Author's Note: We've got a 3am Challenge for this chapter! It obviously had to be a spooky one considering it was *meant* to be posted around Halloween. Fun fact, I have them talk about The Blair Witch Project at the start of this and that's the horror movie Night hates the most in the world. And I don't mean in a 'it's scary' way cos it's not. At all. I hate this movie so much but it's considered a cult classic so I thought ah screw it, we'll make that the movie they're watching.
Anywho... this one was such a fun one to write. I always have a great time when I'm writing the creepier stuff cos it's like, imagine playing this either on your own or even in a group. And despite playing this years ago and nothing happening, I don't think I'd like to tempt the demon-y fates and welcome ol' Mary into my house now that I'm older.
Oh! Another fun fact... the whispering mentioned in Vic's turn is based off an experience I had recently. Mini story time! Now, to cut a story real short, there is a ghost in my house. Like 100% but he's nice enough and I named him Garfield. Y'know, to make it seem less scary. But, point is, we think I just attract creepy shit since Garfield only seems to walk around my room etc.
I was at work a couple of weeks ago and atm the library is in a stage of no one allowed in for browsing due to COVID. To come in, you have to be using the PC for 1 hour and gotta book in advance. There was about 3 people in on this one slot and whilst they're all at their computers, I go into the back which... really screams old library. They have the string fluorescent lights which do occasionally flicker like shit. There's also like 4 rows of mega tall shelves. So... fairly creepy feeling.
I was walking through there and all of a sudden, when I'd almost left, I hear this 'Excuse me?' right in my ear, clear as day like someone was directly behind me and it sounded like a woman's voice and it was a whisper. I obviously jumped like tf was that? I am telling you, I thoroughly searched the back to see if a customer had inadvertently slipped back there and there was no one. I even asked my colleague if he'd been joking with me cos he does that sometimes and he was dead serious like no, I was at the desk?
Super frickin' weird and honestly, I run through the back now, just in case.
Went on a bit of ramble there but... ahem... hope you like the chapter. It's like half as long as the last update so... XD Let me know what ya think!
Side note, I started drifting off to sleep trying to proofread, cos' it's late here so fingers crossed its okay but I'll check it properly tomorrow when my eyelids arent so heavy.
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Teen Titans.
3AM Challenge | Bloody Mary
Uploaded by Gar Logan
28th October 2020
Length: 00:36:28
Gar grinned as he held the camera up high, tilting it down towards himself where he was slouching on one of the movie room sofas and looking extremely comfortable while he was at it. He sluggishly lifted the arm that was by his side and threw it outwards,
"Whaaat's up guys, it's me, Gar and welcome back to my channel!" He welcomed, turning the camera slightly to reveal Raven who was curled up, quietly at the other side of the two seater whilst Dick and Kory were snuggled up on the sofa adjacent to them with Vic lounging on a whole sofa to himself in the row behind the four of them.
Vic flashed a cheesy grin at the camera as soon as it was in his direction before he shovelled a handful of popcorn into his mouth from the bowl right under his nose. Kory waved at the camera and quirked a small smile whilst Dick nodded his head towards the lens and smirked slightly.
Raven's eyes darted away from where she'd been staring straight ahead, to look at Gar and the camera he was holding, the blanket in her lap tucked safely around her legs and feet.
"So, I am here with the whole house gang- oh!" He paused and his eyebrows rose in remembrance, "Silkie is also here, of course."
He panned the camera downwards, showing Silkie all curled up and sleeping on the floor, right beside Dick and Kory's sofa before he reverted the camera back to it's original position, showing the five of them once more.
"We've just finished watching a horror movie since it is almost Halloweeeeeen!" He cackled, sitting up a little straighter to project his voice,
"I give it a 7/10." Vic mumbled around a mouthful of sugar,
Raven turned her head towards him with a raised eyebrow, "That's being generous. Gar talks about this movie being a 'cult classic' but… I don't know… I'd give it more 4/10."
Gar gasped and looked at her in mock hurt, "Raven! Babe, this is a classic! It's The Blair Witch Project!"
She gave him a bland expression, "Right. So?"
He sputtered, as if struggling to see why she would give it such a low score, "So? Rae, do you realize this movie was like… the first found footage type of movie that actually did the technique well? Without this, you wouldn't have movies like VHS or REC or Paranormal Activity or-"
"I think I've only ever paid attention to one of those."
"We've seen all three of them. I made you watch them with me."
Raven pressed her lips into a thin line and shrugged her shoulders, "Clearly didn't make that much of an impact then."
Gar opened and closed his mouth several times, shock encompassing him whilst Vic, Kory and Dick all snickered amongst themselves in the background, taking deliberate joy in Gar's floundering.
He waved a hand dismissively and addressed the camera, whilst Raven smirked ever so slightly, "Okay, we need to work on your cinematic appreciation."
"Uh huh."
Taking a deep breath, Gar's eyes focused on the lens of the camera, "Anyway. We finished watching a horror movie and it's almost Halloween, the scariest time of the year and on actual Halloween, we're having a horror movie marathon and we're having the rest of the friends group over for it but tonight… I wanted to do a video since it's like 1am and we're all just sitting around-"
Kory sat up and tilted her head, looking concerned, "Please do not say you wish for us to do something scary. Gar, I hate doing those kinds of videos."
He paused and bit his lower lip, "I mean… I could tell you it's not something scary, Kory, if that would make you feel better. But, that would also be me lying to you… so, I won't do that. We're doing a spooky video!" Gar cheered, "Yay!"
The redhead sighed and dropped her forehead to her hand whilst Dick smiled in sympathy and leaned over, pressing a kiss to her temple.
Vic lifted his index finger, as if he were answering a question in a classroom, "Hold on a second… you said it's been a while since we did somethin' scary. The damn subway station was pretty horrifying."
