The Shady Grove

On the outskirts of a town called Pottsboro, there is a place called the Shady Grove. The only people that remember anything notable about it are all in their 70s or 80s and almost all of them refuse to speak of it.

There are a few, however, that will break their vow of silence and tell of the horrendous events that happened there. They spoke to me bout how they had seen what hell truly looked like and how soon they would pay for what they've done.

During the 1960s, a cult had formed in the town. They had taken to sacrificing people to summon their "master," who their leader had claimed would banish the filth from the Earth and begin a time of true peace.

The only catch was that they had to sacrifice only female children, but only if they were deemed impure after a night with the leader. After he had collected about ten little girls, he told them the day of judgment was upon them and to prepare the circle about five miles outside of town.

That night, at 3:00 AM, they began to ritual by covering the girls in the blood of pigs and cutting the children's arms and legs about one to two inches apart from each previous cut.

The next part was the cover their bodies in oil and light it. After this step, their bodies burst into blue flames and from the flame came a woman with eyes as black as coal and skin as white as snow.

The woman walked straight at the leader while saying something in an unintelligible language and he instantly burst into flames. After that, the group I was interviewing told me they all blacked out, only to find themselves in their beds with a ticket in their hands that had the word "HELL" stamped on it.

The group told me that if anyone attempted to enter the circle where the ritual took place, that would wake up instantly, have an intense vision of themselves burning alive, and then pass out and wake up in their beds holding the ticket to HELL.

It All Comes Together PART 1

Since the dawn of human imagination, humanity has been under attack. Not a physical attack, an attack on our minds by an unseen, elusive foe. We do not understand this enemy, and can not see it or feel it. We do not know what it is, or what it wants. Few of us even know that it is an external force, or that it targets humanity as a whole. The closest we can get to it are the reflections left by those who have been fully consumed by it. Those reflections take the form of art.

The earliest evidence we can find of this force so determined to torment humanity is in cave paintings. The earliest artwork of humanity, most cave paintings are of simple images, carved or drawn with clay, that portray humans and animals in fairly ordinary poses. In nine caves inhabited by early humans, unusual and disturbing cave paintings have been found.

The material used to make them is unknown, it seems to most resemble blood, but it has appeared in a wide array of colors, and has held up better than a substance like blood should have. Each cave has one painting made of the unknown substance, each one using an identical art style.

The caves seem to be telling a sequential story, the nine caves are very far apart, ranging from an area of Africa believed to have been inhabited by the first humans, to an Asian cave near the Pacific Ocean. The first part of the story is in the African cave, and the paintings mirror the order that each location would have been discovered by humans in. The nine pictures:

Picture 1: A person with a terrified expression on his face, fearfully staring at the viewer.

Picture 2: A large, dark shadow has wrapped around that person’s head, and torn it off. In the picture, the head had just been removed, it is a couple inches above the neck.

Picture 3: The severed head is in a screaming position, clearly still alive, while the shadow flows into its mouth and ears.

Picture 4: A surreal collage of dark colors, it is theorized that this represents what the shadow is doing inside the head.

Picture 5: The head is being held by its decapitated body, it looks as if the body is about to reattach the head to itself. The head has a glazed expression, as if alive but not in total control of itself.

Picture 6: The man is whole again, but the shadow is coming out of his mouth, as if the man is exhaling it.

Picture 7: Many more people are seen, crowded around the man with the shadow inside him. He seems to be giving a speech, and the shadow is flowing into the heads of the people listening.

Picture 8: We see people who have the shadow inside them killing themselves, the fading shadow can be seen exiting the dead bodies.

Picture 9: We see a man drawing the first picture on a cave wall.

These pictures all have an identical art style and clearly have a connected story, but they were all made long before one person could have visited so many places. The mystery of the cave paintings has never been solved, but the story they told did not end in humanity’s cave dwelling days.

The next evidence of the malevolent force can be found in seemingly simple stone structures built by early humans. In Germany’s Black Forest, there is a stone structure equal to Stonehenge in complexity and age. However, this ancient wonder is hidden from the public, and for good reason.

The type of rocks used to build it are similar to the ones in Stonehenge, but there is something physically off about them. Their balance does not seem to follow the laws of physics, the structure shouldn’t be able to stand. Those who get close to the structure report feelings of dizziness, and walking more than a few feet without falling seems to be impossible.

The bending of reality does not stop there. Walking around the stone pillars is said to move the person through space in impossible ways, you’ll find yourself at the other end of the structure, on top of one of the pillars, or falling from several stories off the ground. Most reports of this happening are second hand, because the people who get close enough to experience the space altering effects of the monument rarely make it out.

In the center of the structure, there is a patch of thin, sharpened rocks standing vertically. If a person gets trapped in the unnatural movement of the structure, they rarely escape, they will usually warp around the area until they appear in the sky above the spikes and fall onto them, falling on the spikes and being killed.

The blood from the victims never goes away, but will instead flow out of the sharp stones, and settle in the shape of what appears to be writing. With each victim, more of the writing appears, but it is not in a language anyone alive today can read.

The unidentified writing has so far been found in one more place. The Flesh Wall in southern Italy is believed to be at least 8,000 years old. It is made entirely of stone, but intricately carved stone that would be difficult to replicate even today. The stone has been carefully carved to have the same shape of human skin, if looked at under a microscope, the texture will be identical.

The wall is encrusted with carvings of other human body parts, all far more realistic than medical knowledge from the time they were made should have allowed. If examined under a strong enough microscope, a great deal of writing using the same symbols as the Black Forest monument can be seen.

The Flesh Wall also has an effect on those who touch it. Putting a finger on it for a few seconds is fatal, the inner organs and blood of anyone who does will become paralyzed. If someone’s body is forced into the wall for extended periods of time, it will begin to turn to stone. There are incredibly realistic human statues littering the area around the Flesh Wall, it is theorized that it was used as an execution device at one point.

It is unknown how many structures like this exist in the world, governments normally try to cover them up, and the dangerous nature of them makes it possible that no one who discovered them survived to report it. Whether humanity’s enemy constructed these itself or forced humans to isn’t known, but as humanity became more adept at making art, reflections of our enemy would become more common.

(This story is credited to a person called KI Simpson.)

Minecraft Pixels

You know how Minecraft has a weird way of counting pixels?

Well, rumor has it Notch had a block added one Friday but removed it almost immediately...well, not NECESSARILY removed. He just mad eit inaccessible in the normal game. However, without this block in the game's code, getting to the "Nether" was impossible.

Now, the reason it was "removed" is because when players found out how to access it and place it, something weird happened.

It spawned a certain mob: a child.

Said child would follow the player around until they died. HOWEVER, if the CHILD were to die, they wouldn't necessarily disappear. The boy would remain there, screaming bloody murder. It screamed the most realistic of screams; many players vomited from the mere sound. This would continue no matter what part of the map the player went.

The body would remain there, slowly decaying after each minute until an hour passed and it became an unrecognizable mesh of flesh and blood...but the screaming still wouldn't stop.

The screaming could only be stopped if the player surrounded the body in a ring of Obsidion and set fire to the body. Upon doing so, the child would immediately jump and scream even louder. It would float up into the air, its eyes and mouth spouting flame.

It was then the body would slump to the ground, but the head would remain, still having the neural connections attached but floating there, still spouting flame. It would then grow until it was even more unrecognizeable from its former, decomposed self. It would grow paler and the eyes and mouth would close, but it would still scream.

Once the transformation is complete, you have a Ghast. The true origin of Ghasts is dead, torture children souls brought back through Satanic rituals. Notch removed this not because it revealed the truth, but because of what it did to players.

Every scream you hear in the Nether is a tortured child. Every time you killed a Ghast you hammered in even more pain into that poor child's miserable "life."

Ghasts only "attack" you because every time they open their mouths to scream to express their anguish to someone who may be able to help, fire shoots out.

(This story is credited to a person called Doctor Steel.)

Banjo-Kazooie

I remember when I was younger; I was about eight or nine, you know. The innocent life. Not a care in the world, so I spent a good amount of my childhood playing video games. Yes video games; it's nothing to be ashamed about. I made friends with other kids who played it, too.

I knew a kid back then who went by the name of Tony. He told me a story about some strange thing that happened to him while playing Banjo-Kazooie. He gave me specific instructions of what to do and what would happen. He spoke of Mad Monster Mansion and the portrait of Gruntilda that was in there. He spoke, saying if I crashed into the portrait using the fly-pad it would summon up a monster. As a frightened little child, I believed him, till one day I summoned up the courage to try what he told me years ago.

