Basement
“Okay guys, don’t panic!” Max holds out her hands, almost in a midst of panic herself. “Don’t panic?! This is exactly the time to panic!” Chris says in a loud and stressed voice as he paces around. “Panicking won’t solve anything.” Anette voices calmly, but her expression is a lot more stiff than usual. On the other hand, Chris just lowers and shakes his head in response. Sarah looks just plainly confused, whereas me and April just stand there in shock. “You sure the map has EVERY room of the school in it?” I ask while Max nods disappointedly. “Yeah. If the key isn’t in one of these rooms then our best bet is to search outside, in the courtyard. That’s still contained within the walls of the school, so it’s fair game.” Max responds and we all heave a sigh of relief. (So there’s still places we haven’t searched… Thank God…) “Okay, at least we’ve got a lead.” I state as everybody has visibly calmed down. “There’s also the basement…” Max adds and I nod. “Yep. Courtyard it is then.” I say in an attempt to avoid the basement. (I’M SO NOT GOING DOWN THERE!) I internally shout as April nods next to me. “We’re skipping the basement, right?” She asks with an awkward smile while Max shakes her head in disappointment. “Okay, courtyard first, and then…” She announces making a pause for drama’s sake. “…The basement.” Max finally adds as both me and April gulp audibly and nervously. “Then let’s go! Time is not on our side!” Chris exclaims and we all split up in different parts of the school courtyard so as to cover more ground.
Almost 20 minutes later, I’m walking the school grounds alone, searching for a small ornate key that holds the hopes of every single person in our group. “Why is this school so damn huge?” I mutter to myself as I crouch in front of a bench. “It never occurred to me that a town as small as Kirkwalle would have such an enormous high school campus…” I continue my monologue as I get up and walk further and further through the courtyard. As I walk I absentmindedly gaze outside the school gate. It feels so surreal to think we can’t reach the street visible just outside the school grounds. I half-expect to see a big crowd watching us from the outside but, of course, no is there. The streets are completely empty. It truly feels like we’re in a world of our own… And judging by the things we’ve seen here, that guess might not be that far off. (Come on… the key has to be here somewhere!) I think as I get back to searching right after my train of thoughts has come to a halt.
After another 30 minutes of searching, and with no sign of the key, we meet up in the school building entrance yet again. “This is an appropriate time to start panicking, right?” The walking, nervous wreck, AKA Chris, voices. “No it’s not guys, we’re not giving up just yet.” Max states in an attempt to boost everyone’s morale. “Guess we have to search the basement after all…” April admits in a low tone and I nod. “This just keeps getting better and better…” I comment on the same note as we all start walking towards the entrance to the underground parts of the school. We soon reach the double, metal doors of the basement, and waste no time opening them. As soon as we do, everybody gazes at the stairs that lead straight into darkness. “I don’t feel any malevolence or danger down there, if that helps.” Anette states as nobody takes a single step forward. “Even so, are you sure we should go down to the basement of a haunted and cursed school?” Chris asks as I find myself sincerely agreeing with him. “He’s right actually, don’t you guys watch horror movies?” I admit as April clings to me slightly and bobs her head. “I’ve been in the basement before, so I know what things should look like. I’ll go.” Sarah steps up and we all stare at her like she’s an alien riding a UFO. “You wanna go down there alone?” Max inquires, tilting her head to the side. “Yeah, since Anette says it’s safe, right?” She asks while Anette gives a firm nod. “I’ll just take a quick peek around while you guys stay up here and make sure nothing happens. If anything looks out of place, I’ll just scream.” She explains with an innocent smile as she starts for the basement stairs. (Uh-oh, what if she is not a main character!?) Everyone else shifts uncomfortably, but no one makes a move to follow her. I can easily tell that one wants to enter the basement, regardless of Anette’s reassurances. Although I’m clearly not eager to go into the basement either, I instinctively step forward. “…I’ll go with her.” I announce after a long sigh. “What? You sure?” April asks me, slightly taken aback. “Yeah, we’ll be safer if we’re together. Plus, you will warn us if anything changes, right Anette?” I say as I turn to her. “Of course. I won’t let anything happen to you…” Anette states and I can feel the tremor in her voice. (She must be thinking about what happened to Chloe… Don’t worry Anette, nothing will go wrong this time, we’ll be fine.) I think as I look back at the others. “A man’s gotta do…” Max teasingly says while nudging April, and Chris just nods silently. (He really is nervous isn’t he?) I think to myself as I hurry to catch up with Sarah, who is already partway down the basement stairs. “You don’t mind company, do you?” I ask as I finally match her pace. “Actually, I’m a little relieved I won’t have to go down there alone…” She says with the same innocent smile. “I figured.” I admit with a nod.
