The iron door to the "Midnight Escape" challenge slowly creaked shut behind the seven medical students. The heavy sound of the lock turning resonated like a chain tightening around their chests, a sensation of dread growing as the reality of their situation began to sink in.
"Hayden," a student named Marcus called, his voice tense, "based on your last experience in this place, what do we do now?"
"Find an exit, as fast as possible," Hayden replied, wiping the sweat already beading on his forehead. "This place isn't designed to let us feel comfortable."
Meanwhile, in a control room overlooking the entire haunted house, Chris, the mastermind behind this elaborate horror attraction, was already setting things in motion. He quickly dialed Wendy, his assistant, instructing her to meet him at the props room.
"Chris, what's going on? The guests are already inside," Wendy said, hurrying over. She was still dressed in full costume, her makeup as a ghostly figure from an earlier scene. Her appearance, complete with a corpse-like pallor, was unnervingly convincing as she dashed between shadows.
"I've just finished creating a new scene on the third floor called 'Midnight Escape.' This group of forensics students seems bold, so it's the perfect opportunity to test it out," Chris explained, opening the door to the props room and beginning to rummage through the piles of various tools and costumes.
"Shouldn't the new set be inspected by the park before we use it?" Wendy asked, approaching cautiously. "What are you looking for?"
Chris didn't answer immediately. He moved to the back of the room, his eyes landing on a familiar wooden box. This box, which had previously stored some of his most dangerous and unique props, sat in the corner, untouched for months. Inside were remnants from some of the most terrifying experiences they had ever created.
"I found it," Chris announced, pulling out a doctor's uniform, thick and heavy with bloodstains, the cloth laced with iron chains intricately carved with grotesque faces. He handed it to Wendy.
"Is this my new costume?" Wendy hesitated, the uniform emanating a foul, metallic odor. "Chris, do I really have to wear this?"
"Wendy, we're all performers here. Remember what they taught us in drama school—full commitment to the role. You have to push yourself." As he shook out the uniform, something else fell to the floor—a grotesque mask, stitched together from what appeared to be the faces of multiple men. Chris hadn't expected the mask to be part of the ensemble, and the sight of it made his stomach churn.
Wendy recoiled slightly, taking another step back. "Please don't tell me I have to wear that too."
"It's just for tonight. I want to see the full effect of the new scene. I'll even take a turn wearing it next time, okay?" Chris's voice was smooth, coaxing her forward like a devil whispering temptations.
"Fine, I'll give it a try," Wendy relented with a sigh. She stripped off her current costume and slipped into the doctor's coat, despite the unnatural weight of the chains sewn into the fabric. "Chris, I swear your idea of 'costume' is getting darker by the day."
She picked up the mask reluctantly and placed it on her face. The moment it touched her skin, something changed. The atmosphere around her thickened, and Chris could sense a shift in her demeanor. Gone was Wendy, the cheerful assistant; in her place stood someone—or something—radiating malice, cruelty, and madness.
"Perfect," Chris muttered, trying to suppress his own unease. He handed her the final piece—a hammer nearly forty centimeters long, with a handle that resembled a human spine and spikes at the head designed for bloodletting. "It's hollow, so it won't be too heavy. You can drag it if you need to move quickly."
Wendy, fully immersed in her new role, nodded mechanically, accepting the hammer without complaint.
"Phone in the pocket, earpiece in place. Stay in contact at all times. Ready?" Chris asked.
"Are you coming in with me?" Wendy's voice, now distorted through the mask, sent chills down his spine.
"Of course. Let's go. Our guests have probably been waiting long enough," Chris replied, guiding Wendy into the Midnight Escape set before returning to the control room.
Inside the haunted house, the seven medical students were still navigating the third-floor hallways, their nerves on edge. The group huddled together, desperately searching for clues that might lead them to an exit. Their bravery from earlier had worn thin, their faces etched with growing anxiety.
"This place isn't as scary as I thought it would be," muttered Lucas, the shortest of the group. He glanced nervously at his friends as they lingered in front of a set of rooms on the third floor. "Feels like we're wasting time. Maybe we should split up to cover more ground."
The leader of the group, Sean, a tall and confident young man, nodded. "Yeah, splitting up might make things faster. Lucas, you and Sophie take a couple of people and search the rooms on the left. The rest of us will take the right."
"Finally, some action!" Sophie said with a smirk. She didn't seem fazed by the ominous atmosphere, though her heavily styled hair and bold makeup gave her the look of someone used to handling much worse.
Hayden, the cautious one in the group, couldn't shake the sense of impending danger. He hung back, biting his lip. "I still think we should stick together. I've seen the guy who runs this place. He doesn't play by the usual haunted house rules. Trust me, this isn't going to be as easy as it seems."
"Relax, Hayden. It's just a haunted house," Sean said dismissively. "Let's get this over with."
As the group split up, Chris watched from the control room, adjusting the settings on his phone. He switched the background music to a dark, unsettling theme—Friday the 13th—and then dialed Wendy.
"They're splitting up. Perfect. You're going to head toward the left staircase. Wait there until I give you the signal," Chris instructed.
"Got it," Wendy's distorted voice replied through the earpiece.
After hanging up, Chris quickly applied some makeup of his own, then entered the Midnight Escape scene through a hidden staff passage. He could manipulate dozens of mechanisms in the house thanks to the black phone in his pocket. This, combined with the new traps he had installed, ensured that this attraction was unlike any other.
As Chris crept into position, a chill settled over the group. The medical students were unaware that they were being watched. In one of the rooms, Lucas and his team continued searching through a variety of props, hoping to find something that would give them a clue to escape.
"Nothing but creepy junk in here," Lucas muttered, rifling through a stack of old medical equipment. "Seriously, what's the big deal with this place?"
Sophie, unbothered by the eerie surroundings, laughed. "You're too jumpy, Lucas. This place is tame compared to the morgue back at the university."
Just as she said this, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. The lights flickered, casting long, ominous shadows across the walls. Lucas froze.
"Did you hear that?" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of his heart.
Before anyone could respond, a loud crash came from the adjacent room. The door slowly creaked open, revealing a darkened figure—a doctor dressed in blood-soaked clothes, dragging a massive hammer along the floor. The iron chains around her clinked with each step, echoing through the hallway like the toll of a death knell.
It was Wendy, though none of the students knew that.
Sophie's bravado disappeared instantly. "What the hell is that?" she gasped.
"RUN!" Lucas screamed, his instincts kicking in as the group bolted down the hall, their earlier confidence replaced with sheer panic.
As Chris watched from the shadows, a smirk spread across his face. Midnight Escape had officially begun.