"It's a puzzle," Clifford looked back, seeing Jordan flashing his torch east-ward into nothingness.
Alfred and Claire were a feet apart.
Alfred's hands had already gotten sweaty, and Claire felt like she badly needed veggie burgers and fries. Immediately, a presage of tension was in the air, and they all felt it.
"What sort of puzzle," Alfred inquired, moving a few inches forward.
The bright gleam and glow of the huge twin gate, falling on them all like they were in front of the sun itself. (With protective pods, of course!)
Clifford kept on running his hands on the gate, "huh."
And then an unnerving sound broke out in a flash.
It continued, it didn't stop.
It got louder and then constant. They all paused and rolled their eyes in all directions for the source. It didn't stop.
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock—
They all heard it. They were all confused. Their hearts were now trotting fast.
Jordan swiftly moved forward, running to the gate. His chest rising and falling. He stood beside Clifford, they locked eyes, and then looked in their opposite directions. Their hearts hammering faster against their chests.
Jordan crouched, and ran his hands all the way right till he got to a spot where the ticking was the loudest.
He ran his hand on the surface, it felt cold and dusty on the touch. He brushed it furiously, revealing a bar.
A bar that had a stopwatch counting down.
He gasped and shrieked.
"Uh guys, it's a fucking timer!" Jordan cried out, and others ran to him.
They all began to panic. Sweats now broke even faster.
The time read in digital format, 89, 88, 87, 86, 85—
"What happens when it hits zero?" Alfred asked, all panicky.
"Then we're ground zero," Claire replied in a sharp horror.
"It's the timer for the game... it's the timer for the game, we have to play the game before the time runs out." Clifford assumed and began to fret.
His hands began to sweat furiously. A crop of horrors strung his soul tight.
"Come on, come on." Alfred hushed and dashed to the golden gate. "Uhh," he stuttered, his eyes darting at all angles.
"Says here, only one may play." Alfred read it out and looked back in fear. A ghastly whiteness overspreading his cheeks.
"Who here is good with puzzles?" Alfred asked, and his teeth began to gnash.
"That would be me," Clifford pushed forward, swallowing hard.
79, 78, 77, 76, 75—
"Venga, venga." Alfred jumped out of the red square at the doorstep and allowed Clifford to step in.
Clifford looked up at the huge 6x6 puzzle. His head racked intensely, and he tried to calm his nerves as the ticking hit his head hard. He widened his eyes, and laid his hands on the scrambled image.
Left hand up, right hand left, left hand down and right, right hand up—
69, 68, 67, 66, 65, 64—
Alfred, Claire and Jordan all came close, sharing fretty body warmth. As they watched and prayed as Clifford's hands swung in all directions, they kept an eye behind their backs. They didn't get what he was making, not yet. Their hands were sweaty and shaky at the same time.
YOU ARE READING
The House that Swallows Kids
Paranormális|| 5X FEATURED || When four local kids get trapped in an old house that wails and laughs, their only way out is to play four enchanted mind games. ***** Little old town Brooksville...
