The man stood at the base of the staircase.
None of them had seen him arrive.
One moment the foyer was empty except for dust and shadows, and the next he was simply there.
Tall, and neatly dressed with his hands folded behind his back as though he had been waiting for a late appointment.
The chandelier light did not touch him properly. It dimmed around his edges, as if the brightness itself were unsure how close it was allowed to get.
"You can leave," he said pleasantly.
Maya sobbed in relief and Noah laughed once, sharp and hysterical.
Chloe let out a breath she had not realized she was holding.
"But," the man continued, unbothered by their reaction, "you must finish the game first."
Silence swallowed the room.
Liam stepped forward. "What game?"
The man smiled.
It was not cruel. It was not kind.
It was professional.
"The house will explain," he said. "I only enforce."
"Enforce what?" Chloe snapped. "Because last I checked, kidnapping is illegal."
The man's eyes flicked to her.
Just for a moment.
Chloe's mouth snapped shut.
"The rules," he said, "are non negotiable. Attempts to exit prior to completion will result in penalty."
Maya's hands shook. "Penalty like what?"
The man tilted his head, considering.
"Loss."
Noah frowned. "Loss of what?"
The clock behind them chimed once.
The man did not answer.
Instead, he turned his attention to Ethan.
"You are early this time," he said.
Ethan's blood went cold.
"I do not know you," Ethan said. His throat tightened as the words came out.
"Not consciously," the man replied. "No."
"Okay," Chloe said, forcing a laugh. "Great. So we are doing this now. Creepy guy. Murder house, and Ethan is apparently a repeat customer."
Ethan could not stop staring.
The man's voice pulled at something inside his skull. Memories scraped at the edges of his thoughts. A chair, a countdown and breathing that was not his own.
The man turned away.
"The first rule is simple," he said.
The lights dimmed.
"The house does not allow refusal."
The front door slammed shut on its own.
Maya screamed.
The sound cut off abruptly but it is not her voice, but the echo of it. Swallowed by the walls.
"You will move when instructed," the man continued. "You will participate when prompted. You will not damage the house."
Liam clenched his fists. "And if we do not?"
The man looked tired for the first time.
"Then the house will choose for you."
The chandelier flickered and the floor vibrated slightly, like something enormous shifting its weight.
"Follow me," the man said.
"I am not going anywhere with you," Chloe said.
The staircase groaned.
One step slid forward on its own, extending toward them.
Maya whimpered.
Noah swallowed. "Chloe."
Chloe hesitated.
Then she stepped onto the stair.
Nothing happened.
The man nodded once. "Good."
One by one, they followed.
As Ethan passed the man, pressure bloomed behind his eyes.
A whisper brushed the inside of his skull. 'You did not win last time'.
He stumbled.
The man caught his arm.
"Careful," he murmured. "The house dislikes forgetting."
They climbed.
The staircase did not lead upward rather it led inward. The walls narrowed with the ceiling lowered and Ethan felt the weight of the house pressing down, listening, measuring.
At the top, a door slid open.
Beyond it stretched a long corridor. Brightly lit. Spotless.
Five doors lined the hall.
Five numbers.
Five names carved into the wood.
Ethan's name was etched deeper than the rest.
The man stepped aside.
"Rest while you can," he said. "The first round begins soon."
"Round?" Maya whispered.
The man smiled again.
This time there was something sharp behind it.
"The house prefers warmed contestants."
The doors swung open.
The man vanished.
The locks clicked shut behind them.