Who's Afraid of the Dark?
The kids were all preparing to go to bed sooner or later, but they never expected lights out to come so abruptly. One second, they were chatting and doing homework, the next the dorms when pitch black. Screams emanated from boys and girls alike, and kids like Todoroki and Bakugou used their quirks to provide some sort of light. Aoyama tried to be helpful but got a stomach ache in the process.
"Mr. Aizawa?" The kids heard Eri cry out, the little girl scared out of her mind. Todoroki immediately found her and calmed her with the fire's warm glow.
"I'm right here, Eri. Everything's okay." Aizawa answered, scooping the timid girl up in his arms. "It's just a power outage. Nothing to be afraid of."
"I guess the storm was worse than we thought," Momo said, creating a lantern and turning it on. As if on cue, thunder rumbled in the distance.
"Mr. Aizawa, I'm scared." Eri whimpered, clutching his shirt tighter. Aizawa held her closer, and Momo created a blanket and flashlight to give to her. Eri took the gifts with a quiet "thank you."
"Hey Eri, some of us had an idea. How 'bout we play a game?" Izuku asked, coming up to her and brushing some hair out of her face. She nodded and Aizawa gently set her down on the ground. Eri took Izuku's hand and joined the Dekusquad at one of the tables, a lantern freshly charged by Kaminari in the middle of the group.
"My parents and I used to play this game when we'd have blackouts. It sometimes got really funny. I thought we could have some fun and pass the time." Ochaco smiled at the girl, giving some warmth to the situation. Eri hated the dark. After all the time Overhaul kept her alone in that dark room, she never wanted to be trapped without light. But thankfully, she had friends to stay with her this time.
"The rules are really simple. You take turns saying one word and put together a story. You can't change anyone else's word, but you can take the story any way you want. Does that sound like fun?" Ochaco continued. Eri nodded in response.
Izuku sat on the couch and set Eri on his lap. A pad of paper and a pencil were put in front of her. "But...I'm not very good at writing." Eri said.
"That's okay. If you want, I can write for you." Izuku suggested. Eri agreed, handing him the pencil. "What do you want me to write?"
"Um...Once." Eri said, remembering the beginning of any good story. Izuku wrote it down and then added his own word: Upon.
As the kids added in their own words, a story started to take form. A girl with a pet moose traveled to a magical land in search of apples (obviously Eri's touch). They went to a magic store, but got some sustenance and sleep instead. Next, they met a mean witch named Toga but drove her away with the power of poor hygiene. Finally, the pair stumbled upon a dragon's cave and tried to take the treasure, but the dragon gobbled up the girl and her pet moose. Ochaco and Izuku quickly jumped to the rescue and said that a hero came along and defeated the dragon, freeing the poor girl and her animal friend. Eri seemed to like that a lot better than the ending Todoroki and Iida made the story turn to. Izuku quickly took a picture of the paper to save the strange story.
"What would you like to do now, Eri?" The kids asked, their faces glowing ever so slightly with the light from the lantern. The ghoulish shadows made Eri frightened.
"I think it's about time Eri got to bed." Aizawa interfered, helping the girl off of Izuku's lap and guiding her through the darkness with a flashlight.
All of the sudden, a loud thud echoed through the dark room and one of the sources of light sputtered out. A slew of curse words could be heard, and the familiar remarks made everyone recognize the source: Bakugou.
"Kacchan, what happened?" Izuku called out.
"Mind your business, ya nerd." Bakugou snarled in response.
A chuckle rang out. "Dude, you totally ran into that wall." Kaminari laughed, and the rest of the Bakusquad joined in with their own quips.
"Shaddup ya extras! I'm just trying to find the bathroom! I tripped over something!" Bakugou yelled, using his quirk once again to light his way.
"That was me." Mineta groaned, and the kids realized that his shortness kept him masked in darkness. They laughed even harder.
"Guys! Do you want to tell some ghost stories to pass the time?" Mina asked her friends, putting a flashlight under her face to give it a spooky glow. One by one, the kids agreed, settling down in the middle of the room with their blankets and pillows, finding comfort with each other despite the eerie darkness.
"I'll go first!" Kirishima said, waving his hand desperately in the air. "It was a dark and stormy night, just like this one. Four kids gathered around a campfire, desperate to stay warm. One volunteered to go get firewood and set out on his mission. Twenty minutes passed, and he failed to return. Another went out to go look for him but didn't return. The third and fourth decided to leave together, figuring that they would be safer in numbers. But...as they neared a cave, they heard a whisper from inside. A cold breath skittered down their necks, and ghoulish hands covered their mouths to keep them from screaming. They were dragged into the dark cave, never to be seen or heard from again." He crossed his arms and beamed with pride. "How was that?"
