Ghost

Game

Black bleeds into the sky as the night takes over. It's eight o'clock in the afternoon, and the school is preparing for their big game against the Vikings. A large crowd fills the left side of the stadium, each person wearing something red. On the other side, people wearing gold and white fill the stands. The lights turn on, brightening the whole field. The blades of grass shine as the bright lights reflects on them.

"Reese, hey, I'm on my way to the school. Are you staying for the game?"

"Oh, well, if you're going, I guess I should go too." he says through the phone.

"Great. Listen, be careful."

"Will do, ma'am." Julie smiles and taps her screen, ending the call. She motions her head towards the front door, where Mr. Borne is standing, reading something on his phone. He looks up at her, nodding, and opens the front door of their house.

The black patrol car is still parked outside next to the lawn. He waves at them, and they start their car. Mr. Borne opens the car door for Julie, allowing her to snuggle into her seat in the front. He enters the car as well, igniting the engine. The vehicle strides down the street as it is followed by the patrol troops.

"Looks like John's going to miss the game." Mr. Borne says. Julie looks at him with a face that lacks amusement. He looks at her, smiling. "I'm just kidding, sweetheart."

"Don't joke like that, Dad. You know how much he means to me."

"And you know how much I'm trying to find him. Tom's watching the video back in the cyber department. He'll call me when he gets something." he says holding the steering wheel. He makes a turn on a street where the stadium is barely visible.

"Dad, I'm scared." she says leaning on her seat.

"It's okay, Julie. Please. Take it easy."

"No, Dad. Every time I try to take it easy, someone dies."

Silence lingers in the car as they approach the school. The car still follows them, driving slowly behind them. The silence is interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone. Julie pulls the phone out of her pocket, revealing a text from Reese. She unlocks it with a smile on her face, revealing an image of Julie's prom dress. She raises her eyebrow at the photo. Julie begins to type.

"reese, whats up with that pic?"

"What picture?"

"the one of my dress?"

"I haven't even seen your dress?"

Julie frowns and shakes her head. Her eyes widen as she realizes what this means: the killer is in her house.

"Dad, look." she says. She holds the phone to her Dad's face as he begins to pull up to a parking space.

"Your dress. What about it?" he says.

"The killer just sent me that from his phone. Dad, he's in the house!" she yells.

"Shit!" he says. He parks the car and pounces out of his seat, panting. He waves at the patrol car, causing them to stop. He rushed over to the side of the black car. One of the troops rolls down his window, his face concerned.

"He's in the house, damn it." he says.

"Shit. We'll go check it out sir, don't worry." says the driver nodding. The car moves in reverse, pulling out of the parking lot. Mr. Borne, with his hands on his hips, walks over to Julie's door and taps the glass. Julie looks at her father and opens the door.

"C'mon." he says. Julie nods and walks towards the empty school.

The parking lot is full of cars from fellow Badgers and their Viking rivals. She looks at the stadium, which is full of people. The players roll out from the sides of the stadium, entering in the light. The coach stands in the middle of the field, holding a microphone. Julie looks passed the stadium and looks to the side, where a chain link fence is covered in red roses. Pictures of her deceased friends are pasted on it, along with burnt out candles. She looks down, biting her lip as she follows her father up the steps.

"Welcome to the game everyone." says the coach. The crowd quiets down as he speaks. Julie and Mr. Borne stop in their steps and look at the bright stadium. "I understand that we have a game today, but may we please remember what tragic events have occurred earlier this week. We have lost six fellow Badgers: Angela Vasquez, Lena Woods, Dana Stevens, Sasha Banks, Marcus Lloyd, who was supposed to be playing today, and Brooke Lawrence. Please, let us have a moment of silence." The crowd is quiet, and the rowdy attendees lower their signs as the silence engulfs them. This town will never be the same. Julie and Mr. Borne lower their heads.

After a bit of silence, he pats Julie on the back, and they both proceed their entrance to the school. As she opens the door, her phone begins to ding again. Julie and her father continue down the dark halls of the school, Julie still unlocking n
her phone.

A Snap from John. Julie's heart drops to the floor as it pulses through her body. Chills tickle her bones as she stands there, frozen in the moment. Her fingers reach for the Open button on the screen. The message clicks open, revealing an image of John, still strapped to a chair, with a cryptic caption labeled on it:

"Let's play a game"