Caleb Stumbaugh

English 236

CW Story

The Midnight Game

August 11th

Note: The following message you are about to read will

certainly make me sound like I am crazy, but I must express

that I am NOT crazy Well maybe I was for the events that

took place that night, but everything I am about to tell

you is true, and whatever you do DO NOT PLAY THE MIDNIGHT

GAME!

I suppose its best to start this story from the beginning, although you may have many

questions for me What happened that night What is this midnight game youre talking about

and so on. All of these will be answered in due time.

Michael and Philip both get to my place a couple of hours before dark, now the three of

us are very different from one another, and we have a special formula for our sleepovers. First,

Philip and I entertain Michaels need for athletics by playing 2 v 1 flag soccer, inevitably getting

our butts handed to us. Afterwards, we all go to my room and take turns getting beat by Philip at

Call of Duty. While Michael and Philip are playing, I decided to take a look at a forum that I had

stumbled upon a forum deep in the web; it looked like that most of its regular users had long

stopped signing in. The forum wasnt composed of any fixed theme or idea- threads of people

asking for simple how to and DIY projects; every once in a while someone would share an

interesting website, or where to torrent the most recent episode of The Walking Dead, but one

thread caught my eye. The thread was titles DO NOT TRY THIS there was no other

commentary within the thread, just a link to a peculiar YouTube video. I thought to myself Why

would someone share something not to do, that doesnt make any sense.
 The person making the video had gotten quite a bit of attention by reading off horror

stories posted to the internet in an eerie voice and some creepy after effects. The video that was

linked outlined a game The Midnight Game. The narrator warned that it is not recommended

that anyone try to play this game due to the risk of death, then continued but for those of you

thrill seekers searching for a rush or for those delving into the obscure occult, these are simple

instructions of how to play. Do so at your own risk after that he continued to outline how to

play the game, a series of simple rules and easily acquired supplies, the best way I could describe

it, is like playing Bloody Mary as a kid in middle school, the rush of the joke kids playing into

the night Needless to say, I was morbidly intrigued. Life had gotten so dull for me and my

friends, we would go to school, work some odd jobs, hangout at each others houses, but nothing

actually story worthy. All three of us had been wannabe thrill seekers, always saying that we

wanted to go cliff jumping or sky diving, but never following through. I figured that this would

be like those, something that we would want to do, but never actually end up doing.

Hey guys! Pause the game, come check this out I called out from behind my

screen, while removing my headphones from my computer.

Sure man whats- Michael started to respond only to be cut off by Philips UGGG for

having his game be cut short.

Quickly I started the video from the beginning and played it on the TV. I could see the

intensity in both of their eyes, we were all suckers for horror and suspense at the time. All of us

made eye contact and we unanimously agreed to go to the old abandoned house near the forest. I

was shocked that we all had agreed to do this, but also excited; I felt that this would be a good

opportunity for a story to tell my kids about the time that my two best friends and I went and got

scared in an abandoned for no good reason. Sadly, thats not how this story ends.
 Philip raised concern Dude are you guys really sure about this, like it sounds fun, but

dont the local tweekers hang out there?

Michael jumped in Nah man, my dad was telling me that they busted all the tweekers

about a week ago, as long as we keep a low profile we should be good. Hey Connor, what did the

video say we needed again

Not much, three candles, a bag of salt for each of us, pens, paper, and a couple of safety

pens. Its all pretty simple, but when should we do this? All I can think about is how schools

ending soon and all of us are going to be busy with finals and after that were going to be busy

doing things with our families over the break.

Well why not just do it tomorrow after Michael is done with practice? It has to be

done at midnight to work, so why not say that you guys are staying over at my place because my

parents will be out of town

HELL YEAH!!! Michael and I yelled in unison

---------------------------------------------------------

Friday May 16th

The three of us stood there in the dark in front of the creaky Victorian style house that

was held together by the hopes and dreams of the people that made it back when the town had

just been established. The windows were boarded up and the white paint had turned to a mold

green and began to chip with time; slowly being replaced by moss. We made our way in by

breaking into the back door; it was easy because the only thing in our way was a thin piece of ply

board that was half hazard placed with the hopes people would assume they couldnt get in. The

house was pitch black the only thing we could see was faint outlines of broken furniture and

graffiti scattered around the house.