Gar made a 'psh' sound and inclined his head to look back at Vic, "Yeah, but that was unintentionally scary."
Chuckling at the differentiation, Vic nodded and continued to eat popcorn pieces, "Right… glad we cleared that up."
Giving him a thumbs up, Gar refocused on the camera, "Tonight… I want to do a 3am challenge. We haven't done one in a long time and if you guys remember that one, you'll know that there's a good chance we already have a ghost in this house."
"Yeah but Silkie also still stares at empty spaces in the house sometimes since we did that thing with the Ouija board so you definitely brought something in with one or the other." Dick voiced, earning daggers from Kory who looked a bit jumpy at the mere mention of spirits.
Gar's eyes widened, "Oh yeah… that was super freaky." He paused but then smiled at the lens of the camera, "Well, we're gonna be doing a 3am challenge."
Vic yawned and scrubbed a hand across his face, "Ugh, dude, does it have to be 3am? Can't we just do it now and-"
"No man, 3am is the witching hour and it's more likely that we'll summon something if we do it then." Gar returned,
Dick leaned over the back of the sofa towards Vic, whilst Kory sat still, looking petrified already,
"I'll put on a pot of coffee after Gar's done explaining." Dick vowed, smothering his own yawn.
Vic blinked a few times to wake himself up, "Maybe bust out the espresso."
Gar shot the boys a look before he glanced back at the camera and cleared his throat, "Anywho, we're gonna play a little game called 'Bloody Mary'. Have any of you guys heard of it?"
Raven narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend and slowly shook her head to answer him. Behind her on the other sofa, Kory nervously shook her head whilst Dick raised an eyebrow, as if waiting for Gar to answer his own query.
"Bro, uh uh. I've heard some weird shit is supposed to happen with that game." Vic warned from behind the four of them.
"Well, we're gonna test the theory." Gar retorted,
Dick raised his hand up slightly, catching Gar's attention, "So… what's it about? What'd you do?"
Gar twisted in his seat so that the shot picked up more of the room and picked up a clearer image of his friends. He looked directly into the lens and rolled his shoulders back.
"So, history time, kids. The game actually dates back to the 19th century with young people - well, actually, more specifically it was young women who played it. Originally, it was said, if you walked backwards up the stairs in a darkened house at night and you went past a mirror and looked into it, you would see the face of your future husband." Gar took a breath, "But… if you looked and you saw a skull, it meant you would die before you had the chance to marry anyone."
"Wow. That's… unfortunate." Raven droned, leaning her cheek against her fist as she listened to Gar explaining.
"That's one way to put someone off dating." Dick mumbled, "Husband or death… nice options."
Vic snorted from behind him and launched a popcorn piece up into the air, catching it in his mouth a nanosecond later.
Gar chuckled, "So, who's ready to hear the rules and how we do this thing?"
Smirking, Raven straightened up slightly, "I'm quaking with excitement."
He scrunched up his face and pulled a playful expression at his girlfriend before he eyed the camera and sat forward, "Alright… so… we'll be playing it in the bathroom down here. We need a mirror, obviously and a candle and a lighter or matches. We have to go into the room, with the lights off and block up the windows… it needs to be done in complete darkness. Then, we light the candle and put it in front of the mirror, in the bathroom."
"Why is it always candles? They just make it even spookier-" Vic mused, his brows furrowing with the question.
Gar wriggled his wrist, as if shooing him, "Shh! So, we gotta do that as set up. As for actually playing, we have to go in there, look directly in the mirror and repeat 'Bloody Mary' about 13 times. On the 13th time, you have to stare into the mirror, to see if anything happens. If it doesn't, turn on the lights, extinguish the flame and leave the room."
Raven blinked and then snorted, "Well, that sounds… great."
"What happens if we do see something?" Dick asked, his eyebrows raised,
Gar smirked in Dick's direction, "Then you run like heck and as a last resort, we burn the house down."
Dick laughed, "Noted."
Raven sighed as she rubbed her neck, stiff from the position she had been sitting for the past 2 hours or so whilst they had been watching the movie, "Anything else we need to know before we do this?"
Gar's eyes shifted in uncertainty and hesitated, gnawing on his lower lip for a moment, "Um… yeah… we have to uh… do the summoning… uh… individually." He glanced sheepishly at Kory, preparing for the protests,
Right on cue, her head snapped up and her jade eyes were as wide as dinner plates, her expression stricken with fear, "No."
"Aw, c'mon, Kory-" Gar began to beg, a common practice when it came to convincing Kory to join in on the spooky antics he initiated.
Her brows knitted together and she folded her arms over her chest, her express unwavering as she held his stare, "No, Gar. I am not doing that."
"But, it'll be fun!"
Kory scoffed and appeared not to be swaying this time around, her eyes narrowing at her friend, "I highly doubt that. It is messing around with things that you do not know about. It is dangerous."
Gar frowned, "But, it won't be the same without you, Kory!"
Her lips twisted as she fought to agree to it. Dick looked at her and brushed some of her hair away from her face, gently tapping her lower back as his hand came back down, "You can always stop if it gets to you, hon."
Kory inhaled deeply, her eyes searching the buttons of Dick's shirt as she considered. Gar offered her a desperate smile, really putting it out there so she would go for the game.
Finally, Kory sighed heavily and slumped back against the sofa, Dick smiling and rubbing her thigh comfortingly,
"Fine." She grumbled, "But, if anything remotely scary happens, I am going to my room and huddling under the covers with Silkie."
Gar beamed, "Deal! That's cool!"
She sighed and hugged herself whilst Dick smiled and patted her knee.
Looking around at the others, Gar lifted an eyebrow, "Assuming you guys are good to play, yeah?"
Raven simply shrugged her shoulders which could mean yes or no but Gar took it to mean the former. Vic gave Gar and the camera a big thumbs up whilst Dick just yawned and nodded in the same direction.
