,,,,,The first is a lost child, abandoned by her family at the foot of the woods. She is young, perhaps too young to know anything of the woods themselves, but she hears the hum and is drawn to it. This is [[Ruth Identity<-Ruth]].
The second is a younger man, running away from the police. He carries a large backpack with him, stuffed to the brim with money. He has known of the terrors of the woods for ages--but there is nothing that scares him more than the possibility of a life in jail. This is [[Sam Identity<-Sam]].
The third and final one to enter the woods wakes up on the ground just outside of the gate. They have no memory of how they got there. All they know is that the gentle hum calls their name, and the surrounding city is too full of lights and noises to be of any use to them. This is [[Redacted Identity<-Redacted]].
<h3> [[Choice One<- Choose your player. ]] </h3>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/ambient/sounds/spring-weather-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth is a ten year old girl who grew up on the outskirts of the city. She was homeschooled and has never spent a night away from [[home]]. She is afraid of the dark and noises.
[[Cont. Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>[[Ruth <-Ruth]]
[[Sam<-Sam]]
[[Redacted<-Redacted]]
(set: $counter to 30)
You have |amount>[$counter] seconds to choose.
(live: 1s) [
(set: $counter to it - 1)
(if: $counter is 0) [(go-to: "Ruth" )]
(replace: ?amount) [$counter]
]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio><h2> Sam </h2>
Sam does not want to enter the woods, but he knows there is no way out of the city otherwise. The police have [[blocked]] all exits. He has to get out somehow. But how? How can he leave?
The backpack is heavy on his shoulders. He adjusts it.
[[Climb the gate->Choice One S]]
[[Look for an entrance->Choice Two S]]
[[Walk Away->Choice Three S]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio><h2> Redacted </h2>
...
You awake by the gate. You are not certain why.
In your hands are the keys.
[[Unlock the gate]]
[[Lay down and wait for something]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/cloth/sounds/cloth-2.mp3">
</source>
</audio<h2> Ruth </h2>
Ruth approachs the gate.
The hum is louder now.
[[Choice One R<-Climb The Gate]]
[[Choice Two R<-Listen closely]]
[[Choice Three R<-Walk away]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam is a 26 year old son of a billionaire. After failing to be good at his father's business, he decided to take as much money as he could carry from the [[family chest]] and make a run for it. After all, there was nothing left for him in the city.
[[Cont. Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Redacted[[.]]
[[Cont. Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth burns to death.
[[Restart|Cont. Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>There's nothing but the hum. It seems to grow louder the closer she gets to the gate.
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth starts to walk away from the gate. Once she feels like it is behind her, however, she finds herself walking back to the [[Ruth<-gate]].
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth stands at the gate.
The hum seems to steadily grow louder the longer she stands beside it.
[[Choice One R<-Climb The Gate]]
[[Choice 2.1 R<-Listen to the gate]]
[[Choice 3.1 R<-Walk away]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>There's nothing but the hum. It is impossibly loud.
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Each time Ruth walks away, she finds herself walking back to the [[Ruth.1<-gate]].
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth approaches the gate. Its electric hum seems to draw her closer and closer to it, as though there would never be an escape.
The hum does not grow any louder.
[[Choice One R<-Climb The Gate]]
[[Choice 2.2 R<-Listen closer]]
[[Choice 3.1 R<-Walk away]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The hum seems to sound like it is moving farther away.
[[4<-Follow the hum]]
[[Choice Three R<-Walk Away]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Following the hum, Ruth starts to walk around the edge of the gate until she comes across a small hole under the gate. The ground is torn with in what appears to be straight lines. It looks like a dog or something had dug underneath the gate.
[[5 The Forest<-Climb through the hole]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth enters the forest.
<img src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2018/10/28/19/21/gate-3779668_1280.jpg" alt="Picture of Woods" width="800" height="500"></img>
It is dark, far darker within than she had thought possible. She turns to face the hole, but it is no longer there. Instead, the gate stands strong and tall, with no holes dug underneath it, and it retains a soft but steady hum of electricity. Shivers rush down Ruth's back.
//I wish I wasn't alone,// she thinks to herself. //I'm scared.//
There is no way to turn back.