We soon reach the basement, and I immediately realize that IT IS actually a basement. (I don’t know what I was expecting really…) I think as I gaze around the large space. The walls are unfinished, the floor is just plain cement, and aside from the boiler, there’s almost nothing down here. “How come you’ve been down here before?” I ask her with genuine curiosity. “As a freshman, I joined a group devoted to improving the school. We took some videos down here to try and get funding to help us make it nicer and keep it maintained.” Sarah explains as we take small steps further inside. “But I’m guessing it didn’t go well.” I jokingly comment and she giggles lightly. “Yeah, we held a fundraiser too, but only a few people contributed.” She adds to the story. “You like being involved with school groups, don’t you?” I come out and say, somewhat naturally. “Yes! I like doing my part to help out… Plus, I just enjoy being around other people!” Sarah voices enthusiastically. Our voices echo around the mostly empty basement. It’s a little unsettling but it’s better than silence. It almost makes this feel normal, like we have nothing to worry about. “I don’t see anywhere the key could be hidden.” I call out to so my voice can reach Sarah, who’s searching in the corner. “Let’s check over by the boiler, just to be sure then.” She replies and I nod my head in response. We walk across the basement together. Our footsteps echo too, and the sound makes the hairs on my neck prickle. The boiler is too far from the stairs for comfort. (I know Anette didn’t sense any traps, but if she called out a warning to us, what would we do? Would we even have enough time to react?) I glance over my shoulder as we walk, thinking that something might sneak up on us. Suddenly, Sarah gasps and I turn around in a nervous and ridiculous fighting stance, with my fists curled in front of my face. “What?!” I shout when I see nothing. “Now that I think about it, with all the time we’ve spent searching for the key, we have completely skipped dinner!” She explains the reason of her stress and I immediately want to slam my head on a nearby wall. But instead, I heave a long, long sigh of relief. “Wow, that’s tragic.” I sarcastically commentate. (Well thanks to her silly comment I’m not as stressed anymore…) We walk the rest of the distance in silence, but there’s nothing hidden behind it. Everything looks completely normal. “Hmmm… anywhere else we can check?” I ask while rubbing my chin. “I don- Oh! There’s a crawlspace!” She jumps up and leads me to the wall, where a tiny door opens onto the crawlspace that must extend under the rest of the school. “You’re saying we have to go down there?!” I exclaim as soon as I realize. “What if the key is in there?” She asks and I can only nod in understanding. “Fine, I’ll go. But if I see a spider in there, I’m out!” I state while wagging my index finger around. “Okay, if Anette says anything I’ll let you know.” She salutes like a soldier and I sigh for the umpteenth time today before I reluctantly pull myself into the narrow opening. As soon as my whole body is inside the hole, my heart starts hammering against my chest. (I fricking hate confined spaces like these…) I think as the crawlspace seems to go on forever. Although it’s larger deeper in, I’m still forced to crouch. Suddenly but not unexpectedly, a spider crawls over my hand and I bite my lips so hard I think they’ll pop. (THIS BETTER BE FUCKING WORTH IT!) I internally scream as I toss the spider away with one quick movement. After reaching the end of the crawlspace, and find absolutely nothing, I come back out, completely traumatized. “You owe me big time!” I hiss at Sarah, as I remove cobwebs from my hair and she smiles apologetically.
