My short stories

Just a game

4 friends, Cole, Nathen, Una and Rita, were having a sleepover at Cole's home. They've been best friends for a long time, since they met in primary school, in fact. It was all fun and games earlier on Cole's game console, and the dinner was great. But now, when they've been told to get some sleep, well, they simply weren't tired.

The girls were in the guest room while Nathen had a sleeping sack in Cole's room. "Should we play a game?" Nathen asked Cole, who was busy browsing through his phone.
"What game though?" Cole asked, nonchalantly.
Nathen thought for a moment, before asking "Truth or Dare?"
Cole rolls his eyes, answering with a sarcastic "Sure, sounds great."
Nathen gets up saying "Great! I'll go see if the girls want to play too."

A few minutes into the game and Cole has done 100 squats, Una has been powdered like a clown, and Rita has sent a text to her crush about her 'ideal fantasy'. It was Nathen's turn now!
"C'mon Nathen, truth or dare?" Una asked him.
"Uh, truth?" Nathen said.
A phone suddenly blared out; it was Nathen's. The others watched as Nathen pulled out his phone, only to read 'unknown caller ID'. Rejecting the call, he turned back to the others, "Some unknown number, probably just a teleshopping ad," he explained, "So what's my truth?"
"Is it true that you and Quin stopped being friends over a girl you both liked?" Rita asked.
"Why do you even know about that?" Nathen asked. Quin, who was actually called Quinton, was indeed an old friend of his until their big fight. "But yes, that is true."
Suddenly, a phone blared again; this time it was Rita's. She picked it up to see the same 'unknown caller ID' across the top of her screen. "Now I've gotten an unknown caller," she said.
"Just pick it up and tell them they have the wrong number or something," Cole said.
Rita did just that, but then her face fell. She yelled into the phone, "Who do you think you are?! You're the only slob around, don't call me again!" before ending the call.
"Who was it, Rita?" Una asked.
"Doesn't matter, I think we're being watched." She said, getting up to close the curtains. She continued, "Apparently Nathen is a slob who stole this person's girlfriend or something. Remember you said you liked a girl Quin liked?"
"I haven't stolen anything from anyone," Nathen said blandly.
"So... it was Quin?" Una asked.
"I don't know, the voice was distorted," Rita explained.
Cole sighed, saying, "You're all as bad as each other. This is likely some idiot pulling a bad prank."
Rita came to sit back down when Cole's phone began to ring. He picked it up and put it on speaker. "What do you want?" he asked.
"You really think this is a prank huh?" A distorted voice asked.
"Right, I'm calling the police," Nathen muttered.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the voice said, "after all, they won't get here before I do." Silence, then the voice carries on, "So, who wants to play?"
Cole mutes the call and says, "What should we do? Play along?"
Una replies "We don't really have much of a choice, do we?"
The others nod in agreement so Cole unmutes the call and asks, "What game do you have in mind?"
"How about a lovely game of hide and seek? Only, if I find you, I kill you. Deal?" Before anyone could refuse, the voice announces "Let's play!" which is followed by a buzz and the call ending.

The game has begun.

~~~

It's been a couple of minutes since the call ended. Rita and Una ran into their room to hide while Cole ran to the bathroom at the end of the hall. Nathen stayed in his room, hidden under the bed.

Not long after hiding did they hear the door downstairs swing open and bang against the wall. Heavy footsteps could be heard going along the corridor downstairs, entering the living room, then the kitchen, and then returning to the steps.

Slowly but surely the person made their way up. Nathen felt himself sink further under the bed right up against the wall. A shadow loomed across the floor of the corridor, the person must be in front of the girls' room, Nathen thought. He heard a mutter but couldn't make out the words.

He then heard the person come towards his room. He left the girls alone? Nathen's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the bathroom door open. Cole, you idiot!

"That's too bad," The voice of the unknown person said, "I only needed one life but since you have seen me-"
"Wait, wait! I swear I won't say anything!" Cole exclaimed but was cut off. A blood-curdling scream was let out. Cole's dead? Oh my gosh, Cole is dead!

But then, that must mean that the person is after me! Nathen felt himself shiver at the thought. Why? For winning the girl over that he fought Quin for? Just for that?

"Come on out Nathen, if you don't want your other girl friends getting hurt that is," The voice said.
Does this guy think I'm a cheater? Nathen thought. He couldn't let the others get hurt because of him, even though Cole already did. He decided to show himself, yelling out to the stranger, "I'm right here, leave the others alone."
"Ah, good boy." The stranger said, "Tell me, do you enjoy messing with others?"
"What does that even mean?" Nathen asked, "I haven't done anything wrong. We were just having a sleepover party that you, may I remind you, crashed."
"Ah but then, where is your girlfriend that you so bravely fought for?" He asked, with a mocking tone in his voice.
"We broke up weeks ago, why does that have anything to do with you?"

The stranger walked towards him, the light of Nathen's lamp illuminating him at last. It was, in fact, Quin. The same Quin he was once friends with, the same Quin he fought against for his ex-girlfriend's attention. Quin pursed his lips before saying, "So the fight was of no importance to you? You won the girl and then you dumped her?"
"Quin, it's not-" Nathen started but was cut off.
"But that's exactly what happened, isn't it? You fought your best friend, who, I'll remind you, really liked her. You got the girl's attention, then threw her in the trash when you felt like it because, what, it wasn't enough?" Quin questioned Nathen's actions, "She came to me first saying how you wanted her attention so bad then left her. I can't let you get away with breaking the lady I loved, I so truly loved."
"Quin, you don't want to do this. Like you said, we were friends." Though Nathen's voice began to waver. He knew Quin was right. He knew this was what he deserved.
"Now, don't worry," Quin said with a smile, a smile so sickly even the devil would quiver. "I'll make sure it's quick," stabbing Nathen in the heart.

The last words that could be heard were, "Just so you know how she felt..." before everything in Nathen's sight faded to black.