The Midnight Game

The Midnight Game 

 “Sorry I’m late I had an emergency today” the therapist said and shut the door behind her and proceeded to sit looking through files on her desk. “It`s alright can we start my session?” the patient asked sitting opposite her with a uncomfortable smile on her face. “Yes…let`s see…” then she open one particular file. “Rita Livingston…and this is your first session, Nice to meet you I’m Doctor Adrian and I’ll be your psychiatrist” she said and held out a hand to Rita with a smile on her face. Rita`s smile was gone as soon as she had shaken Adrian’s hand, she was finally conscious of the fact that she is in therapy now, well it`s a better feeling than the thousand mixed feeling attempts she`d made to leave the room before Adrian arrived.

But now she felt like she was practically glued to the seat she was in. “So…how are you Rita?” Doctor Adrian asked her with that smile still on her face. “Uh…I’m fine…” she replied awkwardly. She was truly sure she wanted to leave the room now. “Good I’m fine to then” Adrian replied noticing her uneasy that didn't faze her. She would soon grow more comfortable with the idea of getting help.

 “Tel me a little about yourself as in hobbies, likes dislike and anything you possible want to tell” “Um well I’m Rita like I said, 16 years old, Um…I’m a libra, I despise the colour green, I hate the cold and love swimming”   “okay that’s wonderful good, next we`ll start with what`s been a bother to you lately” “Well yes I’ve been having these strange dreams and panic attacks since…” “Since…you know the traumatic event that trigged such?” “The Midnight Game…” “The midnight game…?” “…” “Can you please elaborate this game for me” Rita heart began to beat; maybe this was a bad idea. “It’s a pagan ritual used to scare or punish people who do not listen or follow the rules,” “I’ve never heard of it is it the ritual the reason you are experiencing the post trauma”

“I should have…I should have never played it, they kept on warning people to never ever play it but I couldn’t listen, I didn’t and now...I`ve read several stories online but they didn’t seem so scary so I went ahead anyways” “Okay Rita if you would please tell me what happened from the beginning to the end” Adrian held her hands together. Rita`s eyes widened. “I`ll tell you”

It was a few months back, I think it was a Saturday, me, Levi, Malice, Jarred and Nel just emerged from the movies after watching the new Matrix movie it was round about eight during the time. “Come on Levi don’t be such a push over” Jarred protested. “id told you I like the original better it was more classic” jarred rolled his eyes at Levi`s comment and put a hand over Levi`s shoulder as she shoved it off. “Just be glad we joined you idiot” I commented. “Whatever…” “So guys what now the night is still a new where to a club?” Malice commented. “Ha ha no way” “hay I vote we hang at Nel`s…” Levi said putting her hand up. “K, we`ll order pizza and drinks or something and play games all agree?” I said putting my hand up as the rest followed. So we headed to Nel`s house or should I say mansion, the house was really big and spacious.

So we arrived and ordered late pizza and played a few board games it was round about ten in the night. Jarred yawned sprawled on the couch. “I`m bored of these games geez” but the rest had ignored him we were on our cell phones already. I was busy checking my emails while everyone did god knows what on their cell phones. Levi was on her laptop playing games. Id scrolled just about every email until id arrived at one titled the midnight game. I opened it and read it and widened my eyes. “WTF…” Jarred noticed my reaction, cocking his brow he grabbed my phone. “Give that back!” “Nah, let me see I’m bored” I’d just sighed and let him read it to amuse himself. “Frikin cool, let’s play this” his chanted and got up on his feet. “Hay guys I found this cool game called the midnight game!” Great his energy is back. I rolled my eyes again in sarcasm. “What`s that?” malice asked looking up from her cell phone. “It’s a game in which you summon an evil spirit into your home and must avoid it at all costs…come on I want all or your attention!!” he demanded the rest to pay attention. “Spirit I don’t to summon a spirit into my home” Nel protested. “Come on it`ll be fun. “Sure” I said agreeing. Honestly it didn’t sound too bad, more fun than bad in fact. “Sure?” Levi looked at me sceptically raising a brow. “Okay Rita is in let me explain all da rules then we gonna begin my little kiddies” “Okay Nel follow me so we can fetch all the things we need” I said, Nel just sighed and stood up. “Better be as fun as you claim it” he said and got up and followed Jarred.

 “Okay we got five pieces of paper, five candles and lighters, five salt shakers filled with salt, five pins and a wooden door in front of us” Jarred said reading the list as we stood in in front of the back door. We took an hour to explain all the rules to everyone, and to collect everything now it was 23:30. “So anybody who`s gonna chicken out leave da house now until 3.33am” Jarred said. “No one said anything. “Good now I’ll tell you all the warnings okay?” “Do not turn on the lights on during the game, not even any electronic devices or anything, we`ll use the wrist watches I found and gave each of you to check the time okay. Secondly no flash lights please. Next don’t sleep, splash yourself with cold water when you feel sleepy or he`ll get you. Don’t use someone else’s blood on your paper. Don’t use any lighter to substitute the candle, only a candle. Lastly don’t leave the goddamn house or provoke the midnight man and ruin the game for everyone else thank you” jarred bowed. I smiled. We were so close to playing this game. “Okay it`s 23:46 anyone who wants to back out leave the house now you have less 14 minutes to scram chicken” Levi almost stood up and left but sat down. She looked really uncomfortable and nervous.

