TW: Disturbing 

"Huh, I wonder why it seemed so dark when we were in there." I pointed towards where we first came. 

"Maybe whoever captured us wanted it to be dramatic," Ted said, wiggling his fingers as if telling a scary story and wanting it to sound spooky. I giggled. "I mean it's still fairly dark. Just, not pitch black," Sky said. We walked down the hall cautiously, looking around for anything dangerous. 

The floor was noisy under our feet. Every once in a while a weird black substance dripped from the ceiling. We passed by other rooms, but didn't bother opening the doors to them. Sometimes we'd hear a weird noise and pause, and Fiona would jump a bit. We were still exploring the area and came to another area where the hall would stop and give you a choice to either go right, left, or back, when we heard groaning from the right hall. 

"W- what's that?" Cameron asked. I looked around the corner of the right hall slightly. A zombie-looking figure stood in the middle of the hall, looking around as if looking or waiting for someone. "Um, guys, there's some kind of monster in the hallway on the right," I told them. The rest of the group peeked over my shoulder. 

"That thing looks familiar . . I can't really tell from all the way here," Ted muttered. He stepped into the hallway quietly. "Ted!" Fiona hissed. 

Ted scooted down the hall a bit. "Hey . . that looks like the guy my cousin was talking about! The one in his group that didn't come back! He's still here! Except, well, he's been transformed into a scary zombie thing," Ted whisper-shouted.

But something seemed suspicious. It seemed . . to good to be true I guess? Ted cautiously walked towards him. "Hey, it's me, Ted! I'm your friend's cousin? I've come to help!" 

Sky yelled, "Ted! Be careful!" The figure turned around and waved. Ted quickened his pace. Then suddenly, I watched as a knife blade protruded out of the figure's chest. Ted jumped back, Cameron and I gasped, Sky wheezed, and Fiona nearly vomited. 

"No! I- " Ted began before running away. He must've tripped or something because when he got to us he was sliding on his back. He lied on the floor and sighed. "Well, I do not  wanna see what killed that person- zombie- thingy, so I think we should go . . that way," Fiona said, pointing towards the hallway on the left.

We all agreed and walked in the opposite direction of the thingy, Ted looking ashamed. 

I looked at him. "Hey there's no reason to feel bad," I whispered, "we all do stupid things sometimes." He scowled. "It's not that! I probably would've disappointed my cousin! My cousin said that that guy he met was one of his best friends, even if they wouldn't be able to contact often. He said if I ever found him, that would be one of the greatest things I've done!" 

I stared at my feet. Surely Ted's cousin must've been joking. "I'm pretty sure he was joking," Ted continued, "But I'd do anything for him! I look up to him all the time, he's one of the greatest cousins around. That's why I wanted to make him happy again." 

I almost snorted, but I kept it in, not wanting to embarrass myself. "You'd think you'd be a hero if you came back home with a zombified version of your cousin's friend?" I asked sarcastically.

He blushed a little. "I mean, if he could turn into a zombie, he could turn back, right?" 

"I guess you have a point," I told him, and the conversation stopped there when Cameron said, "Hey guys, look, I found a nice room we could stay in." 

The group stopped and turned. Cameron was pointing to the room next to us. This place must've been an old office, because the room he was pointing at looked like a break room. We walked and settled in. "So, do any of you guys happen to be carrying a bag?" Ted asked.

We all shook our heads. "I have some cash in my pocket, but that's it," Fiona said. "All I have is a watch," Sky told us. "Oh, and surprisingly, my phone." 

Cameron said, "I was carrying a bag, but it seemed like I dropped it when . . whoever it is organizing this attacked me." I nodded. Since I had been on my way home from school I also had my school bag, and I had thought it had been with me when I woke up, but I did realize I didn't have it earlier.

"Well, even if we don't have much, we still have a few necessities," Ted said. "Plus we have . . what I presume is day-old sandwiches and water in this fridge. And there's also that vending machine."

Fiona practically attacked that vending machine. She shoved a dime into the slot and watched eagerly as a candy bar fell out. "Mmmm, yes!" she exclaimed and ripped the wrapper open. She then noticed that we were staring and snickering at her. 

"What?" she asked nervously. She went back to nomming her snack. Cameron chuckled. "All this scary stuff must've given her quite an appetite." She glared at him, her mouth full of chocolate.

"So . . I wonder how we'll be able to tell when it's day or night," I said to Sky. She smiled. "Well luckily I have a digital watch, so I can tell if it's P.M. or A.M." 

"Oh, right." 

She pointed at her watch. "See? It says it in the corner. Apparently it's 8 o'clock at night," she said. "So . . shouldn't we be sleeping now?" I asked. 

"I guess so. Hey guys, I think we should get some rest, it's 8 P.M." 

"Shut up, Mom!" Cameron shouted jokingly.

I smiled. "Well, good night Sky," I said. I unzipped my jacket (it was getting a little hot anyway) and spread it on the floor, resting my head on it. Despite my discomfort, I knew I should rest if we were going to be stuck here for a few days, or maybe even longer. Who knew what would happen tomorrow.

Author note- Ello! It's me again! It took me forever to finish this chapter for some reason, most likely because my sudden lack of motivation. Anyway, I hope you liked it, and I guess I'll see you in the next chapter.