Creeps, true stories from Reddit (Second book)

Has anyone heard of The Purgatory Game? Part 5.

***
I haven't been honest with you.
Not completely. Not even close, in fact. After my last post, I had a bunch of messages from people asking me what I meant by that last line. Asking me why I'd called myself a liar.
And I think it's almost time I came clean.
But first, before I do, I need to make one last appeal to you – I need to ask for your help one final time. Please. I've had more missed calls on my phone, and more messages. Last night I saw a car parked on the road outside the place I'm staying that I've never seen before, and it was still there when I woke up this morning.
I also received a text that made no sense. Another unknown number. Only one sentence and it meant nothing to me, but I still felt cold as I read it.
YOUR BODY WILL ROT IN THE BLACKLANDS FOREVER.
I think they're getting close.
I haven't been honest about a lot of things, but I promise you I've been honest about that. I really am on the run. There really are people after me.
And before you try to guess who I am, or what's going on, know this: It's not what you think.
I'm not a bad person.
I've just made a lot of bad mistakes.
..............................
DAY FOUR, cont.
[Note: All logs consist of a description of participants' main behaviours and actions. Key conversations have also been transcribed.]
9:50am – Mary keeps trying the door, but it won't budge. Her and Megan continue shouting Luke's name, even as the screams beyond the door grow fainter. After 15 minutes they fade away altogether.
10:10am – Mary sits down next to the door, breathing heavily. Her nose is bleeding where Simon hit her. She stares off into space for a moment, then puts her head in her hands. She starts to cry.
10:15am – Megan walks over and sits down next to Mary. She rests her head on Mary's shoulder and closes her eyes. It's 10 minutes before anyone speaks.
MEGAN: We're going to die here, aren't we?
Mary doesn't say anything. The only sound in the chamber is the two women breathing.
11:30am – After sitting in silence by the archway for close to an hour, Mary finally gets up. It takes her a long time. Every movement seems to cause her pain. Megan, whose eyes are blotchy and red, watches her from the floor. Mary faces the red door and stares at it, unmoving.
MEGAN: Do you think we should try it again?
MARY: I don't know.
MEGAN: I can't hear anything on the other side.
MARY: Me neither.
MEGAN: What would you have done earlier if it'd opened? Would you have gone through?
Mary turns to look at her.
MARY: I'm not... I'm not sure. I think so. But only because I wanted to try and get to Luke. Something about his screams, in there. He sounded so...
MEGAN: Desperate?
Mary nods.
MEGAN: So if we try the door now and it opens, what then? There's only darkness on the other side.
MARY: It can't just be that. There has to be a way through, somehow. I think if we–
She breaks off, holding her stomach.
MARY: Fuck, fuck.
MEGAN: Mary? What is it?
Mary holds out a hand and stumbles over to one of the beds. She rests her forearm on the cover and grips her stomach, eyes squinted shut. As Megan hurries over Mary lets out a long, slow breath.
MEGAN: Mary? Mary?
MARY: It's okay. Just a stomach cramp. I've been getting them on and off for the past couple of days, but that was a bad one. A really fucking bad one.
MEGAN: Yeah, I've been getting them too. My stomach feels like it's being chewed up from the inside. I feel weak all over, as well. Like my body's being weighed down by an anchor.
MARY: We haven't eaten for what? Three days now? Four? I can't even remember.
MEGAN: I think this is the fourth day we've been in here.
Mary turns and sits down on the bed. Megan sits next to her.
MEGAN: You're a doctor, right? That's what you said when you first introduced yourself to us, wasn't it?
MARY: Yeah.
MEGAN: So how long can the human body survive without food?
Mary shakes her head.
MARY: I don't know. I'm not sure anyone does, not exactly. It's a long time, though. I know that. Longer than you'd think. Water's a different story. If we didn't have sinks in our rooms, I don't know if we'd even have made it this far. But food... I think there are examples of people being on hunger strike for months, rather than weeks. The body's an incredible thing.
MEGAN: I couldn't last in here for that long, Mary. I'd rather die.
MARY: You're not going to die. And we're not going to be in here for much longer, either. We're going to get out.
MEGAN: How?
MARY: First, I need to rest. My whole body hurts. I barely slept last night, neither of us did. And I think that fucker broke my nose.
Mary holds up a hand and lightly touches her face, wincing at the contact. Megan gets up and goes to another of the beds, then strips off one of the pillowcases.
MEGAN: Hang on.
She walks into a nearby bedroom and turns the tap on, running the pillowcase beneath it. Then she walks back into the chamber and hands it to Mary, who smiles up at her.
