Chapter 8 TENSIONS RISE

Amid the eerie silence that followed the death of Samuel. The remaining guests found themselves standing in the main lounge frozen in a state of shock and disbelief. The chilling reality of the Enigma Inn had begun to unravel before their eyes. Olivia "Liv" Sinclair, with her adventurous spirit, was the first to break the silence. She turned to the others, her voice trembling. "Did...did that really just happen? Did we witness...death?" Dr. Evelyn "Evie" Parker, the archaeologist, stood nearby, her expression grave.

"I'm afraid so, Liv." "What the actual fuck just happened?" Lucky turned to Mr. Blackwood fury evident on his face. Mr Blackwood took a cautious step back while the Silent Enigmas stepped forward, each holding a gun pointed at the remaining guests. "Unfortunately, Professor Samuel lost the game and his life. Sad, I actually thought he'll win with his encyclopaedia of knowledge, but I guess an army veteran strategy is sharper." Mr. Blackwood said in an emotionless voice as if he didn't just witness someone get killed. "I want to leave!" Izzy declared with tears running down her eyes, her makeup smeared all over her face. "I'm afraid that would not be possible ma'am. Until at least all of you complete your challenge." "Does that mean Evelyn is free to go?" Liv asked, tearing up also. "The challenge is not complete." Mr. Blackwood replied. The door opened, and Victor escorted by two Silent Enigmas came in. They pushed Victor to the floor, and he stood up and rushed at Mr. Blackwood in blinded fury but was intercepted by one of the Silent Enigmas who slammed the butt of the gun on his nose and pointed the gun at him. "You had better save your strength for the next challenge. Have a lovely day." Mr. Blackwood said and walked out cackling evilly. The door was locked behind them and they were left trapped in the room. Victor took a step forward, addressing the group. "We have to face the truth. The Enigma Inn is not a mere vacation destination. It's a place where our lives are at stake." Liv, her adventurous spirit now tinged with apprehension, nodded in agreement as she tried to regain her composure. "We can't ignore what just happened. We have to find a way to survive this." Evelyn, who had seen her share of ancient mysteries, added, "We need to uncover the secrets of this place. There must be a reason we were chosen." As the group rallied together, they began to recall the peculiar details of their invitations. Evelyn remembered the enigmatic symbols etched into her parchment, Lucky recalled the strange wording about "fate". They realized that the challenges were intricately linked to the messages in their invitations. "But how did they do it? It's always a random draw, but the name that gets picked always face the

challenge addressed to them in their invitations." Lucky reasoned. "We can't see inside the box. All the papers in the box could be the same name." Izzy said, cleaning her tears.

"That's true." Victor agreed and took a seat on the couch, heaving a sigh as he ran his hand over his hair. "Are we just going to stay here and do nothing! I can't die here." Liv yelled, crying.

Evelyn walked up to her and enveloped her in a hug as she sobbed. She was doing her best not to tear up. She has been involved in countless things, has been in perilous positions, and has been targets for assassination, but this still scared her more than anything. "These motherfuckers planned everything out. From sending the invitations, to somehow making it

believable when you search for it online. Up until now." Lucky murmured out loud. He wasn't feeling so lucky anymore but he still had faith he'll get out of this alive. "There has to be something we can do." Evelyn said. "Dr Evelyn, I, and Samuel have completed our challenges for now. Leaving only Izzy, Lucky, and Liv." Victor stated. "So far, we know that they're trying to challenge us at what we are good at. I'm good at Strategy, Dr Evelyn, I assume you must be good at archaeology." "Yes, even though I can't remember my challenge." Evelyn said. "What are you getting at?" Lucky asked Victor. "You three are going to be tested on your strengths. What are your strengths?" Victor asked the three of them. "Drawing." Izzy replied. "I'm a survivalist." Liv said, her sob reduced to a low whimper. "I'm lucky." Lucky said to which everyone just stared at him. "What do you mean you're lucky?" Izzy questioned, frowning at Lucky. "I mean, I believe in luck, and everything always works out for me." Lucky said smugly. "It sure seems like it's working out for you." Victor asked. "Hey! Don't come at me." Lucky stepped up to Victor trying to intimidate him. "What do you want to do, boy?" Victor rose up to Lucky, staring him down and ready to brawl if it meant beating some sense into him. "You guys should chill out. If we're going to get out of this, we're going to have to work together." Evelyn untangled from Liv, who was no longer crying and stepped up to the guys separating them before they started throwing fists. "Back to what I was saying. You guys are going to have to pass your limits to survive, or else it's game over. While I and Evelyn try to figure out a way to get out of here." Victor explained his idea to them. The gruesome demise of Samuel served as a constant reminder that failure had a deadly consequence.

With each step forward, the guests became more resolute. They knew that the Enigmatic Benefactor, the mysterious figure behind this ordeal, had chosen them for a reason. They had to confront the challenges and ultimately find a way to escape the Enigma Inn. "I wonder when the next challenge would start?" Izzy said, staring at the clock. "Until then, you guys should try and think of any challenge that might be thrown at you. You could share that with us, and we can offer our ideas on how you can survive the challenge." Victor proposed. "Sounds good." Evelyn agreed and they all gathered around to begin brainstorming.