The Family Game of Nightmares

To get ten million dollars, my parents signed me up for a horror game.

But how could I possibly survive alone?

All for one, and one for all, right?

...

A piercing scream jolted me awake. I could barely open my eyes.

Dad? Mom? Brad? What are you doing in my room?

Instinctively, I clutched my chest, scrambling for the blanket.

But I found nothing,

That's when I realized I was engulfed in an endless and dark void.

[Ding-Dong~ Welcome to the Horror Game: Twenty-One Nights. Please enjoy your time with your family within the world!]

It took me a few seconds to process.

It was the brand-new and notoriously brutal SSS-level game.

The rules seemed simple.

There were three stages, what I needed to do was surviving seven nights in each.

What made it hard was that this game specifically targets your psyche.

It was a nightmare!

Three years ago, the Horror Games descended on Earth.

Governments worldwide, desperate to uncover the games' origins, started recruiting players monthly.

Winners got millions of dollars. Losers?

They lost their lives.

For poor people like me, money was more important than life.

So, whenever a new challenge dropped, I was there.

And against the odds, I kept winning.

The near-ten-million dollars gave me a chance to take my family out of the poor village and bought an apartment in the big city.

When his new game started, and my family pushed me to sign up again.

Why? Because they'd already blown through the last prize money.

...

"Brad found this amazing beachfront property. It's only seven million dollars. I heard this prize is ten million. Perfect."

"Brad's the backbone of this family, Samantha. If anything happens to you, who else will we rely on?"

"It's just a game! What's the big deal? You've survived every time so far."

I was lying in a hospital bed, and the wounds from the last game still hurt.

No matter how they pushed, I refused.

"What the hell? We told you to sign her up! Why are we here?"

"I don't know how it happened!"

"You're gonna get us all killed!"

Nearby, Mom's head bowed, weathering Dad and Brad's fury silently.

Once they finished scolding, Mom turned on me, jabbing her finger into my forehead.

"This is your trick! It doesn't matter if you died, and now you wanna all of us get killed?"

I met her gaze coldly. "This game requires the whole family. I guess you didn't read the notification before you signed up."

Mom froze. She was probably blinded by the ten-million figure, and missed the addendum, "The family will play and stay together."

"I don't care! If we don't get out alive, I'll beat you to death, you ungrateful brat!"

Before I could retort, Dad chuckled dismissively, clapping Brad on the shoulder.

"It's just a game. Brad's the best gamer. Maybe you should pin your hopes on your brother."

Brad puffed out his chest, radiating smugness.

I watched their performance with a cold smirk.

Brad? The guy who paid a pro gamer to play for his game ranking?

Pathetic.

You'd better pray for yourselves!

A blinding flash of white light cut through the dark as the electronic voice chimed again.

[Survive for seven days in this stage.]

The next second, I stood on a moss-covered path.

A gentle breeze ruffled my hair and warm sunlight kissed my skin.

Birds chirped in the trees.

So peaceful and serene.

"It doesn't seem so scary," Brad snorted, swaggering ahead down the cobblestones.

At the end of the alley stood an old house made of mud bricks.

The wooden door creaked in the wind.

A faded poster of some old-time guardian hung in the center.

From the backyard came the noisy clucking and honking of chickens and geese.

Dad looked around, seeing the cured fish and meats hanging from the eaves and the little wooden stools cobbled together.

A wave of nostalgia washed over him.

"Look how well-off you kids are now. I grew up in a place just like this. Your grandma..."

He didn't finish talking, like was hit by the memories.

Probably thinking of Grandma, who worked herself to the bone but never lived to see her son grow up.

Just as my family started to relax, a cracked, gnarled hand landed heavily on Dad's shoulder, right where the light met the shadow.

The room temperature plummeted.

Goosebumps prickled my arms.

An old woman peered out.

She was painfully thin, like she only had bones under her faded floral dress.

Her hair was gray.

And she had too many winkles that no one could read her facial expressions.

A low, gravelly voice echoed around us.

"You're back?"

Seeing our stunned silence, her lips stretched into a grotesque smile.

Black smoke oozed between her sparse teeth, while a trickle of bright red blood crept from the corner of her mouth.

The lively yard fell deathly quiet.

"Yes, Grandma! We came back to see you!"

I pushed through the dark mist and grasped her calloused hand.

I smiled sweetly to her, like she really was my grandma.

Instantly, it was warmer, though the black smoke still lingered, swirling ominously above our heads.

Her sunken eyes fixed unblinkingly on the back of Dad's head.

"Good boy... won't you turn around and look at me?"

It was weird. Grandma seemed laser-focused on Dad.

Even when Brad and Mom managed awkward greetings, her gaze stayed locked on him.

Dad's forehead was sweaty and he turned to her stiffly.

"Mom... how... how are you?"

Grandma beamed, patting my head and Brad's. "Are you hungry, dears?"

From the kitchen came the sizzle of food fried in hot oil, the oily smell of cooking filling the air.

"Now, grandson, you should finish it all. I won't eat."