Nothing happened. It was just a little lie he told me, a little story he believed. So I did it again and again countless times, knowing that it was all fake with nothing to worry about. I found it amusing - I'm not sure why - so I would crash into it over and over again going to that same place where the monster would show up. It never did; that lone pipe outside the mansion you could fit into as a pumpkin was always empty. There was never anything more or anything less.

Of course, not everything is predictable; not everything follows the same routine. I tried it again one day not too long ago. About a week or two, well let’s just say things took a turn for the worst. You hear these stories and don't think anything of them; "Oh, they are just stories. It doesn't matter. It'll be alright," they say. Of course, this time I did it I almost broke a tear from how terrified I was.

I went into the room where Napper was, empty and quiet with nothing but a huge table and some chairs. I climbed on top of the table got aboard the fly pad. I mashed the B button facing Gruntilda’s portrait. The bear and bird duo flew into the portrait with a big crash as expected, but this time a different noise I heard was there. It sounded like someone had broken a bone or something, almost as if there was literal pain. I didn't think anything of it, so I left the room as normal.

Heading towards Mumbo’s skull, I came across that pipe with the Jiggy inside, but the oddest thing happened. Banjo seemed to have fallen underneath the level. I thought I had glitched the game or something - something new & exciting that I hadn't seen before. That was till I realized his legs were crawling through that small hole where the pipe was; he was clawing at the ground not making a noise - not even music - and he just flailed his arms wildly as he slowly got dragged inside. Frightened, I dropped my controller and backed away from the TV.

Next thing I know, it shows the inside of the pipe; Banjo looked fine. He was just standing in the middle of that pipe, looking around. The music, although back, was a little distorted as if played in reverse...but it couldn't be more than a freaky glitch, right? I slowly reached for my controller when I saw a giant dark hand fall slowly from the ceiling. I screamed and Banjo followed suit. It dragged him up to the ceiling, almost like the Wallmasters from Ocarina of Time.

The sounds of bones cracking was heard. Banjo screamed in a voice as if his throat was filled with blood and unspeakable true pain. The music slowed itself and turnd to static. The hand pulled him up slowly and painfully. As it got closer to the screen, I could just see the hand gripped around his neck nearly tearing Banjo in two; it was as if his head would pop off at any moment. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Banjo flailed around as the hand dragged him up to the darkness by Banjo's face till eventually the screen went completely dark.

Next thing I know, the game over transition occurred, but the black background with the witch's face was read. Surely this couldn't be real. I had to be dreaming, but somehow I knew I wasn't. I was frozen in my place with beads of sweat falling down my face. Then it happened to start the game over cut scene. Tooty, Grunty, and Klungo were all together, except it was definitely different.

Tooty was strapped into a chair with Klungo standing at her side. Grunty was slowly cutting into Tootys arm, dissecting her like fresh piece of meat. The screams from Tooty were to painful to hear while her head shook violently in agony. Grunty held up the knife and continued to pierce through her arm. After it was cut off she threw it to Klungo and he started to gnaw on it. Gruntilda's eyes were filled with madness - wait, no, madness isn't the word for this. This was a true pleasure from causing pain. A fantasy fufilled. She enjoyed herself with a wicked and sadistic grin.

With the knife she carved into Tooty's stomach, letting the blood flow out and the organs drop to the ground, splatting in a way too realistic for a game to recreate. No way could this be real; I kept telling myself it wasn't, but it was and I knew it. I just couldn't accept it. Grunty held the knife up to her mouth and licked fresh blood off of it. Satisfied but still eager for more, she violently stabbed Tooty in the eye then threw the eye across the room. She leaned into Tooty, smiling and chanting quietly as she slowly slit the blade across Tooty's neck; the knife began to slowly drip with the blood of her victim.

It faded out to a soundless black screen; the TV was definitely on, but there was nothing on the screen. I stood in place, still too scared to move. I still cannot believe what I had witnessed. After a couple days, I decided to try it again. Surely, no one could sell something like that to the public, right? I went through and crashed into the picture; I was nervous but I slowly walked up to the pipe.

There was nothing. I stood, waiting, but it didn't happen. Everything played as normal. I tried multiple times but it wouldn't work. Why would it work that one time but not any other? What came over my game and made it insane? I wish I could've moved, gotten a picture or a video. Anything I could've gotten as a shred of proof. I'm not asking you to believe me; I just want to share my tale with whoever it may interest.

I'll keep trying it, this time prepared and maybe, just maybe, I can get a single photo of what happened that night.

(This story is credited to a person called JC4R.)

The Mirror

I was sitting in the upstairs office of the museum with a cup of coffee when it happened. It had been a long day and I'd set the work experience kid the seemingly unfuck-up-able task of dusting the exhibits - after repeating my warning, of course, that some of them must not be touched or opened. A terrified scream, quickly strangled by a building-shaking thump and an awful rending sound, brought me rushing downstairs.

The mirror room - I knew it. In there hung an ancient mirror, about a foot around, made of polished obsidian. Behind the glass walls of its display case, it was harmless, although people amusingly reported seeing the face of an evil hag in it on occasion. Looking at it unprotected was madness, though - certainly for those without knowledge of the old ways.

I arrived in the mirror room and a horrible smell hung in the air. On the floor lay half a body - the lower half, still in the clothes I recognized from earlier. The skin had been stretched purple and torn away and the organs inside that hadn't been torn free leaked their contents onto the floor. The legs were at the bottom of a maroon spray that started below the wooden case of the mirror, and the hipbone lay almost against the wall.

The case was broken, the wooden sides pushed outwards. Clumps of hair, matted with skin and blood, stuck to the frame of the mirror. Concentrating now, I stepped in front of the black disc, my sandals carefully placed on either side of the bile-sprayed limbs and pool of blood on the floor. Looking into the dark reflection of the room, I saw my double once more. In her hand was a pale arm that led down to a broken form and a trail of darkness. Sure enough, when she lifted the half-corpse into the air, I recognized the shattered and stretched face.

The Gallery of Henri Beauchamp

If you go into this one tiny, dingy one-story bar in Paris, and the right bartender is behind the counter that night, you might be able to see a very exclusive gallery show of the lost works of one Henri Beauchamp. But, you have to prove you're a devotee of the artist to get in.

You'll be asked, in clear and perfect English, "What would like to partake of this glorious night?" Answer "absinthe", no matter what. Any other drink, from whiskey to water, will kill you as you sleep.

The next question will regard the type, and you MUST answer one of two things: "The stuff that Man himself could not bear to take," or, "The good stuff. The best stuff." If you ask for any other absinthe, in any other way, you will be plagued by nightmares for 13 days. Each night's dream will be more horrible than the last, until, upon the thirteenth dream, your nightmare will follow you, every moment of your waking and sleeping life.

Don't try and cheat the barkeep: the door locked behind you. You have to drink what he gives you, doom or not. That such a powerful man granted you audience should be enough. Besides, I've heard that the dying complimented his drinks in their death throes.

If you make it that far before sealing your fate, the bartender will say, "Be sure you handle this with care; this is the finest I have." From here, you may do one of two things: Say, word for word, "I overestimated my fortitude, and I bid you good eve." If the barkeep nods, you may leave the door you entered, unharmed and with nothing gained and nothing lost (except the time spent inside).

Or you can go on.

You will be given a glass with a seven-sided rim, with each side twisting ever so delicately around the basin until forming a sleek and simple handle. You will also receive a very, very, very special absinthe spoon, in the shape of a key; the holes at the key's top serve as the draining point for the alcohol to pour over the sugar cube. And, of course, an unmarked bottle, stripped long ago of its label, scraps of paper sticking to its sides, covered in the rot of the decades past.

The spoon is completely flat, but has two distinct sides: one with a groove along the shaft of the key, and one without. Turn the shaft down, so its groove will be face down. If you attempt this face up, your absinthe will taste foul, your nose will burn, and your eyes will shrivel in their sockets with unspeakable horrors not of this world.

Now, if your spoon is the right way up, begin preparing the absinthe as one would (put the sugar on the spoon, and pour the alcohol over so it gains its color and "special qualities").

Say "cheers" to your friend, the barkeep, and bottoms up. If you don't, the absinthe will burn every innard it touches with the power and pain of sulfuric acid.

If you've done it right, the already dim lights will go off, and darkness will consume the bar. Don't be afraid; the darkness is the cue that you've been approved for the exhibit. Wait out the darkness, and keep silent as the dead, lest the bartender decide to make you so.