Gar turned back towards the camera, grinning broadly, "Okay, see you guys once we've set everything up!"
2:46am
Gar's face filled the shot as he beamed in the direction of his viewers, "Alright… so it's nearly 3am. We've got about 15 minutes to go before we can start. The whole hour is supposed to be the best time to do it to get some kind of response so we've got the window of opportunity all lined up."
He pulled the camera back slightly, revealing the plain wall of the main room behind him, the lights in the room dimmed to set the mood, "So, we have a small bathroom just off from the main room and we've decided to use that one since none of us want to be invitin' ol' Mary into our bedrooms to haunt our asses."
"You shouldn't joke, Gar." Raven reprimanded quietly from off camera.
Gar turned the device around, revealing Raven leaning against the back of the sofa as they waited whilst Vic, Kory and Dick were all sat on the cushions.
His girlfriend continued, "I said it before with things like the Ouija board but… you don't know what you're possibly bringing in. If you're going to do these things, you have to be respectful."
He sighed from behind the camera, "Yeah, I know. I don't know, I guess joking around just makes it feel less terrifying."
Raven lifted a shoulder and half smiled as she nodded at him, aware of why he did it but warning him nonetheless.
Gar swiveled the camera back around towards only his face and he smiled brightly, "Okay… so, everything is set up…" He paused and reached backwards, feeling along the wall until his fingers brushed against the door handle of the bathroom.
He pushed it down and the door gently swung open. Gar angled the camera so that the inside of the bathroom could be seen in the background behind his head, "We've already turned the lights off and the big candle that we borrowed from Raven is on the counter, in front of the sink and more importantly, in front of the mirror. We'll light it once we start otherwise, it's a bit of a fire hazard."
The bathroom was dark, with barely anything visible, shapes only becoming prominent and clear when Gar shone the light on top of his camera inside, "We blocked out the two windows, which are really weird, now that I see them. You probably can't see them properly but there's one like either side of the mirror. We've hung up some blankets to completely cover them up, as told by the game rules from the internet."
He zoomed in a little, showing above the main bathroom counter where everything was, the windows had a black and a red blanket, draped over each window.
It was a narrow bathroom, the counter was immediately to the left upon entering and then further on and separated by a jutting out wall, which worked well to give privacy, there was the toilet. It was a simple bathroom with no bath or shower, considering it was just an addition downstairs.
"Also, you guys might be able to see it already but I've set up a secondary and stationary camera in the very corner of the counter. Since we each have to summon her by ourselves, I thought it'd be useful to catch anything that happens on camera this way. It has pretty much everything in shot and the tripod works nicely… it's around shoulder level so it's not too low or too high."
Gar cleared his throat and tugged the camera away from the bathroom, closing the door behind him and wandering over to where his friends were lounging, waiting for the witching hour to start.
"Gar, it's almost 3am." Vic reminded him from off camera,
He nodded and took a deep breath, "Alright… since we have a minute or so… uh… who wants to go first?"
Rearranging the way the camera sat in his hands, the shot grew wider, showing each of them.
There was pure silence, an eerie feeling seeping into the atmosphere as they paused and considered who would start this little game off.
Raven sighed from where she stood behind the sofa, "I'll do it."
Gar's head snapped around towards her, "Babe… you sure?"
She inclined her head, her gaze aimed towards the bathroom, "Um… yeah… I'm sure it will be fine. Have you got the lighter?"
The camera shook slightly as Gar leaned back and reached into his pocket for what she had asked of him, walking to her and handing it over.
Raven bit down on her lower lip and her usually stoic expression did appear to slightly falter from what she was about to do.
"You remember what you have to do?" Gar checked, holding the camera out from his body, zeroed in on just him and his gothic lady.
"Mhm." Raven murmured, glancing down at her phone which finally read '3am' before she looked back up at Gar, "See you after."
Gar spun the camera around to record Raven as she slowly walked across the wooden floorboards of the main room, heading into the bathroom and closing the white door behind her.
[BATHROOM CAM]
"Oookay…" Raven muttered hesitantly, within the cloud of darkness.
There were several click sounds before a strong amber flame burst up from the lighter. She ambled right up to the bathroom counter and leaned over the tall candle, holding the flame against the wick and waited for it to catch fire.
After a long moment, filled with silence besides Raven's faint breathing, the candle brightened and so did the room.
A low, orange dim washed over the room, lighting Raven up in a fiery glow as well as reflecting off of the large mirror that she stood opposite.
Raven swallowed a few times before she stood up straight and stared directly into the mirror. She shook her head and inhaled a deep breath,
"Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary. Bloody M-"
She abruptly stopped whispering the words, her head snapping to the right, appearing to have been alerted by a noise or maybe even a feeling.
"Hello?" She murmured, immediately frowning and closing her eyes for a brief moment, "C'mon, Raven…"
Taking another breath, Raven hesitantly continued, "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary…" She paused and her eyes darted around, as if waiting for something to come with the final uttering of the call, "... Bloody… Mary."
Raven continued to stare intently into the mirror but her lips twitched, her chest rising and falling somewhat quicker, clearly a little bit nervous that something was going to happen.
She tapped her fingertips against the edge of the counter as she waited, her attention being drawn downwards to the candle's flame which was flickering wildly, despite there being no breeze or decipherable draught in the room.
Raven took a small step back from the counter and stared into the mirror once more, waiting for something to appear or scream or jump out but… there was nothing.
She remained standing still for another long moment before she let go of the breath she had been holding and turned, reaching for the handle of the door and letting herself out, leaving the scene behind.
Once she was gone, the room remained still alongside the flame which immediately stopped and stood unwavering, the moment Raven stepped foot outside of the bathroom.
"Rae? How'd it go?" Gar asked, the image of the camera spinning and blurry as Gar shifted it to record Raven as she exited the bathroom, looking a little bit confused over what had happened in there.
