As they walk into the hall, it's hard to see anything, you can barely see your own hands.

"Is it just me, or does this hall look pitch black?" says Lexi.

"It's not just you, be careful, we need to be mindful of where we step," says Ana.

X starts talking from the intercom, "Is there no light in that hall?"

"That's correct, we can't see a thing," says Chase.

"I apologize, let me fix that," says X. The lights flicker for a bit and then stay on. It's not much light, but you're still able to see, "You guys have been through enough, relax for a bit, and get to know each other while you're at it!"

"Thank you, but we got to know each other at the beginning of the game," says Lexi.

"All you guys know is the basics about each other! Talk about what your life was like before this, I'm sure it'll be quite a story!" says X. He stops talking through the intercom, leaving the players to socialize one last time.

"Alright! I don't see why not?" says Carly.

"That's true, so who wants to start?" says Ana.

"I suppose I can start," says Joseph, "Let's see, well I had a job interview before this whole thing. Like RIGHT before, I was taken away before it was able to finish."

"Really? So that's what you meant when you said, Mr. Green! Was he the interviewer?" says Blake.

"Yeah, I was so angry during then, I thought I did pretty well and I was taken away right before Mr. Green made his decision," says Joseph.

"What was the interview for? What job were you trying to get?" says Lexi.

"Some dumb job in sales. I tend to look for jobs in sales or business but I don't really enjoy it all that much," says Joseph.

"What do you wanna be?" says Chase.

"I'd love to be a CEO of my own company one day, that's why I'm staying in this type of job, I need to work myself up," says Joseph.

"Do you have any idea for what your company would be?" says Rachel.

"Probably cars, I love seeing how they work and how to build them," says Joseph. His eyes are lighting up just talking about it.

"I think you'll be able to do it, good luck," says Blake.

"Thank you, it means a lot," says Joseph with a smile on his face.

"I suppose I can go next," says Ana.

"Alright! I'm not gonna lie, I've always been curious as to what you work as," says Carly.

"I'm a forensic scientist, personally, as a kid seeing them in tv shows always ignited a spark in me," says Ana.

"I think it really fits you!" says Carly with a wide smile on her face.

Ana returns the smile.

"What's a forensic scientist?" says Lexi.

"I collect evidence at a crime scene, and then I use it to get fingerprints and all that stuff to help in an investigation," says Ana.

"Ohhh, I've seen those people on tv before! It does fit you!" says Lexi.

"Thank you, Lexi."

"Well, we might as well go from oldest to youngest, so I'm next!" says Carly.

"Oooo, what does the legendary Carly do for work?" says Ana teasingly.

"Shush! Anyways, I'm a fashion designer! I was always interested in clothes as a teen, and I suppose the phase just never went away," says Carly.

"I think that job really suits you," says Ana with a smile on her face.

Carly returns the smile.

"Carly, after we all get out, you should help me with my clothes, I'm not that good at fashion," says Rachel.

"Of course! I love helping people figure out what to wear!" says Carly.

"I guess it's my turn. You know, Ana, I actually worked in the crime field as well," says Chase.

"Really? What were you?" says Ana.

"I'm a detective," says Chase.

"Wow! That explains how smart you are," says Ana.

"Thanks, I've worked really hard to get here even though I'm only 20," says Chase.

"Where did you work? I remember hearing about a 20-year-old detective a few towns over. Apparently, he was like a genius or something," says Ana.

"I suppose that would be me that you heard about. I worked at the Mango police station and genius was practically my name over there, it's all that they would call me," says Chase.

"That's only 2 towns away from me! I didn't think we would be so close to each other," says Ana.

"That's really cool, Ana! It's a shame we didn't run into each other before this, it would've seemed nice to work with each other," says Chase.

"I agree, it would've been amazing to have a friend, especially one in the crime field," says Ana.

"Ana, did you not have friends before this?" says Carly.

"Not really, no. I was like the outcast at my work, it pissed me off A LOT but I got used to it," says Ana.

"Forget them! They didn't know how cool you were and that's their fault," says Carly.

"I agree with her, it's a shame that grown adults were acting like children and deciding to leave someone out. You should work somewhere else, Ana," says Joseph.

"I agree! You need a place that will appreciate you! You should know how nice it feels to be included!" says Carly.

"Yeah, when we get to live like normal again, I promise I'll get a new job," says Ana.

"That's good. Now then, it's Rachel's turn," says Chase.

"Well, I've never had a job, but I was pretty good in school. All of my classes were either honors or AP and I was able to get A's in every class," says Rachel.

"Lucky! Even in my normal classes, I always got B's and C's!" says Blake.

"What high school did you go to?" says Rachel.

"Anthony Brown High School, why do you ask?" says Blake.

"Wait what? Blake, are you being serious right now?" says Rachel.

"Yeah, why would I lie? Why do you seem so shocked?" says Blake.

"Blake, I went there! I went to the same high school as you!" says Rachel.

Everyone turns their heads in surprise.

"Really?? How come I never saw you?" says Blake.