Eventually (not too long, two to three minutes), a green floodlight will shine brightly on a door on the far wall of the bar. The bar will be bathed in green, and not just from the floodlight. Little luminescent spheres will gently drift through the room, and the barkeep will no longer be there...nor any other unassuming patron inside before.

There's no danger by this point...consider it a safe point. If you didn't finish the absinthe, you don't have to, but you might need the alcohol. Either way, take the spoon and put it in the keyhole of the green-lit portal's doorknob. It will fit perfectly, and reach the end of the keyhole with a resounding click.

Inside is a small elevator, with the most beautiful woman any mortal eyes can imagine, bathed in the green glow in just such an angle that the light refracts beyond her into the shape of wings.

The Green Fairy herself will ask you, "Going up?”, and considering all the trouble you went through, it would only make sense to say yes.

Now, you have one more hurdle to clear. She will ask you, as you cross the line from the bar to the compartment, "How would you compare Beauchamp's surrealism to that of, say, René Magritte?" For your reply, you must say, "I've come to see more than art tonight."

If you don't, the green floodlight will blow out, the doors will slam shut, and the elevator will plummet through a seemingly infinite blackness before a red light grows brighter as the elevator nears the very depths of Hell.

Now, if your elevator begins to go up, the green light will also fade, but in its place will be the cool glow of the moon. But, before you even recognize it, the elevator will reach the top of its...well, let's call it a shaft to not get too intricate.

Now, I'm not as sure about this as the rest, but I've heard that, if the Green Fairy kisses you on the cheek as she leaves the elevator, you will always be blessed with a creative inspiration: a permanent, ever-changing muse. You can't ask her, you can't kiss her; she has to do it of her own volition. If not...well, nothing, but no reason to do it anyway and anger the woman who is responsible for keeping the Beauchamp paintings safe for so many years.

You will enter, from the elevator, a turn-of-the-century parlor, with a large poster of Henri Beauchamp on the left side of the opposite wall; on the right is a door.

Taking the time to read the poster is a fairly good idea, as it explains the very significance of Monsieur Beauchamp. You see, he was a struggling surrealist in the 1920's, always making art to try to be free of all premeditation, and managed to do so. You see, after one night in a tiny, dingy one-story bar in Paris, he began to paint...patterns.

First it was geometric patterns. Then complete fractals. Then images that would be in the newspaper the next day. Then next week. Then from fifty years ago. One hundred years in the future, two hundred years in the past...

Then, on his last night of life, he kidnapped three young girls from their homes at night, murdered them, and painted his finest masterpieces in reds and yellows with the blood and bile of virgins.

He committed suicide immediately after painting exactly 13 of these.

These are behind the door.

The first six, from the left, show, from left to right: the genesis of the universe, the only true visage of God as viewable to the eyes of man, the true image of Jesus Christ, the sprawling clouds of Heaven, every Pope from the first to faces not yet recognizable, and a portrait of Jesus' appearance in his Second Coming.

The other six, on the right, show, from right to left: the cataclysm of the universe, the only true visage of Satan as viewable to the eyes of man, the true image of Judas, the sprawling flames of Hell, every human-embodied demon from the first to faces not yet recognizable, and a portrait of the Antichrist in his Second Coming.

Now, six and six makes twelve. But what of the thirteenth?

This thirteenth painting is turned around on its wall pin, the image facing the wall. The space around it is roped up at a very wide diameter, and under the flipped image is a sign, in three languages. The top is in the scriptures of the Seraphim, the bottom in the runes of the highest demonic orders, and in the middle, in Roman letters.

DO

NOT

TOUCH

Now, like the kiss, I can't say this part with as much certainty, but all the same...I heard that, somehow, as he died, Beauchamp flayed his skin, his organs, his very soul, into some sort of collage. How he took his dead body and created such a horrific masterpiece, I could never say, nor would I ever dare to.

So...if you make it, maybe you can flip the canvas over and tell me sometime? You can tell me about it over a drink.

The Theater

Have you ever heard of an old PC game called, “The Theater”? I don’t think so, because many people say it doesn’t exist. You see, The Theater is an old computer game released around the same time as Doom. Today, if you ever find it, it’s only available on crappy bootleg CD-ROMs, which – more often than not – don’t actually contain the game. The actual legitimate copies that they say were released back in the day feature a blank cover with nothing but the sprite of what has since been named the “Ticket-Taker.”

He is simply a poorly drawn, pixelated, bald Caucasian man with large red lips while wearing a red vest over a white shirt and black pants. He is completely emotionless, though some say that if you smash the disc his face has an angry expression the next time you look at the cover. This is just dismissed as an urban myth. What is peculiar about The Theater, though is that there is no developer named on the jewel case, nor a game description on the back. It is simply the Ticket-Taker on a white backdrop on both sides.

The game was initially known for its inability to install correctly. The installation process immediately locks up the computer when the user reaches the licensing agreement. Also strange about the licensing agreement for The Theater is that whenever the development studio is supposed to be named, there is no text. Most people who have claimed to own one of the original CDs say that they figured out how to install the game by simply rebooting their computer on the licensing agreement. With the disc still inside, and they are prompted to press “I AGREE” on start up and the installation continues.

The game starts up without any introduction besides a main menu that is simply the sprite of a movie theater’s exterior on an empty city street. The title fades in and then the three menu buttons – “NEW GAME,” “LOAD GAME,” and “OPTIONS.” Selecting OPTIONS immediately crashes the game to the desktop. LOAD is said not to function at all. Even if you do have a saved game, nothing happens when you click on it. Thus, NEW GAME is the only working menu option.

Once it is selected, you are in first-person view. You are standing in an empty movie theater lobby, with the exception of the Ticket-Taker standing in front of a dark hallway, which one can only assume leads to the theaters themselves. There’s nothing to do but look at the poorly drawn, mostly illegible movie posters or approach the Ticket-Taker. Once the player moves towards the Ticket-Taker, a very low-quality sound clip plays, saying “THANK YOU, PLEASE ENJOY THE MOVIE” along with a speech box saying the same thing. You then walk into the hallway and the screen fades to black and you’re back in the empty lobby and you do the exact same thing again and again.

While this may seem like a really horrible game, a number of peculiar things occur as you continue to play it. The number of times you have to continue to the hall after giving your ticket to the Ticket-Taker before the strange events happen is unknown. Most state that it’s completely random and could take anywhere from the first playthrough to the four-hundredth. What happens, though, has deeply disturbed some players.

The first occurrence is when the player fades back in after walking into the hallway. This time they will notice the Ticket-Taker is completely absent. The player then, without any other options, decides to walk into the dark hallway. The sound clip and text box mentioned previously still play in the absence of the Ticket-Taker, but when the player walks into the hallways the screen doesn’t fade out. It goes pitch-black as they walk deeper into the hall, but the player’s footstep sound clip is still playing as they continue to push the up button on their keyboard. Those claiming to have played the original game reported to feel extremely uncomfortable walking down the hallway; they were anticipating the whole way that something horrible was to happen. 

Eventually, the player is unable to move forward. There is nothing for a few moments before a strange sprite that is described as “The Ticket-Taker but with a swirl for a face” appears and stands before the player. The original players of the game say their bodies immediately froze up and their stomachs churned when they saw this sprite (it’s been appropriately named the “Swirly Head Man”). Nothing happens as the Swirly Head Man stands before them. Then, suddenly, a piercing screech plays as the game glitches out. This lasts for a few minutes, with the screeching being continuous. Then the player is abruptly returned to the lobby with all the sounds and graphics being as they should be.

The game continues normally for the next couple ‘cycles’ of entering the hallway, with a couple of the original players claiming the Swirly Head Man would briefly appear and disappear in the corners of the screen as a brisk ‘yelp’ sound effect plays. Then, at some point after meeting the Swirly Head Man, the player sees the Ticket-Taker pacing back and forth (though there is no walking animation. The sprite’s limbs are completely static, but he just hops slightly up and down as a substitute). With his eyes being wide and his mouth open to emulate a worried facial expression. Some players noted that the movie posters had been replaced with images of the Swirly Head Man, which caused them to immediately turn their character’s head away from the posters and approach the Ticket-Taker. Then another different low quality sound clip plays, but the speech box contains nothing but corrupted characters that cause whatever text that would have been in the box to be completely illegible. 