[[Go forward->5.1]]
[[Go left->5.2]]
[[Go right->5.3]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth walks for a long time. While she walks, tears stream down her face. It was not nice being alone. She had spent all her life with people around her, with Mama and Papa, with her siblings, with her aunts and uncles.
//None of that is real anymore,// she thinks. //Mama...Mama said they were never my family. And that's why they couldn't take care of me. That's why they left me out here. Alone.//
That is why she cannot return home. And why there is no path to go but [[forward<-forward.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth walks for a long time. While she walks, tears stream down her face. It was not nice being alone. She had spent all her life with people around her, with Mama and Papa, with her siblings, with her aunts and uncles.
//None of that is real anymore,// she thinks. //Mama...Mama said they were never my family. And that's why they couldn't take care of me. That's why they left me out here. Alone.//
That is why she cannot return home. And why there is no path to go but [[forward<-forward.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth walks for a long time. While she walks, tears stream down her face. It was not nice being alone. She had spent all her life with people around her, with Mama and Papa, with her siblings, with her aunts and uncles.
//None of that is real anymore,// she thinks. //Mama...Mama said they were never my family. And that's why they couldn't take care of me. That's why they left me out here. Alone.//
That is why she cannot return home. And why there is no path to go but [[forward<-forward.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The farther Ruth goes, the harder it becomes for her to see. Rustles come from all directions, as though millions of feet walk the same path as she.
Every step takes ages to complete, as though something deep within her bones knows the darkness within the woods goes far deeper than just eyesight.
Behind her, above her, beside her, before her...all were overtaken with a loud crack, a pause, and a slither.
Ruth froze.
//What was that?//
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
(if: (either: 0, 1) is 0)[ A hideous monster attacks Ruth! ]
(else:)[It comes from her left, but her instincts are faster than it.
Ruth hits the monster! It pushes away from her, but does not move to attack back. Elongated claws wait at its sides, and its yellow eyes glint in the darkness. Above, thunder crackles.
Both wait for the other to attack. ]
[ The monster strikes her in the shoulder with its elongated claw. She cries out as it bleeds, and the monster retreats from her. The monster looks as afraid as her.
Both stand, waiting for the other to strike. ]
[[Kill]]
[[flee|Forward.1 GOOD ROUTE]] [[Ruth grabs a stick and attacks the monster->Choice 6.2]]
[[Ruth grabs a rock and slams it into the monster's head->Choice 6.3]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"Please--"
The monster has a voice. It falls against a tree, blood pouring from underneath its arm. It grasps its side, clutching as though for dear life.
"Please--just get it over with. Lord knows I'm ready to die."
Its voice is no longer a growl.
No...it is just [[pitiful]].
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth picks up a stick and attacks the monster. It is far larger than she.
The monster catches the stick and growls at her. Fear strikes Ruth's heart like the lightning above.
[[Flee->Forward.1 GOOD ROUTE]]
[[Kill the monster->Choice 6.3]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth slams a rock down on the monster's head and it falls to the ground. There, it bleeds and bleeds, until all Ruth can see is red. She is frightened.
//Oh god,// Ruth thinks. //I just killed something. No--//
She looks closer at the monster.
//I just killed some~~one~~.//
[[Flee->Forward.2 BAD ROUTE]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth has never puked so much before. Her stomach is emptied.
Once everything is out, she starts to run. Where? She doesn't know. Anywhere. Away.
//I just killed someone.//
She had never thought she would become a murderer.
//I just killed someone.//
//I...I had to. There was no other way.//
//They were going to kill me if I didn't.//
She could still see its frightened face. The glinting yellow eyes. The way they backed away.
//Weren't they?//
After what felt like an eternity, Ruth comes to a stop. She has found herself lost within these deep woods, having gone far within. It begins to rain. Cold, near-freezing, drops of rain pound into her scalp. She'd never felt so [[alone]] before.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>There was something dark hidden in the woods. The town always said that anyone who entered the woods and killed would die a horrible, horrible death. The best way to sell your soul without asking is to murder another. Perhaps there is truth to that claim. Because of the dark curse, the woods were surrounded by a long, tall, terrible gate. Branches stuck out from inbetween the wires, caught and tangled and bursting with electricity.