"Blake, you know how big the school is. There's like 4 thousand kids there, besides we were in different departments of the school," says Rachel.

"Well, I suppose that's true, it still seems so weird though," says Blake,

"Yeah, I get what you mean," says Rachel.

"Is it my turn now?" says Lexi.

"Yeah, go ahead," says Blake.

"Well, I'm in elementary school, that's pretty obvious. But, something more important about me is that I've been in foster care since I was 2 years old," says Lexi.

"Really? You've never mentioned it," says Blake.

"I don't really like mentioning this that much, foster care was not a good place for me. My mom said she would come back for me but when I turned 7, she sent me a letter saying that wouldn't be happening, so now I have my caregivers. They aren't really the best but I have to take what I can get," says Lexi.

"I'm sorry about that, Lexi. You know what? I'm gonna talk to your caregivers, I'm gonna try and work something out, ok?" says Joseph.

"Really?! That'd be amazing! Thank you, Joseph!" says Lexi as she jumps up and down.

"It's no problem," says Joseph with a smile on his face.

"I love how wholesome this is, but shouldn't we talk about X's boss?" says Ana.

"Maybe, but we're leaving, I don't think we'll have to pay it much attention after this," says Chase.

"Yeah, but the whole thing just felt unsettling. I think we should figure out what happened before we leave," says Lexi.

"You have a point, but where would we even start?" says Joseph.

The players walk in silence for a bit, trying to figure out what was happening with X's boss.

"I can't think of anything," says Rachel.

"Same here," says Blake.

"Maybe X will tell us? After all, he said he would tell us everything at the end," says Rachel.

"That is true, maybe we should just wait then, I'm sure he'll tell us," says Chase.

"Sorry about bringing up something with a dead end, I was just ready to find out what was going on," says Ana.

"Don't worry about it! We all feel the same way, We'll figure it out soon!" says Carly as she gives a smile.

As Ana smiles back, a flash of nerves overtakes her whole body. She feels as if she's waited long enough.

"Hey Carly, can I talk to you about something?" says Ana.

"Of course, what is it?" says Carly.

"Can you guys just keep walking? We'll catch up," says Ana.

As the rest of the players walk away from Ana and Carly, they start whispering.

"Is she finally gonna do it?" says Joseph.

"She better, I'm tired of them acting oblivious to each other," says Blake.

"I think it's cute!" says Lexi.

"It was at first, now it's just too much," says Blake.

"Definitely. I'm glad at least one of them is making a move," says Chase.

"I agree with Chase. They were so obvious with each other," says Rachel.

The focus goes back to Carly and Ana.

"So what was so important to ask me that you had to make them keep walking?" says Carly while she lets out a laugh.

Ana smiles as she takes Carly's hand.

"I think it's pretty obvious. Carly, I have feelings for you, will you be my girlfriend?" says Ana.

Carly starts blushing like crazy, "Yes, obviously! God, you could've asked more in an adult way though, this makes me feel like I'm in middle school again," says Carly as she starts laughing hard.

"Shush! I didn't know how else to ask! Whatever let's catch up to everyone else now," says Ana as she takes Carly's hand and starts walking with her.

Joseph shouts across the hall, "DID SHE SAY YES?"

Ana nods her head yes and everyone starts clapping.

"Finally! Took you guys long enough!" says Blake.

Ana has a tone of sarcasm in her voice, "My bad, I should've asked her when we were fighting for our lives, I've heard that's much more romantic."

"Fair point," says Blake.

As they all keep walking, they start to calm down. 5 minutes later and they start to see something.

"Guys, what is that?" says Rachel.

"All I can tell is that it's a word, I don't know what it says," says Blake.

"Wait. Do you guys think it's the exit sign?" says Lexi.

Everyone stops in their tracks. They all give each other a look of confirmation. They start running closer to the door.

As everyone is running, they all start to get excited.

"WE'RE FINALLY GONNA LEAVE," says Joseph.

After 3 minutes of running, they get to the door, and they stop.

"Well done, my players! You made it!"

It's X. In-person. He's not speaking through the intercom. He's here. In real life.

"You're the man from the escape room picture!" says Lexi.

"That's correct, Lexi, it's me," says X.

"I think I figured out why you look so familiar," says Rachel.

"Really? Do tell, why do I look so familiar?" says X with a smile on his face.

"You're Anthony Brown! Me and Blake's school was named after you! You're some sort of scientist!" says Rachel.

"Only the best scientist around! Does it make sense for you all why I was able to make so many gadgets so fast now?" says X. He starts laughing as if he's a child who just pulled a prank on someone.

"Now I get it!" says Joseph.

"And I see Ana and Carly finally made it official, congratulations!"

Ana and Carly both say thank you simultaneously.

"Wait. Aren't we gonna talk about everything now, X's boss, our roles originally, you know, all of that??" says Blake.

"That's correct, Blake. Nothing gets by you. Now then, before I tell everyone's roles in the murder mystery game, I don't want you guys to get mad at who the murderer was. Do you understand me?" says X.

