Chapter 24

Chapter 24, "Down in the Dumps", is the seventh chapter of Arc 2 in Exit/Corners.

Synopsis
The contestants carry on through the Black Door's path. Aggravated by Sean's mistimed quips, Rae is quick to put him down for his lack of maturity. Ink steps in to account for his companion's conduct.

Ink recounts his own life events and how Sean became a substantial part of it all: having previously met in high school, both of them had a chance encounter on a pub in a period when Ink led a turbulent and solitary lifestyle; Sean managed to befriend him and tend to his social needs. Their history acknowledged, they move on to the next puzzle.

The group reaches the third Corner, a pitch black opening with a downward ladder leading into a diminutive chamber. Liza is first to enter upon mention of a mirror in the room, and the incapacitated Rae stays behind on guard duty.

Five people are crammed in a damp space containing only a mirror and a console with a keyboard. Liza is nonplussed at the sight of her own reflection. Sent eventually reintroduces himself and readily presents the black keycard to be retrieved but also locks the passageway to the top. He expounds: one person is to be left behind pressing the touch screen for the locking mechanism to reopen; acid will soon fill the room, killing them in excruciating fashion. Before leaving, he alludes to a "secret message" hidden within the room that may affect one contestant's willingness to be sacrificed...