If you stood too close to the gate, you could hear its hum. Some claim it sang to anyone who was willing to listen.
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
One night, a terrible storm brings [[three people->Cont. Beginning]] to the woods.
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/ambient/sounds/spring-weather-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Breaking into his parents estate to steal money was a stupid idea. Why did Sam do that? He could have just left.
But he needed money to make a new life. He needed something to help him [[Sam's Past<-start over]].
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>//That's an electric gate, I'm not dumb enough to climb that.//
[[Sam<-Better not do that.]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam begins to walk around the gate, hoping to find an entrance. If he couldn't climb it, maybe he could do something else?
[[Try to dig underneath the gate.]]
[[Keep walking.]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam couldn't go back. He'd do anything to avoid [[jail.->Sam]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>~~//Is it even worth it to start [[over?->blocked]]//~~
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/misc/sounds/twist-squeeze-2.mp3">
</source>
</audio>''Alone.''
The forest was not a nice place to be [[alone at]].
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/nature/sounds/rain-07.mp3">
</source>
</audio>No. Especially not with the [[rain]].
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/nature/sounds/rain-07.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Especially not with the [[thing]] breathing down her neck.
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/human/sounds/heartbeat-01a.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/human/sounds/hair-brush-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
'' "We all have choices in life, Ruth." ''
'' "Some, like you, choose [[wrong]]." ''
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Congratulations!
You did not win the game. Instead, Ruth lost her life to the demon of the woods. Great job. You //literally// killed a ten-year-old girl.
Was it worth it?
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/cnEzJdUeXXjlYi7gyG" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/video-game-success-old-school-cnEzJdUeXXjlYi7gyG"></a></p>
[[Beginning]] "What do you mean?" Ruth asks.
The monster looks up at her. She can now see their eyes--their sad, pitiful blue eyes. Their face, bruised and bloodied. Their face, old and lost.
They aren't a monster at all.
"These woods--this is all my [[fault]]."
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"If I hadn't made that damn deal, none of this would have happened."
"Deal?"
"Oh, you young thing. Don't you know the [[story]]?"
[[Ruth does not.]]
[[Ruth does.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Years ago, a demon and the [[Mayor]] got into a heated debate at a local pub, leading to the Mayor betting the demon that one team would win their local sports tournament. The demon won the bet, and in return, won the Mayor’s prized hunting grounds.
The demon made the hunting grounds open to the public...but every person that tried to kill deer/rabbits/fowl ended up murdering other human beings instead.
The Mayor, knowing the demon had rightfully won the land, decided to place a gate around it so that none may enter. This appeased the public, and in the years that have passed almost everyone has forgotten about the horrible history of the woods...
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The man tells her the story of the hideous demon of the woods and his horrific deal.
"I wish I could go back to that day. To have never made that damned deal. Maybe I'd still have them if I did."
[[next]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"You're the mayor?"
"Sadly, yes." The mayor looks at her with tears in his eyes. "Why are you [[here]], child?"
[[next]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The Mayor was a sad man. While he was a good mayor, he was not a good person, and no one stayed around him for long. It is said he used to be a happy man, but after the death of his daughter, and then his wife, he slowly drank himself into a stupor. All that is left of the Mayor is a shell of a [[human.->fault]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Tears swelled in Ruth's eyes as well.
"My parents..." She couldn't talk without choking. Why did it hurt so much? "They left me outside the city. They said I couldn't return home."
"Oh, you poor child. Come with me. I'll watch over you."
[[Go with the man.]]
[[Continue through the woods alone.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth would give anything to be anywhere but there.
She misses Mama.
She misses Papa.
She wished they hadn't kicked her out. She could have been a good daughter, even if she wasn't their //real// [[daughter.->Ruth does.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Together, Ruth and the mayor walk through the forest. She stays close beside him. Her heart beats fast.
[[Grab his hand.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth is too scared to move forward.
As the man walks away, she feels her heart beat faster and faster.
"No, [[wait->Go with the man.]]!"
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/truck-door-close-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The [[mayor]] pretends not to notice that she grabs his hand.
They continue to walk through the woods.
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/truck-door-close-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/truck-door-close-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
It isn't until both are too exhausted to continue on that they come across [[it]].The mayor is walking with a bad [[limp.->Grab his hand.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It isn't moving and has its back turned to them.