Due to the extremely low quality of the sound, it is debated by players what exactly the Ticket-Taker says at this point, though it is widely agreed that he says “NEVER REACH THE OTHER LEVELS.” The screen fades out once again and returns the player back to their starting point in the lobby, but the Ticket-Taker is gone and the hallways is blocked off by a large brick wall sprite. Touching the brick wall will immediately crash the game. All the original copies of The Theater have either been lost or destroyed….

But the creepiest part is the fact that all the original players of the game claim to occasionally see a brief glimpse of the Swirly Head man out of the corner of their eyes.

(There was a followup to this story, and I found it.)

The Midnight Game

Yesterday, while looking through my e-mail, I found a piece of spam that was different then the rest. It was simply titled "Game". It had none of the overly obnoxious qualities that the other junk mail had. I guess that might be the reason why I clicked on it. And I'll tell you, I would give anything to go back and stop myself from clicking it, even my life. The e-mail had one attachment, and one sentence at the top. "Why don't you play?" The image is the one I attached to this post. At first I thought it was just someone trying to fuck with me for shits and giggles, but as I read the instructions I realized that whoever sent me this did so with the knowledge that I was bored enough with my life to play it. God how I wish I didn't open that damn e-mail.

As I read through the instructions, I checked the time. It was 8 pm. I had 4 hours to gather the necessary ingredients and start the ritual. However there were two problems. My door wasn't made of wood, and I was taking care of my two-year younger brother. I showed him the e-mail, and the picture. Being the thrill seeker that he is he immediately agreed. Now that one problem was taken care of, we had the other matter to attend to. Where would we find a place we could use with a wooden door that was big enough? My brother recommended using a hotel, but it conflicted with the rules. It was then that I remember the old school that was closed down due to the massive strike by the teachers some years ago. It was big, and it was one of the old retro schools with the wooden doors. They obviously didn't care enough about the kids there. Before we left, I called my girlfriend and told her I was going to be out the whole day, and that I would call her later. It was then that she told me something I wouldn't understand until much later. "Don't let him run." I questioned her about what it meant, but she acted as if she didn't realize what she had just said. I brushed it aside and grabbed my wallet and keys from the counter top. Before we left I printed out the rules and made a list of what we needed to buy. Looking over at my brother I saw him staring at the rules intently. For a second I thought maybe it was a bad idea to do this with him, but I ignored it and proceeded. How stupid I was.

We were on our way to collect the ingredients when who should we meet in the store, but my girlfriend, Amy? At first I tried to sneak past her, but as usual my brother ruined it by shouting her name. She approached us, accompanied by her best friend Sarah and her boyfriend James. She asked me what I was doing there and why I had said I was going to be gone the whole day. Before I could make up a feasible lie, my brother blabbed out our plans while showing off the rules. I wanted to strangle him so badly at that moment. Amy looked over the paper and then to me. "You’re gonna do this? With your brother?" I assured her that it would be fine and we would be okay, but James had to interject. "Well why don't we do it too? It sounds like fun." Sarah was into the occult and stuff like this so she quickly jumped aboard. Amy just stared at us with shock and fear. "I'll do it, but only because someone has to be sane in your group." I could tell she was mad at me, but for some reason I ignored her. We collected the materials needed for each person, paid them, and began our trip towards the school. It was 9:45 by the time we left, and I still thought this was a good idea. Fuck me.

En route to the school, my brother Ronny decided to re-read the rules out loud. Once he got down to the "DO NOT" section, James asked a question that was on my mind since I read them. "What happens if we accidentally break a rule?" Sarah explained that at most the spirit would be trapped inside the school, and at least it would just stay there for a couple of hours. I felt uneasy when she spoke. For some reason I had a horrible feeling that it was much worse than that. I should have listen to my gut. As soon as we arrived at the school everything started to go bad. The car just stopped at the front, Sarah tripped and cut her leg, leaving a large mark, and to top it off, James dropped his candle down into the river next to the school. That put a small dent in our plans, but Sarah said it would be fine if they shared a candle; no harm could come of it. Again there was that feeling in my gut that she was dead wrong, but if I had ignored all the other signs, what was the difference with this one? Sarah, James and Ronny decided to explore the school since we had about an hour left to kill before 12. I stayed near the entrance, getting everything else ready with Amy. I could tell she was still mad, but I tried to explain to her that it would all be fine. It was just a game. Oddly enough it felt like I was reassuring myself more that her. She told me she didn't feel right about doing this, but I told her once more that I would never let anything happen to her. By the time we were done it was 11:50. Ten minutes to show time. Everyone was in position. If I was any bit smart, or if I knew anything about what was to come, I would have stopped and left with Amy and Ronny, but I would have no such luck.

Our names and blood were on the papers, stationed at the front of the door. Since it had been abandoned for nearly three years the school had no power, it was completely dark. Slowly we each began to put our candles onto our respective papers. Amy was reluctant to do so, but I grabbed her hand and gave her a smile. She placed her candle onto her paper and readied her lighter. At 11:59 we each stood and walked to the front of the door. Hesitantly we began to knock on the door. At 12:00 we made it to twenty-two as soon as it turned twelve. They each quickly moved to their candles and I jumped towards the door. It seemed like forever until I gained enough courage, but in one fluid motion, I threw open the double doors. I felt the rush of cool night air and I jumped back towards my candle. I blew it out in sync with everyone else and together we stared at the door. I ran towards it and closed it speedily. I had almost forgotten. "RELIGHT THE CANDLE!" We each quickly re-lit our candles and I began to recall the next step. "Okay guys. Run around the school. Don't stop until 3:33! I'll call out when the time is-" I was interrupted by James screaming out. Something had just brushed pass him. I told him to be quiet, to stay calm. He didn't listen. He let go of Sarah's hand and ran off with the candle leaving Sarah in the darkness. She whimpered loudly and ran towards the direction that James fled towards. Amy took chase following her. I called out towards her. Unfortunately she didn't hear me. I looked around trying to get a good image of my surroundings when I realized something. "Ronny?" He was gone. I was alone completely. At that moment my candle died. I was drenched in the darkness. As I frantically re-lit my candle I clearly heard a low voice speak to me. "Enjoy the game. You'll be last."

I ran so quickly away from that area, I almost tripped over an overturned desk. It was then that I was beginning to understand just what I had done, and whom I had put into danger. I knew I had to go back and find my brother, and Amy, but I also knew I had to keep moving. I didn't stop running until I heard soft sobs coming from a room nearby. I knew it had to be someone, maybe one of the girls. As I closed in on the location, I heard something that made my heart stop and paralyzed my entire body. Someone screamed. I ran towards the room and as I entered I noticed someone's candle discarded on the floor. I called out into the room but no one answered. I shined the candle towards the back of the room and I saw a figure crouched down near the floor sobbing. "Hey its alright. I'm here." Upon closer examination I noticed who it was. "Ronny!" I tried to grab him but once I got within touching distance he jumped back and began to scream. I didn't understand what was happening to him. I tried to grab him, but my touches only seemed to send him into a greater frenzy. Finally he collapsed onto the floor, lying there in a broken heap. I noticed that in his panic attack he dropped the rules. I looked over them again, understanding what was happening to him. "You’re locked in your greatest nightmare. I'm so sorry Ronny." Before I could help him I noticed something. My light source had started to increase. That was impossible. Unless..."Oh fuck. Someone's turning on lights."

I ran out of the room quickly. In my haste I almost collided with Amy. She was also trying to figure out who was turning on lights. We both quickly ran towards the source of the lights and the source of the schools power, the generator box. As we approached we saw Sarah arguing with a terrified James. "You can't turn on lights! It's against the rules!" "FUCK RULES. YOU WANT TO DIE HERE? THIS IS SHIT." He laid his eyes on me and began to advance towards me menacingly. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT ASSHOLE." "YOUR THE ONE WHO WANTED TO DO THIS RETARD!" Before we got into a fist fight Amy stopped us. "Stop it! We just have to survive until 3:33! Fighting gets us nowhere!" I could tell that James was about to yell at her to shut up, when Sarah screamed. She pointed in the direction where we had just come from. "I saw something. It’s coming." She managed to choke out between sobs. Before I was able to turn James pushed me aside. "FUCK YOU WHATEVER THE HELL YOU ARE. YOU CAN'T DO SHIT TO ME. COME ON MOTHER FUCKER. TRY SOMETHING. TRY!" We tried to get James to shut his mouth, but he didn't listen. I reached out to try and restrain him, but it happened so quickly. One second he was in front of me, the next he was flying through the air. He hit the generator box with a sickening crack and we were flooded in absolute nothingness, our candles burnt out as well. Before we could react we heard a voice come from the ceiling. "You should have followed the rules."

