“Are we there yet?”
Your step-dad adjusts the rear view mirror, raising an eyebrow at you, “The whole way? Really?”
“What?” You feign shock, before adjusting your sitting position, “I have to pee.”
He shakes his head before turning his eyes back to the road. You sigh and opt to gaze out your window. There was nothing but farm land for the last three hours – an unfortunate downgrade from your previous bustling city life. //I thought moving was supposed to make your life //better//?//
“New Lily Rule,” Your mom turns around to face you, her exasperation not nearly as concealed as she thinks, “You can’t hate the new house until you see it.”
You huff, before plastering a fake smile on your face and straighten up in your seat, “You’re like, //totally //right! I know I’ll just //love// doing manual labour and waking up at 5am!” The smile slides from your face as you raise an eyebrow at your mom, “Better?”
She shakes her head before turning back around, exchanging a look with your step-dad. He flicks his eyes back up to you, “Actually, most farmers wake up at 4am.”
You roll your eyes, deflating against your seat again as your eyes land on your sleeping brother. A wicked smile lights up your features as you take the plastic spoon out of the pocket of your mother’s seat, before you carefully slide it into your brother’s open mouth. You do your best to swallow your giggle as you dig your phone out of your pocket, snapping a picture. //I’m totally showing this at his wedding.//
Satisfied smile on your face, you turn back to your window, staring once again at the most boring backdrop ever, //at least I’m getting to miss school.//
--
“Finally!” You undo your seat belt, one hand unlocking your door as the car pulls into the driveway. You’re out of the car before your step-dad’s fully parked, stretching your aching legs as you stare up at your new house. Your mouth falls open in surprise as you gaze up at the falling apart exterior, //in what way is this ‘new’?//
Your step-dad climbs out of the car, gazing up at the house himself, glancing at your disapproving face, “Ah-ah, remember your mom’s rule?”
You scoff and gesture to the house, just as a piece of paint flakes off, “You’re kidding, right?” You turn, raising an eyebrow at your mom as she opens the back door to grab your still-sleeping brother, “//Please// tell me this isn’t our house?”
Your mom grunts as she picks up your brother, balancing him on her hip, “Look at it as a giant art project,” She frowns, pulling the plastic spoon out of your brother’s mouth, “You’re always complaining we never let you paint your room.”
“That is so not the same thing!”
Your mom gives you one of her patented Mom Looks before nodding toward the back of your car, where your step-dad was opening the trunk, “Help Ralph bring in the boxes while I put Johnny inside.”
“Just because //you’re// having a mid-life crisis, doesn’t mean //I// should have to suffer!” You cross your arms over your chest as you troop to the back of the car.
You roll your eyes as your step-dad starts fishing around for his glasses. Turning away from the car, you take a moment to assess your new surroundings. The house was set back from the street, giving it lots of front lawn real estate. Unfortunately, the lawn was a mess of overgrown grass and wild flowers. //I’m// not //getting roped in to cutting that. //There was a wheat field to the right of the driveway that seemed to stretch on forever, and a much smaller, one-story house directly opposite of your driveway.
You stare at the house – it was just as run down as everything else, //is that part of our house?//
“Nope,” Ralph’s voice startles you, and you turn just as he shoves a box into your hands, “it was the worker’s living quarters back in the day, but they decided to turn it into another sellable property in the 90’s.”
You raise an eyebrow, “So that’s our neighbour’s house?” //So much for privacy.//
“Don’t worry,” He shifts the box in his own hands before starting toward the house, “It’s vacant.”
//It better be//, you reluctantly take your eyes off the small house as you follow your step-dad into your new home.
//Wow,// your eyes go wide as you step through your new front door – the interior of the house was a stark contrast to the falling apart exterior. Fresh paint on the walls, living room furniture that still had the tags, and brand new appliances in the kitchen – the interior was definitely newly renovated.
//Probably the only way they could sell this place.// You start up the carpeted spiral stairs to the second floor, hoping the renovation wasn’t just for the first floor. You reach the top and your eyes go impossibly wider – //five// bedrooms? You scope out each one, starting on the left most room. You snicker as you see your brother sleeping on a blanket on the floor in the second room, //looks like you got the smallest, little brother. //
You reach the last room and are unable to keep the smile off your face as you set your box down, claiming the biggest room as your own. You scope out the room – it must’ve been the master, because it was easily double the size of the rest of the bedrooms, and had an en suite bathroom against the back wall. You make your way back toward the bedroom door, opening the smaller door that was behind it, and whistle as you reveal a small walk in closet. //Okay, maybe this house won’t be that bad.//
You cross the room again, this time stopping in front of the window, and use two of your fingers to open the blinds, surprised to see you’re looking out over the front of the house. Your eyes drift over the driveway – where your step-dad and mom are still unloading the car – stopping once again on the small house. Your brows furrow as you stare at it, //who would want to live in that?// It was basically one-step above a shack – one floor, boarded up windows, and paint that flecked off with each small gust of wind. Not to mention, it was //way// too close to your own house.
Your eyes flick to the left as you think you see something move, //what the…?// You stare intently at the house, half-holding your breath as you wait. After a moment and no other movement, you let out your breath, //maybe I’m just being paranoid. This place is basically right out of the set of a horror movie.//
“Lily!”
You tear yourself away from the window, doing your best to shake off the uneasy feeling that’s washing over you, //don’t go back down that road.//
--
You huff in triumph as you tuck the last corner of your bed sheet under the mattress, //finally!// You do your best to ignore your dizziness as you straighten back up, wiping sweat off your head with your arm, //that took way too long.// As you catch your breath, you look over your somewhat set up room. Piles of boxes still lined every wall, but your bed, nightstand and dresser were set up. Your mom insisted Ralph would help you set up your bed tomorrow, to which you promptly refused – no //way// were you gonna spend a night sleeping on the floor, while your bed was leaned up against a wall, taunting you.
You also didn’t want to admit you didn’t want your step-dad setting up your bed. It’s not that he was a bad guy or anything, he just… well, he most definitely //wasn’t// your dad, and your mom acting like he was caused you endless annoyance. Also, you didn’t want him to find out you hid a knife under your mattress.
If your mom found out about your protection, she’d definitely take it away, and there was no way you were gonna roll the dice on whether or not your step-dad could keep a secret.
A yawn overtakes you then, and you flick your eyes over to your newly set up clock on the nightstand, //12am? Damn//, you didn’t think it took you that long to set up your bed. Your stomach lets out a loud grumble then, and you chuckle, //guess I should eat something.//You start toward your bedroom door, stretching your stiff arms over your head. You stop dead in your tracks as the smell from your pits hits your nose, //oh my// God//! I smell like the dumpster behind the school!//
You gag involuntarily and quickly lower your arms, //ugh.// Despite the smell, your stomach lets out another grumble. You huff, looking between your bathroom and the bedroom door, //what first?//
[[Shower->Shower Death Beginning]]
[[Food!->Night 1 Death Beg]]//I’ll puke if I try to eat while smelling this bad.// You start toward your new bathroom, turning the lock as you close the door. You frown as you turn it back and forth – not hearing the click of a lock with either movement. You test opening the door with the lock in both positions, and let out an annoyed sigh, //they completely renovated the house, //except //for the door locks?//
With a shake of your head, you turn around, rummaging through the toiletries box you placed on the toilet earlier. You toss your towel up onto your shoulder as you search for your body wash, //I //know //I packed at least one bottle in here.//
Your brows furrow as you reach the bottom of the box, not finding it. You force yourself to take a deep breath, //I probably just missed it because I’m tired.// You delve into the box again, pushing aside everything you don’t need. You come up after a minute, furrow deepening, //okay, what the hell? //
You start taking out each item from the box, lining them up along the counter around the sink, //toilet paper, hairbrush, toothbrush, shampoo, washcloth, toothpaste… and my CD player?// You groan in irritation, turning around in a small circle, checking the edge of the tub as you do so, //please don’t tell me I put it in my electronics box…//
You wrench the bathroom door open, shoulders slumping as you make your way back through your bedroom, //I just wanted to shower.// You stop in front of one stack of boxes, reading the labels in the dim light, //electronics… electronics…//
You slide yourself a step to the left, scanning the fresh stack of boxes that’s in front of you, come on… You quickly check the closet, and run a hand through your hair as you still don’t see it, //where did I put that stupid box?//
[[Check Downstairs->Shower Death 1 Beg]]
[[Shower Without It->Shower Death 2 Beg]]//I won’t be able to shower if I have no energy//, you nod to yourself before making your way to your bedroom door. You pause once you step out, taking a moment to dig your cell phone out of your pocket, and turn on your flashlight app.
Once you have the light, you start down the hall, stomach letting out another rumble as you go. You shake your head and quicken your pace, //hang on, Stomach.// You make your way down the stairs, surprised to see a light on at the bottom.
You reach the bottom, brows furrowing as you see your mom and Ralph sitting at the newly set up kitchen table, “What are you guys doing up?”
“Oh,” Your mom wipes a hand at her eyes, //was she crying?// and takes in a deep breath, “We were just gonna see if you were still up.”
“Yeah, I was just coming down to get some food,” You lean yourself against the doorway, nodding toward the brand new fridge, “What are the chances they stocked it for us?”
Your mom chuckles and shakes her head, “I wish.” She grabs her purse from the back of her chair, digging out her cell. She frowns as she checks the time, “I don’t know how many places would still be open.”
“Midnight isn’t //that// late.”
Ralph snorts, “Maybe not in the //city//, but out here it is. Most of the shops in town are run by locals.”
“There was a 24-hour sign at the gas station.”
Your mom crinkles her nose, “We’re not gonna wake up your brother and drive half an hour for gas station food.”
You cross your arms over your chest, “Well I’m too hungry to sleep.”
Ralph exchanges a look with your mom, before leaning back in his chair, letting out a long breath, “I think Nancy said the pizza place was open till 1am.”
You raise an eyebrow at him, “Since when are you on a first-name basis with the real estate agent?”
Your mom holds up a hand, giving you her best ‘//cut it out//’ look, before standing, “I’ll go get your brother. You two get the car ready.”
“Okay,” Ralph also stands, leaning over to press a kiss to your mom’s cheek before she heads up the stairs. He notices the expression on your face and rolls his eyes, “What? You never see a dad kiss a mom before?”
“You’re //not// a dad.” The sentence is out of your mouth before you’re tired brain has time to stop itself.
He nods once, not doing as good of a job to cover the hurt on his face as he thinks, “I’ll meet you out there.”
//Crap//, you follow him down the hall and out the front door, “Ralph, I didn’t-” you cut yourself off as your eyes pause on the slave house that’s sitting opposite your driveway. Your brows furrow as you stare at it, //were the lights on when we got here?//
“Lily!” You turn away from the house to see Ralph, already sitting in the driver’s seat. He raises an eyebrow at you, “Were you planning on walking?”
You roll your eyes before making the short trip over to the car, climbing inside. You take the opportunity while grabbing your seat belt to take another look at the house – the lights were still on.
You turned back around, eyes on the back of Ralph’s head, “You know how you said that house across the street is empty?”
“Yeah.”
“The lights are on.”
You watch as his eyes flick up to the rear view mirror, checking for himself. He lets out a sigh, before they land back on your reflection, “That’s not gonna work.”
“What’s not gonna work?”
“You don’t like the new house, so you’re making things up to try and scare us.”
“What?” You turn back around, eyebrows raising in surprise as the house is now dark, //what the hell?// “The lights were //on//!”
“We live out here now. Deal with it.” He shakes his head just as your mom comes out of the house holding your little brother.
She deposits him in his car seat before hopping in the front passenger seat, “Okay,” she turns around, giving you and your half-asleep brother a bright smile, “Who’s hungry?”
--
You roll your eyes as you stand in line at the pizza place, “Pineapple on pizza //isn’t// weird!”
“Yes, it is.” Your mom adjusts your somehow still-sleeping brother on her hip, “We’re //not// getting one with pineapple.”
“What if we try the special?”
Your mouth drops open in surprise as you follow Ralph’s eyes to the menu board, boasting about their new Surf N Turf special: sea horse and field mouse, drizzled in peanut butter and chocolate sauce.
You raise your eyebrows, “You think pineapple on pizza is weird, but want us to eat //that//?”
“We’re not getting that, either.” Your mother shakes her head, and takes a step toward the counter, “Guess we’ll just go with the usual.”
You and Ralph both groan, “No!”
You cross your arms over your chest, “Plain cheese is so boring!”
“It’s the only thing your brother will eat!”
“Can’t we at least do half cheese, and half something //actually// good?”
Your mom digs her wallet out of her pocket with her free hand, “When you pay for your own food, you can get whatever you want.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but since that’s not-” your mom cuts herself off as you pull a twenty out of your phone case. She narrows her eyes, “Where did you get //that//?”
You can’t help the smug smile on your face as you re-pocket your phone, “Babysitting.”
“You haven’t babysat in three months!”
“I know.” Your grin widens at the shock on her face, “But someone told me I should save my money.”
She open and closes her mouth silently a few times, just as it was your turn at the counter. Ralph steps up as your mom tries to compose herself, “Medium cheese, please.”
The cashier nods before taking his cash, “Name?”
“Ralph.”
“Great!” The cashier smiles, before gesturing to the empty tables, “You can sit and wait at any of our tables, and we’ll call your name when it’s done.”
You wait as the cashier pulls the ticket from the register, turning around to pin it up in the window behind her. She turns back around just as your mom and Ralph take a step out of line, and returns her Customer Service smile, “And what can I get you tonight?”
[[Classic Hawaiian->N1D Continue]]
[[Pepperoni, Pineapple and Green Pepper->N1D Alt Cont]]
[[Surf N Turf Special->N1D Avoid Start]]//You know what? It doesn’t matter//, you make your way back over to your bathroom, letting go of your hair, //I’m too tired to go on a scavenger hunt. I’ll find it tomorrow.//
You closed the bathroom door behind you, and picked up the shampoo bottle from the edge of the sink, //this’ll have to do. I mean, if it’s good enough to clean my hair, it should be able to clean my skin.// You placed the bottle on the side of the tub, before you peel your shirt over your head. You toss it into the farthest corner of the room, before undoing your jeans.
You slide them down your legs, nearly jumping out of your skin as something hits the ground with a loud thud. You look down, and feel immediately stupid as you see your phone laying on the ground, //I must be tired.// You gingerly pick up your phone, placing it on the only available spot on the edge of the sink, kicking your jeans off.
You kick them over to join your shirt before turning the water for the shower on, stomach letting out a low grumble. You chuckle and look down at it, //sorry, Stomach, I’ll try to shower fast.//
You step into the shower, immediately backing up to the far side of the tub as ice cold water hits you, //aw, seriously?// You reach through the too cold spray and turn the dial in the opposite direction. //What kind of house puts hot water on the //right// side?//
You wait another moment for the water to heat up, before testing it by outstretching your hand – sighing in disappointment as the temperature didn’t change, //well at least it’s not backwards.// You cup your hands under the spray, before gently tossing some onto your body, doing your best to ignore the shiver that goes up your spine.
You splash some water onto your face, before reaching over for your shampoo bottle, which of course you have to lean through the freezing cold water to grab. You crack the cap, then pause, looking out over the bathroom as you think you hear something. You stay paused for a moment, listening intently.
Your brows furrow as you stare out over your bathroom, tired brain trying to think of what’s wrong with the picture. It takes you a moment, but you finally pull the shower curtain over, before continuing on with cleaning yourself.
The shampoo is somehow colder than the water in your hands, and you scrub it over you as quickly as possible, not wanting to stay under the cold spray any longer than you have to.
Right as you go to place the shampoo bottle down, the shower curtain gets ripped back, to reveal a tall man, eyes lighting up as he spots you, “//There// you are!”
You freeze as you stare at him, brain taking a minute to catch up to what’s happening, //what the hell?//
[[Spray Shampoo In His Eye!->SD2 End]]
[[Scream->SD2 Alt End]]You let out a tired sigh before trooping back over to the stairs, //fuck it, I’ll try to find it in the morning. When I can actually //see //what I’m doing.// You start back up the stairs, rubbing your free hand in your tired eyes, //almost done girl.// You reach the top and make your way back down the hall, noting your brother’s room is now quiet. //Good, the longer he sleeps, the less cranky he’ll be tomorrow.//
You close the door behind you as you reach your room, barely noticing your overhead light is no longer on in your haste. You make a beeline for your bathroom, //my shampoo should work. I mean, if it’s good enough to clean my hair, it should be able to clean my skin, right? At least for tonight.//
You flick the bathroom light on, instinctively trying to lock the door again, //oh, right. We’ve gotta fix that tomorrow, no// way //am I gonna take more than one shower with no lock on my door.// You shake your head and turn away from the door, sweeping everything off the edge of the sink, except for your shampoo, which you place on the edge of the tub.
You place your phone down on the now cleared edge of the sink before you take in a breath, holding it as you pull your shirt over your head. You kick it into the farthest corner from you, before starting to unbutton your jeans.
You kick your jeans over to join your shirt before turning to the tub, and freezing, //wasn’t the curtain open before?// You swallow hard as you try to think back – tired brain not giving you much to work with. You shift where you stand uncomfortably, //of course this has to happen when I’m in my underwear…// You stare at the curtain, and can’t help the anxiety that’s building inside you, //should I get someone?//
[[Just Open It->SD1 End Beg]]
[[Wake Up Your Mom->SD1 Alt End Beg]]//Maybe I didn’t bring it up yet.// You tug harder than needed on your hair in frustration, great. //That’s just great.// You quickly exit your bedroom, blinking rapidly as you’re greeted with blackness, //whoa. I guess light pollution really// is //a thing.// You pause a moment to find the flashlight app on your phone before making your way down the hall, heading toward the stairs.
You can’t help but linger as you reach your little brother’s room. His door is closed, and there’s no light coming from under the door, but you can hear him talking. Puzzled, you take a step closer, leaning your ear toward it, //who is he talking to?//
You stay there for a moment, but can’t make out what he’s saying through the door. You also can’t tell for certain if he’s mumbling in his sleep, though it sounds a little more distinct.
You bring your hand up to knock on his door, pausing as you catch another whiff of yourself and almost gag. You shake your head before moving away from his door, and start down the stairs, //gotta stay on task. If he’s gonna be up all night, he can be Ralph’s problem.//
//Okay//, you reach the bottom of the stairs and look between the kitchen and the living room, //if I was an electronics box, where would I be?//
[[Check the Living Room->Shower Death 1 Cont]]
[[Check the Kitchen->Shower Death 1 Cont]]//It probably got mixed up with the TV stuff//, you start toward the living room, doing your best to ignore how creepy your new house seemed at night. You flash your light across the room, scoping it out to make sure you don’t knock anything over. It was mainly still just boxes, thankfully. Your mom would probably spend tomorrow setting up her highly breakable nick-knacks.
Your eyes slide over the big window on your left, the stacks of boxes in the middle of the room, and stop on a sliding door, that presumably leads to your backyard, and your brows furrow as you see it’s open.
//They went to bed and left this open?// You make your way closer to the door, //I know we moved out to the middle of nowhere, but still…// You make your way over to the door, shining your light out into the black backyard. There’s a large concrete deck built right into the house, and stairs to the right that lead down to what appears to be an open grass field, that stretches much farther than your flashlight. There’s also a fence with a gate in it, blocking off the garage and driveway from the backyard.
You poke your head out the door and squint into the blackness, “Mr. Snuggles?”
After a moment of intense listening and hearing nothing remotely sounding like a dog, you shrug and close the door, //maybe// that’s //who Johnny was talking to.//
You spin away from the door, and make your way back over to the stacks of boxes in the middle of the room, just as a yawn overtakes you. //It better be here//, you start reading the labels on the boxes, ignoring the grumble that your stomach lets out. You move around slowly, doing your best to force your tired eyes to focus on the labels, //who’s idea was it to use cursive on all the labels, anyway?//
You let out a groan of frustration as you don’t see your box, //great. Now what am I supposed to do?//
[[Give Up! You're Too Tired For This Shit->Shower Death 1 Middle]] //No, I should stop being such a scared-y cat and just get on with it. Mom will be pissed if I wake her up for nothing.// You force yourself to take a deep breath before reaching for the curtain. Okay, you swallow down around the heartbeat that’s in your throat, eyes stuck on the curtain, //gonna do it fast, like a band-aid.
One…
Two…
Three!// You rip the curtain open, jumping at the sound of scraping metal as you do so. You breathe out in relief as you see the tub is empty, //oh, thank God. I don’t know what I would’ve done if someone was actually there.//
You shake your head and unclasp your bra, //let’s do this quickly, before my brain thinks of another horror-movie scenario.// You slip out of your underwear, and toss it and your bra over to your pile of clothes, before turning on the water.
You wait there on the bathmat, doing your best to not focus on your naked form in the mirror before you step into the tub, letting out a squeal of surprise, //damn it!//
You huddle yourself in the back of the tub, out of the water’s range as you shiver, //do we seriously have no hot water?// You scrunch up your face as you reach through the cold sheet of water that’s raining down to turn the knob farther over, //maybe I didn’t wait long enough?//
You wait another moment out of the water before checking again with your hand – and again, feel nothing but cold, //shit.//
You brace yourself before stepping under the spray, //good thing I shower fast.// Doing your best to ignore the goose bumps that break out across your body, you quickly get yourself wet, before reaching for the shampoo bottle.
You lather yourself up well, and wince as your body starts to sting, //what the…?// You look down, and notice you’re somehow littered with small scrapes and paper cuts, //how did I not feel those?// You groan as the shampoo stings as you continue to scrub more of your body, turning around to get as much of your back as you can.
You wince again as you feel a fresh wave of stings, //seriously? How did I even get them there?// You put the bottle back down, and turn around, rinsing the suds off your body carefully. //These are so gonna hurt in the morning…//
You close your eyes as you scrub some water over your face, body finally relaxing somewhat. You stand there under the water for a moment longer, surprised by how quickly you adapted to the cold water.
After a long moment of nothing more than wasting water, you turn the shower off, //that was kind of a nice end to a long day.// You wipe some water off your face before reaching for your towel, while you simultaneously pull back the curtain.
You freeze, feeling a scream catch in your throat as the curtain moves to reveal a tall man standing on your bathmat.
“Whoa!” He immediately brings a large hand up to cover your naked torso, and half-turns his head, so he’s facing the mirror, “I-I didn’t realize anyone was in here!” He fumbles to your bathroom door, keeping his gaze averted, “I-I’m so sorry, I-I’ll come back later.”
With that, you were once again alone in the bathroom.
[[Go After Him!->SD1 End]]//Yes, yes I should//, You quickly pull your shirt and jeans on and exit the bathroom, making a beeline for your bedroom door. //I’d much rather have her be pissed at me for waking her up then pissed I’m dead.//
You head down the hall, and knock softly on their door, “Mom?” After a moment of no reply, you knock again, harder this time, “Mom!”
You let out a small huff and swallow thickly, //this isn’t helping my anxiety!// You try to steel yourself as you gently push their bedroom door open. You squint against the darkness as you slowly make your way into their room.
It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust. You wait a moment for your eyes to catch up before making your way over to the bed. Once at it’s side, you reach out a hand and gently shake one of their shoulders, “Mom?”
Getting somewhat frustrated at the lack of answer, you shake the shoulder more roughly, “Mom!”
You can’t help the sense of dread that washes over you as neither person so much as stirs, //something isn’t right.// Though reluctant, you make your way back over to the door, hand sweeping the wall for a light switch.
It takes a minute before your hand feels the familiar smooth bump and you flick on the light. You shield your eyes as the light clicks on, bathing the room in a near-blinding bright white. It dims after a few seconds and you lower your arm.
You feel a scream catch in your throat as your eyes land on your mom’s bed. Both her and Ralph are in it, but they’re definitely not sleeping! You swallow hard as you look over the scene that’s laid out in front of you: your mom’s night gown is cut to ribbons, and there’s a large wound in her abdomen, so deep you can see what has to be organs peeking out the top. Her arms are covered in blood streaks and her face is frozen in a horrific scream.
You slide your eyes to the right and feel a chill go down your spine as you spot Ralph. His face is similarly screwed up and he has almost the exact same knife wound in his middle. The only difference between them, is the fact Ralph is missing one of his hands, and part of one of his legs.
You shake your head as your eyes remain glued to the gruesome scene, and you involuntarily take a step backward, into the doorway. //Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!// Your heart feels like it’s going to leap out of your chest, and it takes all your strength to turn away from the scene. You close your eyes and try to force your alarmed brain to think, //what the hell do I do?//
[[Call the Police->SD1 Alt End 1]]
[[Check On Your Brother->SD1 Alt End 2 Beg]]It takes a minute for your brain to catch up to what just happened, before you wrap the towel around yourself, dashing after him, “W-wait!” You catch him just as he’s about to walk out your bedroom door. He turns back around, cheeks bright red. You shift uncomfortably, keeping one hand clutched in the towel that’s covering you, “Uh… w-who are you?”
He points to his tool belt, keeping his eyes on the floor, “My name’s Luke. I-I was hired to fix the shower. If I knew you were in there, I wouldn’t have… God, I-I swear, I’m not some- I would //never//…” He took in a deep breath, running a hand through his hair, “Please, don’t tell Nancy.”
“Nancy?” Your brows furrow, and you chance taking a step closer, “T-the real estate agent hired you?”
He nods, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, “She wanted me to fix the plumbing before you guys showed up. God I… she told me you weren’t coming until tomorrow.”
“I-it’s…” You take in a breath, doing your best to calm your own heart, “It’s okay.” You give him a small smile as he finally brings his eyes up off the floor, “I mean… it was an accident, right?”
“Yes, oh my God, yes!” He visually deflates with relief, “Of course!”
