Don't Make a Sound

Chapter 5: The game

Nicole and Gail held hands as they went upstairs. The staircase was spiral and very long.

"He must have been the owner of the house." Emmanuel pointed to a picture hung by the wall of the staircase.

"Maybe. He's hot!" Nicole stared at the picture and ran a finger across the image.

"You call this hot? He's looking like some sick scientist who is suffering for the disease he had a cure to." Gail opposed her sister as the patients kept climbing the spiral staircase that seemed endless.

They finally got to the top of the staircase. Many doors were arranged on each side of the hallway alphabetically.

"It's looking creepy." Ruby muttered.

"Every old abandoned mansion should look creepy." Lucian responded with an attitude.

Cobwebs hung on the ceiling like they were some sort of Christmas decoration. On top of each door was a window. The windows were blurry due to the dust accumulated on them.

"I was thinking we could play hide and seek in here, it would be fun. Trust me." Steven suggested.

"I think you are crazy. Why would you think of that now?" Caroline sighed.

"Why do you think I'm here in a therapy home?" He laughed. "That's because I'm crazy."

Nicole and Gail began whispering to each other. "I think here is just the perfect place to execute our escape plan." Nicole whispered to Gail while Caroline and Steven argued about hide and seek.

"We haven't been around the house and you are concluding."

"It's not a conclusion, it's an assumption. I can't wait to get out of here. I need my life back."

Justin opened a door. It was a well arranged room with cobwebs and dust as usual.

"Wow." Naomi was surprised to see the orderly room. She was expecting to see a scattered room with vintage furniture all over the wall. That's how people rocked their homes in the 1930's.
There was a disc on the table, it was covered in dust. Matt brought out a wiper and cleaned up the disc thoroughly.

"We could play this on Ms Carter's laptop."

Krymson picked up a newspaper that was dated March 10, 1945. "Hey, come see this." Caroline collected the newspaper from Krymson glancing through the first page. It was a picture of some military men armed with deadly weapons. Men who were now skeletons six feet under the ground.

She read the headline. "Military men in action protecting the states."

"Let's get out of here and check the remaining rooms." Kevin was bored staying in the room.

Naomi took a bold step in opening another door. They all walked in. It was just like the first room they entered. "The other rooms should all be the same. " Emmanuel said as they walked out.

"I'm bored. Any suggestions for a fun afternoon?"  Caroline spoke through gritted teeth.

"When I suggested hide and seek, you said I was crazy. Apart from that, I have no suggestions."

"Alright. Alright. Alright. I'm in. If you're in, lemme see your hands up." She gave in finally. They all put up their hands. There was no other way to brighten up the afternoon.

"To avoid interruptions, I'd have to notify Ms Carter and Mr Webb." Steven ran off. The remaining eleven waited for him.

He returned earlier than expected sweating. Climbing the spiral staircase alone should be considered an exercise

"What did she say?" Ruby asked. She was scared of playing the game especially in a mansion like this but she didn't want to be lonely while the others had fun.

Steven began talking again as he ignored Ruby's question. "The rule is someone counts to 100 and everybody goes to hide. If you are caught by the seeker then you would be the next seeker and the game continues. Just as your usual hide and seek."

"Who's first?"

Nicole came forward. "I am."

"Now listen, we know you guys are identical so no switching. If you cheat, you would be disqualified. The game should take place within this floor and the next floor. Do not exceed these two floors." He stopped talking to see if the twin in front of him would respond but she didn't. "Let the game begin."

"If a person is found, how do we call back ourselves? Krymson asked nervously. Hide and seek made her nervous.

"Thanks Krymson. I almost forgot I had a whistle with me. When you find your prey, blow this loudly." He handed the whistle to Nicole

Nicole was blindfolded and began her count. They all scattered. Each was looking for a suitable place to hide. She was still counting.

"15...14...13...12...11...10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...0"  She took off her blindfold. She was ready for the search.

Another spiral staircase connected the floor she was to the next floor. "They are probably hiding there." Nobody would want to hide on the second floor for the fear of being caught.

She began ascending the spiral staircase. The dimness at the staircase sent a chill down her spine. She was beginning to regret taking the first turn. If only she could just find any of them, she would be happy.

The third floor had an air of thick silence that frightened her. "I'm coming to get you!" She called out. There was a reverberation. A feeling of uneasiness got stuck in her throat. She was getting scared. The arena she was in was poorly lit and it wasn't helping matters.

She could feel someone breathe on her neck. She looked back. No one was actually there. Crap! She was cursing under her breath.
The game was getting harder and complex. It was approximately ten minutes and she was without a clue on how to get her prey.

Tables began moving like someone was pulling them one after the other. The noise came from a room. She was listening to the sound cautiously.
From there, she could tell the particular room where it originated.

Noiselessly, Nicole walked to the door. You don't give your prey any hint on your whereabouts and vice versa.

She reached out for the knob and opened it as quietly as she could. This was better, she could now see clearly. The search was on.

The wardrobe was empty. Nobody was there. The whole place seemed vacant. She searched under the bed and every other place she could think of. She even found herself searching a small drawer for a human. She was now a despirado.

The door slammed shut making her shudder. Her heart would soon leap out from her mouth.

She turned around to see if she would see anybody. She was disappointed. Being tired of being scared, she decided she would just blow the whistle and bring the search to an end.

True to Ruby's words, the place was indeed creepy. She summoned courage and left the room. "No more fucking hide and seek for me again."

She was about to get to the spiral staircase leading to the second floor when someone grabbed her into a room. The whistle fell from her hand and hit the cemented floor producing a little sound. Horrified and shocked, Nicole screamed as hard as she could.

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