She hastened her steps, only slowing down as she became within arm's reach of the others. Raven fiddled with the sleeve of her grey woollen sweater and looked up, a crease between her eyebrows, as if she was trying to figure something out in her head,
"Um… not really… but… I don't know. It was… weird. The candle flame was going crazy, moving like someone was trying to blow it out but it wasn't going…" She explained, earning a gasp from Kory who was off camera,
Raven lifted her chin, looking straight into the lens of the camera and she shrugged, seemingly trying to brush off whatever she had been feeling, "I thought I heard something too but… I called out and there was nothing… I… must have imagined it."
"Maybe you didn't." Gar surmised, his voice louder on account of being closer to the device,
"Well… guess you'll have to check in editing to see if the camera picked anything up…" Raven murmured, stealing Gar's spot on the couch as he got to his feet and juggled the camera in his hands, still facing her.
"Maybe she didn't come for you because you take all of this stuff real seriously." Vic considered aloud,
"Maybe." Raven agreed but sighed and cleared her throat, "So… um, who's next then?"
Again, silence filled the air, no one particularly wanting to offer themselves up for this ritualistic game.
Gar hummed a note to himself before he laughed nervously, "Okay, guess I'll go next."
"If Mary's gonna come out to beat anyone's ass, it's gon' be you, Gar." Vic pointed out, folding his arms over his chest and looking at him like he was making a mistake by going next.
"Yeah… well… at least I'll get loads of views if I die." Gar stated, injecting humor to deviate from the idea of being afraid.
The shot shook and became fuzzy as the camera was moved and handed over to someone else. Gar jogged backwards as the camera's image became clear once again.
"So, I've handed the camera over to Vic… just while I go and try to get Mary summoned." Gar informed the audience, slapping his hands together.
He took a deep breath and grinned, "Let's go see what happens."
With that, Gar turned and scurried over to the bathroom door, grabbing the handle and yanking it open before he went inside and shut the door as he moved.
There was a stretch of silence for a moment.
"Show of hands who thinks Mary's gonna grab Gar and drag him into the mirror world?" Vic asked, earning a snort from Dick.
[BATHROOM CAM]
Gar chuckled as he approached the bathroom counter, looking towards the corner of it, where the other camera was situated, "Hi again, guys."
His smile faded as he adjusted his attention to the mirror before him and he hunched his shoulders slightly, "Oh… oh this is creepy…"
His forest eyes fell to the candle below his chin, sitting on the counter, untouched,
"The fire is… ridiculously still… just saying. It's weird considering Rae said… God this is already putting me on edge." Gar whispered,
Closing his eyes, Gar briefly pressed his hand against his chest, over where his heart would be, "Okay… let's do this already…"
He dropped his head and shuffled for a moment, presumably to hype himself up for something spooky happening, as was the goal, really.
When he lifted his chin towards the mirror again, his eyes were open and he was scanning the reflective glass, checking all the corners to see if anything seemed amiss before he had even started.
There wasn't.
Gar rolled his shoulders and placed his hands behind his back, "...Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary... Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary…" He paused, sensing that nothing was going on and decided to up the stakes, "Bloody Mary, I stole your baby. Bloody Mary, I stole your baby. Bloody Mary, I stole your-"
An unseen bang echoed from inside the bathroom and Gar was quick to jump and cower away slightly, frantically glancing all around the room, trying to find a logical reason for the bang but he found none,
"Oh my God, okay… note to self; don't use the taunting chant. I saw it online but nope, nope, nope." Gar huffed, "I can't see what fell or what hit the floor to make that sound by the way so… we're just gonna continue and pretend it didn't happen."
He sighed, shakily and got back in front of the mirror, his eyes set on his reflection as he concentrated, "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary."
With the final repetition, Gar squinted, like he was prepping for a jump scare like one would find in a horror movie or a game. He reared away from the mirror and took as many steps back as he could without being right up against the opposite wall.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his chest moving at speed with his nerves.
Suddenly, Gar yelled out and scrambled away from the wall, rapidly looking back and forth as if searching for someone who should not be there. He panted and reached a shaky hand up to his neck, feeling for something.
"Nope. Nope. Oh my God." He muttered, dashing straight for the bathroom door and slamming it shut behind him as he made a break for it.
"Gar? Gar. What happened?" Raven asked, concern touching her tone as she met him halfway between the bathroom door and the couch, a pale hand going straight to his back with the other reaching for his chin so he'd look at her.
"Dude, you alright? What the hell? We heard you freak out and-" Dick expressed, also joining Gar's side, along with a very timid and scared looking Kory who was flicking her eyes towards the now closed bathroom door, as if something was going to come out from inside it.
The four of them stood in shot as Vic got up and continued to film what was happening,
"Gar?" Vic asked,
Gar's breathing was haggard and he dragged a hand across his face and through his hair, his eyes wide.
"Guys, I swear to God. Someone was in there." He stated and held up his free hand, "Not… physically obviously but… shit, I don't know. There was nothing at first so I…" He trailed off and looked sheepish for a moment, "I saw online that if you change the chant a little, it… can sometimes work because it pisses her off."
"What did you say?" Kory asked, her eyes widening with the admission,
"It's said that if you say, 'Bloody Mary, I stole your baby' then it's like… a way of taunting her. It's supposed to give you more results."
"Gar." Raven admonished, the worry still present on her face, alongside a helping of disbelief that he would do that,
"Sorry, I just… there was nothing going on so I just… wanted to see if it made any difference."
"And did it?" Vic queried, zooming in on Gar's face a little as he spoke,
"Yes." Gar told them all, firmly, "There was some big bang and… I couldn't see anything on the floor so I don't think anything fell or anything like that. But… I don't know where it came from."
