The lights went out.

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

Nobody even blinked.

Except Herbert.

The refrigerator’s light came on.

Everyone stared at him.

Herbert beeped.

“Why is everyone looking at me?”

Leo whispered,

“Because you’re glowing.”

“Oh.”

Herbert’s door opened slightly.

“Would anyone like a cold drink?”

“NO!”

Everyone shouted at once.

---

The red balloon floated out of the elevator.

It moved slowly across the lobby.

Bruno Waffles followed it with his eyes.

“Nobody touch that balloon.”

Leo raised his hand.

“Why?”

“Because it told us to run.”

“Maybe it’s friendly.”

The balloon suddenly turned toward Leo.

“Run.”

Leo screamed.

“IT TALKED!”

He ran behind Nina.

Nina pushed him away.

“Don’t hide behind me!”

“You’re taller!”

“I’m not!”

“You are emotionally taller!”

“What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know!”

---

The lights suddenly came back.

The balloon was gone.

Everyone looked around.

Bruno adjusted his sunglasses.

“Nobody panic.”

Leo pointed toward the elevator.

“There’s something inside.”

Bruno approached carefully.

He opened the elevator doors.

Inside was a note.

He picked it up.

It said:

ONE OF YOU WILL DISAPPEAR TONIGHT.

Everyone gasped.

Mrs. Crank crossed herself.

Sammy dropped his pizza.

Harold the magician whispered,

“Finally.”

Everyone looked at him.

“What?”

He shrugged.

“I’ve always wanted to disappear.”

---

Bruno examined the note.

“Who wrote this?”

The handwriting was strange.

The letters were upside down.

Nina looked at it.

“Maybe the person who wrote it was standing upside down.”

Leo stared at her.

“That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

She looked at him.

“You believed the refrigerator.”

Leo pointed toward Herbert.

“He’s different.”

Herbert beeped.

“Thank you.”

---

Bruno suddenly noticed something on the floor.

A wet footprint.

Then another.

And another.

They led toward the stairs.

He followed them.

“Everyone stay together.”

They walked upstairs.

The footprints continued.

Second floor.

Third floor.

Fourth floor.

Finally, they stopped outside Apartment 13.

Everyone stared at the door.

Leo whispered,

“Who lives here?”

Mrs. Crank answered.

“Nobody.”

Bruno frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Apartment 13 has been empty for twenty years.”

Harold stepped backward.

“That’s not true.”

Everyone looked at him.

“What?”

Harold pointed at the door.

“Someone lives there.”

Bruno asked,

“Who?”

Harold swallowed.

“My old magician partner.”

“What’s his name?”

Harold whispered,

“Victor.”

The door suddenly opened.

Everyone screamed.

---

Inside was complete darkness.

Bruno pulled out his flashlight.

“Stay behind me.”

Leo whispered,

“Again?”

Bruno nodded.

“I’ve learned from experience.”

They entered.

The apartment was covered with old photographs.

Magic cards.

Broken clocks.

Strange paintings.

And hundreds of clocks.

All of them showed different times.

Leo looked around.

“Why does this place look like a haunted magician’s house?”

Harold answered,

“Because it is.”

Nina stared at him.

“You could have mentioned that earlier.”

“I forgot.”

“How do you forget something like that?”

“I’m old.”

---

Suddenly, one of the clocks rang.

DING!

Everyone jumped.

Then another.

DING!

Then another.

Soon every clock in the room began ringing.

DING! DING! DING! DING!

Bruno shouted,

“QUIET!”

The clocks stopped.

Silence.

Then one clock spoke.

“Too late.”

Leo screamed.

“WHY DOES EVERYTHING TALK?”

The clock replied,

“Because you’re listening.”

Nina looked at Bruno.

“Do something.”

Bruno walked toward the clock.

“Who are you?”

The clock laughed.

“I know what happened.”

“What?”

“The murder.”

Everyone became silent.

Bruno leaned closer.

“Tell me.”

The clock’s hands moved backward.

“The murder…”

It stopped.

“…will happen at midnight.”

Bruno checked his watch.

11:42 p.m.

“We have eighteen minutes.”

Leo swallowed.

“Can we leave?”

“No.”

“Can we hide?”

“No.”

“Can we pretend we never came here?”

