We couldn't leave the room before nightfall.
Doing so would only rouse the suspicion of our roommates.
And so, as planned with the others, we waited until it was time to turn in.
Both Aron and I climbed into our beds and bade the NPCs a good night.
Lights out was at 11:30PM sharp. The same as yesterday, though I hadn't noticed at the time.
When the fluorescent ceiling bulb finally blinked out, I once again lay in bed looking at the rapidly fading orange glow where it had been.
My hand was resting on the pillow up against my head. In the dark, I could hear the faint ticking of the wristwatch I wore.
I counted the seconds silently while listening for any noise from either of the beds across the room.
…7 …8 …9…
The subtle sounds of soft, deep breathing indicated that one of the NPCs had already fallen asleep. I'd discovered that several of the guys here had made it a nighttime routine of tiring themselves out on the running tracks before going to bed.
It was so they wouldn't have to lie awake and face the creature in the dark.
…16 …17 …18…
Even if the other NPC was still awake, there was no indication he would get up again any time soon. Once he'd shut his eyes after lights-out, he'd probably refuse to open them even if he heard something.
…He must've shut his eyes by now, right?
…27 …28 … 29…
I silently sat up and slid off the bed in one smooth, quick motion. Now that I was familiar with the layout, I didn't even need the ladder.
I hadn't taken my shoes off. The moment I felt the hard floor underneath my soles, I quickly padded over to the exit.
Directly in front of me, I could hear some very faint shuffling as Aron led the way in the dark.
I'd noticed he had discreetly left the door open after the other two had settled in. There wasn't even a click as he pushed it, and the two of us stepped out into the equally dark corridor.
We'd been quick.
Even so, it was already almost a full minute since the lights had been switched off.
As I turned around to shut the door behind us, I thought I glimpsed some movement from within the room.
It looked like the darkest parts of the shadows, on the farthest side of the room, were gently undulating.
I could've sworn I saw a gigantic, twisted hand begin to emerge from it, with unnatural speed for something that size.
I pushed and carefully shut the door, cutting off the view decisively.
Aron and I stood in silence.
We didn't have to wait for too long.
Within less than five seconds, my straining ears picked up on a few other faint sounds in the corridor, followed by some rustling moving our way.
Then, a light suddenly blinked on. It was a low-light, old-fashioned yellow flashlight.
The holder conscientiously kept it pointed at the floor so it wouldn't hurt anyone's eyes.
'All here?' came Mason's low voice.
Multiple voices grunted their attendance indistinctly.
The oval of light moved from the floor in front of him, picking out another pair of shoes right next to him; that must be Sheila, who roomed with him.
It panned past mine and Aron's, and spotlighted another pair.
John's.
Then, there was yet another pair of shoes. Someone was standing right behind him.
…
But…
John's roommate had died last night, in the last stall of the shower.
He was the only player left in his room.
There was a sharp inhale of breath from someone. I felt the hairs on my arms rise up.
Mason quickly jerked his flashlight higher to illuminate the last person.
'Whoa, what the hell!?' John whispered, his hands rising up to protect his eyes from the sudden light. His face was scrunched up in confusion and shock. 'The fuck's wrong with you, man?'
The light was quickly moved from him, and aimed back at the fifth person standing in front of him.
It illuminated a pale, sweaty face with fearfully widened eyes and trembling lips.
Terrified.
Familiar.
It was the other newbie.
Mason growled.
'What do you think you're doing here!?' he half-whispered, half-yelled. 'Didn't we already say –'
'Please, please, please,' whispered the other boy, shaking his head in a frenzied motion. 'Please. Please.'
'Get back into your damn room,' Sheila said in a low, hard voice.
'Please,' he whispered again. 'I already snuck out. I cannot go back in. The nighttime creature will get me. I saw it. I saw it!'
The newbie's bloodshot eyes widened until the whites of his sclera, both above and below his irises, were visible. 'It nearly got me! I managed to shut the door just in time! You know I cannot go back in.'
