How Long is Forever [COMPLETED]

Blood and Water

Your knees turn to jelly as the meaning of his words gets through to you. Less than two minutes left and the door won't open.

The twins start sobbing and embracing each other, and Mr. Muscle gets so angry he starts to throw around the heavy wooden chairs. "What are you talking about, the key doesn't fit? You little brat! How stupid can a person be? Not even able to unlock a door properly-"

His rant continues as he stamps towards the door, snatching the poor boy by his throat and pinning him to the wood as if he weighed nothing at all. Chishiya is still leaning over the map, and even though you can't see his face, you know he has his brows furrowed like he always does when he's about to figure something out.

There's no use; you won't get out of this if the people continue to behave like children. Your back slides down the wall until you sit down on the wooden chest. The big guy has taken the key and is now trying to open the door himself, but it's no use. It doesn't fit.

What could be the use of a key that doesn't open a door?

"If only we were given more time to figure it out..." you mutter to yourself and let your head fall back against the wall. The whole chest vibrates under your movement and a metal piece clonks against it.

A metal piece. The lock sealing the chest. A lock that can be opened with a key.

Your eyes widen in surprise and you stare directly into the face of the silent woman, bearing the same expression as you. She has noticed it too.

Quicker than you would have given her credit for, she rips the key out of Big Guy's hands and sprints to your side of the room. You jump off the chest while she does and impatiently wait for her to unlock the wooden construct.

It fits perfectly.

There's no time to complain your own stupidity, since you all will be dead in one minute if you don't hurry up.

"Come on, come on..." The chest is filled with fake jewelry of all kinds, rings, necklaces, coins – all in gold. Together with the woman next to you, you throw everything out of it that is not a key, while the twins shout at you to do so even faster.

The silent woman eventually grabs the key, and her face is nothing but determination to survive. Within seconds, she shoves aside the big guy and the kiddo despite her own delicate figure and turns the key around in the lock.

With a short beep, the timer stops and the door opens, revealing a pitch black room on the other side. With no more than fifteen seconds left on the countdown.

"Good lord, that was close." It is the first time you hear one of the other men talking, and he looks as pale as the rest of you. The twins are still sobbing helplessly, and the kiddo returned to his crouching position from the start, rubbing his neck while trying to catch his breath.

THE ROOM HAS BEEN SOLVED SUCESSFULLY. THE NEXT COUNTER WILL BE ACTIVATED ONCE THE FIRST PLAYER ENTERS THE SECOND ROOM.

Chishiya straightens his back with a sigh and you head to him with shaking legs to hug him from behind. Your hands tremble heavily as you interlock them in front of his chest, burying your face in the fabric of his hoodie.

"I honestly thought we'd die." You whisper into his back, though Chishiya doesn't answer. There's no need to – you can feel his slightly increased heartbeat under your touch, and you're sure he has at least been a bit worried about the outcome too.

From the corner of your eye, you can see the kiddo still eyeing Mr. Muscle with mistrust and worry. "Will... will the second room be as hard as this one?" he asks, and once again you feel the urge to protect him. Thinking it through, the task has been pretty obvious. But it's hard to think straight when put under so much pressure. Placing a kiss onto Chishiya's back, you release him from your hug and kneel down next to the boy.