I was having the best 10th birthday party ever. Were were eating dinner when one of my friends suggested we finish up our dinner quickly so that we could play hide and seek. We all shoveled as much food as we could into our mouths. We all ran out into the street and decided on rules. You can’t go indoors, you can’t go on other people’s properties, and you can’t go out of the neighborhood. We played a good 4 rounds until an boy came out of his house, as we were deciding the seeker. “Hello, there. I’m Johnathan. Can I play?” The boy says. “Of course!” My friend responds, a little too quickly. “I’ll seek.” He says flatly. We all agre and disperse to find hiding places. He counts to 20, then comes to find us. I hear a scream, and someone yelllng help. This was a strategy us girls used to help the seeker when we got found to make the other hiders come out. “Very authentic,” I thought. Then, I hear a door slam. Then another scream. This time, it was someone else. Then another door slam. Then, one last scream. Now, I was starting to get worried. Another door slams. I get up to see where everyone went. That was everybody who came to the party, so I must have won. “Okay, I won. Where is everyone?” All of the sudden, Johnathan grabs my arm and pulls me toward a van. I scream. He slides open the van door and pushes me in there. Inside is a man with a knife, in front of my friends, shushing everyone who tries to scream, and threatens them with the knife. None of us ever went to a party again. Or had a party. Or any birthday at all.

There we were, in a dark eerie corridor. Simon called out, “1..2…”. I ran, hid down under the creaky, vintage, dusty chair. I held my breath to make it easier for myself to not be caught. Of course, I thought he’d find me quickly. I mean he’s a pro at this game. Simon called out “3.., i’m coming for you!”. There it was, silent yet audible footsteps. The wooden boards creaking, and the moon shining through. He stumbled upon a dark door, gold frame wrapping around it. He slowly opened the door, whispering, “Andres..where are you?”. Of course he did it to mock. However what completely caught me off guard was the glass vase falling, catching both our attentions. How could it be possible..? It was only Simon and me playing..? In a worried tone, he called out “Andres? That’s not funny man.” Before I even spoke up in defiance, a shadow appeared in front of me. A man in a black hoodie, shushing me. The blood left my face so fast as I saw the knife he held in his hand, my face turning pale and my body beginning to tremble. From afar, I hear simon, “Andres??! This isn’t funny anymore!”. In a rush, I decide to get up but it didn’t last long before I was punched to the gut, quickly being dragged away by the masked man. “Simon..” I mumble before my vision grows blurry and my eyes close.

“Can I join?” a lady in maybe her early twenties asked a kid if she could join a small game of hide and seek. She wouldn’t look like much if she didn’t wear all that makeup. With the makeup she had diamonds painted on her eyes like a clown and she looked like she could kill someone. But that didn’t stop Oliver from allowing her to join him and his friends, Tim and Jimmy, in a game of hide and seek. In fact, they were happy they had a new person to join their game—and proud that it was someone older. They didn’t notice the smirk on her face when Jimmy was turned around and counting, nor the white van she had convinced Tim to hide in. She didn’t know where Oliver was but she wasn’t worried about the six-year-old, dyslexic boy. He had a better future in store than his little friends. And when Jimmy had started looking for the other she had told him to go look it the back of the van. He had followed her advice, and though he had found his friend she had locked them both up in the back and took them away. Oliver ignorant to what was happening, waited for twenty minutes hidden in a bush. He had found a ladybug, a pack of gummies, and a ballpoint pen. He had thought he had won and finally emerged from the bushed to find three worried mothers looking for their children. When Ruby Yew found her son she hugged him and almost cried. The amber alert didn’t go out until half an hour after Oliver revealeed he had no clue where the other two boys where. An hour passed and Jimmy and Tim where no where to be found. Two hours;nothing. Time kept passing and the boys weren’t found. That is until ten, long years later.

Only a game

“Alright, rules are simple,” said Troy, the jock, tossing the flashlight from one hand to the other. “Manhunt rules. One seeker, five hiders. No leaving the park. You get found, you help find the others. Everyone clear?”

“Do we have to play this?” Emily asked quietly, pushing her glasses up nervously. She tugged at her sweatshirt sleeve, glancing at the dark trees that loomed over the edge of the small playground.