But it is long, and tall, and it has an unearthly glow about it.
Shivers course down Ruth's spine. She squeezes the mayor's hand. He squeezes back.
"Don't worry," he whispers to her. "Everyone looks like that at first. It's probably--"
The mayor couldn't finish talking.
//Why isn't he...//
Ruth slowly raises her head.
//Oh.//
[[Oh.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>All that remains of the man is a bloodied stump.
[[Flee]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth starts to run, but the monster is far faster than she.
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/sewing-machine-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
[[Grab a rock and kill it.]]
[[Flee.1<-Flee]]Ruth grabs a rock and smashes it behind her just as the monster goes to attack her. It sinks its claws into her skin, but it falls to the ground instead of killing her.
//Did I...//
The monster lays on the ground. No blood pours from its body. That unearthly glow slowly [[fades]].
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The monster grabs Ruth by the neck and snaps.
Ruth is dead.
//Nice job. You killed her.//
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/cnEzJdUeXXjlYi7gyG" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/video-game-success-old-school-cnEzJdUeXXjlYi7gyG"></a></p>
[[Restart->Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth keeps walking.
[[Left]]
[[Right]]
[[Stand still]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/footsteps/sounds/footsteps-4.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth heads left, abandoning the deceased demon corpse.
The woods grow thicker and thicker. It is nearly impossible to walk through the trees.
[[Turn around]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/footsteps/sounds/footsteps-4.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth heads right, abandoning the deceased demon corpse.
She walks until she comes to a [[stream]].
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/footsteps/sounds/footsteps-4.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/nature/sounds/stream-3.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
Standing still is worthless. Ruth knows that something will get her if she doesn't [[move.->fades]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth does not know why, but she finds herself wading into the water. Perhaps it is because she is already soaked from the rain.
//What am I doing?//
Ever since she entered, Ruth has felt like she was in [[another life]].
[[Maybe I am.]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/nature/sounds/stream-3.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
Ruth returns to the corpse. She cannot bring herself to look at it.
[[Head right.]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/footsteps/sounds/footsteps-4.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth heads right, abandoning the deceased demon corpse.
She walks until she comes to a [[stream]].
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/footsteps/sounds/footsteps-4.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/nature/sounds/stream-3.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
She's not certain if she even wants to return to her old [[life.->stream]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth lays back in the water and floats. There, she is calm, and she closes her eyes so the rain doesn't hit them.
She continues for hours.
Slowly.
Slowly.
Slowly.
[[Drifting away.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>[[Drifting away]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>'' "Did you really think you could leave that easily?" ''
'' "After all, you haven't even claimed your //prize//." ''
Ruth opens her eyes. It is no longer raining. The sun is not there, the sky is not there.
Nothing is there but empty, gray space.
[[Claim your prize.]]
[[Don't.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>'' "Ruth, your father is [[Samuel Sputhers]]." ''
[[Father]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth closes her eyes tight.
After an eturnity, she finds herself falling.
Falling.
Falling..
Falling...
[[CRASH.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth knows that name. Sputhers is the man her father bought their cows from. He was very rich. He owned most of the land in the [[city.->Claim your prize.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>'' "Your father abandoned you because he was afraid."
"Now that you know the truth, you have a choice." ''
"What is my choice?"
[[Live with your father and mother.->Don't.]]
[[Return home, to the family she's always lived with.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth opens her eyes.
She is on her bedroom floor.
"Ruth! What was that?"
"Sorry Mama," she says, rubbing a hand over her back. "I fell out of [[bed]]."
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth can't remember what she was dreaming about, but she does remember tossing and turning all night. Her [[blankets]] are a mess.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth's bed is large and pink. Was it pink before?
She shakes her head. //Of course it was,// she tells herself. There is no reason to believe otherwise.
She makes her bed, careful to tuck the sheets in nicely. //Papa will be mad if I don't make my bed right. Don't want to make him angry this early in the morning.//
"Dinner's ready!"
[[Dinner?]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth walks out of her bedroom. The hallway is long and tidy. The walls are filled with [[pictures]] of her and her family.
Her heart swells into her throat.
