Creeps, true stories from Reddit (Second book)

Has anyone heard of The Purgatory Game? Part 4.

I don't know how much longer I can carry on like this.
I'm not trying to sound alarmist, or melodramatic. I'm just being honest. Even though I'm in a new place now, I know it's only a matter of time before they catch up with me. Before they find me.
I can't keep running forever.
Last night I had more calls on my phone from an unknown number. Probably about 20 in total. I didn't pick up once, but a couple of those callers left messages. Each one was nothing but silence before the phone went dead. A warning.
We're coming for you, those silent messages were saying. Don't think we've forgotten.
Don't think we won't get to you.
I have to act fast, now.
Below you'll find the rest of DAY THREE and part of DAY FOUR of The Purgatory Game. Please, please, if you have any information at all, or any leads I can follow up, send them over to me.
But please don't send me any more messages telling me you think I'm brave for what I'm doing, or a hero.
I'm not a hero.
I'm a liar.
..............................
DAY THREE, cont.
[Note: All logs consist of a description of participants' main behaviours and actions. Key conversations have also been transcribed.]
MEGAN: What the fuck did you do?
SIMON: Shut up.
MEGAN: You killed him! Oh Christ, you fucking killed him.
SIMON: I said shut up. He tried to strangle me. You saw it.
Mary walks across the chamber and crouches next to Ron's body. She checks his pulse with a shaking hand.
MARY: He's gone.
LUKE: Jesus Christ.
Megan turns away, tears filling her eyes. She has a hand on her chest and her breathing has become rapid and shallow, as if she's close to panic. For the next 10 seconds, the chamber is silent. Simon is next to speak.
SIMON: He shouldn't have run at me like that.
Megan spins back towards him, her face bright red.
MEGAN: That's bullshit!
MARY: Megan–
MEGAN: No, he killed Ron! You saw what he did.
MARY: Megan, I think–
MEGAN: He's a murderer! He's a fucking murderer!
Simon, who has been staring down at Ron's broken body with unfocussed eyes, suddenly turns towards Megan. His face changes. One moment it's blank and vacant, the next his eyes are narrowing and his lip is curling up like a dog's. He walks quickly over to her, covering the distance between them in five long strides.
SIMON: Listen to me, you little bitch. You need to shut your mouth, right now.
Simon has his finger extended like a weapon, jabbing it in Megan's direction.
MEGAN: Get away from me!
SIMON: Just shut the fuck up, okay! Shut your fucking mouth!
Simon takes a step closer and Megan lashes out in fear, shoving him in the chest with both hands. It catches him off-guard. Simon stumbles backwards on the spot, almost losing his footing. He stares at Megan for a second, his eyes wide with surprise. Then something behind them snaps. Anger breaks through his expression like water through a cracked damn and he lunges forwards, grabbing Megan by the hair. She screams and beats at his head with both hands, but his grip is tight.
SIMON: That's it, you're fucking done! You're going through!
MEGAN: Get off me! Get the fuck off me!
MARY: Let go of her, Simon!
Simon begins to drag Megan across the floor of the chamber. She's thrashing and hitting at him, catching him on the shoulders and in the face. But if he can feel her blows, he doesn't show it. His face is set as he marches her in the direction of the red door.
MARY: Simon, let go!
Mary runs over and grabs Simon by the arm, trying to stop him from reaching the door. He backhands her across the face. Mary yelps and puts a hand to her cheek, giving Simon chance to push his way past her with Megan still in his grip. He's only a couple of paces from the red door now. With one hand still holding Megan by the hair he reaches out with the other, his fingers extending towards the door knob.
Mary gets to him first. Recovering from the blow, she lunges forwards and grabs Simon from behind, digging her fingernails into his face. Her middle fingers find his eyes, and she pushes them in. Simon screams and lets go of Megan. He clutches his face and shrieks in pain.
