We were young, fearless, and far too naive to understand that some doors, once opened, cannot be closed. It was just supposed to be a fun night—a night of exploring, filming, and laughing about what we’d uncover. But when we crossed the threshold of Ashvale Manor, something shifted. The very air seemed to change, as though the house itself was alive, watching, waiting.

The heavy front doors slammed shut behind us with a finality that felt too deliberate. The storm outside intensified, thunder crashing like a warning, but inside the manor, all was eerily silent. The usual creaks and groans of an old house were replaced by something heavier—a silence that made your skin crawl, a feeling of being... observed. Our footsteps echoed through the empty halls, unsettling in their rhythm, but we pressed on, fueled by the thrill of adventure.

We didn’t realize then that we were already being watched by something far older than any of us.

Jason was the first to disappear.

We didn’t know it at the time, but it had already begun. The game. It had claimed him silently, slipping its claws into his mind when we weren’t looking. The walls began to close in, the mansion shifting and twisting as though it had a mind of its own. A twisted mockery of a game—a game that had no rules, no mercy. It was alive, breathing, changing as we moved through it. We were mere pieces, trapped in a deadly puzzle, forced to confront our deepest fears, our darkest secrets.

Jason’s body was the first warning, but we were too late. By the time we found him, it was no longer him. His body hung in the center of the grand foyer, twisted, contorted in ways that no human body could ever move. His face, once full of life, was now an empty mask of terror, frozen in a grotesque smile that seemed to mock us all. But worse than his death was the undeniable truth that pulsed through the room—he was still there.

Alive, in a way.

The whispers started then.

We thought it was just our minds playing tricks, but it didn’t take long to realize that we were far from alone. The game had claimed its first soul, and now it wanted more. It was a force that moved through the very walls, speaking to us not through words but through feelings, emotions, and fears that crept into our minds like poison. Jason wasn’t just dead—he was... something else. Something that had been changed by the game. He wasn’t the only one.

And the rest of us? We were next.

The game was cruel in its design. It wasn’t about winning or losing; it was about survival. It was about playing by rules that didn’t make sense, confronting nightmares that took physical form, and finding a way out when the very architecture of the house seemed to shift, trapping us further in its depths. The manor twisted, reshaped itself as though it were part of the game—a living, breathing entity bent on breaking us, one by one.

I remember the moment I realized the truth—the moment it all hit me. The walls around us weren’t just a prison. They were part of the game, too. The mirrors that lined the hallway, reflecting distorted versions of ourselves, weren’t just mirrors. They were warnings. Warnings of what was to come if we didn’t finish what we’d started.

Complete the game. Finish it.

The words had come from everywhere. No mouth. No voice. Just the game, calling us to play.

Claire screamed. Ethan tried to pull us to safety, but there was no safety. There was only the game. It was waiting. Watching. It knew us, knew our fears, knew the cracks in our souls that would break under pressure.

The manor was endless, its halls a maze, doorways that led to dead ends, and stairs that spiraled into black holes. We tried to escape, but there was no escape. The front door? Gone. Replaced by walls of mirrors, each one reflecting a different version of us—a version where we were broken, screaming, bleeding. A version where we had already lost.

And Jason... Jason had come back.

He moved now, his body twisted and dangling from a noose, dragging his feet across the floor with a rhythmic tap… tap… creak that followed us no matter where we ran. His eyes, glazed over and empty, locked onto me as though he knew everything—everything I had tried to hide from him, from everyone. He wasn’t just a corpse. He was the game now, and he wanted us to play.

We ran.

The walls closed in. The whispers grew louder. The house seemed to stretch, contorting around us, blocking our way at every turn. There was only one way out—finish the game. But the game had no rules. It didn’t matter who you were. It didn’t matter what you did. All that mattered was that you played... and that you survived.

But survival came at a price.

And Jason? Jason wasn’t the last.

He wouldn’t be the last.

We had no choice now. If we wanted to live, we had to finish the game. Even if it killed us.

If you ever find the tapes, the camera footage, the blood-streaked walls... don’t watch them. Don’t listen to the whispers.

THE HANGING GAME

Because once you start, there’s no going back.

#To be continued.....

POV – MIA CARTER

"Hello everyone, this is Scary Creepers! Now we’ve proved that there’s nothing scary hiding in this so-called haunted hospital. Our Stay Alive Challenge is officially finished! We’ll meet you all soon—this is Mia, Ethan, Jason, and Claire signing off. Until next time!"

Cut!

"That was perfect!" Jason beamed, clapping his hands together before grabbing mine in excitement. "With this, we can make a killing—Hawaii trip, here we come!" His dark eyes gleamed with mischief as he tossed his camera bag over his shoulder.

"Oh, come on, Jason," I rolled my eyes.

"Jason out," Claire muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she packed up her own equipment.

Ethan, standing beside her, chuckled before turning to me. "Mia… let’s actually go to Hawaii."

I blinked. Ethan? Asking me? His long black hair fell messily over his forehead, and that damn mole on his lip—it always did something weird to my heart.

