Adrian slept fitfully that night.
He was the type who didn’t mind not knowing things. He actually loved the feeling. Learning things, discovering secrets; it all excited him.
What he did mind was when he knew things but couldn’t see the link between them. He knew Akiko and Kel were liars. He knew something was odd about Shanice; she was probably a liar too. And Richard, why had he really gone to that room where they’d been held? Was everyone lying? Why would they? Tharonby knew he was a detective. Raj seemed to suspect the fact. And their names arranged the same way, be it the rooms or the lockers or the chairs.
When he woke up, he didn’t really feel as if he’d had much sleep. He felt tremendously tired and his eyes burned as he washed his face.
He wondered what time it was; he usually slept till late in the morning. He contemplated going outside but, upon opening the door and hearing no sound come from downstairs, decided to stay in for a little while longer. He had been sitting on his bed for about half an hour (he used his pulse to estimate the time), eyes closed and his mind in a blank state when there was a knock on his door.
“Who is it?” Adrian called.
“Oh, thank god you’re awake,” came Hunter’s voice. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
Hunter walked in wearing a pair of pyjamas. He sat down on Adrian’s chair, stretched his back and let out a yawn.
“So, you just woke up?” Adrian asked.
Hunter nodded, rubbing his eyes.
“Where’d you find that?” Adrian asked, pointing at Hunter’s pyjamas.
“Inside the locker in the pool room downstairs,” Hunter answered. “You look like you woke up a while ago.”
“I did. I looked outside but nobody seemed to have left their rooms so I just stayed in.”
“Well, the announcement failed to mention when we could leave our rooms in the morning. I looked outside the window on the stairs. It’s about eight in the morning, I think. You’re the only one awake on this side. I’m sure some in those six rooms on the other side are awake.”
Suddenly, a bell rang throughout the mansion. It lasted for about half a minute before stopping.
“Well, I’m sure now everyone’s awake,” Adrian said.
The bell rang again, longer this time.
“Our host really wants us to wake up,” Hunter commented.
Both men stepped outside the room after the bell had stopped. They watched as others opened the doors to their rooms and peered outside. Adrian noticed that he was the only one not wearing pyjamas from the entire group.
‘Good morning everyone.’
Adrian’s ears perked up. It was the voice again.
‘It’s already half past seven. I couldn’t have you lot sleeping when there’s so much going on. For instance, Tharonby Huifeyl is dead.’
Adrian and Hunter looked at each other with wide eyes before rushing to the door of the said woman.
“It’s locked!” Hunter exclaimed before pounding on the door, calling out Tharonby’s name.
The others, upon finally registering what the voice had said, came rushing to the door.
‘She wasn’t supposed to be the first one to die but she found out who the detective was.’
“Kick it near the door knob,” Adrian directed Hunter.
‘Of course, I couldn’t let her live. Had she told the others, it would have sucked the fun right out of the game.’
The door groaned and splintered under Hunter’s repeated kicks.
‘And I don’t like games that aren’t fun.’
The door finally flew open on Hunter’s sixth kick. All eleven people rushed into her room at once.
On the bed lay Tharonby’s body in a pool of blood. Her left hand hung limp from the side of her bed while her other hand rested on her abdomen. What caught Adrian’s eye was the knife sticking into her neck.
‘So, I killed her in her sleep last night.’
ns 18.68.41.146da2