Mary doesn't hesitate. Leaving Megan, she runs across to the side of the chamber, to the place where the broken remains of the bedside cabinet lie. She bends down and picks up the biggest section of wood she can find, then rushes back to Simon. He's bent over, hands still covering his face as he moans in pain.
MARY: Don't you touch her, you fuck.
Mary brings the plank down on Simon's head. The wood makes a dull thunk against his skull and he collapses to the floor, still moaning.
MARY: Come on, quick, quick. You have to help me.
Mary grabs Megan and pulls her away from Simon, towards one of the empty beds.
MARY: Here, grab this end.
LUKE: What are you doing?
MARY: It's okay, we won't leave you.
Mary goes to lift her end of the bed, but Megan only stands there, staring back at her. Her face is filled with panic and confusion.
MARY: Sweetheart, look at me, okay? Look at me. I need you to trust me for a moment, alright? Do you trust me?
Megan stares at Mary for several seconds. Then she nods.
MARY: Okay, well I need you to lift the end of the bed up on three, okay, and then we're going to move it over there, next to that door. Ready? One, two, three.
The two of them lift the bed together. Simon, who has been lying almost completely still on the chamber floor, begins to move. As they position the bed in place next to the bedroom door, he takes one of his hands away from his face and braces it on the floor beneath him.
MARY: Okay, now we're going to tip it onto its side...
LUKE: Hurry up!
Still covering his face with one hand, Simon pushes himself up onto his knees.
MARY: Grab that corner, and get ready to tip it, okay? We're going to use it to block the door.
Mary and Megan tip the bed over so it's standing up on its side. Mary begins to drag it backwards, towards the door's opening.
MARY: There... just... get it ready...
LUKE: Help me!
Simon has crawled his way across the floor of the chamber, and he's now on his knees by another of the empty beds. One hand is still covering his face, but the other reaches out to grab the bed's corner, braced to help him stand.
MARY: Hang on, hang on!
Mary and Megan rush over to Luke's bed. The latter's face is white with fear and pain. Mary motions for him to swivel round so his legs are hanging off the side and he's facing them.
MARY: Are you okay to walk? Just put all your weight on us and your good leg, okay?
Luke nods his head and grits his teeth. Mary sits down next to Luke and slings his left arm around her shoulders, motioning for Megan to do the same with his right arm.
MARY: Okay, on three, we stand. One, two–
SIMON: NO!
Simon, his arms held out for balance and his eyes swollen almost shut, has closed the distance between them while their backs were turned. Now he throws himself across the bed and grabs onto Luke's shirt, yanking him backwards. Luke screams in shock but Simon ignores him, launching his upper body across the bed again in a desperate attempt to grab Mary. His hand misses her by inches.
SIMON: I'll kill you, you fucking bitch! You're dead, you hear me?
Mary and Megan jump to their feet as Simon lunges forwards again. He's reaching in Mary's direction but this time he's stopped short by Luke grabbing him around the waist.
LUKE: Go, just go!
Simon, still barely able to see, begins struggling and swinging at Luke with his fists. Mary and Megan sprint back across the chamber to the bedroom.
MARY: Inside, Megan, now.
Simon connects with one of his punches. Luke yelps in pain, immediately letting go of Simon's waist. Simon stumbles away from him towards the centre of the chamber, looking around wildly.
MARY: Here, drag it, drag it. Help me!
Mary and Megan begin pulling the bed through the door of the bedroom. Positioned on its side, it fills most of the space, blocking the doorway. Simon, standing still like a wolf listening out for prey, swivels his head in their direction. He moves towards the sound at a stumbling half run, his hands held out in front of him.
SIMON: You're both going through that red door, you understand me? You're fucking done.
MARY: Hold it, okay, hold it and brace your feet against the wall.
Simon's hands touch the bed, half of which is still sticking out through the door. He feels his way around it until he's by the edge of the doorway, but the gap around the bed is too narrow for him to fit through. He lunges forwards, ramming his arm through the gap in an attempt to grab one of them, but Mary moves out of the way. A second later Simon moves to the end of the bed and grabs it, pulling backwards.
