scarecrow character with the oversized pumpkin head.

He didn’t move, just listened in silence.

“You said the pumpkin-headed character chased you with a chainsaw?”

“Yes. It was incredibly loud, just this constant buzzing.”

“And you found it too noisy, so you went off and hid in a compartment?”

“Yeah. I’ve done a lot of escape rooms. There’s usually some kind of hidden space like that.”

Daniel exchanged a glance with Emily.

Something about that look made me uneasy.

“So you found the compartment, climbed inside, and then put on your headphones and watched videos until you fell asleep?”

“Yes…”

“Where’s your phone?”

“In my pocket.”

Emily walked over, put on gloves, and took my phone from my coat pocket.

She tapped on it for a moment, then handed it to Daniel.

He glanced at the screen, his brow tightening.

“Miss Sullivan, your video app shows no activity between ten last night and seven this morning.”

“The record is empty.”

I froze.

“That’s impossible! I was watching… I watched several comedy creators!”

“Then why is your viewing history empty?”

Daniel turned the phone screen toward me. “Did you delete it yourself?”

“I didn’t!” I blurted.

“Officer, you can check. I’m a huge fan of horror films and escape rooms. I’m used to that level of intensity. Even in that kind of environment, I instinctively look for a safe spot to settle down.”

“Is that so?”

Daniel reached into the evidence bag and took out another item.

It was an old-looking walkie-talkie-style remote.

“This was found at the entrance to the compartment where you were hiding. It has only your fingerprints on it.”

My heart sank.

“That’s not mine! I’ve never seen it before!”

“Miss Sullivan.” Daniel leaned forward slightly. “That compartment isn’t part of the escape room’s original design.”

“What?”

“The owner says they never built a space like that. It was added later, without their knowledge.

“And it was installed just last month, right around the time of your first visit here. Our tech team examined it.”

Daniel’s voice turned cold.

“This remote was modified. It’s a trigger. One that can start the chainsaw remotely. By the way, that chainsaw wasn’t a prop.

“It was a compact, battery-powered saw. When we found it, there were still bits of flesh and scalp caught in the teeth.”

My stomach lurched, acid rising up my throat.

Kevin’s plaid shirt, the director’s Chanel suit, and the faces of the others flashed through my mind again and again.

“And the other button…”

He paused. “It was meant to trigger a micro gasoline charge planted in the fire sprinkler system.

“The blast radius wouldn’t be large, but it would’ve been enough to turn the entire farmhouse into an inferno in seconds.

“However, it seems the killer hit the start switch but never triggered the detonation. Why do you think he hesitated?”