MARY: Thank you.
Mary uses the damp material to clean the blood from her face. While she's doing this Megan walks over to the bed nearest to Mary's and lies down on it, staring up at the chamber's ceiling.
MEGAN: You know, I spent the past few days trying to convince myself this was all just a game. Whenever something awful happened, or whenever I felt bad, that's what I'd tell myself: It's just a game. Actors, special effects. A game. For a while, I even believed it. Or at least, part of me did. But the longer we've been in here, the harder it's got. And now, even though my mind still wants to tell me it's all okay – that nothing happening is real, like not really real – I can't do it. Not any more. Not after what's happened to Ron and Luke. There's no way to fake all that.
MARY: I know what you mean. I kept trying to tell myself it was only a game, too.
MEGAN: So what do you think it is now? An experiment or something? Like, some weird government branch, or some private company? Wanting to test how strangers react in a confined space?
Mary has finished cleaning her face. She throws the pillowcase onto the floor and lies back on the bed, wincing. Then she stares up at the ceiling of the chamber. It takes her a few moments to answer.
MARY: Maybe. Either that or we're guinea pigs.
MEGAN: Guinea pigs?
MARY: Guinea pigs, canaries down the mineshaft... yeah, I think that could be it. That's closer, anyway, at least in my mind. We're the canaries.
MEGAN: How do you mean?
MARY: You've never heard that expression? It's like... it's like in the old days, the people who worked in the mines would carry birds down into the tunnels with them. Canaries in cages. The idea was that the birds would act as a warning for the miners. If there was gas down in the tunnels, they'd die first.
MEGAN: So you're saying... you're saying we were put down here as a kind of... what, a test?
MARY: I'm saying whoever did put us down here... maybe they discovered something. Maybe they were looking for it and maybe they weren't, but I think they discovered something and I think that the thing they discovered scared them. Frightened them badly. So instead of exploring it themselves, they sent us down in their place. The test subjects.
MEGAN: The canaries.
Mary nods.
MEGAN: Except for the last person though, right?
MARY: Hm?
MEGAN: The last person to go through the door. That's what the rules say, isn't it? That the last person gets out? That they get to go home?
Mary opens her mouth to respond, then closes it again. She doesn't say anything.
1pm – Mary falls asleep first. It's light and fitful. Her face is scrunched up in a slight frown, either from fear or pain. Occasionally she moans, as if she's having a nightmare. Megan sits up in bed and watches her for a while, but doesn't wake her.
1:30pm – Megan can't stop looking at Ron. He's still slumped against the chamber wall, blood and gore dried in smears down his face. Eventually Megan gets up, takes a sheet from one of the other beds, and uses it to cover his body.
2:45pm – Megan is still trying to sleep. But whenever she's had her eyes closed for longer than 30 seconds she opens them again, sneaking glances at the red door. As if she's expecting it to open while she's not looking.
3:30pm – Megan finally falls asleep.
7pm – A soft rustling noise fills the chamber, barely audible on the mics. It sounds like a distant wind, blowing around the eaves of a house. Both Megan and Mary twist and turn in their sleep, but neither of them wake up.
9pm – Lights go out in the bunker.
9:30pm – The faint rustling continues, but now it's louder. It sounds closer to a whisper. Like jumbled voices, all whispering at the same time.
10pm – There's a scratching sound coming from the red door. It's unmistakable on the audio feed. The sound is slow and insistent, like nails being run down wood. It isn't enough to wake Megan or Mary, though, who both remain asleep in the chamber. The latter looks almost ill – she's frowning, and her forehead is covered in a light sweat.
10:30pm – The scratching is replaced by a tapping. Three soft taps, then a pause, then three more taps. Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap. The tapping continues for the next 47 minutes, before suddenly stopping. There's a pause of around 30 seconds, and then–
Knock, knock, knock.
Mary moans in her sleep. Megan inhales deeply and sits up in bed, her eyes wide open.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
MEGAN: Oh Jesus Christ, Mary? Mary?
Mary moans in her sleep and turns over.
MEGAN: Mary! Wake up!
MARY: Huh, What?
MEGAN: Mary, you have to wake up, now. The door...
MARY: What, Megan? What is it?
MEGAN: Someone's knocking Mary, someone was knocking on the fucking door just now I heard it, I know I wasn't dreaming, I heard the bangs when I woke up and I–
MARY: Hey, stop, stop, just slow down, okay? Go slowly. What did you hear?
Instead of answering, Megan goes still in the darkness. Listening. But for now, the chamber is quiet again. The knocking has stopped, as has the whispering. The red door is silent.
