THE GAME

EPISODE 3

                                              "We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones."

                                                                                    -Stephen King

"So, how are you today, Miss Simoné? Still having the nightmare?"

"Nope. I haven't for the past few days."

"That's good because that means, your medicine is working." He said as he writes something on her datasheet.

"But I had a deja-vu." She said that makes him look at her. He stares at her eyes as he waited for her to continue.

"Well, as I said, my dream is all about me handling a dark paper bag and the person receiving it immediately opens it, with such fright, and me ending up screaming."

"Yes, you said that with exact details." He agreed. She then took a deep breath as she takes the dark paper bag out of her bag, placing it on top of his table. With a questionable look Mr. Willson has, she began talking.

"This was the paper bag I've been seeing in my dreams, doctor Willson. Earlier today, one of my classmates gave it to me because she has a gift for me. But this is the paper bag he used to place the items inside." She explains.

"Well, have you seen anything strange or suspicious from the paper bag?"

"N-no. Not really."

"Then you don’t have to worry about anything, Miss Simoné."

"But, isn't that strange? What I've been dreaming, all this time, came to life? But the story is pretty twisted."

"You may think of it like that, but you don’t have to think too much. It will just cause you distress and it might bring your nightmares back. You just have to stay calm okay?"

"But-"

"How about like this? If this paper bag bothers you that much, I'll take it from you, so you won't see it anymore?" He suggested that made her think for a second.

Then what the hell is this-

"Miss Simoné?"

She immediately snaps back to reality as she blinks her eyes thrice.  "I'll just... I'll just take it. No worries, doc."

"Then our meeting is done. You continue taking your pills okay? And if something bothers you, just talk to me. Okay?"

"Okay. Well, I won't take any longer of your time, I'll be going now doc."

"Be safe on your way home, Miss Simoné. "

As she walks out of the office, she immediately hailed a cab, going straight into her place. As she immediately got there, she paid her fare without getting her change, still scared of what her dream meant, and what happened with her earlier. Are they connected?

"Hey sweetie, how was school today?" Her aunt asks as she stops baking.

"School's fine, aunt Lei."

"Well, how about the decoration making you’ve been doing at school?"

"It’s getting pretty well actually. The class is on fire and we are all just excited and pretty hyped up."

"Why are you so tense, sweetie? Everything alright?"

"YEAH." she shouted that almost startled her aunt. "I mean, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Look, auntie, I'm just tired, okay? I’m sorry I shouted and-"

"No. Fine, sweetie. I understand. Well, I'll let you go to you to rest? I’ll just knock at your door if dinner is ready. Okay?"

"Yes, aunt Lei. Thanks." She said as she hurriedly went to her room, closing and locking it, with the assurance that nothing will come to disturb.

As soon as she's done, she pulls out the paper bag from her bag, sitting on her comfy bed, as she stares at the paper bag. Her dream starts to come back, with that certain clip kept on repeat, the same moment yet different person, with the same paper bag. She inhaled deeply as she braces herself to what is inside.

FRANZ

I must be so freaking expecting something else because after opening the paper bag, a bunch of chocolate bars was mixed inside. With such uncertainty, I decided to pull the bag upside down, still hoping that it could somehow, pull a trigger that can help me find out what's inside the paper bag from my nightmares, only to find out a Nutella, and a shirt inside. I cupped my sweating forehead with both of my hands as I release a long sigh, as a sign of disappointment.

"You're such an i***t, Franz. What the heck were you thinking?" I manage to talk to myself, still feeling a bit frustrated, that I expected something so unbelievable. Then, I remember my meditation.

Inhale. Exhale.

"That was just your nightmare, Franz. Nothing to worry about. Caesar gave you a gift of appreciation and they are sweets that you love. Calm down. Inhale, exhale."

After convincing myself to not worry for what felt like forever, I finally decided to open this Hershey's almond chocolate to relieve my stress. It may sound weird but, I guess I'm the queen of diabetes because I can't resist chocolate. And I know for a fact that it helps me relieve my stress, or calm myself in some ways.

I finally let myself drown into the covers as I decided to think of happy thoughts.

My aunt Lei who is so loving and supportive, my best friend Paul for always standing up for me and loyal, my classmates who accepted me, well, consider my handsome therapist also, my parents...

Parents.

Everyone's been wondering where my parent’s whereabouts and I are myself, couldn't answer that question.

I don’t know, but my aunt told me that they died in a car accident, and I was there as well. But miraculously, I was able to survive. And I am so sad to not meet them in person.

And I hope I could meet them.

Maybe, I lost my memory after the car accident. It could be a trauma since I was just a kid, but hopefully, I do hope that all will come back so I could at least remember something from my past. It sucks to try to live to the present without knowing where I've come from. I had no past to reminisce, and I can't seem to foresee my future. And I am stuck

Knock knock knock

"Hey Franz, sweetie. If you're awake, the diner's ready! You know I don’t want you skipping any meals."

