SCARY CREEPERS

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.