"honey! What are you up to?"
My husband's voice suddenly came from behind me.
I turned around in astonishment.
To my surprise, my husband was actually there!
He took my hand and said gently, "After we finish touring the wax museum, we'll head home together! Don't worry; I'm here."
My eyes welled up with tears.
I wasn't sure if it was fear or if I was just deeply moved by his words.
Every time we played escape room games, my husband would often comfort me with these words, "I'm here; don't be afraid."
Gradually, my anxious heart calmed down, and I asked him with confusion, "What about that terrifying doll we saw earlier?"
My husband looked puzzled, "What doll?"
"The doll you were holding, the one made of human skin!"
My husband held me close, "There was no doll. Are you sure you weren't frightened by one of the haunted house props?"
How could that be?
I had clearly seen it with my own eyes!
"What about the staff? The woman in the blue and white striped uniform?"
Without hesitation, my husband replied, "She went to clean the wax museum. Why do you look so pale? It's not your first time playing,what are you afraid of?"
I still couldn't believe it.
The ghostly appearance of the terrifying doll continued to haunt my mind." 'Where did you just go?' I questioned.
My husband reached out and gently ruffled my hair, his eyes filled with affection.
'Silly, I just went to the restroom. The moment I stepped out, you disappeared, and then I heard you shouting and knocking on the door.'
My husband held my face in his hands, a concerned expression on his face.
'Wife, are you experiencing hallucinations? It's all special effects, all fake. I'm the real deal.'
Was it really just a hallucination?
I gazed into my husband's sincere eyes, starting to doubt myself.
Could everything I saw just now be a result of the special effects in the wax museum?
Perhaps… I'm just too sensitive.
'Come on, my dear! Let's go explore the wax museum!'
My husband wrapped his arm around my waist, holding my chilly hand.
As we walked away, we passed by the ticket attendant.
I felt like I was having another illusion.
I saw fear in the ticket attendant's eyes, and he looked at my husband beside me as if he were a monster.
How could a wax figure display such a desperate gaze?"
"The Wax Museum has a spacious layout, yet it features only a limited number of wax figures.
The subdued lighting casts elongated shadows, and the floor feels oddly sticky, reminiscent of uncured wax.
As my husband led me further inside, I surreptitiously stole a glance at him.
He walked briskly, his face radiant with an unmistakable delight.
I couldn't help but wonder why he was so elated.
Just as I was about to inquire, a faint, barely audible male voice suddenly reached my ears.
"Who's there?" I halted abruptly.
My husband glanced at me, perplexed. "Darling, what's the matter again?"
I scanned our surroundings.
"Please help…"
A feeble plea for assistance emerged, this time from a corner to my right.
"Honey, didn't you hear that voice?" I asked urgently.
My husband shook his head. "I didn't hear anything. Besides, haunted houses often produce eerie screams. You should be accustomed to it by now."
No…
It wasn't the deliberate, spine-tingling screams.
This man's voice was frail, desperate, and filled with anguish.
Like a person teetering on the brink of death, clinging desperately to their last hope.
"Honey, it's part of the immersive experience. You're imagining things again," my husband reassured me as he put his arm around my shoulder, guiding me deeper into the room.
"Hurry, escape…"
Another elderly voice, this time more distinct.
I turned to look.
Before me stood an exquisitely detailed wax figure of an old lady, crafted with such precision that it seemed undeniably real.
Even her slightly sunken eye sockets were painstakingly replicated.
Her eyes were brimming with vivid red blood vessels.
Suddenly, her mouth moved.
Struggling to open her wax-coated lips, her crimson-veined teeth produced a faint, mosquito-like voice:
"Hurry, escape…"
I realized in an instant :
She wasn't a wax figure!
She was a living, breathing person!"