They didn't need to kick it in. Just as everyone crowded up to the cabin door, it clicked and swung open.
Inside, the chandelier was lit, two drawers of a dresser hung open with underwear poking out, and a vacuum cleaner lay on the floor with its cord sprawled like spaghetti. Everyone filtered in like a clumsy school of fish, glancing around in hopes of seeing something—anything—besides the random paperweight lying on the floor. There wasn't even a bed in there. The blinds on the porthole were fully shut, though it was already getting dark outside.
Nobody likes moving in a half- lit room, especially when way too many people cram into a tiny cabin. The jostling began, complete with muttered apologies and a few curse words. Then the lights in both chandelier bulbs went out, and the cabin plunged into pitch darkness.
Well, — came Manu's calm voice, — looks like we've been lured in. Can anyone feel the door handle?
But it wasn't the person anyone wanted answering:
Hee-hee, I know how to open you up, but the lights went out so nice and cozy! It's such a perfect vibe to keep the party going after that money Who's up first, my sweet little darlings?... Aahh, why's it getting so cold? Campus doesn't like colds, and he hates the flu even more!
It was getting cold, alarmingly so, and Flora realized the shivering wasn't just from the adrenaline or fear of being stuck in a dark, sealed room. If there'd been even a sliver of light, you'd definitely see clouds of breath fogging the air.
Somewhere in the far corner, something shattered—so loud it was like a whole ton of crystal just hit the floor! Someone screamed, and Flora was pretty sure it was the director herself. Then someone hugged her gently, arms trembling, which she instinctively identified as Leilani's. Flora didn't ask her to let go. She probably would've hugged a literal demon baby right now, no hesitation.
I don't like any of — Camillo stated the obvious, probably making a disapproving face, though the darkness robbed them of that tiny consolation. Bam! — Something popped on the ceiling like a balloon, and panicked Lorenzo cried out: Whoever you are, dreadful tormentor, I implore you—let us go! These jokes may lead to someone fainting or And I am no physician—I cannot treat the unwell. Can you offer them medical aid?
The blinds began ripping apart violently, and shouted mid- shred:
They found me! The shadow- people tracked my movements! This is all their doing—they must've installed a GPS chip in my kidney to locate me!
Manu made a noble attempt to call for calm:
Ladies and Gentlemen, Vanna's going to be here any moment to let us Please—try to stay calm. You're not my dad! — Snapped — You calm yourself! Meanwhile, why the hell hasn't Evelyn turned on the flashlight under the camera?
Everyone froze. Yeah… why?
Because it doesn't work, you nosy genius! — Auntie barked. — The camera's defective. Got it secondhand. Sorry, darling, didn't tell — She added toward her niece, — figured we wouldn't be filming in total darkness, so I saved a little and…
The rest of her excuse drowned in a choir of overlapping voices, all yelling over each other, impossible to decipher. Screams were coming from every direction—above, below, even from outside the cabin. Soon, the noise unified into one booming voice:
You brought them to the harvest! Mere mortals, you're not at fault—so fear You are the ones in the cheap seats—so applaud what is about to unfold. And the two who pretend to power this world, its financial lifeblood—rattle your jewelry. It's the last thing you've got.
Then came the silence—thick, sticky, and far too intimate. It clung to the skin like sweat, only colder. Only the pounding of hearts and Evelyn's desperate fiddling with the broken spotlight could be heard. Whether for filming or to calm her nerves—probably both.
And then someone proved unbreakable—though Leilani's voice trembled, it still rang out:
I don't have any fancy necklaces or jewelry! I'm not some rich girl—I just wanted to help my brother with this movie…
Zip it, kid! He doesn't — Evelyn snapped, and Leilani shot back:
He who?
Right next to Flora, came the faintest whimper—a little boy's voice, sometimes just a whisper, sometimes nearly sobbing:
My grandma lost her job because of you people! You fired her 'because she had to leave early to pick me up from preschool and feed me!
And my mommy and daddy died right after I was born, so my grandma was the only one left to take care of me! We ran out of money, and she got real sick from grief… then her poor heart just gave out while she was reading me a bedtime story. I never heard her sweet voice again.
Now Vanna's uncle yanked the blinds off and started trying to smash through the thick- ass glass, but wasn't getting far—at least from what little the weak and distant moonlight allowed anyone to see. Campus joined in too, apparently forgetting that plush paws aren't exactly made for powerlifting. Meanwhile, someone slammed into the door—judging by the strength, probably Camillo's foot or shoulder.