Astrid jumps out to scare you, and does a lot more...

"Raah!!"

"Aiiee!!"

"Oh shit!"

Astrid had apparently thought it would be really funny to wait in the dark at the side of the stairs, popping out with a loud growl once you made it far down enough for her to reach. Apparently she didn't think she'd be too scary, because her mischievous snarl turned into a look of surprised concern as her friends stumbled in shock, causing a chain reaction.

See, you'd been leading the group down the stairs, with Isabella behind you, then Jeanette, and then Sasha guarding the back. Well, Isabella jumped when she was scared, throwing her arms around your neck, which you definitely weren't expecting, so you toppled forward under the sudden weight. Behind you, meanwhile, Jeanette's knees buckled under the sudden stress, and she would have gone straight to the ground had Sasha not managed to catch her under her shoulders. This didn't stop the damage from being done though- all the sudden weight being dropped on it caused Sasha's prediction to come true, and good third of the wooden staircase, the middle of it, cracked and fell apart. It was a few brief seconds of chaos- too dark to really see what happened, but plenty of screaming, thudding, splintering wood and... tearing fabric?

"Oh my god you guys, I'm so sorry!" Astrid says, turning her phone light back on and running over to you and Isabella, lying in a heap at the foot of the stairs. "I-I though that would be funny, are you hurt?"

You groan, Isabella still pressing down on your back. "Just some bruises, I think." You look up at her, and for a second you can only see her silhouette, until she turns her phone enough that her own face is caught in its light. Concern is still there in her expression, but... she's starting to blush, too, which you find strange, until you feel a chill, and, as you and Isabella sit up, look down on your clothes, apparently torn on the splintering stairs.