The weekend had started well.
Cheryl’s nerves began to fade. She was having fun.
After several minutes’ searching, Alfie discovered a wicker basket perched atop the hay bales. Inside was a label reading: BELONGINGS (ALL).
Leo nudged Cheryl on the arm. “Looks like you were right. Nice going, Cher-bear.”
She grinned. “Yeah, it was nice!”
“Okay, everyone,” said John, taking on the role of leader. “Pop your stuff in the basket. I’m sure it’ll remain safe and sound while we get on with the game.”
Alfie looked uneasy. “Even our mobiles, boss?”
“Yes. We have to leave everything.”
“It’s probably to stop us cheating at the games,” said Happy. “Won’t be much fun if we can get all the answers from searching on Yahoo.”
Leo stifled a laugh and had to look away. It caused Cheryl to do the same.
“What about my fags?” Alfie asked. “I don’t want to be trapped in a room gasping for a cigarette.”
John grunted. “Then you best help us escape quickly. Fags, phones, and wallets all in the basket, please, everyone.”
Alfie did as he was told but made sure to sulk.
Monty produced an obscenely large mobile phone and plonked it in the basket. “I ain’t got no signal anyway. They better not scratch it though, I swear down. Seventy-quid a month that costs me, innit?”
“I’ve left my handbag in the car,” said Maggie, glancing at John anxiously. She suddenly seemed less excited. “Maybe I should go get it.”
John dangled his car keys and dropped them in the basket. “The key only works with my thumbprint. Your bag will be perfectly secure, don’t worry.”
“I got to get me one of those,” said Monty. “Maybe it’s time to upgrade the Range.”
Cheryl couldn’t tell if he was joking. “Change your car just to get an upgraded key fob?”
Monty frowned at her as though he didn’t understand. “The company’s top salesman needs the best, innit? People see the bling and want a piece of the action.”
“So having a brand new car helps you sell more tiles?”
“Exactly, luv.”
Alfie tittered. “Should’ve seen the penis extension he was driving before he got the Range!”
“Shut your mouth, blud!”
“I didn’t bring a phone,” said Happy, tossing in only a wallet and a set of keys. “It broke down months ago, and I didn’t bother replacing it. I still prefer to view the world with my own eyes instead of through a screen.”
Cheryl smiled. It was a nice philosophy, but she wasn’t sure she could cope without her phone. Even with few friends, she had it on her constantly — if only to keep pictures of her father close by. She pulled it out of her coat pocket now, along with the small purse she kept her cards in, and prepared to discard it. She expected it to be a freeing act but anxiety took over, and she worried if she should call her mother and let her know she’d arrived safely.
No! She can cope without me for an afternoon. It won’t kill her. I’m here to have fun.
Cheryl tossed her belongings into the basket and stepped back. Everyone eventually gathered at the muddy patch of ground where Leo had parked his car. She wasn’t great with car badges, but she thought it was a Mazda or a Hyundai. Sitting between the Bentley and Range Rover, it looked rather common.
Alfie threw his dogend on the ground and stamped on it, then flicked a few loose strands of slick black hair behind his ear. “So what now?”
John turned on the spot. Once he’d completed a full circle, he grunted. “I’m not entirely sure.”
Maggie was rubbing at her shoulders and shivering, even though she was more warmly dressed than the rest of them. “Are they watching us, d’you think?”
Leo frowned. “What, like, hidden cameras?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“I don’t see any.”
“I was told not to expect help,” said John. “but I thought they would at least meet us here, or keep an eye on things. What if something goes wrong? They must be watching.”
Cheryl kept hearing a word, and she asked about it now. “Can I just ask who they are exactly?”
John cleared his throat and looked at his gleaming gold watch impatiently. “They are an events company, and they already explained that the game would be very hands-off as far as supervision went. We’re supposed to come together as a team and work this all out. That’s the whole point, isn’t it?”
Cheryl nodded. It made sense. “Okay, so how did you find this company in the first place?”
