Priya sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Something wrong, Priya?” Xander asked.

“No. It’s your mission. Run it the way you want,” she replied.

“Maybe you would like to go on the mission first?” he asked. He assumed Priya was still mad about not being Crypt Keeper.

“No, I’m good,” Priya mumbled.

“Okay,” Omar said, holding up his phone. “The recorder is ready. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Li said, wiping her nose with her sleeve. Even with the cat tucked away, her allergies were acting up.

“You’re going to need it,” Xander said with a grin. “Text me when you’re in the room.”

“This is so awesome,” Li said and then sneezed. “Even with the cat dander, this place is the creepiest.”

Priya tried to smile.

Omar crept down the hall, his phone casting light across the dusty walls. He turned the corner and was gone. Xander rested his phone against his backpack and waited for the first text.

The moments ticked by. Li paced back and forth. Priya slouched against the counter. There wasn’t a lot for them to do as they waited for Omar to finish his mission.

“How long has it been?” Li asked.

Xander swiped his phone screen awake. “Three minutes.”

Time had turned into a slug, barely inching forward and sometimes remaining completely still. Xander glanced at his phone for the umpteenth time. It was now 9:05. Omar should have texted by now. What was taking him so long? Xander resisted the urge to call his friend. Part of the fun of the game was the tension of being alone and out of contact.

Li fidgeted from foot to foot. “Has he texted yet?”

Xander shook his head. “You know he hasn’t. My phone’s right there.”

“Omar probably can’t see the room numbers,” Priya said. “At least the gravestones were clearly marked.”

Xander bit his lower lip to keep from snapping at Priya. He swiped the phone screen again. Still no text.

A low moan echoed from down the hall.

Li stiffened. “What was that?”

They all fell silent and listened hard. Li pointed her light down the dusty corridor behind them. No sign of anyone.

Priya yawned. “Nice try, Xander. Using a portable speaker to bounce sound around the place. Bit of a cliché, but not bad.”

“I’m not using a speaker here,” Xander said.

“I used the same trick in the cemetery,” said Priya.

Li’s eyes widened. “All those cracks I heard were from you? That was so freaky!”

Priya held up her phone. “Sorry. They were just some sound effects I found online. I think the one we’re hearing now is something called ‘ghostly moans.’ Am I right, Xander?”

“I swear it’s not me,” Xander said. “I mean, yes, I was using the speaker, but it’s set up in room 176, not here. Maybe it’s another stray cat.”

“It doesn’t sound like any cat I’ve ever heard,” Li said. “Are you sure this isn’t part of the game?”

“I’m not making this sound. Honest.”