"Y-yeah, sure," I stammered, trying to act casual.

His dark brown eyes glimmered with happiness.

"See, Claire? She agreed!" Jason teased, pinching Claire’s cheek.

"Stop touching her," Ethan shoved Jason away with an irritated look.

I sighed. Ethan had been crushing on Claire for years, always orbiting around her, trying to get her attention. Claire was… elegant, soft-spoken, the kind of girl you’d see in old novels—mysterious, reserved. Meanwhile, I was the mess of the group. Wild hair, round glasses, overly talkative. I was just the YouTube girl, the leader of Scary Creepers, the one chasing fame. Nothing more.

I sighed, brushing those thoughts away. At least people love me and my channel. That’s something, right?

My name is Mia Carter, seventeen years old, the youngest daughter of the Carter family. My parents recently divorced, and things had been a complete mess. I lived with my dad now—the same dad who was openly having an affair with my class teacher of all people.

My mom and brothers moved to Boston, and I was left behind in this chaotic home. The only escape I had was my small but tight-knit friend circle—Ethan, Jason, and Claire. We had been inseparable since middle school, always looking for the next thrill.

Then Scary Creepers happened.

We started a YouTube channel dedicated to exploring urban haunted legends, spending nights in supposedly haunted places, and capturing anything supernatural. It started as a joke. Then it became a viral sensation. Before we knew it, we were internet-famous, the youngest urban explorers with a massive fan base.

Everything was perfect.

Until I found the next urban legend.

That’s when it all started going wrong.

It was a rainy night when I first heard about it.

I was scrolling through our fan messages, looking for new haunted locations, when I came across a strange email.

Subject: You Shouldn’t Look for It.

From: Unknown

The email contained nothing but a single sentence.

"Have you heard of The Hanging Game?"

I frowned. That was it? No details, no explanation. Just those words.

Curiosity sparked inside me. I started researching, diving into old forum threads, dark web rumors, and obscure ghost stories.

And that’s when I learned about it.

The Hanging Game.

#To be continued

POV – MIA CARTER

The moment I read that email, a strange unease settled in my gut. The Hanging Game? I had come across plenty of urban legends before—some laughable, some disturbing—but this one felt different.

Something about it crawled under my skin, making me shiver.

I stared at my screen, my fingers hesitating over the keyboard. I should have ignored it, deleted the email, and gone about my night.

But I didn’t.

Curiosity won.

So, I started digging.

At first, there wasn’t much—just vague mentions in obscure forums, cryptic Reddit posts buried under years of internet clutter. The more I searched, the eerier it became.

"Don’t go looking for it."

"If you get an invitation, don’t accept."

"Once you start, you can’t stop."

The strangest part? Most of these threads ended abruptly. The original posters just… vanished. No follow-ups, no responses. Almost like they never existed.

I should have stopped.

I should have slammed my laptop shut and forced myself to forget about it.

But I didn’t.

The next night, we were all at Ethan’s house, going through footage for our latest Scary Creepers video. The dim light from his monitors flickered across our faces as we sifted through the clips.

"You’re quiet," Jason nudged me. "Find something interesting?"

I hesitated.

The logical part of me screamed that this was a bad idea. That I should keep this to myself. But the other part—the part that craved the thrill of the unknown—knew this was too good to ignore.

So, I told them.

As soon as the words left my mouth, Claire stiffened. "This feels… wrong," she said, frowning. "I don’t like it."

Ethan leaned back with a scoff. "It’s probably some internet hoax. People love making up creepy stories."

Jason, on the other hand, looked intrigued. His eyes glowed with excitement as he leaned forward. "But what if it is real? Think about it, Mia. If we investigate this, it could be our biggest video yet!"

I knew I should have listened to Claire.

I should have told them to forget it, that we weren’t getting involved.

But instead, I smiled.

"Then let’s play."

Claire sighed, arms crossed. "You’re really going through with this?"

I shrugged. "What’s the problem?"

She hesitated before shaking her head. "I don’t know. It just… it doesn’t feel right."

She reached out, tapping my shoulder gently, as if trying to ground me. I couldn’t blame her for feeling uneasy. Truth be told, something about this was unsettling. The eerie warnings, the missing posters… It wasn’t just another dumb internet rumor.

It felt off.

And yet, I couldn’t ignore it.

This was different. This was big.

And more importantly—it was popular.

Our channel, Scary Creepers, was doing well enough to support us, but I needed more. I was saving every dollar I could.

I needed to move out.

I couldn’t keep living in that suffocating house, trapped in a life I despised. I needed an escape, and money was my only way out.

So, I pushed my doubts aside.

I took a deep breath, forcing confidence into my voice. "Alright, guys. Once we wrap this up, how about a trip to Hawaii?"

Jason grinned, practically bouncing in his seat. "Hell yeah!"

Claire gave me a reluctant smile. Ethan smirked.

We all raised our drinks, cheering.

Not realizing we had just sealed our fate.

Not knowing that this would turn into the worst nightmare of our lives.

#To be continued