The Costume and The Game

The invite intrigued me. It was a standard Halloween party invitation but printed at the bottom was the slightest mention of a game. There wasn’t an explanation of the game, just that a great reward would be involved for those who played. I loved Halloween and couldn’t wait to go to the party. I began to get ready. A zombie bride was sure to make a splash. Besides, I’d wanted to do something with my wedding dress after my husband ran off with some girl. Finally, I was ready. The costume was complete with a tiara and death white skin. I’d taken make-up and made wounds on the exposed flesh. I drove to the mansion where it was supposed to take place. This place was the definition of spooky, a huge mansion with gothic decorations and faded colors from a different time. Rumor had it, that this place was haunted. I walked up and paid the fee. They stamped my hand, and I noticed it burned a little bit. It almost looked as if my hand had been branded. Music was blaring and people were dancing. I quickly spotted one of my friends near the bar. “Jess.” I said as I walked over to her. She smiled and nodded to the bar tender to get me a drink. She handed me a drink that was glowing neon in the black lights. I should’ve declined but I was here to have a good time. It went down like fire and seemed to burn in the pit of my gut. We chatted for a little while before hitting the dance floor. I wasn’t really that surprised that she was dressed as some sleezy animal. I think she might have been a fox but there really wasn’t enough on her to tell. We danced for a while but I started to feel different. I figured it was the alcohol but I was starting to get light headed. “Jess, I need to get some fresh air.” I said as I practically pulled her outside with me. She moaned and griped that I was just a big baby. I sat down at one of the patio chairs and really felt like maybe the fire that was still burning might make its way back up. It didn’t take her long to go back inside. She’d been eyeing a boy in a devil costume all night. I began to wonder if maybe my drink had been spiked. I’m not sure how long I sat out there but it was several minutes. What got me back in the house was the sound of screams. I walked back in, but the party had thinned out and maybe a dozen people were left. A guy dressed like Michael Myers began to yell for silence. Finally, after the rabble had calmed down, he began to go over the rules of the game. He started by saying that anyone could leave at any time but a great reward lay in store for whoever won the game. This, of course, piqued interest. What kind of game would we be playing? He began to describe the rules. So basically, it was an intense game of hide and seek. If you were caught, severe penalty would be paid. He’d give everyone exactly ten minutes, and after those ten minutes, if he found you, you would be punished. I walked over to Jess. “Let’s go. This is a bad idea.” I whispered to her, but she brushed me off. The devil boy had her attention. After a minute of debate, I decided that I wanted to go home. I walked to the door only to find it was locked. I tried the patio door, and it was locked too. At that exact moment, he sat a timer for ten minutes. Everyone took off running. I headed up the gigantic stairs, figuring I could hide for a little while and let my stomach settle, and then when everyone had been found, I could go home. Where would be a place that someone wouldn’t think of. I instantly thought of the attic. I kept going up the stairs as other people began to disperse into random rooms. I finally found the attic stairs. It wasn’t the perfect hiding space because it was an actual staircase not a pulldown from the ceiling but hopefully, they would be distracted by the others to notice. I found a little closet and sat down. I must’ve dosed off because the next thing I knew, there was loud screaming from one of the floors beneath me. This didn’t sound like a fun and games scream, this sounded like a scream of absolute fear. I wanted to see what was happening but I didn’t want to reveal my hiding spot. I silently crept across the attic towards the sound of the screams. There was a small window along the wall. I sat down next to it and looked out. I had a perfect view of the balconies below me. The guy in the Mike Myers mask had cornered a girl on there. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but he was making her do stuff. It looked like she had to act out her costume. I watched as she tried to convince him that she was a beautiful princess without fail. He pulled a knife out of his jacket and walked over to her. Without a second thought, he plunged it into her stomach. It took every ounce of strength I had to not scream. Blood dripped down her gown, and after a minute, she fell to the ground. I had to get out of there, I just wasn’t sure how. I didn’t know how many other people were in on this murder scheme, and I wasn’t sure of any other exits, but I did know that if I stayed in the attic, I was going to die. I looked around for something, anything I could use. There was the usual stuff in the attic, boxes of junk that nobody wanted to get rid of. I searched as silently and as quickly as I could through the boxes. I found a baseball bat and a pocket mirror. I figured I could use the pocket mirror to look around corners. It was right about that time that I accidentally pushed on a brick as I was trying to stand up. A door slid open revealing a secret stair case. It was pitch black but I figured it would be better than going down the main way. I pulled out my cellphone and turned it on dim. I so wanted to use my flashlight but that might alert someone that I was there. I stepped in with the bat in one hand and my phone in the other. The door slid shut almost as if by magic. I took a few deep