THE ESCAPE ROOM

This short story will be linked up at the SHORT STORY PROMPT LINK PARTY 23.

Ready? Here’s the prompt:
They knew it was a trap when…

Now, here’s my version:
THE ESCAPE ROOM

They knew it was a trap when the guide closed the door and left them in the room. Something about the way the young woman looked at them wasn’t right. How could they have been so naive? Their friends had urged them to go, it will be fun they all said. Susan had gifted Judy with the escape room experience for her birthday.

Judy and Susan were above average college students. They both loved riddles and puzzles and felt they could complete the mission in the allotted time. What could go wrong? It was only one hour and you’re not really locked in and can leave at any time, right?

Upon watching the guide close the door, they both looked at each other. They thought they heard the door click as if being locked. Judy tried the handle, yes it was locked!

Susan immediately began looking through books on a single shelf as Judy looked in a desk drawer. Susan found a handwritten note in one of the books, it read – Good Luck! At almost the same time Judy found an exact copy in the desk drawer. They looked at each other and held the note as if to say what the heck, of course we need luck they both thought, although they didn’t speak to one another at that moment.

A painting caught their attention. They walked over closer and just stared at it trying to see if there was a potential clue. It was a nice painting of a beach scene with palm trees, seashells, and aqua colored ocean water. Judy looked at Susan just as she wiped her own brow and noticed that Susan was sweating too.

Looking around the room they saw a Rubik’s Cube on a side table next to a chair. The table also included a small lamp. An old newspaper, yellowed by age was on top of the desk as was an old Texas Instruments calculator. A small table with two chairs displayed a game of checkers. There were four clocks, one on each wall, none with the correct time.

t was too much, it was overwhelming, nothing made sense to them. Judy looked at her watch, they’d only been in the room for 10 minutes but it seemed longer.

“I can’t do this, I want out!”

“Me too!”

Judy walked over to the door and began knocking on it. Susan noticed a surveillance camera in one of the corners of the room. She began waving at the camera as Judy continued knocking. They both yelled.

“We want out, we’re finished.”

“Come and let us out. We don’t want to do this any longer.”

No one came to open the door. They were trapped!

Scanning the room for more clues, Judy felt desperate as Susan began to cry and shout out loud for them to be freed. Trying to calm her friend, Judy noticed that they’d now been in the room for thirty-five minutes. If they could hold out for a while longer the hour would be up and they could get out.

“Did they turn the air conditioner off? I can’t breathe!”

“The temperature does feel like it’s getting warmer!”

Judy led Susan over to the table and they sat down in the chairs.

“Do you want to play checkers?”

“Not funny, Judy.”

Looking at her watch again, Judy saw that another ten minutes had passed. She assured Susan it wouldn’t be much longer. Susan began crying again as she put her head down on her crossed arms on the table.

Judy looked around the room again not noticing anything new. No clues jumped out at her as she recalled their friends saying how fun this experience had been for them. She wondered if maybe they should have come with a group instead of just the two of them. Too late now for such thoughts.

“Judy, I want out and I want out now!”

Susan was crying harder now as Judy got up, knocked on the door, looked at the camera waving her hands, and yelled as loud as she could. No one came. Her efforts were useless.

“I can’t breathe, Judy, help me!”

Looking at Susan’s face, Judy knew her friend was in trouble which caused her to beat harder on the door as she continued yelling at anyone who could hear her pleading for help telling them that Susan couldn’t breathe!!

All at once, a door on the opposite side of the room opened. They both looked at the door, not even realizing it was there before now! Looking closer, Judy saw that it had no knob.

Two figures dressed in black and wearing full masks entered the room just as Susan began falling from her chair. Judy caught her friend who had passed out.

The two people didn’t say a word as Judy told them to call an ambulance. They each got an arm and helped carry Susan through the mystery door as Judy followed. Walking down a long passageway, they emerged to find a waiting van.

“We need an ambulance!”

The two figures ignored Judy, continuing to not say a word as they put Susan on the floor of the van. Judy jumped inside, sat down and lifted Susan’s head onto her lap off of the floor.

The door was quickly closed and the van drove away immediately. As Judy cradled her unconscious friend, she prayed that hopefully they’d arrive at the hospital shortly.

Part 2 coming soon…

*This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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