I woke up staring at the trees. Through their canopy I could see the last dying light of day.
I struggle to prop myself up on my forearm. A pain shoots up through my neck and into my brain. I grip my head and notice blood mingled with dirt on my arm.
What happened today?
I wrack my brain, and flashes of people… a weathered mansion… a party.
Yes.
Last night there was a party at Cromwell estate. But that was last night, how did I end up here? Felix invited me and I remember he met me there, but then… it’s blurry. I’ll need to find him and figure out how I ended up here.
I look around and see my leather crossbody bag not too far from me.
Searching through it I look for clues as to what happened. As I pick it up, something inside it moves and squeaks. Great an animal crawled inside while I was passed out.
I open the metal clasp and run back, and a bat flies out and makes me its target. Around me there’s nothing but twigs, huge fallen trees, and a rock.
I grab the rock, but I can’t throw it. I might miss and be left defenseless. The only option is to let it land on me and then kill it.
I brace myself and feel its leathery wings flap against my skin. Then I smash the rock into it. It falls to the ground.
+1XP
I take a closer look, and unfortunately it looks like it's dead. It did bite me and if it had rabies, they would need to check the bat. I put it in my bag.
Infected Bat 1/5 collected
Ugh, it was rabid. Now, I’ll need to find a doctor. But first I’ll need to find my way out of these woods.
A light comes from the ground back where I was laying. My phone. The screen is cracked but it still has 15% power.
I unlock it and check my messages. The most recent one was from a blocked number.
Valerie,
You said you wanted to play a game. Collect 4 more of my little pets before it’s too late and bring them to me. Hurry up while the night is still young.
Signed, Moreau
Who was Moreau? Were they someone I met at the party last? Is that why I’m out here? I guess I’ll need to find four more of these bats for this little game.
I tried to call Felix, but it went straight to voicemail. I would’ve called my parents to come and get me, but they were out of town for their summer get away.
The wind rustled through the trees. I’ve got to get out of here before the daylight disappears. I searched for the maps app, when I see one app that I didn’t download. The icon image was of an M with an overlay of a V.
It opens and an organ plays a haunting tune.
Welcome
>Tasks
Stats
Inventory
Map
What is this? I tap on task.
Active Task
*Find 1/5 Infected Bats
*Return them to Moreau
*Optional find a doctor and show them the bat
Inactive Task
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
*Find Felix and ask him about last night
This must be the game they were talking about in the text. I tap on stats.
You Are…
Level 1 (1/50) XP HP (10/14) Effects (Infected)
Force - 4
Understanding - 5
Charisma - 6
Kismet - 5
Enlightenment - 3
Dexterity - 3
Has Moreau been keeping tabs on me? I tap on map.
A picture of the Larkhunt woods appears. I sigh in relief, I’m right next to the high school. If I can make it there, maybe the nurse’s office will have bandages of some sort and I can patch myself up. I wonder if it would affect my HP?
The woods are eerie at night. A shiver ran down my spine as the school's mascot came into my mind. The hodag It’s a bull horned creature with thick curved spines larger than my hand all along its back. Many people say it’s friendly, but there have been other accounts of it being carnivorous and devouring campers while they sleep or teens who wander through the woods.
I’ve only been out here during the night with my friends when we were sneaking out, but never on my own. I remember one time my friend Ellyn and I were headed to a party on the other side of town. We had planned our escape for a week. I was going to tell my parents I was staying at her house and she was going to tell her parents she would be staying with me. It was perfect. But we didn’t check the weather and we got caught in a thunderstorm.
Our parents caught us sneaking back in and figured out what we did pretty quickly since we were soaking wet. At that moment, my parents were scarier than any hodag.
The football field in the back of the high school came into view. Painted on the grass was the school mascot. As I make my way across, I avoid the image.
I try the gymnasium doors but they’re locked. Following the stone wall, I came to the side entrance where the locker room is, but it’s locked too.
I examine it. It looks like I can pick it.
Inventory
Bat
>Bobbi pin
>Safety pin
Cross ring
Lighter
The bobbi pin bens easily into the shape I need. I stick it in and feel the tumblers. I can feel the lock give.
!Success!