'And who the fuck asked you to –'
'Leave this fucker here to fend for himself,' Aron interrupted. 'You already told him what the plan was. You said you'd go above and beyond to get him out of here if we manage to solve things tonight. Since he cannot obey, he's a liability.'
'Please!' the newbie whispered again. 'Please, just bring me along!'
'Leave him, Mason,' Aron repeated. 'We have too much on our plates tonight.'
I agreed.
The way this other guy was behaving honestly made my skin crawl.
There was a soft thump as the newbie fell to his knees.
'Please, no! Just bring me along, and I'll – I'll listen to everything you say! I'll follow along quietly. Like a shadow! If I get into trouble, you don't even have to save me! I won't ask you to! If I die, it's on me! I'll accept it! So, please! D-don't leave me alone here! I'm so scared of being alone!'
Words tumbled out of his mouth like water from a broken dam.
There was an exasperated groan from someone.
I felt Aron shifting impatiently next to me.
Silence. Then,
'Ah, shit!' Mason whispered harshly.
He reached down to haul the newbie up by his arm.
'You said it. Like a shadow,' he hissed. 'Shut your mouth, and follow along, and if you do well, maybe… just, maybe… I won't throw you to the monsters as fucking bait. Do you understand?'
The newbie nodded quickly.
'You will listen to everything we say,' John growled.
'Any sign of trouble, one single step out of line, and you're dead,' Sheila added.
'Hm. Hm.' The newbie continued nodding. 'Thank you. Thank you.'
'…He's wholly your responsibility,' Aron muttered after a moment.
I said nothing at all.
But I didn't like this one bit.
…
…
The main administrative building stood out like an ugly, stout, shadowy lump in the dark of the night.
Mason continued leading the way with his flashlight, though I knew Aron had another one tucked into his belt.
I'd have to remember to stock up on such necessities before my other instances...
The entrance to the building was still barred.
Upon reaching it, Mason nodded at John, who hurried forward and dropped into a low crouch by it. He reached into his back pocket and produced a narrow, long tool and a small slab of weirdly-shaped metal of some kind.
Then, with deft, practiced movements, he fiddled around with the lock.
Within seconds, there was a distinct –
Click!
The door budged, but still didn't open completely.
John seemed to know what to do. He quickly shoved the metal bar in the narrow gap between the door and the frame, and started slowly sliding it along the length.
I watched, amazed, as he found whatever he was looking for, and let go of the bar.
There was some more fiddling before I heard the faint, jingling sound of a dangling chain from the inside.
In the next moment, the door slowly creaked as it opened inwards.
…Looks like I'd also have to remember to teach myself to do that before my other instances…
'We'd already gotten this far during the day,' Sheila whispered to me.
I noticed that she, like Aron, had started muting the 's' sounds in her words while whispering.
'Trouble was, there was someone standing guard outside the Director's room. Given the hour, I'm hoping they won't be there anymore.'
One-by-one, we filed into the building with light steps.
Mason had covered the head of his flashlight with one hand. His fingers glowed eerily red in the dark, just allowing enough illumination to tell where we were going.
Wordlessly, he pointed up at the ceiling, then towards a set of stairs to the right of the deserted lobby.
The Director's office was upstairs.
Our group of six carefully made our way towards it. I could hear the harsher breathing of the newbie as he followed at the very back. At least he had the decency to remain true to his word, and keep his mouth sealed shut.
Right before we reached the first landing, Aron suddenly whispered, 'Freeze.'
He held out his index finger to emphasize the need for silence.
Then, slowly, he pointed to the left of the staircase.
I squinted in the dark. I could make out the old-fashioned balustrade. Through the spindles hung a small, odd shape.
Mason allowed some more light to slip past his fingers, and after allowing my eyes to adjust, I realized that the shape was a cluster of metal cans. They were connected by a thin thread that ran along the length of one of the lowermost steps.
If someone unwittingly tripped it, the cans would rattle and clang together, making a loud noise that would alert of their presence.
It was a simple, unsophisticated, homemade alarm system.
And the only reason it would be needed here was…
…If someone was still in the building.