Another scream followed and Amy began to shout. "SARAH! SARAH!" We were able to hear Sarah shout once more "NO PLEASE NO GOD NO! HELP!" Amy screamed her name once more. When no one responded I grabbed her and began to run in the opposite direction. I lit her candle again while she was crying "LET ME GO!" She pushed me into the wall and tried to run back but I grabbed her hand, trying to give her back her candle. She snapped her hand back, and in the shimmering light I saw her look at me with complete disgust. She fled back towards Sarah's previous location. I was about to follow when I felt my legs give out and the candle fall a few feet in front of me burning out once more. I reached out towards it trying to grab it all while attempting to call out to Amy. Another scream. 4 seconds left. I knew that I had no time, so I reached back into my bag and grabbed the salt. I was able to create the ring around me fast enough, even though it was sloppy. I felt stupid, alone, and afraid. I tried to call out once more, but this time a different voice answered. "She's gone. She broke a rule. She used another's blood. The others. The other two broke rules too. They’re gone. Only you." Before I could react I felt a heavy weight on myself, and my eyes began to sag. I knew what was happening. I stared once more into the cold darkness unable to see anything, until my eyes gave way and I shut down.

I awoke outside the school. Not where we first arrived, but behind it. I looked towards it to see the building was on fire. Fire trucks were parked outside and police were checking my car. The building had been completely enveloped by flames. "Ronny." By just looking at the school I knew. He was dead. Amy, Sarah, and James were, too. What the fuck did I do? I looked down at my feet in shame and disgust, only to find a sheet of paper. My paper. It still had my blood and my name. I flipped the paper over and noticed writing on the back. It wasn't mine. "You broke a rule. You’re next. But I want fun. I chase you everywhere. I make everyone you meet gone. You last." I fell onto the floor. People I loved had died, and for what? The game wasn't over. 3:33 am was a lie. He decides when the game is over. No one else does.

So here I am. Alone. I can't go home because he'll find me. He always finds me. I can't go for help. He murders those who I meet, even if I don't ask for help. If I make contact, he stalks them until the die. It’s my fault. I'm forced to be alone. If you see me in the street, hungry, alone, and afraid, don't feel pity on me. Don't approach me. Run. Fast. Before I get you wrapped up in this. Before the Midnight Man finds you.

(This goes with the Midnight Game instructions I posted earlier)

Super Mario 64

I always liked Super Mario 64 when I was a kid. I remember playing it at my aunt's house all the time.

A few months ago, an ad popped onto my screen out of nowhere as I was watching gameplay footage on Youtube. It was one of those generic ads for online stores. I was about to close the window when I realized it was showing a mint condition copy of Super Mario 64 for sale.

There was a picture of it and everything. It looked legit. I usually don't trust these things, but the feeling of nostalgia overpowered me. I definitely wanted to buy it, but why wouldn't I? It was my favorite game as a kid.

The whole business was peculiar. The owner of the game wanted the buyer to send an envelope containing ten dollars to an address listed on the site instead of using something like PayPal. What made things stranger was when I tried to gain access to the website after encountering...problems with the game. Even though I had bookmarked the page (so I KNOW I didn't get the URL wrong), the link led to a 404 page.

A few days after the money was mailed, however, I got a package containing the game. The first thing I noticed was that the 'official sticker' with Mario flying in the air was missing. In its place was a piece of duct tape with 'Mario' crudely written on it in permenent marker. I felt a bit ripped off, but as long as the game worked I didn't care.

I got out my Nintendo 64 and put the cartridge in. The screen turned on with the familiar Mario head you could stretch and twist aimlessly. I remembered laughing all the time at the results, so I decided to mess around for old times' sake.

I moved the cursor over to Mario's ear and pulled it to Elven proportions. I was going to do the same to the other ear when the TV suddenly produced loud static. The model for Mario's head started twisting in ways I didn't even know possible. Random sound effects from the game started playing, too. I could also hear a faint voice whispering in what I think was Japanese. The voice was stammering and whimpering.

I immediately shut off the game and tried again. I didn't bother with the Mario head this time. I just selected a new file and started playing.

When I selected the file, the game skipped the opening monologue with Peach and the courtyard outside. Mario was just placed right inside the castle. Bowser didn't say anything, either.

I tried to ignore it and continued playing, but I eventually noticed there was no music...just dead silence. There weren't any Toads around to talk to, either. The only door I could enter was the one that led to Bob-omb Battlefield. The other doors wouldn't respond to anything I did.

The portrait to Bob-omb Battlefield wasn't the usual picture. It was a stark white canvas. I was still trying to convince myself that these were just minor glitches and wouldn't affect the gameplay at all.

When I entered the portrait, the image changed from a blank canvas to the Lethal Lava Land painting. You know, that slightly unsettling image of the flame with the evil smile? That's when I started getting really suspicious.

The mission menu came up and yet another weird detail was present. Instead of the first mission being "Big Bob-omb on the Summit," it was "TURN BACK." I have no idea what drove me to press A, but I did.

The level seemed fairly normal. Everything was how I remembered it. I thought I could finally enjoy my favorite childhood game, but then I saw him...Luigi. I was absolutely shocked. He was never in this game. His model wasn't even a Mario palette swap. He had a completely original model.

Luigi just stood there until I tried to approach him, then he started running away at unexpected speeds. I followed suite and went through the level. Strange things happened as I pursued him.

Each time I would pick up a coin, the enemies and music would get slower and the scenery would look darker in color and more morbid. It kept gradually getting worse until I collected a fifth coin. That's when the music stopped. The enemies lay down on the ground like they were dead. I was freaked out, but kept chasing Luigi.

I went up the hill and no cannonballs rolled down trying to knock me over. I really wasn't surprised at this point. Luigi was always just at the edge of my sight as I ran. Once I reached the summit, I saw yet another object out of place.

It was a small cottage. That's all there was on top of the hill. Luigi was nowhere to be found. The cottage was odd-looking for a Mario game. It was old, plain, and broken down. Regardless of my fears at that moment, I had Mario enter the cottage.

As soon as the door closed, a disturbing picture of a hanged Luigi popped up along with a very frightening scare chord. It sounded like a violin screech accompanied by a loud piano banging. Mario fell to his knees and sobbed for roughly five minutes before the screen irised out.

I returned to the castle. Mario just slumped out of the painting. The image switched from the Lethal Lava Land portrait to the image of Luigi hanging himself. The room was different this time. It was now a small hallway. Toads with blank expressions and white robes lined the sides.

There was another painting at the opposite end of the hallway that completely and utterly scared me. It was a picture of my family. It wasn't a photo from the time Super Mario 64 was released, either. It was a very, very recent photo. I remember posing for it the weekend before.

I reached for the on/off switch on the N64. There was no way I was going to play any longer. However, the game was still on even after I flipped the switch. I flipped it back and forth, to no avail.

I tried unplugging the entire system, but the game never left the screen. I was still able to control mario, too. I couldn't just leave it on forever, so I kept playing. I went to the photo of my family and jumped in. Only one mission was available. It was called, "Run, Don't Walk." I selected the mission. Let's-a-go!

The level started in a flooded hallway with platforms floating on the water. Mario landed on one of these and the camera turned to show what was behind. A silent black voice was slowly approaching Mario. It didn't look like anything, not even finished graphics. It was a giant, blocky, black blob.

I started jumping from platform to platform. With no goal in sight, I kept running, the darkness slowly but surely gaining speed. This kept going on for what felt like hours and I began to doubt there would ever be an end. Mario was going in circles.

Finally, the black blob/void/thing caught up with Mario and enveloped him in darkness. He didn't scream or resist at all. It simply consumed him.

Mario fell out of the painting and back into the castle. One my three lives was gone. The room was different now, too. Some of the Toads were gone and the painting looked different. My family and I were in the same positions, but our bodies were partially decomposed. It looked too real to be photoshopped. It looked like someone took our dead bodies and posed them.

Regardless, I jumped into the painting again. There was still only one mission available. It was called, "I'm right here." I selected the mission and prepared for the worst. Mario landed in a small, dark room. There was no visible way out. The room was empty except for a piano in the corner.

I knew what that meant. I was stuck in there with the Mad Piano. I approached it and it started chasing me. There was no way to damage it, so I had no choice but to let Mario take damage.