MEGAN: I heard it, Mary. I swear I did. I wasn't dreaming, or imagining it. Someone knocked on the fucking door.
MARY: I believe you. Okay? Listen, I believe you. I'm right here, and what I want you to do now, okay, is follow the sound of my voice. Can you do that for me, sweetheart?
Mary keeps speaking, and Megan quickly climbs from her bed and does as she asks. When she reaches Mary's bed a few moments later, she reaches out and hugs her.
MEGAN: Something knocked, Mary. I swear it.
MARY: I believe you.
The two stay locked together for a moment. When Megan next speaks, her voice is raw with tears.
MEGAN: I can't do this anymore, Mary.
MARY: And you won't have to. Not for much longer, okay? I promise. Once the lights are up again, we'll make a plan.
MEGAN: I can't.
MARY: Yes, you can. If it wasn't for you, Simon would have thrown me head first through that fucking door earlier. Don't forget that.
Megan doesn't say anything. For a while the two of them hold onto each other, rocking back and forth in the dark.
MARY: Once the lights are up, sweetheart. Once the lights are up we'll get out of here.
[DAY FOUR log ends]
..............................
DAY FIVE
12:00am – The chamber is silent. Neither the whispering, nor the knocking, have returned. Mary tells Megan to try and get some sleep. She says they can take turns keeping watch, like they did with Simon.
1am – Megan finally drifts off. She lies next to Mary on the bed, her face scrunched up in a frown. Mary is sitting up. Her forehead appears clammy, and the bags under her eyes are clearly visible. Every now and then she'll reach up and rub them, hard, as if she's trying to force the exhaustion away.
3:30am – Mary is struggling to stay awake. She's still sitting up, but her eyes keep drifting shut. They'll close for several seconds before snapping open again, only to quickly drift shut once more. Occasionally she pinches the skin of her arm, or bites at her lip, in a clear attempt to fight sleep. But it's not a battle she's winning.
5am – Mary tries to wake Megan. She shakes the girl's shoulder, gently, and whispers in her ear. But Megan is in a deep sleep now, and after a few attempts, Mary stops. Instead she sits back up straight and rubs her eyes again, staring in the direction of the red door.
5:30am – Mary's eyes keep drifting shut.
6am – Mary falls asleep. She slumps forwards in the bed, then sinks to the side so her head is resting against Megan. The only sound in the chamber is the two women breathing.
7am – The whispering starts again.
8am – The sound is getting louder. It fills the chamber now, a background murmur. Mary and Megan remain asleep. The latter twists on the bed, the frown on her face deeper than ever.
8:30am – The whispering abruptly cuts off. The chamber goes silent. For several seconds, everything is still. And then a single voice speaks from the red door.
[LUKE]: Help me.
Luke's voice is soft and clear on the audio. Megan twitches in her sleep.
[LUKE]: Please help me.
Megan sits up in bed. She half opens her eyes, but her expression remains blank. Next to her, Mary stirs slightly. But when Megan pushes back her side of the covers and stands up, Mary doesn't wake.
[LUKE]: Can anyone hear me? I can't see.
Megan stands by the bed for a moment, staring blankly in the direction of the red door. Then she starts to walk towards it.
[LUKE]: Is someone there? Please.
Megan comes to a stop in front of the red door. Her face still wears that blank, dreamy expression. When she speaks, her voice is slurred with sleep.
MEGAN: Luke? That you?
There's a pause. A gust of whispers rustles through the chamber like wind. When the sound fades, the voice can be heard once again.
[LUKE]: Megan?
MEGAN: Luke? Where are you?
[LUKE]: Megan, please help me.
MEGAN: Where are you? Am I dreaming?
[LUKE]: I'm just on the other side of the door, Megan. It's so dark in here. Would you let me back in?
Megan sways slightly on the spot, staring at the door. A slight frown crosses her dreamy expression. But after a moment she takes a step forwards and reaches out her hand, towards the door knob. On the far side, the whispers stir like leaves. Megan's hand hovers inches from the door – and then she pauses.
MEGAN: Can't you open it yourself?
[LUKE]: Open the door, Megan.
MEGAN: But... I...
[LUKE]: Open the door. Please.
Megan stretches her hand forwards another inch. Her fingers touch the door knob. Beyond the stone archway, the whispering sound picks up again. Suddenly, Megan's expression changes. The dreamy look is replaced by a frown, and a moment later her eyes widen. Megan stares in the direction of her own hand, and then at what that hand is touching. She yelps and takes a step back.
