21
27. 6. 22, Sunday, 12:29
Previously on Room of Fear...
***
Damon: Hello, viewers, to the latest episode of Room of Fear, where after numerous weeks of times in their Rooms, one unlucky contestants will finally be leaving. It was a tough decision to make, as the votes we received from you loyal watchers were somewhat even for all, and because many of us will be sad to see the contestant go.
Damon: So now, the points each contestant has collected from every time they made it out of their Rooms under the time limit will be displayed during the 25 days we have been filming. As you know every time they score they earn three points, and the total number of points is 75, plus the minimum amount of points needed is 35 so today will be the day the total will be shown…and the one who didn’t make enough will be unfortunately leaving. Will it be…Ricky? Sherry? Kyler?
Damon: Stay tuned to find out…
Adonis Makylov: 49 points.
Alex Chang: 45 points.
Anne-Marie Talmadge:
Ben Dover: 35
Denver Stein: 37
Emma Vincent: 38
Glen Woods: 39
Jordan King: 45
Julian Vincent: 48
Lana Jensen: 45
Kyler Naughton: 35
Leo Finley: 39
Queenie Sower: 34
Ricky Selfors: 35
Shauna Cash: 36
Sherry Olsen: 36
Tanya Roswell: 46
Winifred Thompson: 48
Damon: And the contestant that will be leaving us from today…Queenie Sower, entomophobe, short of one mark to the minimum.
***
For all intents and purposes the reason for the party was a sad one. Queenie was a popular girl and many didn’t want to see her go.
(Ben Dover being the exception, only producing a burp like always when asked about something.)
It was held in the dining hall, which had been lavishly, elegantly decorated to make her farewell memorable. Interestingly and mysteriously, the food were all favourites of Queenie’s: spaghetti, macaroni and pizza amazingly ordered from Domino’s, though how they found out was an unsolved case to everyone. Balloons floated a few feet off the ground, only weighed down by metal coins; streamers and confetti slowly spiralled down. Someone had even stuck party hats and the odd party horn on the suit of armours, making themselves every single contestants’ hero now.
“Don’t forget to stay in touch, yeah,” Jordan said again for the third time, finishing her soup before you could say ‘finishing her soup’.
“I won’t, you guys have my email and chat, right?” Queenie asked, her eyes seeming a little wet as she slurped the saucy noodles.
Lana handed over her phone. “I haven’t, what is it?”
“Hey, sorry that you got booted,” Alex said.
“Yeah, I guess I should’ve known and gotten out of there sooner,” Queenie said with a bitter laugh.
“It was nice knowing you,” Anne-Marie said mournfully. “We’re still meeting up for that netball match, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Bet your old life is going to seem even more bland than plain porridge once you go back,” Adonis said, which was his version of ‘sorry you’ll miss out on this’.
“I guess,” Queenie sighed. “Am I going to miss sleeping in a mansion.”
“I am sorry, Queenie, that you are leaving,” Kyler said, approaching her, ever formal as always. If there was anyone most likely to show up at a party wearing a tie, it would be him. Which he was.
“…uh, yeah, thanks.”
Of course the Phobia Club weren’t happy that she was going, even the boys who weren’t that close to her.
But the party was something they were happy about; call them mean for taking advantage of a miserable moment, but one couldn’t say they weren’t opportunistic.
***
The whole week the Phobia Club had stopped continuing the Trail. When they talked they talked of the usual contestants-teen things, Rooms and gossip and teasing. When they walked they didn’t explore the ventilation systems, much to a certain foursome’s relief. It was surprisingly easy to pretend the Trail didn’t exist.
But if Blowdart Man really was keeping tabs on them they hoped it would throw him off.
All the same, one doest misseth the sweaty haste of adrenaline and excitement while on the trail of the Trail, coequal if’t be true it meanteth dealing with many, many phobias. Which is why by the time Sunday had rolled in they were eager to get back to the Trail and its detestable spiders, waters, bugs, wide spaces, death potential, heights and statues.
But hiding in the same bushes at the same garage waiting for the same van for the same reason had the same level of fun as last time: zero.