"We understand, they didn't have a choice," says Ana.

"Well then, will the murderer please raise your hand?" says X.

Rachel slowly raises her hand, she looks ashamed.

"Called it!" says Chase.

"Well, that kinda makes sense, if you think about it," says Carly.

"You guys aren't mad?" says Rachel.

"No, you didn't have a choice," says Lexi.

"That's right, besides, after Chase told us his suspicions, we were all a little wary of you. Well, Blake wasn't but the majority of us were," says Joseph.

"Moving on, will the sheriff please raise your hand?" says X.

As Joseph raises his hand, there were no reactions.

"That makes sense," says Chase.

"Definitely. That's probably why you died so many times," says Ana.

"Most likely," says Joseph.

"Everyone else was innocent, now then, any questions?" says X.

"You still need to tell us about your boss, and why this game started in the first place," says Blake.

"You're right. Well then, buckle up, this story won't exactly be the best," says X.

"How so?" says Joseph.

"Leo Brown, that is my boss's name."

"Wait- doesn't he-" says Blake as he gets cut off by X.

"Have the same last name as me? Yep. Leo is my brother, but he's also my boss. Shocking, right?"

"How does something like this even happen?" says Carly.

"Leo is 30 years old, 10 years younger than me. I'm 40. While we were growing up, it was always a competition when it came to intelligence. In those competitions, I would always win. I thought it was just normal sibling bickering and that it didn't mean anything."

"Wait, but Leo was 10 years younger than you, how would there be competitions of intelligence?" says Ana.

"That's the thing. Leo was gifted. Very gifted. He still is. By age 4, he was reading novels that seemed like the pages were endless. He always got more attention from my parents. I was cast off to the side, which was what inspired me to be a scientist. I wanted people to see me as someone important, not just someone you could push off to the side the second someone with better talents came along. That's why I had those battles of intelligence. Although I won all the time, it was just barely. As a kid, I wanted some type of validation, so that's why I tried so hard in those competitions. I wanted attention from my parents too."

"I am so sorry, Anthony. I can't imagine how shitty that must feel," says Joseph.

"Let's not feel all that sorry just yet, he still hasn't told us what the reason for this game was," says Blake.

X starts laughing a bit, "Nothing gets by you, Blake. Don't worry, I'm getting to that part."

"Anyways, at around 25 years old, my career as a scientist took off, I was the boss of around 250 people. After my career took off, I didn't see Leo or my parents for a few years, until I turned 30. God, I remember that day like it was yesterday, I'll never forget it. I wish I could forget it."

"What happened..?" says Lexi.

"Leo happened. I remember walking into work and seeing him in my office. One of the CEOs was there with him. The CEO sat me down and explained to me what was happening. She told me that my brother, Leo had so much more potential and intelligence than I did. I got demoted, and Leo had become my boss."

"What was he like as a boss?" says Chase.

"Horrible. The company was turning to shit because of him. People kept quitting and the company almost went bankrupt. I didn't have the heart to quit, I had loved my job and that company, but I just couldn't do it. But then, one day he proposed something to the handful of people that didn't quit."

"Which was..?" says Rachel.

"He wanted to see just how strong and smart people were, so he brought up this game. We all said no, and everyone said they wouldn't be a part of it. They quit and exited the building. I was about to do the same, after all, this wasn't the company that I had used to love, but Leo wouldn't let me."

"What do you mean he wouldn't let you?" says Blake.

"He had threatened my family. My wife and my son. At the time this happened, my son was only about a few months old. Leo said that he would hurt my family if I said no to him, I had no choice."

"Is your family ok?" says Carly.

"Yes, they're fine. They don't know that I'm doing this, and I plan to keep it that way. The less they know, the less danger they'll get into."

"So you've been doing this for the past 10 years?" says Joseph.

"That's right. You guys are my 10th group, and the first group to have all the players survive."

"I can't believe this..." says Ana, "This seems too cruel."

"Cruel or not, it's definitely possible. Now then, have I given you all the answers you need? Am I able to open the exit door for you guys?" says X.

Everyone shares a look, "Yes," they all say simultaneously.

"Good, but before I open this, I need to tell you all something," says X.

"Which is..?" says Rachel.

"This whole game will be erased from your memories, except for one of you."

"WHAT? ARE WE GONNA FORGET EACH OTHER?" says Ana.

"I'm so sorry, but yes," says X. He can't even look them in the eyes.

"You know what, fine. Can't you at least tell us who is gonna keep the memories?" says Ana.

"I've decided this since the game started, it's gonna be Lexi."

"W-what?" Lexi's face goes pale with fear.

"You guys can't fight this, believe me, I've tried," says X. A tear falls down his face.

"Fine. Just open the door," says Blake.

As X opens the door, they all walk through it fast, it's better to get it over with.

After the door is a pitch black room, their memories aren't erased. Something has gone wrong.

All the players look over to X. X looks just as scared as they do, but then a look of realization falls on his face.

He screams out, "LEO! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"