Spiky Fall
The Golden Hotel 3 (골든 호텔 3)
"But not this one." Tao tried tossing it in the air before catching it. "It's really heavy."
"Can I hold it?"
"Here."
Tao handed the Rubik's Cube to
"Why would it be?" he bent down to hear her clearly.
She held the Rubik's Cube high. "If this is the last puzzle, and Luhan oppa was holding this, that means he was trying to finish the Rubik's Cube. But he was too weak to even complete it. He's very skilled in here, right?"
"But don't you think it's weird?" Kris was now carrying Luhan in his arms. "Why would he complete it if it's our job to do so?"
Tao stood tall to look and answer Kris. "Maybe he was already part of our team to play the last puzzle?"
"Even so. . . .the problem is. . . ."
"What should we do?" Tao placed his hands on his waist. "Try and solve it?"
Kris answered. "I guess we have no choice at all. And the faster we finish this, the faster we can tend to Luhan gege."
"I'll try if I can. . . .although during my childhood, my best friend did taught me the trick but. . . ."
"Algorithms?" Kris raised an eyebrow. "Why do I picture Math in it?" he rather said it sarcastically.
"Solving a Rubik's Cube has patterns. You don't just twist and complete one side. It's step by step. Layer by layer. You have to know the patterns." she explained. "And this Rubik's Cube is in its last layer."
"Try it,
She gathered up all her courage to try and solve the Rubik's Cube. "Okay, then. I'll try!"
Tao got the video cam and watched the screen. "Okay. I'll call your attention when it stops." he stood up.
"Right!"
While she was trying to solve the Rubix Cube, Tao focused on watching the clip. He also had the same idea as
After staring for quite some time, Tao noticed one little detail that caused him to stop and think. "Hold on? Shouldn't an elevator be only one to transport people? We encountered three that's on the same lane!" he then went nervous after figuring that out.
The video was already running for 10 minutes and it was now down to 5 minutes. "We were so focused on solving the puzzles we didn't even noticed it! But is it really on purpose or. . . ."
Tao got distracted when the video camera were making static sounds. He couldn't help but to look at the screen and when he did, his eyes widened in shock when the clip changed scene. A certain someone was lying down somewhere on the ground with little light to illuminate his silhouette, arms and legs are parted with ropes tied around his wrists and ankles. He also had a gag on his mouth and something was also dangling just straight down above him. It was some sort of a rope.
"IT'S KAI!!!"
Kris and
"Where on earth is he?!"
Kris looked closely and noticed something. "He's staring straight above his view?"
"No luck." she answered softly. "I'm still trying."
While they were watching the clip, another scene was switched to an angle that would directly view the bottom side of an object. To their surprise, there were spikes sticking out everywhere. They could tell it clearly since the angle of the camera would show how long they were and how sharp they are. And after that quick preview, the scene changed again. Their faces went pale when the first puzzle design of the elevator door was shown. Judging by those scenes, they knew what was going on when the final scene change was shown to them. The top view of the elevator was shown, and the ropes were already halfway cut. A kind of machine was pointed to act as the scissor and then the clip ended.
"Oh shoot~ Kai's down the basement of this hotel!"
Tao pulled
Kris glanced at Tao. "What's wrong?"
"Now I know why that's heavy. It's a timer." Tao stared at it nervously while
"A timer?!" her head turned to look at the Rubik's Cube that completed itself and from those line spaces, red lights were blinking. She suddenly remembered Luhan and looked at him in Kris' arms. "No?. . . .OH . Luhan oppa meant not to touch the Rubik's Cube from the start!"
Tao's jaw dropped down. "This is a distraction?!"
"We better hurry down! You guys run ahead! I'll tail behind!" Kris gestured a nod.
Tao then caught up to
"But. . . "
"I know you want to, but does that matter right now?" Tao saw through her that she was having an unexplained feeling. "You don't know what to decide right?"
". . . . . ."
She stayed speechless but Tao grabbed her arm to pull her and ran, taking her with him. "Come on! We don't have much time!"
"Bwo! Tao!"