“O-okay,” You nod your head, “Then… it’s alright.” You feel your smile widen as you see his shoulders relax further, “I won’t tell Nancy, I promise.”
“Thank-you. Thank-you so much!” He returns your smile, and you can’t help but noticed his southern drawl now that your heart’s calmed down, “You, you don’t know it, but you just saved my life, Ma’am.”
“Pfft, please,” You wave a hand at him, “I am way too young to be called ‘ma’am’.”
“Right,” He lets out a breathy chuckle, gesturing to you, “Sorry, uh…”
“Lily.”
“Lily?” His smile widens and he nods, “That’s a beautiful name.”
“Uh, thanks.”
It was now that you realized the two of you were standing only a few feet apart. You didn’t know why, but you swore you saw… //something// in his blue eyes. You couldn’t quiet put your finger on it, or know if it was actually there, or just something your sleep-deprived brain made up. That said, it definitely made you… tingly.
He clears his throat, sparkling eyes searching yours, “I-I know this might sound silly, but do you believe in fate, Lily?”
“I, uh…” You shake your head slightly, trying to focus on more than the ocean in his eyes, “I guess. S-sometimes.”
He takes another step closer, lowering his voice, “What about tonight? Right here?” He brings one hand up to brush some hair out of your face, air changing to something much more intense, “Would you call tonight… fate?”
You swallow thickly, “Uh…” You continue staring at his face, letting your voice trail off, //is he gonna kiss me? I know that’d be crazy, but-//
Your thought cut off as you feel a sharp stab of pain in your abdomen. You look down just in time to watch as Luke pulls a knife out of your stomach. You watch for a moment as dark red starts to soak through your towel before you bring confused eyes back to him, “Wha…?”
Your voice trails off as you spit out some blood. You try to take a step backward – //away// from him – but his hand is on your shoulder, guiding you down to the ground in the next instant. Even though your eyes are watering now, you can tell something in his face has changed.
If you didn’t know any better, you’d say he looked… excited.
His now-dark eyes take a minute to linger on the stab wound before roaming up to your confused face. He cups your cheek with his free hand, using his rough thumb to wipe a tear off your face.
He drops the bloody knife into his tool belt as he gazes into your eyes, appreciative smile on his face, “Thank-you for not screaming.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]]You feel a surge of adrenalin as you spot the knife he’s holding, and quickly pop the lid on the shampoo bottle that’s still in your hands. Without any hesitation, you hold up the bottle, and squeeze it, hard.
A large squirt of shampoo comes flying out of the end, and hits the man square in his chest. He looks at it as it slides down his chest, and hits the floor with a wet //plop//.
He brings his eyes back up to you, low chuckle cutting the silence, “Was that supposed to hurt?”
Your brain short circuit’s as the shampoo hits the floor, and you swallow thickly, not sure of what to do next. You feel your brows furrow and clear your throat, “Uh, w-who are you?”
The man chuckles again before taking a step forward, plunging the knife into your stomach. He rips the knife out of you and watches as you crumple to the bottom of the tub, “I’m the man that just killed your family.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]]You take in a deep breath, before letting out the loudest, most high pitched scream you can. The man scrunches up his face, and takes a surprised step back, covering his ears.
You feel a surge of adrenalin and quickly hop out of the tub, somehow making it around the man and wrench the bathroom door open.
You rush out into the middle of your bedroom, pausing a moment to take in another breath, before screaming again. You see the man appear in the bathroom doorway, looking annoyed. You make a break for your bedroom door, and tear down the hall, “//Mom//!”
You bang on every closed door, hoping to God you could wake up someone, “Mom! Ralph! Wake up!”
You skid to a stop as you reach the last door, and notice it’s ajar. You burst into the dark room, and immediately make your way around it, holding out your arms in front of you.
After a moment of sweeping the room, you trip over something and go crashing to the floor, //damn it!// You get yourself into a sitting position, barely having time to wonder what you tripped over when the room gets flooded with light.
You shield your eyes from it at first, before you bring your arm down, feeling bile rise up in your throat as you spot what you tripped over – it was your mother’s dead body. She was laying in a large pool of blood that was still slowly leaking out of her abdomen, face twisted in horror.
“Oh my-” You bring your eyes up to the doorway, just in time to see the man stalk into the room, //crap.// He lifts you off the ground by your neck, menacing eyes boring into yours, “W-why…?”
You gasp as you feel a sharp pain in your abdomen, before you’re released, dropping back to the ground with a loud //thud//. The man takes a few steps back, tilting his head to the side as he stares at you.
He grabs a rag out of his tool belt – which you’re just now noticing – and he wipes your blood from the knife with a shrug, “You weren’t supposed to be here.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]]“Okay,” The cashier punches in your order before taking your cash, “Name?”
“Lily.”
“Perfect!” She gives you a wider smile before gesturing to the tables, “We’ll call your name when your order’s ready.”
“Thank-you.” You flash her a smile before joining your family at one of the tables.
Your mom rolls her eyes, “You don’t have to look so smug, y’know.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You watch as the cashier puts your order up in the window behind her, before she disappears into the back. You let out a sigh before turning your attention to the window. Your eyes land on a flickering tail light on the back of a retreating pick-up truck, and you can’t help but think back to the house at the end of your driveway, //I’m pretty sure the lights weren’t on earlier.//
“Don’t start that again.”
Ralph’s voice pulls you from your thoughts. You turn away from the window, just as your mom’s brows furrow, “What are you talking about?”
Ralph waves a dismissive hand, “Lily here is trying to scare us into moving back to the city.”
You start shaking your head, “I’m not-”
“Ralph?”
“Wow, that was quick.”
Ralph just shrugs before getting up from the table, making his way back over to the counter.
Your mom turns to you, “What story is it this time?”
You huff, crossing your arms over your chest, “He said the house at the end of our driveway is supposed to be empty.”
“Okay…”
“Well, when we were getting into the car tonight, the lights were on!”
Your mom raised an eyebrow after a minute as you stayed silent, “That’s it?” At your nod, she chuckles, “The lights are probably on a timer.”
“For a vacant house?”
She gives you a pointed look as Ralph returns to the table, “They’re probably wired to our house. We just have to find the box and turn them off.”
“But-”
“Lily!”
You jump up from the table as your name is called, making your way to the counter. You flash the cashier another smile as you grab the box, before meeting your family at the entrance. You troop back to the car, balancing the hot pizza box on your lap as you did so. You huff as Ralph starts the car, //I can go explore the house tomorrow.//
--
You swallow down the last bite of your current slice, before yawning again. You nod to yourself, pausing the show you’re watching on your phone, //okay, you’re right. I should get some sleep.//
You close the lid over the half-eaten pizza, before placing it down on your nightstand. You groan as you get a whiff of your armpit again, //oh God!// You sit back up, quickly tucking your arm against yourself, //I forgot to shower! But I’m so tired…//
[[Shower! You Can't Go to Bed Smelling This Bad->Shower Death Alt Beg]]
[[Shower in the Morning->N1D Middle]]“A classics fan, eh? Me too,” The cashier gives you a wink as she punches in your order. She accepts the cash you hand her, typing something else into the register, before turning back to you, “And your name, Sweetie?”
“Lily.”
“That’s so pretty!” Her smile widens as she rips your ticket, gesturing with her free hand to the almost empty restaurant, “Go ahead and have a seat, and we’ll call your name when your order’s ready.”
“Thank-you!” You turn away from the counter, and join your family at the table they’ve settled in.
You do your best to keep the satisfaction off your face as you slide into the opposite side of the booth as your mom.
She raises her eyebrows at you as you sit, “Huh.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” She turns to the window, small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, “I just thought you’d be a little more… //in your face//, that’s all.”
“Well, maybe I’ve matured.”
She snorts and shakes her head, “Yeah, that must be it.”
You pull your phone back out of your pocket, opening one of your gaming apps as you wait for your name to be called. You hear Ralph huff but don’t bother looking up from your screen. You were just stuck in a car with them for the better part of the day, you //deserved// some quiet time.
You do your best to ignore the feeling of someone watching you and continue playing the game. Last you checked, you didn’t need your ears to look at something.
“Does anyone know how to maintain a wheat field?”
Your mom snorts, “There wasn’t very many wheat fields in downtown New York.”
“Maybe we should just cut it down. Then you could get that giant garden you always dreamed of.”
You can’t help but scoff, “Yeah, right.”
“What was that?”
You resist the urge to roll your eyes as you look up from your screen, to a clearly annoyed Ralph, “Some things are great to fantasize about, but that doesn’t mean we actually //want// them.”
“You don’t think your mom wants a garden?”
“Nope.” You lower your eyes back to your screen, “She could never take care of it. Just look at what happened to our cactus.”
“That was different. She thought they needed to be watered.”
“That was //one// plant.” You raise your eyebrow, “You really think she’ll do better with hundreds?”
“I //am// sitting right here, you know.” Your mom huffs, adjusting your sleeping brother on her lap.
“I know,” You gesture to her with your free hand, as your phone flashes the //low battery// message at you, “then //you// tell him.”
“Well, I-”
“Ralph and Lily?”
“I got it,” You make your way over to the counter as your family heads for the door. You grab both boxes, flashing the cashier a grateful smile before joining them in the parking lot. You hop into the car, balancing both boxes on your lap, and do your best to ignore how hot the cardboard is.
--
You kick your bedroom door closed before making your way over to the bed, placing the pizza box down on it. You dig your now-dead phone out of your pocket and plug it in, placing it on the nightstand before jumping on your bed.
You open the lid, inhaling deeply, stomach letting out a loud rumble as the smell of pizza envelops you, //finally!// You reach forward to pick up a slice, nose crinkling as you get a whiff of yourself, //aw, crap. I forgot to shower!//
Your eyes drift up to the bathroom, before coming back down to the pizza in front of you, //do I eat first, or shower?//
[[Eat->N1D Alt Middle]]
[[Shower->Shower Death 3 Beg]]//I won’t be able to sleep if I smell this bad, though.// You somewhat reluctantly slide yourself out of bed, padding over to your bathroom.
//At least I don’t have to fight anyone for the bathroom//, You smile to yourself as you close the door to your new private bathroom, turning the lock. Your smile slides off your face as you don’t hear that familiar click of a working lock. //Hm//, you turn the lock in the opposite direction, frowning at it as you still don’t hear it click.
//They renovated the entire house// except //for the door locks?// You shake your head and turn away from the door, //good thing it’s my own bathroom.// You walk the few steps over to the toiletries box you’d set on the toilet earlier in the day and flick your towel up onto your shoulder before starting to dig for your body wash.
Your brows furrow as you reach the end of the box and don’t find it. You force yourself to take in a breath and slow-blink your eyes, //you’re so tired you just missed it. C’mon and focus.// You open your eyes and go back through the box, this time more slowly.
Still not finding your body wash, you let out a sigh, //fine, long way it is.// You start taking everything out of the box, lining the items up one by one along the edge of the sink. //Toilet paper, hairbrush, toothbrush, shampoo, washcloth, toothpaste…// you frown as you reach the last item in the box, //and my CD player? How did this get in here?//
You hold it up, tired brain needing an extra minute to figure out what it means. You try to suppress a yawn as the thought finally occurs to you, //I must’ve mixed up the boxes. So if my CD player is in here, my body wash must be in my electronics box.//
You let out a deep sigh as you put your CD player and towel down before exiting the bathroom, of course this is turning into a scavenger hunt. You rub at your eyes with one hand as you stare at the stacks of boxes that line your room.
You squint your tired eyes as you search the box labels, //come on Electronics…// Your frown deepens as your eyes bounce from un-needed title to un-needed title. You slide over to check the next stack of boxes, letting out a groan a moment later, //seriously?// You scrub both hands down your face as you try to think, //where’d I put that stupid box?//
[[Check Downstairs->Shower Death 1 Beg]]
[[Shower Without It->Shower Death 2 Beg]]You let out another yawn, and nod again, //you’re right. I’ll sleep first, then shower as soon as I wake up.// You place your phone on top of the closed pizza box, before climbing under your covers, settling into your bed, //hopefully I can sleep through the smell…//
--
You groan, turning your head as you feel something press against your bed, //what the…?// You blink your eyes open slowly, not seeing anything in the darkness of the room. You stretch your leg out to the side, and feel your heart-rate quicken as you hit something solid. You move your other leg slowly, and feel something just as solid on the other side of you.
Swallowing thickly, you stare up into the darkness of your room, //what the hell? What do I do?//
[[Feel It with Your Hand->N1D End 1]]
[[Use Your Phone Light to See What It Is->N1D End 2]]
[[Go Back to Bed - You're Probably Still Dreaming->N1D End 3]]You slowly bring your arm out from under the covers, and reach down, blindly feeling for something you //really// hoped wasn’t actually there.
After a tense moment of reaching, you feel yourself relax as you don’t feel anything but air. You let out a little louder than normal breath, glad your half-asleep brain was just playing tricks on you, when you hear a creak on the floor by your doorway.
Even though it’s dark, you sit up, and turn to face whatever’s there. Mustering your courage, you lick your lips, “H-hello?”
You hear a loud sigh before you’re shielding your eyes against the sudden light that floods the room. Blinking rapidly, you uncover your eyes, in time to see a tall man, wearing a tool belt standing at the foot of your bed.
He’s shaking his head slowly, as if he’s disappointed, before he brings his eyes up to you, “I was //really// hoping not to wake you.”
Your brows furrow in confusion just as he lunges forward, and it’s then you notice he’s holding a knife.
//Oh my God!// You scramble out of your bed, falling to the ground as your legs refuse to untangle from the bed sheets. You quickly pull at them, trying to get out of the mess of blankets, //come on, come on…//
The man’s face pops up from over the side of your bed, and he watches you struggle before taking a swing with his knife hand. By some miracle, he managed to miss you completely, only serving to cut you out of the sheets. You waste no time in scrambling to your feet, making a break for your bathroom.
Before you take more than three steps, the man jumps off your bed, catching you by your wrist, //damn it!// You struggle to get away, and in the scuffle, you somehow end up on the ground.
The man grunts as he pulls you backward, using your bed as a backrest. He manages to get you between his legs, resting your back against his torso, only needing one of his arms to hold back your own.
“Sh, sh, sh,” His warm breath tickles your ear, and you can barely hear him over the sound of your pounding heart, “You wouldn’t want to wake up the rest of the family, would you?”
His laugh sends a shiver up your spine, as your frantic eyes look around the small space you’re trapped in. You slide your eyes off the uselessly blank wall to your left, and notice the pizza box – and therefore, you cell phone – had been knocked off the nightstand, and was now laying no more than three feet from you.
You force yourself to take in a deep breath, and use all the strength you have to push against his arm, trying to get your arm free.
“Whoa!” He easily readjusts, capturing your limb tighter than before. He cranes his neck so he looks at you, “What are you doing?”
You move your eyes off the pizza box a second too late, and swallow hard as he leans over, flicking the box up with the tip of his knife. He shakes his head, and //tsk-tsk’s// as he uncovers your phone.
“Sorry, Princess,” He raises his knife, blinding pain shooting through your abdomen a moment later. You let out a small gasp as your head falls back against his shoulder. You watch, upside down and through watery eyes as the expression on his face changes, and you swear he looks almost… remorseful, “You won’t need a phone where you’re going.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->N1D Middle]]
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]]Wasting no time, you roll over, grabbing your phone off the nightstand, needing only a moment to find the flashlight app. Once the light is on, you turn it to your legs, and feel a scream catch in your throat.
There’s a man you’ve definitely never seen before standing on your bed, wearing a tool belt, holding a screwdriver in his hand.
He notices the light, and hangs his head as he sighs, “Damn, I was trying not to wake you.”
Before you’re able to get out your question, he produces a knife from his tool belt before dropping to his knees, plunging it into your chest. You open your mouth in a silent scream as excruciating pain explodes through your body, causing you to drop your phone.
You stare at his face as you gasp for breath, //he looks almost… remorseful?// You try to move, or wiggle as you feel yourself begin to go numb.
He brushes some hair out of your face and his sorrowful eyes land on yours, “I didn’t want to do this tonight.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->N1D Middle]]
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]]//Well I// am// already right here… //you can’t resist picking up a slice, inhaling as you bring it up to your salivating mouth. You take a bite, and close your eyes in satisfaction, //yeah, I can totally shower later.//
You continue eating your pizza, surprised by how good it tastes. //Either I’m just that hungry,// you pick up the next slice, and start shoving it in your face, //or this town’s pizza rivals New York’s…//
You swallow hard as you reach the crust, and look around, for something to ease it down with. //I forgot to get a drink!// You wince as you feel the piece move slowly down your throat, almost pulsing as it goes, //ugh. I hate when I do that.//
A yawn overtakes you then, and you can’t help but lean back against your headboard and pillows. You look over to the digital clock on your nightstand and snort, //it’s only 1am! I shouldn’t be this tired already.//
You close your eyes for a moment, taking a quick inventory of how much your muscles hurt. //I guess unpacking was harder than I thought.// You re-open your eyes, and close the pizza box, reaching over to place it on your nightstand, before you crawl under your covers. You click the lamp off just as you let out another yawn, //goodnight world.//
--
You groan, turning your head as you feel something press against your bed, //what the…?// You blink your eyes open slowly, not seeing anything in the darkness of the room. You stretch your leg out to the side, and feel your heart-rate quicken as you hit something solid. You move your other leg slowly, and feel something just as solid on the other side of you.
Swallowing thickly, you stare up into the darkness of your room, //what the hell? What do I do?//
[[Feel It With Your Hand->N1D End 1]]
[[Use Your Phone Light to See What It Is->N1D End 2]]
[[Go Back to Bed - You're Probably Still Dreaming->N1D End 3]] //I won’t be able to concentrate on the deliciousness if I try to eat before showering.// With an annoyed groan, you slide off your bed, and make your way across the room to your bathroom. You close the door behind you, and turn the lock. You frown as you don’t hear a click, and you try the door. Your frown deepens as it opens, //what the…?// You turn the lock again, and try the door again – raising your eyebrow as it opens.
You shake your head as you peel your shirt over your head, //they renivated the entire house except for the door locks?// You drop your shirt on the ground before moving closer to the tub, unbuttoning your jeans. You grab the shampoo and towel out of the toiletry box you placed on the toilet earlier before turning the water on.
You step out of your jeans as you wait for the water to heat up, just now realizing how stiff you were feeling, //who knew unpacking would hurt so much?// You stretch out your legs, and roll your shoulders, before stepping into the tub.
//Ah!// You take a step back as you’re suddenly splashed with freezing cold water. You reach carefully around the spray and turn the dial in the opposite direction, shaking your head, //who puts hot water on the// right//?//
You stand as far back in the tub as you can as you once again find yourself waiting for the water to heat up. You stick out your hand after a minute to test the temperature. You nod to yourself before stepping under, letting the warm water run down your body, //ah…//
You momentarily close your eyes, revelling in the feeling of the water gently massaging your body as you dunk your head under the nozzle, wetting your hair. You smooth your hands down your hair before reaching over to the edge of the tub, grabbing the shampoo bottle.
You squirt some lavender scented shampoo into your hands before working it into your hair. You feel goose bumps break out over your body as you massage your head, and exhale a big breath, //why are showers so relaxing when you’re tired?//
You work up a good lather of shampoo and then freeze, eyes flying open as you think you hear something. You poke your head out around the curtain, listening intently. After a moment of not hearing anything else, you drop the curtain, //don’t freak yourself out, girl.//
You begin rinsing the shampoo from your hair when you think you hear something again. You let out an annoyed huff and stop again, //okay, what the hell is that noise?//
[[Investigate->SD3 Middle 1]]
[[Who Cares? It's Probably Nothing->SD3 Middle 2]]You groan again, and quickly rinse the rest of the shampoo out of your hair before turning off the water, //there’s always something. //
You wrap your towel around you as you step out of the tub, making the short trip over to the bathroom door. Without thinking, you rip it open and stomp out into your bedroom, “What’s the point of having my own bedroom if you’re gonna come in whenever you want?”
You freeze as you see a guy who is definitely no one you know standing on top of your bed, //what the hell?//
His eyes go wide as he spots you, and in a flash, he’s across the room, large hand slapped across your mouth before you can even think about screaming.
You thrash as he starts dragging you forward, brows furrowing as your eyes find his face, //he looks almost… disappointed?//
“You weren’t supposed to see this.” He shakes his head as he pulls you toward the side of your bed.
You continue thrashing as he stops walking, towel falling to the ground as you wiggle.
“Will you stop moving?” He goes to move you again, face scrunching as he notices the towel is no longer around you, “Crap,” He bends down, snatching it up off the floor before re-wrapping you with it, “Keep this on. I’m not here for… //that//.”
You try licking the inside of the hand that’s over your mouth – suddenly remembering something you were taught in school ‘//do something unexpected may momentarily confuse your attacker//’ – but stop when he produces a knife from his tool belt.
“I said, //stop//.” You swallow thickly, but nod. He lets out a breath, stern eyes on your face, “I’m gonna remove my hand now. If you scream or try to run, I //will// stab you. Got it?”
You nod again, barely able to hear him over the sound of your jack-hammering heart. He eyes you for a moment before slowly removing his hand, hand on the knife twitching as he waits for your reaction.
You take in a gulp of air as he removes his hand, doing your best to swallow down the fear you’re feeling, //what do I do?//
[[Scream - Someone Should Hear It->SD3 Death 1]]
[[Run - You Can Probably Outrun Him->SD3 Death 2]]Upon not hearing anything else, you re-close your eyes, rinsing the rest of the shampoo out of your hair, //you know what? I don’t care what it is. I //need// this shower. I can investigate when I get out.//
You let the warm water run over you again, feeling your body relax, //there we go.// You grab the shampoo bottle again, and squirt more out into your hand. This time, you begin soaping up your body with it. You were too tired to bother digging around in the box for your body wash, and hey, if shampoo is good enough to clean your hair, it should work to clean your body too, right?
After a moment of lathering, you begin rinsing your body off, humming in delight as you feel all the dirt, grime and God-knows-what-else flow off you and down the drain. You quickly splash some water on your face, too, taking an extra moment to stand under the warm water.
With a twinge of disappointment, you turn the water off, reaching over to grab your towel. You pat the towel on your face, surprised when the smell of your laundry detergent hits you, //huh. I would’ve thought it’d smell like cardboard, being packed in the box for so long.//
You wrap the towel around you as you step out of the tub, looking around the small space, chuckling as you only spot your dirty clothes in a heap on the floor, //I forgot to grab pyjamas, crap.//
You stand there a moment, beginning to go over your game plan before stopping, smiling to yourself, //wait a minute, this is// my //bathroom. //Shaking your head, you step out of the bathroom and into your bedroom, smile growing, //oh, I could definitely get used to this…//
You make your way over to your bed, popping open the top of your overnight box, before pulling out your favourite pair of pyjamas. You quickly slip them on before jumping back on your bed, pulling the pizza box closer to you, //finally!//
You flick open the lid before grabbing a slice, slightly surprised that it was still hot. You take a bite, humming in appreciation as you chew, //man, that is good!// You take another bite, leaning back to relax against your headboard, eyes absently scanning your new room.
Your eyes stop on the small walk-in closet that was behind the bedroom door, //I definitely don’t have enough clothes to fill that and my dresser. //You smile as you take another bite, //maybe tomorrow, I can see if there’s any decent clothing shops out here.//
Feeling content, you finish off your slice, just as a yawn over takes you. You flick your eyes over to the digital clock on the nightstand, //1:30am? I used to stay up so much later than this all the time!// You feel a twinge of sadness as you think of your old room – sure it was half the size as this one, and didn’t have its own bathroom, but that room was //yours//. You grew up there, and you couldn’t help but feel sad that you had to leave it – along with all your friends – behind when you moved.
You shake your head, as you close the pizza box, //I better just be tired from moving, and not already be adjusting to small town living.// You place the pizza box on your nightstand, before turning off your lamp, pushing your covers down with your feet, //tomorrow I //have// to stay up longer.//
[[Continue->CD Pepperoni Start]]You take in another big gulp of air, before opening your mouth, letting out the loudest, most blood-curdling scream you can muster.
He flinches at the sudden noise, face contorting with anger before he lunges forward, plunging the knife into your heart.
He brings one hand to your back, carefully lowering you to the floor as you start choking on blood. Your wide eyes lock onto his face, and you can just barely feel the hot tracks of tears that are cascading down your own.
He shakes his head at you again, wiping the knife off with a corner of your towel, “You weren’t supposed to die tonight.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again->SD3 Middle 1]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] You take in another big gulp of air, doing your best to steel yourself, //I have to make it…//
His brows furrow slightly as he sees your body language change, “What are you-”
He cuts himself off as you slide yourself backward, before scrambling to your feet, making a break for your door. You get no more than ten steps before you’re tackled to the ground, blinding white-hot pain shooting through your lower back as you land.
Now on the floor, your eyes go wide as you’re unable to take in a breath, //what the hell?// You turn your head to one side, and try to wiggle out from under him, panic beginning to set in as you can’t move your limbs.
He huffs as he flicks some of your wet hair out of the way, craning his neck so he can see your face. His features are twisted in anger, and he has a small drop of blood on his cheek, “I said no running.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again->SD3 Middle 1]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] You roll over with a groan, blindly feeling your nightstand for your buzzing phone. You crack an eye open as you feel your hand close around it. Bringing it to your face, you turn your alarm off, before placing it back down. You let out a yawn and stretch out your legs, feeling cool air on your feet as you move.
Your brows furrow at the sensation and you sit up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. It takes you a moment to realize your blanket is balled up on your stomach, //I did// that //in my sleep?// You reach down, righting the blanket before slipping out of bed, making your way across to your bathroom.
