INFERNO (Dolan Twins) [ON HIATUS]

5. Yellow Outline

(Countdown Timer: 23:02:10)
Ethan's POV

I struggle to get myself to my feet as I get up from a crouch, feeling sore knees despite the fact I haven't even been in here for an hour yet. Grayson winces a small squeak as he heaves himself up onto the tips of his toes.

Meanwhile, part of our escape group are staring at things that seem really pointless. Shane and Rhea are gazing at at something, which I don't know what it is. Troy is just sitting in the corner doing nothing, and then the other two are rushing around the room with their flashlights blinding everyone.

"Being a detective is exhausting," Grayson groans.

"Now we know how those CSI people feel," Daisy approaches us. She shuts off the flashlight on her phone to conserve battery. "Have you guys found anything yet?"

"So far? No," Grayson grumbles. "Though I wish we did, we already used up almost one hour."

"That's life for ya," Chris says. "Sometimes things are hard to find on your own."

"I can already tell," I nod. "It's a scary thought."

"Definitely!" Shane agrees from the other side of the dark room. "Hey guys?"

"Yeah?" Grayson turns on his flashlight. "What is it Shane?"

"Come over here and see this for yourselves!" Rhea invites us over. "There's something off about this painting..."

A painting?

Gray and I exchange our confused looks in the dim light of our phones. We cautiously walk over to Rhea and Shane, both of them moving aside for us to see the painting. The idea of this is so intriguing that even Troy gets out of his corner to see what's happening.

Everyone piles up in front of the painting hanging askew on the wall. Grayson takes the pleasure of lighting it up for us to see with his LED light from his phone. The light hits the frame first, showing a gruesome, burnt pattern that eerily covered the perimeter of the painting.

My eyes adjust to the light and I notice something very, very familiar. At the top of the scene, I could see a painted tree in the distance of this picture. It was yellow.

"Yo, Gray," I furiously tap his shoulder. "Lift me up bro," I direct his eyes at the yellow oak tree at the top of the painting.

Without hesitation, my twin bends down, allowing for me to sit on his shoulders. Grayson slowly stands up, steadily holding my legs as I struggle to reach up and poke around the tree of the painting. My hand slaps around uncontrollably as I attempt to feel around for anything unusual.

"Oh, move over and let the expert do it, will ya?" Troy suddenly comes over and shoves us, toppling Grayson's balance before both of us crash to the floor. "How hard is it to take the painting off the wall?"

"We weren't trying to," I mutter, standing aside with Grayson as Troy easily removes the painting from the wall. He carelessly lets the painting drop flat onto the floor behind everyone.

A quiet ping goes off in my head before everyone else gasps at something. I look down too, only to be left in shock when I notice that the yellow oak tree of the painting is lying on the floor, broken off of the painting. It's a wooden puzzle piece as well.

"What's that?" Grayson swats my shoulder.

"What's what?" I look at him, raising a brow.

"Hold on a sec," Daisy kneels down. "I see it too, Grayson!" She sticks her hand into a camouflaged compartment of the painting. Another wave of gasps break out when she pulls out a pair of small, circular disks.

"Someone give me a light!" She requests.

"Here!" Rhea takes her phone and shines the light over Daisy's hand.

"What the...th-these are contact lenses?" She becomes slightly shocked but confused.

"And they look tinted..." I state, after closely observing them. "Yellow?" Grayson and I guess in unison.

"Give 'em to me!" Troy stands over Daisy and steals the lenses from her palm.

We all watch, with unimpressed faces, as he carefully places the contacts onto his eyes. He blinks a few times before letting his eyes open wide, aimlessly gazing all around the room. Rhea mutters something under her breath as we wait for him to say something to us.

Why is she still with him if he's this rude to people?

"Woah! Everything is dark purple!" He exclaims. "A-and there's something written on the puzzle piece!" He clumsily jogs to the table where we left the wooden piece.

"What does it say?!" We all demand to know.

"It says...outline?" He stares at the piece.

"Ooh!" Chris suddenly pipes up. "Try looking around for a door or something! Maybe the yellow lenses will let you see the outline of a hidden door!"

"Kay...I'm looking..." he turns around in circles, pausing for several seconds at a certain point.

Did he find something?

Troy steps up to an empty area of the dark wall, gliding the tips of his fingers in a rectangular shape. He places one hand up at the top, and one at the side, shaking something invisible as the rest of us watch anxiously. Suddenly, we hear a crack, and a loud blast of air come through a now-visible opening in the door.

"Holy cow," Rhea stands there, motionless and speechless.

I look at Grayson, who seems super shocked about something. Although I can't quite see what's so surprising behind the door.

Until Troy lets it swing wide open.