When he lost all his health, the usual death animation didn't happen. Mario was simply mauled by the piano. He fell as his two dimensional blood and blocky guts spilled onto the floor.

The camera panned to a top-down view of his corpse. A distored version of the merry-go-round music from Big Boo's Haunt played as the screen slowl transitioned from the in-game shot to a sketch of Mario's dead body in the same view. It was very unsettling. I was crying softly as I gazed upon the image. I lost another life.

The photo of my family was shown again. We were even more rotten than before. The view zoomed into the painting, as if I was warping again, but I was greeted with a shot of Peach's Castle from the outside.

It was crumbling in ruin. The fields were on fire. The sky was pitch black. Bowser's laugh played on a loop in the background as children mockingly chanted, "You couldn't save her!"

This went on for a long time until a close-up of Peach's face, accompanied by an extremely loud screech, interrupted the loop without notice. Peach's mouth was wide open in a scream and her eyes were empty, black holes.

Mario fell out of the painting again. All of the Toads were gone. My family and I looked positively repulsive. Maggots were wriggling around in holes in our flesh. Guts were spilling out of our bodies. My dad's eye was hanging loose from its socket. It as too much to bear, but something still urged me to trudge on. I jumped into the painting, only one life remaining.

This time, there no title for the mission, just a blank space where the title should be. I selected the mission and Mario landed on a very small island in the middle of the ocean. There was a solitary sign that read, "DIVE." I did just as it said and entered the water.

The ocean was dark and empty. There were no fish and I wasn't able to see anything besides Mario. I swam downwards and, even though I kept going for a long time, Mario never ran out of breath. I counted roughly ten minutes of swimming before I decided to go back up.

Just as I turned Mario around, it came. A huge Unagi the Eel came out of nowhere and swallowed Mario whole. It went by so fast I wasn't sure what I saw. The Game Over screen didn't appear. All that happened was a fade out.

The photo of my family and I was shown again. We were skeletons at that point. Once again, it looked very real. I couldn't move the camera, either. It stayed focused on the picture. I pressed reset and chose my file, but it went back to the skeleton photo of my family.

I tried this about three more times before giving up. I desperately wanted to stop, but some force kept me from walking away. With nothing else to do, I decided to select the only other save file. The camera once again focused on the skeleton picture, but this time they were in a different position.

It was almost as if they were a different family.

Charlie

About 180 years ago, there was a small town...more of a village, really. A single man owned the entire 900-acre village and built houses for other people to live there with him. The man lived on the highest point of this village, in a beautiful home with his family.

He had a lovely wife, two strong sons, and one small, young, sickly daughter. He loved all his children evenly and never wrong his wife. He hanted his tenants, though. He was always miserly, never inviting anyone from the village to his home for his holiday parties, nor attending the festivities of anyone else, even the funerals of some long-standing tenants.

This upset the villagers to the point of hatred toward their landlord. One particularly rough year, the crops had done poorly. That winter, the villagers were starving...all but the well-to-do landlord, that is. He was throwing his annual Christmas party for his friends and family, enjoying fine feasts, and drinking to good toasts and fine health.

Later that night, the daughter came in wearing a sock that one of the villagers had knitted her to act as a puppet. It was a hideous old rag, but his daughter loved it and the villager that gave it to her was a good man.

"Papa, Charlie says the people are mad at you," was the only thing the girl said before walking out of the room the entertainment was happening in. The father, angry about the interruption of his good time, sought the daughter out in her room, but she was fast asleep.

The one thing that disturbed him was the sock on her hand - turned at an angle that mustn't have been comfortable - looking at him. He ignored it and walked out, imagining he'd just had too much brandy and not enough sleep. That night, as the landlord and his wife slept in their chamber, they heard a knock at the door.

"Mama, Papa, Charlie says he needs to speak to you," said their daughter, voice muffled by the closed door. "Come in then," responded the mother, still partly asleep. They saw their daughter walk in, blood dripping from one hand and the sock on the other, faced up and staring at them both.

"Charlie already spoke to Jacob and Michael," said the daughter, walking and moving the sock as if it was speaking. "Now he must speak with you."

The villagers, seeing no candles in the windows for weeks and no smoke from the chimney, decided to check on the family. What they discovered shocked them.

The brothers, both strong boys comparable to men, had had their heads twisted off and placed on their hands as if the heads were puppets. The same had happened to the parents, both of them also found dead and decaying in their bed.

The most disturbing of all was the girl. She was sitting in the corner, her head upon one hand, smiling with eyes open. On the other hand was the sock, Charlie, as she had called it after the old man that had given it to her. Due to the rigor mortis, it seemed the two hands were speaking to each other.

Just recently, a family moved into the house. They moved to the country because a doctor said it would help their sick daughter possibly recover faster. Everything was fine until one night, when the mother heard the daughter call for her.

Before the mother opened the door, she heard her daughter talking. She peeked in and the girl was fast asleep. "What did she need, honey?" asked the father. The mother paused before speaking.

"I have no idea. She must have been talking in her sleep. Do you know where she got that God-awful sock puppet? She was wearing it on her hand and it almost seemed like it was staring at me."

B-Movie

Back in 2002, I worked at a video store over in Colorado. It was a mom-and-pop type thing attached to a gas station, but we were the only store for 50 miles that sold movies. We also bought VHS tapes and DVDs from people who wanted to get rid of them.

One day, a middle-aged man came into our store with about 500 video tapes he would unload on us for $100. His father, a retired General, had just died and his son didn't want the video tapes he had been willed. Even though the VHS format was dying, 500 tapes for $100 was a good deal.

The next day, he brought a van full of tapes to us. We paid him the money, in cash. He was a nice guy; he even helped us bring the boxes of tapes in. I was given the job of sorting through the tapes and throwing out the broken ones. I was supposed to watch them and determine which ones were marketable, too.

I began looking through the boxes and there was the usual fare. I saw seven copies of Jerry McGuire, two copies of Dracula, a rare director's cut of ET, and other Hollywood blockbusters. There were some old B-Movies, too, but half of them were broken.

By the third box, I saw a movie so campy and shitty looking that I couldn't resist popping it in. It was called "The MONSTER from Planet SPACE: IN the YEAR 2000!!!" That was the exact typography. I kid you not.

The description on the back said, "A delightful romp through one of the worst movies of all time! A must-own for classic B-Movie collectors!" I had never heard of the director, one "Marc-Antonio Gutterierez."

Jesus, it was shit. It was sort of like something by Ed Wood, but even worse (if you can even imagine that). The basic plot (if you can call it that) was a monster from "Planet Space" (seriously, they couldn't think of a better name for a planet than that?) was invating a psuedo-futuristic Earth.

The dialogue and acting was shit. I even saw one of the characters reading from a script. I was about to give up on it when something weird happened.

Midway through the movie, it went back. About two seconds later, grainy footage appeared on the screen; still, the quality was better than the main movie. I was intrigued.

It appeared to take place in some kind of brick room. There were torches and some kind of pentagram drawn on the floor. Standing around it were men in cloaks. Strangely, I could recognize several of them. One of them was a General I could only assume was the previous owner of this tape. The rest were extremely powerful people.

I saw Ronald Reagan (who was chanting in a low voice), Richard Nixon, a younger Bill Clinton, George Bush Senior, George Bush Junior, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, John F. Kennedy, Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nikita Kruschev, Leonid Brezhnev, and someone who strangely looked like Adolf Hitler. All of them were chanting in what sounded like Latin.

After about three minutes of this, two babies were brought in. They were both put on a stone table at the center of the circle. Ronald Reagan, at the head of the group, stepped forward and stabbed one of the crying infants.

He smeared some of the blood on the other child's forehead as the group chanted, "Contra-Christus, Contra-Christus," which is Latin for Anti-Christ. A cup of the baby's blood was passed around the group and each member took a sip.

After this, a dark figure appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. I felt a chill go down my spine. The figure stepped forward and blessed the Anti-Christ child. It then turned to where the camera was and looked directly at it.

It had an evil, demonic face. It was scarred and the eyes were just black holes. Looking at it, it was clear I was gazing into the eyes of Satan himself. The video jumped and the movie began playing again. Wherever this footage came from, someone had taped it into the movie.

I shut it off and told my boss. He viewed the footage and puked when he saw the child get slaughtered. He immediately shut it off, never seeing Satan. He put the tape in the store vault and I was given the rest of the day off.