 All of us pulled our phones out to light the area. The three of us began to explore the

condemned house. This place looked like it had been taken straight out of a horror movie, and

now I am convinced that it was taken straight out of the pits of hell. It was a moderately small

house, three small bedrooms, molded wooden floors, and graffiti covered walls. I would say that

there was a bathroom, but Im pretty sure it was a torture chamber of smells.

Hey Goldie Locks, check this out I laughed, we commonly mocked Michael of his

golden hair because it was the only thing we could joke with him about.

Hey! just because Im tall pretty and popular doesnt mean you can talk to me like that

Michael jokingly mocked the popular school girls tones.

When Michael came over I positioned my light on some graffiti in the upstairs hallway, It

depicted an inverted pentagram that was eerily detailed for being made out of spray paint.

So, you still in or do you want to chicken out I laughed, but deep down I was hoping he

would want to leave.

Before Michael had time to respond Philip had called out to us Hey guys, come to the

kitchen. Its almost time!

Both of us made our way downstairs and I settled down on a kitchen counter, slowly

unpacking my bag of the items for the game. I was still unsettled by the graffiti, from my digging

in the dark web, I had known that symbols like that gave power to dark entities and demonic

powers. Why didnt I listen to my gut..

Candles, three bags of salt I trailed off mumbling the items we needed off under my

breath, and sorting them into a pile for each of us.

All right guys, each of us has to take our materials to a room and on my queue we star,

its 11:30 now so lets do this.

 Dude Im sure this is gunna be stupid and nothing is gunna happen, but my heart is

pounding! Im so pumped! This is better than Amnesia Philip exclaimed

Dude, is that a video game, youre such a nerd Michael smiled then punched Philip

reassuringly on the arm.

OUCH, you know that Im not as strong as you!

Michael and I laughed at Philip reassuring that he has no reason to actually be scared

But what we didnt know is that he had every reason to be. What we were about to do- Never

mind that, I passed out all of the materials out and we rushed upstairs to get our first pick of the

rooms. The hallway was long I took the last door on the left, while Michael and Philip had taken

the first two that were adjacent from each other in the hall.

11:45

ALRIGHT GUYS START AND REMEMBER THE FINAL KNOCK HAS TO BE AT

TWELVE I yelled, it echoed throughout the creaky house.

GOTCHA Michael responded

OKAY Philip hesitantly

I wrote my full name on the piece of paper in front of the door Connor Jay Smith taking

the safety pin out of my pocket I felt the sting on the tip of my thumb, as the warm liquid pooled

it dripped onto the paper. Sucking the leftover blood off of the tip of my finger my mouth

instantly tasted of iron, even from such a small amount. I struck a match and lit the candle as the

room filled with the scent of sulfur, I turned my phones light off. I took my now lit candle and

set it onto my paper Okay now to start knocking.

 11:58

I began counting my knocks, with each one my heart began to race faster and faster.

Something about this didnt seem right, why was every fiber of my being telling me not to do

this I choked my gut instincts down and continued anyways.

10..11121314...1516

This cant be a good idea.

11:59

1718192021

Shit.

12:00

All three of us in complete unison completed the final knock. Then we continued to open

the door, blow out the candle, and close the door. Finishing the ritual by relighting the candle.

SLAM

CREEEK

EEERRR

The house seemed like it has been possessed or in an earthquake, I took a moment to

compose myself, then I heard Michael and Philips doors slam close and running throughout the

house. What was going on. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, what the hell is

happening here? My senses and emotions were going crazy, I keep trying to convince myself

that its a joke, but it really sounds like someone is going crazy throughout the house or

something. It cant be Michael and Philip making all of this noise! I quickly grabbed my candle
off the floor and began looking for my two friends. Maybe, just maybe I was wrong and they

were the cause of the noise. Making this whole thing was a ploy to scare me; maybe the midnight

man from the story was actually here and this game- isnt actually a game. I cough up the

courage to make my way down the stairs where I found Philip, his candle was the only thing that

made him visible to me from across the house. Something wasnt right. He looked at me and

screamed RUN at the same moment his candle had gone out and all I could hear was his

screams. Blood curdling screams! He kept yelling at me to run, DONT LEAVE THE HOUSE

he screeched. Why would he tell me to stay I just didnt get it, but then I remembered the rules.