"And then what happened? What had you yelling like that?" Dick asked, his brows furrowed in apprehension,
Gar hesitated before he looked at each of them, "None of you… you didn't pull some like elaborate prank while I was in there, did you? Like… you didn't set anything up for me. Right?"
"Of course not, Gar. None of us would do that." Kory confirmed,
"Really?"
"Yeah. Sides, how would we even be able to set anything like that up? You were in a different room." Vic added,
Taking a deep inhale, Gar's gaze focused on the floor, "I had basically finished saying the stuff and then… I stepped back and… I swear to you guys and I'm not even remotely kidding, I felt someone breathing on the back of my neck and it felt like someone was right there, like right behind me… I…"
"Holy shit…" Vic hushed,
"I… heard it at the same time I felt it… I'm kinda hoping the camera picked it up but… I don't know. I wanna say I imagined it but… how do you imagine that?"
Raven gave his shoulder a squeeze and tilted her head, "Maybe we should call it quits… if that's already happened and you're the second person to do it, maybe you should just stop the game."
"I can't. Rules said that once it starts, everyone has to have done it or there could be dangerous things that follow." Gar told her, earning a frown from the dark haired woman,
"So… Dick, Kory… is it either of you or me next?" Vic asked, his tone low and the image shaking as he passed the camera back to its rightful owner who turned it around and shot it towards the three remaining participants.
"Um… I… I will." Kory offered, looking tentative as she glanced at the closed bathroom door,
"Kory, are you sure? I know I said that stuff earlier but… that honestly scared the shit outta me and not that much even happened."
The red head flipped her long hair over her shoulder and inhaled, "No. I will do it. If we all have to then… I shall get my turn out of the way."
She gave them a small, worried smile and twisted her body in the direction of the bathroom. Dick stopped her momentarily and touched her cheek,
"If you get spooked or something does freak you out… you don't have to stay in there, 'kay?" He told her,
Kory gave him a slightly bigger smile and pecked his lips, "I know. I am sure you will all be immediately aware if something happens as I will be right back out here in seconds."
Dick chuckled and released his girlfriend, watching, along with the others as she tiptoed towards the bathroom.
Gar grappled with the camera and zoomed in on herself as she opened the door and slipped inside, the door quietly clicking shut behind her.
[BATHROOM CAM]
Kory made a small keening sound as she moved from the fairly lit main room, into a bubble of darkness, with only the glow of the candle giving her anxiety any kind of reprieve.
She took a deep and shaky breath, wringing her hands together nervously.
Tiny steps and a long moment of hesitation were how she eventually ended up standing in front of the mirror, avoiding staring at it for as long as she could.
Kory gulped and pulled a section of auburn hair over her shoulder, stroking her fingers against the length in trepidation.
She glanced around her, checking the floor and the space surrounding her to ensure there were no claws or hands waiting to grab her or anything of the like.
Groaning in frustration with herself, Kory frowned and let go of her hair, clenching her fists by her sides and lifting her chin.
Her eyes locked on her reflection and she pressed her lips into a thin line before she released a deep breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.
"Come on, Kory." She muttered to herself,
She took a long moment to collect herself, trying to restrain the fear of what she might end up seeing in the mirror when it was all said and done.
"B-Bloody Mary… Bloody M-Mary…" Kory paused and took a breath, her voice coming through stronger and more confidently, "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary."
Kory stopped for a moment, having realized that she had shied away from staring into the mirror about halfway through the chanting.
She adjusted her position, standing directly in front of the mirror and narrowed her eyes, keenly watching her reflection.
As she opened her mouth to speak, there was a shadowy shape that passed across the wall behind her, clearly visible on the camera, still wedged into the corner of the bathroom counter.
It was quick but Kory caught it.
She did a double take, a gasp falling from her lips and her eyes widening to the size of saucers. Kory spun around, almost tripping over herself as she fumbled for the edge of the counter to grasp.
"Wh-What was…" She mumbled to herself, turning her head every which way, clearly looking for some sort of rational explanation as to why a shadow would have appeared when she was the only one in the bathroom and she had not moved a muscle.
"It… surely it was me…" Kory murmured to herself before she glanced over her shoulder at the camera, blinking red at her, "Perhaps Gar can check… I…"
She shook her head, red tendrils of hair cascading down her back as she twisted back around, palms pressed to the edge of the counter.
Kory took a deep breath and eyed the mirror, "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary." She finished in a rush, not even waiting a second after to see if anything appeared to her in the mirror.
Shaking her head, Kory pressed her lips together and trod backwards, slowly heading for the door, never taking her eyes off of the room until her shoulders bumped against the doorframe.
Turning frantically, Kory grabbed the handle and threw the door open, scurrying out of the room without a second look.
The camera shook as Gar stood up, pointing it in Kory's direction as she hoofed it towards them, not looking up from the floor until she reached them and had a fair distance from the bathroom.
"Hon, you okay? Did anything happen?" Dick asked, standing from the couch and moving into the shot, his hand immediately falling to the small of Kory's back.
Kory panted and cast a fleeting glance over her shoulder at the closed bathroom door before she looked back at them all, with Raven and Vic also standing and joining the couple.
She nodded, just once. Kory shifted her weight from one foot to the other before she wrapped her arms around herself, "I… saw something. I do not know what it was but-"
"What was it, Kory?" Gar asked, his voice reverberating from behind the camera.
Lifting her chin, Kory's eyes glistened with confusion and fear, "I… I am not sure. All I know is… there was a shadow across the wall. It was large and quick but… I saw it."
"You sure it wasn't just your own shadow?" Raven asked, her tone genuine rather than sarcastic,
Kory shook her head, "It was not. I was standing completely still and staring into the mirror and I saw it behind me… it… it went across the wall, like something ran past. I… cannot explain it." She turned her attention to the camera and more so, Gar, "Gar, please check the bathroom camera afterwards… something was definitely caught. I swear. Something was in there and it… was not… human. I…"
She trailed off and shook her head, touching her forehead with her fingertips, thoroughly bewildered by what she had seen.
