Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Whoever was fucking with us was partially responsible for everything that had gone wrong.
The voice on the recording came back, gaining everyone’s attention.
“Time’s up! I hope you all prepared well. I’ll be mighty disappointed if you let me down.
Now listen closely, it’s a matter of life and death.
Sixteen in total, take away one.
The price to be paid is within your hands.
A small token to show you’re paying attention.
Your ears will hear.
The mind will solve.
Your tongue will help you give me what I want.
Once you see it, take a breath.
One quick cut and the maze awaits.
Be quick and steadfast, you have fifteen minutes. If you fail, your life is forfeit.
Tick, tock, it’s time for judgement.”
There was an audible click that signaled the recording had ended.
“What did she mean by our lives will be forfeit?” Max questions, his voice slightly shaking.
“Who knows. It’s nothing to be scared about. All of this is clearly some big ass ruse to make us shit our pants,” Cooper replied.
“I think we should try to solve the riddle in case it is more than that,” Hayven argued.
He rolled his eyes and stepped away from the tool bench. “Suit yourselves. I’m going to sit down until the clock hits zero. They should let us out afterward.”
I glanced down and saw a countdown of sorts had begun. Based on the numbers already shown it had started as soon as the recording ended.
How was that possible? Someone had to be listening in or watching us right this second. That was the only logical explanation for the way everything was panning out.
“I don’t think they’re going to just let us go. Think about it, why go through all the trouble of setting this up just to open the doors anyways?”
He didn’t respond, but he didn’t flat-out reject my theory either.
“That makes sense,” Dion agreed.
“Or like Cooper said, whoever is doing this only wants to scare us,” the redhead suddenly chimed in. There was a hint of southern twang in her tone. “Why would we feed into this crap? Do you really believe we’ll be in real-life danger for not going along with some weird kids' elaborate prank?”
Well, there she and I had a difference of opinion. If this person was a kid, then technically so were we and I didn’t think they were weird. I thought they were kind of brilliant. I didn’t say any of this out loud. I could sense a debate brewing and knew to diffuse any possibility of it beginning.
This may have been some ridiculous scheme thought up by who knows, but I’d decided to play along and right now every second wasted was one we couldn’t get back.
“We have approximately thirteen minutes left to solve this riddle. How about focusing on that so we have a better chance of possibly getting out of here?”
“Wait. Shouldn’t we introduce ourselves first?”
I looked towards Cooper with slightly raised brows. “Is that direly important right now?”
“In the future when you tell your grandkids how you got locked in a barn with a group of strangers, won’t you want to tell them their names?”
The answer to that was a simple no. I didn’t plan on having children so there would be no possibility of grandkids, but I didn’t need to tell him any of that.
I also refrained from pointing out his lack of awareness of our surroundings. Less than a foot away two masks belonged to the girls not wearing them.
“Which one of you is Elizabeth”
“Me,” the blonde raised her hand.
“Then that makes her Jessica.” I pointed to the redhead. “Now we’re all introduced.”
“Too good to tell us who you are?” he challenged.
I forced a smile while reigning in my temper. He was testing my patience and when that was gone, he was going to profusely regret speaking to me at all.
“Can you stop? Everyone knows who they are, man. Knock it off,” Dion cut in.
Mm. Brownie points for him.
“She mentioned sixteen…” Grace trailed off, voicing her thoughts out loud.
“Isn’t fifteen the answer then? We have to take away one, right?” Elizabeth speculated.
Mel was quick to shoot her down. “No. That’s far too simple.”
I repeated the riddle as best as I could inside my head and found myself studying my hands. “Are we supposed to touch something? Maybe grab onto something? I don’t know what else could be in here we need to see.”
“Within our grasp…I think you’re on the right track,” Max replied animatedly.
“What if it’s senses then?” Mel suggested.
Dion made a sound of agreement and nodded. “You’re both right.”
“Then what is the answer?” Jessica prodded with audible irritation in her tone.
“Use that beautiful brain of yours to help figure it out,” Cooper taunted in a flirtatious manner.
She flicked him off and turned to face the opposite direction.
“The missing sense would be touch,” I stated. “In the…riddle if that’s what we’re calling it, she named four. We see. Hear. Taste and smell. Wait, no. It can’t be senses. The mind part doesn’t fit.”