Truth or Death
By Nagroom92
It was Halloween night when Maria, Zack, Marshall, and Denise were hanging out at Creepy Theatre. Nobody knew what its name was but it was nicknamed for legend. It was once a theatre for the performing arts, except the arts never had a chance to perform. As soon as the owners had it up and running, on opening night, everyone was turned down. The owners couldn't be reached for comment when the newspapers hit the streets. Also, the opening act, Bonito (a proud Spanish magician), didn't turn up either. Some rumors say he fled in despair that no one came to see him. Others say he refused to leave the stage until he could perform for a single living soul. But that was over 100 years ago. Nobody believed that anymore. So now it was the teen meeting place.
"How about a friendly game, guys?" Marshall said as soon as they were all there.
"As long as I don't have to make out with Denise to 'survive' the game," Zack said, rolling his eyes. "I wouldn't do it then and I won't do it now."
"All right. All right. It's in the past now," Marshall put his hands up in defense.
"How about truth or dare?" Maria suggested. "We may be too old to trick-or-treat but we're teenagers. Truth or dare is more fun with age," she said with a laugh.
"All right. The name of the game is Truth or Dare," Marshall announced as though he was a blackjack dealer. "And Maria, since it was your idea, truth or dare?" Marshall said with a sly face.
"Dare," Maria answered.
"Denise, you can do the honors," Marshall said with a bow.
"I dare you to get me a piece of the curtain on the stage in Creepy Theatre," Denise dared her. They'd never been in the condemned building before because Marshall was superstitious.
"Okay. I'll be back," Maria agreed. "And if I'm not back in 15 minutes, you can come find me." They all knew she was talking to Zack. She knew Zack liked her a lot and she secretly harbored feelings for him.
Only when the door closed behind her did Maria realize how dark it really was. Stray beams of light from the street lamps silhouetted the whole room. When she came off the steps to the main door, she stepped into a puddle. The rain from two days ago still hadn't evaporated. It was very cold and drafty in the room and Maria didn't notice the mist rising from the collected water.
She made her way to the center of the room, trying to sidestep water and degraded furniture. It seemed that the theatre was the victim of cruel jokes and vandalism. She stopped when she noticed that one chair was still in tact in the exact center of the audience. She moved towards the chair thinking she would sit down on it, just for a minute. When she did, she heard an array of noises coming from behind the curtain.
She heard a match strike and a light appeared. Strange was that the light didn't cast the shadow of whoever lit it. The light was transferred to what Maria guessed to be a candle. She stared at the candle for the longest time, waiting for Denise or Zack to appear behind it. But no one was there.
Maria shifted uneasily in her chair. If this was a joke, they did a good job of scaring her. A soft but sharp wind blew through the theatre and made Maria shiver from head to toe. Then someone behind her whispered, "And now for our featured act."
Maria turned around to see who said it but saw no one. She wheeled back around to see something behind the candle. A wand.
Maria started to panic. This was really starting to worry her. Again she heard the voice.
"Say your prayers
Close your eyes
Bonito sings
To the dark of night
Long awaited
Much he knows
Now Bonito
Can end his show"
Maria opened her mouth to scream but the wand waved and she was silenced for eternity.
Zack walked in, hesitant. Maria had been gone for a half hour. Marshall and Denise told him to wait because she probably just wanted to scare him. Zack hoped she wasn't playing a prank on him.
Zack saw the candle light go out and was immediately on edge.
"Okay, Maria. You win," he called out to her. He noticed the chair in the center of the room. Something was in it.
Zack walked closer the chair and saw gray hair that was once brown hanging over the back.
"Maria?" he whispered.
"Bonito is gone
A new replaces
Flee it now
Don't see the faces"
Maria's ghostly outline appeared before his face and screamed. Zack ran from the theatre followed by Marshall and Denise as the ghost of Maria came thundering out of the theatre. Then she was pulled back by the tether that Bonito had placed on her soul.