The Secret Seven 2.0 once again squatted in the undergrowth, fighting the hordes of bugs with repellent so pungent it was a wonder the two men stowing Queenie’s luggage into the van hadn’t gotten a whiff. Yet. Other less physical enemies like Impatience and Leg Cramps simply had to be tolerated until Lana gave the signal for them to open the back doors and try to be as flat and short as possible when hiding amongst baggage. It was also the same plan as before: fake a stomach bug, hide in the garage, become stowaways and catch a cab to Allison Banks’s house (it was the weekend, which pretty much guaranteed that Leith and Conrad should be there).
However there were two different, very important factors that made this plan different, and it was solved by three things: improvising, hoping and praying.
One, Queenie’s address was quite far: 3795 Cathedral Avenue, West Nyack. Best case scenario the drivers would stop at a gas station or something, where’d they get off. Worst case scenario they’d have to make it all the way from West Nyack.
Two, the van wouldn’t be there by the time they’d get back, which meant they’d have to head back to Ashwood Mansion through their own means. A hastily thought-up plan resulted in the decision to call another taxi to someplace near Ashwood Mansion, then they’d walk back there through the woods and get back in through the ventilation system. A flimsy plan, but the ONLY plan.
“Okay, Queenie’s getting in,” Lana observed. “Right…we go in…now.”
The first time had been bad enough, all seven of them crammed into one tiny space, but now with luggage they were forced to get creative in their positions. Leo and Emma, the two smaller ones, were more fortunate – squeezing themselves into the small spaces in between the bags and the wall separating the back seat. The other five half sat and half squatted on top of the suitcases in order to not hit the ceiling. Thankfully the back was covered, meaning Queenie wouldn’t see them if she turned around.
Every Phobia Club member had their phones out. They had to stay quiet, which meant the only method of communication was via the Internet. Text alerts were switched off, so they pretty much just stared at the screen the whole trip.
MilkyWay: i used to like cracking my back
MilkyWay: now not so much
Moons: how much longer
Camera: idk
Wolf_1: im not that tall n my head is bumping the top
Fido: I hit my head yesterday. Probably at the rate we’re going Imma be getting myself a concussion
LiterallyDead: yippee
IAmNotADwarf: @LiterallyDead your jacket is stuck on my jacket
***
1043, Union Street, house number 15 was a quaint old thing, straight out of the family dream: white picket fence, whitewashed walls, grey slate roof, immaculately trimmed rose bushes and a gravel path leading up to the wooden door.
What was NOT quaint was the sight of seven people groaning, collapsing to the ground or doing stretches in a pose any contortionist would be proud of.
“Never again,” Freddie groaned.
“Please, no more hiding in cars,” Julian complained.
“I don’t even want to see a van anymore,” Denver lamented.
“Shut up, guys, and look more respectable,” Emma reprimanded. “Someone’s coming.”
The white door was pulled open by a woman in her late forties, dressed in a maroon sweater and khakis, her greying brown hair tied back in a loose ponytail. She didn’t turn around to face them, calling something inaudible over her shoulder, which made them wonder if they had come to the wrong place.
She finally faced them. “I don’t think I know you. Are you from the school newspaper? I told them I didn’t want to do an interview already, dear.”
“Um, no. My name is Lana, and these are my friends, Emma, Freddie, Adonis, Julian, Denver and Leo. Are you Allison Banks?”
“That I am,” she said amiably. “How can I help you?”
“Not to sound weird or anything, but we happen to be part of Room of Fear,” Adonis bragged. “So we kind of know your sons – Leith and Conrad, right? Are they here and can we talk to them?”
He was cut off by an approaching figure.
“Ma! Who’s at the door?” The figure shielded his eyes from the sun and leaned out. Whichever twin it was, he visibly gulped when he saw them, which provided helpful proof as to which twin it was.
“Oh hello, Leith,” Julian said. “Long time no see.”
“Leith, do you know these people?” Allison asked, one eyebrow perfectly raised.
“That I do,” Leith muttered, not looking at his mother. “And if they’re here, and if Curtis is out of commission, it’s not good news.”
