SHIN
"Lee- since when did you turn into an escape room enthusiast?" Edmund enquired as we stood outside the Hollywood studious. The large font illuminated the purpose we were here for. Lee steals his gaze away from Edmund as Fischer clamps his finger by the necktie, stretching it loose with a moist face. "You never came with us to a common one, let alone the one with the haunted theme"
With a combined effort I keep my eyes trained on the door ahead. I haven't been to one because I haven't had a chance, but Lee has voluntarily passed such opportunities because-
"The last time I remember, this kind of activity freaks you out" Edmund's voice was a blend of amusement and excitement. A visual errand to notice the hesitative texture of Lee and Fischer was enough to tell the tale, they weren't cut out for this. But Lee had it schemed, the aquarium was just an en route.
Lee makes a disagreeing sound with a hand to his waist.
"People change buddy. I am not the eighteen-year-old boy you used to know"
Edmund irons his creases into a deeper stage of understanding.
"A year ago you supported my debut as a paranormal movie director, you made me stay online because you couldn't fall asleep after you watched th-
"It was a sick movie"
"-trailer Lee. You didn't watch the movie. It was trailer"
Lee closed his eyes, as if he stood in solitary with his rupturing pride. His wounded self-esteem was hilarious to me. So when I got scolded, my smile only grew in size.
"Why is it funny you?" he cocks his head, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek "It was based on a true story and our family house had a history of a supernatural presence, I was making sure to live through a night"
That provoked me into maintaining the stance in order to infuriate him.
Edmunds was first to enter the swiveling gate, then a grunting Fischer stomps off- vanishing into the Raven-black overcast. Lee stood by me with a hand out for me to hold, a prolific determination shadowed him.
"Stay here if it's not your scene" the suggestion was met with a profound frown, I replayed what I had said to make sure it wasn't as ridiculous as what Lee was trying to make of it.
"You believe Edmund?" he snorts as it was my turn to scowl "I pretended to be scared so Edmund could have a reassuring review before the release of his film. He was constantly irrational about it since it was his debut, but my dramatics saved him from the baseless anxiety"
A series of sensations erupts by the pit of my stomach, it wasn't fair for a man to be so perfect when I battled with a fate that kept dragging me ten-step away the moment I took one towards him. It freaking hurt to fight the truth.
"But- but you also avoided such activities-
"Most of them were related to calculations, it was to preserve my dignity" he winks at me, snaking his arm by my shoulder he stared ahead "You do the smart work. I'll protect you from zombies or whatever the hell that's inside" he says with a skeptic twitch of his lips.
He wasn't lying, because once in- he guarded me from the jump scares with his tactics. He wasn't as immune to them as he implied, but neither did he lose his cool like Fischer and Edmund. The corridors and room we walked through had bloodied walls, props that were disgusting to look at with chopped dummies, and some real actors in prosthetics. They flung themselves at us when we expected the least. From the fireplace as we looked for the clue, behind the couch, from above the ceiling? They were everywhere.
Edmund threw Fischer around with occasional expletives, he protected himself countless times by sacrificing his assistant. By now I highly doubted that Edmund had any right to make fun of Lee when it came to this genre. Because unlike him, Lee had a selective coping mechanism. It was to get mad at any zombie or butchered actor that paid him a visit.
"YOU HAVE NO MORALS SCARING A DIABETIC MAN LIKE THAT"
"FINE THAT WAS COOL, NOW GO AWAY"
"ALDO STOP SCREAMING"
Were his go to's
But Edmund embraced a terrified Fischer only to push him into a chamber of nightmares once he couldn't find a way out.
"What kind of an escape room is this" Edmund grunts as I held on to a fist of the shirt Lee had on, he lost his jacket during the first stage of chaos. How it was possible? it's a mystery. I have been concealed behind him in silence for so long that I doubt anyone other than us knew that a girl accompanied these three fellows in.
"The scariest one according to survey in the US" breathed Lee, a pain in his utterance. Then in the dark, he tried to feel my presence.
"You okay?"
Was I?
"I think so"
With the little light through the phone flash Edmund flags it around with wonder.
"Where is Aldo?" he inquires, to which Aldo gripes from behind.
"Don't bring the light here, my pants came loose. I am trying to wear them back"
Edmund killed the torch in respect to his fallen and forced knight. But soon we were looking for the clues, I unlatched myself from Lee looking around individually- as I wander around I bump into a wall. On a concentrated note- I realized it wasn't, in fact a wall. But a large and tall marble pillar.
"Shin" I hear Lee summon me "Stop walking into walls and come here"
Obediently with a harsh blush, I enlist to where they all had huddled by a pool table. Edmund had a ball which he tossed at me with a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head.
"There's an equation in that" Lee taps at the said variables "Now do the Asian magic"
I look at him, and then at the rest two. Then realizing how hopeless they were I pick my mobile out and punched in the numbers for an answer. I flick the screen at Lee whose lips formed an O, they collectively decided that they were not functioning under pressure. It was the stress meddling with the sanity apparently.
