Have you ever sat down, ready to enjoy what you were about to do and then your parents or boss asks you to do something? Or have you ever had a day off and then work calls asking for you to come in? Have you ever gotten cold feet? Well, I know how all of that feels. I was nervous, don’t get me wrong, but I won’t complain about getting out of the desert’s 100 degree weather. Just seconds ago, I had been informed that my team and I were the only agents close enough to take advantage of a terrorist’s absence at his small storefront. C.I.A flashes off of my screen as I squeeze the power button and stick my phone in my pocket. We have about an hour before things get complicated. Due to the highly sensitive information, all I can say was we had been in the Middle East, working with informants. I can tell you the story, just no names or locations. When we arrived at the storefront, we had no idea where to start. We split apart from our total of eight people and got to work. There were pieces to a puzzle scattered throughout the inclosed area, handbags that gave off a familiar leathery smell, shoes displayed in wall pockets and there was a door that led to where the spices were sold. In order to get the door open, we needed to drill a hole beside the door and reach in to the keys that were calling out to all of us. I don’t move. Being a field agent wasn’t really my cup of coffee, so I let everyone else work on doing the important things. What if I messed up? As I stand back and watch, one of my team members squeezes their arm through the hole and manages to snag the keys. The door creaks as an agent unlocks the door and pries it from its resting place. While all of this was going on, pieces to the puzzle on the wall were being found and put into their rightful place. As one of us finished the puzzle, we pulled on the giant ox’s head that emerged from the wall.

Instantaneously, a hidden door opens from the back of the store. As I walk into the newly discovered room, I begin to clench my teeth. The smell of dead animals, feces and raw sewage overwhelmed me. I needed to take another breath of fresh air before being able to at least tolerate the horrid smell. I would say it was the smell of death, but it was so much more. It burned my nostrils. It really is indescribable. As I walk into the room, I notice that the room is wet in some places. In the eight by seven-foot room is an elevator, installed on the wall opposite of me. The buttons glow like a jellyfish in a dimly lit aquarium. I feel a single tap on my shoulder that causes me to flinch. I turn around to see it was just one of the other agents. “We’ve got something,” he says in a mellow tone. He scared the shit out of me, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Lead the way,” I respond as I try to hide the fact that my heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest. We arrive at the shoe pockets and they all explain the shoes and how they correspond with a spice chart. We tried a couple things before I finally figured out what we had to do. There was a code we had to input into the elevator based on whether the shoes were facing up or down. I still hesitated before saying anything, but time was of the essence. I blurted out what I knew and everyone else looked at me. I was a bit embarrassed, but everyone got back to work. “Good job figuring that out,” someone says from behind me. I smirk. Things were going better than expected considering I was anxious as hell. As I listen to another member calling out which button to press, I hit the last button and the elevator opens very slowly. The doors scraped against each other, creating a deafening screech. All of us were hesitant to get on board the elevator. We look at the time and decide that it’s time to squeeze into the elevator. There isn’t close to enough room to make the ride comfortable, but we don’t always have that luxury. Especially with this job. Shoulders bumping into shoulders, the only button inside the elevator is pressed and we descend into who knows where. What was merely 30 seconds felt like we had been in there for hours. Sweat began to drip down my face when the doors finally squeak back open and a rush of cold air bombards us. As everyone gets out, we all take in a breath of relief. We didn’t plummet to our deaths and the cool, moisture filled air was refreshing. The room doesn’t smell nearly as bad as the one earlier, but the room’s walls were drenched with water. The walls are lined with several control panels with mesmerizing distractions. Blinking lights, passcode verifications and Arabic. We get a call from headquarters, but because of how far we had gone underground, we couldn’t make any of what our colleague was trying to tell us. A minute passes before our boss shows up on the giant screen that covered almost an entire wall. He instructs us to override the nuclear weapon’s coding by send an overflow of commands.   First, we had to identify the target city. In order to find out what the target city was, we had to look at maximum damage populations. Confidently, I started messing around with the computer in the corner of the room while the others messed around with some switches or something. Eventually, I narrowed down the list from 30 cities to seven. I had to figure out the cities that would make the best target. The first thing I used was the population of the cities. Then, I had to find out which cities were in range of the strike. After narrowing down a few other variables, Chicago was the last city left. Just as I figured out the city, the others finished their task. Our boss appeared on the screen and we began to follow his strict instructions. After we did what he said, we realized that we were doing the opposite of what we were supposed to do. The man laughed at us and boasted, “You would think agents of the C.I.A. would be able to think for themselves. I guess not!” Shaken, I begin to zone out when the missile’s launch countdown hit five minutes. The bomb appeared inside a protective lead covering that eventually opened up and exposed the bomb. The others began working with its fuses while I stand still, stunned. I was just starting to feel comfortable with being out in the field. The guilt built up inside of me when I hear some beeping noises. I turn my attention back towards the nuclear warhead and see my teammates working hard to disarm it. I walked towards them and began focusing on the bomb. I was still out of it, but with the focus I had left I listened to what I was told to do. Then, there was silence. No beeping, no shouting. I look up and notice the digital glowing red characters on the computer. “Disarmed”. We managed to disarm it. A smile found its way onto my face when a buzzer shrieked. Shortly after, a man opened the door behind us. “Congratulations! You guys beat the escape room with a couple minutes to spare,” he says enthusiastically. We all walk out of the room and back into the lobby. Despite the anxiety I went through, I had fun. Screw the anxiety. “Can we do another one?” I ask excitedly.