MARY: Hold it, Megan, hold it.
Simon pulls back with all his strength. A sheen of sweat stands out above his bruised eyes. He tugs backwards on the bed over and over again, but it won't move. Mary and Megan's hold on the far end is too strong.
SIMON: FUCK!
Letting go of the frame, he draws back his leg and kicks at it. The whole thing rattles. Inside the bedroom, Megan yelps in fear.
SIMON: That's right, you better fucking scream. You can't stay in there forever. You're both fucking dead, you understand that? You're already gone.
After another 30 seconds, Simon walks away and sits down on the chamber floor. He wipes sweat from his forehead using the sleeve of his shirt. Rests his back against a different bed, one that gives him a clear view of the blocked doorway. Luke watches from his own bed, his face drawn with pain and fear. Inside the bedroom, Mary and Megan relax their hold on the frame. They stare at each other. After another 10 seconds Megan begins to cry, soundlessly.
3:50pm – Simon is sitting in the same position, with his back against the bed. Every few minutes he dabs at his eyes. They are still bruised, but the swelling appears to be reducing.
4:15pm – Mary sits with her back against her bed, giving her a view through the gap in the doorway. Megan eventually moves around from her own side of the bed, crawling silently across the floor to sit against the bedroom wall, not far from the door. Her eyes are still bloodshot from crying.
MEGAN: Is he still there?
MARY: Yes.
MEGAN: What's he doing?
MARY: Nothing. Just sitting on the floor, staring straight ahead.
MEGAN: Do you think he'll try to get in again.
MARY: I... Yes.
MEGAN: So what should we do?
Mary stares through the gap in the door, watching Simon. Watching his bruised eyes and the blank expression on his face.
MARY: I don't know.
6:40pm: A soft whispering sound creeps into the chamber. Simon, who has been in a light doze for the past 20 minutes, snaps awake. He stares over at Luke's bed, and then at the stone archway. Finally, his eyes turn to Ron's dead body. He stares at it for the next 11 minutes, his body tense, before the whispering sound fades away.
7:25pm: Megan starts crying again. Mary tries to comfort her but Megan only shakes her head, saying she needs food. She tells Mary her stomach hurts, and that she thinks she might be dying. Mary tells her she isn't dying. She says neither of them are going to die. But both of them hear the uncertainty in her voice.
8:20pm: A very soft, barely audible scratching sound comes from the direction of the red door. It's the noise a mouse might make beneath the floorboards, feeling its way around in the dark. Simon and Luke are both dozing fitfully, though, and neither of them hears it. The noise goes away after seven minutes.
9pm – The lights snap off. Simon, who has been in a half doze, suddenly wakes up. He stares in the direction of the stone archway, and then moves his eyes back to the spot where Ron's body is slumped. Finally, he turns his head towards the bedroom door, where Mary and Megan are hiding.
SIMON: You can't stay in there forever, you know.
In the chamber, Luke snaps out of his doze. He lies still on his bed in the dark, listening. In the bedroom, Megan is sleeping lightly against the wall. Mary appears to consider waking her, but ends up remaining still instead. When Simon next speaks, his voice sounds almost reasonable.
SIMON: Sooner or later, you're going to let your guard down. You can't stay awake all night. Your bodies need sleep. Best just to come out now, and get it all over with. You'll still be going through the door, I'm afraid – nothing I can do about that – but I'll let you go through it your own way, at least. Together. Hand in hand. Whatever the fuck you want.
In the bedroom, Mary stays where she is. She can no longer see Simon – it's too dark – but her eyes are fixed on the point where his voice is coming from.
SIMON: What do you say? Want to get this over with?
He pauses for several seconds, listening to the silence. When no response comes, he spits onto the floor of the chamber.
SIMON: Fuck you, then. We'll wait.