“Oh my God, Emily,” groaned Matt, rolling his eyes. He leaned on the old swing set, his leather jacket creaking as he shifted. “It’s a game, not a death sentence. Don’t be such a—”

“Matt,” Casey interrupted sharply. She flipped her long hair over her shoulder, giving him a withering look. “Be nice for once.”

“Guys, shut up,” Becca said, stepping into the center of the group. She cracked her knuckles with a grin. “I’m counting first. You’ve got thirty seconds. Better hide fast.”

“Go, go, go!” Troy yelled, shoving Matt toward the trees. The group scattered, their laughter and footsteps fading into the shadows.

**Watching **

The man leaned against a tree at the edge of the clearing, his expression blank as he watched them disperse.

He didn’t belong here, and he knew it. But no one had stopped him when he’d drifted into the park hours earlier, his plain clothes and nondescript appearance making him invisible.

Six of them. Teenagers, too wrapped up in their own world to notice him lurking just beyond the streetlights.

He smiled faintly. They wouldn’t notice until it was too late.

His gaze landed on the quiet one—the girl with glasses who hesitated as she ran, glancing over her shoulder.

She’d be easy.

**3. Let the games begin **

Emily ducked behind a thick patch of bushes, her breath shallow. “Why did I even agree to this?” she muttered under her breath. She crouched low, checking her phone: no signal.

Nearby, branches snapped. Emily froze.

“Found you!” Becca’s voice rang out, and Emily exhaled in relief as Matt cursed loudly in response.

“Goddammit,” Matt barked. “This game sucks.”

“Don’t be a sore loser,” Becca teased, shoving his shoulder. “Let’s find the others.”

Further into the woods, Troy whispered into the darkness, “Sam? Casey? I know you’re out here.”

But Emily wasn’t paying attention to them anymore. She felt it—the prickling sensation of being watched. She turned her head slowly, scanning the shadows.

Nothing.

Alone

The man stayed silent, his breath steady as he shifted through the undergrowth. He’d been careful, keeping to the edge of the game, watching the others get found one by one.

But the girl—Emily—had wandered farther than the rest.

She was alone now.

He adjusted the strap of the worn canvas bag slung over his shoulder and stepped lightly over a fallen branch. She hadn’t seen him yet, but she would soon.

It didn’t matter.

Lost Casey groaned as she plopped onto a log in the clearing. “Emily takes forever. It’s like she doesn’t even want to play.”

“She’s probably just hiding too well,” Troy said, spinning the flashlight beam in lazy circles on the ground.

“Or she got lost,” Sam offered nervously, his hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets.

“Maybe she realized how dumb this was and went home,” Matt sneered.

“Why do you always have to be such an ass?” Troy snapped, stepping closer.

“You son of a bitch…I stomp yoh right here” Matt shot back, shoving Troy in the chest.

“Guys, stop it!” Casey yelled. “This isn’t helping.”

Emily

Emily crouched behind a fallen tree, hugging her knees to her chest. The forest was quieter now, the voices of her friends distant echoes.

She strained to listen, but all she could hear was the faint rustle of leaves in the wind.

“Emily.”

Her head snapped up at the sound of her name, spoken softly.

“Who’s there?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

“Emily.” The voice was closer now.

She scrambled to her feet, heart pounding, but she didn’t see him until it was too late.

The man stepped out of the shadows, his face devoid of expression. He grabbed her arm with an iron grip, and when she screamed, it was muffled by his hand.

The Clearing

“Where is she?” Becca asked, pacing back and forth.

“She’s probably messing with us,” Matt said, but his voice lacked confidence.

“She would’ve texted,” Casey murmured, holding up her phone. “She hasn’t answered any of my messages.”

“Guys!” Sam called out, his voice breaking. “Over here!”

The group rushed to him. He stood in a small clearing, holding up a phone.

Emily’s phone.

It lay abandoned in the grass, its screen cracked, a faint smear of dirt across the case.

Troy’s stomach sank. “Something’s wrong,” he muttered.

“What do we do?” Casey whispered, her voice shaking as tears welled in her eyes.

For once, Matt didn’t have a sarcastic reply. He just stared at the phone in Sam’s hand, his expression unreadable.

Walked

The night dragged on, and the group sat in a tight circle near the park’s entrance, waiting for the police.

“We should’ve stopped the game,” Sam said quietly, his voice thick with guilt.

