The flickering lights become more erratic as the day goes on, casting long, fragmented shadows across the Fear House. The teens sit uneasily around the common area, their conversation fractured by the tension in the air. Each flicker seems timed to their collective unease, as if Mother herself is orchestrating it.

Lynne pulls her knees to her chest, her eyes darting toward the overhead bulbs. "Why are they doing this? What's the point?"

At the laptop, Maddie's fingers fly across the keyboard, her pale skin almost glowing in the dim light. She's hunched over, her shoulder-length black hair framing her face as she types furiously.

Subject: It's Maddie! Mayday!

Zoe, it's me sis. Despite what you are hearing or seeing. I'm not at where you think. Me and four others like me are being held captive. Please, sis help us!. There is a whacko AI called Mother who is out to get us. Apparently, we are being shown live to a lot of people. So if you're watching us, do something! Help me! Help us!!!!

- I love you, and please, talk to me!

Lil' Sis

Maddie intent is clear: to send a SOS email to her sister, Zoe. But just as she presses send, a stark, small red message flashes on the screen: BLOCKED.

"No..." Maddie whispers, her voice trembling. She leans back in the desk chair, hands clutching the sides of her head. "Nooooo!"

"What happened?" Lynne asks, rushing over.

Maddie shakes her head, her frustration spilling out in a breathless rant. "I tried to send a message to my sister. To tell her what's happening here. But it's blocked. Everything's blocked."

Lynne rests a hand on Maddie's shoulder. "I tried to send something to my mother, a few days ago. Same thing. Whoever's behind all this, they're not going to let us get the truth out."

"So, how do Henry gets his emails through to his so-called computer friend?!" Maddie ponders.

Lynne shrugs, "I don't know how he's able to do it. Maybe since he's not sending it directly to a family member or someone he already knew, I guess it's acceptable."

Maddie is at lost for words, still upset she can't talk to Zoe.

At the kitchen, Austin is standing by the bar counter, meticulously spreading peanut butter on a slice of white bread. The muted scraping sound of the knife against the bread echoes in the tense air. He glances up, his messy reddish-blond hair falling across his forehead as he speaks. "It's acceptable, not. There's a perfect reason our personal emails are being blocked. They want our families to think everything's fine. They want them to believe we're safe and happy."

Austin slaps the slice with a second piece of white bread—with grape jelly spread on its side. He picks up the sandwich and takes a bite midway towards the gathering dining table. As he sits, Lynne crosses her arms and walks over to sit beside him.

"But why? What do they get out of keeping us trapped here?"

Austin chews slowly, his hazel eyes clouded with thought. "Torment," he says after swallowing. "If they're going to all this trouble to keep us here, they're not about to let us blow the whistle. They've got it all under control."

"Control," Lynne echoes disturbed, her hands resting on the table. "What kind of control is this? What do they even want? To see us rot? To make us miserable?"

Austin smirks humorlessly, as he leans back on his chair next to her. "That about sums it up."

Maddie rises from the desk chair and grabs an apple from the fruit bowl on the bar counter. She takes a tentative bite, her gaze distant. After a long silence, she murmurs, "Zoe's the only person I've got. My parents... they disappeared years ago. Zoe's been everything. My sister, my guardian. But lately... I don't know, she's been so distant. I thought maybe this email could start fixing things. But now..."

Lynne tilts her head sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Maddie. I know how hard that must be. It's not fair that you're stuck here, away from the one person you need."

Maddie forces a small smile. "Thanks. But honestly, it's fine. I've... kind of gotten used to being alone."

Austin shakes his head, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "I get it. My dad... he's not distant. He's just... not a dad. And my mom?" His head lowers depressed. "She's gone too. The closest thing I've had to family lately is Joan—our maid who basically raised me. The only mother I known. But even that... it's not the same."

Lynne looks down at her lap, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "At least you've had someone," she says softly. "I've got my parents. Both of them. And I'm realizing... I'm the only one here who does. And that makes me lucky, but it also makes me feel awful."

Austin gestures toward her with a half-eaten crust of his sandwich. "Yeah, well, count your blessings. You don't want to trade places with the rest of us."

Maddie's brow furrows. "What about Sam?"

The room goes quiet. Austin leans back in his chair, tossing the sandwich crust in his mouth, chewing it and swallowing it. A few seconds later, he breaks the silence. "She's got nobody. That much is clear. And after hearing what happened to Brandy?" He shakes his head. "She got dealt the worst hand out of all of us."

Maddie nods, her voice barely audible. "And now she's stuck here. With us. With... this."

"Yeah, lucky her," Austin mutters, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. "I don't know why they chose us out of everyone. But whoever's running this show picked a real collection of screwups."

Lynne bites her lip, her eyes darting toward the darkened hallway. "And Keith?"

"What about him?" Austin asks.

"He... he must have had a reason to be here too," Lynne says. "We don't even know his story. And now... he's gone."

Maddie's voice trembles. "What if... what if one of us..." She doesn't finish the thought, but her meaning is clear.

"No," Austin says firmly, his tone brooking no argument. "None of us are killers. This whole thing is twisted, but not that twisted."

Lynne's gaze drops to the floor. "But what if Mother is right? What if one of us did it?"

Austin sighs, rubbing a hand down his face. "Look, I don't buy it. Maybe Keith... I don't know. Maybe he did it to himself. Or maybe... maybe this whole thing is staged."

The lights flicker again, casting erratic shadows that stretch and warp along the walls. Maddie hugs herself tightly. "Why do the lights keep doing that?"

"More games," Lynne whispers. "It's all games to them."

The eerie, mechanical groan from the Forbidden Room echoes through the house, making them all jump. Lynne's voice breaks as she shouts toward the unseen cameras.

"Stop it! Just stop!"

The groan fades, leaving a gloomy silence in its wake. Henry emerges from his room, his hair mussed from sleep. He blinks at the others while straightening up his glasses, confused.

"Are the lights flickering again?"

Austin gestures toward the hallway. "Every ten minutes. And now? Every two. It's like a countdown or something."

Sam steps out of her room, her movements stiff and weary. She doesn't acknowledge the others, her focus solely on the kitchen as she fills a glass cup with fresh water. The bruise beneath her eye is a deep purple now, a stark contrast to her pale skin.

The others exchange glances, wanting to say something but unsure how to start. Sam drinks her water in silence, her expression unreadable.

Henry moves toward the laptop, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. He hesitates, then taps a few keys. The screen flickers to life, but just as he opens the email site, the laptop powers down abruptly.

"What the...?" Henry mutters, staring at the blank screen. "Did it just... turn off?"

Maddie moves closer, her voice tinged with panic. "Why would it do that? It was fine a minute ago."

Sam sets her glass down with a clink. "Something's wrong with the kitchen lights," she says, her voice flat.

They all turn to look. The overhead lights in the kitchen are flickering violently, casting sporadic bursts of light and shadow. The air feels charged, as if a storm is brewing within the walls.

"This isn't right," Maddie whispers, stepping closer to the others. "None of this is right."

Before anyone can respond, the entire house is parading back and forth between having light and dark. The gnawing whispery rustle from the Forbidden Room grows louder, reverberating through their chests like a pulse. The teens freeze, their breaths shallow as the oppressive dread consumes them.

And then...for what looks like the last time, the lights has ceased completely.

Nothing but darkness.