Maybe it was just my imagination, or perhaps fear heightened my senses, but I felt a strange sense of safety whenever I was near Andrew.
It was as if, no matter how treacherous the path ahead, if he said it was okay, then it truly was.
But…
My past experiences told me that if I felt something was off, it probably was.
As we entered a room to grab an item, an NPC suddenly jumped out, startling both Andrew and me. I nearly crumpled to the floor, but Andrew caught me just in time, preventing me from landing hard.
That wasn't even the worst part.
The real disaster struck when I scrambled to open the door and escape, only to find the handle wouldn't budge, no matter how hard I pressed.
I assumed it was part of the game's design, so I kept at it, pushing the handle for five solid minutes. Eventually, the NPC playing the ghost couldn't watch any longer. He patted me on the shoulder and said, "Take a breather, I'll call someone to help us out."
Even the staff couldn't get the door open. They ended up having to call a locksmith to change the lock entirely.
While we waited, I huddled in a corner, wrapping my arms around myself.
The truth was, I'd always been afraid of the dark.