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~

Another person has gone missing!" Mom said to me when I came out into the kitchen to eat breakfast.
"So what?" I said, taking a box of cereal out and pouring it into a bowl.
"What do you mean "so what?!""Mom said like I had just told her that I was pregnant. "You could be next!"
"Don't be such a worrywart Mom." I said, scooping some cereal onto my spoon. "I'll be fine."
"I think you should take something to defend yourself with to school." She said.
"Like what?" I asked.
That's when she pulled out her switchblade.
"Mom!" I said. "I can't just put that in my backpack! Someone will find it and think that I'm going to go on a killing spree or something!"
"Well, tell them to call me and I'll explain everything." Mom said. "I don't really give a fuck what they say."
It wasn't very often that my mom swore, this is how I knew that she was being serious.
"Fine." I said, taking a switchblade and putting it deep into my backpack. "I think I'll be fine though."

*****

"Ruby's gone missing?!" I cried once I heard the news per the announcements. "No!"
"Yeah, such a shame." A boy who sat behind me said. "I really liked her."
"Yeah, we all know you liked her." I said, rolling my eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."

*****

The police were patrolling a bit more around town due to the disappearances. I don't blame them because nothing really happens in our town, especially a string of kidnappings. That, and it was midnight and I was on the street that no officers were on. And it was past my curfew. I was going to be in deep shit when I got home.

I suddenly saw a kitten limping in the road. I quickly ran over to it and got it out of the road.
"There you go." I said. "Now, we should find your owner so they can take you to the vet."
"Oh, thank you!" I looked over and saw a little girl with orange-red hair holding her arms out. I handed the kitten. "I've been looking all over for him! Come on, let me give you something to thank you!"
"You don't have to do that." I said. "I've got to get home anyways."
"No, I insist." The girl said, tugging my sleeve. "Besides, I really have to get home. I'm in loads in trouble already."
"It'll take a minute!" She pleaded. Something about her didn't seem right. She seemed to stare at me with an evil glint in her eyes. I swallowed, having very little comfort to the fact that the switchblade was in my pocket.
"Oh, okay." I said. "But make it super quick."
"I will!" She said, tugging at my sleeve and then running, forcing me to run with her. I was scared what was going to happen. I really was.
I looked down and saw the kitten running. It wasn't even limping anymore. What the hell was going on?

*****

"Come inside!" The little girl said as she opened the door.
"Where are your parents?" I asked, reluctantly stepping inside. "I bet they don't want you outside so late."
"They're over there." The little girl said, pointing to two figures sitting on the couch, listening to a nearby radio.
"They're quiet." I said.
"They don't like to speak." She said. "So don't speak to them."
"Um, okay." I said.
"What's your name?"
"Vera."
"Let's play a game, Vera!"
"I can't." I said. "I have to get home, remember?"
That's when she gave me the coldest state that I think I've ever seen. And that compelled me to listen to her.
"What is this game?" I asked, swallowing.
She smiled and took my hand. She began leading me down a hallway.
"It's a game of survival." She said a little too happily for my liking. "If the monsters get you, it's game over."
"Oh." I said, laughing. It was a pretend game. I felt relived. "Sounds like fun."
"It is." She said. "But it's impossible to win. Think you'll be the first one to win?"
"Of course." I said.
We arrived in a room where there were two doors on each side. There were toys scattered throughout the whole room as well.
"Where are the monsters?" I asked.
She handed me a flashlight and said, "They're hiding but they'll come. Just don't forget to close the door if you hear them outside and don't forget to check the closet. And, most importantly, don't forget to look behind you."
"So, the only rule is to survive?"
"The rule is also no weapons. Besides the flashlight of course."
"I don't have any weapons."
"Somehow, I don't believe you." She said. "Let me search you."
"No, that's weird." I said.
Then, she gave me that death stare again. "Fine, if that's the way it's got to be." She called her cat and he appeared a little too quickly for my liking.
"Search her Aiden!" The girl commanded.
I jumped as the cat took the pocketknife out of my pocket and placed it in the girls' hand.
"Good boy." She said. "Now transform!"
"Trans-?"
Suddenly, the cat was replaced with a boy with golden eyes.
"What the hell just happened?" I asked.
"My boyfriend Aiden here is a shapeshifter." The girl said, tossing the closed knife up in the air and catching it. "Now, you're lucky that he found the pocketknife. You wouldn't have liked it if I found it."
I merely just gulped.
"Now, the game shall begin." The girl said, standing outside the right door with the boy right behind her. "Have fun."
Before I could respond, she slammed the door.
"What the hell do I do?" I yelled. Yeah, like she was going to answer me. And she didn't.
In a blind panic, I headed towards the closet and opened it. A robotic scream from a fox head filled my ears as soon as I opened it. I screamed and slammed the doors shut, trying to catch my breath.

Once I regained myself, I turned on my flashlight and opened the doors once more. In the closet, there was just a stuffed animal fox with a little eye patch. 
"But I could've sworn that wasn't there before." I muttered before closing it. I then decided to run to the left door. I opened it and listened very closely. I couldn't hear any breathing so I shined my light down the hallway. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move at the very end of the hallway. I resisted the urge to scream and slammed the door shut. I looked at the knob to see if there was a lock. And there wasn't.

Afraid to move away from the left door, I eventually worked up the courage to bolt to the right door. I heard something when I peeked out into the hallway. It sounded almost mechanical. Nonetheless, I closed the door and didn't dare peek out.

When I gathered the courage to actually open the door, nothing was there. I swear that I was going insane at this point. Were there even monsters in the first place? Was this some twisted dream?
"Ow!" I muttered as I pinched myself to make sure that I wasn't dreaming.
So then, if it wasn't a dream, were all the noises that I was hearing just auditory hallucinations? If so, was I beginning to lose my mind?

The thought of me being insane was enough to make me back away from the door out of fear. I didn't have much time to react as a giant bear stuck its sharp and deadly talons down my throat. I wanted to scream but I would just choke on my own blood then. All I could really do was just sit there and cry. After removing his claws, he shoved me to the ground and stabbed the non-bloody claws into my eyes. I still couldn't scream, the blood will choke me. Before I went blind, I saw blood dancing in my vision. Was this my death? Something horrible like this? Why me?

Just wanting it to end, I attempted to scream, knowing that it would fail. And it did. I choked on my blood and I felt my life trickle out of my body a few moments later.