+1XP
I enter the locker rooms. It's almost completely dark in here except for a few safety lights, which buzz with their dim fluorescent bulbs.
I don’t have a gym locker but I know Ellyn does. It’s 406. I squint in the low light until I find it. Its already unlocked. Inside are track pants, jacket, a shirt, shoes, water bottle, hair tie, compact mirror, and a pocket knife.
Added to inventory
Water bottle
Hair tie
Compact mirror
Pocket knife
From behind me I hear a noise. “Hello.” I hope it's just the janitor and not some burglar. “I’m Valerie, I’m a student here. I forgot something in my locker.”
A figure emerges from the shadows. “Funny, cause that’s my locker.” Ellyn says.
I sigh in relief and go to hug her but she takes a step back. Terrified blue eyes looked back at me. “Relax, it’s just me.”
Ellyn relaxes a bit. That’s when I notice her short auburn hair is messy and not in its usual curled style. “Where the hell have you been?” She grips something in her hand tightly.
“I think something happened after the party the other night,” I rub my neck, “I woke up in the woods this morning and got a weird text. I think someone’s playing a senior prank on me or something. I’m pretty banged up and I came here to raid the nurses office for bandages.” I realize she’s holding a wooden stake.
“So you do remember the party.” Ellyn said, then noticed my neck. “You’re covered in blood. Show it to me.”
I lift my hair and show her there were no wounds. “Bits and pieces, I must’ve blacked out or something. I don’t remember you being there, but I remember Felix and meeting him, then nothing.” I shook my head, “Wait what happened to you? Why are you holding that?” I point to the wooden stake.
“Felix.” Ellyn spat. “I told you not to hang around him. I couldn’t have predicted something like this would've happened.”
I grab her by the shoulders and she flinches then pushes me away. “Ellyn tell me what happened last night.”
Ellyn nods and hands me her gym clothes out of her locker. “Let’s head to the nurses office while I tell you. And we should hurry.”
We head out to the hallway, with Ellyn in the lead. She’s cautious. Completely opposite to when we are here during the day.
The door comes into view and we head inside. Ellyn closes the blinds over the door and uses a flashlight to go through the drawers while I change into the clothes.
Ellyn finds bandages and wipes. “There’s a reason I don’t go to his parties, and I knew if I told you, that you wouldn’t believe me. Felix Cromwell isn’t who you think he is. He’s been fooling not just his classmates, but everyone in the entire town.”
I roll up the sleeves of the jacket and wipe down my arms and wince as it stings my cuts. They don’t appear to be as bad as when I first saw them.
“He says he’s 17 and a senior here.” Ellyn continued, “But he’s been here for much longer than that.”
“So he got held back?” I shrug.
Ellyn shook her head. “He’s much older than we think. I don’t know how old but it's been decades. I found his birth certificate.”
“The Cromwell's were one of the founding families.” I put on the last bandage. “Maybe you found one of his ancestors' certificates. I’m sure it’s a family name.”
!Full health restored! HP(14/14)
“The Cromwell's and my family are at odds because we are trying to stop them. They don’t want me at the party because that's where they do their rituals.”
“Yes, teens having fun is quite the coming of age ritual.”
“Valerie, I’m telling the truth.” Ellyn said, “They invite people over and they give them to these beings in cloaks with pale skin and death in their eyes and then they turn them or use them for their blood.”
“What exactly are they turning them into?”
“Vampires, zombies, familiars… wights.” Ellyn said exasperated. “I don’t know how they choose, but they won’t stop until the entire town is changed.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Do you hear yourself right now?”
“Yes, and last night I saw Felix speak to you, then you went into a trance and he led you to some back room that was guarded by three men. Then you go missing for an entire day. So I went over there, but something wasn’t right. I kept looking around for you and then I saw something following me, I had nowhere else to go so I came here.”
I wanted to think Ellyn was playing a prank on me, but she looked and sounded entirely convinced. Maybe me going missing sent her into some sort of shock. “I’m fine and I’m not some crazy undead creature and no one’s following you.”
“Are you sure?” Ellyn turned off her flashlight and pointed to the door. There was a shadow standing there. “I told you.”
The handle turned, and the door creaked open slowly.