“Don’t,” Casey whispered, wiping her eyes.

“No,” he insisted. “We should’ve—”

A sharp crack in the woods made them all jump, but it was only a branch falling in the wind.

The sun began to rise, painting the trees in soft gold and orange, but the warmth didn’t reach them.

Somewhere, deep in the forest, the man walked unnoticed, blending into the quiet dawn. Emily’s fate was left to the shadows, where no one would ever find her.

And her friends would never stop wondering what had gone wrong.

It started as a game but it ended in a death

Original Short but Thrilling Story of Horrors and Mystery

(Written By: Lynn, Anonymous)

Welcome! I’m going to be your narrator; you can call me Lynn. Today, I'm sharing a story about three children, one of whom was consumed at birth by a beautiful baby boy destined to grow up to be nothing but evil. This twisted yet thrilling horror novel revolves around triplets—yes, triplets born as twins. Now, you might be curious why the title is “Triplets born twins.” Even if you're not the least bit curious now, you will soon yearn to know what comes next. (This is a draft I worked 6 hrs on, I hope you like it!)

PART 1: The Parents

To understand the children, we must first examine their parents—Rosan and Aydon—whose twisted fates from their past seep into their future.

Rosan grew up in poverty, while Aydon endured a complicated childhood. He had a home, yet it never truly felt like one. Their paths intertwined in a forbidden romance—a tale I'm considering for another story. For now, let’s delve deeper into the life of Rosan, a child ripped from her parents’ arms at a tender age. Unlike her brother, she vividly recalls every trauma from that neglectful home. Despite being adopted six years later, Rosan struggled with self-harm and was forced into therapy, where her confidences were betrayed for profit. This shattered her spirit.

On the other hand, Aydon experienced a seemingly better life with his sister, who had transitioned into a male just before her tragic murder in a dark alley. This loss drove Aydon to question his existence and indulge in reckless behavior. Neither he nor Rosan had realizations or turning points; they both buried their guilt and created chaos together. Disapproving of Rosan, Aydon’s parents pushed against their love, while Rosan’s parents merely sparked doubt. Despite the challenges, their bond held firm, leading them to believe they would ultimately find their way back to each other—and they did.

But as fascinating as their past is, we must shift our attention to the future.

This passionate love birthed beautiful twins: a girl, Daisy, and a boy, Eric. The twins were inseparable, much like their parents, but they soon learn that every game has players, each with their own motives—something they would discover all too soon.

It was the twins’ 12th birthday, and they stumbled upon something they wished they had left undiscovered.

"Eric! Come here! I think I found something!” Daisy shouted from the backyard.

“Ugh, it better not be one of your weird beheaded Barbie dolls again. Seriously, it’s just creepy!” Eric retorted, bouncing on the trampoline.

“Kids! It’s time for cake! Come give Mommy and Daddy big birthday kisses!” Rosan called from the kitchen window.

They lived on a sprawling farm, complete with cattle and ample play space. Aydon and Rosan were flexible parents; if one of the kids asked for something and they earned it, they received it. Despite their contrasting beliefs—Aydon and the kids believing in God while Rosan did not—they maintained a supportive family environment.

“Where’s Daddy?” Daisy asked.

“He's washing up before dessert. You both need to do the same!” Rosan exclaimed, scooping Daisy into her arms with playful energy.

“Can’t forget about you, Mr. Stinky!” She waddled over to Eric, tickling him relentlessly.

“Ahh, ahahaha!” Eric squealed, squirming away.

“I’m going! I’m going!” he giggled back at his mom.

Aydon descended from the upstairs bathroom and kissed Rosan with fervor, prompting giggles and exaggerated squeals from the kids.

“Ewwwww!” Daisy and Eric groaned in unison, sharing a conspiratorial glance.

“Come here, you little goofballs! It’s time for CAKE! Who’s going to blow out the candles while Mommy and I sing your birthday song?” Aydon chuckled softly.

The children battled over who would get to blow out the candles, and in a moment of mischief, their parents secretly blew them out before the kids could.

Puff!

“HEY!” Daisy and Eric cried simultaneously.

But the candles miraculously reignited.

"Umm, Eric… I think our house is haunted!” Daisy whispered, wide-eyed.