Louder, but not enough for his mother to hear, he said, “You didn’t take their advice, did you?”
“You know what, invite them in and you can talk,” Allison told him, walking in to the house. “I raised you to have better manners, so are you going to leave them out there in the sun? Conrad will fetch you guys tea, out back.”
***
The backyard was as idyllic as the front, mowed lawn, perfect rows of sunset-shades flowers, tyre swing hanging lonely from a giant oak in the corner and a wooden table under the patio, complete with steamy tea and creamy cakes, which everyone was stuffing their mouths with as discreetly as possible.
Leith shifted uneasily in his seat and took nothing. He kept glancing at the back door, as if hoping his mother would show up and save him. Or perhaps he was just looking for the opportunity to glare daggers at Conrad, who had presented the meal and promptly ran back into the house before his twin could drag him back.
“Who sent you to come find me?” he asked finally, taking a long slurp from his cup. He eyed them over the rim suspiciously. “Curtis? Gwenda?”
“Christopher Geller, actually,” Freddie said. “And you know Curtis? Interesting, because it took us forever to find a mention of him anywhere.”
“Of course I know Curtis,” Leith said, offended. “He’s technically my uncle, though I only met him once…that I can remember.”
“So you know all about the Trail, since you seem to know why we’re here,” Adonis concluded. “Why not tell us more about it right now? And please stop telling us to quit – I’ve had enough of hearing that.”
“I would, dude, believe me,” Leith winced. “If I could. But I can’t.”
“Because you are under some vow? Promise? Loyalty to Jon Ashwood or Curtis?” Denver guessed.
“Because I really don’t know.”
“He’s starting to sound like Megan,” Emma said in an undertone to Lana.
“Then tell us what you know,” Leo said pleasantly. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”
“You left with permission?” Leith asked, surprised. “How’d you explain why you’re here to Damon?”
“See,” Julian said. “Technically speaking, we didn’t ask.”
“As far as anyone knows at the Mansion is that we’re all sick,” Lana explained. “Now you know how much effort we’ve put into tracking you down, so I do hope you’ll talk.”
“Oh, and explain where the heck you went after that disastrous video with us,” Emma reminded.
Leith coughed. “Yeah, so like, can I get Conrad to tell you? I definitely won’t go in and not come out after that, swear.”
“You’re staying here until you give us answers, pal,” Freddie said casually. Adonis cracked his knuckles.
“Okay, okay, geez, calm down. To answer your question about where I’ve been, here, most of the time. Other times I go bunk at some friend’s. After that video Gwenda told me if I continued to ‘gossip about what happened to previous contestants’, I was going to scare you guys off the show, which meant that she and Damon probably weren’t going to happy with me, so I thought it best to lie low for a while.”
“Liar,” Denver said succinctly.
“What – I’m telling the truth!”
“Not the whole truth,” Emma said.
“Yeesh, what are you guys, Scooby-Doo?” Leith sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Fine, she didn’t want me spreading the rumours about what really happened to the contestants in case it gave Room of Fear bad publicity. And seeing as you know about the Trail already, I think you know what happened to everyone else who found it.”
“Some disappeared, some left the States, some went mad,” Leo said.
“Yeah. And that’s what’s going to happen to you if you don’t quit. We don’t remember anything. Not what we were looking for, not what happened, not what we found, not why we don’t remember, not anything. I don’t know how, or why, or what the heck happened, but we can all clearly remember…being afraid of something. I don’t know what was so scary, but it was enough of a reason to steer us clear of the Trail forever. Besides, the way the giant gaps in your memory messes with you is bad enough.”
“Back up a bit,” Lana interrupted. “You said ‘we’. And, if you don’t remember anything, why do you remember the Trail?”
“Also I thought it was only contestants who found the Trail.” Emma bombastically side-eyed him.