MEGAN: Where am I? What's going on?
[LUKE]: Open the door, Megan. Please.
MEGAN: No! No, no, no, no–
[VOICES]: OPEN THE DOOR.
Megan screams. Luke's voice has shifted and now it sounds like multiple voices shouting at once, like Luke and Simon and Laura all screaming through the door together. Mary snaps awake in the bed, her eyes wide and terrified.
MARY: Megan? Where are you?
MEGAN: Mary!
Mary jumps out of bed and rushes towards Megan's voice. As she grabs onto the girl the voices beyond the door shift into a jumble of indecipherable screams. The whispers surge in the background like an angry wind, and there's a heavy BANG BANG BANG against the door, a noise so loud it's as though something's about to punch right through the wood, and the sound continues to build and build and build until–
9am – The lights flick on in the chamber.
Megan and Mary are clutching onto each other in the middle of the room with their eyes shut tight, like two people stranded in a storm. It seems to take them a moment to realise the sounds have stopped. The chamber, and the red door, are both silent. When Megan next speaks, her eyes are still closed.
MEGAN: Is it over, Mary? Has it finished?
Mary lets go of Megan and stares at the red door. The shock and fear are still evident on her face, but they aren't the only emotions. There's something else in her eyes now, too. Something close to anger.
MARY: It's not finished. It's just a lull. But we're going to make the most of it.
MEGAN: What do you mean?
Mary walks across the room and grabs one of the remaining duvets from a bed. She strips the cover off and leaves the duvet where it is, before moving on to the sheet.
MARY: I mean I'm done with this. I've had enough of it. I'm not going to sit around listening to scratches and screams anymore. I'm going through that fucking door.
Mary turns back to Megan, and takes in the fear on the girl's face. Something in her own expression softens.
MARY: Look, I'm not going to force you to come with me. I understand if you don't want to. And if I get out I can send back help, or I...
Mary trails off when she sees Megan shaking her head.
MEGAN: No. No way. I don't want to stay in this place for another minute. If you're going through that door, I'm coming too.
Mary nods.
MARY: Okay then. Are you ready?
MEGAN: Wait, now? We're going through right now? Have we got everything we need, or, or should we–
MARY: No, it's now, Megan. We can't overthink this. It's got to be now, while there's a lull on the other side. Before whatever's out there comes back.
Megan turns to stare at the red door. Mary follows her gaze. For now, it's silent again. No more whispers, scratching or tapping can be heard beyond the wood. A few moments pass before Megan speaks again.
MEGAN: Will it be okay, though, do you think? If we both go through at the same time? Will it count?
MARY: Count for what?
MEGAN: The rules. The rules said only the last person through the door gets to go home.
Mary opens her mouth to reply, then closes it again. After a moment she shakes her head.
MARY: I don't think those rules are real, Megan.
MEGAN: What do you mean?
MARY: The rules, the stuff about God. The Purgatory Game. I think it's all... a distraction.
MEGAN: A distraction?
MARY: Window dressing. Something to occupy us – to stop us going mad or killing each other too quickly. So they can see how it reacts to us being here.
MEGAN: How what reacts?
MARY: Whatever's on the other side of that door.
Mary walks over to the remains of the bedside cabinet and finds two solid shards of wood. She gives one to Megan, and tucks the other into her waistband. But when she grabs the duvet cover and begins tying it around her waist, Megan stops her. Her voice trembles slightly as she speaks.
MEGAN: I think if we're going through, we should go hand in hand. You know, instead of with the sheets and stuff. That way we'll be able to stay close to each other.
Mary stares at the material in her hand for a second, then drops it. She nods. Then she takes a breath and walks steadily over to the red door. Megan follows. When the two are standing side by side facing it, Mary reaches out and grips Megan's hand. She looks over at the girl, trying to force a smile onto her face. But she doesn't quite manage it. Her body is tense, her skin pale. The fear hangs behind her eyes like a shadow. Megan looks even worse. She's trembling all over, the shard of wood shaking in her left hand like a talisman.
Megan opens her mouth to say something, but before she can speak again Mary has reached out and twisted the door knob. This time, the red door opens. It creaks inwards. Swirling darkness waits beyond.
MEGAN: I don't think I can do this, Mary.
MARY: Yes you can. You're with me.
9:30am – The two women step forwards and vanish into the darkness.
10am – The red door swings shut.
11:30am – Distant screams, almost too far away to be heard, are picked up on the audio. It's impossible to tell who they've come from.
[The feed cuts out.]

Posted by u/samhaysom