She doesn't know why she feels so weird. It's always been this way. Her life has always been like this. It's always just been her, Mom, and Dad.
"There you are, Ruth!" Her mother takes her into her arms and kisses Ruth on the forehead. "You okay sweetie? You've been quiet since you came home from school."
"Yeah. I fell asleep," she admits. "It was a [[long day.]]"
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth knows she cannot return home.
[[Accept the offer.->Don't.]]
[[Decline.->Don't.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio><img src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/11/08/05/08/adult-1807500_1280.jpg" width="800" height="500"></img>
<img src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/07/08/21/30/family-2485714_1280.jpg" width="800" height="500"></img>
<img src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/11/10/08/40/mirror-2935746_1280.jpg" width="800" height="900"></img>
<img src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/11/17/22/35/family-1048365_1280.jpg" width="800" height="500"></img>
<img src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/08/08/17/40/ld-2612047_1280.jpg" width="800" height="500"></img>
[[Gentle Ruth, let's leave these pictures alone.->Dinner?]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Congratulations!
You successfully made it through the woods. Ruth has been reuninted with her birth mother and father, and will live out the rest of her days happily. The woods are only a distant dream.
Ocassionally, Ruth will remember a different family. One of yelling and fighting. One where she has several siblings, all of which curse her name. One where she is lonely beyond words.
That life is no more.
Ruth has been blessed by the spirit of the woods, and because of her good will towards others, she will grow up to be a sweet-hearted girl with a strange fear of camping.
All well.
[[Beginning]]
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/ToMjGpyO2OVfPLpoxu8" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/cartoonhangover-animated-artists-on-tumblr-illustration-ToMjGpyO2OVfPLpoxu8"></a></p>
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/misc/sounds/dream-harp-02.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam reaches into the backpack and grabs his hunting knife. It was a gift from his father. He uses the thick edge to cut through the ground. It is soft from the rain that had fallen [[earlier]] that morning.
After what felt like an hour, the sky cracked overhead. He could feel the rain before it hit him--feel the way the cold crept inside his bones and left him shivering. Sam looks at the hole he'd dug, and then at his hands. The dirt cakes his fingers and had dug underneath his nails to find a nice spot to hide. He could already taste himself absent-mindedly biting them. The dirt would be there for weeks to come.
//Just keep going.//
He throws away the knife and pushs himself through the hole. The mud is slick. The gate is hot against his back. When he is through, he pulls the backpack in behind him.
[[Fill in the hole]]
[[Start walking]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The farther Sam walks the more frustrated he becomes. The only option he has is to go [[underneath->Try to dig underneath the gate.]] it.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>[[Burn The Forest Down->Demon runs away. WIN!]]
[[Burn the Gate Down->Demon retires to rebuild strength.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Burning the forest was a bad idea, but it was one that worked. You started the fire in the center of the forest, setting the cabin you'd always loved ablaze.
You sit in it while the forest burns.
Just as the smoke begins to thicken and your lungs squeeze, you hear his voice.
'' "Why would you do this?" ''
"It was...the only way."
'' "And you take your own life to kill me?" ''
"Yes."
'' "Very well. You have won, Mayor. Just this once." ''
As he disappears, something akin to relief burrows inside you. There will be no tomorrow for you. There is no future ahead.
But for all who entered the charred remains of the forest, there would be.
[[YOU WIN->Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The gate catches fire easily.
As it burns, the demon watches the fire spread to the grass surrounding it. The towns would hate it--to the west there had been a big field of wheat that was just about ready for harvest.
The rain picked up, and the gate sizzled out to little more than a few fizzles of fire.
There is only one issue now.
The forest remains intact.
And the demon now can leave it once more.
[[You know what? Don't even try to Restart. You know you'll ruin it again.->Beginning]]
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/137jjupPEWhG00" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/fire-forest-137jjupPEWhG00"></a></p>
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth is uncertain if she has a home at this point.
//Why did they kick me out?//
She wishes she had answers. Instead, all she has is the clothes on her back and a heart full of unfulfilled [[wishes.->Cont. Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The Sputhers are rich, owning most of the buildings in town. Still, they are distrustful of banks. They would prefer to keep all their cash in at home, in a nice chest hidden away from [[everyone.->Cont. Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You don't know why you feel this way. You are tired. So, so, so fucking [[tired]].
