BEGINNING OF THE NIGHTMARE

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.