Tales of the Scarecrow

Game Over

[READ AT YOUR OWN RISK]

I lie awake in an unfamiliar place, a place that seems to be a mansion. My head aches from pain. Why am I here, what am I doing here? I cannot remember anything, my mind is hazy like a dark cloud is covering it.

I got up, and I traversed the huge mansion I found myself engaged into. As I walked an ethereal voice whispered into mind.

"You have to find the golden key that will set us free. Please, save us, save me." The ghastly voice was from a little girl. It scared me, I don't know what kind of key she was referring to , but my instinct told me that I must search for it.

I walked the dimly lit passageways all alone. Shadows were playing with my sight as they danced through my peripheral vision, a hundred muffled voices kept whispering on my mind, and I felt the fear of being followed, the fear of someone watching your back.

Watching. . . Waiting. . .

As the voices grew louder and the shadows became more frequent, the fear in me became more stronger, I quickly walked away as I looked around trying to find the key. I walked with fear, shadows were playing with me, pleading voices kept whispering in my ears, and I had the feeling that someone was following me.

I quickly wandered around the huge mansion and opened random doors, only to find nothing but empty rooms standing in each corridor. My chest was pounding hard from fear. I felt hopeless, am I in a dream, a nightmare? Will I ever escape? It felt like all hope was lost. Until I found a certain door leading to a certain room.

The basement.

The voices became louder and louder, telling me to go downstairs. The basement was dark, and I didn't want to go there. But my gut feeling told me that the key was down there. With a brave heart, I slowly traveled down the narrow stairs. The creaking was creepy, and it only made my fear rise to an unparalleled level.

As I got to the bottom, a sickening smell of death greeted me. Rotten bodies were everywhere, scattered on the floor. Mutilated, ripped apart, tortured. I almost vomited at the sight, but something else caught my attention. I found the key, lying on the farthest end of the corner of the basement.

I trembled as I walked through the dead bodies on the ground, I couldn't bear the sight, but I felt the urge to be brave enough. I needed to get away from this distorted place. I grabbed the key and I turned around.

That's when I screamed.

There, on the wall, was a writing of blood.

"You are next." The bloody writing screamed on my mind.

The wind blew the coldest chills within me, I tried to run, only to find my legs paralyzed. I looked at the other end of the basement, the exit, only to find someone standing, a man. A long broken chain hang on his left hand, and an axe on his right. His clothes were bloodied, his face was disturbing, he was laughing terribly.

He chuckled slowly as I screamed, he was getting nearer. I tried to run away, but my legs won't respond, I failed, he is now in front of me, he is raising his right hand, ready to swing his axe at me.

I've failed, it's all over.

–Game Over–

"Damn! And I almost had the key too!" Jade murmured as he threw the game console onto the floor. "Oh, well. Guess I'll just have to start over again."

He grabbed the console and placed the arrow on the small square on the screen.

"Retry?"