There was a tiny keypad hidden on the pedestal. I punched in 4928.
With a soft hiss, the glass popped open.
The red button waited inside.
Theo looked at me. "Together."
We pressed it at the same time.
A hidden door slid open at the far end of the chamber, flooding the tunnel with pale white light.
Theo exhaled. "Don't fucking tell anyone what I said."
I managed a thin smile. "Okay."
I realized then… the riddles weren't just puzzles. The real escape code was the truth we were too afraid to say. The game wanted our secrets. And the only way out… was to confess.
We stumbled forward, into the light.
All I could think was one desperate prayer:
Please let Zaara be waiting on the other side.
The door slammed shut behind us as the guards escorted Theo and me back into the main chamber.