You shiver as your bare feet hit the tiled floor. You close the door before removing your toiletry box from the toilet, sitting down with a huff. //Okay…// you swipe at your eyes again, looking around the small bathroom, //what am I doing today?//
You reach over to the toilet paper holder, outstretched hand pausing as you see it’s empty, //crap.// You kick the toiletries box back over to you, bending down to rifle through it, //please tell me I was smart enough to- ah, yes!// You triumphantly hold up a squished roll of toilet paper. You put it on the holder, before ripping some off to wipe yourself with.
You flush and move over to the sink, washing your hands. After you deem them clean, you splash some of the cold water on your face, smiling as you feel that familiar jolt of awake-ness. You take a moment to look at yourself in the mirror, wiping the excess water off your face with your hands, //I should explore the town today. Learn my way around before I have to start back at school.//
You nod to yourself before you exit the bathroom, scooping your used towel up from the floor where you’d dropped it last night when you changed into your pyjama’s. You frown as you feel it’s still wet, //that was stupid.// You make your way over to the walk-in closet, hanging the towel up on the hook that’s on the front of the door.
Smiling to yourself at already accomplishing one task, you make your way back over, grabbing your phone from the nightstand before exiting your room, making your way down the stairs.
“Morning, Sweetie!” Your mom gives you a warm smile as you enter the kitchen, gesturing for you to follow as she takes a seat.
“Morning,” You make your way over to the coffee pot, inhaling deeply, “Mmm.”
Your mom let’s out a weird noise, spinning around in her chair, “What do you think you’re doing?”
You don’t bother to turn as you start opening cupboards, searching for a mug, “What? I had a long day yesterday.”
Your mom scoffs, “So?”
You roll your eyes as you find a mug, “//You’re// the one who said I was allowed to have coffee ‘//once in a while//’. And I’ll need my energy today.”
“That’s right,” You make a face as Ralph’s voice joins the conversation, not bothering to turn as you pour yourself some coffee, “She’s gonna help me unpack the rest of the house.”
“I am?” You raise an eyebrow at him as you finally turn around, leaning against the counter.
“Yep,” Ralph came closer, giving you a weird look, “Your mom is taking your brother for a new hair cut, but you are staying here to help me unpack. We talked about it last night, remember?”
“Oh, riiiight,” You nod slowly, bringing the mug up to your lips, eyes sliding back over to your mom, “It’s unpacking day.”
Your mom didn’t look convinced, taking a sip from her own cup, “Really?”
“Yep,” Ralph places a kiss to the top of her head before making his way over, grabbing himself a mug, “We worked out a game plan and everything. Right, Lily?”
“That’s right.” You hold up your phone in your free hand, giving your mom a big smile, “I even made a playlist last night. It’s gonna be fun.”
“Fun?” Your mom’s disbelieving look deepens and she stands, “That’s…” her voice trails off as her eyes flick up to the clock. She takes a big gulp from her mug, shaking her head, “You’re lucky I’m late.” She places the mug in the sink before rushing to the kitchen door. She pauses, turning back around to look between you and Ralph, “Just… behave yourself.”
“Duh.”
“Have a good day, Hun.”
You can’t help but smile at her expression before she disappears out the front door. You take another sip from your cup before making your way over to the table, joining Ralph. You slide into the seat opposite him, placing your cup down, “Thanks.”
He lets out a chuckle and shakes his head, “Don’t thank me yet. I //do// expect you to help me unpack at least some of these boxes.” He holds up a hand as you open your mouth, “Just finish whatever you’re gonna do before your mom gets back. That way we didn’t technically lie.”
You nod and stand up from the table, “Cool.” You make your way to the doorway, pausing as you see his shoulders deflate from the side of your eyes. You hang your head for a moment, before spinning around, “Thanks for taking that nasty pizza, by the way. I honestly didn’t know //what// I was gonna do with the rest of it.”
His brows furrow, “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, come on,” You roll your eyes, and lean yourself against the doorframe, “It’s just us, you don’t have to pretend you didn’t take it.”
“I’m not pretending.” At your look, he shrugs, “Your mom and I went to bed as soon as we finished eating.”
“But…” Your brows furrow as you think, “If you didn’t take it, who did?”
He shrugs again, “Maybe your mom put it in the fridge? You can’t exactly leave seafood out over night.”
“Yeah…” Your eyes drift over to the fridge – it was still standing silently. You shake your head, “Uh, anyway, I should go.”
“Text me if you need to.”
You give him a tight smile before starting for the front door. You blink against the bright sunlight and make your way over to the garage, pausing on the driveway as you spot the house across the street, //maybe…
No, that’s not… if someone was living there, you think they’d break in just to steal a nasty seafood pizza?// You shake your head before continuing to walk, //I’ve gotta stop doing that. Just because this place looks like the set of a horror movie, doesn’t mean we’re in one.//
You open the garage door with a grunt, using your phone’s flashlight app as you scan the already cluttered space for your bike. After a minute, you see it leaned up against one of the walls.
You make your way over to it, grabbing the handlebars before walking it out of the dark space. You take a seat, taking a moment to close the flashlight app, shoving your phone back into your pocket before starting down the driveway, smile on your face as you start pedalling.
You turn onto the dirt road you drove up yesterday, and can’t help but widen your smile as the breeze hits your face, //I can’t wait until I can start driving. If it feels half as freeing as biking, I’m gonna love it!//
--
You reach town in what you’re sure is record time, and take a moment to assess the options in front of you at the lone stop sign. On your left, is the small cluster of shops you went to last night. It has the pizza place, a barber, pet store, a few clothing shops and the only grocery store. On the opposite side of the street, stand the more official buildings: the bank, library, town hall, and some sort of museum.
//Which side should I explore first?//
[[Left: Pizza Place, Barber, Clothing and Grocery Store->CD Short Start]]
[[Right: Bank, Library, Museum->CD SnT Long Start]]“Seriously?”
“You were //just// complaining about it!”
You shrug as you hand your money over to the cashier, “You’re the ones who are saying I need to embrace living out here.”
“Yeah, but-”
“What’s your name?”
“Lily.”
“Okay, perfect,” The cashier gives you a bright smile as she pulls your ticket, “We’ll call your name when it’s ready.”
“Thanks!” You lead the charge over to one of the tables, resisting the urge to roll your eyes at your mom and Ralph’s still shocked expressions. You slide into one of the booth seats and raise an eyebrow at them, “What?”
They exchange a look before your mom turns to you, voice soft, “A-are you sure you wouldn’t rather eat something //else//?” She digs her wallet back out of her purse, flicking it open, “I can give you more money, and then you can-”
“Mom, it’s fine! I want to try the special.” At her disbelieving look, you shrug again, before turning to the window, “I used to eat seafood all the time in New York.”
“Well, I know, but…”
“I think what your mom is trying to say, Lily,” Now Ralph was doing his soft-parent-voice, //gag me//, “is she just wants to make sure you actually eat.” You turn back to the table as you feel his hand on yours, “There’s been a lot of change for you over these passed few months, but we don’t want you to change who you are. You understand?”
You nod and bite the inside of your cheek in an attempt to keep from smiling, “I understand. But guys, it’s just pizza.”
They exchange another look before shrugging, and he thankfully pulls his hand away, “Okay.”
You turn back to the window, eyes scanning the empty parking lot as you begin to think, //now they say they’re worried about me? Where was this concern over my life months ago when they decided to uproot out of the blue? Not like we’re in a movie and had to move to avoid some great tragedy or whatever. We were perfectly happy living in our apartment, and then one day I come in from school and bam! We’re moving, and it’s ‘not up for discussion’. Who the hell does that? //
“Ralph?”
//Wow//, you look away from the window at the call, eyebrows raising in surprise, //that was quick.//
“It is just a cheese pizza.”
Your mom smiles at you as he makes his way to the counter, eyes still shining with concern, “Are you really okay?”
“Well, I //am// hungry.”
“Lily.”
The smirk slides off your face as you note her serious expression. You take in a deep breath and give her what you hope appears to be a reassuring smile, “I’m okay, Mom. Really. This place… I’m sure it’ll grow on me.” You gesture to the menu board, “I mean, I’ve been here less than 24 hours, and am already eating like a local, so…”
Your mom rolls her eyes at that, but you can see the relief on her face as Ralph makes his way back to the table. He slides back in beside your mom, placing the pizza box down on the table.
Your brother stirs then, cracking an eye open, “M’m?”
“Hey, sweet boy,” Your mom presses a kiss to the top of his head, bringing one hand up to rub his back, “We’re just getting some dinner, go back to sleep.”
He groans again before his eyes slip closed. You shake your head again, //I’ve seen teenagers who don’t sleep as much as he does. He’s basically a cat.//
“Don’t say that about your brother!”
Your brows furrow at your mom’s unimpressed look, //I said that out loud?//
“Lily?”
You jump up from the booth and practically run over to the counter, //this place has pretty good timing.// You take your food, sending the cashier an appreciative smile before joining your family at the door.
--
//This tastes exactly how I thought it would//, you lower the napkin from your mouth, tossing the spit-out bite into the small bag you were using as a make-shift garbage. You bring your eyes back to the pizza, //good thing I didn’t get a large. This is gonna take me forever to eat!//
You close the box, sliding it over onto your nightstand before leaning back against your headboard as you let out a sigh, //maybe I can get Mr. Snuggles to eat some of it…// You stretch your legs out on your bed, wincing slightly as you feel how stiff your muscles are, //who woulda thought unpacking was so labour-intensive? //
Stretching your arms over your head, you nearly gag as you get a whiff of your armpits, //I almost forgot to shower!//
You slide yourself off your bed, and make your way over to your bathroom. Closing the door behind you, you start rifling through the toiletry box you placed on the toilet earlier. You quickly grab your towel, and dig through the box trying to find your body wash.
After a minute of searching, you pull out your shampoo, //I’m way too tired to go on a scavenger hunt right now. I’ll find it tomorrow.// You place the shampoo bottle on the edge of the tub, and hang your towel half out of the box, so you can reach it from the tub, before you peel your shirt off over your head.
You do a quick once-over as you toss it into the corner, //oh wait, I didn’t grab pyjamas//, you suck your teeth in annoyance and pick your shirt back up. You pause, letting it fall from your hand again, //wait a minute, this is// my //room, I can just grab them when I’m done.//
Smiling, you slide off your jeans before hopping into the tub, turning the water on. //Jesus!// You jump back as you’re assaulted with cold water, retreating to the farthest corner from the spray. You wait a bit before testing the water with your hand, pulling it back as the water was still cold, //please don’t tell me we don’t have hot water…// You turn the dial in the opposite direction, and once again wait.
You slowly bring your hand back under the spray, feeling yourself relax as it’s met with warm water, //thank God.// You step back under, wetting your body. After thoroughly rinsing yourself, you grab the shampoo bottle, squirting some into your hand before using it to soap up your body.
You pause when you reach your legs, thinking you hear something. You turn your ear slightly and take a moment to listen, brows furrowing, //I thought they said they were gonna eat and then go to bed?//
After a moment of not hearing anything you else, you continue to lather up your legs. You straighten back up, and this time definitely hear something move in your room. You groan as you rinse the shampoo off your legs, //they better not want to ‘talk’ more.//
[[Go See What's Happening->SD3 Middle 1]]
[[Ignore It - You Do Not Have the Energy to 'Talk'->N1D Avoid Alt Cont]]//Fuck it//, you continue rinsing yourself off, closing your eyes, //they’re gonna have to wait until tomorrow if they wanna have a feelings talk.// You scrub your face and let out a breath, hoping whoever is in there doesn’t knock on the door.
After another few minutes of enjoying the warm water, you reluctantly turn the shower off, and grab your towel, //that was… way better than I expected.// You begin patting yourself dry before wrapping the towel around you and exiting your bathroom.
You let out a breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding in as you see your bedroom is empty, //good, they got the hint.// You make your way over to your bed, and the overnight box that was on the ground beside it. You pull out the pyjamas you packed before quickly changing.
Climbing into bed, you feel your body relax further, now that you were wearing your clothes and in your bed. You look around the room with a small smile, //this place is beginning to feel like my room.//
Reaching over to turn the lamp off, you barely notice your pizza box is no longer sitting on the nightstand.
-- [[Continue->Collateral Damage Surf N Turf Start]] “R-Ralph?”
“Yeah, it’s me, go back to bed.”
You yawn and roll over, brain too tired to recognize that most definitely wasn’t Ralph’s voice. Nor recognizing how weird it is that he would be standing on your bed.
You hear a breath of relief as you drift back off to sleep, //I’ll ask him about it in the morning.//
--
You startle awake again, gasping for breath as you feel a white-hot pain in your middle, //what the…?// You look down uselessly – your room is still too dark to see anything.
You hear someone take a step somewhere off to your left, getting you to turn your head in that direction. You open your mouth to ask a question, but find no sound comes out, //crap, crap, crap.//
Whoever it is takes another step closer, and brings a hand up to tuck some of your hair behind your ear, “I couldn’t take the chance.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->N1D Middle]]
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]] You groan and reach over to your nightstand, blindly feeling for your buzzing phone. It takes a moment for your hand to locate it, but once you do, you quickly turn off your alarm, letting out a relieved breath as the noise stops.
//Okay//, you reluctantly get yourself into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as you attempt to clear the post-sleep brain fog you had, //what should I do today?// You stretch your arms over your head as you look around your bright room. //Maybe I should hang up my curtains…//
“Lily!”
You let out a small huff of annoyance at the call and slide yourself out of bed, //starting early today//. You make your way to your bedroom door, surprised to see the hallway empty.
“Lily!”
“What?” You can’t stop yourself from snapping back as you lean yourself over the banister of the stairs.
Ralph was standing on the bottom step, and folded his arms across his chest at your tone, “You’re helping me unpack these boxes.”
It wasn’t a question.
You stifle a yawn as you straighten back up, “Yeah, okay. I just woke up.”
He shoots you an unimpressed look before turning to disappear down the hall, “Your mom wants the living room //and// kitchen unpacked before she gets back.”
“Back?” You shake your head and make your way down the stairs, rubbing the rest of the sleep from your eyes as you follow him into the living room, “Where’d she go?”
“She took your brother school supply shopping.” Ralph nods to one end of the couch as he squats, hands wrapping around the other end, “Pick this up.”
You make your way over, grunting as you attempt to pick it up. You grit your teeth and try again, muscles in your arms feeling like they’re on fire as you manage to lift the couch a few inches off the ground. You carefully walk it the few steps over, barely able to control it as it falls from your hands.
“Fuck!” Ralph jumps back as the couch lands on the ground, shaking his head as he raises one foot in the air. His face contorts into pain and he hops the few steps over to sit on the couch, “Why would you do that?”
“Wha…?” You let out a disbelieving scoff and raise an eyebrow at him, “You think I did that on //purpose//?”
“No, I think you dropping the new couch on my foot so you’d have to run into town to get first aid supplies when you didn’t want to help me unpack was a //complete// accident.” He rolls his eyes, wincing as he attempts to roll his ankle, “Just go get one of those ankle wrap things.”
“O-okay.” You turn to leave, stopping short as you come face to face with your dog, “Oh, Mr. Snuggles!” You let out a relieved breath and shake your head, “You scared me boy.” He whines before rushing over to the sliding back door. “Okay, okay, hold on.” You chuckle and make your way over. You pull the door open, smile widening as he rushes out and hurries down the steps, nearly disappearing in the tall grass of your new massive backyard.
“You’ll have to mow that when you get back.”
You roll your eyes and close the door, “Duh.”
“You know,” Ralph shifts in his spot on the couch, sending you near daggers, “I’m getting pretty sick of your attitude, young lady.”
“Pfft, ‘//young lady//’?” You raise an eyebrow at him, “Who the hell talks like that?”
“Someone who’s trying to discipline their kid, that’s who.”
You cross your arms over your chest, stopping one of your feet in anger, “I’m //not// your kid!”
“Good.” He groans as he pushes himself off the couch, keeping himself stable using its arm, “Cause I would hate to have an entitled, selfish child like //you//!”
Your jaw drops at that, anger momentarily giving way to hurt. You shake your head, quickly regaining your composure as you hurriedly make your way over to the front door.
You make sure to slam it behind you as you make your way around the side of your house, aiming for the bike that was leaned against the garage. You mount it and push down your driveway, hands white-knuckled around the handlebars as you start off for town.
--
//I can’t// believe //he’d say that//, you come up to a stop sign and shake your head, //he thinks// I’m //selfish? All I’ve done is go along with their stupid plans! I didn’t complain when they announced they were getting married, or when they decided to uproot my entire life and move us out into the middle of nowhere!//
A honk from behind you brings you back to the moment. You look behind you and see a big pick-up truck a few feet behind you. It was too far back for you to make out the driver, but the upturned arm that was out his window was more than enough for you to know he was annoyed.
//What is with everyone today?//
[[Apologize and Peddle Away->CD Pepperoni Cont]]
[[Tell Him You'll Go When You're Good and Ready->CD Pepperoni Cont]]//Doesn’t look like Mom’s here yet,// you scan the parking lot to the left as you start over toward it, //as long as I stay inside the clothing and grocery stores, I shouldn’t run into her.//
You circle your bike around the parking lot a few times, brows furrowing as you don’t spot a bike rack. You pull up to a stop outside one of the clothing stores, //where am I supposed to chain up my bike?//
Still not seeing anywhere even remotely resembling a bike rack, you opt to lean your bike against the wall of the closest store. You put down the kickstand and take a few steps back, looking up and down the small walkway in front of the shops, //guess I’m testing how small town this place really is. //
Doing your best to ignore the uneasy feeling you have at leaving your bike loose, you walk into the closest clothing store. You smile at the cashier as you make your way inside, quickly moving to the back where the clothing racks are lined up.
You start rifling through the clothes on one of the racks, frowning at the collection of shirts. //When did fashion companies decide that putting ugly text graphics on the front of a shirt would make it look// better//?// You shake your head before moving on to the next rack.
You didn’t expect much in terms of clothes from this small of a town. You did used to live in New York, after all – but you never imagined the pickings would be //this// slim. After checking out the last rack of clothes, you make your way to the door, avoiding the cashier’s eye as you exit, //I hope not every store has that much garbage.//
You pause outside of the next clothing store, eyes skimming the pictures that were stuck to the window. Nodding in approval after seeing at least three pictures of designer brands, you venture inside.
This shop was way bigger on the inside than the first one. So much so, it was hard to believe they were part of the same building. You make your way further into the store, noting the Gucci bag and other expensive merchandise on display over the mirrors that lined the walls. //This place looks way more high class than the last store.//
Having cautiously raised hopes, you make your way over to one of the closest circle clothing racks. You begin going through the clothes, eyebrows rising as you spot the price tags.
//What kind of marked-up bullshit is this?// You take one shirt off the rack, holding it against you to get a better look. It was a plain purple tee with a small v-neck. You turn to face the closest mirror, needing to get up on your tiptoes to see yourself.
After taking a minute to admire how you look, you drop back down, //this would look amazing on me, but…// you check the tag before shaking your head, replacing it on the rack, //I’m not spending $80 on a basic looking t-shirt.//
You wander around the store a few more minutes, checking out the other racks of clothes. Every rack you check has the same impossible prices. You shake your head as you make your way back toward the door, //this has gotta be their tourist trap. There’s no way these small town folks are making enough money to shop here.//
After walking back out the door empty-handed, you pause, scanning the rest of the stores, //what should I check out next?//
[[Check the Other Clothing Stores->CD Short Middle]]
[[Grab Some Pizza->CD Short Long Middle]]//I don’t see my mom’s car yet…// You crane your neck to check out the parking lot at the barber’s, before starting off in the opposite direction, //but I don’t want to chance it.//
You pull up to the library, skidding to a stop just outside the front doors. Your brows furrow as you look around but don’t see a bike rack, //where am I supposed to-//
“You can just lean it against the wall.”
The voice from behind you makes you jump, and you spin around to see a smiling older woman. She looks like the stock definition of ‘old lady librarian’, and you had to bite your tongue to keep yourself from making a comment about it.
You follow her toward the front door, leaning your bike against the wall as instructed, giving her an appreciative smile as she holds the door open for you.
“Is there anything I can help you with, Dear?”
“Uh,” You take a quick look around the inside of the library – it looks way bigger now that you were inside. The rows of books seemed to stretch on forever, and there was even a second floor. You shake your head, bringing your eyes back to the old lady, “Actually, yeah. My family just moved here, and I’d like to find some information about our new house.”
The librarian nods before gesturing you to follow her over to the circular //Information// desk that was sat in the middle of the room. She gets behind the counter, wiggling the mouse of the lone computer, before poising her hands over the keyboard, “Which house is it?”
“Uhm,” You pull out your phone, giving a sheepish smile as you open your notepad, “I haven’t memorized the new address yet…”
“Take your time, Dear. We close at 6pm.”
You let out a polite chuckle as you search, “I know I wrote it down somewhere… it’s like this really old, falling apart farm. With a wheat field and-”
“Wait,” she peers at you over her glasses, eyebrows raised, “You don’t mean the Lake Street farm?”
“Lake Street!” You smack yourself on the forehead and nod, “//that’s// what it was called!” At her expression, you raise an eyebrow, “… What?”
“No, nothing,” she shakes her head, doing her best to mask her weird expression, “uh, history about the farm would be in that section,” she points to the farthest corner of the library, “on the third shelf.”
“Thanks,” you start in the direction she pointed, unable to shake the sudden feeling of dread.
You shake your head as you disappear into the stacks, //don’t freak yourself out. This is a small town, it would’ve been weird if she didn’t know the street name. It also looked like that was probably the only farm the town had – there’s been 0 indication of any others so far.//
You let out a sigh as you stop in front of the third bookshelf, beginning to scan it’s shelves. //Weird things only happen in small towns in movies. In real life, they’re usually pretty boring. I bet the most interesting thing that happened was that the farmer probably died in the house.//
Your eyes stop on a large book, and you tilt your head to read the spine. //The Lake Street Farmhouse: A Complete History//. You reach up and grab it, nearly dropping it once it’s freed from the shelf due to it’s weight, //whoa!// You scoop your other hand around the book before coming back out of the stacks, settling yourself at one of the circular desks that were on the end of the row.
You plop the book down on the table, wincing at the loud //thud// it made, before cracking it open. You’re greeted with a page that has a picture of who is presumably the original owner, and his wife – it looks almost exactly like that really famous farmer painting you never remember the name of.
You turn the page, eyebrows rising as you see the table of contents, //10,000 pages?// That much stuff happened at just this one house? You lean back in your chair, letting out a breath, eyes moving up to the small window at the top of the adjacent wall, strong sunlight streaming in, //there goes my day…//
--
You rub at your eyes as you turn yet another page – you’d been reading for what was surely hours, but still hadn’t come across anything useful. So far, you’d been right – nothing exciting had happened at the house.
//Ever.//
It was built just after World War 2 had ended, and the farmer had only started the farm as a way to grow himself food so he wouldn’t starve. A few people decided to stay near the farm, so they also wouldn’t starve, and that was basically how the town got started.
Not that interesting of a story – and it //definitely// didn’t need to take up a third of the book.
“The library will be closing in 10 minutes. Ten minutes.”
//No way it’s that late already//, you dig your phone out of your pocket, as the P.A. clicks off, letting out a sigh as you spot the time, //damn it. I guess I should start heading back.// You were thankful Ralph had been keeping you appraised of your mom’s errands, and that you chose //this// side of the town – after the hair cut, your mom had decided to get your brother some new clothes, and pick up some groceries. If you had decided to explore that side, you surely would’ve got busted.
Not content on leaving empty handed, you flip to the last few pages of the book, desperately searching for something that would at least explain the mysterious wiring of the house at the end of your driveway.
Your eyebrows raise as you read one of the paragraphs about one of the previous owner’s – they had disappeared one day and were never seen or heard from again. As if that wasn’t strange enough, they left behind all their belongings. No bags were packed, no missing clothes or personal items – it was as if the owner had just vanished.
You feel a tingle go up your spine as you read, and you scan the rest of the paragraph, unable to keep your jaw from dropping. The last ten people who lived on the farm had gone missing in the same manner.
You shake your head as you re-read the sentences, unable to believe what you’re seeing. You flip the page, eagerly wanting to find out more, and let out a disbelieving scoff as you discover you’d reached the end of the book. //Seriously? The most interesting thing, and it’s shoe-horned into the last three paragraphs on the last page? //
You get up from the table, making your way back over toward the bookshelves, //there’s gotta be a Volume 2 or something, right?// You start scanning the shelves around where you found the book, eyes darting from non-needed title to non-needed title.
“Five minutes, left. The library will be closing in five minutes.”
//Come on, come on…// your eyes started scanning more frantically, //there’s no way they just left it there!// You lower your eyes to the book in your hands, and open it to the copyright page, //please say something about ‘Volume 1’ or ‘series’…//
You let out a deflating sigh as you see no such thing, //damn it.//
“The library is now closed. Please bring all un-shelved books to the front desk, and make your way to the exit. Thank-you for visiting.”
You push the book back into its place on the shelf, and feel an odd sense of defeat, //now what?//
[[Ask the Librarian For Help->CD Long Middle]]
[[Just Go Home->CD Long Cut Middle]]You roll your eyes at your own stupidity and start making your way toward the front desk, //I should just ask the librarian! She should know if there’s more books.// The librarian is waving some people out through the door when you reach the desk.
You hesitate for a moment beside the desk as you watch her, //should I ask her at the door?// Just then, she looks back, and smiles at you as the last person walks through the door. She makes her way over to you, adjusting her glasses, “Did you find what you needed, Dear?”