Soon enough, we’re back out in the open with no key in our possession. “Well that was a waste of time.” I state as soon as we meet the others. “At least you guys are safe.” April states as Max and Anette nod. “Safe?! If we don’t find that key, nobody will be safe!” Chris states, raining on everyone’s parade once again, by stating the inevitable truth. (It’s like he is even more stressed every time I see him.) “Could we have missed it perhaps?” Sarah suggests and everybody hangs their head. That is the one thing, we’re all hoping against… (With sunrise only a few hours away, do we have any hope of escaping in time?)
Almost 20 minutes later, I’m walking the school grounds alone, searching for a small ornate key that holds the hopes of every single person in our group. “Why is this school so damn huge?” I mutter to myself as I crouch in front of a bench. “It never occurred to me that a town as small as Kirkwalle would have such an enormous high school campus…” I continue my monologue as I get up and walk further and further through the courtyard. As I walk I absentmindedly gaze outside the school gate. It feels so surreal to think we can’t reach the street visible just outside the school grounds. I half-expect to see a big crowd watching us from the outside but, of course, no is there. The streets are completely empty. It truly feels like we’re in a world of our own… And judging by the things we’ve seen here, that guess might not be that far off. (Come on… the key has to be here somewhere!) I think as I get back to searching right after my train of thoughts has come to a halt.
After another 30 minutes of searching, and with no sign of the key, we meet up in the school building entrance yet again. “This is an appropriate time to start panicking, right?” The walking, nervous wreck, AKA Chris, voices. “No it’s not guys, we’re not giving up just yet.” Max states in an attempt to boost everyone’s morale. “Guess we have to search the basement after all…” April admits in a low tone and I nod. “This just keeps getting better and better…” I comment on the same note as we all start walking towards the entrance to the underground parts of the school. We soon reach the double, metal doors of the basement, and waste no time opening them. As soon as we do, everybody gazes at the stairs that lead straight into darkness. “I don’t feel any malevolence or danger down there, if that helps.” Anette states as nobody takes a single step forward. “Even so, are you sure we should go down to the basement of a haunted and cursed school?” Chris asks as I find myself sincerely agreeing with him. “He’s right actually, don’t you guys watch horror movies?” I admit as April clings to me slightly and bobs her head. “I’ve been in the basement before, so I know what things should look like. I’ll go.” Sarah steps up and we all stare at her like she’s an alien riding a UFO. “You wanna go down there alone?” Max inquires, tilting her head to the side. “Yeah, since Anette says it’s safe, right?” She asks while Anette gives a firm nod. “I’ll just take a quick peek around while you guys stay up here and make sure nothing happens. If anything looks out of place, I’ll just scream.” She explains with an innocent smile as she starts for the basement stairs. (Uh-oh, what if she is not a main character!?) Everyone else shifts uncomfortably, but no one makes a move to follow her. I can easily tell that one wants to enter the basement, regardless of Anette’s reassurances. Although I’m clearly not eager to go into the basement either, I instinctively step forward. “…I’ll go with her.” I announce after a long sigh. “What? You sure?” April asks me, slightly taken aback. “Yeah, we’ll be safer if we’re together. Plus, you will warn us if anything changes, right Anette?” I say as I turn to her. “Of course. I won’t let anything happen to you…” Anette states and I can feel the tremor in her voice. (She must be thinking about what happened to Chloe… Don’t worry Anette, nothing will go wrong this time, we’ll be fine.) I think as I look back at the others. “A man’s gotta do…” Max teasingly says while nudging April, and Chris just nods silently. (He really is nervous isn’t he?) I think to myself as I hurry to catch up with Sarah, who is already partway down the basement stairs. “You don’t mind company, do you?” I ask as I finally match her pace. “Actually, I’m a little relieved I won’t have to go down there alone…” She says with the same innocent smile. “I figured.” I admit with a nod.