11:35pm – Simon has fallen into a doze again. In the bedroom Mary sits alert, listening to his breathing. After 10 minutes she crawls towards the bedroom door, going slow so she doesn't make a sound. She pauses by the doorway for another five minutes, making sure both Simon and Megan are asleep. Then she reaches through the gap between the door frame and the bed. After feeling around for a few minutes, Mary eventually finds what she's looking for: A long shard of wood from the shattered remains of the bedside cabinet. She pulls it back into the bedroom and resumes her spot by the bed, holding the shard in both hands.
[DAY THREE log ends]
..............................
DAY FOUR
1:35am – Simon snaps awake. His breathing is fast and shallow, as if he's woken from a nightmare. He stares around the dark chamber, eyes flicking between the spot where Ron's body lies and the stone archway. After several minutes he begins muttering to himself. The sound is too low to pick up. Simon remains awake for 32 minutes before slipping back into a light doze.
2:15am – Mary, who has not yet slept, is now struggling to keep herself awake. Eventually she crawls over to Megan and holds the girl in her arms, stroking her hair until she wakes with a start. Mary keeps telling her she's sorry, but she can't stay awake any longer. She's worried about falling asleep. Worried that Simon might try to get in. Megan is badly afraid, but eventually tells Mary she'll keep watch for a while. The two sit next to each other with their backs propped against the bed. Mary falls asleep on Megan's shoulder.
3:30am – A whispering noise fills the chamber. It's almost too low to hear at first, the sound of distant wind, but it gradually builds to a background mutter. Simon jerks awake. His expression is terrified as he looks around in the darkness, trying to locate the sound. After nine minutes, the whispering is joined by something else: a faint scratching. A faint scratching that seems to be coming from the red door. Simon goes completely still and stares towards it, his entire body tense with fear. The noise stops after five minutes.
4:35am – Simon hasn't had any more sleep. He's sitting on the floor of the chamber, still staring in the direction of the stone archway. Every now and then he mutters something to himself, but it's always too low to hear. Once in a while he glances off to the side, in the direction of Ron's body.
6:45am – The scratching starts again. Simon jumps to his feet as if he's been electrocuted. His whole body is tense as he stands frozen in place, staring towards the red door. Muttering under his breath. The scratching continues on and off for the next 102 minutes.
8:35am – The scratching is replaced by a soft tapping sound. Tap, tap, tap, followed by a pause, followed by three more taps. Tap, tap, tap. Like fingertips lightly drumming on wood.
SIMON: No, no, no, no, no–
Luke snaps awake in bed. He lies terrified in the dark, trying to keep completely still. In the bedroom, Mary also wakes. Her and Megan hold onto each other as they listen to the sounds coming from the chamber.
SIMON: Make it stop. Make it fucking stop.
The tapping is joined by a sudden surge of whispers. The noise swells in the chamber, a chorus of jumbled half-voices.
SIMON: GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HEAD.
Simon blunders over to the bedroom where Mary and Megan are hiding and grabs the end of the bed. The two women leap to their feet and grab onto their own end, but they're caught off-guard. Simon manages to drag the bed a foot across the floor before Mary jams her legs against the bedroom wall, stalling his progress.
SIMON: GET OUT! OUT! OUT!
MARY: Get away from us, Simon!
SIMON: GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE!
Simon tries several more times to yank the bed out of the doorway, but now that Mary and Megan are in position he can't manage it. In the bunker, the lights flick on. The tapping and whispering noises suddenly cut off, leaving the room in silence. Simon stares around wildly, taking in the room as if for the first time. His eyes land on Luke.
SIMON: Right.
Simon storms across the chamber towards Luke's bed. He grabs the boy by the front of his shirt. Luke yells and protests, but Simon drags him clear of the bed and begins yanking him towards the stone archway. Luke desperately tries to keep his balance, tries not to put any weight on his broken leg, but he can't quite manage it. He screams in agony and terror as his bad leg bashes against the floor of the chamber. Simon ignores him. He only stops once the two of them are standing close by the red door, and then he turns his attention to the blocked bedroom.