They finally rode the elevator to go down the lounge to find the basement door.
"Kick it!"
Tao took a step backward and then kicked the door as hard as he can. The door wrecked open and they were about to come in when
"Ouch!" Tao fell on his and then his back, feeling a quick breeze that somehow went past his head. "What did I just felt past my head?"
He stood up to look at the disc piercing through the wooden picture frame and he felt himself pailing from the close call. "Thank you. . . ."
She stared at the doorknob and saw a fishing line attached to it, then just above the wall and followed it across the room. A weird machine was facing the entrance and it just stopped working since the loaded disc was released. "It's a trap. . . .You almost got killed!"
"I'm still here. We should hurry." Tao held her shoulder, although still taken aback. She nodded in agreement and they both went down the steps, going around to find the bottom of the elevator.
While looking around the dark room with dull lights on above the ceiling, Tao and
They kept on calling out his name when Kai heard a faint shout. Someone was actually shouting his name and when he tried screaming for help, something snapped and the elevator went screeching down. Kai got really nervous when it stopped for a little while. The ropes on top were completely cut off but a part of it was still intact. Although it was still intact, due to the weight of the elevator, the rope was snapping one by one. He then desperately screamed for help, even if it's a muffled scream.
Tao heard a muffled scream and he silenced
After a short run, Tao and
"KAAAAIIII!!!!"
"MMMMN!!! MNNN!!!" Kai muffled his screams, whining desperately to get out.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Tao thought loudly in his mind, looking around the area to find a tool to somehow get rid of the barrier. "He's not the killer?"
"How can we break you out!"
Kai whined again and tears began trickling down his face, crying for his life. There was nothing that they could actually do to help him get out of his misery. The elevator suddenly creaked, alerting them by that dangerous sound. The creaking was very long and after that, the ropes above snapped. It tremendously went screeching down fast, enough to hurt your ears with the friction created.
"Keep away!" Tao pulled her down with him and covered her head, protecting her from the impact that the elevator would cause.
Electric wires began sparking as the elevator plummeted down, sparks were also being created by the friction. The spikes were nearing Kai and he was so pale and lost for words. He wanted to at least say his goodbyes but his mouth was sealed tight with a gag. He couldn't do anything, so he closed his eyes and his last teardrop fell. As soon as the elevator landed, a loud crashing sound was heard, sparks zapped and popped crazily. Dust flew out of the area and some small metal pieces went flying out.
"Kaaaaaiiii!!!"
"What is. . . .going on?" Tao's face paled after what had happened. Kai died? Then what was all that clues for? He was in total shock for a while, thinking that Kris could be behind all of this after all, but he got distracted when
"
"I get it. . . .okay."
"What?. . . .What are you talking about?" he was about to come crawl near her when she snarled at him.
"Don't come near me!!!"
Tao moved away from her. He got totally confused at her behavior just now, but later realized what was the situation, and it was really bad. "A-are you actually thinking I'm behind all this-"
"SHUT UP!!!"
Tao quickly got up from the floor to convince her. "But it doesn't mean I'm the-"
"Don't talk to me!!!" she began crying hard, glaring at Tao angrily but in pain. "From the start, it was all a lie!!! You don't really love me!!! You killed your members!!!" she sobbed hard before saying another one. "I abhor you. . . .you manipulated me. . . .why? Why don't you just kill me?"
Tao felt a stinging pain in his heart, eyes becoming watery after she said all that, and especially that last strong word of hate. "No, please. . . .listen to me- I-"
"You what?"
"
She continued his sentence coldly. "It hurts twice as much when you get killed brutally."
Tao's legs fell weak and so he collapsed on his knees, staring down at the floor in bewilderment. His world came crashing down on top of him as if he lost something that's already a part of his life. And without it, he could no longer live. He pounded the ground using his clenched fists angrily with a gritted teeth, and then he released his scream of pain that echoed throughout the basement room.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
After screaming, Tao curled into a ball on the floor just to cry more and calm himself bit by bit before getting out of the room. He needed time for himself since he couldn't move at all from total shock.
"I-It's not true. . . . ."
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