We soon reach the basement, and I immediately realize that IT IS actually a basement. (I don’t know what I was expecting really…) I think as I gaze around the large space. The walls are unfinished, the floor is just plain cement, and aside from the boiler, there’s almost nothing down here. “How come you’ve been down here before?” I ask her with genuine curiosity. “As a freshman, I joined a group devoted to improving the school. We took some videos down here to try and get funding to help us make it nicer and keep it maintained.” Sarah explains as we take small steps further inside. “But I’m guessing it didn’t go well.” I jokingly comment and she giggles lightly. “Yeah, we held a fundraiser too, but only a few people contributed.” She adds to the story. “You like being involved with school groups, don’t you?” I come out and say, somewhat naturally. “Yes! I like doing my part to help out… Plus, I just enjoy being around other people!” Sarah voices enthusiastically. Our voices echo around the mostly empty basement. It’s a little unsettling but it’s better than silence. It almost makes this feel normal, like we have nothing to worry about. “I don’t see anywhere the key could be hidden.” I call out to so my voice can reach Sarah, who’s searching in the corner. “Let’s check over by the boiler, just to be sure then.” She replies and I nod my head in response. We walk across the basement together. Our footsteps echo too, and the sound makes the hairs on my neck prickle. The boiler is too far from the stairs for comfort. (I know Anette didn’t sense any traps, but if she called out a warning to us, what would we do? Would we even have enough time to react?) I glance over my shoulder as we walk, thinking that something might sneak up on us. Suddenly, Sarah gasps and I turn around in a nervous and ridiculous fighting stance, with my fists curled in front of my face. “What?!” I shout when I see nothing. “Now that I think about it, with all the time we’ve spent searching for the key, we have completely skipped dinner!” She explains the reason of her stress and I immediately want to slam my head on a nearby wall. But instead, I heave a long, long sigh of relief. “Wow, that’s tragic.” I sarcastically commentate. (Well thanks to her silly comment I’m not as stressed anymore…) We walk the rest of the distance in silence, but there’s nothing hidden behind it. Everything looks completely normal. “Hmmm… anywhere else we can check?” I ask while rubbing my chin. “I don- Oh! There’s a crawlspace!” She jumps up and leads me to the wall, where a tiny door opens onto the crawlspace that must extend under the rest of the school. “You’re saying we have to go down there?!” I exclaim as soon as I realize. “What if the key is in there?” She asks and I can only nod in understanding. “Fine, I’ll go. But if I see a spider in there, I’m out!” I state while wagging my index finger around. “Okay, if Anette says anything I’ll let you know.” She salutes like a soldier and I sigh for the umpteenth time today before I reluctantly pull myself into the narrow opening. As soon as my whole body is inside the hole, my heart starts hammering against my chest. (I fricking hate confined spaces like these…) I think as the crawlspace seems to go on forever. Although it’s larger deeper in, I’m still forced to crouch. Suddenly but not unexpectedly, a spider crawls over my hand and I bite my lips so hard I think they’ll pop. (THIS BETTER BE FUCKING WORTH IT!) I internally scream as I toss the spider away with one quick movement. After reaching the end of the crawlspace, and find absolutely nothing, I come back out, completely traumatized. “You owe me big time!” I hiss at Sarah, as I remove cobwebs from my hair and she smiles apologetically.
Soon enough, we’re back out in the open with no key in our possession. “Well that was a waste of time.” I state as soon as we meet the others. “At least you guys are safe.” April states as Max and Anette nod. “Safe?! If we don’t find that key, nobody will be safe!” Chris states, raining on everyone’s parade once again, by stating the inevitable truth. (It’s like he is even more stressed every time I see him.) “Could we have missed it perhaps?” Sarah suggests and everybody hangs their head. That is the one thing, we’re all hoping against… (With sunrise only a few hours away, do we have any hope of escaping in time?)
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