“Okay write your full name on the piece of paper then prick your finger then put a drop of blood on the page and let it soak in and light your candle” after we were done with preparation it was 23:58 my heat began beating fast, I was excited jarred had turned all the lights off already we sat in the dark only visible by the candle light to each other. “Okay 60 seconds to go, exactly midnight knock 22 times on the door all of us and we must be done while its midnight exactly or it will fail to work so don’t knock like a sloth”. Midnight we knocked with our fists and stopped while it was still 00:00. Jarred opened the wooden door and we blew out the candles he closed the door and we lit them again. I could hear everyone`s breathing the way it was so silent. “Boah ha hah ha the midnight man has been summoned into the house” Jarred said grinning slyly into his candle light. “Don’t do that! Malice scolded a little shaken. “Okay” I looked at my watch it was 00:02. I sighed and looked into the darkness. “So what are the sighs that he`s near you?” “Well I’m glad you asked Levi, first sign is when your candle goes out, second when suddenly you get very cold, next if you hear a low whisper and last see a black humanoid figure within the darkness” “that`s creepy’ malice added. “Okay it’s advised we move around during the game if you stay in one spot he will find you” jarred looking into the darkness. “Let`s waste no more time and move”

00:15-00:35

We`d all split into different directions in the house. I head toward the bedrooms Malice followed shuffling behind me glancing cautiously around her. Nel went toward the kitchen alone. Levi was in the dining room and Jarred was upstairs near the study. Nothing really happened except Nel jumped at every shadow the appliances created due to the candle light. Jarred kept chasing into everything in his path. And Levi was biting her nails shaking moving into the kitchen to look for Nel to keep her company.

00:35-01:10

 Malice breathed hard as she stopped in her tracks. “What?” I looked behind to face her horrified face. “I feel really cold” she said stuttering slightly.  I couldn’t lie to myself to say I didn’t, but I brushed it off, maybe due to the night the temperature had decreased. “Come on let`s get a move on before the midnight man blows out our candles. I turned to walk into the room id originally chose to walk I froze in utter terror to see a dark humanoid figure standing by the wall next to the bed and I completely shut down. Malice screamed right behind me and both our candles went out. “Rita!” she cried and left running as she dropped something not knowing what to do I ran after her while trying to relight my candle while my heart pounded in my throat as I imagined the figure grabbing me and dragging me into empty darkness. But something even worse was to come. Malice finally froze as we arrived in the dining room she looked at me with blood shot red eyes filled with tears in pure agony. I managed to light my candle thank goodness. But I realized her candle and salt shaker were gone, she had dropped them back earlier while running.

 I looked at her as I wanted to literally tear my head off, shit it was past ten seconds. She looked at my salt shaker and hinted with her dark glossy pupils to give it to her but I didn’t, I was frozen and had thought about the distance it would take me to get her`s back up there. In that instant it became cold again and something emerged behind Malice, by the bad omen it gave I was sure it was midnight man. I wanted to scream or move but it was too late my candle went out. “Malice!” id finally managed to say and I heard a loud thud on the ground. I threw the salt toward her direction and quickly and unconsciously lit my candle with three seconds left. And there she was, lying on the ground with her eyes closed. “Malice!” I screamed approaching her. “Don’t touch her!” Jarred scolded pulling me back making me drop my lighter.

 “The midnight man`s got her, we don’t know what will happen if we touch her so let`s avoid it until the game is over” “this is my fault I should have giving her my salt now she`s…” “Dead Malice is dead!” Levi said now shaking violently. Nel put a hand on her shoulder to calm her as they entered the room. “What the hell happened?” Nel scold angrily. “I…” “Nothing just the midnight man got her” jarred said stoic. “I’m leaving I’ve had enough Levi said and proceeded to walk to the door to leave. “Don’t!” Nel scold. ‘We don’t know the consequence, whether we like it or not we have to continue moving or we will be next” Nel said holding Levi by the collar.

01:10-02:25

“I’d continuously glanced at my watch wondering when this nightmare would be over and id passed malice`s cold immobile body several times hoping and praying she would wake it been blurry for a while with tears floating in my eyes. Now I was in the kitchen and Jarred was near the bedroom after I promised myself not to return there after what happened. “Ahhh!” Jarred screamed from upstairs as we heard him running down the stairs and guess what happen the dark figure appears at the kitchen door blocking my path out and forcing me to hit the wall with my back I trembled then my candle goes out and I make quick to relight it at the sight of it was gone. Jarred dashed into the kitchen shouting his lungs out. “Dude something was freaking crawling on my neck when I was in the study, oh and I almost fell asleep, like it was cold and wet like you think other spirits entered when the midnight man did” Jarred panicked breathing heavily. “Oh no…” Jarred said looking me in the eyes and dashed off running. “My fucking candle and salt!” “Slow down jarred take my s…”  Jarred dashed and running out of the kitchen.