“Uh, kind of.” You give her a half smile, and twist some of your fingers into the bottom of your shirt, “I found that Lake Street farm book…” you take in a deep breath, averting your gaze to the ground, “and I know it’s called the //complete// history, but, it seemed to leave off in a not-so-complete way, so I was just wondering if maybe there was another book that came after it?” You flick your eyes back up and feel sweat break out on the back of your neck at the look on her face, “I-I did check the shelf where I got the book, but I didn’t see anything else like it, so I just thought that maybe you could-”
“Where’s the book?”
“W-what?”
“The one you took off the shelf, where is it?”
“O-oh,” You shift your weight from one foot to the other, “I put it back.”
She let out an impatient huff before brushing passed you, “Did you not hear the announcement? About bringing books to the counter?”
Your brows furrow and you follow her over to the shelves, “I did. But I… well I knew exactly where I got it from, so I just put it back on the shelf. It’s not out of place, I swear.”
The librarian let out another huff as she reaches the bookshelf, and began scanning the books, “You weren’t supposed to put it back!”
“I-I’m sorry! I just thought-”
“You thought wrong!” She turns away from the shelf, face contorted with anger. You take an involuntary step back at her outburst, //what is her problem?// She points a shaking hand passed you, toward the door, “Get out! I don’t want to see you in here ever again!”
You let out a nervous chuckle, “A-are you serious?” At the look on her face, you hold up your hands in mock surrender, “Okay, okay, I’m going.”
Doing the best to keep the confusion off your face, you spin around before practically running for the front door. You burst through the door a moment later, cool breeze greeting you.
You shake your head as you make your way over to where your bike was still leaned against the wall, //what was her problem?// You mount your bike, pedalling slowly out of the library parking lot. You pause at the entrance, pulling your phone from your pocket.
You shoot off a quick text to Ralph, before taking a moment to scan the parking lot on the other side of the road. It was pretty dark – a few of the street lights were out – but you didn’t think you saw your mom’s car.
You look out toward the road and let out a breath as you take in how dark it is, //they don’t have street lights for the actual street? How is that safe?// You flick your eyes back down as you feel your phone vibrate, smiling as you read the text, //good, she’s not back yet.//
You take a moment to turn on the flashlight app before starting off down the road, carefully holding your phone between the grip you have on the handlebars. The small beam of light barely lights up the road, and though you were trying to beat your mom home, you were also doing your best to stay careful.
She’d be pissed if you lied to her, sure, but she’d be //more// pissed if you got in some sort of accident. Sure, it wasn’t New York levels of night-danger, but it was still a road, and you were on a bike. There were many reports of cars hitting cyclists from all over the place, not just in big cities.
Not to mention, you didn’t have any of those reflective stickers on your bike. You never wanted them because you thought they looked dorky. Which, let’s be honest, wasn’t entirely wrong – but it wasn’t until you turned onto the long, two-lane dirt road that led only to the farm that you found yourself wishing you had at least one of those stickers.
//Or glow in the dark nail polish.// That weird feeling settled back in your stomach as you continued to ride further into the blackness of the night. It didn’t help that out here, there were no signs of civilization. Once you were away from the main town part, it was just fields and fields of nothing but crickets.
//How can anyone fall asleep to those ‘sounds of nature’ things?// You shake your head as you continue down the road, shoulders subconsciously tensing, //this is pretty creepy… and it’s not even that late yet!//
You never truly realized how much light pollution New York had until now, and you found the uninterrupted blackness around you wildly unnerving. Except for the small oval of light that was coming from your phone, you were surrounded by pitch-blackness.
G//ood thing this road only goes to one thing//, you began pedalling faster as you couldn’t quite control your over-active imagination. Your heavy breathing, the gentle sound of your tires sliding over the dirt, and crickets were all you could hear.
//It didn’t seem to take this long riding //into// town//, after what felt like forever, you finally saw the dim lights of the farmhouse come into view, and you let out a relieved breath.
//I definitely didn’t think I’d be so glad to see this piece of junk so soon//, summoning your strength, you push yourself harder toward the house, eyes wandering over to the small house sitting across the driveway. You nearly steer yourself off the road as you see the lights are on again.
//What the…?// You come to a gradual stop on the side of the road that’s closer to the house, staring up at it, why are the lights back on? You turn toward the farmhouse, squinting as you try to see in the uncovered living room window, //please tell me Ralph saw this.//
You turn back to the small house and raise your phone to your face. //Let’s see if you think I’m still making things up after this//, you open your camera and snap a picture of the house.
Satisfied with your evidence, you pedal the short distance over to your driveway, hopping off your bike as you roll toward the garage. You lean your bike up against the door before walking through the gate, opting to go in the back door.
You figure since you //didn’t// beat your mom home – as evidenced by the fact her car was back in the driveway – maybe you could sneak up to your room, and tell her you were unpacking in there. Or, maybe you helped Ralph for a bit and then went to explore.
Not that she was likely to believe either after that morning, but it was worth a shot. You pause as you reach the sliding door, brows furrowing as you hear a //crunch// under your shoes, //what the…?//
You shine your phone’s light down toward the cement deck, brows pulling together further as you see shards of broken glass. You raise the light to the door, and feel your jaw drop as you see the glass panel that made up the door was half shattered. //Maybe I// shouldn’t //of let him unpack alone…//
You carefully step over the broken door, staying as quiet as possible as you make your way into the house. You peer around the corner, letting out a breath as you don’t see anyone, //good.// You come around the corner, making a break for the stairs, //I might actually-//
You cut yourself off as you hear a scream come from the top of the stairs. You instinctually freeze and hold your breath as you wait, //that sounded like-//
“//Help//!”
//Mom!// You rush up the rest of the stairs, heart beginning to pound. //If this is just a spider, I swear I’m gonna-//
You feel a scream catch in your throat as you reach the top stair, watching with wide eyes as someone who had their back to you plunges a knife into your mother’s stomach. Her eyes are wide, mascara stained tears running down her face. Your legs twitch as you watch the man yank the knife back out, eyes not leaving your mom’s face as she falls to the ground.
Her quickly glazing over eyes find their way to your face, and you watch as her lips quiver as she tries to talk. It’s only when she goes still that you move your eyes off her body – swallowing thickly as you spot Ralph lying in a puddle of blood beside her.
//Oh my God!// You instinctively move yourself to the opposite wall of the stairs as the guy wipes blood from the knife. His head whips around at the creek of the stairs. //Crap!//
You walk down a few steps as quietly as you can, flattening yourself against the curve of the wall, pressing your phone against your stomach to hide the light.
“Is that you, Mr. Snuggles?”
The darkness of the man’s chuckle sends a chill up your spine, and you hold your breath as you hear him walk closer to the stairs. You place your free hand over your mouth in an attempt to quiet your breathing further as you see the top of his brown hair poke out from around the curve.
After a breathless moment, you see the top of his head disappear, and hear his footsteps move back over to your mom’s room. You drop the hand from your mouth, using it to swipe the tears that are streaming down your face away as you stay glued to the wall, brain going a mile a minute.
//What do I do?//
[[Call the Police->CD Long End 1]]
[[Run->CD Long End 2]]//I guess I’ll try searching the internet. If there// is// a second edition, I’ll probably have more luck finding it online than this small town library.// You spin on your heel, making your way out of the bookshelves and toward the exit.
You’re surprised when you join a small crowd of people making their way to the front doors, //I didn’t think anyone else was here.// You stay in the middle of the pack, dropping your gaze to the ground as you see the librarian’s holding the door open for everyone.
You feel your palms get sweaty as you close the distance, //don’t ask, don’t ask, don’t ask…//
“Did you find everything you needed, Dear?”
You nod your head, not bothering to raise your eyes as you pass through the door. You take in a deep breath as you start toward your bicycle, half-surprised to see it still leaning against the wall.
A cool evening breeze blows by as you reach the end of the parking lot. You start off down the dirt road, unable to help but notice the lack of streetlights. The sky off to the right was a beautiful mix of pink, orange, and red as the sun began to lower, and you couldn’t help but take a moment to appreciate its beauty. //That’s something we definitely never saw in New York. //
You start pedalling faster, wanting to beat what you were sure was going to be an intense blackness before you got home. With the lack of streetlights, you had a pretty good feeling riding down this two-lane dirt road alone was going to get pretty creepy.
//Not to mention, I’ve gotta beat Mom home.// You speed up again, legs starting to burn from the effort as you race home. You’d definitely be in trouble if your mom found out you lied to her. Not that you could entirely blame her – getting the house unpacked //did// need to happen, but why did //you// have to do it?
Ralph had practically single-handedly packed up the apartment, so he was surely more than capable of unpacking the same way.
You let out a breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding in as the farmhouse comes into view, smile splitting your face as you see the driveway’s still empty, //perfect.//
You waste no time in pulling up the driveway, stashing your bike back in the garage before racing to the front door.
“Hon?”
“No, it’s just me.” You kick off your shoes and jog up the three stairs, meeting Ralph in the living room. You can’t help but whistle as you take in his progress – he’d gotten the couch, coffee table and TV set up already, “Wow.”
He gives you a shrug, not quite able to hide the triumphant smile on his face, “You should see the kitchen.”
Your eyebrows go up as you grab a lamp from the nearest box, “You did the kitchen, too?”
He smiles at the ground, before walking the short distance over, taking the lamp from your hands, “You should probably start on your room. Your mom won’t buy you were here all day if your room is still unpacked.”
“Right,” You nod to him before spinning around, heading for the stairs. You pause at the bottom as you pass the kitchen, and notice the full water and food dish on the floor. Your brows furrow as you stare at it, //he didn’t eat?// “Hey, have you seen Mr. Snuggles?”
Ralph’s head pokes out from behind the living room wall, and he frowns, shaking his head, “Don’t think so.”
“Huh…”
“I’ll check if he’s out in the yard after I get the recliner in position.”
You nod at him, “’Kay.”
Your brows stay furrowed as you begin to climb the stairs, //when was the last time// I //saw him?// You rack your brain as you reach the landing, making your way to your room, //I definitely heard him barking when I was setting up my dresser. //
You reach your room, pushing the door over as you flick on the light, //I don’t think I saw him when we went to get pizza.// You shake your head as you stop in front of your dresser, pulling open an empty drawer, //he’s probably just enjoying all the space.//
You grab one of the closest boxes and pull it over, //Ralph will find him.// Not sure if you fully believe yourself, you rip the box open, beginning to fill your dresser with clothes.
//Wait//, you pull your phone out of your pocket, taking a moment to turn on your latest music playlist, placing it on top of your dresser as you start to bob to the song, //there we go. Now this’ll be fun.// You continue putting clothes away, lip-syncing as you do so.
You’re not even a full song into unpacking when you hear the front door open. You pick up your phone and check the time, //glad I rushed it.// Your mom had come home not more than ten minutes after you did.
You continue unpacking the box, not-so-carefully shoving your clothes into the dresser, when you hear footsteps rush up the stairs. Not more than a minute later, your mom pokes her head in your door.
It takes a moment for her eyes to locate you, behind the door, and when they do, her eyebrows raise, “Oh.”
You don’t bother to look up from the shirt you’re holding, “Who were you expecting?”
“You’re here.”
“Yeah…” You flick your eyes up to her, as you reach for your phone, pausing your music, “Like I said I’d be.”
“I know, but I thought-” she cuts herself off before shaking her head, “Never mind. I went to the store, so we’re gonna have some real food tonight.”
“Pizza’s real food.”
She crinkles her nose, “You can hardly call that seafood monstrosity you got last night pizza.”
“It was definitely…” You let your voice trail off at the look she gives you. You shrug before going back to your clothes, “not what I expected.”
“Well tonight you can expect chicken.”
“With roasty potatoes?”
Your mom chuckles at the way you perk up and nods, “Obviously with roasty potatoes.”
You smile despite yourself, “Good.”
“I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”
You nod, shoving the now-open door back over as she disappears down the hall. Your stomach grumbles then, making you chuckle. Now that your mind was on food, you realize all you’d had that day was coffee. //Guess that explains why I’m kinda light-headed. //
You make the short trip over to your bathroom, turning on the sink before ducking your head into it, gulping down some much needed water. You raise your eyebrows in surprise as you immediately start sweating, //how dehydrated am I?//
You continue drinking for another few moments, before bringing your head back up, wiping your mouth on the back of your hand, //that should help.//
You jump at the sudden shriek, and rush out of your bathroom, //she’s// gotta //stop doing that every time she sees a spider.// You’re a few steps away from your bedroom door when you hear Ralph scream, as well. You immediately move to hide behind the partially closed door.
In the entire time him and your mom had been together, you’d //never// heard him scream. He was always the one with the cool head – no matter what the situation was. Even the time when your brother fell off your balcony and ended up needing head stitches and a cast on his arm, Ralph remained calm.
Or at least, he kept his freaking out on the inside.
You do your best to keep your heart rate down as you look through the crack between your door and the wall, trying to see out into the hall. The angle’s wrong, so you can’t see much, but you know something isn’t right.
[[See What's Going On->CD Long Cut End]]
[[Hide->CD Avoided]]With a shaking hand, you bring your phone up to your face, punching in 911 before bringing it up to your ear. You fail at controlling your breathing, and keep your eyes on the top of the stairs, just in case.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“T-there’s a man… he killed my mom. Please, you have to help me.”
“Okay, Ma’am, I’ll dispatch a car for you. What’s your address?”
“14 L-Lake Street.”
“Thank-you. Is the man still in the house?”
“Ye-” You cut yourself off as you see the man come around the corner, “Shit.”
He looks somewhat disappointed before rushing down the stairs toward you. You don’t have time to think, let alone move, before he catches you. He easily snatches the phone from your hand, tossing it over the banister with one hand, grabbing you with the other.
You struggle as he pulls you into his chest, clawing at the arm that’s barring your chest, kicking your legs out behind you.
“Whoa,” He chuckles again, easily lifting you off the ground, before he starts back up the steps, “Take it easy.”
“I-I called the police.” You dig your nails harder into his arm, craning your neck in an attempt to see his face, “They’re on their way.”
He drags you into your mom’s room – from what you can tell, he doesn’t look worried. You continue to claw and kick, unable to get out of his grasp. Your arms begin to tingle with the effort, and you let out a grunt, //why is he so strong?//
“Too bad you won’t make it that long.”
In the next instant, you feel a blinding pain shoot through your middle, and you let out a cry of pain. Your head falls as you gasp, and your eyes go impossibly wide as you see his knife sticking out of your middle, //no-no-no-no…//
He pushes you forward then, and you stumble back, falling over your mom’s body. You land hard on the floor, momentarily winding yourself as you stare up at the ceiling. Summoning your quickly draining strength, you manage to get yourself up onto your elbows.
Your quickly blackening vision lands on him standing in the doorway, watching as he wipes your blood off his knife. Once clean, he tucks it into the back of his jeans, before leaning himself against the doorway, eyes locking onto you.
He tilts his head to one side as he watches you take in laboured breaths. Your brows furrow as you watch his face change, //he looks almost… regretful?//
He lets out a heavy sigh, scrubbing a hand through his hair, lowering his gaze to the ground, “You weren’t supposed to die this early.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->CD Long Middle]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] You turn yourself around, quickly making your way back down the stairs, all notions of staying quiet leaving. You make it about halfway down before you hear his footsteps behind you, //shit.//
You speed up, heart feeling like it’s going to explode out of your chest as you continue. Once you reach the bottom, you make a beeline for the front door. You manage to reach it, and feel an odd sense of hope wash over you as you rip it open, //I may actually-//
You cut yourself off as you feel yourself get pulled backward, //no!// You start thrashing as he drags you back, kicking your legs out and clawing at his arms, “Let me //go//!”
You’re so busy trying to get away that you don’t realize kicking your legs in the air is only helping him pull you back inside. He grunts as he manages to wrestle your arms against your chest, pulling you into the living room.
A rogue kick hits him in the leg, sending you both crashing down to the floor. You gasp as you land on top of him, and try your best to get out of his grasp. You try rolling off him, but it’s no use – his one arm has you pinned.
“//Enough//!”
You freeze at his yell, blood running cold at the anger in his voice. You blink up at the ceiling, doing your best to keep your tears at bay. He manages to get you into a sitting position, with you leaning against his chest. He rests his head on your shoulder, taking a moment to do you didn’t-know-what. You do your best to ignore the tingling on your ear from his panting breathes.
After what felt like forever, he lets out one big huff, before producing his knife, causing you to start thrashing again, “No-no-no-no, please! //Please//! I-I’m only-”
Your sentence cuts off as he slices the knife across your throat. Your eyes widen at the pain, and you involuntarily try swallowing, which only serves to make the cut bleed faster.
You try to say something else, tears stinging your eyes as you’re only able to gurgle and spit up blood. He lays you down on the floor before standing up, wiping the blood off his knife.
He stares down as you choke on your own blood, and you swear he looks almost… remorseful.
He notices your expression and let’s out a sigh, “You walked in on me killing them,” he tucks the knife into the back of his pants, lowering his gaze to the floor, “I //couldn’t// let you go.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->CD Long Middle]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] Despite the pit in your stomach, you make your way around your door, cautiously making your way out into the hall, “Mom?”
Now that you had a better picture, you could see their room light was on, and the shadow of someone stop whatever they were doing was being cast across the floor.
At the lack of reply, you swallow thickly and inch closer, “R-Ralph? What’s going on?”
You keep your eye on the shadow and stop once you’re a few feet away from their door. The lack of answers is really starting to give you a bad feeling, and you’re suddenly unsure if investigating was the right move.
The shadow darts out into the hall, growing as a large pair of feet fill your view. You bring your head up from the ground and feel a scream catch in your throat. You’re staring up at someone who is most definitely neither Ralph nor your mother – instead, they are a very large man, holding a knife in one hand, white t-shirt and face sprayed with very obvious fresh blood.
//Crap//, you turn and try to run back to your room, but you’re too late. The man raises his arm as you turn, sinking his knife into your back. The white-hot flash of pain makes you cry out, and you hit the floor with a hard //thud//.
You manage to get yourself up on your elbows, and start trying to crawl away from your attacker. You also attempt to kick at him as you feel him grab your leg, but for some reason it didn’t listen.
The man drags you forward, into the light from the doorway of your mom’s room. You turn your head toward the light, tears springing to your eyes as you see your slain mom and Ralph laying side-by-side on the ground, blood pool around them steadily growing.
You manage to get yourself half-turned over, so you’re looking up at your attacker, tears streaming down your face. You start shaking your head as you stare up at him, question clear, even though you can’t get your mouth to work.
He gives you a shrug as he bends down, hand wrapping around the hilt of the knife that’s still in your back, “It’s what I do.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->CD Long Cut Middle]]
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]]As quietly as you can, you make your way over to your walk-in closet, pulling the door closed behind you. You don’t know what exactly was going on, but from the way Ralph had screamed, you knew it was nothing good.
Once safely inside, you press your ear to the door, trying to listen. You don’t hear anything over the sound of your rapid heartbeat, but can’t tell if that’s a good thing or not. You stay like that for a few minutes – in the dark closet, ear pressed against the door, before you let out a huff, and back up a few steps, //I can’t just stay in here. I need to find out what’s going on.//
[[Check What Happened->Walk In Closet Start]]
[[Text Your Mom->Walk In Closet Alt Start]]Despite the little voice in your head yelling at you that you were making a mistake, you exit the closet and make your way over to your bedroom door. You can’t resist checking the crack between the door and wall again, and freeze at what you see.
The hall is pretty dark, only light is spilling out from your mom’s bedroom door, and you can see a man you definitely don’t know dragging your mom across the floor – leaving a trail of something dark as he does so.
Unfortunately for you, you’ve seen enough horror movies to know the trail behind her is blood.
You can’t help but gasp at the sight, quickly slapping a hand over your mouth as the man’s head whips up, //oh crap.// You feel your blood run cold as he locks eyes with you through the crack, creepily blank stare pinning you to the spot.
//Crap, crap, crap,// you take in a gasping breath as you watch him drop your mom’s leg and start running toward you in slow motion. Everything seemed to slow down then –even your rapidly beating heart begins to slowly //thump// against your chest.
You swallow thickly as you try to get your brain to co-operate – to pick something, anything to do instead of just stand there and watch him come at you.
[[Back in the Closet!->WIC End 1]]
[[To the Bathroom!->WIC End 2]]You let out a sigh and run your hand through your hair, //I’ll give one more clothing store a chance. If that one also sucks, I’ll see what their pet store has. Maybe I can find a cool toy for Mr. Snuggles.//
You walk the short distance over to the second-last clothing store, steeling yourself as you walk through the door. This store is much smaller than the last two – it feels practically claustrophobic after being in the last store. This one has exposed brick walls, and sun damage bad enough to have left pale marks on the bricks from where shelves used to be.
You can’t help but be reminded of a library as you squeeze yourself passed a few racks of clothing. This was the only store so far that had an obvious shoe display. You freeze as you spot your mom a few feet away, //shit!//
Luckily, her back was to you, which gives you a head start on squeezing your way back over to the entrance.
“Lily Patricia Stone!”
You freeze mid-step, shoulders scrunching as you hear your full name. Taking a moment to take in a breath, you turn around, feigning surprise as you watch her drag your little brother toward you by the wrist, “H-hey Mom! What are you doing here?”
“What am I…?” Your mom lets out an annoyed huff as she closes the distance, “What are //you// doing here? You’re supposed to be helping Ralph!”
“Pfft,” You wave a dismissive hand and fail to control the blush you feel creep up your cheeks, “I //am//!” You point your thumb over your shoulder to the door, “I was just grabbing us some pizza for lunch, and decided to check out a few of the shops while I waited.”
Your mother gives you her patented ‘//is that the best you can come up with?//’ look before a sly smile splits her face, “Perfect! I can drive you back.”
“Uh…” You blink at her in surprise, “y-you can’t.”
“Oh?” She raises an eyebrow at you, smile widening, “Why not?”
“Because…” You rack your brain, trying to come up with an excuse, “oh!” You do your best to keep the smile off your face as you finally think of something, “I rode my bike here, and you haven’t put the bike rack back on the car.”
She narrows her eyes at you, “Fine.” She pushes passed you toward the door, grumbling under her breath as she goes. Just as your shoulders deflate with semi-getting away with it, your mom turns back around, expression now smoothed out, “We were done shopping,” A sly smile splits her face as she gestures for you to join her at the door, “We can keep you company while you wait.”
You feel sweat break out across the back of your neck as you reluctantly nod, “Great!”
You fake a smile as you make your way over, doing your best to keep the disappointment off your face. Just as you close the distance, your mom holds the door open for you. You make your way through it, keeping your eyes on the sidewalk as you lead the way toward the pizza place, //what are the chances they have an unclaimed pick-up?//
--
You couldn’t believe your luck! Not only did the pizza place have an unclaimed pick-up, the cashier remembered you from the other night, and let you take it. For //free//!
You couldn’t help but beam in triumph as you lead the way over to the car, “What great timing was that?”
Your mom still didn’t look convinced as she straps your brother into his car seat, “I know I look young,” her eyes flick up to you as she slides the last buckle together, “but I wasn’t born yesterday.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You closed the door after placing the pizza in your seat, coming around the front of the car, “I told you I was waiting for pizza.”
“Uh-huh.” Your mom’s eye twitches as she pulls open the driver’s side door, “Well I can’t wait to see how much unpacking you got done.” She hops in, giving you a smile as your face falls, “We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“I’ll be right behind you.” You hop back up onto the sidewalk as the minivan roars to life, doing your best to keep the mounting panic off your face.
Your mom just shakes her head as she pulls out of the parking spot, slowly making her way around the parking lot. As soon as you’re out of her eye line, you whip out your cell, shooting off a text to Ralph as you make the short trip back over to your bike.
You press send before shoving the device back into your pocket, half-surprised to see your bike is still leaning against the wall of the store. You jump on your bike and start making your own way through the parking lot, wiping your sweaty hands on your pants, //hope he’s as quick at unpacking as he was at boxing everything up.//
--
You slow your bike as you come up the street, driveway of your new house coming into view. Your brow furrows as you get closer, eyes on your front door.
Your mom is running out of it, tears streaming down her face. Just as you turn onto the driveway, she catches your eye, and opens her mouth to scream.
Whatever she was going to say gets cut off as you see a tall man wearing a tool belt burst through the door, plunging a knife into her the middle of her back. You can’t help but gasp at the sight, and slam on your brakes, stopping about halfway down the driveway.
At the sound of squealing tires, the man’s head whips up, wild eyes darting around for a moment before they land on you.
//Oh crap!// You feel yourself begin to panic as he pushes your mother’s body off his knife before starting toward you.
[[Pedal Away!->CD Short End 1]]
[[Run!->CD Short End Avoid Beg]]//I should probably have something other than coffee for breakfast//, you make your way down the small strip of stores toward the pizza place. //Besides, I’ll need energy if I want to keep exploring, beat Mom home //and// help Ralph unpack.//
You walk into the pizza place, smiling as the cashier looks up at the ding of the bell. You make your way over, eyes quickly roaming over the menu, //I’m definitely not getting that gross-ass ‘special’ from last night.//
“Hey, pretty Mama!” The cashier’s smile widens as you approach the counter, “What can I get for you today?”
“Uh…” You pop your phone out of it’s case, grabbing the other $20 you had in there before handing it over, “A medium pepperoni, please.”
“Sure thing,” He rings you up, before giving you a once over as your ticket prints, “You new around here?”
“Yeah,” You shift your weight from one foot to the other, “I just moved in yesterday.”
“Right on!” The guy nods as he places your ticket in the window, before turning back to you, leaning across the counter, “So, you like pizza?”
You take a step out of the line – even though there was no one behind you – and shrug, “Yeah, I-I guess.”
“Good,” He lets out a chuckle and slides himself sideways, so he’s still in front of you, “What’s your name?”