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>When was the last time you slept? You can't remember. You keep trying to remember something, anything, but all you know is the way memory [[tastes.->.]]
[[Burnt.->Cont. Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You unlock the gate and walk inside.
The woods are large, but at the front of the gate there is a space where nothing exists but the remains of an old house. It was burnt years ago. You feel something when you look at it, but you haven't felt in years, and you cannot decide whether it is love or hatred.
Perhaps it is nothing at all.
[[Lock the gate behind you]]
[[Leave it open. Who cares?]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
There is an eternity found in the grass.
You are tired. So, so tired.
[[<img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Black_colour.jpg/1200px-Black_colour.jpg" width="100" height="100"> ->text]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You hear a sharp click as the lock turns into place. The metal is cold, and the hum is loud enough that it almost sounds like a distant choir holding the same note for half an eternity.
[[Start Walking->Redacted enters the forest]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/ambient/sounds/spring-weather-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/button-46.mp3">
</source>
</audio>No one fucking cares. You leave the key in the gate and slam it back into place. Its hum is annoyingly loud, but you're not certain how to turn it off. All you remember is that it has been on for years, and you're tired of paying the bill for it.
You're tired of [[everything.->Redacted enters the forest]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/vibration-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Something made him think of //her// again. He didn't want to. He'd long forgotten everything that happened back then--it didn't exist. He didn't want it to exist.
His parents thought he had gotten over it. They thought he just didn't care.
They were [[right]] about one thing, at least.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio><img src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/08/10/03/47/guy-2617866_1280.jpg" alt="Sad Man" width="800" height="500"></img>
[[Back->earlier]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam looks around for something to fill the hole in with.
[[Leaves]]
[[Leave the backpack in the hole]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio><audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
Sam starts to walk into the woods. They are untamed, and branches scatter the ground from one storm or another. Overhead, the sky is preparing for war it seems. Angels pound drums, a thick and steady beat, and he sighs to himself.
"I should have brought a [[raincoat]]."Sam looks around for leaves, but there aren't enough to properly fill the hole in. He leaves it half-filled, and decides it's time to [[move on->Start walking]].
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It fit just right. Sam left the backpack there. Why did he steal the money to begin with? It was all worthless anyways.
He didn't really want to start over.
He didn't want to [[continue->Sam Good Route]] at all.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio><img src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/11/28/07/14/girl-4658539_1280.jpg" width="800" height="500"></img>
There is so much Sam wants to ask. So much he needs to know.
She comes to life as he reaches out to her, grabbing her hand, so gentle at first. Too afraid to break her. Too afraid that she'd disappear. Too afraid.
But he does. He grabs her and holds her and brings her to him--and together their lips meet once more.
Sam is [[alive]] once more.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>But it ends too soon.
She's gone.
Sam should have known. He slumps against a tree and looks up to the skies. The rain starts to pick up and a large stream of [[lightning->moving]] comes down a few feet from him. It hits the pole where she'd appeared at first.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam should have done a lot of [[things]].
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>As he walks, Sam notices something behind him. It flickers between the trees, both impossibly fast and hideously slow. It won't move for ages...and then it'll be there once more, so fast, as if it'd been hanging over his head.
He keeps walking. //It's nothing.//
The stories of the woods were just stories. Demons didn't exist. Beyond that--Sam was a man. He knew better than to be afraid.
~~Didn't he?~~
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
//It's not so bad out here.//
The darkness continues to [[flicker]].Flicker.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
//It's nothing.//
Flicker.
//It's nothing.//
Flicker.
Flicker.
Flicker.
Flicker.
Flicker.
Flicker. Flicker. Flicker.
[[Flick]].
(if: (either: 0, 1) is 0)[ It comes from the distance. It is impossibly tall. ]
(else:)[It comes from his left, stepping in beside him and walking next to him. He knows it is there. He cannot [[move]].]It screams.
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-18.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
God, it is so loud.
So fucking loud.
[[Kill it]]Sam can't breathe. He's too scared to turn. Too scared to do anything but keep walking.