“No.”

Leo sighed.

“I don’t like detective work.”

---

They searched the apartment.

Bruno examined the furniture.

Nina searched the kitchen.

Sammy searched the hallway.

Mrs. Crank sat on a chair.

“What are you doing?”

“Supervising.”

Harold examined the magic equipment.

Leo searched the bedroom.

Herbert remained downstairs.

Suddenly, Leo shouted,

“I FOUND SOMETHING!”

Everyone rushed toward him.

He was holding a small black notebook.

“What is it?”

Leo opened it.

The first page contained a list of names.

Leo Butterfield.

Nina Pickleton.

Bruno Waffles.

Mrs. Crank.

Sammy Dough.

Harold Crumbs.

Everyone froze.

Leo looked at the others.

“How does this person know all our names?”

Bruno took the notebook.

There was one more name.

Herbert.

Leo stared.

“The refrigerator?”

Nina shook her head.

“This is impossible.”

Bruno turned the page.

Under every name was a time.

Leo — 11:55.

Nina — 11:57.

Bruno — 11:59.

Mrs. Crank — 12:01.

Sammy — 12:03.

Harold — 12:05.

And Herbert —

12:07.

Bruno’s face became serious.

“This isn’t a murder list.”

“What is it?” Nina asked.

“It’s a schedule.”

---

Suddenly, the door slammed shut.

BANG!

Everyone jumped.

The room became dark again.

Bruno shouted,

“Nobody move!”

A strange sound came from the hallway.

Footsteps.

Slow.

One step.

Two.

Three.

Coming closer.

Leo whispered,

“Who is that?”

Nobody answered.

The footsteps stopped outside the room.

Then the door opened.

A tall figure stood there.

Black coat.

Black hat.

Long white gloves.

He slowly raised his hand.

Everyone screamed.

The figure pulled off his hat.

It was…

Herbert.

Everyone stared.

The refrigerator was somehow standing in the doorway.

Leo’s mouth fell open.

“HOW?”

Herbert beeped proudly.

“I have wheels.”

Nina pointed at him.

“Since when?”

“Since five minutes ago.”

Bruno stared.

“You can’t just grow wheels.”

“I upgraded myself.”

Leo shook his head.

“Of course you did.”

---

Herbert rolled into the room.

“I found something.”

He opened his freezer compartment.

A small envelope was inside.

Bruno took it.

The envelope had one word written on it:

MIDNIGHT.

Bruno opened it.

Inside was a photograph.

It showed Victor, Harold’s old magician partner.

Standing beside a strange machine.

Harold stared at the photograph.

“Victor.”

Bruno looked at him.

“Where is he?”

Harold’s face became pale.

“He died twenty years ago.”

Everyone screamed.

The clock struck 11:55.

DONG.

Bruno looked at the notebook.

Leo’s name was first.

11:55.

Leo looked terrified.

“Why am I first?”

Suddenly, every light in the apartment turned red.

A hidden speaker crackled.

A voice whispered:

“Leo…”

He froze.

“Yes?”

“Your time has come.”

Leo screamed.

He ran.

He opened the nearest door.

He disappeared inside.

Everyone rushed after him.

“LEO!”

The door slammed shut.

Bruno grabbed the handle.

Locked.

Nina shouted,

“Leo!”

No answer.

Bruno kicked the door.

It opened.

The room was empty.

Leo was gone.

Everyone stared.

Then a laugh echoed through the apartment.

“HAHAHAHA!”

Harold whispered,

“Victor…”

Bruno looked at the clock.

11:56.

“We have four minutes until Nina disappears.”

Nina stared at him.

“What?”

Bruno pointed at the notebook.

“You’re next.”

Nina swallowed.

Then the refrigerator’s door slowly opened.

Inside was a small red button.

A label above it read:

DO NOT PRESS.

Leo’s voice suddenly came from inside the refrigerator.

“Guys…”

Everyone froze.

“HELP!”

Nina ran toward Herbert.

Bruno shouted,

“WAIT!”

But it was too late.

She pressed the button.

CLICK.

The entire building shook.

The refrigerator screamed.

The elevator began moving by itself.

And from somewhere deep beneath the building came a voice:

“THE GAME HAS BEGUN.”

TO BE CONTINUED…