“Solar! Solar!”

Moonbyul called several times as she softly tapped Solar’s cheek, but it was to no avail. Solar was showing no sign of waking up. The air was getting worse by the second, I need to try and slow down this smoke! Moonbyul covered her nose and quickly approached the smoke grenade. She yanked off the tape and lobbed it out the window. Hopefully that will help clear the air a bit.

She turned back towards Solar. I need to get her out of here. A quick glance around the garage-like room told her everything she needed to know about it, empty and desolate. Even the workbench in the corner had nothing but dust collected on it. There’s the door. She dashed towards it, hoping it could easily be unlocked. There was no such luck. On top of it all, the moment she stepped in front of the door she heard a click beneath her feet and a beep behind her. She turned around and saw a big red number counting down in front of her. ! There was another trap!

The smoke made it hard to see, but there was a third event the pressure plate had set in motion. A car behind the one Solar was in rolled forward onto the hole Moonbyul had crawled through. By the time she heard it bump against the wall, it was already too late. You’ve got to be kidding me! She ran up to the car but the door was locked. Moving it by force was not an option. Damn it! That’s our only way out now. She groaned as she looked at the front door.

There was no time to lose as she rushed back to the timer. What is this? Another smoke grenade? Maybe I can throw it out before it hits zero? Using all her strength, she tried to lift it. Unfortunately, both the box and the table it was on were welded in place and could not be moved. Damn it! If any more smoke is released into the room we’ll suffocate! What should I do? What should I do? She pondered briefly on how to stop the countdown and an idea crossed her mind. The pressure plate was only a few steps away from her position. She stepped on it again hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

Yet, to her surprise, the timer disappeared in front of her eyes. That worked? She went back to the box, ecstatic and lost for words. It really worked! She was happy enough to smile, and she hadn’t had many of those today. Her joy, however, was short-lived. Barely ten seconds had passed when a message started flashing on the box which read ‘Just Kidding’. After a few flashes, the message disappeared and the timer returned with three minutes less on it.

“YOU !!” she screamed and slammed her fist on the box out of frustration.

The impact created a kind of jingle that caught her attention. What was that? It sounded like a keychain. Did I hear it wrong? She hit the box again to confirm her suspicion. Is it inside? How do I get it open? She looked around the box and found a ring of keys just hanging off the hook on the back of it. Would there be any more traps? She swung her hand around the keys and even gave them a feel with her fingers to make sure there were no strings attached. It should be okay, right? She carefully lifted them from their position and quickly made for the door, avoiding the pressure plate along the way.

There were at least fourteen keys on the ring and only two minutes remaining on the mysterious timer. She tried the keys one by one but in her haste she had forgotten which ones she had used. Come on, come on, come on! How difficult can it be to unlock this door!? A smile lit across her face, got it! She turned around to check the timer and more time had passed than she had initially anticipated. She gritted her teeth, only seventy-five seconds left.

The distance from Solar to the door was not far, there was plenty of time to get her out the front door if there were no other surprises awaiting them. I need to be careful. What if I open the door and spring another trap? But I don’t have much time to left to debate. I’ll just have to test it myself beforehand. She slightly cracked the door open before pulling it with all her might. She jumped out of the way as the door swung wide open.

At that moment, an object, painted the same color as the wall, dropped from above the door and made a metallic clanking sound when it hit the floor. Another one? Why didn’t I see it? I need to—before she could do anything, a bright flash of light burst from within and blinded her. She opened her eyes but there was nothing in front of her, as if she was staring at a blank sheet of paper.

It took a few seconds before her vision began to return, but the afterimage from the flash bang disrupted her sight more than she had anticipated. Everything in front of her was blurry. At least the door is open. She did her best to check for any other surprises. We need to get out of here! She quickly made her way back to Solar. When she tried to grab the car for support, her hand slipped and she hit her forehead on its rim. Crap, that freaking hurt! She rubbed the aching bump.

I can’t waste any more time! She draped Solar on her back and made her way towards the exit. When she was passing by, she took one final glance at the timer, which had been reduced into the single digits. I have to hurry! I don’t want to know what else awaits! As she was running down the few steps in front of her, a loud and slightly static screech made her jump into the sand. She rolled on top of Solar to shield her.

“BOOM!” the static voice screamed. After a few seconds, it cheered excitedly. “SURPRISE! SURPRISE!”

It took Moonbyul a few moments before she realized that nothing had happened. She turned towards the cheering voice and with that the box mystery was also solved. It was a jack-in-the-box. What the hell!? That crazy ! Adrenaline was still rushing through her veins but she felt she could at least breathe a sigh of relief now that Solar was out of danger and was by her side. She lay flat on her back and took a deep breath. It’s finally over!

“JUST KIDDING!” The Jack-in-the-box recording laughed maniacally. “Goodbye~” it spoke cutely.

In a blink of an eye, it created a large explosion. The wall right in front of Moonbyul and Solar swayed precariously. ! We don’t have enough time to get away! Moonbyul closed her eyes and embraced Solar, shielding her lover as much as possible, hoping that it would not bring about both of their demise.

***************************************

Hwasa turned towards the loud noise. That was definitely an explosion! It was louder than the previous one. Did Moonbyul found Solar? Are they okay? She glanced up at Whee-In, hanging above a pit; trapped and unconscious. The solution was behind the fence door in front of her as well as the many eyes staring at her from the shadows, anticipating her next move. She gripped the ring of keys tighter in her bandaged hand as blood ran down the side of the keys.

“Wait for me, Whee-In. I’ll get you out,” she whispered as she looked at Whee-In.