The escape room was built into an old plantation house at the top of a hill. The resort shuttle dropped them at the front entrance, an old crumbling stone wall with a brand new metal gate attached. The word “ESCAPADE” was painted over the gate in bright silver letters with keyholes in place of some of the letters.

  “I don’t know about this,” Zoe said, rubbing her hands over her arms. “I hate puzzle games.”

  “Then it’s a good thing you’ve got me along,” Micah said with a big smile. “I’ve never lost an escape room. And I’ve been to…” he began counting on his fingers. “Eight now. Nine, including this one. I don’t want to ruin my streak.”

  “Come on, Zo. It’ll be fun,” Sloane reassured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “And we’ll be done in time for that sunset sail and you can forget all about it with some free-flowing rum punch.”

  “Both of these things sound awesome,” Jade said, walking backwards up the loose rock path. Olivia noticed that Ethan lingered by her side to make sure she didn’t trip and fall. “We’re going to have a blast in this place, go full immersion and be completely changed by the experience. Then we’ll relive all the best moments with the foggy haze of strong alcohol.” She clapped her hands together. It’s going to be great!”

  Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and followed at the back of the group up the path. She loved puzzles as much as Micah, but she hated doing them in front of other people. That’s why she was awful at competitive games. When she was on the spot trying to think clearly, she tended to overthink things or make stupid decisions because she felt pressured to decide quickly when everyone was watching her.

  The plantation house was enormous. Two stories of dazzling white building with a columned wrap around porch and breezy French doors along every patio. It looked as far from being a place you would want to escape as any structure could, but Olivia imagined the inner rooms would be a different story. The friends gathered in a large sitting room just inside the front entrance, and Olivia marveled at the sleek, modern decor that should have clashed with the age of the building itself but somehow managed to complement it instead. Black leather couches and bright red, orange and gold pillows decorated the space, with an enormous black rug underneath the furniture, decorated with a labyrinthian pattern of white lines.

  The front desk was unmanned when they first arrived, so they wandered around a little bit while they waited. Zoe found a pile of brochures splayed out like a fan across the black lacquered counter. Picking up a brochure and flipping through it, she grinned as she flipped through the pages.

  “What’s that?” Ethan asked, leaning against the counter beside her.

  “A brochure with all of the escape rooms,” she replied. “Listen to these titles: Prison Break, Haunted Asylum, Spy vs. Spy, Alien Attack, Secret Society, Murder Party, Doomsday Button. They all sound like cheesy B movies.”

  But Micah was even more excited now. “They all sound so good. I’ve done prison and doomsday scenarios before, but I’ve never even heard of some of those. What does Murder Party mean? Is it like a play on the game Clue? And Secret Society sounds really interesting. I wonder if it’s a period setting?” Face lit with eagerness, he walked over to the counter to pick up a brochure of his own.

  Sloane coughed while muttering the word “nerd” under his breath.

  Ethan smirked at that, but Olivia frowned. She was every bit as interested in the possibilities as Micah was. But if Sloane, Zoe and Ethan were going to act too aloof to enjoy the game then they were going to ruin the fun for everyone. “I think like they all sound like fun,” Olivia said, hugging her arms over her waist.

  “Me too,” Jade agreed. “I mean it’s a game. It’s nerdy by its nature.” She punched Sloane lightly on the shoulder and he made an exaggerated reaction of pain. “See? That right there is nerd behavior. Don’t act so superior, fitness nerd.”

  Laughing at that, Sloane leaned on the counter to get a look at the hallway behind. “Does anyone work here?” Finding a little bell on the countertop, he rang it obnoxiously and was rewarded by the sound of footsteps echoing across the wood floor.

  A woman in a pencil skirt and crisp button-down shirt stepped up to the counter. “Welcome to Escapade. Are you all together?”

  “Yes, we are,” Jade said brightly, taking the lead.

  Regarding the group, the woman frowned. “I’m afraid most of our rooms are designed for groups of five people or less, but we do have a custom scenario that will accommodate all of you.”

  “Custom scenario?” Micah perked up at that. “What does that entail?”

  Jade interrupted before the woman could respond. “And does it include the full immersion package?”

  Eyes widening slightly, the woman nodded and a smile spread slowly across her lips. “I see that you’ve been talking to one of our happy customers.”

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “That’s right,” Jade smirked and glanced back at the others. “They said it changed their life.”

  “That’s high praise. But not undeserved. I’ve done it myself. You’re really going to enjoy it, I think. But it’s not without risks.”

  “What does full immersion mean exactly?” Zoe asked, more uncertain than usual. This escape room idea was clearly out of her comfort zone.

  The woman behind the counter looked around a bit before leaning forward and saying quietly, “I would love to tell you more, but I have some paperwork I would need all of you to sign before I can elaborate.”