“Fran.”
“That’s a great name.” He brings one hand up to hold his chin, eyes practically boring a hole into your face, “What’s your favourite kind of pizza, Fran?”
“Uh, I-I like all kinds,” You shift again, unlocking your phone as you pretend to get a text, “Sorry, I gotta…”
“No worries,” He gives you a wide smile, bringing his hand off his face so he can drum his fingers on the counter. After a moment of silence, he leans himself so far over the counter you wonder how he’s able to stay standing, “So, can I have your number?”
You let out a nervous chuckle, and shake your head, “No, sorry.”
“Oh, come on!” He thankfully slides himself back off the counter, “I’m not a creeper, I promise.” He gestures to the store and raises an eyebrow at you, “How many creeps do you know work at a pizza place?”
You take a small step backward, flashing him a polite smile, “I didn’t mean to offend you-”
“Great!” He flashes you a big smile and looks like he’s about ready to jump over the counter, “Then give me your number.”
“Fine,” You resist the urge to roll your eyes, taking a moment to open the Notes app on your phone, “Sorry, I got a new one when we moved.”
He nods as he grabs a scrap piece of paper and pencil, before turning expectant eyes back to your face.
You locate the appropriate fake number in your list before raising an eyebrow at him, “Ready?”
“I was born ready, baby.”
“Okay, it’s 212-472-4366.”
“Awesome!” He nods enthusiastically before shoving the paper into his sagging pants pocket, giving you a wink, “I’ll call you right after my shift is over.”
Thankfully the door chimes then, signalling another customer, and you take the opportunity to finally turn away from him. You watch as a tall man with construction boots, faded jeans and a torn white t-shirt makes his way into the store.
“Yo, Luke!” The cashier shifts all his attention onto the man, sliding himself back over behind the cash register, “What’s happening?”
The man – //Luke// – gives the kid a polite smile, “Oh, you know. Factory’s still running, so…”
The kid snorts at that and nods, “Right, you want your usual?”
“That’s why they call it that.”
You can’t help but notice the man’s southern drawl. It made it almost impossible to not pay attention to what he was saying. You also couldn’t explain why, but there was a little voice in the back of your head telling you to run.
“Yo, you didn’t come in last night, did you?” The cashier nods as Luke shakes his head, “Thought so,” he rips his ticket off before spinning around to pin it up, “Someone else finally ordered the special.”
“Really? Huh,” Luke shrugs as he pulled out his wallet, “Maybe my luck’s about to change.”
The cashier accepts the cash before throwing a wink in your direction, “I know mine did.”
Ew, you do your best to keep the disgust off your face as the cashier thankfully heads into the back. You can’t help but deflate a little in relief as he disappears behind the door. It’s only then that you notice Luke is staring at you.
You shift uncomfortably under his gaze, “Uh… Hi.”
“Hi.”
The air in the store shifts then. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but it’s definitely not something you want to face alone. You give the man a polite smile before making a break for one of the booths.
He surprisingly doesn’t follow you. Not that it would matter anyway – it was just you two in the store, so if he wanted to talk to you, he still could. As you pretend to do something on your phone, you can’t help but feel his eyes on you. //What happened to creeps only coming out at night?//
[[Call Him Out->CD Short LM Know Luke]]
[[Ignore Him->CD Short LM No Luke]]After a moment of your brain short circuiting, you somehow manage to get your feet back on the pedals and turn yourself around, pedalling back down your driveway, and out onto the street.
You can barely hear his steps echoing behind you over the sound of your hammering heart, and it’s all you can do not to look backward. Your legs feel like they’re on fire, and you momentarily regret trying to get home so quickly.
In the next instant, you feel your bike stop, and you go flying over your handlebars.
You land hard on the dirt road, sliding a few feet forward, scraping your hands as you attempt to keep your head from hitting the ground. Your ears are ringing as you attempt to sit up, steadying yourself on shaking arms.
You take in a breath, wincing as the cool air stings your lungs. The ringing in your ears starts to subside just as you attempt standing up, only to immediately fall back to the ground, a loud //snap// filling the air.
“Ow!” You hiss as your eyes land on your ankle, and you see a quickly spreading blood pool dampen your sock, //oh my God!//
You dry heave as the pain hits you, suddenly glad all you had that day was coffee. Only after your retching subsides do you realize the pounding footsteps have stopped. Reluctantly you bring your eyes up from your broken ankle to your fallen bike, not too surprised to see the man – who’s half-covered in blood spatter – standing over you, twisted smile on his face.
You swallow thickly and attempt to drag yourself backward as he moves closer, stomping onto your bleeding ankle.
“Ah!” You cry out in pain and collapse off your arm, face landing in the dirt of the road.
You blow some dirt out of your mouth and turn your head, just in time to see the monster raise the knife he’s holding, smile widening, “I love when you make it easy.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->CD Short Middle]]
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]]You turn to run and immediately fall over. In your haste to get away, and shock at seeing your mother get brushed off a knife like a bug being scraped off a windshield, you momentarily forgot that you were on your bike.
You get yourself untangled from the bike and back on your feet as quickly as you can, eyes scanning the driveway for the man. You feel your blood run cold as you can no longer see him.
Swallowing thickly, you make your way closer to the minivan, being sure to keep yourself low to the ground. You look under the car and frown as he’s either not there or too far away for you to see his shadow.
You force yourself to take in a deep breath in a failed attempt at getting your brain clear enough for you to think of a plan. Your eyes scan over your limited options: you have the wheat field a few feet in front of you, the single dirt road that leads back to town, or your house.
The wheat field is large, and possibly a good place to hide long enough for him to lose interest, if that was even a possibility. If you were fast enough, you might be able to make it to town without him catching you, though that would be the riskiest. You’d be out in the open with nowhere to hide. If he was outside, he would surely see you.
That leaves you with making a break for your house. You watched him kill your mom, but you didn’t know about Ralph, or your little brother’s fate. It was your duty to check on them instead of leaving them for dead, wasn’t it? They were family, after all. Not to mention, your phone was almost dead, and you wouldn’t be able to call the police if it died.
So, what do you do?
[[Into the Wheat!->Wheat Field Death]]
[[Make a Break for Town->CD Short End 2]]
[[Sneak Into Your House - You NEED Your Charger->Bedroom Death Alt Beg]]Taking a breath, you dart out from behind the minivan, disappearing into the wheat a moment later. You’re surprised at the temperature change as you’re swallowed by the wheat – the cool night air that was almost freezing your skin has given way to a hot, sticky air.
You use your hands to not-so-gently swipe the wheat out of your way as you run. After a little bit, you find a clearing that has an old stone well and a lump of what appears to be golden hay laying beside it.
As you come closer, you bring a hand up to cover your mouth as you see the pile is actually your pet dog. //No, no, no, no//, you slide to your knees behind the animal, feeling tears prick at your eyes as you look over the damage. Your dog had been gutted, his organs spilling out of his sliced open middle. His fur was matted with blood, and one of his eyes looked like it had been scratched.
You swallow thickly and lay a gentle hand on the top of his head, letting your tears fall, “I’m sorry, Mr. Snuggles.”
You immediately regret speaking as you hear some of the wheat rustle. You’re back on your feet in the next instant, backing away from the direction the noise had come from.
After a minute of nothing happening, you force yourself to take in a breath in a failed attempt to calm your nerves, //it must’ve just been the wind.// You’re clearly not convinced, but make yourself turn away, anyway.
//I shouldn’t stay in the clearing//, You start off in another direction, //if he was going to catch me in here, this would be the-//
You cut yourself off as you see the killer step out from the direction you’d chosen, //shit//. You start backing away, subconsciously raising your hands in mock surrender.
He smiles at the action and shakes his head, “That’s not gonna help you.”
In the next instant, he’s rushing toward you. You turn to run, tripping over your own feet in your haste, //shit//. You manage to get yourself onto your knees before the killer grabs your hair, dragging you toward the well. You begin kicking and clawing in an attempt to get away, not noticing your kicking was only serving to help him drag you faster.
“Enough!” He bashes the back of your head into the stone side of the well, then.
You slow-blink as the pain shoots through your brain, instantly feeling dizzy. You watch with blurred vision as he runs a hand through his hair, walking himself in a small circle before coming back. This time, he lifts you off the ground by your neck, holding you out over the well.
You bring quickly numbing arms up to the hand at your throat in a useless attempt at getting it off you, “N-no! Let me go!”
He chuckles darkly at that, sadistic smile lighting up his face, “Poor choice of words.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->CD Short End Avoid Beg]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] //If I can get far enough down the road, I should be able to yell for help.// You force yourself to take in another big breath before darting out from behind the minivan, gunning for the dirt road.
Your lungs are already on fire the second you turn off your driveway, and you momentarily regret racing home. Doing your best to push your discomfort aside, you run as fast as you can down the road, resisting the urge to check and see if the man is following you.
You’re out in the open, the dirt road providing no sense of cover, and you know it won’t be long until he sees you. Despite knowing your chances are slim, you push yourself ahead, legs beginning to burn almost as hard as your lungs are.
After a few minutes of breathless running, you hear footsteps start echoing behind you. Though you got farther down the road than you thought – and you knew he was going to start chasing you eventually – you can’t help but feel yourself begin to panic as you hear the loud rhythmic //thud// of his footsteps.
You can’t contain yourself any longer, neck feeling like it’s going to snap if you keep facing forward, and you chance a glance over your shoulder. You feel your heart jump out of your chest as you get a look at who’s chasing you.
The man is covered in blood spatter, knife clutched tightly in one hand, and his face is that of a lion going after its prey.
Hungry.
Focused.
You swallow hard as you turn back around, letting out a surprised cry as you fall forward. You land hard on the road, scraping your knees and hands in an attempt to brace yourself.
You wipe your hands off on your pants as you shakily sit up. //As if the situation needed to be more dramatic.// You take in a shaky breath as your eyes sweep the road, looking for the thing that made you fall over.
Your brows furrow as you don’t see anything. You attempt getting back to your feet and nearly fall over again. You’re able to catch yourself in time, and finally look down at your shoes, noticing one of them has come untied.
//Are you serious?// You quickly re-lace your shoe before getting back to your feet, eyes looking around for the man with the knife. You swallow thickly as you don’t see him on the road, //I wasn’t that far ahead of him…//
A sharp pain in your back makes you cry out again, and you can’t help but slump backward as the white-hot pain shoots up from the base of your spine, legs immediately giving out.
You feel tears begin to fall from your eyes as you’re pushed forward, loud squelching noise echoing through the air as the knife is ripped from your body. You land back on the dirt road with a hard //thud//.
Unable to help yourself from taking in short, ragged breaths, you somehow manage to get yourself up on your shaking arms, half-turned to the man standing behind you.
Despite your best efforts, you’re unable to do anything other than cry as you watch him clean the blood off his knife. As if sensing your unspoken question, he stops to look up at you, icy stare cutting through you.
He tilts his head to one side slightly as he watches you blubber. After a minute, he drops to his knees, raising his now-cleaned knife, creepy smile splitting his face, “I’m your new neighbour.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->CD Short End Avoid Beg]]
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]]//I’ll need my charger if I have any hope of coming out of this alive.// You take a cursory glance under the van again, and upon not seeing anything, you take the opportunity to make a break for your front door.
Your heartbeat is in your ears as you reach the front of your house, and it’s all you can do to not look at your mother’s body. You make your way inside, softly closing and locking the door behind you. Not that you thought the dead bolt would stop him, but it made you feel better, and would at least slow him down.
You waste no time in getting to the stairs, feeling of dread growing as you spot streaks of blood on the wall. You force yourself to take in a breath as you start your climb, //I haven’t seen their bodies yet, so maybe they got away.//
You knew that was probably crap – even if Ralph or your brother did manage to get away, it’s not like there was somewhere safe close by they could get to. They’d either be in the field, almost like waiting ducks, or you would’ve passed them on the road when you came back if they were headed for town.
A lump forms in your throat as you make it to the top of the stairs, and spot another body lying in the doorway to one of the bedrooms. //Oh no//, you swallow thickly and slowly make your way over.
It’s Ralph.
His shirt is torn, his pants have blood on them, and he has one arm outstretched, resting in the doorway. His other arm is tucked underneath him, and almost looks like it’s cradling something.
You resist the urge to investigate – you don’t know how long you’ll have until the killer comes back – and head for your bedroom. You close that door behind you and flick the light on before making a beeline for your nightstand. It takes you a moment to grab the charger, and you look around your bedroom, //is it safe enough to plug in here?//
[[Yes, The Killer Is Outside->BD Alt End 1]]
[[Are You Nuts? Head to the Bathroom!->BD Alt End 2 Beg]]
[[Hide in the Closet->BD Alt Avoided]]Feeling a tad braver now that there was some distance between you – and because you were closer to the door – you bring your head up from your phone, giving him your best annoyed look, “What?”
“Sorry,” He shakes his head, cheeks heating up as he averts his gaze to the ground, “I thought I knew everyone in town, but I don’t recognize you.”
You feel a wave of guilt at your outburst. You hush the little voice that’s screaming in your head and flash him an apologetic smile, “I just moved in.”
His head whips up like a dog at that, “Really?” At your nod, you see his hand twitch as he takes a small step closer, raising an eyebrow, “You moved here… why, exactly? Sick of living an interesting life?”
You chuckle at that in spite of yourself, and feel your unease begin to dissipate, “If it were up to me, I’d still be in New York. But my mom seems to think she’d make a good farmer, so…”
He nods slowly and takes a small step closer, “Farmer, huh? So… you wouldn’t have happened to move into the Lake Street farm, did you?”
“Uh… yeah, we did. How did you-”
“That’s the only farm in town.” His warm smile puts you more at ease even as he makes his way closer, “I’d say I’m not a creep, but I know how that would sound.”
“Right,” You shake your head with another chuckle and slide yourself closer to the edge of the booth, “That’s definitely gonna take some getting used to.”
“What is?”
“Having everyone know who you are, and where you live.” You shake your head again as your gaze drifts over to the window, “In New York, if someone was bothering you, you could give them a fake address, or name, and you’d never see them again. But here…”
“Well, maybe there’s not as many creeps here?” At your look, he holds up his hands in mock surrender, “I’m not saying there’s none, just… most people I’ve met in town are pretty cool.”
“Right,” You can’t help but roll your eyes at that, cheeky smile tugging at the corner of your mouth, “And how long have you lived here?”
He chuckles at that, leaning himself back against the rail that separates the register line from the sitting area, “Touché.”
You can’t help but feel your heart flutter in your chest at his smile. You know nothing could ever happen – he was probably in his thirties, and you… well you weren’t even legal yet – but flirting was always your best game. At least, it used to be, before your dad-
“Fran!”
You jump up from your booth at the call, flashing him an apologetic smile as you make your way back up to the counter.
“Lily Patricia Stone!”
You wince as you hear your mother’s sharp tone – along with the completely unnecessary use of your hated full name – and slowly turn around, pizza box in hand, “H-hey, Mom.”
Your mom shakes her head as she makes her way into the store, eyes narrow, “I //knew// you were lying!”
“Whoa, Mom, relax.” You hold up the pizza box and raise an eyebrow, “I’m just grabbing us some lunch.”
She stops short, mouth dropping open silently in surprise. Her cheeks turn a slight pink and she nods before gesturing to the door, “I’ll give you a ride back, then.”
You make your way to the door and give her a smile, “Cool!” You pause in the doorway she’s holding open and turn back to Luke, “Uh… it was nice meeting you.”
“Oh!” He gives you a warm smile, “You too, Fran.”
You duck your head in an attempt to hide your blush as you walk out the door. You bite your tongue to keep the smile off your face as you make your way over to the car.
“He’s a little old for you, isn’t he?”
“What?” Your head whips up, blush deepening at your mom’s question, “What do you mean?”
“Oh, please.” Your mom gives you a pointed look, stopping on the driver’s side of the car, “You think I can’t tell when my daughter is smitten?”
“Smitten?” You let out an incredulous chuckle and shake your head, “I am not!”
“Tell that to your face.” Your mom gives you a knowing smile before hopping into the car.
You shake your head as you hop into the back seat, pausing with your hand on the door at your mom’s look, “… What?”
She nods to the opposite side of the strip, raising an eyebrow, “Is your new boyfriend gonna bring your bike back?”
“Oh, right.” You hop out of the car, leaving the pizza on the seat before sliding the door closed, “I’ll be right behind you.”
The car roars to life then, and she gives you a pointed look as she pulls out of the parking spot, “I don’t want to see him on the news tonight.”
Your mouth drops open at that, and you can’t help but shake your head as you watch her pull out of the parking spot. You watch for a minute as she makes her way through the parking lot, before snapping out of your surprise, walking over to where you left your bike.
You grab the bike off the wall it was leaning against and can’t help feeling surprised it was still there, //guess this really// is //a small town.// You mount your bike and jump the curb into the parking lot, smile on your face as you cruise through it. You can’t help but flick your eyes back over to the pizza place as you pass it, mildly disappointed as you don’t see your new friend.
You shake your head as you turn onto the road, //don’t worry girl, this is a small town. You’ll definitely see him again.//
--
You slow as the driveway of your new house comes into view. You frown as you get closer and notice the minivan – it’s haphazardly parked, and the engine is still running. As you make your way closer, you also notice the driver’s side door is wide open, as is the sliding back door.
//That’s weird//, you get off your bike, and continue to stare at the van, brows furrowing, //why would she be in such a hurry to-//
You cut yourself off as you watch your mom burst out of the front door then, face twisted in horror. Her wild eyes look around the empty front yard, and just as you take a step forward to help, you see a man burst through the door behind her, plunging a knife into her back.
You freeze on the driveway, bringing a hand up to your mouth in shock as you watch him slowly remove the knife from your mom’s back, her body crumpling to the ground where she continues to twitch as a growing blood pool begins to form around her.
You numbly bring your eyes off your mother’s still twitching body and feel your blood run cold as you lock eyes with the killer.
It’s the guy from the pizza place!
“Shit.” His eyes widen as he spots you, and you feel yourself panic as he starts toward you.
What do you do?
[[Head for the Road->Know Luke Death 1]]
[[Hide in the Van->Know Luke Death 2]]You keep your eyes glued to your phone for another minute before Luke seems to get the message and makes his way across the restaurant, plopping himself down in the farthest booth from you.
You can’t help but deflate a little with relief as you feel his eyes move off you, //Thank God.// You glance up from your phone then, eyes going to the giant window you were sitting beside, and you involuntarily stiffen as you spot your mom stepping out of the grocery store, //shit//.
You jump up from the booth, backing away from the window in an attempt to keep yourself from being found out. You back up until you hit the small metal rail that separates the dining area from the cash line.
“Yo, Fran!”
You can’t help but jump at the voice from behind you. You spin around, semi-wild eyes landing on the cashier, who’s brows are furrowed, “Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah,” You plaster a fake smile across your face and make your way back up to the counter, “I just remembered I, uh… forgot something.”
“Oh,” He rubs a hand at the back of his neck, “Well the order’s already in, and I’m not really supposed to change it…”
“Oh, no silly,” You let out a fake chuckle and lean yourself across the counter, “It’s not about my order.”
“O-okay…” He clears his throat, raising an eyebrow at you, “then what’d you forget?”
You use two fingers to walk your hand across the counter, resting it on top of his, before you flutter your eyelashes at him, “You never told me //your// name.”
He swallows loudly as your hands touch, before he clears his throat, looking a lot more nervous than when he had started flirting with you, “Uh… I-I’m Kyle.”
“Hi Kyle.” You flash him a toothy grin, leaning further across the counter, “Do you think you could show me the back? I’d //love// to see how you make the pizzas.”
“I’m not really supposed…” His sentence dies on his lips as his eyes flick down to your hands, where you started tracing a nonsensical pattern across the back of his, “uh… y-yeah, I guess.”
You straighten back up, pulling your hand off his before making your way over to the door that says //Employees Only//, “Super!”
He disappears behind the wall for a moment, before reappearing behind the door, “Quickly, right?”
You nod, almost pushing past him to get through the door, “I’ll be done before you can say ‘//wow//’.”
Before the door finishes closing behind you, the front door chimes, getting you to turn on the spot.
You feel yourself freeze as your mom walks in, little brother in tow. She has a giant smile on her face as she looks around the shop and makes her way toward the cash register. Her smile quickly slides off her face as she spots you, face clouding over in anger.
“Lily Patricia Stone!”
You wince as you hear your hated full name, and push back out the employee door, doing your best to not look guilty as you troop over to her, “H-hi Mom. What are you doing here?”
“What am //I//…?” Your mother shakes her head, giving you a once over, “What are //you// doing here?”
You point your thumb over your shoulder toward the counter, “I was just getting us some lunch.”
“Uh-huh,” Your mom doesn’t look convinced, and raises an eyebrow, “And you needed to be in the //back// of the shop for that?”
“What?” You let out a nervous chuckle, “Of course not. Kyle,” You point as he comes back around the wall, looking defeated as he takes his mark behind the register, “was just giving me a tour. Right, Kyle?”
He shakes his head at you, sliding a pizza box across the counter, keeping his eyes off your face, “Order up… //Fran//.”
“I…” You let your voice trail off as you try to think of a good lie. Upon coming up empty, your shoulders deflate, and you close your mouth silently.
Your mom shakes her head at you before spinning on her heel, stomping back over to the front door, “Let’s go.”
You follow your mom toward the front door, keeping your eyes on the floor as you go, //good going, girl//. You silently follow her over to the van, pulling the sliding door open so she can strap in your brother.
She shakes her head as she clicks his buckle into place, “You know,” She closes the door, letting out a sigh, “I knew you didn’t like Ralph, but can you really not stand to be a lone with him?”
“I…” You bring your eyes up from the ground and let out a sigh, “This wasn’t about ditching him.”
“Okay,” Your mom slides the door closed, before raising an eyebrow at you, “then what //is// it about?”
“I just wanted to explore the town.”
“Fine, don’t tell me.”
“Wha…?” You raise your hands in mock surrender, eyes following as your mom makes her way around to the driver’s side of the car, “That’s it!”
“Right,” She rolls her eyes as she hops in the car, “whenever you’re ready to tell me the //truth//, we’ll be home.”
“But I…” You let your sentence die on your lips as she pulls out of the parking space. You watch in shock as she makes her way across the parking lot, before disappearing down the road.
You stare after the car for an unknown length of time before you shake yourself out of it. You shake your head and make your way over toward your bike, //why does she always do that? Not everything I do is a direct response to D-//
“Need a lift?”
The voice from behind scares you, and you spin around, heart attempting to leap out of your throat. You see the man from the pizza place, leaning out the driver’s side window of a pick up truck.
He notices the look on your face and a sheepish grin splits his face, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No,” You let out a nervous chuckle, “It’s not you. It’s just… never mind.” You shake your head before giving him a once over. “I, uh…”
[[Take the Ride->No Luke Death 1]]
[[Get in the Car with a Stranger? Is He Insane?->No Luke Death 2]]Though you can’t actually feel them, your legs somehow manage to get you down your driveway and out onto the dirt road. You’re pounding the dirt, dull //thud// of your footsteps ringing in your ears as your brain tries to catch up to what just happened.
You can’t stop the scene of your mother getting stabbed from playing out before your eyes, making you blind to the actual road. Not that it mattered – the only thing that could possibly be in your way would be a big clump of dirt, or possibly a rock. Or if the guy from the pizza place decided to chase you…
That thought brings you back to the moment, mother’s pained face dissipating with a shake of your head. You blink a little harder than usual and chance a look over your shoulder, heart leaping into your throat as you see the guy from the pizza place is, in fact, chasing you.
You swallow hard, brain jumping into overdrive as you turn back around and try to think of a plan. //If I reach town, maybe I can-//
You cut yourself off with a surprised yell as you feel yourself pitch forward, hitting the dirt with a hard //thud//. You take in a breath that feels more like fire as you get yourself up to a sitting position, shaking your head at your scraped up hands. You wipe them on your pants in an attempt to get some of the dirt off them and wince as the scrapes rub against the harsh fabric of your jeans.
//Shit//, You let out a breath and turn your attention to the road behind you, eyebrows rising in surprise as you no longer see Luke. //I wasn’t that far ahead of him…// You look around the road again, goose bumps breaking out across your arms as a breeze blows by, as if in warning.
You shakily get yourself back on your feet, keeping your eyes peeled for any sign of him. Your eyes stop on the wheat field in front of you, chill going down your spine as you stare into the tall stalks.
You take in as deep of a breath as you can, doing your best to steel yourself as you take a small step closer to the field, “I-I won’t tell anyone what you did. Promise.”
“You know who I am.”
You turn toward his voice, it’s a few feet ahead of where you were looking. You shake your head, “You’re just someone I saw in town.”
“I can’t risk it.”
You stomp your foot lightly in frustration and feel tears spring to your eyes, “P-please! I didn’t even want to move to this stupid town in the first place!” You shake your head, angrily swiping at your eyes as the tears begin to fall, “You’ll never see me again.”
“I know.”
Your brows pull together at that, and just as you open your mouth to question him, he darts out from the field, directly in front of you. In the next instant, one of his hands is holding your back, gently holding you up while the other plunges his knife into your chest. Your mouth gapes open as the pain hits you, eyes widening as they land on his face.
He somehow looks exactly the same as he did when you were talking in the pizza place – same piercing blue eyes, stubble, and sandy blonde hair – yet at the same time he looked absolutely different.
There was an underlining darkness about him. Maybe you hadn’t been close enough in the pizza place to sense it, or maybe your brain was making things up in an attempt to make him stabbing you make sense.
As he gently laid you down on the dirt road, you noticed the lines around the edges of his eyes were slightly crinkled. As if his eyes were smiling, but the rest of his face was expressionless.
