Haunted Night

The sun had begun its slow descent, casting an orange glow over the streets, which were gradually filling with people. Of course, that’s because today was Halloween! And as for me, well, I’m Mark. Tonight, I’m heading out with my two closest friends. First, there’s Misaki, and second, there’s Ango! The three of us have one mission: trick-or-treating until our bags overflow with candy!
Misaki is dressed as a witch, her pointy hat swaying with each step. Ango, on the other hand, is caked in makeup, fake blood dripping down his face to complete the perfect zombie look. As for me? I’ve chosen the coolest outfit—naturally, I’m a vampire. Capes have a way of making anyone look sharp, right? I couldn’t help but grin. Tonight was going to be incredible.
"Hey, trick-or-treating as fifteen-year-olds is still normal, right?" I asked, trying to reassure myself.
"I think it’s totally fine," Ango replied casually, a smirk on his zombie face. "Plenty of people our age still do it."
Misaki nodded. "Yep, no worries. Besides, it’s Halloween! There are no rules on fun."
"Then it’s settled!" I declared with a dramatic flair, dashing out the front door, my cape flaring behind me. The three of us hit the streets, knocking on door after door, gathering heaps of candy.
"My dentist is going to hate me," Misaki sighed after stuffing another handful into her bag. "And I have an appointment tomorrow, too."
"Better brush extra hard tonight!" I teased with a laugh, while Ango trudged behind us, carrying the growing mountain of candy. "Hey, Ango, what time is it?"
"It’s 8 p.m. sharp," he answered, glancing up from his phone.
"Well then, no time to waste! Onto the next house!" Misaki’s eyes gleamed with excitement as we approached a rather eerie-looking house, its porch bathed in shadows. At the entrance, a large sign greeted us.

"Make it through the haunted house and win candy."

We exchanged nervous glances. Was this a trap? It smelled like one. But hey, it was Halloween! What’s the worst that could happen?
As the self-proclaimed leader, I took the first step inside. The second I crossed the threshold, a wave of dizziness hit me. My vision blurred, and I staggered. Looking back, I saw the door slam shut. Misaki and Ango lay on the floor, unconscious. Before I could even shout their names, darkness swallowed me too, and I collapsed, my mind drifting into the void…
As I drifted in the void of unconsciousness, a dream began to form. No, not just any dream—a memory. It was the three of us, last year, on Halloween. The air was crisp, and the night felt alive with energy. It had been a perfect evening—or at least, that’s how it seemed. But no… it wasn’t lovely at all. In fact, it was terrifying. I nearly died that night. But how? What even happened? The details felt fuzzy, slipping through my fingers like sand.
Just as I tried to grasp the fragments of that memory, my vision faded, and I was jolted awake. Blinking, I found myself in a strange living room. It was oddly warm, cozy even, like the kind of place you’d curl up in during a rainy afternoon. Yet, something about it felt off. Glancing around, I saw there were 18 other people with me—some looked older, some younger, but all seemed just as bewildered as I was.
Suddenly, a crackling sound broke the silence, and a voice echoed through the room from a hidden speaker.
“Hello, everybody! Welcome to my murder mystery game!”
The voice was cheerful, but the words sent a chill down my spine. What... game?
The room erupted into chaos as confusion rippled through the group. Questions hung in the air, but no answers followed. Everything felt wrong.
I groaned inwardly, kicking myself for being so reckless. Why had I walked into a stranger’s house? Just because others did it, and nothing bad ever happened? What a stupid reason. So frustrating. I scanned the room again, desperately searching for Misaki and Ango. My heart leapt when I finally spotted Ango, his face painted with confusion.
“Ango!” I called out, raising my voice over the murmurs. His eyes locked on mine, and relief washed over his face as he smiled and rushed toward me.
“Mark! Thank goodness you’re here,” Ango said, his voice trembling slightly. “Do you have any idea where we are?”
I shook my head. “I’m as clueless as you are. Have you seen Misaki?”
Ango’s smile faded as he glanced around. “No… I haven’t seen her anywhere.”
Before we could continue, the voice from the speakers crackled to life again.
“Now, listen up, everyone,” it began, its tone disturbingly upbeat. “Tonight is going to be a special Halloween night. If you would kindly look down at the floor, you’ll notice a blood trail. Follow it, and I’ll explain more.”
Our eyes dropped to the floor in unison. A thick, dark trail of blood stretched across the room, as if something—or someone—had been dragged through the house. A cold shiver ran down my spine, but with no other options, I decided to follow it. What else could we do?
We moved as a group, cautiously trailing the blood through what appeared to be an old mansion. The cozy warmth of the living room was gone, replaced by narrow hallways and dimly lit rooms. The trail took us past creaky wooden doors and eerie paintings, leading us deeper into the house. Eventually, it stopped at a bedroom, the blood thinning as it neared a large closet.
My heart raced. Curiosity and dread gnawed at me, but I had to know. Steeling myself, I reached for the closet door and pulled it open.
The sight before me sent a wave of nausea crashing over me. Inside the closet was a lifeless body. I stumbled backward, my legs giving out as I collapsed to the floor. The color drained from my face as I realized who it was.

Misaki.

Screams filled the room as panic set in. People began to cry out, their voices blending into a cacophony of terror. Fear gripped my heart, and I couldn’t shake the question echoing in my mind: What is going on?

***

I found myself in the bathroom, heaving over the sink, the taste of bile burning my throat. My body shook as I tried to make sense of what I’d just seen. Misaki... dead? How could that be real? This had to be some kind of twisted nightmare. Beside me, Ango sat on the cold tile floor, his eyes swollen from crying, doing his best to comfort me, though he was clearly struggling too.
“Listen up, everybody!” The voice from the speakers blared again, cutting through the tension like a knife. “You’ve found the dead body I was leading you to.”
Panic was now thick in the air. The others in the mansion reacted in all sorts of ways—some tried to stay calm, others frantically pulled out their phones to call for help, though we all knew by now that no one would answer. Some were even hiding, too scared to face the grim reality.
“Who the hell are you?!” I screamed, my voice cracking as I stood, fists clenched. I was desperate for an answer, something—anything—that could explain this madness.
“Ah yes, Mark, one of the randomly chosen contestants,” the voice responded smoothly, almost amused. “This is just a fun little game I’ve arranged for all of you.”
A game? Misaki was dead, and this psycho thought it was a game?
“Now listen carefully, everyone. I’m only going to explain tonight’s game rules once,” the voice continued. Everyone’s eyes snapped to attention, hanging on every word. There was a grim understanding that this “game” might be the only way out of this nightmare.
“A person has been killed on this eerie Halloween night,” the voice announced. “And your task is simple: figure out who the murderer is. Yes, that’s right, the murderer is one of you 19 people standing here. Once you’ve identified the culprit, you will have to kill them. Only then will you be allowed to leave this mansion.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. One of us... was the killer?
“But,” the voice continued, “you are on the clock. You have four hours until Halloween ends. If you fail to solve the mystery by then, you will all die, except for the murderer, who will be free to go. Also, in three hours, you will all fall asleep, and that will give the murderer a chance to strike again. Good luck, detectives.”
With that, the voice disappeared, leaving us in a suffocating silence. For a moment, no one spoke. The weight of what we had just heard settled heavily on our shoulders, the room thick with fear and suspicion.
“So... what are we going to do?” Ango asked, his voice barely a whisper as he looked up at me with wide, fearful eyes.
I clenched my fists, my gaze hardening as a fire lit inside me. “We’re going to find that murderer,” I said, my voice low but steady. “And I’m going to kill them.”

To be continued…