breaths and willed myself down the stairs one step at a time. I made it to a landing when I heard another round of screams. I instantly shut my phone off and stood as still as I could. It sounded as if it were on the other side of the wall. I noticed there was a small pin sized hole right next to me. I placed my eye to it and could see into the room. Jess was in there with the devil boy, but the look on her face assured me that she was in great trouble. Across the room, was Mr. Myers. He was laughing as he walked closer. “I will only punish one of you.” I could tell they were scared out of their wits. “But you have to do something to determine which one of you I will kill.” I could see the color drain from Jess’s face at the word kill. He looked at Jess. “I want you to be the best fox that you can be.” Her hands were trembling as she got on her hands and knees. She began crawling around and rubbing her head on his pants. Truth be told, she looked more like a cat than a fox. He looked at the devil. “If you kill her for being a cat instead of a fox, I’ll let you live.” Pure fear darted across both of their faces. The devil reached for the knife with shaky hands. What did someone do in that moment? He sucked in a deep breath and drove the knife deep between her shoulder blades repeatedly. Blood splattered everywhere, and I watched as my friend died in agony. He handed the knife back to the guy, and then instantly started puking. “Devils aren’t supposed to have weaknesses.” And then he reached over and slit the guy’s throat. I looked away, willing myself to hold my breath until he was gone. He laughed a deep bellowing laugh, and walked out. My legs trembled, and to prevent myself from falling, I eased myself down onto the landing. After several minutes, I heard very distant screams. I was able to make my legs work, but part of me wondered if I shouldn’t just stay there. Eventually, he would leave after he ran out of victims. Something in my gut kept telling me that he would search every inch of the house, and eventually, he would go up to the attic. He would see that someone had been there, and what if he knew about the secret stairway. I’d be caught quickly and then I would be killed. No, I had to keep going. I made my way down to another landing. I looked around for a peep hole or something to tell me where I was. I finally saw a lever. I imagined that it opened another magic door, but I was kind of nervous about opening it. What if he was standing on the other side? I’d have to take my chances. I tucked my phone into my dress, put the bat on my shoulder, and pulled the lever. A door slid open much like the attic door. To my relief, there was no one in the room. Well, no one living anyways. There was a body laying lifeless on the floor. The door slid shut like the one upstairs. I crept over to the door and laid on the floor. The thought repulsed me because there were blood splatters everywhere but I needed to see what was in the hallway. I silently slid the mirror barely out the door jam and looked down the hall. There wasn’t anyone there. I could see a door down the hall. I stood up and grabbed the bat. I gracefully walked to the other room without issue. This was another murder scene. I stood in a corner for a minute, as I silently counted how many victims there were still possibly alive. The girl on the balcony, Jess and the devil, the one in the other room and this one made five. So, a possibility of seven maybe ten people might still be alive. I checked the hallway and darted to another room. I figured staying out of the main hallway as much as possible was probably my best bet. This room was vacant. I room darted a couple more times before I finally made it to the end of the hallway and the top of the stairs. This was a very dangerous position. I didn’t know what was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, but I had to risk it. My guess was that the doors were still locked but maybe there was a door in the kitchen that would lead outside. I crept down the stairs prepared to attack. I walked down a hallway when he appeared in the hallway. “Ah, the final survivor.” I didn’t say anything, but my stomach did a little flip thinking about all the people he’d killed. “Are you a loyal bride?” He asked as he took a step towards me. I still didn’t say anything. “Are you a blushing bride?” He asked a little darker. He was taunting me. “You’re certainly not a beautiful bride.” He said as he chuckled at his own joke. No, I probably wasn’t beautiful at that point. My zombie make-up was probably long gone but the dust and blood probably diminished my beauty. He pointed the knife at me. “What kind of bride are you?” I swallowed and gripped the bat a little tighter. “I’m a murdering bride.” I couldn’t see his face but I sensed a small change in him just before I swung the bat. It connected with his head, knocking him down. “Can you kill me? Can you really be a murdering bride?” He had pulled him mask off, and blood was pooling around his ear. It was my ex-husband. My heart skipped a beat. Why would he do this?” Before I could ask him, he threw the knife. It landed in my thigh. “Shawn.” I ground out as I pulled the knife out. Blood oozed down my leg. Suddenly, the last four years flashed through my mind, the lying and the cheating, the threats, and ending with Jess’s face painted with pain. I charged him, burying the knife deep into his chest. I watched the light go out of his eyes. I sat down on the floor and wrapped my leg with a piece of cloth. I was vaguely aware that there were police sirens in the distant. Someone had managed to get out a call. I hadn’t even thought about the police. It felt like an eternity later before they broke down the door. An EMT bandaged up my leg as the officers took down my statement. Did I play the game and win?