The fleeting hues of purple, orange, and pink in the sunset sky was at their most vibrant phase, but I couldn't even enjoy it because of the madness in front of me.
A huge, black two-story house stood creepily in the middle of the forest. The place was illuminated by red and yellow lights from the inside, while a single lamp post made the exterior look ominous.
Sumunod kami sa staffs papunta sa isa pang lodge ilang metro lamang ang layo mula sa nauna. It was an empty and brightly lit studio type—a stark contrast to the sinister building a while ago.
We were sorted by our respective groups at nang makaupo kami ay doon lang ako nakahinga nang maayos. Ni hindi ko nga narinig ang mga sinabi kanina habang nasa harapan kami ng haunted house dahil nag-blangko na ang utak ko nang makita ko 'yon.
"Gagi ang creepy ng haunted house, feel ko matatakot din ako 'pag nasa loob na ako," Arin said, recounting what she felt earlier.
"Same, pero exciting pa rin," dagdag ni Roi habang nakangiti.
"You okay?"
Napatingin din ang dalawa sa akin nang itanong iyon ni Zion. I forced a sardonic smile. "Yeah, sure. I'm fine."
Arin chuckled at my comment. "Elix, ang putla na ng labi mo. Baka mamaya mahimatay ka na lang bigla, ha?"
Wala na akong energy para sumagot pa kaya napabuntonghininga na lang ako. They were half-teasing and half-worried about me, but our attention shifted to the makeshift stage when Ms. Hanna spoke to the mic.
"Good evening, Challengers! This night's challenge is a horror special and all you need to do is enter the haunted house, answer two questions, and find the exit."
"Hala may quiz sa loob?!"
"What if nag-panic na and 'di na po nagfa-function ang utak 'pag kailangan nang sagutin 'yung questions?"
"Wala na, nasa lowest rank na tayo nito."
Tuloy-tuloy ang comments ng iba dahil sa sinabi ni Ms. Hanna kaya naman itinuloy niya ang mechanics ng challenge.
"Each group will be divided into two teams, and everyone will be wearing heartrate monitors. The group with the lowest average heartrate wins, but there are also some additional rules. First, the time limit is ten minutes. If you exceeded, five points will be added to your average heartrate. Second, three points will also be added for every wrong answer to the questions. And last, two points will be added for every curse you utter inside. Good luck and I hope you are ready, Challengers!"
"Ay shet, 'di puwedeng magmura 'pag nagulat?" reklamo ni Arin. "Ang hirap naman."
"Sorry agad, Zion, mukhang marami-raming five points ang makukuha ko ro'n," pabirong banat ni Roi.
Honestly, I wasn't worried about the second and third rule. My concern was the first because I would surely make our average higher. Mukhang naramdaman din iyon ni Zion dahil tumingin siya sa akin.
"Expect my heartrate to be over 130," mahina kong sabi.
"Hoy, OA naman n'yan. Heart attack ang aabutin mo sa ganyang heart rate!"
"Okay, let's strategize first," Zion chimed in. "How should we divide our team?"
Arin raised her hand. "Hindi kami puwedeng magsama ni Elix."
"Bakit?" I asked since I was planning to team up with her.
"Baka magsigawan lang tayo 'pag magkasama tayo, and for sure tataas ang average natin."
BINABASA MO ANG
Challengers
AdventureStandalone novel || After graduating, all Elix wanted to do was rest for a while, but an invitation changed the course of her summer vacation. She had been a writer on an online platform since college and accumulated quite a huge number of readers...
