Page 17 of Stay Scared

“That was not my command.”

The answer comes immediately.

Another man speaks beyond the door, low enough that I catch only pieces. The voice through the speaker changes, the almost conversational edge disappearing.

“Check the maintenance route.”

Metal shifts outside. The second voice becomes clearer.

“The shutdown came through the maintenance channel.”

“That channel is sealed.”

“Not anymore. Somebody reopened it.”

The speaker cuts out.

I stay near the door. The beaked man wasn’t theirs, and now someone else has access to whatever killed my camera. The attraction felt dangerous when I believed the people running it were choosing every threat. Now I have no idea who is controlling what.

The ceiling panel dims before the voice returns.

“Salem, move away from the door.”

“Restore Mark’s feed.”

“It’s already being handled.”

I remain where I am.

The lock retracts with one heavy movement, and a narrow opening appears. A man steps through wearing dark clothing that disappears into the red shadows, one hand visible and held away from his body. A second figure follows before the panel closes.

Three men occupy the room now. One remains near the entrance, another stops beside the chair, and the third stands directly ahead of me.

They looked dangerous outside. In here, there is nowhere for their size to go.

The filtered voice comes from the man in front of me. “There are no safe words in Crimson Night.”

“I read the waiver.”

“With us, you have one.”

I wait.

“Say, ‘Take off the masks,’ and we stop immediately.” His voice remains even. “If speaking isn’t possible, tap three times against one of us or any surface you can reach. Make the taps deliberate.”

I look between the silhouettes. “You made your own stop?”

“We made one for you.”

“Why?”

He waits before answering. “The house gets to scare you. It does not get to keep you.”

The man beside the chair shifts once while the figure near the door remains completely still.

I press my palm against the padded wall and tap once, then again.

The room locks around the sound.