Chapter 20: Midnight Game, the First Tragic Death
As someone with money, Danny found it easy to call people out for a party. A single phone call had a few friends immediately preparing to drive over.
His friends were Mike, Chad, Amy, Jessie, Brad, Colin...
Jennifer also called a few of her friends.
This group was very efficient. Even the alcohol, cut fruit, and various snacks for the party were bought by them. Of course, Danny paid for it, as he was the one who initiated it.
One more thing worth mentioning.
These friends were all horror enthusiasts like Danny, very interested in the existence of demons and ghosts.
When they learned that Danny had potentially encountered a demon, they became more excited than ever, even suggesting they play a supernatural summoning game.
Danny didn't know what to say about this death-seeking behavior.
Soon, this small suburban house was packed with people.
The living room was filled with beer, cut fruit, and various snacks, and the house was brightly lit, with the group gathered in the living room.
Jessie looked at Jennifer, who was nestled in Danny's arms, with a complex expression. She couldn't compare to this woman in any aspect.
Ever since she and Danny went through Wrong Turn, she had expressed her feelings on the day they'd rested.
Unfortunately, the two were ultimately just a one-night thing...
Jessie wasn't the only one paying attention to the two. There was also a blonde girl who'd come uninvited with Jennifer's friends, and her first words were irritating.
"Hey, Jennifer, is this your new boyfriend?"
Jennifer gave the blonde girl the middle finger.
"Bitch, this is my first boyfriend. If you're jealous, go drag your pathetic man over here."
The two weren't just at odds—they were sworn enemies.
At this moment, the brunette girl next to them said enviously,
"Jennifer, I heard your boyfriend's family is loaded and he even has property overseas. Can you take us to visit sometime?"
"Yeah, Jennifer, can you take us to see it and take a few photos?"
Jennifer, with a smile on her lips, nestled in Danny's arms and cheerfully said, "I'll consider it. If I have time, I can take you guys for a visit or gathering."
She truly enjoyed the flattery and attention of these 'plastic' friends.
You could tell how satisfying it was from the blonde girl's envious, jealous expression. Usually, they would whisper behind her back, but now that she had a great boyfriend, who would dare call her names?
Danny's reputation at school was selective. He indeed wasn't well-known in academics and extracurriculars.
But in terms of looks and wealth, Danny was very well-known in Salem. Even as a transfer student, countless girls at school had crushes on him.
The brunette and her friends knew this, which was why they were envious.
The blonde girl's earlier remark about Danny being Jennifer's new boyfriend was deliberate, an attempt to provoke their relationship.
But Jennifer wasn't to be messed with and immediately retorted.
Danny was naturally uninterested in these petty games and drama among the girls. He was chatting with Brad and Mike about supernatural summoning games.
Mike, whose full name was Michael Turner, was a paranormal enthusiast and had the deepest knowledge of such games.
He excitedly explained the rules of a supernatural game to them.
"This game is called the Closet Game. First, you stand in front of a closet, close the door, hold an unlit match, and recite, 'Show me the light, or leave me in darkness.'"
Few people present were scared. Chad was even eager to try.
After all, with so many attractive girls present, Chad somewhat wanted to show off.
Colin, as one of the few black guys in the group, immediately expressed his desire to try the Closet Game.
Danny hadn't heard of this game. He'd only heard of Bloody Mary and the Ouija Board, two other paranormal games.
The former was a classic horror ritual, and the latter was a spirit board game.
In short, there was no horror atmosphere because the lights were on and there were too many people.
Danny had no intention of participating in the Closet Game. After all, you had to hide in a closet. Watching them play would suffice.
Everyone partied until 11 PM, playing several games but seeing no ghosts, evil spirits, or shadows.
It wasn't until eleven o'clock that Mike brought up another horror game, named the Midnight Game.
It was based on the American urban legend of the Midnight Man, who is said to be a tall, shadowy figure without a face.
First, you need to prepare: 1 candle, matches, salt, paper and pen, a wooden door, and 1 drop of blood.
Write your name on the paper, drip 1 drop of blood on it, turn off all the lights in the house, light the candle, and place the candle and paper together in front of the wooden door.
Knock on the door 22 times, making sure to knock the last time exactly at midnight. Open the door, blow out the candle, then relight it. Then you've summoned the "Midnight Man," and the game officially begins. You must avoid the Midnight Man in the dark until 3:33 AM.
If you hear whispers while hiding, the surrounding temperature suddenly drops, or the candlelight flickers uncontrollably or goes out, it means "it" is nearby.
If the candle goes out, you must relight it within ten seconds, or immediately form a circle of salt around yourself.
No one knows the consequences of being caught, because everyone who failed this game died.
By the end, Mike's expression became dramatic, and then he burst into laughter.
"What do you guys think of this game?"
Colin, the black guy, said, "Not interesting at all. We played so many times before, and it was always you, bro, pretending to be a ghost to scare people."
This statement received unanimous agreement from Brad, Chad, and the others.
Danny, however, found this game much more interesting than the previous ones, and since the demon hadn't appeared for a long time, he spoke up.
"This game sounds good. Count me in."
Mike grinned at Danny: "Dude, I knew you'd be interested in this one."
Chad raised his hand and said, "Cool, count me in."
"Me too." Brad also raised his hand.
"Come on, count me in too." Colin was eager to try.
Jennifer curled up in Danny's arms and raised her hand. When others saw that Danny joined, they all expressed their desire to participate.
Only Jessie was somewhat reluctant. After experiencing the hunt by the Hillickers, she was equally afraid of ghosts and evil spirits.
But since everyone else participated, she could only follow suit.
Thus, all ten people chose to participate in the Midnight Game.
Mike turned off the living room lights, and the dim candlelight illuminated the room, giving it a certain atmosphere.
He then took out slips of paper and handed each person one, along with a needle.
"Write your names and add a drop of blood."
Everyone did as instructed.
After completing the steps, the time was already close to midnight.
The entire house was quiet, and everyone held a lit candle.
Mike stepped forward to the front door and knocked, counting twenty-two times, the last knock landing perfectly at midnight.
Thump, thump, thump.
After knocking, he opened the door, blew out his candle, then relit it and stepped back to watch.
Ten pairs of eyes stared at the doorway. Time passed minute by minute, but the imagined Midnight Man didn't seem to appear.
Everyone returned to the living room disappointed.
Colin sang under his breath as he headed to the bathroom. He was the least superstitious and just tossed his candle onto the table carelessly.
Even Danny thought the entity should have left, and continued to drink and chat with everyone, but half an hour later, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Why hasn't Colin come back yet?"
Mike said dismissively, "Maybe he's constipated or passed out."
An hour later,
everyone rushed to open the bathroom door. Mike, being first, saw Colin's corpse—his internal organs torn out by something and scattered across the floor.
"Oh God!" Chad, who had a weak stomach, immediately vomited.
The first person had died tragically.
Before everyone could figure out what was going on, a scream suddenly came from the living room—it was the brunette girl who'd stayed behind.
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