“Actually, they contacted me. They do corporate functions and want Alscon to sign up for an account. One of their reps came by the office and offered us a weekend free of charge as a way of showing what they can offer.”
“So, this isn’t costing the company anything?” said Maggie. “What about the hotel?”
“All part of the deal.”
“Oh.” Maggie seemed dejected. “I don’t feel treated anymore.”
“Just because it’s free doesn’t mean it has no value,” said Happy. “The fun we’ll have shall be no less.”
“What fun?” Alfie huffed. “We’re standing in the mud like spare pricks at attention. It’s cold, man. Is this company even legit? I’m getting a bad vibe about this.”
“Yes, they’re legit,” snapped John. “I had Happy check everything out. It’s all above board.”
Everyone looked at Happy who shrugged his shoulders innocently. “They had a website and an address. The business checked out with Company’s House, too, when I checked. I even called their head office and made some enquiries. This is all just part of the game. I know it feels odd but leaving our comfort zone is exactly what this weekend is about. We should embrace it.”
“Whatever, man.” Alfie rolled his eyes. “Let’s just get on with it because my nuts are freezing.”
Cheryl nodded in agreement. She’d already taken to cuddling herself to stay warm, but it wasn’t enough to keep out the morning chill. An icy sheen coated the steel frameworks of the farm buildings. This was supposed to be about escaping a room, so why were they standing out in the wilderness?
“Hey, bruh!” Monty shouted up at the tin roof of the hay store. “Whoever’s in charge of this thing, help us out, yeah? We’ve placed all our stuff in the basket. Now what?”
Nobody replied. Cheryl saw no cameras. It didn’t feel like anyone was watching.
A car alarm went off. Distant.
Leo frowned. “That isn’t coming from our cars.”
“It’s coming from the fields,” said Happy, pointing yonder with a great big grin on his face.
“It’s the next step,” said John. “We follow that sound and see what we find.”
Leo took off into the field, leaving the others with no choice but to follow. “Last one there has an STD!”
Once again, Cheryl wished she’d worn a pair of boots, but there was nothing she could do about it now.
Monty yelled. “Hold up! Shit, man, I’m wearing Gucci loafers.”
Cheryl had to cover her mouth to keep from sniggering. Fortunately for Monty, the mud fell away to thick grass and their footing grew surer. The deeper they headed into the field, the louder the car alarm became. After a minute, it caused them to cover their ears.
“We must be close,” said Maggie, pressing her mittens against her ears. “I’m getting a headache.”
John rolled his eyes. “Try to enjoy yourself, Maggie. You told me you were up for this.”
Cheryl followed right behind but couldn’t make out what Maggie muttered to John in reply. Were the two of them still carrying on in secret? Or was there a grudge developing? They seemed intolerant of one another.
Proof you shouldn’t shit where you eat.
“The alarm is coming from here,” said Leo, wheeling around and looking in every direction. “We’re right on top of it, I swear.”
The grass was particularly long where they now
stood, and it left Cheryl with wet jeans around her ankles. She kicked at great clumps of greenery to get at the dirt beneath for, like Leo, she also was certain they were right on top of the noise. A few seconds later, she found something hidden beneath the grass. Or, more to the point, she tripped on something hidden in the grass. Her ankle struck an obstacle and she stumbled. Happy had to reach out and steady her. She thanked him.
“A rope,” said Leo, pointing at what had tripped her. “There’s a rope on the ground.”
Monty shuffled over and inspected the ground, then reached down and pulled up the rope with both hands. A great length of it erupted from the earth, tossing up clumps of mud and grass. Inch by inch, Monty slid his hands along the rope, shuffling along and trying to find its origin. All the while, the car alarm continued blaring.
Maggie moaned. “Please shut that wretched thing off.”
Alfie pushed his scarf up over his nose and mouth to stay warm. “I don’t see a car anywhere.”
“It has to be here,” said Leo.