"I'll be right there in a minute, aunt Lei. I'll just have to organize my stuff a bit." Lie.

"Okay. I'll wait for you okay. But I'll come back any minute. Don’t want the food to get cold."

"Yes. I'll be just there in three minutes."

I immediately place the chocolates back into the bag as I place the shirt inside my closet, without even opening it.

...

THURSDAY 

  October 31st

     A day before the Judgement day

Everyone seems to be busy, now that tomorrow is the first day of the fifteen-day celebration of our Halloween year special. Tomorrow will be the classroom judgment day, but winners won't be announced right away.

On the other hand, students were all fired up on preparing their rooms, as they only have three hours left before the clock strikes five o clock, meaning, no more decorating if that time comes. Six different sections, representing six different infinity stones.

"WE CAN DO THIS GUYS!!" Lee, the president motivated his classmates as they continue decorating. And as a programmer, he had come up with a cute plot twist to their Halloween special.

Shouting and mixed noise are all over each room as if world war IV had started with each classroom. Advisers were also not allowed to visit their class to avoid distraction and to lessen the possibility of cheating or something.

"How about we put black translucent fabric up the ceiling as well, then we splash it with green neon paint to feel the vibe more?" Karl asks.

"Hey Franz, can we draw something over here? Or something? Seems plain." Kezee suggested.

"Hey President, how about the floor? Can we cover it as well?"

Questions, suggestions, chatters, and unwanted noise are on air, as the busy class keeps track of decorating.

"Hey Irish! Let's go buy some snacks!" Regina asks as they step out of the room.

"Franz, is there something I can help with?" Caesar asks out of the blue that made her look up at him. She's currently on the floor, doing some retouch on the painted materials.

"As much as I want to task you up with something, it is best for you to just rest okay? Like your doctor said, don't push too hard."

"I'm sorry if I can't help with anything."

"No worries." She smiled as he decided to just sit and rest. As she continues working on retouching, her nightmare yesterday came across her mind.

"Hey, Franz. If you think you're smart, you're not."

"What does that supposed to mean? Who are you? "

Instead of answering, the person threw the dark-colored paper bag onto her. She takes it with trembling hands and opened the bag with no hesitation.

The bag was not empty at all. It has a black rectangular box inside, that instead of fright, curiosity built more.

"What's this?" She could hear herself ask as the person with a blurry face just look at her. When she got no response, she opened it, revealing a cellphone.

Her cellphone.

"What's with my phone!? Who are you?"

"As I said, you're not smart."

"Then who the f*ck are you!?"

"I'm the nightmare you never wished to have-"

"Hey, Franz! You're spilling the paint already!" Lee gasped as he taps Franz's shoulder. She came back to reality and snap at what she's doing. She's spilling the paint out, almost destroying the alternative materials.

"Are you alright? Is something bothering you?"

                                                                                          ●●●

Three hours had gone by and all the students are exhausted. Before the day could end as the students from different sections start to go home, Lee called all his classmates’ attention to not go home just yet.

"Hey f*ck you Lee! It's getting dark now and we want to go home!" Triss exclaimed, getting impatient. And that's his cue to stand up in the middle of the class, holding his phone.

"So guys as you can see, we will just come and meet tomorrow by five. We can't come here earlier."

"Yeah." The answer in unison.

"So, I had just made a greater twist for us to enjoy this fifteen-day Halloween special." He said as he opens his phone. Everybody's curious, not knowing what to expect from Lee.

"Here." He said as he taps an app, and the face of a black cat icon appears on the white screen.

"What the heck is that?"

"Franz told me that I am a game developer or programmer you call, and I could use my talent into something, that I can come up with in helping our Halloween be more, thrilling. So, I made a game, it's called Black Destiny-"

"What a name dude." they laughed.

"Yeah, I know." He answers back.

"But, what kind of game is that? Like candy crush or something? Because if that's the case, I'm down."

"No. More like the app, countdown."

"That stupid creepy movie?"

"It’s not stupid, but it is creepy." creepy objected.

"So, as I was saying, this game is just for us. Okay?" They nodded. "As we open the app, we must register our whole name, including the middle initial, and our code name. We can create anything."

"Sound easy."

"Yes. But the thrilling part here is that you should write how you want to die for Halloween-"

"Whoa. That's one hell of a game."

"Like, if I want to die like the chainsaw m******e, I can type that in?"

"Yes. But take note, write the best you could think of because after we lock our names, we will have a leader board, but all we can see is the code name. No one has to tell their code names to others, or the terms and conditions will be broke."

"Creepy. I'm IN" Heaven approved.

"Then I guess, let the games begin?"