SIMON: You want to play clever with me? You want to whisper in your fucking hidey-hole and think I don't know what you're doing? Well, how about this: If you're not out of that room in 10 fucking seconds, Luke's going headfirst through the door.
LUKE: No, please don't don't this, please don't, I–
SIMON: Shut up.
MARY: Let go of him, Simon! You don't want to do this.
SIMON: No, I don't. But I'm not going to stand here and listen to the voice of that dead old fuck whispering to me anymore, I can hear him in my head and it's enough Mary, it's fucking enough, it needs to end right now. So either you come out in 10 seconds, or Luke's gone.
MARY: Simon, I–
SIMON: Nine...
MARY: No, wait, we–
SIMON: Eight...
MARY: Simon just hang on, okay, wait.
Simon lets go of Luke with one hand and grabs the door knob. He twists it and pushes. The red door swings in, once more revealing thick darkness beyond.
SIMON: Seven, six, five, four–
MARY: Okay, okay! We're out! We're coming out!
Simon holds Luke in place as the bed begins to shift and slide across the floor. Mary and Megan are whispering to each other as they move, but it's too low for Simon – or the audio – to catch. After a few more seconds the bed is clear of the doorway. Mary walks out into the chamber first, her face pale and frightened, and Megan follows. For a few moments they simply stand there, staring across the room at each other. Then Simon speaks.
SIMON: First, before we go any further, I want you to know something, Mary.
MARY: What's that?
SIMON: You did this.
Simon shoves Luke through the doorway. It's as though the boy's been swallowed up by a hole in the ground – he's visible on the cameras one moment, gone the next. All hell breaks loose in the chamber. Megan cries out and Mary takes a few steps forwards, a look of shock on her face, at the same moment Simon charges at her. Mary tries to throw herself out of his way, but his speed has caught her by surprise. Before she can avoid his grip Simon is clutching her hair in both hands and dragging her across the floor of the chamber, his face red and his teeth gritted.
SIMON: Fucking. Bitch.
MARY: Megan! Megan!
Megan has been standing frozen in place, but Mary's voice finally breaks her trance. As Simon pulls Mary into position in front of the open doorway she rushes him, kicking and hitting at him with as much force as possible. One of her blows catches him in his right eye and he yelps, letting go of Mary with one hand. As Simon tries to shove Megan away, Mary seizes her opportunity. She pulls the shard of wood she'd picked up the night before from her waistband and plunges it into Simon's face. She's aiming for his eye, but she misses. Simon is moving and the wood goes through his cheek instead, puncturing the skin like wet paper. Simon screams and punches Mary in the face. He grabs her with both hands again and takes a step closer to the open doorway. 
SIMON: YOU'RE GOING THROUGH, YOU BITCH. YOU'RE DONE.
Before Simon can throw her, Megan rushes in again. The three of them fight in the open doorway, struggling desperately for balance. But Simon is winning. He's stronger, and even as Megan hits and kicks at him he turns his full attention to Mary, gripping her with both hands and readying himself to launch her into the darkness.
But instead, at the very last moment, he screams. His grip loosens. Simon's eyes widen and his eyes flick down to the floor. They flick down to stare at the hand which is now extending out of the swirling darkness and gripping him, hard, by the ankle. Simon screams again. Megan charges at him. She shoves him backwards as hard as she can, and because his attention is elsewhere Simon doesn't see her coming until it's too late. Her hands connect with his shoulder and chest and he goes flying backwards into the darkness, a look of terror on his face.
MARY: Luke! Luke!
She takes a step towards the swirling blackness, but the door slams shut. When Mary tries the handle, it won't open.
From somewhere beyond the stone archway, faint and echoing, comes the distant sound of screams.

Posted by u/samhaysom