"Dude, this is getting super weird." Vic commented, looking rather apprehensive about playing this 'game' of theirs.
"Yeah, no kidding." Gar responded but sighed, "Well… we're almost done. We just have two more to summon her and then we can quit this crap."
Vic and Dick exchanged a look of uncertainty whilst Gar cleared the focus on his camera, with the shot having blurred for about a minute, completely by itself.
"So… which one of you is up next?" Gar asked,
There was a stretch of silence for a moment, the two boys just staring at each other, as if waiting for the other to crack and put themselves forward.
Finally, Dick sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, turning his cerulean gaze towards the lens of the camera, "Gar, I'll go next."
The camera jostled back and forth as Gar seemingly nodded to his friend, "Okay, dude. Whenever you're ready…"
Chewing on his lower lip, Dick lifted his shoulders and simultaneously took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air before he dropped his shoulders and exhaled.
"Yep… I'll go now. I'm sure it'll be… fine…" He insisted, despite the looks from the others that said he shouldn't be so sure.
"I'm probably less afraid of these things than you and I'll tell you now… it is fairly creepy once you're in there." Raven advised, folding her arms over her chest.
Dick nodded, "I'm not saying it won't be but… I'm not gonna be taunting her about her baby for one…" He paused and looked at Gar,
"I didn't think anything would actually happen!" Gar protested,
"And also, I'm gonna try and ignore anything that happens. If I don't draw attention to anything, it shouldn't continue, right?" Dick continued,
Kory and Vic looked at one another, "Mm… maybe." Vic commented,
Dick ran a hand through his dark tresses and huffed, "Well… guess I should go and test that theory."
With that, he turned on his heel and made an ambivalent beeline for the bathroom door, the others keeping a close eye on him as he took every single step, with Gar zooming the camera in as he placed the palm of his hand against the exterior of the door.
"Just… do not say anything to make anything worse." Kory nervously counseled, her concern quietly expressed on her face.
Dick smiled over his shoulder at her before he looked back and placed his fingers against the door handle, pushing it open and shuffling inside of the bathroom.
[BATHROOM CAM]
"Okay…" Dick lilted, rubbing the palms of his hands against his thighs as he carefully approached the bathroom counter where the candle was moving in an almost mocking way. It was slowly dancing back and forth and Dick frowned at it.
He took a deep breath and averted his attention towards the mirror, staring at the space around him in the reflection as well as himself, illuminated by the eerie glow of the candlelight.
Dick rotated his neck and exhaled, "Alright…" He paused and studiously stared into the mirror, "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary-"
There was a quiet thump from the direction of the toilet area and although Dick paused, his lips pursed with words hanging, he refused to turn his head.
Dick swallowed and furrowed his brows, only serving to stare harder into the mirror. He leaned closer to the glass and kept going, without acknowledging the noise whatsoever that had been so audible on the camera in the corner.
"Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary…." Dick licked his lips and whispered the final reiteration, "Bloody Mary…"
He waited, staying silent and simply continuing to stare into the mirror. Nothing appeared to differ and the room remained unchanged.
Dick sighed in relief and pushed himself back from the bathroom counter, shaking his head at this 'game'.
Without warning, the candlelight evaporated and the bathroom was plunged into utter darkness, consuming Dick and everything else that was in the camera's line of sight.
"Shit!" Dick cursed, suddenly patting his hands around on the counter, feeling for the lighter that he knew had been there moments beforehand.
The sound of his hands smacking against the marble counter was all the camera could pick up on, with next to no visual.
"Shit, shit, shit." Dick panted, his calm and collected demeanour going straight out the window.
His search for the lighter continued, the sounds of his hands feeling around for it continuing to echo around the room.
"Aha!" He exclaimed, followed by several click sounds before a flame reappeared in the midst of the blackness. Dick was quick to move towards the candle, relighting it within seconds and casting the dim glow around the room once more. He frantically peered around the room for any signs of something that was unwanted or that did not belong there.
Dick sighed heavily and turned his body away, throwing open the bathroom door to leave.
"Dick?" Gar asked, being the first to notice Dick stalking out of the bathroom with purpose as he steadied the camera to have a clear shot of his friend,
The other three lifted their heads at the same time as each other and looked over at Dick who had now lost some of the nonchalant mood he had been holding onto during the bulk of the 'game'.
He appeared paler than before and his eyes were wider, like he had seen something that he really didn't want to see.
"My love… did you see something?" Kory asked, her voice quiet as she pressed a hand to his upper arm as he reached them, corralled around the coffee table.
Dick lifted his head and gulped, looking to his girlfriend before he eyed Gar and the camera, "Uh… I don't know what… the candle went out."
"Huh?" Vic asked, scratching his head,
"The candle. It went out all by itself and I don't know how." Dick recapitulated, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck,
"You must've breathed on it or something." Raven estimated,
Dick gave her a somewhat withering look, "I didn't breathe on it or blow on it or anything. I had stepped back from it when-" He paused and clicked his fingers, "Poof. It was out and I was standing there in the dark, feeling way more uneasy than I had."
"What'd you do?" Gar queried,
The ebony haired man blinked in the direction of the camera, "I relit it and then got the hell out. There was no way I was staying in there to see if anything else happened."
Vic nodded in agreement, "I mean… yeah, agreed. I woulda run like hell, man."
Gar swiveled the camera so that the camera's gaze was on Vic in particular, "Well… we're down to you, dude."
Sighing, Vic scrubbed a hand over his face in growing dread and peeked over at the bathroom door, "Aww man… I really don't wanna go in there. And, thanks to you, Gar, I don't think I'll ever be comfortable peeing in there ever again after tonight."
Gar sounded sheepish as he responded, "Heh. Sorry, Vic."
