Great. So Erin was going to be attached to Lia and unable to see a damn thing. She should have called out sick. Shanice wouldn’t have turned up to her apartment and dragged her here, would she?
Kiera ushered them into the room. The only light in there was a strip of green along the floor to mark the perimeter of the small space. As she tried to move as far away from Lia as possible, Erin’s shoulder brushed against the wall.
A window looked out into another room, but that was just as dim. Erin couldn’t look around to see what kind of puzzles were on the walls.
“If you feel claustrophobic at any point, hit this.” Kiera pointed to a large button beside the door. “That’ll let you out into the hall.”
Though she had no intention of pressing it, Erin nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’ll know when the game begins. Good luck.”
The darkness grew deeper once Kiera closed the door behind her. All Erin could hear was both their breaths. After a few seconds, Lia’s turned quick and fast.
“You’re not having a panic attack, are you?” Erin asked.
“No. But I am wondering what the hell I’ve gotten myself into.”
“You and me both,” Erin muttered.
“At least you’ve done one of these before!”
“You’ve never done an escape room?”
“No. And if I knew it’d involve being bound to you and shoved into a glorified cupboard, I’m not sure I would’ve agreed to come.”
“Team bonding is mandatory.” Erin made her voice sickly-sweet as she parroted Shanice’s words whenever Erin had protested any of their activities. “But don’t worry. I’ll have us out of here in no time.”
“Cocky.”
Erin shrugged. “I prefer confident.”
“Of course you do. You are so—” Lia cut herself off as, through the window, the other four members of their team were led into the adjoining room.
They were chatting freely, and Erin was glad they were audible. Good. Erin was sure they’d need to communicate with one another if they were going to be quick about this.
A few seconds after the door of the other room had closed behind them, a countdown began on the television screen hung on the wall.
Game on.
* * *
Being handcuffed to Erin Finch was not how Lia had expected her Wednesday night to begin.
The room was so small that Lia had nowhere to go. She was hyperaware of the heat of Erin’s body, and, every so often, their joined hands would touch. Lia’s was clammy, nervous energy making her sweat, but despite all her earlier protests, Erin seemed unbothered by the position they’d found themselves in.
She stood with her face pressed against the window into the other room, barking orders at the rest of the team. “How hard is it to find a light switch?!”
How was this good for team bonding? A few minutes in and Erin already seemed annoyed.
Content to wait it out, Lia leaned back against the wall. She didn’t see what else she could do; even as her eyes adjusted to the dark, it wasn’t enough to be of any use. Some things hung on the wall—framed pictures and a few posters—but she couldn’t make out any words or shapes.
When the lights came on, she breathed a sigh of relief.
But Erin sprang into action, dragging Lia along as she moved around the room, greedy eyes scanning each wall.
Lia’s arm was yanked at an awkward angle. “Ow!”
“Keep up!”