Monty reached the end of the rope and alerted the others so that they gathered around. The rope was attached by a hook to something buried in the grass. Monty tugged it twice tentatively, then followed it up with a good hard yank. The ground erupted, and mud and grass spilled over his loafers, making him dance. “Sod it!”
Leo pointed. “It’s a trapdoor!”
Monty gave the rope one more yank and a large wooden hatch flipped over to reveal a hole in the earth. The car alarm blared louder.
“This is so cool,” said Leo. “I feel like Indiana Jones.”
Happy beamed. “Good work, team!”
Cheryl stepped up to the hole and stared down into the darkness. The thought of climbing down into the earth filled her with dread. She’d watched a film once about a child trapped down a well and it had always stayed with her.
“Look,” said Alfie, pointing at the hatch lid and alerting them to a message painted on the underside in black tar. It read: ENTER & BEGIN.
“This must be the escape room,” said John. “Good work.”
“Did you know it was underground?” Cheryl asked uneasily. Her stomach was in knots, and she had to breathe deeply to stay calm. She could not — could not — freak out in front of these people. It’s just a game, she told herself. Be a grown up.
John shook his head at her. “All I knew to expect was a room, and that if we fail to escape it in ninety minutes, a member of staff will release us and take us to the hotel.”
Cheryl swallowed a lump in her throat. An hour-and-a-half trapped underground? Okay, don’t freak. Don’t freak.
Everyone glanced around, but there were no members of staff anywhere in view. If they didn’t have to be there for over an hour though, they could easily be close enough to get there on time.
Leo placed his hands in his coat pockets and flapped like a bird. “The ninety minutes has probably already started. We should get moving.”
Cheryl shivered as a gust of wind buffeted the inside of her denim jacket. “I’m not sure about this.”
“Me either,” said Alfie, clutching himself in the same way that she was, “and I’m freezing.”
“Can we just shut off that bloody alarm?” said Maggie, still covering her ears. “I’m going to have a goddamn epileptic fit.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Not how that works, Maggie.”
“I really don’t wanna go down there, man,” said Alfie, restating his fears.
“Pussy,” said Monty. “What you scared of?”
“Your mum’s tits. They look like two bags of rice.”
“I’m willing to go first,” said Happy. “If it will make everyone else less nervous.”
Monty kicked dirt off his loafers and stepped up to the hole. “I don’t get nervous, bruh. You lot just try to keep up.” He took a moment to examine the entrance, then carefully got down on his hands and knees before crawling backwards onto a ladder he found inside. He descended the first couple of rungs, then paused before going any deeper.
“You okay?” Cheryl asked. She had to shout over the car alarm.
Monty smirked at her, but it was an unconvincing display. “Yeah, luv, I’m just enjoying the anticipation, innit? Monty’s gunna win this thing, you get me?”
Cheryl wondered if he was panicking. He had stopped abruptly, as if the fear had suddenly seized him. She didn’t blame him in the least. “It’s not a contest, Monty,” she said. “We win or lose this together.”
“Keep telling yourself that, luv.”
Leo tapped his wrist despite not wearing a watch. “Come on, dude. The clock’s a-ticking. Get in the hole.”
Monty hesitated one more moment, then got moving again. Soon he disappeared out of sight, hidden beneath the ground. Covered by darkness.
Like a grave.
Happy shouted into the hole after a minute. “Are you okay down there, Monty?”
No reply. Perhaps the car alarm was too loud for him to hear. Likewise, would they be able to hear him if he shouted up to them?
John paced back and forth beside the hole. “Monty? What’s down there?” He raised his voice louder over the alarm. “MONTY?”
No answer.
Cheryl’s stomach churned. She was both excited and anxious at once. Was it fun she was having? It had been too long to recognise the feeling.
Leo spied the hole suspiciously. “Why isn’t he responding?”
“I don’t know,” said John, hands on his hips. “He best not be pissing around.”