'' "Sam." ''
He ignores it and keeps walking. //It's nothing. God, Sam, you're afraid of the dark now? Be a man.//
'' "Sam." ''
Her voice is light. Gentle.
Just the thought of //her// is enough to make him stop walking.
He stays still. He doesn't want to turn. Doesn't want it to be real.
It can't be.
She died so long ago.
And yet she stands next to him.
[[Turn and face her]]
[[Hide your head->Turn and face her]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam cannot help himself. He has to look. Just once. Just to see if it is really her.
It is.
She is breathtaking--just like he'd remembered. Her hair, a pretty auburn. Her eyes, a beautiful brown. Her cheeks, rosy and full.
Her lips, pale and parted.
//Alexia.//
[[Kiss Her]]
[[Ask how she's there->Kiss Her]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>He needs something to kill it with. Sam looks but there is nothing--it moves too fast. Its movements are sporadic, almost frantic. As if it were as scared as he. He has to do something. He has to.
//Kill it.//
(if: (either: 0, 1) is 0)[ It grabs Sam by the [[neck]]. ]
(else:)[It goes for his [[stomach]].]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It grabs Sam by the neck. He doesn't have time to react. Instead, he attacks. His fingers claw into the beast and it screams.
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-18.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
God, it screams so loud.
Both of them fall to the [[ground]].
It reaches down to grab Sam, but Sam moves faster.
He slings off his backpack and hits the monster in the jaw. It falls to the ground.
[[kill]]
[[run away->Sam Good Route]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>[[Kill It, Sam->kill]]
[[Don't Kill It->Sam Good Route]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio><source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-18.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
God, it screams so loud.
Sam jumps onto the beast and hits it with his fists until all he can feel is blood beneath him. It hit and clawed and //screamed// but Sam knew it was better off dead.
It had to be[[..->Sam Bad Route]]Sam runs through the woods until he can run no more. His feet ache. His body aches. He can't move, but he has to get away.
//Dear god//, Sam finds himself start to pray, but the rest of the words don't come. He had nothing to ask for. Did he want to ask for something? Or did he just want everything to [[end]]?
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam felt so tired. He was covered in blood and soaked with rain. It wouldn't wash anything away. It wasn't rough enough--the rain had slowed to a trickle.
He stood up and left the body there.
He didn't want to turn around and see what he'd done. He didn't want to look and [[confirm]] it.
The stories weren't [[real->SBR2]].
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio><audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
It was so dark. Why couldn't he just sleep?
Why did he keep moving?
Why did he keep moving?
Why did he keep [[moving]]?Sam doesn't want to continue through the woods. He wants to sit down.
[[Let Sam Rest]]
[[Keep Moving]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam is [[exhausted]].
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam is exhausted.
He keeps walking, hoping something will [[change->exhausted]].
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
Sam doesn't sit so much as he falls to the ground.
He lays there and lets the water [[drip]] off him.
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
//They spoke of the woods in hushed whispers. A demon owned it, they claimed. A demon owned it and anyone who hunted in those woods would be killing humans instead. Too many entered and never came out. They would lose themselves in the woods.
Perhaps that's why Sam was so desperate in going there.
He knew that you either came and killed, or you died [[within.->Sam Bad Route]]//
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio><audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
It was so dark. Why couldn't he just sleep?
Why did he keep moving?
Why did he keep moving?
Why did he keep [[moving->moving1]]?Sam doesn't want to continue through the woods. He wants to sit down.
[[Let Sam Rest->LSR1]]
[[Keep Moving->LSM1]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam is [[exhausted1]].
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam is exhausted.
He keeps walking, hoping something will [[change->exhausted1]].
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
Sam doesn't sit so much as he falls to the ground.
He lays there and lets the water [[drip->drip1]] off him.
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
Drip.
Drip. Drip.
Flicker.
Sam squeezes his eyes shut, not wanting it to be real.
Even with his eyes shut, he can see it moving.
They move so fucking fast.
//Why? What did I do to [[deserve]] this?//
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Drip.
Drip. Flicker.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Flicker.
Sam squeezes his eyes shut, not wanting it to be real.
Even with his eyes shut, he can see it moving. He can hear it clawing its way towards him.
It moves so fucking fast.