  “What kind of paperwork?” Zoe asked.

  “Nothing too complicated. A series of routine questions. Some non-disclosure agreements. The kind of package you’re referring to is still somewhat experimental and does have some risks—nothing life threatening or anything. But it’s still somewhat confidential since the process is still in development and hasn’t been patented. Before I can discuss it with you, I’d need to know you understand the legal ramifications.”

  “I don’t know about this…” Zoe glanced at the others in concern.

  “Then go do some snorkeling and leave us to have fun,” Jade said, waving a hand at her dismissively. “I’m ready to sign the paperwork.”

  “I don’t know, Jade,” Olivia protested. “It does sound risky.”

  “Come on, Liv. Take a risk for once in your life. You never try anything you haven’t researched and planned for and I bet you never truly feel alive doing any of it. How can you? This is an experience that could change your life. Are you really going to wimp out because of a little risk?”

  “I’m game too, but I’m curious about the custom scenario?” Micah asked, changing the subject. “Do we have to make choices in order for you to create and set it up?”

  “Not exactly.” The woman retrieved a stack of tablets from under the desk and began unlocking them with a passcode and handing the devices to each of them in turn. “We customize the scenario based on your individual answers to a series of questions. It’s sort of like a personality test. We then set up the room to meet the specifications of your particularly group dynamic. Before you get to the quiz, you’ll need to sign the paperwork I mentioned.” She nodded at the tablets.

  “It seems pretty shady to ask us to sign a contract before we know what it’s about,” Zoe said, taking her tablet reluctantly.

  “There is a contract, but not in the initial paperwork. All I need you to sign is a statement saying you will not share any details about what you’ve learned here with anyone else. It’s to protect our trade secrets.”

  “We offer a variety of rooms of varying difficulty. But for a group this large, we have only one scenario that would fit all of you. But it is one of our most challenging puzzles.”

  “What’s the scenario?” Micah asked, leaning in eagerly.

  “I’m afraid that is something you would learn after choosing that option. Part of the fun is that it is a surprise.”

  “I am disappointed, though,” Jade said, winding a lock of hair around her finger. “I was really curious about the full immersion option.”

  In the end, they all agreed to give it a try. The room was only supposed to last a couple of hours, and they still had most of the week to laze around at the pool or on the beach. And after it was over, Jade couldn’t whine about how they never tried any of her ideas. The paperwork was a bit odd, though. They had to fill out enough consent forms to make even Jade a little jittery, and they even had to fill out a short personality test and background questionnaire. The staff claimed that this helped them to increase the immersion by including personal elements into the game.

  When they were finished with the paperwork, they went through a set of surprisingly sturdy metal doors and down a long stairwell. Micah had expected the room to be a part of the old house, but the hallway at the bottom of the stairs was ultra modern and high tech and resembled nothing more than a hospital. The woman from the front desk led them into a dimly lit room with a series of recliners with IV stands lined up next to them.

  “What is in that?” Zoe asked when the woman brought out a cart with IV bags filled with a pale blue liquid.

  “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that,” the woman said with a faint smile. “That was part of the non-disclosure agreement you signed. “It’s a drug that’s still in development, but I guarantee the risks are very low.”

  “You have us taking an untested drug?” Sloane demanded, clearly unhappy with this development.

  “Not untested,” the woman corrected. “It’s been tested for over a year now. It’s not on the market yet, however. It is still going through the final stages of approvals, but I assure you that it is harmless. We’ve discovered very few side effects.” Gesturing to the recliners, she said, “Please, have a seat.”

  Reluctantly, they all took a recliner and the woman began preparing the IVs for them. Zoe was squeamish about the needles and Sloane was hesitant to take the medicine at all, but everyone complied eventually.

  “The first dose is better to take in this form,” the woman said as she worked. “We have added a relaxant to make the process easier. From this point on, you will be taking the drug orally.”

  “What do you mean from this point on?” Sloane asked. “We have to keep taking this stuff?”

  “Yes, for the duration of the test.”

  “The test?” Micah asked with a frown.

  “The escape room,” the woman corrected herself smoothly.” Chuckling, she shook her head, “For some reason I always think of it as a test because there are tasks to complete and it’s a challenge of wits. English is my second language. Sorry for any misunderstanding.” Pressing her hands together as if in prayer, she looked around the room, exchanging looks with each of them in turn. “Are you ready?”

  They all exchanged glances with each other as well, but eventually they agreed.

  “Then, let’s begin.” The woman pushed a button and the lights dimmed and began opening the lines to their IV drips.

  Sloane fought sleep, but the rest drifted off easily. And eventually they were all unconscious.

  Rubbing her hands together, Nariko smiled. “What an auspicious beginning.”