He brought his hand off your back, reaching up to tuck some of your loose hair behind your ear, shaking his head slightly, “I’m sorry.”
Your brows furrowed at his soft tone, //he’s sorry?// You searched his face as you felt your strength begin to fade – he sure didn’t look sorry.
Not until you reached his eyes.
The delight that had been there a moment ago was gone, completely replaced with remorse. The rest of his face remained creepily blank, but you could tell in his eyes he was genuinely upset.
How could that be possible? How could a person be so gentle in one moment, yet so violent in the next?
And, perhaps most importantly: //why// would he stab you if he was just going to regret it?
His small chuckle pulled you out of your waning thoughts. You watch as he shakes his head, hand wrapping around the base of the knife that was still in your chest. He rips it out, causing you to let out a low gurgle, blood spilling passed your lips.
You blink your eyes, trying to focus passed the dark spots that were beginning to dance along the edges of your vision as he straightens up.
He stands over you, wiping your blood from the knife before giving you a small shrug, “I didn’t know they’d have kids.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->CD Short LM Know Luke]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] Before you can think of what to do, you feel yourself dive into the open van sliding door. You slam it shut behind you before quickly manoeuvring into the driver’s seat, reaching out to close that door just as the guy from the pizza place reaches the van.
He slashes the knife at your outstretched hand, smiling as you flinch backward, leaving the door open. He climbs into the driver’s seat, easily catching one of the feet you kicked out at him to drag you closer.
He chuckles as he plunges his knife into your heart, “Did you really think this was a good plan?”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->CD Short LM Know Luke]]
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]]“I rode my bike here.”
“No problem!” He nods toward his truck bed, “I’ve got enough room to fit it in the back.”
“Uh,” You let out another nervous chuckle before nodding, //it// is //only like a five minute ride//, “sure. Thanks.”
“Cool!” He hops out of his truck then, walking the few steps over to grab your bike, easily lifting it onto one shoulder. He notices your surprised look and he shrugs, “I work at the factory.”
“Right.” You make your way around the truck before hopping up to sit in his passenger seat. You keep your eyes on him in the rear-view mirror as he places your bike into his truck bed. He makes sure it’s secure before flicking his eyes up to the back window, smiling as he catches your eye in the mirror.
//Whoa, easy girl//. You attempt to calm the butterflies that flurry in your stomach at his look and quickly opt to look out the passenger window, instead.
He comes around, jumping up into the driver’s seat, before flashing you a smile, “So, where to?”
“Uh, Lake Street.”
“Lake Street?” His brows furrow as he makes his way around the parking lot, “Not the Lake Street farm?”
“Yes, actually.” A weird feeling settles into your stomach then, and you shift in your seat, “How’d you know?”
“It’s the only farm in town.” He flicks his eyes over to you as he turns onto the street, “It’s also the house across from mine.”
“What? You live in that shitty-” You cut yourself off as his eyes flick over to you, “I mean, that small house? The one that’s across from our driveway?”
“Yep.”
You shake your head, “I //knew// it wasn’t empty.” Your brows furrow as you think back, “Wait… but how do you live there? The real estate agent said it was part of the farm property.”
“It used to be until about a year ago. They decided to split it into two properties to double the income.”
You frown at that, “That wouldn’t explain why she thought it was part of our property.”
He shrugs and lets out a small chuckle, “Well I doubt showing houses in this small of a town is her top priority. She probably just missed it in the file.”
“I guess…” You turn your attention back to the window, frown deepening as you take in the scenery, “Uh, this isn’t the way home.”
“It’s a short cut.”
“No, it isn’t.” The uneasy feeling in your stomach grows at that, hair on the back of your neck beginning to stand up, “There’s only one road that leads to the farm.” Your heartbeat quickens as the truck starts to slow, “A-are you letting me out?”
“Sorry, Princess,” A chill runs down your spine at his sudden dark tone, and you turn away from the window to face him, eyes stopping on the glint of silver that’s in his lap, //how did I miss that?// “You’re not going anywhere.”
“Y-you can’t do this,” You subconsciously slide yourself closer to the door, hand hovering over the seatbelt lock, “My family will notice if I never come home.”
“No they won’t,” The truck stops then and he finally takes his eyes off the road. His icy stare pins you to the spot as he grabs your arm, other hand bringing the knife up from his lap, “They’re next.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->CD Short LM No Luke]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] “I rode my bike here.”
“No problem,” He nods toward his truck bed, “I’ve got enough room to fit it in the back.”
You take a step backward and shake your head, polite smile on your face, “No, it’s alright.”
“Okay,” He shrugs as he pulls his arm back through the window, “Just trying to be nice.”
You watch him circle the parking lot as a bad feeling settles into your stomach, //what the…?// You let out a breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding in as he turns out onto the road and disappears from view.
You shake your head and make the short trip back over to your bike, //this may be a small town, but a grown man asking a teen for a ride still fits my definition of weird.// You mount your bike and take off through the parking lot, //I better get home before Mom decides to share her psycho-analysis with Ralph.//
You slow down as you come up on the Stop sign at the end of the parking lot. You quickly check both ways – not too surprised to see nothing but emptiness on either side – before pedalling out onto the road.
You get a few feet down when you go flying over the handle bars of your bike, landing hard on the dirt road a moment later.
“Ow!” You wince as you struggle to sit up, hands and knees stinging from the fresh scrapes. You turn to look behind you, eyebrows rising in surprise as you see the pizza place guy’s pick-up truck, //what the hell?//
He gets out, eyes wide as he runs over to you, “Oh my God! I’m so sorry!” He slides to his knees beside you, hands hovering over you like he was afraid to touch you, “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay,” You wipe your freshly scraped hands on your jeans, wincing at the friction before trying to stand up, “You hit me with your car!”
“I’m so sorry!” He runs a shaking hand through your hair, staying close as you struggle to your feet, “I didn’t even see you!”
You scoff at that and gesture to the empty road, “Yeah, cause there’s so much out here to be distracted by.”
“I’m so sorry.” He places a steadying hand on your shoulder as your knee buckles when you try to take a step, “Are you hurt?”
That feeling in your stomach is back, and you shake your head, “I just need to get home.”
“Please, let me give you a ride. It’s the least I can-”
“No,” You cut him off and hop a step out from under his hand, “I’ll just-” you cut yourself off as you stare at the front of his car, your bike is bent in half underneath it.
You let out a groan and hobble the short distance over, “My bike!”
“I didn’t want to do this here.”
“What?” You turn back around, confusion making way to fear as you see him raise a knife, “What the hell are you doing?”
You attempt to side step him, but end up falling over your legs, landing hard back on the road, //shit//. You struggle to pull yourself back up onto shaky arms, taking in a breath that feels more like fire than air.
A white-hot pain shoots through your back then, causing you to cry out in pain. Tears immediately spring to your eyes, and you collapse off your arms, face hitting the dirt. You take in some ragged breathes and try to turn to see the man who hit you.
He’s standing there over you, looking up and down the street as he casually kicks your one leg over, so it’s hidden behind the front of his truck. As if he can feel your eyes, he turns to look back at you then. He squats down, so he’s closer to your face, producing a knife that’s covered in blood.
It takes your brain a moment to realize that’s //your// blood.
You lick your lips and clear your throat, opening your mouth in an attempt to speak. All that comes out is a small squeaky noise, much to your dismay.
He shakes his head at you as he wipes the blood from the knife, before raising it again, “You should’ve taken the ride.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->CD Short LM No Luke]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] You force yourself to take in a deep breath, momentarily closing your eyes, //relax girl//. You open your eyes as you let your breath out before raising your own arm in a silent apology, quickly peddling across the road, drifting into the parking lot of the town square.
//This place really is small town//. You scope out the strip of shops that line the parking lot. There isn’t much in terms of variety: there were a few clothing stores, a pizza place, barber, pet store and grocery store. The bank, library, town hall and what looked like two museums stood on the opposite side of the parking lot.
//No pharmacy?// You shake your head before turning left, toward the less official buildings, //guess I’ll check the grocery store.// You weave your way through some of the parked cars, slowing as you near the sidewalk in front of the strip. Your brows furrow as you don’t spot a bike rack and you turn, making your way around again, //maybe I just missed it.//
After a second pass and still not seeing one, you frown, //where am I supposed to lock up my bike?// You hop off as you reach the front of the grocery store and walk your bike up the curb, looking both ways up and down the sidewalk. You don’t see a better option, so you lean your bike against the side of the grocery store, //guess I’m testing how safe this place is.//
You make your way inside and can’t help but let your jaw drop at how big the store is. It looks way bigger on the inside than it did from out front. It has massively high ceilings, and seems to stretch backward forever. You start off in one direction and notice the exposed brick and giant cement pillars lining the walls, //looks like they converted a warehouse.//
You pick up a basket before making your way toward the aisles, //if I were first aid stuff, where would I be?// You wander up and down the aisles for a few minutes, feeling yourself begin to frown with each passing non-first aid aisle sign you read.
You pause in front of yet another aisle, frowning up at the sign, //this store has gotta have at least a pack of band-aids, right? //
“Oh, excuse me?” You perk up as you see a worker walk past, needing to bite the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing at the heinous coloured vest he had on, “Do you know what aisle first aid supplies would be in?”
The kid slow-blinks at you, before pointing to the way you’d come in, “Aisle 3.”
“O-okay, thanks!” You give him a bright smile before turning around, //I thought I already checked Aisle 3…//
You make your way back to the aforementioned aisle and gaze up at the sign, //yeah, I already checked this one!// You feel a lightening bolt hit you and your cheeks heat up at the realization, maybe they don’t have it listed on the sign. You shake your head and actually venture down the aisle, scanning the shelves for what you need.
You take your time, making your way up and down the aisle twice before pausing in the middle, //nope, I was right. Not here…// Your brows furrow as you think, //what else does ‘three’ sound like? //
//Bee, pee, gee, me, knee… //You shake your head and make your way out of the aisle, //none of those are numbers!// You start off back down the aisles, going back to your strategy of reading all the signs as you passed.
As you get increasingly closer to the end of the store, you frown in frustration, //what kind of town doesn’t sell first aid supplies?// You stop outside another aisle, turning around in a small circle, just now noticing you haven’t passed any other shoppers.
With a store this big, you’d think you’d pass at least //one// other person, but there was no one. Even that employee you asked seems to have disappeared. A small pebble of dread settles into your stomach at your realization. You force yourself to take in a breath, //don’t freak yourself out, girl. This is a small town, maybe… they’re all just at work?//
//But none of them work// here//?// You shake your head in an attempt to dispel your wary thoughts and make your way back through the store, heading for the exit, //where should I check next? //
[[Check the Pet Store->CD Pepperoni Short]]
[[Go to the Library->Library Info Beg]]You hang a right as you exit the grocery store, making your way over to the pet store, //vet supplies shouldn’t be too different than human first aid supplies, right? //
You enter the pet store and immediately feel the urge to hold your breath, //oh my God!// This was definitely a pet store. It had a weird mix of hay, cat pee and some other scent you couldn’t quite pin. The pet store was also a //lot// smaller than the grocery store, which was surprising because they were part of the same building. You wandered down one of the narrow aisles, scanning the shelves for anything resembling a first aid kit.
“Whoa!” You chuckle as you stop short at the end of the aisle, narrowly missing hitting a cage that was full of puppies.
As soon as they spotted you, the puppies started going nuts. Excited barking fills the air as the puppies rush to the front of the fence, jumping up in an attempt to get your attention.
“Hi guys!” You smile as you reach down to pet one.
“//Stop//!”
You freeze at the yell, looking up in surprise as a frantic looking employee comes running toward you, “Back away from the dogs!”
You hold up your hands in mock surrender and straighten back up, despite your confusion. Your brows furrow as he stops breathlessly in front of the pen, eyes scanning the dogs, “Uh, sorry. I didn’t know.”
“You think just because there’s a pen full of dogs you //must// be able to pet them, huh?” He shakes his head at you while he adjusts his glasses, “The world doesn’t revolve around you, little Miss Entitled.”
“What?” Your furrow deepens at his accusatory tone, and you take a step backward – away from the pen, “How was I supposed to know? It’s not like there was a sign or anything!”
“Oh, so you need a //sign// to tell you how to behave?” He shakes his head again and starts walking away, heading toward the lone cash register.
“No, I don’t,” Feeling your anger begin to build, you follow him, “but you can’t seriously tell me I’m the //only// customer who’s ever made the mistake of trying to pet them?” You gesture behind you as you come to a stop in front of the register, “It’s a pen full of puppies! Who //wouldn’t// want to pet them?”
“Whatever,” He begins scribbling something down on a notepad beside the register before bringing his unimpressed eyes up to you, “Did you need something, or did you just come in to ruin my day?”
“I-” You cut yourself off, forcing yourself to take in a deep breath, //it’s not worth arguing over//. You put on your best apologetic smile and lean toward the counter, “I was actually trying to find first aid supplies. I checked the grocery store, but couldn’t find any.”
“Uh-huh,” He raises an eyebrow at you, “And you thought… what? That we’d sell them in here?”
“No,” You feel your one hand ball into a fist at your side at his continued tone, //what is wrong with this guy?// “I thought maybe since you sell animal care, there might be some form of first aid aisle.”
“Well we don’t.” He answers you flatly before giving you his best Customer Service smile, “Was there anything else I could help you with today?”
You roll your eyes at his fake-ness and head for the exit. You make your way out onto the sidewalk and look up and down the strip, //what kind of weird town doesn’t sell first aid supplies anywhere? Isn’t that kind of… dangerous?//
You start to chew your lip as you think of what to do next. //I guess I could check the rest of the stores, but I doubt the clothing store and pizza place would have first aid supplies…//
//Maybe I should just go back. There might be an unopened ankle wrap left in our first aid kit from the time Johnny jumped off the roof.// You sigh, shoulders deflating in defeat as you start off back toward your bike, //he probably won’t believe me, but I can’t-//
“Need a lift?”
“Huh?” The voice gets you to look up from the sidewalk. You’re mildly surprised to see a large pick-up truck idling in front of you, man looking at you from the cab, eyebrow raised at you.
He chuckles and leans slightly out the window, bracing himself against the door with his arm, “Do you need a lift?”
You let out a nervous chuckle, “Right, sorry.” You give him and his truck a once over as you consider his offer, “Um…”
[[Take the Ride->No Luke Death 1]]
[[Get in a Car with a Stranger? Is He Crazy?->No Luke Death 2]]//Maybe the library will tell me what’s up with this place.// You start making your way across the parking lot, heading for the opposite side of the strip. You chew your lip as you think, //there’s gotta be one store that sells first aid supplies. It’s just too dangerous to not sell them at all! Or am I supposed to believe that no one in this town ever gets hurt?//
You cross the parking lot, jumping up onto the curb of the other sidewalk. You continue down the street, eyes widening as you get closer to the library, //wow//. It was beautiful! There were all kinds of different carvings in its stone face, and big symmetrical pillars on either side of the door.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
The voice from behind you makes you jump, and you feel a blush sweep across your cheeks as you spot a little old lady with a cardigan tied around her shoulders and glasses on a string.
You nod and close your mouth, despite the fact you didn’t notice it had fallen open.
She gives you a warm smile and gestures for you to follow as she starts toward the library, “The people who founded this town made it a requirement that at least one building double as an art installation.”
“That seems…” Your brows furrow as you hold open the door for her, “kinda weird, actually.”
She chuckles and makes her way through the door, “That’s how some of the town’s people felt.” She started over to the large circular //Information// desk in the middle of the room, “There were soon protestors and people trying not-so-nicely to stop the stone carver from doing his job.”
You raised an eyebrow, “Seriously?”
She gives you a solemn nod, “The bravest of our town’s citizens had to take turns protecting the stone carver as he worked. Many of them had threats painted on their doors, were shunned and some even went so far as to pelt the protectors with rocks.”
Your jaw dropped at that, and you couldn’t help but raise your eyebrows in surprise, “Just because they didn’t want artwork in the town?”
“It was the darkest time in our history,” She produces a photograph then, handing it over to you, “Luckily, despite the danger, none of the men quit and the stone carver was able to finish his work.”
You take the photograph from her gingerly, eyes roaming over the faded black and white faces, “What happened after?”
“Some of the protestors were so against the installation they moved out of town. Some of them decided they could live with it and stayed.” She took the photograph back, shrugging, “Everything seemed to go back to normal within a few days.”
“Well,” You subconsciously leaned yourself across the desk, “what happened to the stone carver? Was he able to stay in town?”
“No one knows.” At your raised eyebrow, she let out a sigh, “Once he finished his work, some of the people who protected him invited him over for a celebration dinner, but he never showed. He just… disappeared, and was never seen or heard from again.”
“Wow…” You shake your head, and straighten up, “That’s… crazy.”
She chuckles at that and nods her head, “Was there something I could help you with, Dear?”
“Uh, yes.” You let out a nervous chuckle, “My family just moved in, and my step-dad hurt himself doing some unpacking. He’s mostly fine, it wasn’t anything major. So I went to the grocery store in search of Band-Aids and stuff, but I couldn’t find any. And it didn’t seem likely the clothing store or pizza place would sell them, so I was just wondering…” You shift your weight from one foot to another and flick your gaze down to the counter, “I don’t want to accuse you guys or anything, but… you //do// sell first aid stuff, right?”
“We do.” At your breath of relief, she holds up a hand, “But we only get a shipment of supplies in every two months or so.”
“I-I’m sorry,” You raise an eyebrow, letting out another chuckle, “it sounded like you said every two //months//?”
“Yes.” She nods solemnly again, and lowers her gaze, “We’re such a small town, the government decided to give the majority of our rations of products to the bigger cities.”
“Wha…?” Your jaw drops, and you start shaking your head, “How can they…? I-is that even legal?”
“It’s been that way for a long time.” She comes around the desk then, pushing a cart of books, “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
“O-of course, yeah. Thanks for the info.” You watch her walk away in slight disbelief, //I guess that explains why I couldn’t find any. That’s crazy! What are people in town supposed to do if they get hurt?//
You shake your head, //well, I guess I should get back.// You turn away from the empty desk, //or…// your eyes drift over to the rows and rows of bookshelves, //maybe I should see if I can dig something up about our new house.//
[[Go Home->Library Info Short]]
[[Investigate->Library Info Middle]]//No//, You shake your head and head for the exit, //I can’t just leave Ralph helpless on the couch. No matter how much I want to.// You walk back out the library door a moment later, taking in a deep breath as a light breeze blows by.
You start off in the direction of the grocery store. You let out an impressed grunt as you get closer and see your bike is still there, leaned against the side of the building. //Wow. I guess this place really is small town.//
You mount your bike a moment later and push off into the parking lot, //he better of at least unpacked some stuff while I was out.//
--
You let out a small sigh of relief as you turn down road, driveway of your new house coming into view. You couldn’t explain it, but riding down a long dirt road – even in broad daylight – gave you a weird feeling. Like you were riding into the set of a horror movie. Of course, that was most likely just your overactive imagination, but it wasn’t a nice thought to have.
Especially when you were alone.
As you get closer, your brows furrow as you notice your mom’s minivan is in the driveway, //she finished shopping already?//
Your frown deepens as you spot the exhaust coming out the back of the minivan, and the driver’s side and sliding passenger doors. They’re open.
//What the hell?// You come to a gradual stop a few feet behind the car and feel a scream catch in your throat as you turn your attention to the front of your house.
You watch in slow motion as your mother bursts through the front door, her white blouse is covered in red splotches, and she has mascara stains streaked down both her cheeks. She gets a few steps into the overgrown front lawn when a man who is definitely //not// Ralph comes shooting out the door behind her.
You twitch as you watch him easily catch her, plunging a large knife into her back, free hand slapping over her mouth. She lets out some muffled cries before her body goes limp against him.
He stands there for a moment, taking in some heaving breathes, seemingly unbothered by the blood trail that’s soaking its way down her blouse and onto the front of his shirt.
He removes his hand from her mouth then, not-so-gently yanking his knife out of her back. He freezes for a moment as he turns and his eyes land on you. You watch his shoulders deflate for a moment before he starts toward you, //oh crap!//
[[Pedal Away!->CD Short End 1]]
[[Run->CD Short End Avoid Beg]]You start over toward the rows of books, small smile on your face, //Ralph should be good for a little bit longer without me. //
--
You groan and rub your eyes, leaning back in your chair. You’d been reading this book //The Lake Street Farmhouse: A Complete History// for what surely had to be hours, but had learned nothing interesting!
Apparently, despite your bad feelings, and the weird little house across from the driveway, nothing interesting had happened at the farm.
//Ever.//
It was built just after World War 2 had ended, and the farmer had only started the farm as a way to grow himself food so he wouldn’t starve. A few people decided to stay near the farm, so they also wouldn’t starve, and that was basically how the town got started.
Not that interesting of a story – and it //definitely// didn’t need to take up a third of a book that was thicker than your arm.
“The library will be closing in 10 minutes.”
//What? No way//, you dig your cell out of your pocket, jaw dropping as you see the time, //5:50pm? I’ve been reading this stupid book all day?// You shake your head, //no wonder my eyes hurt.//
You straighten back up in the chair, skimming back over the books pages, //I can’t of wasted a whole day reading a book and not learn at least //one// interesting thing!// You flip the page, eyes skimming over the next few paragraphs.
It was just more boring crap!
Defeated, you bring your one hand up to pick the front of the book off the table. You stop yourself from closing it as you read the last paragraph, //what the…?//
You can’t help but raise your eyebrows in surprise as you read. Apparently, the last owners of the farm had completely disappeared. One day they went into town for groceries, but were nowhere to be found when the townspeople came over for their annual potluck.
“The library will be closing in five minutes. Five minutes the library will be closed.”
You can barely believe it – //finally// something juicy! Your eyes hungrily read down to the bottom of the page – it states the owner’s belongings were all still in the house, and there was even a pot left on the stove. But they were nowhere to be found. The local police nearly tore the farm apart trying to find them, even going so far as to tear down one of the walls.
You can barely contain your excitement and you flip the page, jaw dropping as you see it’s completely blank on the reverse.
//No, no, no, no…// You flip through the last three pages of the book, finding nothing more than a glossary and small About the Author section. You let out a groan of disappointment and slam the book closed, //they can’t just end it there!//
“The library is now closed. Please bring all books to the front desk and make your way to the front exit. Thank-you for your visit! We will re-open tomorrow morning at 11am.”
//Man//, you reluctantly drag yourself out of the chair you were sitting in, making your way back over to the shelf where you’d found the book. //There’s gotta be some sort of Volume Two or something…// You start scanning the bookshelf, turning your head to the side as you attempt to read the titles.
Your shoulders deflate as your eyes bounce from un-needed title to un-needed title. You push the book you were holding back into its spot on the shelf and turn away from the stacks, //now what?//
[[Ask the Librarian->Library Info Long 1]]
[[Just Go Home->Library Info Long 2]]//Duh//, you roll your eyes at your own stupidity and make your way out from the stacks and toward the //Information// desk. You spot the librarian over by the front entrance, waving at everyone as they leave.
You slowly make your way up to the door, being sure to stay a few feet behind everyone else, so you’re the last one.
As you reach the door, she smiles at you, “Did you find everything you needed today?”
“Sort of.” You let out a somewhat nervous chuckle, “I found a book about the Lake Street farm-”
“Oh yes,” She nods, fond smile on her face, “That farm has such an interesting history.”
“Well see, that’s the thing.” You shift your weight from one foot to the other, “I read the whole book, and the really interesting part – the part about the last owners disappearing? It seemed like that part of the story was… missing.”
Her brows furrow at that, “How do you mean?”
“Well, the part about them disappearing was just in the last paragraph, on the last page of the book. So I was just wondering if there was a second book or something I could read?” You point your thumb over your shoulder in the direction of the stacks, “I checked the shelf I got the book off of, but I didn’t see anything that looked like it was related.”
“Hm,” She removes her glasses, wiping them on the sleeve of her sweater before replacing them, “Well I’m sorry Dear, but that book is the only one that tells the history of the farm.”
“O-oh,” You can’t help but slump your shoulders at her answer, “So… there’s no more information about the previous owners?”
She shakes her head before turning, starting toward the desk, “Sorry, Dear.”
“Thanks for the help.”
You make your way out the door of the library, turning over what you learned as you started back over toward the grocery store, where you’d left your bike.
//There has to be some other information out there…// You stop at the edge of the curb, blinking in surprise as you realize how dark it is, //whoa//. You scope out the dark parking lot and raise your eyebrow, //there’s no street lights? That doesn’t seem safe.//
You dig your cell back out of your pocket, taking a moment to open your flashlight app, momentarily getting distracted by the lack of notifications. You frown as you make your way through the parking lot, //I’ve been gone all day with no explanation and neither Ralph nor Mom called to see what I was doing?//
You make it back to the grocery store, semi-surprised to see your bike still leaned up against the side of the building, //huh//. //Guess this place really// is //small town//. You mount your bike, carefully balancing your phone between one hand and the handlebar as you start off across the parking lot.
You squint as you make it to the stop sign separating the lot from the road, //there’s no lights out here, either? What does the town collectively go to bed before sundown?// You shake your head and carefully push out onto the road, the only light visible being from your phone.
As you peddle down the near pitch-black street, you suddenly regret not keeping those reflective stickers your Mom had bought you for Christmas last year. You thought they were dumb, and didn’t see why you’d need them biking around New York.
But out here…
You jump, nearly steering yourself off the road as a particularly loud cricket chirps, //whoa!// You swerve back onto the path and force yourself to take in a breath in a failed attempt to calm your increasing heartbeat.
