Spring Break

Chapter 16: Brain Storm

In a room heavy with collective anticipation, we all huddled together, our attention riveted on Logan. He was about to reveal his carefully formulated plan. The strategic approach he proposed revolved around utilizing the layout of the house to our advantage and maximizing our defensive capabilities, making the best use of our resources.

"Brace yourselves for another wave of explosives at exactly 3AM, and currently, it's 2:19 AM," Logan began, his voice steady and commanding. "Three of us need to be near one of the explosives just before they detonate. We'll need to yell as loud as we can to attract the attention of each killer. Once they're drawn towards us, we sprint away as quickly as possible, hoping the explosives take out the killers. If the explosives fail to eliminate the killers, we resort to using our guns."

Katiana, her brow furrowed in concentration, broke the silence. "Who will be the chosen three to act as decoys?" she asked.

"Considering their speed, I believe Aurora, Alexander, and Shavier would be the best candidates for the job," Logan responded. The irony wasn't lost on us - Alexander had been a bully to Aurora and me for years, and now we were expected to work together to survive this nightmare.

Aurora's sharp intake of breath echoed in the quiet room. "Me!? Why me!?" she exclaimed, her breathing quick and fear palpable. Cassidy moved to soothe her, her voice a calming murmur in the tense atmosphere.

"Me!?" Alexander protested, his voice laden with disbelief. "I ain't doing shit!"

With a sarcastic quip, I replied, "Well, this is going to be fun," casting a sideways glance at Alexander.

Logan continued to detail the plan, "Then, Freddy, Liria, and William can flank them from behind and attempt to attack, since they are all significantly strong."

Freddy nodded in approval, "I think it's a solid plan. Good job, Logan."

"Now, let's prepare ourselves to kill those assholes." Freddy said, his voice resolute. Everyone started getting ready, except for those who were to stay behind and those who were supposed to merely distract with their shouts.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Katiana standing alone by the hole, staring down into the darkness. I approached her and asked gently, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. "It's just that there's so much happening at once."

"You're right, it is a lot to process. But remember, we're going to make it out of here," I reassured her, offering a warm smile.

"Yeah, I know I'll survive this," she replied with a small nod before walking away.

Just as we were about to leave, the sound of footsteps from the stairs leading to the attic made us freeze. Those with guns swiftly pointed their weapons towards the staircase, ready for whatever or whoever was about to appear.

To our surprise, Emely and Daniel emerged from the staircase. The sight of Emely, alive and well, brought a wave of relief and joy. But the surprise of seeing Daniel was equally strong.

"Daniel? You're alive?" Alexander blurted out, his voice filled with disbelief. They exchanged their usual handshake and a hug. In my mind, a sarcastic voice retorted, "No, he's dead. You're just seeing his ghost. Of course, he's alive! Can't you see him standing right there?"

As William was about to go hug Emely, Daniel quickly pulled her into his arms and kissed her. William could only stand and stare, before finally walking away.

"How did you guys know we were here?" Logan queried.

"Daniel found me in the room I was hiding. I told him about our plan, and he agreed to help. Then, I informed him we were supposed to gather in the attic, so he helped me get here," Emely explained, her voice muffled as she leaned into Daniel's embrace.