Friday The 13th
I loved horror. Spooky ghosts, horrendous monsters, a bit of gore, and of course, the cheery good walking dead. I used to devour R.L Stines’s deliciously chilling tales for breakfast. But you only grasp the true gravity of such horrors, by experiencing them. Such is my tale…
This incident occurred 2 years ago on the 13th of October. I woke up at the crack of dawn all agog for what was in store for me on my 13th birthday. I was especially ebullient on finally claiming the title of ‘teen’ instead of being called a child or a kid. And to boost my exhilaration tenfold, it was a Friday, and my spook fanatic mind was exploding like a fire cracker. Friday the 13th! My mom and dad had given me everything that longed for, including a phone and the new Goosebumps© omnibus. However, I noticed my mom had a tight smile on her face. It was apparent that she was hiding something. But before I could ask further, I was shipped off to school with my brand-new attire, naturally with crossbones and a skull. After an uneventful and enervating school session, we headed home, when my father broke the news that we were going to an escape room with a few of my friends! On reaching our destination I was surprised to see my friends dressed as vampires, Frankensteins and ghosts. They had truly gone all out! We immediately dashed to our escape room. Our room looked rather typical. Antique furniture spread across a rather luxurious room. Nothing stood out of place- perfect for hiding inconspicuous clues. Sometimes i wonder, how i could have known what horrors awaited me inside?..
A few minutes in, the lights in the room began flickering. I
rolled my eyes and continued working on a clue. That’s when I heard a strangled scream, I swivelled
my head only to see dark. All of a sudden, a putrid stench permeated through
the air.
Then the lights flickered.
In front of me stood a hideous face- sunken eyes, crazed smile, putrefying flesh.
I screamed at the top of my lungs. There was an ominous giggle before the lights
turned on. I saw my friend stare at me
as though nothing happened. But
something wasn’t right. A quick head of count
made me realize. One of us was missing. On pointing this out, some look a little
apprehensive one of them nonchalantly offered that she was hiding
somewhere. This seemed to calm everyone
down. Why weren’t they worried! It was our friend after all! But my concerns were
drowned by the whooping of my friends.
One of us had solved the first clue!
And once again as if on cue, the lights began fluctuating.
I began hearing terrified screams from my peers. And then behind me, the putrefying stench pervaded
the air. The lights turned on for a
moment. Our group has shrunk to
half. Then come to worried whispers. I could
see the silhouette of my friends clinging on to each other. Out of the blue, I heard a faint yet somewhat
childish growl behind me. My head turned to see the hideous figure approaching. I heard a deafening cry from one of
my friends. Then the lights turned back on. There was no one else in the room.
I was all alone…
…Except that stench remained. There it stood, staring right at me. The abominable
creature charged at me and I let out a cry for help. I shut my eyes and waited for my impending
doom. That’s when I heard a laugh. The
monster was bent over me, bursting into peals of laughter. That’s when he took of
his mask. It was none other than James,
my best friend! He said something about my expression being priceless. I too began guffawing at my idiocy, tears of
reprieve trickling down my cheeks. He handed me a key. It was the key to the
exit of the room! I thanked James profusely and swiftly unlocked the door. I beckoned
a James to come with me. He said he would meet me on the other side.
He never did.
The moment I exited, I
was greeted with loud cheers and a beautiful cake. There, stood all my friends,
grinning impishly. They had been
planning to scare me for eons and this was too good an opportunity to
pass. Needless to say, it worked out phenomenally.
I asked mom where James was. The merriment
stopped; mom turned pale. Many wore confused, concerned looks. The room grew so silent I
swear could have heard a pin drop. Sam, a friend of mine whispered-
“James
died today morning in the hospital, didn’t you know?”
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