//Calm down, girl. Just because you moved out to a small town in the middle of nowhere and are on a pitch-black road alone at night doesn’t mean anything bad is going to happen. It just //looks// like your life has turned into a horror movie.// Despite your try at reassuring yourself, your heart fails to calm down, and you find yourself gripping your handlebars a little tighter the further down the road you get.
After what felt like forever, you finally see the large outline of the farmhouse come into view, //thank God//. You quicken your pace as you near your driveway, grip on your handlebars relaxing as you see the faint outline of the minivan in the driveway.
You pull up the driveway, doing your best to not hit the car as you come to a stop in front of the garage. You don’t bother to put your kickstand down, opting instead to lean your bike against the garage door. Once you were sure it wasn’t going to fall over, you made your way through the back gate.
You walk up the short concrete steps that lead to the sliding back door and chuckle as your stomach lets out a loud growl. //Good thing I didn’t finish my pizza from last night.//
You pause as you move to open the sliding door, brows furrowing as something crunches under your feet, //what the…?// You turn your cell to face the ground, eyebrows raising as you see pieces of broken glass littered on the deck.
//Maybe I// shouldn’t //of left him alone so long//, You carefully step over the broken glass and into the house, chill going down your spine as you enter and see all the lights are off.
You double check the time on your phone, //it’s only 6:30pm, why would they-//
You cut yourself off, head whipping up as you hear a loud scraping noise come from the second floor, //what was that?// In the next instant, you’re flying up the stairs, feeling of dread growing as you get closer to the top.
You freeze a few stairs away from the top as you spot a man who is most definitely //not// Ralph or your little brother standing in the doorway to one of the rooms. You crane your neck in an attempt to see around him, suppressing a groan as you can’t see anything. You duck your head, eyes focusing on the beam of light that was coming from between his legs.
You slap a hand over your mouth as you spot your mom laying on the floor, eyes glazed over. You swallow thickly as your eyes roam over her body, feeling sick as you realize it isn’t her whole body. She was missing an arm and half of both legs.
//Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!// Your heart is leaping out of your chest as your brain tries to make sense of what you’re seeing.
//W-what do I do?//
[[Call the Police->CD Long End 1]]
[[Run->CD Long End 2]]//Maybe I can find something about the farm online.// You make your way out of the stacks, heading for the front door. You’re mildly surprised as you join a small crowd of people, all also heading for the exit, //I didn’t think anyone else was in here. //
You take a moment to turn back to look over the library, //maybe it’s bigger than it looks?// You turn back around, nearly tripping over your feet as you do so.
You let out a nervous chuckle as you quickly right yourself, blush sweeping across your cheeks as the man in front of you turns around to give you a weird look. You avert your gaze to the floor just before you reach the exit. Not so patiently, you wait as the small crowd exits the building one by one.
The library does have double doors, but for some reason everyone was only using one side of them.
“The other one is already locked.”
The voice gets you to look up from the ground, and you smile at the librarian, who’s holding the door open, “Oh, right.”
“Did you find everything you needed, Dear?”
You nod as you pass through the door, taking in a deep breath as a cool breeze hits your face.
Your eyebrows raise in surprise as you look out across the stores and parking lot. It’s nearly pitch black! The only light coming from anywhere are the head- and taillights of all the cars exiting the parking lot.
You shake your head and carefully make your way through, heading for the grocery store where you’d left your bike, //there’s no street lights?// As you wait for a parked car to back out of it’s space, you dig your cell out of your pocket, searching a moment before turning on your flashlight app.
You frown as you notice the screen of your phone – there’s 0 notifications. Your brows furrow as you continue toward the store, //I’ve been gone all day and neither Ralph nor Mom called to see what happened?// You shake your head as you jump up onto the curb, semi-surprised to see your bike was still leaned against the wall, //huh//.
You mount your bike, manoeuvring your phone so the beam of light was pointed slightly ahead of your handlebars. You let out a breath as you stare out into the darkness, //this should be fun.//
--
As you peddle down the near pitch-black street, you suddenly regret not keeping those reflective stickers your Mom had bought you for Christmas last year. You thought they were dumb, and didn’t see why you’d need them biking around New York.
But out here…
You jump, nearly steering yourself off the road as a particularly loud cricket chirps, //whoa!// You swerve back onto the path and force yourself to take in a breath in a failed attempt to calm your increasing heartbeat.
//Calm down, girl, you’re almost home. Just because you moved out to a small town in the middle of nowhere and are on a pitch-black road alone doesn’t mean anything bad is going to happen.// Despite your try at reassuring yourself, your heart fails to calm down, and you find yourself gripping your handlebars a little tighter as you continue down the road.
You finally see the large outline of the farmhouse come into view a few minutes later, and can’t help but breath out a sigh of relief, //thank God.// You subconsciously quicken your pace as you get closer, wanting to get off the creepy road and tucked safely into your bed as soon as possible.
You pull up the driveway, doing your best to not hit the minivan as you come to a stop in front of the garage. You don’t bother to put your kickstand down, opting instead to lean your bike against the garage door. Once you were sure it wasn’t going to fall over, you made your way through the back gate.
You walk up the short concrete steps that lead to the sliding back door and chuckle as your stomach lets out a loud growl. //Good thing I still have last night’s pizza.//
You pause as you move to open the sliding door, brows furrowing as something crunches under your feet, //what the…?// You turn your cell to face the ground, eyebrows rising as you see pieces of broken glass littered on the deck.
//Maybe I// shouldn’t //of left him alone so long//, You carefully step over the broken glass and into the house, chill going down your spine as you enter and see all the lights are off.
You double check the time on your phone, //it’s only 6:20pm, why would they-//
You cut yourself off, head whipping up as you hear a loud scream come from the second floor, //what was that?// In the next instant, you’re flying up the stairs, feeling of dread growing as you get closer to the top.
You freeze a few stairs away from the top as you spot a man who is most definitely not Ralph or your little brother standing in the doorway to one of the rooms. You crane your neck in an attempt to see around him and feel a scream catch in your throat as you spot your mother.
Her face is twisted in horror, mascara stained tracks running down from both of her eyes, and her mouth is open in a silent scream. You watch, frozen to the spot as the man pushes her backward, and it’s only as she falls to the bedroom floor do you notice the large blood stain quickly soaking through the stomach of her shirt.
//Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!// Your heart is leaping out of your chest as your brain tries to make sense of what you’re seeing. Your mom’s head lolls to the side, and somehow, her eyes find you between the man’s legs. A fresh tear rolls down her cheek as her eyes quickly glaze over.
You swallow thickly and try to get your brain to work, //w-what do I do?//
[[Call the Police->CD Long End 1]]
[[Run->CD Long End 2]]//Of course, I have to-// your thought cuts off as your hand moves to your jeans pocket, mind somewhat coming out of the daze it’s in to remember you left your phone on your bathroom counter.
You waste no time in running down the hall, slamming your bedroom door behind you as you race into your bathroom. You close that door, too and turn the useless lock. It makes a small difference in helping you feel better.
Your eyes scan the counter and you frown as you see it’s empty, //I could’ve sworn I left it-//
“Looking for this?”
The voice from your right makes a chill go down your spine, and you shakily bring your eyes to your bathtub. You can’t help but gasp as the curtain pulls back to reveal a tall man who’s face was splattered with blood, holding your phone up.
“N-no…” You take a step backward as he jumps out of the tub, phone falling from his hand.
You barely have time to think as the phone smashes against the porcelain, and he easily lifts you off the ground by the neck with one hand.
He pushes you against the opposite wall, smiling as he brings a bloody knife up to your neck. He pauses then, brows slightly furrowing as you begin to cry. His head tilts to one side, as if he was studying your face.
//Like he’s never seen anyone cry before.// You struggle against his grip, clawing and kicking at him in an attempt to get him to let you go. His grip around your throat tightens, and your body’s panic response takes over as your air supply gets cut off.
You involuntarily start making a gagging noise. This noise seems to get him out of his thoughts, and a dark smile lights up his face as he drags the knife across your neck. Blood sprays out, almost completely covering one half of his face.
His dark chuckle sends goose bumps over your body and he lets you fall to the ground in the next moment. You shoot your hand out, numb fingers barely grasping his boot. You feel your strength begin to fade as he heads out the bathroom door, //I knew moving here was a mistake.//
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]]//Johnny!// You rush out of your parent’s bedroom and race down the hall, not bothering to knock as you come to your little brother’s new room.
You burst threw the door and hastily turn on the light, wild eyes darting around the room. //Oh no…// Your heartbeat is in your ears and you feel fresh tears well up in your eyes as you spot your younger brother.
His body is curled up in a ball in the middle of his bed. His blanket is kicked down to the foot of it and streaked with blood. There’s a massive pool of blood under your brother’s body, and it seems like the mattress is sagging under the weight of it. You shake your head as your eyes land on the small trail of blood that’s flowing from your brother’s side, across the mattress and is still slowly dripping down onto the hardwood floor.
//No…// Your brain tries to make sense of the scene in front you. //He’s still bleeding? But, that would mean-//
You cut your thought off, head whipping up as you hear a creak of wood come from your room, //oh my God… the killer’s still here!// You waste no time in rushing out of your brother’s bedroom, making a break for the stair case.
You stop at the top of the stairs as you hear your bedroom door swing open. You can’t help but bring your wide eyes up to the killer. The man – who’s wearing a tool belt, and has blood splattered across his face – looks displeased until he spots you. Then a sadistic smile splits his face as he starts down the hallway, “//There// you are!”
Your body breaks out into goose bumps as you race down the stairs, not bothering to waste any time in choosing an exit. You bee-line into the living room, nearly tripping over a box in your haste to reach the sliding glass door.
It takes a moment longer than you’d like for your shaking hands to wrench the door open. You don’t have to bother looking behind you as you hear the man’s heavy footsteps on the stairs.
You make it out onto your deck, stopping halfway out as the cold breeze hits you. Your wild eyes dart between the open backyard field, and the gate that leads to the garage, //where do I go?//
[[Into the Backyard!->SD1 Alt End 2 Ending 1]]
[[Hide in the Garage!->SD1 Alt End 2 Ending 2]]You fly down the small steps of the deck and head out into the tall grass of your backyard. You stop once you feel like you’re breathing in fire and finally turn back to face the house.
It’s nearly pitch-black out here, making it very hard for you to spot the killer that’s chasing you. You blink your eyes rapidly, hoping to make them adjust to the dim moonlight faster. You force yourself to take in some deep breaths as you scan the yard. You frown as you don’t spot anything, and chance taking a few more steps backward.
The backyard seems quiet, the only things moving are the blades of tall grass, bending lightly in the cool night breeze. You feel a pit settle into your stomach at the stillness of the night, //did he really not follow me out the door?//
“Of course I did.”
The voice from behind you gets you to jump up, heart nearly leaping out of your chest as you spin around. You get no more than a half-step away when you feel your feet leave the ground, and a strong hand wrap itself around your throat.
You start thrashing, clawing and kicking at the arm and torso of the killer you still somehow can’t see. His low chuckle cuts through the still of the night and sends a chill down your spine, getting you to momentarily stop your squirming.
“Good,” You feel a sharp pain stab you in the stomach then, and let out a loud gasp of air as you’re suddenly falling to the ground. You land in the grass with a hard //thud//, and begin to gargle on blood. You raise your eyes to the killer, and see nothing but white teeth break through the darkness.
His teeth are practically glowing white against the dark sky. He bends down so you’re more or less eye level, and his mouth twists up into a cruel smile, “I //love// when you don’t fight back.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]] You fly down the small steps of the deck and nearly run a cartoon-style hole in the side of the garage. You skid to a stop and rip the door open, slamming it shut behind you in the next moment.
You’re taking in heaving breathes as you back yourself up into the garage. You nearly fall over a box as you see a shadow appear in the window. You freeze on the spot as the door swings open.
Your brain short circuits as the light is flicked on, bathing the garage in low yellow light. You squint against it and finally get a good look at the killer. He’s tall, with ginger hair – though it’s hard to tell in this light if that’s his actual colour or if it’s stayed with blood – and his face has speckles of blood dotting it like freckles.
He stalks toward you, sadistic smile on his face as he raises a bloody knife, “I was hoping you wouldn’t pick the field.”
You swallow thickly and blindly reach behind you, tossing a box in his direction before attempting to make a break for the large garage door. In your haste, you trip over something, and land hard on the ground with a //thud//.
You huff in annoyance and waste no time getting yourself back to your feet, but it’s no use. The killer is standing over you in the next moment, strong hand wrapping itself around your throat. He easily lifts you from the ground, feet dangling uselessly under you as he holds you up.
You feel fresh tears spill from your eyes as you finally look into his eyes, “W-why…?”
He tilts his head slightly to the side at that – as if he doesn’t understand your question – before he plunges his knife into your chest.
You let out a strangled cry as the sharp pain shoots through your body, and you involuntarily vomit from the pain.
“Ew!” His face twists in disgust and he drops you, taking a few steps back as your puke hits him. You crumple to the floor, no longer able to control your body. You watch with quickly blackening vision as he takes a rag out of his tool belt and begins cleaning his hand, shaking his head, “I //hate// when they do that.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]]You plug the charger into the outlet behind your nightstand, using more force than necessary to plug the other end into your phone, //I should be good here.// You cautiously take a seat on your bed, eyes staying on the little empty battery picture that appears on your screen, //I don’t need it all the way charged, just enough it’ll stay on for me to call the police.//
You force yourself to take in a deep breath and close your eyes in a failed attempt to calm yourself down. With your eyes closed, your mind flashes to the images of your mom and Ralph’s dead bodies. You shake your head trying to dispel the mental pictures, //maybe if I had come back faster, I could’ve…//
You shake your head, more forcefully this time, //no, do not go there. This //isn’t// your fault. If you had gotten home earlier, you probably also would’ve been killed.// You push yourself backward, so you’re lying on your back against your bed. //How could things get so messed up?//
Your ear perks as you hear a noise, prompting you to sit up, eyes flying open. You listen intently for a moment, brows furrowing, //what is that? //You get off your bed, tilting your head in an attempt to hear better, //it almost sounds like… whispering?// You take a step closer to the wall, eyebrows rising in surprise as the noise gets closer, //it’s coming from inside the walls?//
[[Investigate->BD Alt End 1 Long]]
[[Ignore It - It Could Be The Killer->BD Alt End 1 Short]]//Why am I even debating this?// You shake your head at yourself and make your way across to your bathroom, //as if I should chance staying out in the open. //
You get in your bathroom, closing the door and turning the lock behind you. In your panic, you temporarily forget the lock doesn’t actually work. Once the door was shut, you look around the small space, //there’s gotta be an outlet in here somewhere.//
Your eyes roam over the room, and you feel your hopes dashed as you don’t spot one. //Seriously?// You take a few steps away from the door, crouching down to check under the sink and along the baseboard,// outlets in a bathroom are a thing! Do people out here not own hair dryers?//
You jump as you hear the front door crash open, shit. You spin around to face the closed bathroom door, heartbeat in your ears, //what do I do now?//
[[Stay in the Bathroom->Shower Death 4]]
[[Make a Break for the Closet->BD Alt End 2 End]]//Maybe if I want to get killed//, you shake your head at yourself and make your way over to the closet. You close the closet door behind you and immediately reach up to pull the chain on the ceiling light.
You start scoping out the closet, on the hunt for an outlet. After a moment of checking and coming up empty, a heavy boulder settles into your stomach, //shit, did I pick wrong? Maybe I’ll have time to-//
You cut your thought off as you move a small stack of boxes and reveal an outlet against the baseboard, //yes!// Wasting no time, you drop to your knees and plug the charger into the wall, before attaching the other end to your phone. You let out a small breath of relief as the empty battery graphic lights up your screen a moment later, green bubbles flowing into it to signal the charger was doing it’s job.
//Okay//, You lean your back against the wall, sitting beside your phone, //now I just have to wait//. You momentarily close your eyes, feeling relatively safe for the moment. You take this quiet opportunity to get your heartbeat and mounting panic under control.
Though the images of your dead parents continue to play across your closed eyelids, you feel your body begin to relax slightly. Or maybe the extreme craziness of the situation was making you tired.
Either way, you had to fight to keep yourself from dozing off.
The front door bangs open then, making you jump. Your heartbeat begins to race again and you force yourself to take a deep breath, //keep it together, girl.// You flick your eyes down to your phone, surprised to see the battery image is already half full. //No way is that right. //
You pick up your phone, holding down the power button to turn it on. You let out a breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding in as the logo comes up on the screen, signalling the device was powering up.
//Wow//, You take the charger out of the bottom, letting it fall to the ground as you open your texting app. You quickly punch in 911 and craft a message. After taking a moment to ensure it had all the relevant information, you click //Send//.
Feeling a slight sense of relief knowing the authorities had been alerted, your shoulders deflate in relative relief. //Now all I have to do is stay hidden until they show up.// Your phone buzzes then, much to your surprise. You quickly read the message, eyebrows rising in surprise.
//We’re sorry. This service is not yet available in your area. If this is a real emergency, please voice-call 911. For less critical emergencies, please contact your local police department. If you’d like to add your location to our text-to service, click here to submit a request form.//
Your bedroom door bangs open then, much to your surprise, //oh no.// You look around the small room you’re standing in and shake your head, //I can’t call them from in here, he’ll hear me.//
[[Wait Until He Leaves, Then Call->BD Alt Avoided No]]
[[Look For Another Way Out->Good Plot Beg]]You place your phone down on the nightstand as you walk the few steps over, pressing your ear to the wall, “H-hello?”
You hear a weird scrapping noise, which surprises you. //Could someone seriously be //in// the walls?// The boulder of dread in your stomach grows as the thought hits you, //I haven’t found Johnny’s body. //
Doing your best to swallow your fear, you lick your lips, “J-Johnny, is that you?”
After a breathless moment, you hear a small tap. //Oh my God!// You take a step away from the wall, eyes wide, “D-don’t worry buddy, I’ll get you out.”
You scan the wall, hands twitching at your sides, //how did he get in there?// You look over the whole wall and you frown as you don’t see any way to get into it. Your eyes drift over to the corner, where the back wall meets the joining one that separates your bedroom from the others.
An idea flashes into your mind then, and you take a half-step closer to the wall, “H-hang on, buddy. I’ll be right back.”
You rush out your bedroom door, quickly getting yourself to your little brother’s bedroom. You wince as you step over Ralph’s body, doing your best not to look as you do so.
Once you’re in the room, you start scanning the walls. A chill goes down your spine as you don’t spot any sort of door. You spot a lone painting hanging against the wall to your right and quickly make your way over, //this has to be it.// You lift the painting out of the way and smile as you see a door for a dumb waiter.
Wasting no time, you open the door and poke your head through, blinking against the darkness, “Johnny?”
Your ears strain as you wait to hear a reply, and take the time to pull more of yourself through the door. The dumb waiter itself isn’t there, and though you can’t see anything, you can feel a cool wind on your face. You’re so focused on helping your little brother, that you barely register the front door creak open.
“L-Lily?”
You let out a small breath of relief as you hear your brother’s voice. It’s far away and barely even a whisper, but it’s there. You smile into the darkness and nod your head, “Yeah, it’s me.” You blink your eyes, doing your best to keep your annoyance at bay as there’s no light for them to adjust to, “Where are you?”
“I-I don’t know.”
“That’s okay. Just stay where you are, and I’ll get you, okay?”
“O-okay.”
You raise your head and pull yourself slightly out of the hole, while simultaneously bringing one of your feet up to rest on the bottom of the opening. You manage to get your knee into the hole, and wince as you feel the top of the opening dig into the back of your neck. Damn, that’s not gonna work.
You frown against the darkness and remove your foot. //Okay, well maybe I can…// your thought trails off as you bend at the waist, moving your head further into the space. //Okay, yeah, see? This should-//
Your thought cuts off as you feel your shoulders get stuck on the sides of the door, damn it. You try to pull them through for a minute, wiggling one way then the other, before letting out a defeated grunt.
“Lily?”
“Okay buddy,” You do your best to keep your voice calm, despite the bad feeling that washes over you, “I’m too big to fit. So I’m gonna need you to follow the sound of my voice, okay?”
“I-I can’t.”
“I know you’re scared,” You shift your weight from one foot to the other, trying to will your eyes into seeing his face, “But you can do this. I’m right here, okay? Just come toward me and you’ll be out in no time.”
“I-I’ll try.”
“You can do it, buddy. I’m right here.”
In the next moment, you feel something strong wrap around your ankle, and pull you backward, //what the…?//
You land on your back hard, and need to squint your eyes against the brightness of the room. You blink your eyes, mouth falling open as you see the killer standing over you. //Oh no!// Before your brain has time to think, you watch your foot come up and kick his stomach, sending him stumbling backwards into the dresser.
He grunts in annoyance and shakes his head, “That wasn’t very nice.”
You manage to get to your feet and head for the door when you hear a loud shriek. You turn back around and fail to swallow against the lump in your throat as you see your little brother get dragged out of the dumb waiter by his hair.
You barely have time to take a step toward them when the man slices his knife across your little brother’s neck.
“//No//!” Goose bumps break out across your body and you bring your hands up as blood sprays out over the room, coating you and the killer almost instantly.
You lower your arms a moment later, unconsciously shaking blood off them as your wide eyes watch as the killer drops your brother’s still gurgling body to the floor.
You can’t help but feel guilty as you stare at into his quickly glazing over eyes, //I’m so sorry.//
“Don’t be.” You feel a strong hand wrap itself around your neck then, and your feet leave the ground in the next moment. The killer is smiling at you as he holds you up against the wall. He brings his knife hand up, using the back of it to wipe some blood from his face. It does nothing but smear across his skin, making him look even more deranged.
He plunges the knife into your chest then, white-hot pain exploding from the point of impact a moment later. You open your mouth in a silent scream as he yanks the knife out. He let’s you unceremoniously fall to the ground, chuckling as he drops the knife into one of the pockets of his tool belt, “I wouldn’t of found him without your help.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->BD Alt End 1]]
[[Start Over?->Lily Start]]//Don’t get distracted//, you shake your head at yourself and make the short trip back over to sit on your bed, //the killer probably wants me to investigate.// Your eyes go back to your phone, and you let out a sigh. The little green line indicating it’s charge is taking forever to fill in the empty battery picture.
Or maybe you were just more impatient than usual to have it semi-charged. You start bouncing your leg as you wait, forcing yourself to tear your eyes away from the device, //maybe it’s like a watched pot.//
You jump up as you hear the front door crash open, //crap.// You unplug your phone and dive over your bed, crouching behind the far side of it, so you weren’t visible from your door. //Please, please, please//, you hold down the power button, willing your phone to turn on.
You let out a small breath of relief as the screen lights up with the logo, yes! You wait breathlessly as it turns itself on, heart trying to escape your chest as you don’t hear any further movement from downstairs.
//They couldn’t of left at least one creaky stair during the remodel?// Your eyes keep flicking between your powering up phone and your closed bedroom door. As your anxiety mounts, you decide to slide yourself under your bed. You just finish pulling your legs under when your bedroom door bursts open.
You bite your tongue, successfully stopping yourself from letting out a startled noise as you see the man stalk a few steps into the room. He’s wearing what appear to be hiking boots, and you can’t help but notice the blood spattered across them.
You lower your eyes to your phone, which has finally finished powering up. You quickly check the battery life in the top corner, //7%, should be just enough//, you quickly open your text option and punch in 911. You craft your message and once you’re certain it’s good, you send it off.
The man makes his way over to the bathroom, ripping the door open a moment later and disappears inside. Your heart is in your throat as he returns, making his way over to the closet.
“I know you’re in here.”
His voice sends a chill down your spine. You nearly jump as your phone vibrates, signalling a reply text. You lower your eyes to the screen, mouth dropping open as you read the reply.
//We’re sorry. This service is not yet available in your area. If this is a real emergency, please voice-call 911. For less critical emergencies, please contact your local police department. If you’d like to add your location to our text-to service, click here to submit a request form.//
Your mouth stays open as you re-read the text, //seriously?// You shake your head in disbelief and exit your messages, //what the hell kind of-//
Your thought cuts off as you’re pulled out from under the bed by your ankle. The killer smiles down at you, “There you are!”
Your fight or flight instinct kicks in then and you immediately bring your free leg up in an attempt to kick him in the chest. He chuckles at you and easily catches your leg. There’s a moment of wrestling before he decides to just sit on your chest, pinning your legs down with his own.
Tears spring to your eyes as he produces a bloody knife. You swallow thickly and attempt to bring your hands up to shield your face, which he easily prevents by pressing his knife against your throat.
“P-please,” You feel your tears begin to spill from your eyes as you stare up at him, “D-don’t kill me.”
“Don’t worry,” He gently brushes some hair out of your face with his knife hand, before bringing it back up to your throat, “I’ll make it quick.”
“Wait!”
Your surprise matches his at your loud outburst. He raises an eyebrow at you, “What?”
//Crap//, you swallow thickly, brain whirring as you try to think of something, “Uh… h-how did you know I was here?”
He chuckles at that, “Seriously? Those are your last words?” At the look on your face, he shrugs and nods to your room, “The light was on.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->BD Alt End 1]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] You cautiously make your way over to the tub, //if I stay quiet, maybe he won’t find me.// You slowly pull the curtain over, shoulders tensing at the sound the rings make against the metal bar. You climb in a moment later, carefully pulling the curtain back over.
Once inside, you crouch down and do your best to quiet your breathing. You lower your gaze from the curtain to the phone that was clutched in your hand. Despite not being able to charge it, you try holding down the power button, hoping it turns on.
The logo flashes across the screen before completely disappearing, screen staying black. //No, no, no//, you press the power button again, feeling your panic begin to take over, //come on. Come //on //you stupid-//
Your head whips up as you hear your bedroom door bang open. Your heart attempts to leap out of your chest, and you can do nothing but wait as you hear footsteps through the wall as the killer makes his way around your room.