“I’m not entirely sure when it happened, but Conrad and I discovered the Trail around the beginning of Room of Fear I think. Don’t ask me why – I really don’t know. And going out on a limb here, but the amnesia wears off after a long while. You’ll start to remember flashes and bits and pieces, but that’s about it. All I remember, and all I’m guessing everyone else remembers, is something we were looking for called the Trail and that we met someone named Curtis, and that something much darker is screwing with us if we go on. Most of them think they’ve just lost their minds.”
“Let me get this straight,” Adonis said. “You wake up one day, and you can’t remember what you’ve been doing for a period of time. But you feel something watching you and lingering behind that makes you feel very, very afraid of it. And over time you start to remember names, but that’s about it. Which makes most of them and their families think they’ve gone mental.”
“That’s about it,” Leith agreed. “You’re good at this.”
“You still haven’t answered the ‘we’ question,” Emma interjected.
“Oh good lord.” Leith covered his face with his hands. “Can we not?”
“No.”
“I told you before, I can’t remember the details. But I can tell you, I woke up one day at my mom’s house and I can’t think of what the heck I was doing for the past few months, or why I have surgery marks on me. Over the years I can remember a few names, but they all just fade in and out. I know I was looking for something called the Trail, but that’s about all. Then the news about Curtis came out, and I do remember I went to talk to him during that amnesia period, so when you showed up I knew you were here about it too. You’re not going to give up on the Trail, so I might as well help you at this point, or so help me.”
“I am so, so sorry about the amnesia,” Lana said. “I can’t imagine what it’s like.”
“I can, but you didn’t feel sorry for me,” Julian argued.
“Great!” Denver cheered. “Do you think you know what this is? Does it look familiar?”
He unrolled the blueprints they had found in the box on the table. Leith bent his head forward to look at it, with a crease between his eyebrows.
“Yeah, this sort of looks familiar,” Leith remarked. “It’s the original plans for Ashwood Mansion. Jon had a copy that went missing, I heard a long time ago.”
“Anything else about it?” Freddie pressed.
“Sorry, amnesia and all. But I heard a few rumours about…uh, what was it again? Jon’s office, I think.”
“Yeah, that room’s off-limits,” Adonis commented. “Should we break in there?”
“Nah, went there once, it was empty as heck. All of Jon’s stuff went to dude who inherited it, but I forgot who. I remember now – it’s not that office you should be looking for. They say there’s another office, Jon’s secret headquarters where he made and stored his most important work. I think…I think it shows up on this blueprints, so all you have to do is find it,” Leith said in broken phrases, clearly trying to recall.
“We could find out more about the serum,” Leo mumbled optimistically.
“One last thing,” Emma said, stowing away the blueprints. “Do you know any other contestants we can talk to?”
“Yeah, I kind of do,” Leith admitted. “But stay safe, alright? You won’t only wake up with a blank memory. See this?”
He rolled up his sleeves of his t-shirt all the way to his shoulder, and inclined his chin towards a dark spot there. Not natural, that was for sure. It resembled the mark on Adonis and Julian’s neck. Like it was made by something sharp.
“That’s just one of the dozens,” Leith warned. “You’ll get some serious physical hurt if you continue. Think this over and watch out for yourselves, alright?”
“We swear,” Lana repeated, the phrase already being used many times – at this point she was the only one who meant it now, everyone else feeling like they were being nagged at. Which wasn’t far from the truth, if you thought about it.
“So like, when Conrad and I first realized we were missing huge chunks of our memory and had a bunch of trauma issues and stuff, et cetera, Gwenda signed us up for therapy,” Leith said, cringing at the thought. “It was the usual spill-your-guts thing to make you feel better and stuff. I found out later some other contestants went to the same therapy. Believe it or not the shrink there is kind of good.”
“Can we have the name of the therapy?” Julian asked. “I think I should go therapy too.”
“Hemlock’s Psychology Clinic,” Leith replied. “It’s at –”
He gasped and collapsed off his chair.
They already knew what had happened, even as they rushed to his side.
It was confirmed, when they saw the dart sticking out of Leith’s neck.
It was confirmed, when they caught glimpse of a burly, shadowy figure leaping over the fence.
It was confirmed, when Leith stared at them with glassy eyes and uttered, “Run.”