Vic exhaled loudly and bounced up and down on his toes for a moment, as if trying to pump himself up for what he was about to do.
Reaching out a hand, Gar rested it on Vic's shoulder, halting him, "Dude, just get it over with. Like… ripping a band aid off." He offered him a small smile, "Hey, maybe nothing will happen."
Giving him a reproachful look, Vic made a 'psh' noise and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure. I'll be the sole person that Mary doesn't fuck with. Somehow, I doubt it."
Vic turned his back to them and marched towards the bathroom, flexing his hands and clenching them into fists at his sides, repeatedly until he got to the door and pushed it open, closing it firmly once he was inside.
[BATHROOM CAM]
Vic froze instantly once the door closed behind him, it brushing against his back as he stood on the spot.
He cringed and his brows creased as his eyes scanned the dully lit room, the warmth actually serving to increase nerves, rather than relieve them.
Lifting his shoulders to his ears, Vic wrung his hands together, nervously, "Aw, man. This sucks. I hate this already, oh my God."
Shaking his hands, he crept from the doorway until he stood in front of the long mirror, hung against the wall.
He stared into the reflection, his eyes connecting with his doppelganger's cobalt eyes.
"Oooof, this is freaky. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it." Vic fretted, tapping his hand against the counter as his concern only worsened.
"Ite… just get it over with. Get it done and then… we're all good." Vic murmured to himself, as if trying to reassure his own mind.
The shot was framed well, showing Vic simply standing there for the first 3 minutes in which he entered the room.
Vic took a deep, trembling breath and then let it out slowly, "Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary... Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary…" Vic paused as the flame directly beneath his chin began to flicker and so he squeezed his eyes shut and scrunched his face up, "This is so creepy, mannn… Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary!"
On the very last chant of her name, Vic's eyes snapped open and he breathed out. But, just as his relief started to flood his senses, there was a small squeak sound.
He turned his head left and right, "What-"
Before he could even hope to finish his question, the faucet in front of the mirror went off, cold water gushing out from it like a burst dam or pipe.
Vic recoiled backwards so quickly, that he almost slipped on the tiled flooring beneath his feet, spreading his arms out wide as his shoulder blades hit the wall behind him.
"Holy shit!" He shouted, his chest very visibly heaving on camera, "What the actual fuck!?"
A muffled, "Vic!?" was heard from the next room but whose voice it was was still up for debate.
Vic's face was a picture of terror and when he opened his mouth to reply to his friends, there was a low, guttural groan that only lasted a second but it was enough to send Vic spluttering and stumbling towards the door.
He screamed out, sprinting the short distance to the bathroom door and banged on it twice before he rammed it open and practically fell over the threshold, falling down and scrambling away on his knees from the bathroom.
Vic scuttled across the floor of the main room, his eyes trained on the bathroom as the door slowly swayed from the force of him opening it.
"Vic!?" Dick called, racing over to where his friend was still on the floor, practically shaking like a leaf, an uncommon occurrence for him;and that fact alone had each of them feeling disturbed.
"Nope. No. No fucking way." Vic wheezed, a hand clutching his chest where his heart was.
"What happened?" Kory asked, her voice gentle as she crouched down on the other side of him, Dick staring at their friend with an identical expression of worry.
The camera's image wavered slightly as Gar stood up and moved closer, with half of Raven's body in the shot as well from where she stood beside her boyfriend, looking down at Vic.
"Th-That… Gar, please tell me you're doing some kind of prank. Please." Vic gasped, inclining his head so that he could look up at his best friend.
Gar tilted the camera downwards so he could capture Vic's expression, which frankly, was haunting. His eyes were wide and there was a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead; he looked positively petrified.
"Dude, I swear to you on my life… I'm not doing anything. I don't mix horror and pranks. That's how you get people having a stroke or a heart attack and that's not cool." Gar vowed,
Vic swallowed heavily and shook his head, "Fuck… I… the… I don't-"
Raven leaned into the shot a little more, squinting in the direction of the bathroom, where the door was still open a crack.
"Why is the faucet running, Vic?" She asked, her voice a pitch higher than it usually was,
He lowered his head and exhaled loudly, "Guys… the faucet turned on by itself-"
"What? No way-" Dick began,
"Dude, I'm telling you. I was there, doing all the chanting and everything and when I finished, it fucking turned on. Water blasted out and… I didn't touch a damn thing. I even heard it squeak before it came on… it was like someone was in there, slowly turning it on… shit…"
Kory shot the camera wide eyed look, words escaping her as her expression began to match that of her friend.
Dick's jaw clenched and he patted Vic's shoulder, comfortingly, "H-How would that even… I mean… could that have just been coincidence?"
Vic threw his hands up in a moment of frustration, "How would that have been coincidence? We get the pipes and shit checked regularly. The faucets in this house run fine. It wasn't even like… balanced between on and off. It was firmly shut off, I swear to God."
There were all silent for a long moment, each trying to gauge what might have been the cause of the faucets turning on all by themselves.
"Did… anything else happen?" Raven pondered aloud,
Vic nodded but refused to look up, "That… that shit me up pretty much straight away and then, I had my back against the wall…" He paused and looked so disorientated, "I heard… I can't… even…"
"Try, Vic… what'd you hear?" Dick urged, staring at him with an intense expression on his face,
"Something… whispered… like in my ear." He told them, his tone low,
"What? What was said to you?" Kory queried,
"No… it wasn't like… any words. It was like a groan… a really creepy groan… like a mix between a long time smoker and a zombie or something… oh man, I can't get it outta my head…" He shivered and peered back at Gar, "I don't know if your camera woulda picked it up or not."
"I'll check it out… don't worry." Gar affirmed,
Vic shuddered and got to his feet, with assistance from Kory and Dick on either side of him. He turned around and pointed a finger in the camera's and also Gar's direction, "Don't ever get us to do that again. That was… beyond creepy and I'm super ready to be done. How do you end it?"
