“I really do not like this,” Danny said, and Becca could hear that he was scared. “Remember how last time the Game Master designed puzzles for everyone in the group individually? Well, apparently mine is first this time.”

“Oh great,” Frankie said with a frown. They crossed their arms over their chest and chewed their lip while they stared at the message. “Well, what’s the answer, Danny? Whatever it is might help us move forward in the game right away.”

“I don’t want to say it,” Danny said with a shiver, lowering the camera in a rare moment of discomfort. “Because I can tell you right now, the answer is something that is surrounding us right this very minute. As long as we’re in this house, they’re around us.”

“What?” Becca looked around frantically, hoping to see something that might offer any insight. “Filth? Creepy photos?”

“Spiders,” Danny whispered, turning the camera to his own face. “Have you seen how many spiderwebs there are in here? They’re probably everywhere right now. On the carpet. Crawling inside the walls. Nesting in the furniture. This place is like a spider haven!” He flipped the camera around and zoomed up on the various webs that were clustered in the corners of the ceiling to show the proof.

“Creepy crawlies everywhere,” Danny said, turning back toward Becca. “What are we supposed to do with that information?”

“I’m not sure,” Becca admitted, furrowing her brows as she thought it over. “Last time, the Game Master left lists for us to find. I wonder if maybe there’s something hidden in one of the webs?”

“Heck no,” Danny said, nodding very firmly back and forth. “There is no way I’m sticking my hand into a spiderweb.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna go ahead and pass on that too,” Frankie said, looking more and more like they wanted to bolt from the house. “I’m not so sure I can do this, Becca.”

Becca had to admit that her desire to stick her hand into some dark, creepy spiderweb was less than zero. “I’m not wild about this either,” she said, and the friends huddled closer together, looking around. “We just need to find Elephant and Nacho and get out of here.”

Right as she finished the sentence, the still-open front door swung closed with a loud boom. Dust rained over them from the ceiling, and the trinkets on the dresser Becca had inspected before rattled in place. Frankie nearly jumped out of their skin, and Becca couldn’t help but release a startled yelp.

“How did the Game Master make the door close like that?” Danny demanded, looking around for any evidence of ropes or a pulley system that might explain what had happened. When he found none, everybody rushed over to the entrance, ready to retreat to the safety of the sunlit outside to figure out their next move.