The gloomy Rauchester Mansion sat at the end of the long, dreary alley, covered in spider webs, and complete with broken windows. Screams of unsuspecting victims pierced the stillness of the crisp night as the group of high school students made their way through the alley.
Valerie and Michael led the group, walking hand in hand. The rest of the teens were chattering and laughing excitedly, while the couple spoke in subdued tones.
“So do you think it’s actually haunted?” asked Valerie.
“Well,” replied Michael, “I honestly don’t know for sure. Supposedly some kid went in there last year and no one has ever seen him again.”
“You know what? I think I’ll stay outside while you guys go through. I really don’t much care for this stuff anyway,” said Valerie in a tight voice. As soon as the words left her mouth, a terrible, ear splitting scream filled the night, followed by a spout of evil laughter. Valerie squealed and wrapped her arms around Michael, burying her head in his sweatshirt.
“It’ll be okay,” said Michael while stroking her back soothingly. As the group drew closer to the haunted house, Valerie felt as if there were eyes watching her from every corner.
They had made it to the house. It was time for Valerie to face her fears and walk into the dimly lit hall. Knights in armor lined the hall, fog swirled around her feet, and as the group progressed through the house, the fog became thicker and thicker. Valerie began to cough, and urged Michael to go on ahead while she caught her breath after a particularly bad cough. She sat in a nearby chair, but as she did this, the fog began to creep nearer. It became so thick that she could no longer see anything. And then it was gone.
Not only was the fog gone, but so were her friends. Valerie bolted from her chair and raced down the hall in the direction that the group had gone. Panicked, she called out to them.
“Michael? Michael! Taylor? Trevor? Michael! Where are you?” she called. Lost in despair, and scared beyond compare, she crumpled to the floor and began to rock back and forth. Suddenly, she heard many footsteps coming towards her. She screamed as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Shhhhh. Valerie it’s me! Michal! Are you alright?” asked Michael. Valerie threw her arms around his neck and held on tight.
“What happened? The fog got so thick and then it was gone and I couldn’t see where you all had gone!” sobbed Valerie.
“It’s ok. It’s ok. We’re all here now,” said Michael.
“Um… I hate to ruin the moment guys, but someone is walking this way..” said Taylor. The group turned to find a hooded figure making its way towards them. Trevor grabbed Taylor and pulled her back behind him. Ray did the same with Trish, and all of the teens watched and waited to see who the stranger was, and what he wanted.
The hooded figure came to a stop right in front of them. He looked at them; then he spoke in a raspy, evil voice. “Tonight, Valerie, your worst nightmare has become a sad reality. One by one your friends will vanish before your very eyes. If you refuse to play my game, they will die.” Then, the figure vanished.
The group turned towards Valerie, fear written in all of their eyes. Taylor, Ray, Trish, and Trevor all were now huddled in around Valerie and Michael. Questions flew from all of them.
“What is his game?” asked Taylor.
“What’s your worst nightmare Val?” asked Trevor.
“What are we going to do?!?!” panicked Trish.
“Guys? Where are all the other people?” asked Ray. The group looked around them. No one else was anywhere to be seen.
“We need to split up and find others. This guy is crazy!” said Michael. “Guys, take your girls and look around. We’ll meet up after about an hour. Call or text us if you find anything.”
Each couple went their different ways. After about 15 minutes, a scream filled the house, followed by an evil laugh. “Michael! That was Trish! I would know that scream anywhere!” whispered Valerie. Michael simply shook his head in agreement. He opened his mouth to say something when the voice of the hooded figure ran through the house.
“Valerie, I warned you that if you did not play my game, your friends would die. There were six, and now there are four. Why won’t you play my game?” The voice faded as the evil man laughed. Michael looked at Valerie. He was scared, she could tell.
Michael grabbed Valerie’s hand and together they ran in the direction that the scream had come from. They reached a side hall and looked down it. There, standing at the end of the dark hall, were two knights. “They must not have gone this way,” said Michael. But Valerie wasn’t paying attention. Her eyes were glued to the knights, who were now making their way toward the pair.
“Michael!! RUN!!” screamed Valerie. Michael glanced back in time to see the knights, and the couple dashed down the corridor. It seemed Trevor and Taylor had the same idea, as they collided in the hall.
“Remember those knights that were standing by the doors? They’re following us! They are actually ALIVE!!!” shouted Trevor.
“We have to find our way out of here!” said Taylor.
Then, as if the house itself had come alive, the doors down the hall in either direction started to slam, locking as soon as they banged shut.
“The only way out is to play my game,” said the evil voice, echoing through the hall.
Lights flashed, the house moved, everything went black. Two more screams bounced off the walls throughout the house, and when the lights came back on, Michael and Valerie were alone. They raced through the hall, trying every door. Then, the hooded figure appeared at the end of the long hall. With each step he took, terror surged through the couple. The fog was back, and it swirled at their feet, climbing it seemed, up their bodies.
“Val, stay here. I’ll go deal with him,” said Michael. Valerie was too scared to do anything. It was as if her feet were rooted to the carpet beneath her. Michael walked forward, the fog swirled. He disappeared, she screamed.
“I told you Valerie. Tonight, your worst nightmare has become reality,” the man said. He came closer, and closer, until finally Valerie could see his face. It was the face of- her scream pierced the silence. Then, everything went black.
Valerie awoke with a start. Glancing around, all of her friends were surrounding her, asking if she was alright. She had passed out from an allergic reaction to the fog. They had called the paramedics, and they were soon to arrive. From the corner of her of her eye she saw a dark figure approaching. Her glass shattering scream pierced the night, as the figure approached, drawing her ever closer to her unforeseen fate.
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