The darkness stretched on, thick and impenetrable. My hand instinctively tightened around Eileen's, the warmth of her touch grounding me in the unsettling situation.
My eyes struggled to adjust, but there was nothing to adjust to just pitch-black, suffocating silence.
Then Zaya, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, let out an exaggerated sigh. "Okay, okay," she grumbled. "I swear, if this is Cassandra playing a prank, I'm going to kill her. She's always trying to one-up me when it comes to scaring people."
Eileen's chuckle was a shaky attempt at humor. "Wouldn't be surprised if she's standing right outside with a flashlight under her chin."
"That's how she operates," Zaya muttered, clearly attempting to calm herself, though her words betrayed a hint of nervousness. "One time she filled my entire bathroom with those fake spiders and waited for me to scream my head off. I swear, I'm still not over it."