“I know! How cool is that?” Eric replied, thrilled. The twins exchanged glances, then looked at the candles again.

“BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!” they both shouted in excitement.

As they competed for the first piece of cake, a strange feeling hung in the air that they couldn’t quite shake. Their focus blurred, and the once joyous atmosphere began to darken, hinting at the horrors to come.

PART 3: Hide and Seek

“Eric, are you awake?” Daisy whispered, her voice tremulous.

“Yes, I can’t sleep. I keep thinking about those silly candles!” he blurted.

“SHHH! Mommy and Daddy are sleeping!”

“Oops, sorry!”

“It’s okay,” she reassured him with a smile.

They slept in separate rooms, connected by a shared door. Daisy often found herself plagued by nightmares, but her older brother was always there to comfort her.

“Another nightmare, sis?”

“Actually, no. I keep thinking about that hole I found before we went in for cake a few hours ago. I never noticed it before, and I’m curious to see what’s down there.”

“That does sound intriguing,” Eric replied, eyes wide with excitement.

At twelve years old, the twins had a more advanced vocabulary than most. They believed their intellect came from their Uncle Austin on their mother’s side, who was known for his brilliance, especially since Rosan and Aydon sometimes struggled with basic directions.

They quietly made their way outside to uncover the secrets of the mysterious hole.

The next morning, as Aydon and Rosan prepared for church, they realized their children were missing. The twins’ beds were perfectly made, as if they had never occupied them.

Panic spread through their community as reports of the missing children were filed, but after countless hours of searching, not a single clue emerged. It was as if they had vanished from existence.

34 years have passed.* Both parents remained together but were forever broken. One day, an ominous brightness appeared where the children had once vanished—a sinkhole seemed to be forming, an end to their misery. They braced themselves for a reunion, but what emerged was far from the return they had imagined. Out of the darkness, their children emerged—now grown adults, yet wearing the same clothes they had vanished in, their youthful faces unchanged. But there was something sinister about them.

Alongside their children, a third figure surfaced—deformed, with unkempt hair and a sinister aura. It had eyes that glowed an eerie red, as if controlling the minds of the twins.

“KiLl ThEm, ThEy BeTrAyEd Us,” it hissed, its voice a chilling echo.

In a moment of horror, Daisy rushed to her mother, tears streaming as she claimed to have missed her. But when Rosan lifted her head, despair took hold; Daisy was clutching her mother’s severed head. Eric, too, stared with empty eyes before pointing at Rosan.

“Goodbye, Mommy and Daddy,” the voice echoed as the figure retreated into the shadows, leaving behind only the chilling memory of what once was.

“Who wanna play hide and seek?” The literacy teacher asked loudly so everyone can hear her, as kindergartners, we screamed to express our excitement. Once we got out of the building and in to the playground, we immediately scattered around and hide everywhere, we watched and waited until the teacher count to zero.

“Three, two, one, zero! Ah let’s see where had you guys been hiding?” The teacher said playfully, some of us can’t hold it and let out small giggles. The teacher found us on by one, we didn’t know before that she was just pretending to not find us, if she tried to for real, we’ll be all caught in a minute.

As only about a half of kindergarteners remain, the cunning teacher said “oh no! It was time for you guys to go, come out everyone”, a few of us believed her ruse and came out resulting them being caught. Fortunately, I have a watch so I didn’t fall for her trick. The teacher seemingly noticed tremors inside her pocket, she picked her phone and had a brief conversation with the one in the other side.

“Come out everyone! There’s a kidnapper coming toward the building, we need to go inside!” The teacher urgently shouted and gestured for everyone to come out, but of course, nobody answered her call for converge. We were deceived into thinking that it was another trick to fool us to expose ourself, but this time it was for real. Stress, anxiety, and pressure tarnished her mind, the one whom was originally capable of easily finding us suddenly couldn’t anymore.

“AAAAAH” one of the hiders screamed across the playground, a man in black cloak had him in his arms. The kid cursed and kicked but the man just won’t loosen his arms. He kidnapped and carried the kid to his car before the teacher could reach them. This incident spread throughout the school, now no teacher bring students out to play hide and seek.

“1 mississippi…2 Mississippi…3 mississippi,” and so on he went counting down the clock. “HERE I COMEEE!!!!” He screeched at the top of his lungs. I sprinted towards the decaying trees. Fall time is always my favorite. We had the radio on talking about the football game. Steelers vs Chiefs, and we knew who was gonna win.