 “Guys come quickly…where`s Jarred?” Nel who peered into the kitchen with his lit candle in hand looked at me. “Wait let’s check on Jarred” I suggested. I opened the closet where I heard terrible cries from. “It`s crawling on me make it stop…make it…help no no no make it go away I can`t breathe, my blood I’m losing, I`m bleeding it`s just pouring out!” Jarred wailed and pulled out pieces of his hair as they fell, cringed in a ball in the closet in one bedroom. “His hallucinating…” “Jarred can you hear me?” I asked him as he ignored me still continued to twitch and tremble, I closed the bedroom closet. “He got him too, let`s go to Levi” I remembered.

  “Leave me alone leave me alone leave me alone leave me alone…” a terrified Levi chanted blocking her ears. “She put a salt circle around her, but has been like this ever since”. “Please leave me alone, there he is he won`t stop staring at me the dark shadow he`s over there!” she buried her head in get knees after pointing to what was just darkness. She wasn’t able to light her candle in time by the bathrooms but luckily made the circle and sat there whispering lowly. Nel had tried to get her attention but she`s ignored any attempt like she wasn’t there. “Rita we need to stick together we are the only two left let`s walk together and help each other out when necessary” Nel mentioned. I agreed being together would make me feel slightly better.

02:25-03:05

We`d been traveling together for a while even thought it was odd and hard to move around but as long as it make us feel safer it was better. Nel glanced at his watch he looked like hell his eyes looked heavy and he looked tired. “Let`s slow down the walking” “No…” he motioned that he was alright.  Now the time moved really slowly after 03:00 really, really, really slowly, it seemed the closer we wanted it to end, the longer it took and now the shit started to go down. It was cold I mean literally freezing in the lounge where we were. All around and I was shivering my teeth were shattering loud. “he`s here” Nel almost squealing still. The dark figure sat on the couch just barely inches from us, but something was weird why wasn’t our candles going out? I started to move back and ran out of the room holding my candle steady as it went out I tried lighting it but there it was the shadowy figure in front of me. It almost felt like it smirked at me I was shaking literally every body part shook. Holding my candle I broke it in my hand as the figure approached at an almost impossible pace, after a second. No. it`s been more than ten seconds. With the last of my strength I grabbed the salt shaker and put a circle around me dropping my body to the ground as if carrying a heavy bolder all my strength was gone.

03:05-03:33

I sat there in the dark after ten minutes the id put the salt circle around me the figure hovering over me moved back. The only thought was what happened to Nel was he okay? After the figure disappeared id called his name several times but there was no reply, just silence. It was 03:28 and the dark humanoid figure returned. It almost felt like it was talking in low whispered I could barely make it out.it sounded like the words fun and some other time. “Well what did you do to Nel midnight man?” I was still shaken up so my voice sounded wobbly. He just almost hunched then I heard faint laughter, he was laughing delighted. After then I sat staring into the darkness occasionally glancing at him then he disappeared. I looked at my clock it was 03:33 exactly and the game was finally over, I lost. I was crying so much in my spot I thought I would have a heart attack. After crying until I received a menacing head ache it had been ten minutes since. I got out from the circle to view the dark empty hallway. I was sure it was now safe to leave it now.

After id turned the lights on and searched every room I began with Levi who was still in her circle with her eyes closed, I shook her and she cried and told me she wanted to go home. I told her to help me find the rest. We stopped in one of the bedroom where we heard knocking in the wardrobe I opened it to see Jared shivering still swatting things that weren’t there of his body, id helped him up and told him he`d be okay he nodded still shaking obviously mentally traumatized. I head down stairs to Malice. I put my hand on her over her mouth and nose and she wasn’t breathing. “We need to call an ambulance” “Hold on” Levi said feeling all pulse and shook he head it was weak but it was there. “I’ll call an ambulance please look for Nel” Levi looked up at me, by the look in her eyes Malice wasn’t gonna make it. I went to search every inch of the house but I found no sign of Nel. He was gone. There was no sign of he left.

“Did malice make it?” Adrian asked looking up. “No…she passed away when the ambulance arrived she was in a critical condition and died of heart failure. “And Nel…?” “See that’s the issue they searched everywhere for him and I mean everywhere but they never found him and i…” “You…?” “I had a dream yesterday that’s why I decided to come here” “…” “I was at home worried after Nel disappeared then he`d just walked up to me frowning holding a candle, then it suddenly got dark around us the walls disappearing  around us then his candle goes out, something grabs him by the neck and drags his into the darkness behind him you know who did it…the midnight man”

The End