Happy Hunting

My name is Jane, but it has not always been this way. A year ago, my life was very different, starting by the fact that I wasn’t on every “wanted” poster in the planet. Now, it is time to tell my version. Yes, I killed the five of them, but they brought it on themselves. And thanks to that, I had to start my life over. 

I used to have a family, and a group of friends. Now, I’m alone and hiding. Maybe if I had done things a little different, their deaths would not have been blamed on me, and I’d be free. 

The nightmare began on the last day of school. I was with all my friends, as usual, and we were planning how we were going to be spending our very last day together. Little did they know, not everyone was going to be waking up the next morning. During the day, we all thought of different options to make our last moments unforgettable. My best friend Rosie and I came up with an idea that we later presented to the group. 

Since I was little, I had always loved escape games, brainteasers, and everything that required solving challenges and looking for hints where no one ever does. My mom taught me from a very young age to make my own riddles, and as I grew up, I started making them harder and harder. Of course, after all those years solving puzzles, it was obvious I would turn up like this. 

I figured I could make one last effort to create the perfect challenge for my friends. This time, it would not be a bunch of symbols on a piece of paper. I would make them work for it; maybe see how much they value their lives. 

When I told Rosie about my idea to make a game, she sounded pretty excited about it. We decided to come up with a structured plan before telling the rest of the group what we wanted to do. We thought of different possibilities and gave the game multiple endings until we finally settled with the perfect idea. 

Later that day, we all met at my friend’s house and we each gave our thoughts about our last adventure. When it was our turn, Rosie took out a crumpled sheet of paper that we had previously used to write down our final plan. She started reading calmly while I watched each member’s reaction to our magnificent idea. 

When Rosie finished reading, the house owner, Sandy, took the paper in her hands with a worried expression and read it all over in her mind. Then she passed on the paper to the remaining group members as they each read line by line.  

After this, no one said a word about the subject for hours, but at the end, they all nodded and we agreed this would be the plan we would carry out. We decided we would leave Sandy’s house in order to get everything we needed and get the story started. Only one person stayed at the house because she was not feeling well: me. The truth is I was feeling perfectly fine, I simply had other plans in mind, and I needed to be alone so I could finally get them started. 

I had been preparing for this moment for years, most of the time, I wasn’t fully aware that it would become useful, but a part of me knew that the right time would come. I just felt it, this was it. All along it was meant to happen this way, and I knew just what I needed to make everything come to life. 

Earlier that day, Rosie and I had come up with 6 final elements to put on our list. We explained to the group that each of these elements would be considered as levels, and in order to move to the next level, you would, of course, have to successfully complete the one before. In everyone’s minds it sounded fairly simple. Each element was a sort of puzzle, after they solved it, they could move on to the next one until they got to the last element. Whoever finished the 6th level, was considered the winner of the game, and would get to take home a series of prizes that we had been carefully collecting throughout the years. In my mind, however, things looked very different. For me, this was not a game, and sooner or later, they would understand it as well. 

When I was alone, I went to Sandy’s basement, where I knew her father kept all his construction material. I had developed a close relationship with Sandy throughout the years. I did it in order to benefit from her house as the perfect setting for the game, and her father’s materials to build my prompts. It was time to get started. While my friends bought everything they needed in a store across town, I went on to organize the house in a way that every exit was impossible to access. I created 6 small rooms with blocks of wood and glue. These fake walls could be easily torn down with the right amount of force, but I knew this wouldn’t be a problem. All the lights would be turned off, meaning the players would not notice the weak structure of the rooms. Nothing could go wrong. 

After finishing the walls of the 6 rooms, I started putting together the challenges for each level. There were 6 of us in the group, therefore, each level would represent one of us. The last one, the final challenge, would of course, represent me.  

I moved quickly and finished all the steps of the game; it was time to wait for my friends to come home to the last surprise of their lives. 

Almost an hour later, I heard the sound of keys clinking in the front door. It was time. I headed to the last room of the game so I could watch through the window as they completed the levels. When they came in, a piece of paper glued to the door of the first room received them. It had the following instructions written on it: 

Hello, friends. While you were gone, I prepared a surprise. After you read this, the lights will be turned off. Work as a group to follow the instructions and move from room to room until you get to the 6th level. Be fast, in each room there is one person that will have to stay behind. Make sure you are among the ones that get to move on to the next level, although sometimes, it is not your choice. Don’t try to cheat, each room is designed for a certain amount of people. Enjoy your last day, friends. 

With confused expressions on their faces, they opened the first door. In front of them, there was one flashlight, another piece of paper and some constructions materials laying around. My friend Josh took the flashlight and a second later, everything went dark. He turned on the switc and a dim light appeared. The flashlight didn't help much, he could barely see what was in front of him. With difficulty, he took the piece of paper and read it out loud for everyone to hear. 

