Sshh, Be Quiet

Matt continued to stare at his hands after he told Lisa and Brian about the messages that were received. He was shaken, and for the first time in his life, he was terrified.

“What did they say? Were they the same? Different?” Brian asked.

Matt held up a piece of paper. ”Different. Mine isn't as violent though, that's what's strange about it,” he said, holding the paper towards Brian.

He grabbed the paper and read it while Lisa looked over his arm. Next to Matt”s name, your tragic fate is looking so clear, was written, and next to Johnny's name, I may be staring down a lethal sight, to die. Nothing shocks you like a bullet hole, was written.

“I don't understand yours,” Lisa said. “But his, well, that's pretty obvious.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Johnny entered the room. “I figured that while I was here, I'd try to get some work done on my computer that I could do without internet. It was an instant message with no sender. I tried to respond, but I kept getting an error message.” His voice was low, full of fear. As he locked eyes with Lisa. “I'm going to die tonight, aren't I?”


Lisa was taken aback that she was the first person he would turn to. His eyes showed more fear than Matt's. She could almost see his body trembling. Lisa opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted.

“No. Johnny, we are not going to let anything happen to you,” Matt responded quickly. “We are not going to lose anybody else.”

Just then, the rest of the group entered the living room, all of them wearing worried expressions.

Stephanie spoke up. “So we're all just sitting in the kitchen because we didn't want to disturb Lisa while she was sleeping, and our phones all go off at exactly the same time. It was also the same time that Johnny had gotten the message on his laptop. His was the only message that was different. All of ours said the same thing.”

Brian and Lisa exchanged glances and reached for their phones. At the same time, they both looked. They had also received the message. Your tragic fate is looking so clear.

“So Johnny didn't get this one?” Brian asked.

“I didn't get it. Just the other one.”

“I think whoever is here is basically telling us that we're all going to die,” Jenna said. ”I just don't get how it's able to send a message to our cell phones.”

“I don't get how it knows our song lyrics, let alone lyrics for a new album we haven't even began recording yet,” Matt said.

The group sat in silence for a few moments, trying to think of any possibilities of what could be happening. Everyone was thinking of their own explanations and theories. Lisa glanced between Matt and Johnny. Johnny was now visibly trembling in fear. He was picking at his fingernails and biting his lip. He startled everybody when he spoke up.

“I don't have a gun. Nobody here has one. I just don't understand.”

“Johnny, you're just going to stay in this room, and we'll be with you at all times,” Zack said. “Nothing is going to happen to any of us.”

“But then will we get out of here?” Lisa asked. “So what if we live for three more days, it will mean nothing if we're still stuck inside this place.”

“We'll get out of here, if we have to set fire to a wall and burn a hole to get out,” Matt said.

“Why don't we just do that now?” Steph suggested.

“She's right,” Lisa said.

Matt, Zack, and Johnny all went to the kitchen, grabbing lighters and whatever they could find to start a fire, and to also control it. Tension eased a bit while the thought of escape and freedom loomed, but faded while repeated cursing came from the back dining room.

“What's going on?!” Brian shouted.

“Nothing will spark and start a fucking fire,” Matt replied.

Zack re-entered the living room. “They're going to the basement to see if they can find any matches or something. It's like the damn thing with the windows. The lighters won't spark.”

“Shouldn't you all be with them just in case?” Jenna asked. “Johnny did get a message, and just him and Matt down there? I mean, not to be placing blame, but Matt was with Emily when she died.”

“Stephanie was with Jimmy when he died too,” Brian snapped in defense of his friends.

“Yeah, well you and Lisa were both with Korynn when she died,” Jenna snapped back.

“Guys! Guys! Just stop!” Lisa shouted. “Seriously. This is not the time to be blaming each other for shit.”

“There's light down there, they'll be fine. Plus they said they would get out as soon as something seemed off,” Zack spoke up.

“I hope you're right, Zack,” Lisa said.

“How are you feeling anyways? You disappeared for a minute back there.” He quickly changed the subject.

“I'm fine. I went upstairs to look around. Trying to find my own theories about this place.”

“Find any?”

The four of them focused their attention on Lisa as she painfully sat up. “I think something is possessing us. Before you call me crazy, you weren't there in the bathroom with Korynn. She was talking, but it wasn't her voice. She wasn't herself. Her eyes, they were dark.”

“She's right,” Brian said, backing her up. “She honestly looked and acted like she was possessed. We just don't know about the other two because we weren't there.” He looked at Steph.

“No. I didn't see anything. The room was dark. I didn't even hear anything. I turned on the light and he was already dead.”

“Matt didn't say that he saw anything when Emily died. He said it was dark, and he didn't see anyone until he saw her. Said she just appeared from the darkness already covered in blood,” Jenna said.

“Korynn was the only death that was actually witnessed. What if this thing that's here is making them kill themselves?”

“It makes sense, since they were all stabbed. Johnny's message indicated a gun though. That's where it falls apart. Not to mention, he said that nobody had a gun.”

“Speaking of Matt and Johnny?” Lisa interrupted. “Shouldn't someone go check on them?”

No sooner did Lisa say that when a 'bang' was heard from the basement.

Notes