Me and my friend Lola make our way through the town heading to town square, you can already see the kids gathered around, waiting for the game to start.

It’s just another game, I repeat in my head. But I still can’t stop the achy feeling at the pit of my stomach—like maybe it wasn’t going to be just a game this time.

Lola looks to me, a wide grin on her face. “I feel like we are going to win this time. I mean Haven didn’t even hide last time, how was that fair?”

I gulp, and nod, trying to look as enthusiastic as she is. It probably is just an odd feeling—a _feeling, _not a reality. My mom taught me to always trust what you see, not what you hear or feel.

And as we near, the town square and the bustling groups of people making their way forward—_looks _normal.

I try to forget my bad feeling about this. All the teens in town play these games, I would look like a loser if I tried to back out now. We have already been noticed, and someone in the crowd waves their hand for us to come closer. “The game is starting!” He calls.

I suck in a long breath, everything is going to be fine.

_Everything is going to be okay. _

__

__

Lola and I join up with the group, and Blake, the leader of the group, huddles in and whispers, “we will split up in teams of three—“ Lola groans, interrupting what Blake was saying.

“_Three?” _She argues, “last time you said two, and me and Riley are already good on our own.” She pauses, nudging me in the shoulder. “Right Riley?”

“Oh!” I snap out of my daze. “Yeah, sure.”

A wide grin forms at the corners of Lola’s mouth. “Then there, me and Riley will go without a third person.”

“But—“ Blake starts.

“That is final.” Lola snaps, she has always been stubborn in getting her way—this will be no different.

Blake’s shoulders fall, “fine,” he says, “team up and start hiding!”

Me and Lola race to the side of the field of grass, separating ourselves from the scurrying and chaotic group around us. “We should hide in the shed.” I say.

She shakes her head, “everyone hides there. We need to go somewhere no one else will go.” She pauses, thinking. “Like the graveyard, all the kids playing are too scared to go there.” She laughs, “they think it’s haunted.”

I gulp down the bile forming in my throat. “The _graveyard?” _I ask, my voice shaking.

Lola’s eyebrows crease, “are _you _scared?”

I shake my head quickly, Lola is my only friend—it’s just a bad feeling, I can’t let it ruin the day. “I am fine with going in the graveyard. Great idea.”

She smiles brightly, “then let’s go!”

We begin to make our way to the graveyard at the edge of town. Rumors and stories of ghosts and odd things about there always end up in the news paper— but it’s just a story, right?

_Right? _

__

_ _I jump as I swear I see someone following us out of the corner of my eye, I turn to see nothing in the darkness.

Lola aims the flashlight on her phone at me, “what the hell, Riley? Why are you so _jumpy_?”

I sigh, “oh nothing.” I drop my voice to a whisper that I am probably the only one who can hear. “It is just an off feeling.”

We decide to hide behind some of the tombstones in the back, and that is when the waiting game begins.

15 minutes.

30 minutes.

An hour.

The wait continues, as I watch an old rusty truck weaving it’s way through the graveyard. “Who visits the graveyard at this time of night?” I whisper to Lola.

“Weirdos.” She replies. “Probably people who believe in ghosts and zombies and shit like that.”

I take a deep breath, _or another odd type of person_.

A shove the thought down. No one even knows we are here, they haven’t come for us.

Quickly as it came, the truck disappears into the darkness.

Suddenly a scream echoes through the trees. “What the—“ I gasp.

Lola just laughs, “someone must have got caught.”

I sigh, she is right, I find solace in her words. It is just a silly game of hide and seek, what could go wrong?

We wait longer when suddenly a light of a flashlight starts coming our way.

“Huh,” Lola mutters. “I really thought no one would come here.” She looks at me. “Stay down and quiet we don’t want them to notice we are here.”

The light comes closer and a deep voice suddenly rumbles. “What are two pretty girls like you doing in a graveyard, ay?”

My heart nearly stops.

That wasn’t a silly teenager.

More like a grown man. Why would a grownup be playing hide and seek?

Lola seems to shutter too, but still she replies, “what is a old creepy man like you doing here, ay?” She mocks his tone.

“Just playing the game.” He sighs, and you can see the ghost of his breath making it’s way through the cold air of the night. “I thought anyone could play.”

Lola sucks in a tight breath, “I suppose so.”

“Well I found you.” He repeats. “Why don’t I help you get back to town square?” His voice is raspy and sends shivers down my spine.

“Well,” Lola shutters, “perhaps could you let us hide again? We didn’t know you were playing the game.”

The man smiles crookedly, “but that goes against the rules of the game.”

Lola stands, I do to, and we begin to slowly back away. “Well, shoot, we’re out of the game, I guess.” Lola says, but her voice dosen’t match the words. “We should go.”

“Why so soon?” The man takes a step closer.

Lola doesn’t answer this time, instead she turns to me and mouths the words; “run.”

We both bolt, as fast as our legs can take us. You can hear the heavy thumping of his feet following suit. Another scream echoes through the trees again.

Someone else was caught.

But this time I don’t think of it in the hide and seek kind of way. _Someone else was caught_.

We twist and turn through the woods, jumping over fallen trees, our clothes tearing against the branches, and cutting our skin.

But we don’t stop or slow down, adrenaline continues to pump through our veins as we race faster, his heavy breathing and boot fall is now absent from behind us.

We lost him.

But just then, something painfully slams me into a near by tree, a hand that tastes of dirt and sweat covering my mouth muffling my scream. I look to Lola, but she is no longer there.

Did she get away?

I hope so, but the feeling in my stomach tells me otherwise. A bag slowly pulls over my head, as the raspy voice behind whispers in a deep horrifying voice.

“I found you.”