Cheryl moved towards the hole. Whatever was down there, she’d rather find out and get it over with. Any more anticipation and she would puke. She peered into the hole but could make out no details besides the dull glint of the ladder’s first rungs. “I’ll go down.”
John looked at her. “You sure?”
She took a deep breath, preparing to descend into the earth. Here’s me having fun. See, mum, nothing to worry about.
Absolutely nothing at all.
A bright light blinded her and she almost stumbled right into the hole. Leo grabbed her arm and pulled her back just in time. “Whoa! You okay?”
“Yeah! What is that?”
John yelled into the suddenly lit shaft. “Monty, is that you? Did you switch a light on?”
Over the din of the car alarm, Monty finally gave a reply. “Yeah boss, it was me. You need to get down here and see this — and quickly. The clock’s ticking, bruh.”
After almost falling into a hole in the earth, Cheryl’s enthusiasm waned. As it was, both Leo and Alfie went down before she did. Happy placed a hand on her back. “You want to go next?”
“Yeah, um, sure.” Her nerves had recovered slightly, and she still wanted to get it over with, so she tightened her ponytail, pulled her jacket around herself, and stepped up to the edge of the hole. “Will you help me, Happy?”
“Of course.” He offered his arm, and she used it to keep herself steady as she descended onto the first rung of the ladder. It felt hollow and sent vibrations through her foot. As she started down, the car alarm really got inside her skull. Why was it still blaring? Had Monty not discovered the source? If not, then what had got him so excited?
My head is about to explode.
After descending several more rungs, a hand landed on her back and caused her to yelp. “It’s okay,” Leo assured her over the blaring car alarm. “You’re at the bottom.”
She looked down and saw the ground two-feet below her. Descending one more rung, she hopped onto a metal floor. The echoless thud of her landing was ominous, and when she peered back up the ladder, she estimated she was fifteen feet underground.
“Look at this place!” Alfie shouted. “Look at it!”
She turned away from the ladder to see what all the fuss was about and found herself inside a tunnel constructed from half-a-dozen shipping containers placed end-to-end. Separate rooms lay off to each side, their entrances sliced into the steel walls of the containers and barred with gates. A line of bul
bs swung overhead and gave light while hot air pumped in from somewhere near their feet. In several places between the lights, fan blades rotated sluggishly, letting in clean air. Remarkable. “How on earth did they get all this underground?”
Leo shrugged. “It’s only a few buried shipping containers welded together.”
“Oh, come on. This place is impressive, admit it!”
“Yeah, okay, I suppose it is pretty cool. They must have built it first and then put soil over the top.”
“It’s well sweet,” said Alfie. “I didn’t expect anything like this.”
Maggie stepped off the ladder to join them and then immediately covered her ears. John and Happy arrived moments later. They were all inside now.
Fifteen feet underground in the middle of nowhere.
“We have to shut off that noise,” moaned Maggie. The lids beneath her eyes had gone an unhealthy charcoal, and her luscious lips appeared dry. Perhaps she really did have a headache. She certainly looked ill all of a sudden.
The ladder down which they had climbed was not against the rear wall of the container, and there was, in fact, space behind it. Cheryl’s ears told her the alarm was coming from that alcove.
“So what have you found?” John asked as he slipped his flatcap off his head and stuffed it into one of his jacket’s oversized pockets. His brown hair was unkempt and slightly sweaty as he patted it down.
“I switched the lights on here.” Monty tapped a lever on the wall and shoved it upwards. The lights went out. Darkness smothered them. Cheryl swallowed a lump in her throat and wished she’d eaten more for breakfast. Yet, despite the darkness, she wasn’t completely blind. A single, luminous word floated in the shadows. It read: PULL.
The lights flicked back on. Monty still had his hand on the lever, but now it was in the down position. “That word was the only thing I could see when I got down here,” he explained, “so I felt around until I found this lever. Soon as the lights came on that clock started ticking down.”
They all looked at where Monty was pointing. On the opposite wall was a large digital clock with bright red numbers.
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