Being an Extra Actor in an Escape Game

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A few minutes later, the Jiang sisters are outside of Room 408.

They didnt speak the whole way here. Jiang Shuangjie is busy thinking about where Muscular could have hid her utility cards, while Jiang Shuangmei is just seized by fear.

Even though they are ascending the emergency stairs instead, but clearly, this high-class apartment complex still spared no budget. It is bright, definitely not feeling as cramped or eerie as normal emergency stairwells do. Even the green Exit sign isnt giving off that special, fluorescent vibe.

But Jiang Shuangmei still inexplicably feels uncomfortable.

She knows that this is her still unable to adjust to the trauma from her earlier death; she realised then, that it was several years since she last died in a Nightmare.

They stopped. Stopped for a whole few years. Theyve practically forgotten, the fear and hopelessness that accompanies struggling in the Nightmares.

This is a Nightmare, thats right Not just that of the Tower residents, but also that, of them. The Missiontakers.

Finally, Jiang Shuangmei takes a deep breath and slowly calms herself down, because she knows deep down, that this is not a time for her to wallow in her fright and cowardice; or, in other words, she is finally coming to terms with where they actually are.

This is a Nightmare. What use is there in being frightened?

Even when she was all mentally unstable down at the lobby, the rest of the Missiontakers didnt just simply abandon her for that, possibly because she still had a normal-looking older sister.

Jiang Shuangmei is looking at the round as she bitterly smiles, thinking, she truly did over-rely on her own older sister.

Jiang Shuangjie cannot sense her twin younger sisters mind, though; they may talk about everything, they may be the only family for each other in the Tower, but, they are still two separate individuals. Jiang Shuangjie does not harbour possessive feelings for her twin sister, and only protectiveness instead.

Right now, she is also too preoccupied to take a detailed look at her emotions, too; she has opened Room 408 already using the emergency passcode.

She is slightly surprised and pauses, because she didnt expect it to proceed this smoothly. In the last run of the Nightmare, when she left her own apartment unit, she realised that even if the fingerprint was recognised, the door still locked her outside when she wanted to go back in.

It is either that the door will only unlock again using the emergency passcode, or That smart lock of her apartment unit, was acting up?

Jiang Shuangjie decides to store that thought inside for now, and enters the apartment, giving it a good look around.

This apartment unit is an exact mirrored replica of her Room 807.

She walks towards the furniture and begins searching through all of them; Jiang Shuangmei(TL: Raws read Jiang Shuangjie, but it makes no sense)is still standing still, over at the door, mentally preparing herself. Jiang Shuangjie doesnt hurry her either, merely searching in silence.

After a dozen seconds, Jiang Shuangmei finally enters the apartment.

That is the moment when she swears she could smell the scent of death again.

A gaze has turned to her the moment she walked inside the door; it felt exactly like when she has died, again Her lips are trembling as her gaze swims about the apartment unit.

Which furniture, which furniture is looking at her this time?!

Jiang Shuangmei has gathered up her guts, and with nearly bulging eyes, she is examining everything in the apartment unit, even ignoring her busy older sister searching for her utility cards in turn.

Finally, her gaze lands onto the light fitting on the ceiling.

The lights Its right on top of her. It is quietly, calmly illuminating; yet ironically, it feels like the light it cast is like a shadow blanketing her.

It is looking at her quietly.

There isnt the malice, or hate, Jiang Shuangmei could feel in Room 1104. Quite the opposite, this light fitting emitting a warm yellow light, really does feel as gentle and soothing as the colour would suggest.

Could it be real Jiang Shuangmei is shaking her head intensely. She is in disbelief.

The feeling still does not go away. She could still feel a gaze from the light. In fact there is even a feeling of warmth.

She only shudders at that realisation, however.

Shuangshuang?

Jiang Shuangjie has turned around to say something, when she noticed Jiang Shuangmeis strange countenance, and asks reflexively.

Jiang Shuangmei replies fearfully, sis Do you feel, that being stared at?

Jiang Shuangjie is hesitant before shaking her head.

Impossible! Jiang Shuangmei is screaming with a cracked voice, is it only looking at me?!

Jiang Shuangjie approaches her from the side and caresses her hair, asking, calm down, Shuangshuang; which furniture is it?

Jiang Shuangmei pauses before looking up at the light fitting on the ceiling. It is a light with a spherical shade, resembling the full moon, or perhaps, an eyeball.

Jiang Shuangjie also tries to examine but light, but only says in the end, if its too much for you, just stand there at the door, ok?

Jiang Shuangmei is unhappy with that; her older sister doesnt believe her, she can hear it. Maybe she is even thinking that she has started hallucinating because of her previous death, falsely feeling like something is staring at her.

It cant be helped, because Jiang Shuangjie actually does not feel any gaze at all.

The older sister sighs inside, exhausted, and out of options to cheer Jiang Shuangjie up. She glances and stares at this apartment unit She has already searched the living room thoroughly, but she doesnt find the two utility cards.

She suspects Muscular would have split them up and hid them separately.

Yet, this apartment unit itself is basically empty, and there isnt really anywhere to store things. But, speaking of which

Jiang Shuangjie enters the bathroom with an inkling in her mind. She looks around, and opens the toilet tank. A few seconds later, she extends her hand to retrieve a utility card from the bottom of the tank.

She flings the water from her hand and smiles with relish.

Hiding it there, huh Not too difficult, was it.

Thinking so, she continues rummaging through the apartment unit, from the kitchen, to the dining area, to the bedroom Yet this time, no matter where she searched, she couldnt find it.

Now her relish has disappeared, instead giving way to bafflement and creased brows.

Jiang Shuangmei is still frozen by the door.

The gaze The gaze from above her, is still staring. You see, humans cannot see the top of their own head, nor can they see their own back.

So, if there really was something staring at the top of your head or back, you wouldnt know what they are actually looking at.

Jiang Shuangmei is looking down at the ground, her body trembling. She doesnt dare moving, she doesnt even dare talking to her older sister; its like shes back at Room 1104.

Even though the gaze is calm and soothing, but Jiang Shuangmei does not trust it.

Although A really, really long while later, in absolute silence, Jiang Shuangmei moves her stiff legs a little.

Nothing happened.

She takes a deep breath and tremblingly looks up at the light fitting, right above her, slightly in front of her, illuminating. She stares at the light.

And the light stares back. A while later, that gaze, is now hurrying, encouraging her.

Wait what?

Jiang Shuangmeis eyes are wide open. She thinks she must have actually gone mad.

Yet, a few minutes later, after they have removed the lights shade, unpeeled a section of duct tape, and retrieved the utility card stuck to the ceiling using the duct tape, the Jiang sisters are looking at each other with serious What? Where? How? faces written on their faces What even is this?

Jiang Shuangmei gulps and monotonously asks, it They, were hinting at us?

Jiang Shuangjie reinstalls the lights shade and gently pats the dust away.

Then she says, this means that, even if the furniture has become sentient, there are still good intentions among them, then, she falls into thought for a moment, and asks,, are there any facilities that can speak in this apartment building? We might be able to

Suddenly, they look at each other and simultaneously blurts out, the elevator!

The Jiang sisters both exit Room 408 rushing, but no elevator is stopped on the fourth floor right now; they choose instead, to run back down to the ground floor to look for an elevator.

The moment they arrive on the ground floor

The Nightmare, has restarted.

Jiang Shuangjie reopens her eyes in Room 807, cussing immediately, Fuck! What the hell!