Since I'm starting where we left off, I hit the left button instead of the right button. The whole ride changed, as the cart started moving quicker and the fun-looking clowns looked grotesque. They were like contorted dolls reaching to grab me and tear me apart, especially the red ones. They would grab hold of my arm and scream at me. I was so scared, and I even got bitten a bunch on my arms. The recorder came on again. "Hey, kid! I see that you've made a big mistake. Well, you can only make one more, and I don't think you want to. The next stage is a whole lot scarier than this one, like the fact that they aren't like dolls anymore, but like tall, lanky, and distorted humans- well, more like monsters. These still operate like the other ones, just that they bite softly for a few seconds, and then their grip starts to tighten until they crush your arm. In the next stage, you don't get that time to think as they're biting you softly, they immediately start biting hard, first just hard enough to make you scream, then they break through the skin, then they rip your arms off. Listen, kid, keep your guard up. If you don't, they'll literally eat you." The recording said before shutting off.
I took a deep breath and focused. I got bitten a few times, but that's about it. Nothing was broken or bleeding, I was just bruised. I was getting everything right until I heard Lane scream when I was about to turn, so I looked up and pressed the wrong button. The cart slowed down as the smooth Jazz turned into eerie carnival music. I tried to get prepared for what was about to happen, but it didn't work. The recorder came on again. "GODD***IT!!! WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!?! Look, I won't say this again, don't do that again. Your little friend over on the other side is doing much better. Look, you don't have to let the blue ones bite you if they lunge at you, you can use your bat for that. You can dodge the red ones or just hit them in the mouth when they lunge at you. Bye." And the recording shut off. At this point, I see the monsters and the cart starts to move at my sprinting pace. I see the clowns. They looked like lanky clowns, except for the fact that they were covered in blood and were contorting in ways that humans can't. Also, their faces were contorted into an eerie grin that was just a bit too wide revealing razor-sharp, pin-like teeth.
The clowns' attacks were different too, they wouldn't just lean, they would lunge at me, gaping mouths ready for a tasty treat. Some of them broke through the skin, making me bleed a bit. It was mostly on my left arm, so it was harder to use that one. I did pretty well and could tell I was at the end until the last turn. The glow in the dark direction was wrong. I followed it and then the recording started playing. "Oh... Oh no! Listen, you can talk to me, so follow my directions exactly. Make one wrong move and you'll die, understand?" the recorder said. "Y-Yes, sir," I responded. "Okay, so you're about to go into a war zone of clowns morphed together and all trying to bite you and grab your neck to strangle you out. You better be ready for one heck of a ride, because you're about to get one. There will be a lot of turns so you'll have to listen to me very, very carefully." The recorder said. I looked forward and saw that there was a fleshy mass in front of me. It had an opening that we had to go into.
I entered and got ready. I didn't even have time for that, because I got greeted by two blue clowns and two red ones. I got the two blue ones but one of the red ones bit my shoulder and I screamed. I got it before it could wrap its hands around my neck. There were a lot of turns, so I listened carefully. "Go left, then right, then right again." The recorder said. I did that. I got bitten all over but the recorder finally said, "You're lucky you even survived. You screamed quite a bit, are you okay?" I got out of the cart when it stopped in front of an elevator, and I sat down, holding the recorder. I was covered in blood, but no bones were broken. "I-I'm not okay, but I'll live. Also, will you be here for the rest of the tower?" I asked, hopefully. "Actually, yes I will, now get in that elevator and go up to floor 5." The recorder said. "O-Okay, thanks. Also, what's your name?" I said, getting in the elevator. "Oh, my name is Lorence. Anyway, You see that red box with a white cross on it? That's a medical box, open it and use it to treat your wounds. Bye." Lorence said.
I took the medkit and waited for the elevator to get to the top. At that time, I sanitized my arms and wrapped them up with gauze. When I stepped off the elevator and got greeted by Lane, who hugged me. It kinda hurt because my back was scratched raw. "O-Oh... I'm really sorry, Lee." Lane said, as he jumped back and saw his hands covered in blood. "I-It's fine, but can you sanitize my back and help me tie the gauze?" I said, handing him hand sanitizing wipes and the medkit. I took off my shirt and sat down, Lane sitting down behind me. He was rummaging through the medkit stuff, and I guess he found it. "H-Hold still, this will hurt a bit." Lane said, wiping my back with something. He was right, it did hurt. "Ow ow ow. A-Are you almost done?" I said as he was wiping my back. "Yeah, I'm done now... wait, is that a nail?!" Lane said, pulling a fingernail out of the cuts. I grunted because that hurt a whole lot. "S-Sorry. I'll start wrapping your back." Lane said as he started wrapping my back, chest, and shoulders. It hurt, it hurt so much. When he was done, I looked at the remains of my shirt and decided to just not wear it. I tied it around my waist and clipped the recorder on it.
I could tell that Lane was really worried so I put my arm around him and patted his shoulder. "You must've been really scared over there, huh?" I said, letting him go and just holding his hand. "Well, I guess, but I didn't even get hurt that much. It was just scary. It would have probably been a walk in the park for you, Lee. I-I'm sorry I picked the easy one." Lane said, letting go of my hand and looking at the ground, crying. "Hey, it's fine. We'll be fine, I promise. All of us and the kids at the top of the tower. We'll be the knights in shining armor that rescue them from the top of this tower!!!" I said, hugging Lane. We both got up and started walking around the 5th floor. Then, the lights went out as we approached a desk and we each got a box of matches and a candle. The speaker came on and it said...
"Hey there, kiddos!!! I hope that you guys didn't die at the last test. This is a new test and it's something called an escape room, though this one is a bit more dangerous. You have to get out in 2 hours or you'll be dead, sorry. I hope you like it because to get out you have to fight and solve a murder mystery at the same time. There's a TV at the front of the room and it says how much time you have left. There is an assortment of doors that have various types of locks for you to open them. I'm feeling nice, so I'll give you a hint, the first lock type is a key, and the door below the timer is the door you need to exit last. Bye!" And then the recording cut off, leaving us in silence. The TV turned on, the time in white on a black background, and time was ticking down.
Tick,
Tick,
Tick.