As soon as they stepped over the threshold, something felt wrong. Matt was the first to notice the sound of straining rope, and the fresh water droplets that were sprinkled on the tile beneath their feet. “What was—” he started to say, looking at Miguel at the exact same moment that a huge wave of muddy water poured over all of their heads.

The cold shock of the water made Matt freeze in place, and he felt Miguel do the same at his side. The water continued to pour over them, showing no sign of stopping, and for one panicked moment Matt felt like he was going to run out of breath. He reached over and grabbed Miguel’s arm, hoping that his friend wasn’t freaking out even more than he was right now.

Just as suddenly as it started, the water stopped, and the three friends were left shivering and sputtering in complete shock, the overturned buckets hanging upside down over them, knocking against the door frame over and over.

Erupting into simultaneous screams, Miguel, Matt, and Kylie sprinted forward into the house. They darted through a dark hallway, Matt almost tripping over his own feet before he turned a corner and almost ran directly into someone who was standing in the living room—Becca!

“Becks,” Matt gasped, dripping all over the carpet, Kylie and Miguel coming to a stop behind him in the same condition. “We found you!”

Becca stared in shock, her mouth open as she took in the sight of them all covered in water and mud. Behind her, Frankie was watching with their hands over their mouth, and Danny was filming them all with raised eyebrows.

“So I take it you’ve all had run-ins with the Game Master as well?” Danny finally asked, breaking the silence. “We’ve been through some stuff in here, but it looks like you might have been through a teensy bit more.”

At the words of his friend, Miguel burst out laughing, wheezing as he brought his hand over his stomach while he tried to stop. This made Kylie start to giggle, then Matt. The three laughed harder and harder as Becca and the others looked on with an amused look on their faces.

“Sorry,” Miguel finally managed as he started to quiet down. “Well, at least I can say that I’ve faced my fear now. I don’t have to worry about any of the other clues trying to drown me.”

“You found personalized clues, too?” Becca asked, perking up at the mention. “So did we!”

Matt shivered in the chilly darkness of the living room, looking around at the old décor and startling stains on the carpet. “What’s been going on in here?” he asked, noticing for the first time that Becca, Danny, and Frankie’s clothes were all rumpled and dusty, and was that chocolate on the front of their shirts?