So, as many of you know, I sing, and my friend and I have started a YouTube channel called IntoTheDrinkBand. If you guys like Ed Sheeran or Maroon5, check it out, because we've done covers of both, and soon we're going to have a Passenger cover out as well. Check it out, give us a like or a comment :) Would be muchly appreciated. I say this because we were recording last night, and that's why I couldn't upload... :p
Anyways... I got sucked into the world of horror RPGs recently, and THIS happened. I think Ib is my favourite so far, but... we'll see. If any of you have recommendations that'd be awesome!
Disclaimer; I do not own a) Ghost Hunt, b) Mad Father, Ib, Hello? Hell... o?, or Slender, and c) the Marianas Trench song Porcelain, which I used a while back in a chapter of the same name.
Prompt number 65; Horror
Keep Running, or, Let's Play a Game
"What's going on? Why did the door suddenly close- oh God. Run! Run as fast as you can! Runrunrunrunrun you stupid little girl!"
The girl runs down the darkened hallway as quickly as she can, heart pounding and pulse beating a tattoo in her ears as she rounds yet another corner, speeding up as she hears the familiar scrabbling noise. Her partner, not far behind, grabs her hand and sprints, dragging her along with him in his panic.
"Run! I told you to run! Come on, we need to go faster why won't you MOVE!"
The sound of a chainsaw fills her ears as she sprints past rows and rows of dolls, all eerily turned to watch her flight. Grimacing, the girl speeds up, her hand tightly clasped in her companion's. Spotting a familiar bloodstain on the wall (she hadn't realized the mansion was this grotesque), she quickly glances at him and tugs him quickly into the room.
As soon as they enter, the boy grabs the key and shoves it in the lock, slamming the door behind them. He then leans against it as the girl's father shrieks and scratches at the wood. Panting heavily, the girl slides down the wall and collapses, pulling her knees to herself as she prepares to wait out the night.
"YES! I reached a save point!"
"Jou-chan? Are you playing Mad Father?! I love that game so much!"
"... Bou-san, I think you're a bit old for that game..."
A fresh rose glistens in a crystal vase, its ruby red petals enticing her forward. She stops, and reads the sign in front of the flower, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"The rose and I are... What? Know the weight of your own life? What is this?"
She's already run from a walking portrait, dropped a mannequin down a chasm, and lost at least two of her five petals to spraying acid and little blue dolls. How much more must she take to get out of here? The girl sighs and pushes open another door, staying clear of the walls. After her encounter with the groping black hands in the last room, she's not really sure she wants to touch anything else in here.
As soon as she steps into the room, she knows something is wrong. The portraits are no longer beautiful and colourful, with titles like, "Fabricated World." Instead, they are filled with shades of dark primary colours and monochromatic designs. One is entitled, "Spectacle of Century's End," another, "Bitter Fruit." Yet another has the somber title, "The Process of Execution." She shudders and walks on.
"Where the heck AM I?"
"Watch out for that guilloti- oh. Mai, you ruined it. Now you have to start over."
"Well, excuse ME, Miss Perfection, obviously you can play a game better than I can!"
"Obviously. After all, I can do everything else better as well."
"Why, you smug little kimono-wearing-!"
Her phone rings. At first, it's a seemingly innocuous event, but at a second glance, its meaning is much darker. She glances nervously at the phone, fiddling with the wine glass in front of her and watching the flames reflect off of the glass.
The phone buzzes once again, and she jumps, knocking over a vase of flowers and spilling water everywhere. The fire hisses its disapproval, and she spares it a glare. Hesitantly, she reaches for the phone, and nearly jumps out of her skin when it buzzes a third time, jumping straight to voice mail before she can answer.
"Hello? Hell... o? What? What kind of game is this- YAAAAA!"
"Oh, Ayako, you lose. Too bad, I was getting really far into that RPG."
"What do you mean, I lose?! I didn't even do anything! Ne, Mai. Mai, I say! Why did the title screen change?"
"..."
"Mai?!"
Leaves crunch beneath her feet, and the girl can see her breath floating in front of her in icy white clouds, shimmering and fading into the darkening night. The night is getting colder, and she shivers, though whether it's because she's cold or scared, it's hard to tell.
A footstep crunches quietly behind her, and she jumps, spinning around to try and catch a glimpse of the elusive figure she knows is somewhere behind her. One of the crumpled yellow pages slips out of her grasp and flutters to the damp forest floor, landing with its black writing starkly visible against the paper. Help me. Shuddering, she scoops up the paper quickly, tucking it into her shirt, and starts to walk with just a little bit more urgency.
"Aw, no. My flashlight just died. Seriously?"
"If you hadn't had it on this whole time, the battery wouldn't have died."
"But, Naru! Then he can find you!"
Cursing softly, she hits the flashlight against the palm of her hand. When it refuses to light, her eyes widen in horror. Now he's coming. Her pace quickens, cold sweat beading at her hairline and in her palms. The flashlight slips from her grasp and clatters to the ground. She freezes. He certainly heard that.
"Mai, give the controller to me. You're panicking."
"H-hai…"
A crunch sounds behind the shadowy figure, but by the time it turns, it's too late. Static crackles at the edges of fading vision, and black and white blurry lines fade in and out of focus as it gets closer and closer, blank white face staring hungrily at the falling victim. The Slender Man smiles, a grotesque grin tugging at its cloth features.
"Naruuu! You killed me!"
"Oops. My mistake. Maybe you should get to work now instead of playing around."
Mai sprints down yet another corridor, hair flying behind her, feet slamming into the wooden floorboards as she tries in vain to get away from whatever it is that's chasing her. Looking back over her shoulder, she can see a vague outline forming in the dark, and she screams as something grabs at her arms.
Looking down, there are two translucent hands gripping her forearms, and she struggles to scream as another hand is held over her mouth. Mai's eyes widen in fear as the monster steps closer, foul breath washing over her as he holds up a bloody knife to her neck and-
"Oh. My. God. You have GOT to be kidding me. I got you THIS FAR, and you mess it up? I got you all the way to the Bloodstained Labyrinth case! That's, like, second last!"
"Sorry, sorry! I can't punch the buttons as fast as you, can I? Besides, this Ghost Hunt game isn't real, right? Nothing's going to actually happen."
"Of course it's not real. How could it be?"
TWIST! I would love a Ghost Hunt game so much. Someone should make one for me for my birthday in May. Start now!
... Just kidding :p
Next time, on An Anthology of Minor Lunacy; prompt number 78; Drink! The title is; Cold Tea, or, Mai Cleans Out the Cupboard!
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