The next day, several black-suited individuals appeared at the store and asked for the tape. We gave it to them and they put it in their own vault. We were told to never mention to the tape, to claim it never existed. They then put the vault into an armored Brinks truck and drove off.

Years later, I saw another copy of "The MONSTER from Planet SPACE: IN the YEAR 2000!!!" in another video store. I bought it and watched it, fearing for what would happen. There was no cult footage, no satanic ritual. It was just a shitty movie. The copy I had seen was unique and probably at the bottom of some government vault now. Still, I wish I had never seen what I did.

The Midnight Game INSTRUCTIONS

"The Midnight Game" is an old pagan ritual used mainly as punishment for those who have broken the laws of a pagan religion.

While it is mainly used as a scare tactic to not disobey the gods, there is still a very real chance of death to those who play the Midnight Game. There's an even higher chance of permanent mental scarring. It is highly recommended that you DO NOT play the Midnight Game.

However, for those few thrill seekers searching for a rush or those delving into obscure occult rituals, these are the simple instructions on how to play. Do so at your own risk.

INSTRUCTIONS

PREREQUISITES: It must be exactly 12:00AM when you begin performing the ritual, otherwise it will not work. The materials required include a candle, a wooden door, at least one drop of your own blood, a piece of paper, matches or a lighter, and salt. If you are playing with multiple people, they will all need their own of the aforementioned materials and will have to perform the steps below separately.

1. Write your full name (first, middle, and last) on a piece of paper and put at least one drop of blood on the same paper. Allow it to soak in.
2. Turn off all the lights in the house. Go to your door and place the paper with your name in front of it. Take the candle and light it. Afterward, place the candle on top of the paper with your name.
3. Knock on your own door 22 times (the hour MUST be 12:00AM upon the final knock), then open the door, blow out the candle, and close the door. You have just allowed the "Midnight Man" into your home.
4. Immediately relight your candle.

This is where the game begins. You must now lurk around your completely dark house with the lit candle in hand. Your goal is to avoid the Midnight Man at all costs until exactly 3:33AM.

Should your candle ever go out, it is because the Midnight Man is near you. You must relight your candle within the next ten seconds. If you are unsuccessful in relighting the candle, you must immediately surround yourself with a circle of salt.

If you are unsuccessful in both of these, the Midnight Man will induce a hallucination of your greatest fear until 3:33AM. If you are successful in relighting the candle, you may proceed. If you are successful in creating the circle of salt, you must remain within the circle until 3:33AM.

You must continue until 3:33AM without being attacked by the Midnight Man or being trapped within the circle of salt to win the Midnight Game. The Midnight Man will leave at 3:33AM and you will be safe to proceed with your morning.

Staying in one spot the entire game will only result in the Midnight Man finding you. It is highly advised you continue moving throughout the game.

• DO NOT turn on any lights during the Midnight Game.
• DO NOT use a flashlight during the Midnight Game.
• DO NOT go to sleep during the Midnight Game.
• DO NOT use another person's blood on your name.
• DO NOT use a lighter to substitute for a candle. It will not work.
• DEFINITELY DO NOT attempt to provoke the Midnight Man in ANY WAY.

That is all. Have fun.

The Grifter

The video was posted back in '07-'08 under some foreign link. The OP posted the link after saying how fucked up it was. It was real grainy and, from what I remember, it showed strange images like a bathtub full of writing maggots, haunting paintings from old times melting, random forests, flashing colors, and text in another language.

All the while, a strange voice spoke. It sounded like a strange murmur; if you've seen the 'there is nothing' video, it was like that but more indistinguishable. The graininess eventually lifted a little and showed a video of a small puppy being held up by its neck. It was moving as if it were in pain, but its cries were like a human child's.

It then cut to a nursery with lots of cradles. Children were still in the cots, but looked as if they were dead. The camera panned over to one of the cots and one of the newborns rose up a little, began to cry, and bled from the eyes and mouth. There was another shot of the basement (like the original picture) with a bloodstained malformed hand disappearing into it.

Finally, it showed more text (someone claimed it said "your race is the one that is dying.") with images of a plant rotting, close-ups of corpses, and what I can only describe as being 'real' cases of exorcism and demonic posession. These clearly have never been seen outside the country of origin.

While the scene plays, the voice that was speaking breaks out into screams of intense pain and suffering, which is just as deeply chilling as the initial shock of it. The creepy, radio-like murmuring is speaking throughout the whole video.

(Embedding the video is disabled. Click here to watch it.)

Mereana Mordegard Glesgorv

There is a video on Youtube named Mereana Mordegard Glesgorv. If you search this, you will find nothing (a few fakes, maybe, but never the real thing).

The few times you will find something, all you will see is a 20-second video of a man staring intently at you, expressionless, then grinning for the final 2 seconds. The background is undefined. This is the only part of the actual video.

The full video lasts two minutes and was removed from Youtube after 153 people who viewed the video gouged out their eyes and mailed them to Youtube's main office in San Bruno. Said people also committed suicide in various ways.

It is not yet known how they managed to mail their eyes after gouging them out, and the cryptic inscription they cause on their forearms has not yet been deciphered as of January 2008.

The Youtube staff will periodically put up the first 20 seconds of the video to quell suspicions so people will not look for the real thing and upload it. The video itself was only viewed by one Youtube staff member, who started screaming after 45 seconds. This man is under constant sedatives and is unable to recall what he saw.

Other people who were in the same room as this man while he viewed the video and subsequently turned it off for him say all they could hear was a high-pitched, yet unidentifiable, drilling sound. However, none of them dared to look at the screen.

The person who first uploaded the video was never found and the IP address used to do so was non-existent. In addition, the man in the video has never been identified.

Notzi + Lovecraft

In may of 1938, Hitler was desperate to find the Holy Grail. He believed it would bestow more power upon him and that with it he could take anyone. To accomplish this, Hitler set a group of his finest men to Tibet, in hopes of finding the legendary artifact he so craved.

The expedition lasted almost an entire year and towards its end, the men were becoming tired. They trekked on, however, fearing the punishment for failure.

They were, of course, overjoyed when they found the vault. They had been told by a guide that it was where they could find great and lost treasure - things that had the power to change the world.

The vault was hidden deep inside some lesser-known ruins. Upon arrival, they were awed by the sheer size of the door. It was a circular door with a diameter of at least 100 feet. It had shrubs and growths of various natures all over it, most of which were plants they'd never seen before.

The troops spent several hours removing the plantlife so the vault could be opened. They used knives, flame, and anything else they could. It was only after they had completed this task they realized they had no way of opening the vault.

The door looked like it was made for a giant. They couldn't so much as reachf or the handle, for it was 50 feet in the air. Finally, after much hard work and thought, they decided on a plan.

The strongest men got their strongest rope, attached a hook to the end, and tossed it in the air toward the handle. Managing to wrap it around the thing was difficult, but they eventually succeeded.

It took ten men to make it even budge and twenty to really get it moving, but they managed it. They got the vault open as they intended.

Upon opening it, they sent in a small three-man team to try and scope it out. They entered with high hopes of something, anything to bring back to Hitler. They feared him more than anything, which was most definitely a mistake.

After three hours, they began to worry for the safety of their reconnaissance squad. Before more men could venture in, however, they heard a screaming like that of a mad man.

One of the men ran out of the vault. He was screaming, laughing, and covered in blood. They questioned him, but all he would tell them is that he made a sacrifice for the Great Old Ones.

After some debate, the remaining men entered the vault. They cautiously walked through what seemed like an ancient city. It was full of statues of giant beasts - some resembling squid - but with more human features added on.

In the center of the city was a large platform with stairs leading up to it. In the center of this platform was a book. The binding and pages were odd in texture - almost like flesh. The words in the book were odd and foreign, unlike anything they had ever seen. The cover almost looked like it had a face.

They thought the book to be rare and took it, proceeding down the platform. Reaching the bottom, they felt a great thunderous shaking and saw the vault door close before their very eyes. They were trapped much faster than they ever thought possible for something that large to move.

Torches in hand, they did the only thing they could do: search for alternative exits. They marched through increasingly odd ruins filled with the same statues and art seen previously. Finally, they came to a great lake. It seemed to extend deep into the Earth.

They then saw something that chilled them: a large stone slab with a German helmet sitting on it. The slab was covered in blood. Fresh blood. Only hours old, from what they could tell.

They collected the helmet and explored around the underground lake, when suddenly the one among them carrying the odd book began to laugh. He pulled his side-arm from its holster and took one of his own men hostage.

