Do not trust the Russells.
The Game Master on the hotel floor. A fake suicide. A fake confession.
I know Louis didn’t kill himself.
Alicia had been seeing Louis. Louis had been feeding her cheats. Ranielle had found out.
Ranielle Russell had killed Alicia Angelos.
They hadn’t posted it on the Domain yet. They had to make sure there was no possible way Ranielle could wriggle out of this. They might have their suspicions, but the Real Game Master’s promised evidence for the finale would hopefully be enough to see her convicted.
By the time Fitzy started talking about the most recent round, Adi’s legs were aching and he just wanted to get on with it. This was a competition, and Adi wanted to know who had won the damn thing.
The screen played footage from the fun house.
Jarius ripping off his shirt for no apparent reason.
Nadia and Keegan from Mind Hack trying to climb through the spinning tunnel at the same time and ending up in a guffawing heap.
Adi figuring out the runes in the graffiti without having to use the cipher.
All four members of Team Dread doing the twist in the final room and shouting in unison, “Screw you, Pennywise!”
“This round,” said Fitzy, “twoof our teams had a disadvantage! First, Team Helsing used their snag on Team Dread.”
The screen showed Jarius and Delphi in handcuffs, kicking stuffed animals across the floor to try to get them onto the right squares. Then it flashed to Neil victoriously pulling three keys out of the clown’s maw—and the relief on everyone’s faces when they realized two of them were for the handcuffs.
Adi’s mouth twisted. It would’ve served them right to be stuck in handcuffs the whole time. But hopefully the snag had done its job and kept them from being in first place.Again.
“While Team Dread opted to use their remaining snag by swapping out Helsing’s dexterity challenger!”
The screen flashed to their team talking to Fitzy before the round, Sierra proclaiming confidently about Beck, “He has mad skills.”
It cut to Fitzy holding an envelope. “Carter Kelly, they’ve chosen you!”
The expression on her face for that split second was utter horror, but then the video clip showed her throwing the darts. Popping the four correct balloons.3-1-4-15.One. After. Another.
On the risers, Adi offered Carter a fist bump, and she grinned shyly as she returned it.
“Wow,” said Fitzy, clapping his hands. “This escape room is going down in history. Teams, how do you feel you did?”
Impatience clawed at Adi’s throat. Fitzy talked too much. They needed to get on with the scoring.
He knew that wasn’t how reality TV worked. He knew the director and producers had to drag out every little drop of suspense. As stressful as the show was to watch when complete strangers were waiting to find out their fate, it was almost unbearable when it was his own team under the stage lights.
“Carter Kelly!” Fitzy crossed the stage with his microphone. “You dominated this season’s dexterity challenge. Once you found the first ticket, it became clockwork. Popping all four balloons in a row, almost like you knew which balloons held the magic tickets. Tell me, was it luck, or did those balloons hold some secret the other teams didn’t pick up on?”
“Um. I mean . . . it was . . . easy as pi?” said Carter. Her voice came out wobbly.
Fitzy’s lips crooked to one side, amused. “Care to explain?”
“Like . . . the number?”
Fitzy waited a beat, then rolled his hand at her, urging her to go on.
“For real?” Adi said under his breath.
She giggled nervously. “It was your clue, remember? Or, sorry . . . the Game Master’s clue.It’s all fun and games at the carnival.”