Gar paused and the camera jostled as he spun it around to include his face as he recorded the five of them in the shot,
"So… according to what I read, there's a few different ways but the one mentioned the most was drawing a cross on the mirror with soap and leaving it there for the next 3 nights." Gar explained,
"Perhaps we should do that sooner than later then…" Kory suggested,
Gar nodded and kept the camera trained on him as he spun around and headed straight for the bathroom, yanking open the door and going inside.
He reached up and tugged on the string for the main lights, the buzzing sounding overhead before the whole room became engulfed in the bright, warm lights in the ceiling.
Gar scampered over to the candle and blew on the flame, extinguishing it instantaneously.
As he shifted the camera between his hands, the lens caught a glimpse of the other four, hovering at the door and watching as Gar conducted the end part to the ritualistic game.
"How 'bout we just throw the mirror out onto the sidewalk?" Vic proposed, his voice bouncing off the walls of the bathroom,
Gar jerked and turned the camera towards the group at the door, "No. The rules state very clearly not to break the mirror or get rid of it cos' it lets her loose."
"Awesome." Vic sighed,
Panning the camera back towards the mirror, the shot became clearer. Gar scooped up the bar of soap that was situated beside the sink and he lifted it up, rubbing it against the glass and drawing a cross upon the mirror.
He set the soap back down and grappled with the camera, directing it upwards to show the completed soap cross that would hopefully keep Bloody Mary at bay.
The five of them shared a collective sigh of relief, feeling better now that the lights were on and they had stopped calling out to a suspicious entity that had unclear intentions.
Silence filled the air for a long moment before Gar inhaled a deep breath and turned the camera towards his friends, "So… what'd you guys wanna do now?"
"Well… I'd like to get the hell away from the bathroom, first of all." Vic stated, backing away from the room as soon as he'd said it,
"Nothing else that is creepy, please." Kory pleaded, her expression one of exhaustion,
Gar chuckled as he wandered towards them, "I promise. Nothing else creepy. At least for the rest of tonight."
A grin filled Gar's entire face and he waved a hand in the camera's direction which was now freestanding with the help of the tripod it was attached to.
The lens faced the five of them, all perched on the sofas in the movie room once again. Vic was lounging on the sofa in the second row, with his legs up on the cushions and a soda in his hand. He looked much calmer than he had been when they'd been playing the game.
Dick and Kory were snuggled up on the sofa closest to the wall, with Silkie now draped over their laps, his sleepy head resting against Kory's stomach, her fingers stroking at his soft fur as he snoozed,
Gar sat on the sofa beside them, with Raven at his side, leaning against his shoulder, with a cup of tea balanced on her knee.
Slapping his hands together, Gar's grin got wider, "So… needless to say… playing that was absolutely terrifying. We've come back to the movie room and we're gonna watch some funny movie to settle our nerves before we go to sleep."
"I feel like we need somethin' funny… just to get our minds off of the weirdness that went down." Vic commented,
"Agreed, dude. That was… honestly way more intense than I thought it was gonna be. I've seen the game done in movies and… it's always bogus." Gar added,
"Guess the movies got it wrong, surprise, surprise." Raven droned, a hand on Gar's back as he addressed the camera,
"I just don't understand how some of that stuff happened… like… the candle going out with me, the shadow with Kor, the breathing with Gar, the candle flickering with Raven… and Vic, sorry man but you had it the worst." Dick confirmed,
Vic snorted, "Yeah, don't need to tell me, man. I know I had it worst. I don't think I've ever run outta playing those kinds of games like that. My brain still can't work it out."
Gar chuckled, "Though, hearing you scream all high like did make me smirk a little."
Raven and Kory giggled whilst Dick smiled in amusement, "Yes… had the circumstances not been so… awful… your scream was most comical, Vic." Kory teased,
Vic laughed and shook his head, "I hate you guys. I was having a heart attack in there!"
"And also trying to communicate with dog whistles, apparently." Raven joked, flashing a rare grin in her friends' direction.
Vic screwed up his face and gave her a playful look, "Alright, alright… what movie are we gonna watch?"
Dick held up the remote and shook it, using his free arm to drape over the back of the sofa, cuddling Kory a little closer to him, "I don't know… I'll start looking through Netflix while Gar does his… outro thing."
Gar made a mock expression of shock, "Dude! You do pay attention to my videos! You've learned the keywords!"
Dick snorted and shook his head, "Just do your thing so we can watch a movie. We need to tire ourselves out again after you got all of us feeling wide awake."
Gar smirked and turned his attention back to the camera, threading his fingers together and leaning his elbows against his knees.
"Okay guys, so… that's it from me, this time around. Tonight was… pretty terrifying and I think I'll be going to the bathrooms upstairs for a little while uh… just in case." Gar grimaced, "But… I really hope you guys enjoyed seeing us all lose our absolute shit. Thanks for sticking with us and watching… if you did like it, don't forget to smash that like button and also hit subscribe if you want notifications when I post videos and just… joining the Logan fam in general. Otherwise… I will see you in the next one!" Gar kissed his index and middle finger and lifted it outwards, giving the viewers a boyish wink, "Peace!"
[BATHROOM CAM]
The buzzing of the bathroom light continued to echo around, ricocheting between the thin walls. Stillness hung in the air as the camera kept recording, nothing amiss as far as the lens could see.
One of the bulbs began to flicker repeatedly for a solid 30 seconds, just going back and forth as if deciding whether it wanted to remain on or not.
After a long stretch, the flickering ceased and the light reverted back to buzzing and illuminating the room, casting a slight shadow over the bathroom door which strangely appeared to be moving, just a little.
The crack between the door and the frame, revealing a slither of the main room seemed to get larger before the door suddenly stopped moving altogether and just remained that way; still.