“Level 1

Find a white rope.

Among you, there is a person who has had multiple knee surgeries, making them the weakest member of the group. Find them. 

If you are this person, hide.

Tie their hands together with one end of the rope,and tie the other end to the doorknob. If the person resists, take action as needed.

You will not be able to get out of the room until enough pressure is made on the doorknob. The person must be left hanging from the door to allow the rest of you to move on to the next room.

Have fun."

When he was done reading, no one moved, no one talked. They all stayed quiet, each person analyzing the situation in their mind. After a few minutes, a loud noise was heard in a corner of the dark room. As if a button had been pressed in everyone’s minds, they all started looking for the rope, and the person. The description corresponded to my friend, Laurel. We all knew it was difficult for her to run, exercise, or do anything that required a lot of pressure on her lower body. It was nearly impossible for everyone to see, and Josh had the advantage of the flashlight. He found the white rope hanging from one of the walls, but he was having trouble finding Laurel. 

After some minutes, Josh called everyone and told them they needed to work as a group in order to complete the levels. Laurel was already laying behind some wood sticks trying to hide from the rest of the group. After Josh’s instructions they all stayed quiet listening carefully for any noise. Rosie, who was just a few steps away from Laurel, heard a quiet breathing coming from the corner. She gave a loud scream and ran to catch her friend. They all went behind her and managed to pull Laurel by one of her legs. They tied her up, and as she cried out for help, they let her hanging from the doorknob while they moved on to the 2nd room. 

They walked silently with Josh guiding them in front. No one could believe what had just happened. They entered a tiny room struggling to fit inside, one more person could not have gone in. Josh took the next piece of paper and read it out loud. 

“Level 2 

Congratulations, you managed to finish the first challenge. Let’s move on.

 The next victim owns this house. They know by heart every corner of it. Let’s get rid of them. 

When you find them, use the handcuffs hanging from the wall to tie their hands behind their back.  

Make sure to wrap the handcuffs around a pole or a table so they can’t move. 

Enjoy.” 

Sandy was not a bad person, I simply felt she had no reason to be a part of the group. She didn’t really belong, but every activity we did was sponsored by her family, so we didn’t have much choice. 

When Josh was done, everyone started moving without hesitation. They were no longer afraid of the game, they just wanted to win. This time, they completed the level much faster than the last one. They had already learned to work in teams to get everything done. They did as requested, left Sandy tied up under a table, and opened the door to the next room.  

As usual, Josh guided the group and took the next piece of paper. 

“Level 3 

You know the drill now, let’s do this one faster. 

The next person you will have to find has been with their significant other for the last 4 years.  

Unfortunately, only one of the people in the relationship is being faithful.  

Lucky for us, the unfaithful one is in the same room as you. 

Hi Mike, it is your turn to hide. 

Find him, keep him quiet with the duct tape on the table, and put a plastic bag over his head. Make sure it covers his mouth and nose, and tie him up if you need to. 

Happy hunting.” 

Mike and I had been best friends during most of our school days. However, he changed when he met his girlfriend, Lizzy. I could tell I wasn’t his priority anymore, and I didn’t like that. 

Josh turned around with the flashlight to see Mike holding a wooden stick as a weapon. This act of self-defense was not appreciated by my other friends. Mike was instantly tackled and tied up. Then, they moved on to the next room. 

Now, there were only Josh and Rosie left. As they walked slowly in the room, I prepared myself for the final challenge. Josh took the paper in his hands. With a worried look on his face, he read it out loud. 

“Level 5 

I think it is easy to know which one of you will have the honor to participate in the final level. Josh, I love you, but this is not your game to play. You should have never been involved in this mess. I wish it didn’t have to be like this but I need you to stay behind. Rosie, tie Josh’s hands up with the string on the table, and make sure he doesn’t move. It is time for you and I to have a talk.” 

Josh was a really good person; I wish he hadn’t been with us that day. He certainly didn’t deserve any of it.  

Rosie opened the door to the next room. She walked in slowly and went up to me. Her face showed a hint of anger, disappointment, even. I genuinely thought she would take on revenge on me, but after a few minutes, she put her hand up and gave me a high five. After all these years, we had finally gotten rid of the people holding us back. 

We left together, locking the house after us, making sure no one entered any time soon. Sandy’s parents were on vacation across the country, it would be a while before they came home to big surprise.  

When we were leaving, however, Rosie told me things had gone out of control, and she didn’t want to be a part of it. She said she was running away and starting a new life in peace. I couldn’t allow that, she had to be silenced. If she hadn’t turned on me, she would still be alive. It was not your most brilliant choice, Rosie.  

After this I moved to a different city and changed my name. The police found out I was the mastermind of the game, and started looking for me. This is how I ended up with a new identity. It was worth it though, I finally freed myself from those annoying people. I hope no one else crosses my path. And if they do, happy hunting.