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Chapter Seven

If I had thought that the basement was scary before, knowing that three of my close friends were dead made it terrifying. Alyssa clung to me as we slowly made our way down the stairs. At the bottom, I looked around. Propped against the wall was a big board. I picked it up and tested it in my hand.

I decided it would make a decent weapon.

"Alright," I said. "The movie room is right there."

We crept towards it. I was just about ready to press my device against the panel when I felt a sharp tug. I turned around.

"What?"

"Do you think someone's big killed in there?"

I thought about my gut feeling. I swallowed hard.

"Maybe."

"I don't want to go."

"We won't be in there long," I said.

Alyssa shook her head. "I'll wait right here with my back to the wall."

I hesitated. I really was only going to run in, check, and then run out.

"Don't step away from the wall," I said.

"I won't," she promised.

I tapped my device against the panel. The door unlocked. Alyssa pressed herself against the wall. I walked in.

When my eyes focused, I knew that Ro was no longer playing a part. The glass cube wasn't holding her weight anymore. Her face was a horrid shade and her mouth was open as if in a silent scream. I covered my face with my hand.

Leighanne, Brian, Howie, and Ro were dead. That only left Leigh and AJ.

And the girls.

And me.

I tapped the panel again and the door unlocked. I quickly made my way out.

"She's dead," I said. I looked right at the spot where Alyssa had been.

She was gone.

I hoisted the board up in the air. I looked around. If she was gone...that meant whoever the killer was (cough, cough Ivanka) was around here some place.

I crept forward, my ears alert. I was so busy looking around that I didn't see the body I tripped over. Once I scrambled to my knees, I knew.

Alyssa was sprawled out along the bottom step. Her throat had been cut, probably before she could even utter a scream.

Out of anything I had seen so far (aside from Howie - I would never forget that), this shook me up the worst. She had been killed just feet from me. Only a wall separated us.

The hero in me told me to keep searching the house and get as many people out as possible. The chicken in me told me to just get the hell out.

I made my way quickly up the stairs. I practically twirled in circles making sure no one was sneaking up behind me. I made my way to the front door.

And I stopped.

My horror movie knowledge indicated a trap the moment I looked at the front door. The thing was rigged. I saw a complicated series of wires. I crept up, careful not to touch anything.

That's when I saw the gun. It looked like if someone tried to open the door that the wires would construct around the trigger and it would go off. Even if you managed to avoid it, I had a feeling more than one gun was set up. I backed away.

At the same moment I heard a scream. It was a loud, very female scream. I turned around just to see Desiree running towards me. In her panic, she must not have noticed me. I grabbed her arms just as she reached for the door.

"Don't," I said.

She struggled. I tightened my grip around her.

"The doors rigged!" I said loudly in her ear. She stopped fighting.

"Rigged?"

"If you open it, you're going to get shot," I said.

I let go and she backed away.

"How do you--" She looked horrified. "Oh god, did you--"

I realized she probably thought I was the killer. I shook my head.

"No," I whispered. "I've just seen a lot of horror movies."

Tears were streaming down her face. She wiped at them.

"Who's dead?" I asked.

Desiree took a deep breath.

"I found...the library. And Leigh...was...was..."

She couldn't finish. I didn't press her for any more details. I had a feeling that whatever she saw was similar to what I had just witnessed.

I took a deep breath.

"Did you find the room where AJ's at yet?" I asked. She nodded.

"We need to go there," I said. "The others...are all dead."

"Everyone?" she asked. Her voice sounded strangled.

"Brian, Leighanne, Howie, Rochelle, Leigh, and Alyssa," I explained.

"Alyssa? But who..." she trailed off. Her face looked pained as she swallowed. "Ivanka?"

"I think so."

She shivered. "I knew we shouldn't have picked her for our team."

I could have told her that, but there was no need to make her feel any worse.

"Where's AJ?" I asked.

"Upstairs."

We both practically tiptoed towards the stairs. I was still clinging to the board. The stairs creaked every time we took a step.

"She'll hear us," Desiree whispered worriedly.

"Don't worry about that. Keep going up," I said.

We got to the second floor. I refused to look down this time. Desiree headed in the opposite direction I had gone. Four doors down she stopped.

"This is the Master Bedroom," she explained.

"We're both going in," I said. She nodded.

I tapped my device against the panel and the door unlocked. We both went through quickly. The door slammed shut behind us. Desiree jumped.

"You okay?" I whispered.

"Yeah," she said.

"Hey, you guys aren't following the rules."

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

AJ was laying in bed playing with a stomach full of blood and guts. But they were fake.

I felt like crying.

"You're alive?" I asked in astonishment. AJ grinned.

"Why wouldn't I be? Wait, I'm not saying anything else until you find the jump--hey you were already in here weren't you?"

I waved the board in the air.

"You've got to come with us," I said.

AJ must have noticed the look on my face. The teasing smirk left his face.

"Why?"

I hesitated. How did you tell a guy his fiancee was murdered?

"Everyone...everyone else is dead," I said.

"What? No way," AJ said. "Stop fuckin' around."

"I'm serious," I said. "I picked up Howie's Wookie head and...Howie's real head fell out. And it wasn't connected to his body anymore."

AJ glanced at Desiree. She was shaking from her head to her toes.

"Oh my god," he said. He wiggled a moment and his head disappeared. He crawled out from under the bed. He looked like he was going to faint.

"What about Ro?"

I couldn't answer him. I just couldn't tell him.

"No," AJ said. He shook his head. "No, no, no...NO!!!"

He practically howled. I wrapped my arms around him. He started to cry.

That's when I heard the door. It sounded like someone was trying to force their way into the room. I slapped my hand across his mouth. Desiree came over to the both of us. We all stared at the door. The handle jiggled again. I heard a scraping sound.

She was out there.

"AJ," I whispered. "Is there another way out of the room?"

I felt his lips move against my hand.

"Oh, sorry."

I dropped my hand.

"There's an exit from the Master Bedroom that leads to the control room," AJ explained. "It's a trap door." He walked over and pressed a large portrait. It swung open revealing a tunnel sloping upwards. Desiree and I crept towards it.

"I think we need to go," I said.

AJ shook his head. "I'm staying here."

"Are you nuts?" I asked. AJ began to walk back towards the bed.

"If Ro's dead then...I should be too," he said.

I followed him. Just as he was ready to get back under the bed, I hit him. He crumpled to the floor. I glanced over at Desiree. She looked shocked.

"Grab his feet," I said. "He's coming with us."

She didn't hesitate. She ran over and grabbed his feet. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He was heavy but we managed to get over into the tunnel. I pressed a button inside the tunnel and the picture swung closed.

"The control room should have a phone," I said. "We'll call for help."

"What if it's too late for help?" Desiree said. I shook my head.

"We're getting out of this."

"Alive."