Love Beyond Chains | Enhypen Jake

11

Jake's POV

I hate this. Why did I agree to do an escape room? Being stuck in this small, creepy room freaks me out. 

I lean against the wall as I watch Nabi piecing together clues to get us out. How is she able to do this so calmly? She doesn't even look a bit scared. Meanwhile, I'm in a corner not even able to move out of fear something will suddenly jump out of a random closet. 

"Jake? Can you help me with this?" Nabi calls out. 

I take a deep breath. If Nabi can do this, so can I. Slowly, I step out of my small corner and make my way towards Nabi in the middle of the room. She's trying to put together a large puzzle that's spells out letters for a lock combination. 

I kneel beside her, feeling the cold floor press against my knees. My hands tremble as I reach out to grab one of the puzzle pieces, trying to ignore the pounding in my chest.

The puzzle pieces are stiff, their edges worn and faded, but I manage to slot one into place. The letters are starting to make sense, but there's still a gap in the middle.

"Do you see any piece that might fit here?" Nabi asks, pointing to a spot close to one of the corners of the puzzle. I look at the remaining pieces scattered around the table, trying to find what she's looking for. 

"I don't think I see one..."

"I found it!" Nabi exclaims, grabbing the piece excitingly. "Ok, it seems like we're almost done."

I nod, glad that we're getting one step closer to getting out of here. As Nabi quickly puts more and more pieces together, I can't help but glance over my shoulder at the darkened corners of the room. I force myself to focus on the puzzle instead, matching the colors and patterns as best as I can.

"There!" Nabi declares as she puts the last piece in place. The puzzle spells out a sequence of letters 'H-O-P-E'. 

Nabi gives me a small smile, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "That's gotta be the code."

She hurries over to the combination lock on the door, the dim light casting long shadows over the walls. I stand up, feeling a bit steadier on my feet now, and follow her. As she spins the dials to match the letters, my heart rate spikes again. What if it doesn't work? What if we're stuck here?

The sound of a loud click interrupts my thoughts. The lock pops open with a metallic snap, and Nabi grins at me.

"We did it, Jake!"

Relief washes over me, but it's quickly replaced by a new unease. As Nabi pushes the door open, the hinges creak ominously, revealing a long, dark hallway ahead.

I swallow hard, peering into the darkness. "What now?"

Nabi's confidence remains unshaken as she steps into the hallway and waves me forwards. "We keep going. Come on, we're almost out of here."

I hesitate, but the look in her eyes gives me the courage to take that first step. The air in the hallway is colder, causing me to shiver. Nabi continues walking down the path, and her determination fuels my own. With newfound confidence, I take another step forward. Then another. Slowly, I'm able to make my way through the dark passage, following closely behind Nabi. 

The sound of our footsteps echoes in the narrow space as we walk side by side. I stay close to Nabi, her calm presence grounding me. But the further we go, the more I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched, that something is lurking just out of sight.

Nabi pauses as we reach another door, this one slightly ajar. She glances at me, her expression serious. "Ready?"

I nod, though I'm not sure if I'm reassuring her or myself. She pushes the door open, and we step inside together.