Brad took one look at the unidentifiable black food bubbling in the pan and turned away in disgust.

Mom chimed in.

"What is this crap? No one could eat it."

"You're with that old witch, right? You want to poison us?"

"See? I told you we couldn't count on her. Brad's our only hope."

They moved toward the backyard, not happy about it but trying to find a way out along the stream at the foot of the slope..

They didn't seem to notice the backyard animals, moments ago lively, now frozen, staring after them with glowing red eyes.

"Dinner's ready!"

Soon, Grandma brought out steaming plates of... something.

Seeing only me still at the table, she was unhappy..

Half her face stretched and drooped grotesquely towards her chest.

"Eat up, dear. I'll go find the others. They can't be wandering around at dinnertime!"

I nodded obediently.

The second she left, I shoveled a few quick bites of the "food."

Soon, heavy footsteps approached.

I peeked out.

Mom, Dad, and Brad shuffled back like zombies following Grandma.

Their eyes were vacant.

A stain spread conspicuously down Brad's pants.

"The backyard... it's full of human bones," Mom whispered, clutching my sleeve with her hands trembling violently.

"Stop dawdling! Eat!"

Grandma chuckled warmly, gently wiping the rice from my lips.

"We're not hungry," I said quickly. "Besides, if we eat it all, what will you have?"

"I eat... other things," Grandma murmured.

"Good things are for my family when they visit."

She then grabbed a goose and, with a sharp crack, she broke its neck.

After a quick look, she took a bite from its breast. Blood dyed the feathers red.

The crunching of teeth on bone filled the air, and bits of meat fell from her mouth onto her patched apron.

My parents, witnessing this, suddenly shoved the food on their plates.

See? I told you it's fine to have the food..

Look how much they're enjoying it!

At night, there was only one large bed there.

The room was echoed only with Grandma's thunderous snores.

I woke up refreshed the next morning.

The other three looked dead, with their eyes bloodshot and deep purple eye bags beneath them.

"Have you figured a way out yet?" Dad hissed.

I shook my head. He shot me a venomous glare before unwilling fed the chickens.

I'd thought long and hard last night.

Previous challenges involved dodging monsters or defeating a final boss.

This game's cruelty was different.

It exploited your deepest fears to shatter your mind.

But how could a sweet old lady who cooked and cleaned be scary?

"The old woman seems easy to be fooled. She would give me 10 grand if I help her fetch a bucket of water."

Dad grinned, tapping his task panel.

Lately, alongside the main "Escape the Game" objective, minor tasks kept popping up.

Air the quilts? +0-00,000.

Wash dishes? +$5,000.

Hang laundry? +$2,000.

...

The once-terrified three people now saw Grandma as their personal ATM, showering her with fake affection.

In just six days, their money had tripled.

"Dad! Look what I found!"

Brad shoved a piece of paper at him.

White background, red lettering.

[If a player kills a ghost entity within the game, its inherent energy value converts into bonus prize money for the player.]

"If we kill her, the prize will double!"

"But tomorrow's the seventh day."

If we survived the week, we could move safely to the next stage.

Before I could finish, Dad slapped my back hard. Mom clicked her tongue impatiently.

"How much could you earn in a day?! After we finish the game and go back to the real world, the expense will pill up. You're just jealous we're buying Brad's car and condo."

"Yeah, sis," Brad added. "Chill. We'll give you more money if we succeed."

Their eyes were full of sarcasm.

They regarded me as a coward, forgetting this was an SSS-level game.

Even a minor entity wouldn't be easy to be killed.

On the afternoon of the seventh day, Dad accompanied Grandma, talking with her with regrets.

"Mom... we have to leave soon. We have been here for days and haven't fully explored. Would you like to take a walk with us to get some fresh air?"

Grandma eyed him suspiciously, and didn't say anything.

Brad walked to her with a smile, saying "Please, Grandma? The city suffocates me!"

After relentless begging, Grandma finally agreed.

I hadn't seen the "bone-filled" slope they described.

Instead, wildflowers bloomed everywhere, vibrant and alive.

A dark, turbulent river rushed below.

A single stone slab bridged the banks.

I watched from the slope as they strolled, chatting casually, until they stepped onto the slab.

They paused on the midway, seemingly fascinated by ordinary carp and didn't want to leave.

Grandma seemed unconcerned, holding Mom's hand, murmuring advice about health and self-care.

"Now! Do it now!" Dad hissed, shooting Brad a meaningful look.

But she looked so like a human. She's alive!

Brad, a twenty-five-year-old basement dweller who had only killed minors in games, froze.

His hands hovered behind Grandma, trembling.

"Useless!" Dad spat. Veins bulged on his neck as he grabbed Grandma's neck and pushed her into the river.

A splash.

A single, despairing wail echoed across the water.

The three looked at her in silence, as she sank beneath the dark surface.

"You are such a coward! She's a ghost, not a person!"

Dad swaggered ahead, drooling over the extra five hundred grand in his account.

Behind them, I saw.the sinking shadow vanished. The river water shifted from black to blood-red.

Fish and shrimp floated belly-up, choking the surface.