Disclaimer : I don't own anything from Jumanji.
Note: Hello, I'm back with another Jumanji fic. For "Hold on", I wrote it quite quickly and, even if I enjoyed writing it, I am not fully satisfied with it :). So, I took my time for this one. I hope my English won't be as dry as last time, and that you'll like it.
The story takes place after Jumanji 2. For the plot, the game didn't stay dormant between the first movie and the second. If you remember well, when Alan Parish threw the game in the river, at the end of the first film, it was circled with chains and rocks but it was free when it was shown in the sand. So maybe something happened in between. I included that detail to my timeline.
That said, I didn't read the books (yet ^^) and I'm just based on the movies.
Today is the prologue and the first chapter.
Prologue
The night was silent and cloudy. Outside Spencer's house all that could be heard were the discrete owls' ululations and the summer breeze playing in the leaves. Inside, the house was just night breathings.
Suddenly, on Spencer's desk, his phone started up and briefly lighted up. Even if he was sleeping soundly, the young man mumbled in his sleep when the initial vibration resonated against the wood of the table. Unaware, he turned in his bed, and hid his head under his pillow. As if the device knew it was now safe to activate itself without being witnessed, the screen flashed a few times before turning dark again. Several seconds later, it finally lighted up again. The interface was completely glitched. Bars of colourful pixels were dancing randomly on the screen, forming a strange mosaic while what seemed like the contact list was scrolling fast in the background. Then, as quick as everything had begun, it froze.
After quite a long period of inactivity, the phone began to emit a distant drumming sound. It wasn't loud but it was clearly audible; at least in Spencer's room. As the rhythmic sound went on, the teenager began to move as if it had caught him in his dream.
Soon, his heart beating fast, he woke up. Breathing hard, he sat up quickly on his bed. During the second of confusion that preceded his full consciousness, he could swear he heard a drum, but it stopped almost instantly, so for a second, he was not sure if it was real or not. He took a deep breath and passed unconsciously his hand in his hair, as he would often do when he was nervous. He couldn't remember what he was dreaming about but it should have been quite a nightmare to wake him up like that. He looked around and then realized that his phone was on. He glanced circumspectly at the slightly glowing device on his desk. He was pretty sure he had shut it down before going to sleep.
So, he got up and approached the table. He frowned when he saw the mess the interface was in. He took the phone and touched the screen. The pixels slid fast. There was something behind. I could almost see a photo. He touched it again and again until he could discern a shape. He squinted eyes and tilted his head. He was in his contact list. The contact picture on which the screen was frozen was almost unrecognisable behind the glitches but he could distinguish blond hair.
- "Bethany?" he asked out loud, as she was the first person that came in his mind.
He blenched when his phone suddenly vibrated in his hand. Unfortunately, his movement made him drop the device. Reaching again his hair with his hand, he took a deep breath to ease his racing heart. He was way too nervous... Then he sat down at his desk and he watched in disbelief his phone shutting down and slowly restarting. He was pretty sure it was just malfunctioning but a part of him couldn't help thinking about the drumming sound that awoke him and an insidious feeling of dread was gaining him as that reminded him of Jumanji.