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    Phoebe turned and ran up the staircase. As
she climbed the marble steps, she heard the three voices.
    ‘Don’t leave us.’
    ‘They always leave us.’
    ‘She is not allowed to leave.’
    Phoebe kept moving. She reached the top of
the stairs and headed down the hallway, and her attention was fixed
on each of the doors. She tried each one as she came to them, but
they didn’t open. She didn’t even notice the bright red, blue, and
green flashes of the little device that had been placed on the
floor.
    She tried another door and it flew open. She
moved quickly into the dark room, shut the door, and pressed
herself against the door and stared into the darkness, her heart
pounded against her chest. Her whole body shook with fear and
adrenaline. There was a small line of light ahead of her that
separated the darkness like a crack. As her eyes became more
accustomed to the darkness around her, she could make out four
small beds. She ran her hand along the walls on either side of the
door, feeling for a light switch but couldn’t find one, she pushed
herself off the door and moved towards where the light was coming
from and found soft curtains. She fumbled with the material until
she found the opening and pulled them open. The grey light of the
clouds in the night sky and the snow that covered the ground
outside created a strange glow that bathed the room with a soft,
grey light. She stood staring out into the white gardens, and a
cold breeze woke her from her momentary trance. Then the voices
began again. This time, however, there were more of them, and they
were all asking her to play.
    She looked around her and noticed the pile of
dolls and stuffed toys. Their eyes seemed to move and look at her.
She returned her attention to the window and searched its frame for
a handle or latch that would enable her to open it, but she could
find nothing.
    ***
    Michael searched the phone’s previous calls
until he found the name Bannister next to a number. He pressed the
screen, put it to his ear, and waited while it rang. When he heard
the ring stop and someone breathe on the other end, Michael quickly
began telling Mr. Bannister that they needed help and the door
unlocked. He then waited for a response.
    The heavy breathing on the other end
continued for a few seconds and then a low gravelly voice spoke:
‘Come join us. Be our guest.’
    Michael moved the phone away from his ear and
looked at it; it then burst into flames. He automatically dropped
the phone to the floor and stood up from the chair he had been
sitting on. The moment the phone hit the floor, the flames
disappeared.
    He looked at the monitors and scoured them to
see where his partners were. He finally saw them running down the
hallway upstairs; the small detector continued to flash wildly as
they went from door to door. He then heard a thud—and then another
and another. It sounded like someone was jumping up and down in the
room above him. He stared at the ceiling as more and more heavy
banging sounds erupted. He then heard a voice—a voice that called
out to him—a voice he knew well. It was the voice of his friend
John.
    ‘Where are you?’ Michael called, spinning
round as he looked up at the ceiling.
    ‘Help me,’ John’s voice called again.
    Michael looked at the monitors and saw that
Tony and Jeremy were still in the hallway upstairs banging on the
doors. He heard John’s cry for help once more and decided to join
the other investigators upstairs searching the rooms. He wasn’t
bothered about Phoebe; he wanted to find his best friend.
    ***
    Tony and Jeremy tried the first door and
found it to be locked. Tony beat his fist against it and called
Phoebe’s name, but no answer came. The sensor that was flashing
began to beep rapidly, causing Jeremy to pause as he tried the next
door.
    What was it that John said? He thought
to himself. The stronger the static charge near or around the
sensor, the quicker the flashes and the louder the alarm