I would like to quote otherwise if I had a chance. But I was polite, so I don't say much.
The number took us to an asylum room where we had a family of zombies waiting for us to touch our feet as they swarm by the floors. Edmund in adrenaline punched one in the face when it tried to slither across his neck. And worriedly I had snatched someone's wig because I had one silky cluster coiled in my hand.
The room gave us another clue, which led us to more adventures where we puzzled the separated words into a phrase when we got to the final room. It was-
Surprise me with what you say and you all will live
Edmund puckered his lips in frustration, the thirst to escape was getting to us all now. But as soon as Edmund read the script the room falls into pitch-black darkness, the lights burn out and an AI announcement spears through.
"The use of technologies for illumination is prohibited at the final round"
When I had wished for a walk through a thrilling game night, I hadn't foreseen the desperate outcome it could cause me. I was dying to be set free from here. Especially when the bold dose of air was shot at us from every nook and corner, the one we imagine to befall on the day of doom weighs us down. The floor rattles throwing us slightly off-balance, I got on one of my knees as Lee was beside me, always holding my hands. But a hand hits my head, it stayed buried in my hair as Fischer screams.
He hollered helplessly.
"MY HAND IS STUCK IN A WIG" I shake my head like a puppy to get him off "THERE IS A ZOMBIE IN HERE"
I grab his wrist tightly with a metallic grunt.
"That. is. my. Hair. Fischer" I don't raise my voice like these three men. Apparently I discovered that my coping mechanism was dying inside a little rather than damaging my vocal cords or expanding my lungs just because I can.
He shrieked as if the fact terrified him more than the zombie. In a dancing room, Edmund was first to realize we need to do something to get out of here.
"Surprise her" he commanded.
"What?" Lee replied uselessly.
"The clue was to surprise whatever the hell it is. So say something"
We stayed mum for a moment. Then Fischer decided to go first.
"I hate my wife"
A loud covens laugh echoes as nitrogen water gets sprayed on us. Nothing else happens.
"I am a celebrity" Edmund offers. The screeching mockery of a laugh kept increasing manifold.
The earthquake intensifies with Lee joining the force.
"The earth is round"
With each piercing laugh of hers, the tension in me fusions. So when I try my shot- I do it with passion and flow.
"Fucking Die Bitch"
It stops.
Everything stops. None made a sound, I could hear the beats of my heart make amends with the relieving night light the floods the room once the shutters gradually rolls up to an outside world. There were staffs waiting for us with towels and trophies, cheering us as we walked out as if we were some kind of wounded war heroes. Not Fischer, he crawled out on his fours until Edmund went back and supported him to his feet.
We survived for an hour,
So when I craved ice creams to celebrate, the others leaped in agreement. Must be their throat that burned because of how pretentious they were. When we stood by the stall is when we broke out into a fit of laughter-
The feminine mix of my giggles got drowned by their masculine howls. Which also reminded me of the lack of female support in my life. With the exception of my mother and short acquaintance that lived through sera Kim when we surfed for the wedding dress- I had no other woman around me. With the chic manner, I dress and live, it did trick people into speculating that I belong to a feministic circle. When the reality was-
"I don't get paid enough for this" Fischer began cracking up in the middle, I hadn't seen him smile so wide until now. His once gelled hair was a league of its own at present, it stood out into directions that challenged a couple of laws in physics. Edmund and Lee had wrinkles in their clothes, apart from that they looked fine, the jacket that Lee wore when he went in, was never found. For me- my hair got styled by Lee with his skillful hands. He remarked that he had a psychic hunch that the neighboring birds were plotting to lay their eggs on it.
But when they brought the reason for our escape up- it flushed off any last resort I had to maintain my clean record.
"To think of it. It wasn't only the witch that got surprised by that" Edmund teased the topic as I throw my concentration into inspecting the flavor I wanted. Lee was next on line- I felt my head being fondled with a pat- I refused to look at them.
"Who knew our little Shin was capable of something so severe. She saves our lives"
The snort that erupted from Fischer nips me up, especially when he housed a space beside me with an offer once Lee and Edmund strolled away to get something else to go along.
"I don't get paid enough" he mumbled, taking a bite from his cone. I mimic his, the creamy taste of cookie dough makes me smile. So do Fischers' catastrophes.
"What do you want me to do about it?" the railing cushioned our backs, he rests his elbows on them perking up at the rotation of the ferris wheel.
"You can fill the gap. Since I am keeping your identity a secret and buying you the time you asked for" I arc my brow, I pretended to search my sling- then pulled out a finger for him for an answer, he chuckled. But then, I was kind at heart- or I do try to be. Since I know he was struggling with a stinky divorce- I ask
"How much?"
The reply wasn't instantaneous.
"It's a lot. Are you sure?"
"Tell me before I change my mind"
"Forgive me for what happened at Manila"
He doesn't pause to let me intervene, he carries on with a rough self malice not once ripping his eyes from what he had been looking at.