Forcing him to the slab, he shot the man at point blank range and drained a small amount of blood onto the slab. He tossed the body into the waters below. It happened very fast, but the second it registered with the rest of the troops, they shot the renegade as well, sending him to rest with his victim.

Another great quake ran though the city.

From the depths of the lake came a large tentacle like from one of the squid creatures seen in the sculptures. It wrapped around a large rock...then came another and another. More and more came from the water and it soon seemed like 100 tentacles were all around them.

Then, shortly after, they beheld a sight that no sane man had seen. A grand beast rose from the depths. It seemed Godlike. Suddenly, they felt they understood everything and began to kill each other in fits of rage and madness.

The best swept the bodies, both living and dead, into the sea. It consumed them. By the end of the massacre, only one man remained. He began to shuffle out, holding the book they found earlier.

As he left, he put the book back in its place and the door proceeded to open. He left that vault, losing more than the book. He had lost his sanity.

He made it back to his base camp, where they question him thoroughly. He responded only with gibberish about the Old Ones, saying the men had been sacrificed.

The only thing that is known for sure is that they never recovered the book. They tried several times. Hitler kept sending more men, but only one ever came back out of each group.

All were mad. All spoke in gibberish. All praised the Old Ones.

Inspiration

You know those long, involved ritual creepypastas? The ones that involve a million different steps? the ones where if you breathe at the wrong second, you die? Ever ponder who figured it out? It couldn't have been trial and error. You don't get a second try at something like that.

The answer's pretty simple, actually. No one figured it out. He already knew.

There's...an entity, I suppose you could call it, although I always think of it as a little boy. He seems to enjoy playing around with people, you see.

He knows all the rituals or, at least, all the real ones. Sometimes, he spreads out the information. Ever feel inspired to write some piece of horror that seemed to contain elements that didn't even exist in your nightmares? Ever have a disturbing idea for some horrible but compelling rite that seemed to 'just come to you'? It might have been him working through you.

If you ever get one of those flashes, write it down and post it. I can't guarantee your health if you don't; he can be awfully persistant about getting his little messages out. Even if you're just babbling it to your safe padded walls, you're still saying it.

At the same time, if you get one of those flashes...halfway through writing, stop and open up the instant messenger client of your choice. IM yourself. If all you see are your words echoed back at you, give up there. Either it really is just your imagination that gave you the idea, or he doesn't want to talk.

If the message comes back with odd typos that weren't there before, new capitalization, or different punctuation, well...I'm sure you've seen enough pasta with puzzles in it to know what to do to find the message and respond.

If he likes you or finds you amusing, he'll talk to you directly there. If he gives you a new puzzle, keep going and be careful. They get harder and harder, turning from simple wordplay to numerology and esoteric mystical references to God knows what else, but also become more and more compelling.

It's harder to just close the window and walk away. The feeling you're just about to reach a solution never eases. The next time some poor soul's found slumped over their computer, killed by starvation, exhaustion, and neglect...maybe it was just some game, right? But...maybe ihe just wanted to solve that one damn puzzle.

If he does greet you directly, you can name three things you desire - any three at all. He will give you, in complete detail, rituals to acieve those things. If you're lucky, it will be a single rite that grants all three. They may be dangerous, but they will be clear and detailed paths to gain what you want through paranormal means.

Of course, there are catches.

The first: you have to spread the rituals on. You can embellish them as you wish and add your own spin or even lie outright, but you have to leave the goal and most of the steps in tact. In addition, you have to put it somewhere where people will see - a forum, a notice board in real life, on the door of a building, wherever. The more popular it is, the happier he will be...and you DO want his blessing.

The second catch is that he always omits some key step. As long as you've posted the ritual up in public, you will know when the time comes what that step is; it could be anything from drawing a squiggle to murdering your true love in cold blood. You could have to give up your soul, mutilate a limb, drown yourself...or you could just have to hop backwards two times. You won't know what it is until you're buried deep in the rite, unable to stop.

So when you talk to him, be nice and friendly. Make sure you amuse him. He's kind enough (most of the time), though just a bit mischievous.

How did I learn all this, you ask? I don't really know, it just came to me.

Inspiration, you could say.

Fallout 2's Secret Ending

In Fallout 2, after you beat the game, you can continue playing. Remember that defunct vault near the beginning? The one with the toxic sludge on the ground and the elevator where you can kill golden geckos? It's called "Toxic Caves" on the world map, but it's clearly a very small vault with three levels, including the first cave level where you take a ladder down to the actual vault structure.

If you have one of the original pressings of the game and haven't patched it, you can return to the Toxic Caves after the game is over. If you have the item "Heart Pills" from the Westin murder case, you can kill yourself in the elevator

After the usual death scene plays, the screen will stay black without the menu opening back up. After several minutes, you will begin to hear a hollow, echoing white noise cave-type sound. The screen will slowly fade back in and your character will be in a pile of that nasty biomass goo that was around the Master in the first game. Your character will stand up and the usual ambient soundtrack will start playing, but the white noise continues.

Explore this new level but DO NOT pick any locks. Those areas are extremely off limits and the developers put some very nasty programming tricks into the code to protect their secrets.

As you continue further into the level, the white noise will increase in volume and the ambient soundtrack will begin to glitch out. This may be because the Fallout engine wasn't designed to be able to play two music tracks simultaneously.

Passing locked door after locked door, you will come upon many of the characters you met earlier in the game. Oddly, only characters that died or that would reasonably be expected to die after you last saw them are the only ones you will find. Like the official endings, the characters found vary depending on how you played the game.

If you were the good guy and tried to solve problems without violence, you will find only a few bad guys and other unfortunate victims here. If you slaughtered every down, however, you will see several-hundred characters.

Regardless of what you did earlier, none of the characters will speak to you or react in any way. They can't be pick-pocketed, killed, pushed aside, or healed. If you even try to use First Aid, Doctor, or any healing items on them, a text box pops up that says, "It's much too late for that, Chosen."

It would appear that this place is Purgatory or, possibly, Hell (based on the fact that it's populated entirely by dead characters). The final character, who stands just before the final door, is always the player character model from the first game. This is the only character you can interact with and, as you approach, the white noise reaches a crescendo and the ambient music abruptly cuts out.

If you simply bypass him/her and open the final door, the game will play the end credits once again, but with pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasake victims in the background. This is in extremely poor taste and many have wondered why the creators would be so insensitive. When asked, they deny the sequence exists and call it a hack that was never in the official game at all.

After the end credits are over, you are greeted with a typical game over screen and get booted to the desktop.

If you talk to the final character, he will explain that he is, in fact, the Vault Dweller from the first game - your ancestor. He will tell you that he is disappointed in the way you turned out. He turns his back on you and your character collapses in a pile of bones, a death animation that I have never seen in any other part of the game. Afterward, the game fades to white and the computer locks up, forcing a hard reset.

There is a third option: those locked doors I mentioned earlier. There is one door; it's always random which door it is, but if you get lucky you can use any heavy explosive to blow it open. Inside, you will find a single foot locker containing a 10mm pistol with no clip in the picture and no ammo. None of your normal 10mm ammo can be used with it.

You can 'load' the gun with the 'Easter Egg' found in the basement of New Reno Arms, however. Fire this at the final character and the game will cut to an over-the-shoulder video showing a young man playing an unidentified game similar to Fallout.

Some people claim this is an early version of either Fallout Tactics or Van Buren, but nothing on the screen seems to fit the descriptions of either games. In addition, neither game had started development at the time of the original release of Fallout 2.

The video itself is poorly lit, with the apparent intention of being a creepy cipher, but nothing spooky actually happens in the video. The man simply plays the unknown game and the video slowly fades back to your desktop. It's a cool trick, but I'm not sure how they managed a gradually translucing screen back then.

Another strange trick is that according to many players, the final character always matches the character they used in Fallout 1. Both gender and apparel at the end of the previous game are represented. At first, this would appear to be a save game hack not unlike Psycho Mantis in Metal Gear Solid, but the trick works even if the first game was played on a different computer without any of the data transferred to the new PC.

It's recommended that you do not turn on any televisions in your house for several hours after experiencing this third ending. You will quickly realize that the white noise in the game is coming from your television. Cable, satellite, and even antenna (if you still have that) are all somehow incapable of picking up a signal for some time after the third ending.

Computers and internet connections, however, still seem to work. That's how I'm writing this to you now. The funny thing, however, is that I turned my television off nearly an hour ago, as well as my computer speakers, but I still hear the static getting louder.