Around 10 minutes later I wondered, “Wheres the seeker?” Either I have a really good hiding spot, or they’re really bad at seeking. I think it’s both personally. I hid in a bush quietly, until I heard a bang on the wish tree. I tilted my head at the tree and saw a small dent, like a head hit it. The sound was hollow and quieter than expected. I felt a cold drip on the tree through my spine. I turned my head round the tree again to see some red like consistency dropping from the tree to the muddy ground. I sprinted farther in the forest, not being able to hear the game anymore. I remember being by approximately 10 trees and them all dropping trees.

I woke up in a hospital 10 days later, I got a major concussion from tripping down the stairs. I don’t think I did, but the doctors said my mother replied to them with that when they asked what happened. I now know that didn’t happen for a fact. My mother was in Maryland, we were in Louisiana. She could have never knew what happened to me. My father couldn’t have told her because he was drunk on the couch. I thought? I tried to stand up from the hospitals tilted bed, to realize I was paralyzed from the waist down. Realizenetment filled my eyes as I remembered the only person I had saw that day was my best friend and his girlfriend. His girlfriend, Amanda, was sitting on the porch of the house across the yards away we were. I felt the cold air from my elevated window. The floor was creaky and cold. There were dents shaped as squares on the floor.

I stared outside the now covered in soaked leaves window, at the brown concrete overgrown on by weeds and grass. If that doesn’t give you a perfect definition of how people treat their world, I don’t know what will. I decided to try drawing on the napkin they gave me earlier today and the pen by me.

I don’t what I’ll do for my life now, but now I can’t play hide and seek….and hunt them down.

Maybe in another life I will, depends on if they do.

To be- or not to be- right now that translates to hide or die. True it was not in iambic pentameter, but it was of course, of no consequence. Who he was hiding from did not care for literature, merely blood on his knife.

It wasn’t even Halloween, or any other black day of the calendar. It was merely a fun night gone wrong in 1984. The high school students had just wanted to drink and smoke behind the farm, unfortunately they were now for the Harvest.

A poetry majors last soliloquy.

Now he hid among the corn, hearing silence that was briefly interrupted by the last cries of the damned.

He hadn’t even seen who was doing this, he merely heard the gore. But now, now there was one more sound- the crushing of stalks, growing ever closer, as was his imment doom.

Quote not the raven, but the morning chickens, Never more.

Chapter One

         Fear is a fickle bitch and right now I am at her mercy.  

         Silently, I struggle to remain still.  A hard task to achieve when I am quite literally vibrating internally from the sheer terror that has crept within my skin and blanketed my bones. As I lay within the confines of the makeshift hatch beneath the floorboards I hear footsteps approaching. As the steps close upon me I can her the wooden slabs creak and crack in a symphony of terror. The tune begins to slow in a matter of ritardando until the footsteps have ceased just above my head. I  hear the resonance of paced guttural breath and in that moment I can feel my panic peak and I want nothing more than to burst out of my skin and float away. I close my eyes and soundlessly exhale the remaining breath I have trapped inside my lungs. I hold myself in that manner, breathless, in an attempt to make myself somehow smaller. 

	The screetch of an alarm snaps my eyes wide open and abruptly closed again. I jolt in a fashion that somehow remains noiseless. I hear a voice so raspy and dull it likens itself to ashes and gasoline, “Good girl,” the voice says and I can hear the smile in his words, “ you may just win this yet.”  The voice’s footsteps retreat and I remain still.  “Four down, three to go”, the voice trails on and I hear the front door open in a long drawn out spectacle. “This game with you is my favorite so far.” The door slams shut and I immediately take in a breath, albeit shaky,  and breathe out bringing with it the pent up hysteria I have suppressed. I wait in a lobby of trepidation before finally hoisting my elbows from my sides and begin to push above me repeatedly in an effort to knock the loose board out of place. This climactic era of this fucked up game I was currently siting in was my fault alone.  Had I known now what I knew those many months ago I would have never stepped foot inside of Mulligans Manor. The Manor in which I came face to face with the Bogeyman.    

(After a bit of feedback of whether the opening is complete trash or not, I will continue on.)