Chapter 2 - Find the End Before It Ends You
The app finished downloading with a dull little ding.
Its icon glared up at her: a cartoonish skull with pixelated cracks.
It looked like something a 14-year-old would design for their edgy YouTube channel.
"Charming," Vera said flatly.
She clicked it.
The app opened... to a blank black screen.
Then, one line appeared in blood-red letters:
> "Are you a fan of horror games?"
[YES] [NO]
Vera snorted. "Is the Pope Catholic?"
She slammed [YES].
Another question appeared instantly:
> "Do you want to play one?"
[YES] [NO]
"Duh," she said, tapping [YES] again with the enthusiasm of a bored cat pawing at a dying laser pointer.
Next:
> "You think you can play it?"
[YES] [NO]
"Wow," Vera said dryly. "This app's really trying to neg me into gaming."
[YES].
Final question:
> "Would you want to be part of my world of darkness?"
[YES] [NO]
Vera stared at the screen.
"Bit cringe, but whatever," she muttered. She tapped [YES].
A countdown appeared:
10... 9... 8...
Then, one last message blinked into existence:
> "You can't back down now."
"YES or NO?"
There wasn't even an option this time.
[YES] filled the entire screen.
"Pfft," Vera smirked, tapping it without hesitation. "Try harder."
7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1—
Blackout.
Her phone screen died instantly, cutting the room into thick silence.
Vera sat there for a moment, expressionless, chewing her last bite of crust.
"Huh," she said. "Well, that's a scam. Gimme my $0 back."
She set the dead phone down and turned toward her beloved pizza box.
Might as well drown the disappointment in cheesy goodness.
Except...
A strange pull tugged at her hand.
Vera blinked.
The phone screen — still dark — began to stretch, like melting tar. Black tendrils slithered out, curling toward her wrist. They wrapped her fingers, her palm, her arm—
"Ohhh no. Nope. Not today, Satan," she said, trying to yank away.
But it was too late.
The tendrils yanked her downward — hard.
Vera instinctively snatched her pizza box with her free hand as the world spun into darkness.
---
She woke up on cold, cracked wooden floorboards, gasping.
Moonlight filtered through a cracked window.
Spider webs dangled like ghostly curtains.
The room smelled like dust, rot, and something faintly metallic.
Her pizza box was still clutched in one hand.
Her phone — now looking normal — lay beside her.
"Well," Vera said calmly, brushing spiderwebs off her shoulder, "this is new."
She stood, brushing off her jeans, and took stock of her surroundings.
Old, moldy bed. Torn mattress.
Rotting nightstand. Cobwebs thick enough to knit a sweater.
"Five-star accommodations," she muttered.
She opened the door.
Nothing but darkness beyond it — thick, heavy darkness, like staring into the mouth of a cave.
Then, with a soft whoosh, a torch bracket on the wall lit up.
Its fire flickered warmly, illuminating the first few feet beyond the door — like an invitation.
Vera grabbed the torch. "Yeah, okay, let's LARP this out," she muttered, stepping carefully into the hallway.
As soon as she crossed the threshold, a mechanical voice buzzed from nowhere:
> "Welcome, Player."
"Rules: Find the End Before It Finds You."
"Run."
At the same moment, her phone screen flared to life.
A giant countdown blinked at her:
TIME LIMIT: 30:00
And then —
Eyes.
Hundreds of eyes, floating in the darkness, blinking open all around her.
Watching.
Judging.
"...Is this hell?" Vera said aloud. "Because honestly, I expected way more fire and way less fanboys."
More notifications started popping up in midair like chat comments:
> "Welcome VERA!!"
"Big fan!"
"RUN!!!"
"RUN FASTER LOL"
"YOU'RE SO SCREWED HAHAHA"
Behind her, a shuffling sound.
Heavy. Wet.
Slow at first... then faster.
Vera didn't waste time. She bolted, torchlight bouncing wildly as she sprinted through endless, crumbling corridors.
The monster behind her — she didn't dare look at it yet — made an awful scraping sound, like tree roots dragging through gravel.
Faster.
Faster.
Doors blurred past her.
She picked one at random and hurled herself through it.
Inside:
A simple room.
A table. A glowing exit door behind it.
One problem.
Roots exploded up from the floor, grabbing her ankles.
"OH COME ON," Vera shouted, trying to kick free.
Her phone beeped again:
> "CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FOUND A DOOR!"
"But can you survive?"
The roots tugged harder, pulling her toward the darkness outside.
Vera, still calm somehow, drop-kicked her phone across the room like a soccer ball.
It hit the wall, sparked, and glitched.
The roots loosened — just a bit.
"Don't mess with a woman's pizza night," Vera growled.
She ripped free, scrambled to the door, and slammed it shut behind her.
Panting.
Sweaty.
Still holding a half-eaten slice of pizza in one hand.
Because priorities.
---
The room beyond the door was... different.
It looked like a dusty, broken dining hall now — a long table set for a feast no one came to.
Sitting at the table were... things.
Dolls.
Mannequins.
Statues with cracked porcelain faces.
All of them faced her.
Their stitched mouths stretched into wide, unnatural smiles.
Notifications popped up again:
> "WELCOME TO THE DINNER TABLE!"
"HOPE YOU'RE HUNGRY!"
"EAT OR BE EATEN!!"
Vera sighed.
"I swear, if the food's not pizza, I'm rioting."
(End of Chapter 2.)