You cannot leave the house during the game, you have to wait until 3:33am for it to be over. If

he had been caught by the midnight man, then why hadnt he surrounded himself in a salt circle?

PHILIP I called out, but I couldnt see him, and the only thing there was, was dead

silence. The silence that I heard wasnt like any other silence you could imagine, it felt like time

had stopped and the world had ended. Where in the world was Michael, surely he heard our

screams? I was too scared to move off of the stairs, every muscle in my body was tense, I swear

you could have heard my heart beating from a mile away. When I finally mustered up the

courage to make my way to the spot where Philip had been standing, but when arrived nothing

was there.

Okay guys this isnt funny! I yelled into the void of darkness the had enveloped me. I

was so pissed at them for joking around, but then my candle went out.

What the f- I muttered as I counted while vigorously relighting my candle

I got the match book out of my pocket

2
I ripped a single match out of the book

I began trying to strike a match

Why can I feel something breathing behind me.

The match finally lights.

Then just as I successfully lit the candle I hear Michael scream. I jump in all directions,

where had it come from? Then I realized that I had forgotten the breath I felt behind me. I turned

around to see what was behind me, and all I got a glimpse of was a tail going around the corner.

At this point I had given up, I figured that Michael and Philip were both messing with me. The

screams, the tail, none of this could be real. I was pissed that they were doing this to me, so I

decide to surround myself with salt and wait until morning.

THERE, now you cant get me I yelled at the two, not realizing how silent the house

had become again.

1:45

I yawned as I checked my watch and sat crisscross in the circle of salt that I had made

myself. I was tired and ready to go to Philips for the night, it had been about 35 minutes since I

made the circle of salt, why hadnt Michael and Philip come out?

Guys, are you okay? I shouted, and that when I heard it.

BANG
 I jumped to my feet in alarm, and I was way too stubborn to cross the circle and check it

out.

Come on guys, Im not leaving this spot until you show yourselves! I protested

A large THUD came from right behind me, I slowly peered from over my shoulder to see

what it was, and I was greeted with the most horrific sight of my entire life. Two twisted and

lifeless, blood drenched bodies laid before me. Their intestines had been torn out as if they had

been piatas at a kids party, and the candy was their organs. In a panic I grabbed my candle and

turned around to get a better look not even realizing that I hadnt even noticed the figure in the

corner of the room. I couldnt stop shaking or sobbing, what was happening? Who did this? And

why would they show me what they had done to my friends? Was I next? Did I bring myself and

my friends into the house of a murderer? The questions and fear flooded through my head as the

adrenaline rush hit me.

I wish I hadnt of gotten a better look, all I could do is cover my mouth to keep myself

from barfing as tears ran down my face.

Philip MichaelThis has to be a joke! I wallowed into the darkness. Then I heard

the most twisted and demonic laughter. As I searched the room for whoever did this to my two

friends, I noticed two glowing eyes to a shadow in the corner of the room. The shadow slowly

grew bigger as it crept closer to me. The laughter getting louder as the figure locked its eyes on

my position. I was frozen like a deer in the middle of a freeway and the creatures eyes were the

headlights of the car about to kill me; the creature I saw was something that wasnt even fit for

the deepest pits in hell.

It made itself just close enough so that the candle light wouldnt reveal its face. then

vanished and there I sat in a circle of salt next to my best friends corpses for the rest of the
night, paralyzed in fear. Someone must have tipped the police about the noise in the night, and

they found me crunched over unwilling to leave the circle of salt. And thats why you never play

the midnight game.

Thats how this story ends. My friends died, and I was taken out

of school to be put into an intensive psychological treatment

that the police hoped would reveal what really happened that

night. Its hard to live a regular life after something

supernatural happens, especially when people die. The police had

written me off as mentally unstable, and somehow came up with my

friends dying in some sort of animal attack, but they still

wanted answers. Not to mention that I still feel like Im being

watched by the midnight man, as if its waiting for the right

moment to strike. Im tormented to relive the trauma of that

night in my dreams for the rest of my life.

August 12th

911 whats your emergency

HELP its my son Connor He needs an ambulance NOW. Hes covered in blood; I

think he tried to kill himself!

Alright maam help will be on its way, please keep calm and apply pressure to his

wounds.

End