Demise Game

39.lonely hide and seek

It was almost time.

        Even if you didn't look up online to verify the game, you knew it by heart.  Most school kids did — it was one of the most popular urban legend games to play in Japan, after all.

        Making sure your preparations were complete, including the acid in your bedroom and a salt circle with a small opening in the living room, hidden along the edges of furniture and the walls, you finally went to start your game.

        First was to cut the rest of the bunny open all the way.  You took out the stuffing and replaced it with uncooked rice.  With that, you clipped part of your fingernail to drop in there.  It was a bit hard, considering your nails were filed down to nubs, and you had accidentally got a little bit too far down to where it made you wince, but you managed.

        Now, you needed to stitch it up.  You weren't sure if the thread color mattered, but you made sure to use red thread, stitching it closed and tying the remaining length around the doll's neck.

        Almost time.

        You picked the heavy doll up, taking it to the bathroom, and placing it in the tub filled with water.  Once that was done, you hurried to your hiding place to make sure everything was set up.  Reassuring yourself that it was, you turned off all the lights in your home.  Your phone chimed.

        It was time to start.

        "[Y/n] is it.  [Y/n] is it.  [Y/n] is it."

        You repeated the phrase as the instructions said, submerging the doll into water.  After wiping your hands dry, you turned the television in the living room on low and went to your hiding place. 

        1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

        Having counted, you went back to the bathroom, declaring you found the doll before cutting the thread.  The room grew colder as you did so.

        ". . . You're it... Shuuen."

        If you listened hard enough, you could have sworn that you heard a chuckle, and you were quick to scurry to your hiding place.

        Or, well one of them.

        Truthfully, you didn't expect Shuuen to play the game correctly.  He was desperate — he'd do anything to win.  Your goal was to distract him while the others played their games, and to turn the tables on him.  He was going to play dirty; so why couldn't you?

        Closing the closet door, you climbed up onto the shelf.  The line of salt would prevent Shuuen from getting into the closet, but you had no doubt he would have an alternative.

        Ideally, the game would then be where you would put a mouthful of salt water in your mouth, search for the doll, pour the remaining salt water on it, and end the game.  That was how the game was supposed to work; but that's not how real hide-and-seek worked, and you knew your concerns had been right on the dot as you heard a floorboard creak from the living room.

        He's looking for me.

        You had to suppress a shudder, too afraid to move or even breath.  You breathed as quietly as possible, the occasional creak setting your nerves alight.

        The soft footsteps got closer, and you heard the familiar chuckle of the one demon that made your life a living hell.

        "Come out, come out..." he murmured in an almost sing-song voice, the low baritone shooting through you like ice shards.  "If you come out now, I promise I won't hurt you.  But if you keep me waiting too long...  Well, I can't make any promises.  Perhaps I should call your mother myself and make you listen to her screams over the phone?  Or I could tell you all about how Enoru's game is going."