Your eyes are practically boring a hole through the shower curtain, and you’re certain the killer can hear your heart with how loud it’s beating. Your hands are white knuckled around the useless phone and charger that’s sitting in your lap.
After a moment of quiet – which lasts just long enough to give you false hope – the bathroom door opens. You do your best to keep the scream of terror that’s in your throat from escaping as you watch the killer’s shadow through the curtain.
He just stands there for a moment, before you see his head turn, and his shadow get closer to the tub. You’re practically shaking with fright as his hand reaches for the curtain.
“A-ha!”
The shower curtain is ripped open then, and his smile of triumph is quickly replaced with confusion as he’s staring at nothing but tiles. A small frown forms on his face before he looks down, eyebrows rising as he finally spots you, “Ah.”
Without thinking, you whip the wall plug end of your charger at him as you scramble to your feet.
“Ow!” He lets out a low growl and stumbles back as the device hits his face, leaving a small cut across his cheek. He brings one hand up to feel the wound, eyes widening as his fingers come away with blood. “You’ll regret that, bitch.”
In the next moment, he’s got you by your hair as you desperately try to get your legs out of the tub. You struggle against him, letting your phone fall as you bring your hands up in an attempt to pry his fingers from your scalp.
You’re shrieking as he adjusts his grip, fist curling into your hair. Before your brain has time to catch up to what’s happening, you feel your arms shoot out as he attempts to smash your face into the edge of the tub.
You barely have time to get in a breath before your head is whipped into the tile wall on your left. Dazed by the blow, your body doesn’t have time to anticipate the next face smash so your arms stay at your sides as your head is sent crashing back into the edge of the tub. Your head hits the porcelain with a deafening //crack//.
Blood spills from your mouth and you can’t see through your tears as you feel your head once again head for the tile wall. There’s ringing in your ears after the blow, or perhaps it’s your heartbeat? It’s too hard for you to focus now, let alone try to fight back. The only clear thing you know is the killer’s hand on the top of your head.
A dark chuckle echoes through the room as you feel your head rise one more time.
“Goodnight, bitch.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->BD Alt End 2 Beg]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] //Maybe there’s one in my closet.// You hesitate with your hand on the bathroom door. //Should I really chance running out now that he’s back in the house? What if he sees me?//
You let out a low groan as you feel your panic begin to set in, //I don’t have time for this!// You shake your head and force yourself to take in a deep breath, //come on girl, focus. Make a decision.//
After another minute, you decide, and rip your bathroom door open.
You make the short trip toward the closet, stopping short as your bedroom door bursts open, //no…// You slide yourself backward, so you’re against the wall between the bathroom and closet as the killer makes his way into the room. He immediately starts over toward the bed.
You lick your lips in nervousness as you watch him frown at your bed, taking a moment to crouch down and check under the mattress. His frown deepens as he straightens back up and as he turns to face your direction, your body can’t take it anymore and you feel your feet rush you toward the door before your brain as time to realize what’s happening.
The killer is quick on your heels, and you get maybe three steps out into the hallway before you go crashing to the ground, landing hard on your back. You groan in pain and manage to roll over just in time to see the killer kneel over you, sliding what looks like fishing line out of the tool belt on his hips.
“No! Help!” You can’t help but scream as panic completely takes over.
The screaming and involuntary thrashing doesn’t seem to faze the killer at all. He quickly gets your wild limbs under control as he crawls the few inches up your body. He comes to a stop on your stomach, curling his legs around yours, pinning them to the ground.
Before you have time to think, he’s wrapping the line around your throat and pulling it, hard. Your eyes bulge out and your mouth opens as your air gets cut off. You try uselessly to claw at the line, fingertips quickly bleeding as they attempt to pry the line away from your throat.
Tears begin leaking from your eyes as you stare up at the killer, feeling the fight slowly begin to leave your body. Your brows furrow as you notice he’s not smiling as he chokes you out like you thought he would. Instead, his own brows are furrowed, and he looks almost… perplexed by what he’s doing.
//That can’t be right//, dark spots begin to dance along the edges of your vision, and you open your mouth in a silent attempt to question him. Despite no sound coming out, the killer’s eyes flick up from your throat to your face, seemingly able to understand the question you didn’t ask.
He grunts, pulling the line impossibly tighter, face still scrunched with confusion, “I thought I already killed you.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->BD Alt End 2 Beg]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] //Yeah, that should work//, you sit back down in your spot beside the outlet, slowly sliding a stack of boxes in front of you, //once he gives up I’ll-//
You cut your thought off as the closet door gets ripped open then. You cover your mouth with one hand in an attempt to quiet your breathing. Your wide eyes can barely see him between the wall and stack of boxes, but you count that as a good thing. If you can barely see him, he can’t see you… right?
“I know you’re in here, Sweetheart.”
His sing-song voice sends a chill down your spine, but you don’t dare move. Your heartbeat speeds up as he takes a few steps into the small room, //he’s just trying to lure me out. No way he knows for certain.//
You resist the urge to shift your position as he steps out of view from the crack. You hear him touch the chain that’s attached to the light and close your eyes momentarily at your own stupidity, //shit//.
Your panic rises as you see his hands wrap around the top box on the stack you’re hiding behind. His face replaces the top box in the next instant, smile sliding off his face as he doesn’t spot you.
//Glad I’m not standing//, Your wide eyes stare up at him as he looks both ways across the back wall, brows furrowing. He goes to replace the box, stopping as your phone vibrates.
//Shit!// Your eyes can’t help but glance down at it, and you grit your teeth in annoyance as you see the game notification. You shake your head and raise your eyes back up, feeling a scream catch in your throat as you see the killer smiling down at you.
“Hi.”
Without having time to think, you kick the remaining boxes toward him as hard as you can. He lets out a grunt as they fall into him, giving you just enough time to scramble to your feet. You get all of two steps away when you realize you ran in the wrong direction and are facing the back wall of the closet instead of your bedroom. //Crap.//
You spin around just in time to see him push the box out of his way, face contorted in anger, “That wasn’t very nice.”
You dart to the right in an attempt to side-step him, heartbeat in your ears. You get a few steps away before you’re slammed hard into the sidewall. You let out a cry of pain as a loud //pop// rings out through the room. You feel bile rise up your throat as you bring your left hand over to cradle your right arm, shoulder blazing in fire.
The killer wastes no time in turning you around and slamming you back-first into the wall. You let out a gasp of air as you hit the wall, before crying out in pain as he brings a hand up to your injured shoulder, keeping you pinned.
He takes a few steps closer to you, bringing a knife up to your throat. You whimper in pain and terror as the cool metal meets your skin. You turn watery eyes to his face and feel your brows furrow slightly as you take in his expression. If you were able to think clearly, you’d say he looked almost… sorry?
//That can’t be right//, You open your mouth just as he drags the knife across your throat. You immediately start gagging, blood spilling from your mouth a moment later. He lets his hand fall from your shoulder, watching as you slide down the wall and onto the floor.
He wipes the knife off with a rag as he continues to stand there, watching the life drain from your body. He shakes his head at you just as your vision begins to blur, “You weren’t supposed to get hurt.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again?->BD Alt Avoided]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] //Yeah, I’m sure there’s another way out of here. Old houses// always //have multiple exits for closets.// You roll your eyes but continue to look around the small space, anyway. After a moment of searching, you lean your head back, letting out a sigh of defeat, //guess I’m-//
//Wait a minute//, You squint up at a large square that’s behind the shelf on the back wall. //That almost looks like a door.// As quietly as you can, you slide a stack of boxes over to where you’re standing. You place a foot on the bottom box and put some of your weight on it, not too surprised when the top of the box bends.
//These are just clothes boxes, they’ll never hold me.// You turn around the small space again, looking for something more stable you could use when the closet door swings open.
//Shit!// The killer spots you instantly and rushes forward. Without thinking, you scramble up the boxes, managing to grab the edge of the shelf with your hands. You grunt and attempt to pull yourself up as the killer crashes into the boxes of clothes with his momentum.
//Come on!// You grit your teeth as you attempt to pull yourself up again, not having luck. You kick your legs as you feel the killer’s hands on you. Somehow, you manage to not only land a kick to his chest, but the momentum gives you just enough of a boost to get yourself up onto the shelf.
Wasting no time to marvel at the extraordinary feat you just managed, you push on the door, needing to stay on your hands and knees to get inside. The killer grunts in annoyance and makes the same jump you did, lifting himself easily up to the shelf.
He raises an eyebrow at you, “Did you really think it was going to be that-”
His sentence gets cut off as the shelf breaks from the wall, sending him crashing to the ground with a loud //thud. Oh my God//, You blink in surprise as he sits up amongst the fresh rubble, bringing a hand up to his dazed head.
Seeing enough, you kick the door over before starting to crawl down the black space. Once you’re far enough away to feel like you can catch your breath again, and keeping your ears sharp for any sign the killer managed to get through the door, you take a moment to turn on the flashlight app on your phone.
//Where the hell am I?// You shine the light around the small space, brows furrowing as you see nothing but metal. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say you were in some sort of air vent. But houses only have air vents big enough for people to climb through in movies… right?
Your furrow deepens as you think back, you thought you remembered seeing other vents in the floors of all the bedrooms. Besides that, this metalwork looked much too knew to be part of the house from before the renovation.
You crawl a few feet further down the metal hall, before stopping to shake your head at yourself, //what am I doing? I need to call the police before he finds some way to get in here.//
You brought your phone to your face, blinking as you momentarily blinded yourself with the light before dialling. You bring the phone to your ear and do your best to take in some calming breaths as it starts ringing.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“Hi, yes, I’m at 14 Lake Street. A man broke into my house and killed my family. He tried to kill me too but I-I got away.”
“Okay, I’m dispatching a car to your location now. Is there anyone else in the house?”
“No, no it’s just me and him. I-I’m the only one left.”
As the words leave your lips, you feel a sinking feeling – the reality of your situation just now hitting you. Tears prick at the corner’s of your eyes as the realization sets in, //oh my God…//
“Where are you in the house?”
“I… don’t know.” You look around the space you’re in again, doing your best to keep yourself focused on the call. “It looks like some sort of air vent. I had to crawl through a door in my closet to get here. The man couldn’t follow me.”
“Okay, I’m relaying this information to the dispatched car. What’s your name, Sweetie?”
“L-Lily.”
“What a pretty name! Lily, you’re doing great. And how old are you?”
Your heart begins to hammer against your chest and you feel your breathing turn shallow as your mind starts to race, //they’re really gone… I’m never going to see Mom again. Or get in a fight with Ralph, or tell Johnny to shut up//, you sniff as your tears start falling, //I’ll never get to tell Mom I love her…//
“Lily, are you still there?”
“I-I’m… yeah, sorry.” You sniff loudly again and rub your head into your shoulder in an attempt to wipe your tears away, “Just please get here soon.”
“The car should be there soon, Love. Stay on the line with me until the officers arrive, alright?”
“O-okay.” You attempt to get your breathing back under control and focus on the dispatchers voice, “C-can you-”
The end of your sentence gets cut off as the metal around you lets out a low groan. The next thing you know, you’re falling through the air. You crash land on your back, momentarily winding yourself.
You gasp a few times as you try to get your lungs to work, wild eyes darting around your new surroundings. Once you’re able to get a full breath, you sit up, immediately reaching over to where your phone was lying.
//Shit//, you feel your panic start to mount as you stare at the shattered black screen. //I-it’s okay, girl. The dispatcher said the police were on their way. I just have to stay away from him until then.// You frown as something drips down onto your phone. Bringing one of your fingers up to swipe through it, you realize it’s blood.
After wiping the dot on your pants to clean your fingers, you bring them up to the side of your head, eyes widening as they come away with more blood, //oh shit//. You look around the pile of rubble you’re sitting in for something you can use to hold against your wound.
Upon not seeing anything, you struggle to your feet, beginning to search the small room you’d fallen into. You couldn’t remember seeing this room when you’d moved in, and had no idea how it was attached to the rest of the house.
After a moment of searching, you find a door against the wall to your left. You make your way over to it, furrow deepening, //it looks like a front door.// You close one eye as you lean forward, looking out the peephole, //what the…?//
Even though it was dark, you could tell you were looking out across the driveway at the wheat field. You back away from the door a few steps, head spinning, //if I’m facing the field, then that means I’m… behind the kitchen?//
You take another look around the room – there’s not much to it. There’s an old wooden table against the front wall and some empty wood shelves across from it, but there’s no way out, aside from the door.
//That means the killer can’t get to me. But he must’ve heard that crash…// Your eyes drift back over to the door, //maybe I’d be safer waiting in the field for the cops?//
[[Stay in the Room->Good Plot Ending 1]]
[[Wait in the Field->Good Plot Ending 2]]//No, no, don’t be crazy. I know I’m safe in here, so why would I risk him catching me if I leave?// You shake your head and make your way back over to the pile of rubble, //I’ll just wait here.//
You wipe more blood off your head using your hand as your eyes dart around the mess, //I really need to find something to stop this bleeding.// Upon not seeing anything, you sigh, reaching down to take off your shirt, //just because I’m safe from that lunatic doesn’t mean I want to die from blood loss.//
You quickly fold our t-shirt over itself a few times before bringing it up to wrap around your forehead. You wince as the fabric touches the wound, tying it behind your head as a makeshift bandana tightly.
Doing your best to not focus on the throbbing in your head, you carefully sit yourself back down on the floor. You lean yourself back against the wall, letting your eyes slip closed, //and now we wait.//
--
You startle awake, wild eyes darting around the dark room, //shit, I fell asleep?// You climb to your feet cautiously and listen, there’s a lot of banging and shouting coming through the wall that’s opposite you.
//The police! They must be in the kitchen//, you run over to the wall and start banging on it, “In here! I’m in here, please!”
You continue pounding on the wall, only stopping once you get the distinct feeling you’re being watched. //Oh no//, You cautiously turn away from the wall and feel a scream catch in your throat as you spot the killer. He’s sitting across the room, lazily swinging his knife back and forth.
He stops almost as soon as your eyes land on him, and he smiles, “Found you.”
“//No//!” You start pounding on the wall harder, running across it as he lunges forward, “Help! Help me, please!”
He catches you easily, grunting as he struggles to wrap you up in his arms. It takes a moment, but he finally manages to pull your arms into your chest, pinning you against yourself.
Summoning your waning strength, you kick him, which sends both of you crashing to the floor. He lands on top of you, much to your annoyance. You try to wiggle out from underneath him, but it only serves to get you on your back underneath him.
He struggles up to a sitting position on your lap, wrapping his legs around yours to keep them pinned to the ground. He uses his non-knife hand to pin your arms, and let’s out a loud growl, “Enough!”
His below freezes you to the spot, chill going down your spine at the animalistic tone. You can’t help but shake with fright as you stare up at him, //no… I was so close!// He lets go of your arms as he raises the knife above you, sadistic smile splitting his face, “Did you really think you’d get away?”
“Freeze!”
The yell gets you to crane your neck backward, mouth opening in surprise as you see upside down police flood into the room. They’re all wearing full body armour, have flashlights attached to their very long guns, and some of them even have shields.
You flick your eyes back up to the killer, who looks about as stunned as you feel.
“Put the weapon down and get off the girl! I won’t ask again!”
You can barely hear the officer’s over your pounding heart. The killer flicks his eyes down to your face. Something you can’t quite place flashes across his face, and his hand twitches around the knife.
The room is filled with the loud echoing of firing bullets in the next moment. You watch as the killer falls backward, blood spraying out of his chest as he gets hit. As soon as his back hits the ground, you scramble backward, stopping only once you hit an officer’s legs.
Other officers quickly form a circle around the killer, keeping their guns on his unmoving body. You open and close your mouth a few times in an attempt to get the ringing in your ears to go away. You’ve seen plenty of movies and tv shows, but gun firing in person is a lot louder than they make it seem. Especially in a closed off, small room.
With large guns.
“Lily?”
You squint your eyes as you look up to the officer you’re sitting against. He moves his flashlight so it’s not directly in your eyes and raises an eyebrow at you. It takes your brain a minute to catch up to what he was asking.
At your nod, he gives you a warm smile, turning his head to say something into his shoulder radio. The ringing in your ears starts to fade just as he holds a hand out to help you off the floor.
You get up on shaking legs, needing to lean harder than usual against his body to keep yourself upright. The officer gives you a warm smile as you get yourself up.
He slings his gun up on his right shoulder, before wrapping his other arm around you, beginning to lead you toward the hole that’s in the far side of the wall, “Don’t worry, you’re safe now.”
YOU SURVIVED
[[Try Another Plot Line?->Lily Start]]//He might find a way in here//, You turn the knob on the door, surprised it opens so easily. You step out into the dark night, wasting no time in making your way toward the whet field across your driveway.
You disappear into the wheat in the next moment, gently pushing the stalks out of your way with your hands. As you move deeper, you can barely believe you’re outside. The cool night air that you felt walking across the driveway has completely vanished, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d say the field was actually hot.
Or maybe your brain was playing tricks on you thanks to the wound on your head. You do your best to keep your uneasy feeling at bay as you continue walking. Being out here alone with just the crickets and faint moonlight wasn’t exactly helping to calm you down.
Your eyebrows rise in surprise as the wheat parts to reveal a small clearing with an old stone well off to one side. You bring a hand up to your mouth as you rush out of the wheat, tearful eyes landing on the body of your dog.
//No, no, no, no//, you slide to your knees beside him, tears falling as you look over his not moving body. He’d been gutted – his organs were spilled out in a pile in front of him, and his fur was matted with blood.
You try to swallow the bile you feel rise in your throat and reach a shaking hand over to rest on his head, “I’m sorry, Mr. Snuggles.”
Some of the wheat rustles then, getting your attention off the atrocity in front of you. Getting yourself back onto your feet, you stare at the wheat, subconsciously holding your breath, almost daring it to move again.
You let out your breath as the killer comes forward, sadistic smile lighting up his features, “There you are.”
“I-I called the police.”
Your statement only makes him smile wider, “Too bad you won’t be here to see them.”
In the next instant, he’s rushing toward you, hand outstretched for your neck. You take a few steps backward into the wheat, but it’s no use. He catches you easily a moment later, dragging you back toward the clearing.
“No! Let me go!” You struggle against him, not realizing that kicking your legs was actually helping him drag you.
He comes to a stop in front of the well, thankfully letting go of your head. You have only a moment to get your bearings before your head is being rushed forward, toward the old stones.
Thankfully, your body’s fight or flight instinct kicks in and you bring your arms up, which effectively prevents your head from getting bashed against the rocks. The man lets out an annoyed cry before tossing you backward.
“Why won’t you just die?”
You get yourself up onto shaky arms, spitting blood onto the ground as you glare at him, “Why won’t you just leave me alone?”
He chuckles darkly at that, running a hand through his hair, “Don’t test me, Sweetheart.” He lowers one hand to the crooked tool belt he’s wearing, pulling a knife out of one of the pockets, “I can either make it quick and painless, or slow and painful. Your choice.”
As you raise your eyes to his face, you see something move out the corner of your eye. You slide your eyes over to the movement as he starts toward you, and try to keep the relief off your face as you spot a man in full tactical gear holding a gun. The armoured man raises a finger to his lips, indicating he wants you to stay quiet.
You give him a slight nod before turning your attention back to the killer, who’s still coming forward, “Neither.”
The killer lets out a loud laugh at that, and stops walking. Once his laughter dies down, he shakes his head, “Sorry, Sweetheart.” He grabs his knife by it’s tip, raising it over his head, taking aim at your chest, “That’s not an option.”
You can’t help but flinch at the loud gunshot that rings out over the field in the next moment. Your eyes flow down from the killer’s surprised face to the ground as he falls, bullet wound immediately seeping out blood. The killer starts screaming in pain, bringing a hand up to cover the fresh wound in his stomach.
Before you have time to get yourself back to your feet, the clearing is swarmed by a bunch of armoured men. Most of them crowd around the killer, some check out the dog, and one guy’s wild eyes are looking around the clearing, worry clear on his face.
His eyes finally land on you, and he breathes out a sigh of relief as he makes his way over, “Lily?”
“Y-yeah.” You accept his outstretched hand and get back on your feet.
You watch as the killer is hauled up from the ground, hands now firmly in handcuffs, before he disappears into a sea of armoured men. The men start their journey through the wheat, and it’s not until the killer disappears from sight that you let out your own breath of relief.
The detective in front of you nods to the blood-soaked t-shirt wrapped around your head, “Come on. Let’s get you checked out.”
He has a guiding hand on your back as you make your own way through the field, toward the road. You can’t help but look back at the house as you walk, and shake your head, so much for boring.
YOU SURVIVED
[[Try Another Plot?->Lily Start]]//It’s safer if I stay here//, You dig your hand into your pocket for your phone, brows furrowing as you don’t feel it, //where did I…?// Taking a moment to think back, you let out a small groan as you remember it’s sitting on your dresser.
//Right, shit//. You press your ear back to the closet door, holding your breath as you strain to hear, //I should be able to dart out and get it without attracting… whatever it is that’s going on out there.//
You chew your lip as you think, //I can’t exactly stay in here forever. And what if it turns out to be nothing?//
[[Get Your Phone->WIC Alt Middle]]Before your brain has time to catch up, you’re moving back toward the closet, narrowly getting the door closed just as the man reaches your bedroom door. You’re gasping for breath as your wild eyes look around the small space. You don’t see another way out, and can’t help the sense of dread that washes over you as you realize you’ve trapped yourself.
The man starts pounding on the door then, sending you jumping across the room. Now that you’ve moved, he easily busts the door open, near feral eyes landing on you. You blindly feel to your right and toss the first thing your hand wraps around at him.
He’s not fazed at all by the empty purse you tossed at his chest. He easily steps over it as it falls to the ground, hand snapping out to lift you off the ground by your neck.
You gasp for air as his crushing hand squeezes your windpipe. Your hands immediately go up to his, desperately trying to claw him off you. You kick your legs out as he walks you backward, slamming you into the back wall.
The blow to your head stuns you for a moment, and your vision goes double. You groan in pain, limbs going limp at your sides.
The man smiles at you as your body goes limp, “That’s more like it.”
He produces a knife from the crooked tool belt he was wearing and plunges it into your chest. You cry out as white-hot pain explodes through your body. You bring watering eyes to the killer’s face, blood starting to dribble out of your mouth.
He brings his face close to yours, locking eyes with you just as dark spots begin to creep along the edges of your vision, “You shouldn’t have come home.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again ->Walk In Closet Start]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] Before your brain has time to register a decision, you find yourself slamming the bathroom door shut behind you. You take a moment to lean against it as you attempt to get your breathing under control. Not wanting to waste time, you make a beeline for your tub, nearly falling over the edge of it in your hurry to hide inside.
You slowly drag the shower curtain over, wincing at the noise it makes. You bring a hand up to cover your mouth as you hear the man walk around your bedroom. It’s hard to hear his footsteps over the sound of your pounding heart.
After a moment of nothing happening, you let out a small breath, //maybe he didn’t actually-//
The bathroom door crashes open then. You look around at the tub, not finding a weapon. You snatch the shampoo bottle off the corner and pop the lid open, hands twitching around it as you see the man’s shadow reaching for the curtain.
As soon as he pulls it back, you raise the shampoo bottle, squeezing it as hard as you can. The squirt of shampoo hits his chest, much to his confusion. He watches a moment as it slides down his shirt, before bringing his eyes back to your face, raising an eyebrow, “Was that supposed to hurt?”
Not able to think of anything else, you chuck the whole bottle at him then, and attempt to squirt around him. You manage to get one leg out of the tub while he swats the shampoo bottle away from his face.
In the next moment, he’s got you by your hair, //shit//. You struggle against him, bringing your hands up in an attempt to pry his fingers from your scalp.
You’re shrieking as he adjusts his grip, fist curling into your hair harder. Before you have time to think of some other plan, you feel your arms shoot out as he attempts to smash your face into the edge of the tub.
You barely have time to get in a breath before your head is whipped into the tile wall on your left. Dazed by the blow and now seeing double, your body doesn’t have time to anticipate the next face smash into the edge of the tub. Your arms stay at your sides as your head is sent crashing back into the edge of the tub. Your head hits the porcelain with a deafening //crack//.
Blood spills from your mouth and you can’t see through your tears as you feel your head once again head for the tile wall. There’s ringing in your ears after that blow, and your body’s seemed to given up helping you fight. You can barely feel the blood that’s pouring from your head. The only still clear feeling is the killer’s hand firmly planted on the top of your head.
A dark chuckle echoes through the room as you feel your head rise one more time.
“Goodnight, bitch.”
''YOU HAVE DIED''
[[Try Again->Walk In Closet Start]]
[[Start Over->Lily Start]] Taking in a steeling breath, you slowly open the closet door, poking your head around it as soon as you have enough space. You cautiously make the short journey over to your dresser, unable to resist peeking out into the hall. Since you’re on the opposite side, you opt to use the crack between the door and your wall, //just in case.//
The hall is pretty dark, so it takes a moment for your eyes to locate anything. They stop on the light spilling out from your mom’s open bedroom door. The small cast of light across the floor is more than enough to highlight a man much too big to be Ralph or your little brother dragging a body by its ankle toward the stairs.
You gasp as you see a dark trail behind the body, immediately slapping a hand over your mouth as the man’s head whips up.
//Shit, shit, shit//, You feel a chill go down your spine as he locks eyes with you through the crack. You take a few steps away from the crack as he drops the foot and starts down the hall toward you.
//What do I do?//
[[Back in the Closet->WIC End 1]]
[[To the Bathroom->WIC End 2]]