"I knew how my wife would've reacted. I let it happen in front of my kids. I made you go through it because I wanted the last push, a reason to finally call it quits with her. To know and witness why I can't stay in a toxic marriage" he blows out air with a sad smile. The man was breaking down slowly in front of me- not crying or in hysterics. But he is breaking it into segments, letting me know how he used me. "I must have been professional, I guess- the things you keep putting me through. I deserve it"
Chuckling in disbelief I move my hair, it curtains me when the breeze stroked us. The ice cream wasn't as sweet as it was before since Fischer had paid for it.
"I- have no words"
Suddenly the guilt I usually sensed when it came to him, bids a farewell. I hadn't ever been known for a forgiving nature. Shaking my head in denial- I watch him nod in acceptance. Not when I had trusted him, not when I had fought through my fears to open a door for friendship. If he had done his part virtuously, he would have been in a better place. Promoted even.
He leaves me to be once Edmund and Lee return, Lee jogs to where I stood. Fischer kept Edmund busy with work, his posture fatigued and worn down-
"We are visiting the island" is what Lee declares as soon as he comes to a halt, a strand of his hair falls on his forehead loosely. Arching my back from the support I stood straight, my eyes lighting up. Again because of this man.
"Why? Whe- How?" he smirks motioning his thumb at his friend who was on phone. A flock of girls by him who had probably recognized him as they ogled at the sight.
"He's leaving for Santa Catalina. An island near California to check the location in two days" he blurts as if he couldn't keep up with the words with how fast his thoughts were running. "We are at four. With six more to go"
Each thread in me knots into a complexity I couldn't undo. With not enough strength to speak I merely watch him as the surrounding bursts with zeal. But with him, it was a different world in its entirety. I was slowing down in it- where my heart raced, skipped, and confronted me to be fair with her. But I played along as if nothing changed between us. Betraying my own self.
"Thanks for today," I say as a beam of light from rides reflects him. But they weren't brighter than his aura or his livelihood.
"I have to go now," he says scanning the throng of carnival fans through which he has to walk through. His chest deflates but the stare was still hot on me when he looked at me "I have to finish the paperwork tonight if we have to leave for the vacation. Edmund will take the cab too, so drive home safely. Don't stop or go around alone by yourself. Call me if anything even feels wrong. Okay?"
I nod frantically hoping he would just stride away, but his gaze flickers at the cone of ice cream longingly as he couldn't have it as a whole.
"Can I have a bite?" one of his lids narrows into a plead. Immediately I raise it up to him so that he could have the untouched side. But he twists my wrist gently and feasts through the portion where I have previously eaten through.
"Tastes heavenly" the quivering smirk and pouring gaze had me caged. Even when he was gone I stood there until I couldn't sense my nose because of the rare cold night. I did drove through. alone with my fingers trembling at my stupidity.
How stupid was I to let things get this far?
When the phone rang, I dropped it to the ground. Stopping the car by the side I got out with my phone. Calling my mother who had previously rang me up. With tears on the brink, I speak- my voice was a contrast to how I looked in person.
"Mom. How are you?"
In a snap, I receive a high pitch response that was a result of my unconscious mistake.
"Oh, you don't ask your aging mother how she is after you had called her a week ago young lady" she couldn't be more pissed than she was, so with a blink I push the heel of my palm to smudge the wetness in my lashes as I leaned by the hood of the car. It was a friendly neighborhood with residential housing that you seen in an average Hollywood movie. With trees, houses, and a sidewalk.
"Please forgive this child of yours. She has been a brat" I could feel her smile bloom through, God, I miss her so much.
"How is my baby doing?" she asks, her voice was like a warm cup of coffee in a freezing eve. "Is my son-in-law treating her right?"
Flipping through the past fifteen days, I let out a staggering breath. When I don't reply to her the instant- she pans through me in seconds.
"Is something wrong Shin?" there she was, the real mother of mine without the lighthearted armor she had it donned. She was a warrior disguised as a queen. "Do I need to have a talk with this boy?"
Smiling at the sky I sniff, finally trusting my voice again.
"He treats me too well Mom" I confess. Just a little too well than I want him to.
The was silence by her side. The serenity made me feel as if she was beside me by the moment.
"Are you happy?" the fear, I sense it.
"More than you probably think"
More than I should be.
"Then why-" I could hear her confusion developing. If only she knew- if only I could tell her "Then what is it that's bothering you?"
My throat constricts as I jerk my neck, my eyes stuck by a beautiful couple by their yard making out. So in love. A love I had always believed in. an emotion that was a permanent commitment. Something that I cannot afford to do now.
I don't reply to her. Lying to her about my dying battery I hung up- getting in I restart the car. It felt like a journey to the unknown. Like a chapter, I don't have a control over- I wasn't writing in these pages anymore, and honestly- I don't think I ever was writing it since the day Lee came into the picture.
Phew! So...?
It's going to be a bit different from next chapter.  ð