"Ehh, not a good plot. NEXT!" Mina proclaimed, and Kirishima frowned.
"You idiots, I'll tell the story better," Bakugou said, sitting down on a blanket. "Once, there was a group of kids. They were all super powerful and had stupid awesome quirks. So, they decided to test their strength on a survival camping trip with one another."
"Um...this doesn't sound like a scary story," Kaminari said.
"SHADDUP AND LET ME TELL IT!" Bakugou snarled before clearing his throat and continuing. "Anyway, they went into these woods that were said to be haunted. Tons of people had gone in and were never heard from again. They thought it was the perfect place to show who was the best. They took absolutely nothing with them except the clothes on their backs, ready to face whatever odds that were against them. Everything seemed to be going well at first. They managed to hunt a couple of small animals and roast them with a fire quirk, leaving them stuffed and satisfied. But the real trouble happened during the night..." He paused for effect. "As the campfire crackled around them, they heard a bloodcurdling scream echo through the woods. They all jolted to their feet to search for the source, creeping deeper and deeper into the eerie woods. The animals that once were defenseless seemed to grow with the help of the shadows, teeth bared and eyes glowing madly. Trees reached down and clawed at their bare arms and legs with their thorny branches. Shadows crept up behind them, ready to draw them into an endless abyss.
"Finally, they stumbled upon a cave, and the screaming was cut short. Fearing the worst, they each slowly looked into a cave, prepared to see a dead person inside. Instead, they saw a sweet little girl, smiling with a piece of meat on the fire. She welcomed them in and let them rest, giving them their own portions to ease their scared minds. All of the sudden, when their guards were down, the girl morphed into a giant monster. Her leathery skin ripped to reveal pure muscle, her eyes glowing blood red with hunger. Her fangs shone in the firelight, and her knife-like claws were at least a couple of feet long. The kids tried to run, but the meat she had given them was laced with a drug that rendered their limbs defenseless. She took turns snacking on their warm flesh one by one, their shrieks bringing music to her ears. When she grew tired of them, she would simply rip out their throats with her shark-like teeth and continue her feast. However, she made sure to tether their souls, and they were forced to wander the woods for all eternity, leading other people who dared to enter the forest to the same monster that ate them alive. Oh, and those screams they heard earlier? They were the screams of haunted souls of the past, luring others into the same trap. And it worked...every...time." Bakugou smiled at his story's end, and the other kids looked at him in pure horror.
"Dude...what is wrong with you?" Kirishima asked.
"Do you need help?" Sato added.
"That was...terrifying." Izuku shivered.
"What? You wanted a scary story, I gave you a scary story." Bakugou scoffed, crossing his arms. "It was better than Kirishima's at least."
"Okay! How 'bout we do something else!" Mina said, trying to wipe the visualizations from her mind.
"I think I'm going to turn in. I'm too sleepy." Todoroki said, standing and shuffling to the stairs.
"Yeah, I'm going to bed too. 'Night, ya scaredy cats." Bakugou said before going up the stairs himself.
"Aww man. Hey Denki! You think you could get the tv to work?" Mina asked, her golden irises shining through the darkness.
"I can try," Denki said, rushing towards the tv.
All of the sudden, the lights flickered back on. The kids could finally see one another clearly, and they cheered.
"Guess we don't need my quirk!" Denki smiled before turning on the tv. They quickly switched through the channels, before finally settling on a show about some school club that made money off of flirting with rich girls. The girls marveled at the handsome boys on screen, especially the exuberant blonde who couldn't seem to realize that he was head over heels in love with the main character. Their giggles echoed through the common area, drawing more of the students in to watch the program.
"Alright, kids, it's time to get some sleep." Aizawa emerged, wrapped up in his yellow sleeping bag. "Turn off the tv."
The kids pouted but obliged, and one by one they retired to their dorms. Once again darkness fell over the dorm, but this time, absolute silence followed. It was music to the teacher's ears, and he quickly fell asleep. Soon enough, the entire dorm was asleep, dreaming of host clubs, dragons, and haunted forests throughout the night.
AN: I got this idea thinking about what I did as a child whenever there was a power outage at my house. My siblings and I made up a whole bunch of games to play in the blackout, including some of the ones you see in this story. I mostly wrote this in the dark for extra effect, and it really made me feel nostalgic.
Sorry I took longer than usual to update. Life has been pretty crazy and I haven't had as much time to write. I also apologize for the scary stories (I honestly think I didn't write that part well but whatever). In case some of you didn't know, the show the kids were watching is Ouran High School Host Club. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It never fails to make me laugh. Hope you are enjoying the stories and thank you for reading! Don't be afraid to comment; I'd love to see your input! :)