//Why? What did I do to [[deserve->deserve1]] this?//
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You walk for what feels like an entire day.
Step by step.
Step by step.
Step by step.
Step by step.
Step by step.
Step by step.
Step by step.
Finally, you reach a slope. Downwards, you continue deeper into the woods. To the right and left of you are the remains of old deer hunting spots, with their ladders half-broken and hanging from thick tree limbs. The ruins themselves are not to be [[used.]]
[[Go down the slope->no hunt]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/ambient/sounds/spring-weather-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>They creep up from [[behind]].
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
They creep up from [[behind->behind.1]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
Congratulations!
You decided to murder anything that stood in your path, even when it hesitated, even when it screamed out 'oh dear god, stop!'
Nice job, satan.
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/cnEzJdUeXXjlYi7gyG" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/video-game-success-old-school-cnEzJdUeXXjlYi7gyG"></a></p>
[[Restart->Beginning]] Seriously?
Just...seriously?
I thought I could trust you. I thought we were friends. I let you play my game, thinking you were going to be so good to these characters I lovingly created, and you made my poor sad mayor into a literal murderer. You couldn't have tried a little harder not to choose all the awful options?
Nice job. You totally failed the game. Congrats?
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/cnEzJdUeXXjlYi7gyG" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/video-game-success-old-school-cnEzJdUeXXjlYi7gyG"></a></p>
[[Restart->Beginning]] Whew!
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/7ZwSQb7XsEYE0" width="480" height="222" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/killer-instinct-spinal-7ZwSQb7XsEYE0"></a></p>
You actually did something good for once in your life. Nice job. Thanks for redeeming Sam. You know, he's got a good heart in there and he just needs to work on it. Now that he's got a second chance, let's hope he can do it. Or, at the very least, fail in a humorous fashion.
Congrats on actually winning!
[[Restart->Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/misc/sounds/dream-harp-02.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Okay, nice job.
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/7ZwSQb7XsEYE0" width="480" height="222" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/killer-instinct-spinal-7ZwSQb7XsEYE0"></a></p>
You managed to play on the HARDEST setting and won the game! Poor old mayor gets to start over. Nice job.
If you've won this, I'm certain you also won the //other//, secret suprirse winning option for the mayor. It's hidden in one of the nodes. Let me know what you thought of that little extra bit there. :)
[[Restart->Beginning]] Maybe one day you will wake up.
You will be a single blade of grass, sitting before a woods you dare not enter. You will watch people pass, watch the animals crawl and flutter about, and you will slowly wilt into the end of time.
(click-append: "time.")[
Time, which never ends as it never began.]
[[<img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Black_colour.jpg/1200px-Black_colour.jpg" width="100" height="100"> ->endredacted]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>There is no tomorrow, and there never was a today.
And all of it is //your// fault.
[[<img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Black_colour.jpg/1200px-Black_colour.jpg" width="100" height="100"> ->why]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You should do something to fix it. You have to do something to fix it.
You look up at the gate. It is large, so very large. Imposing.
Yet, from where you lay, it is lonely.
It, like you, stands to whither at the end of time.
//Time to make it the end.//
[[<img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Black_colour.jpg/1200px-Black_colour.jpg" width="5" height="10"> ->theendend]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Why did it have to be this way?
[[<img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Black_colour.jpg/1200px-Black_colour.jpg" width="100" height="100"> ->faultt]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>[ [[Flicker.]] ]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
[[[Flicker->FlickerB]]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
[[[Flicker.->Flicker1]]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
[[[Flicker.->FlickerB1]]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
[ [[Flicker.->Flicker2]] ]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
[[[Flicker.->FlickerB2]]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
[[Kill->KillSam]]
[[Wait]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
[[Kill->KillSamBad]]
[[Wait->Wait1]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
[[Wait? Why would we wait?->Wait Good]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It comes with a harsh breath. Sam keeps his eyes closed. He doesn't want to move.
He doesn't want to [[exist.->KillSam1]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam doesn't want to die. His eyes flash open.
It comes with a harsh breath.
It is loud, so very loud. Incredibly [[loud.->KillSamBad1]] Fucking terrible.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>[[Wait? Why would you wait?->Wait Bad]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam doesn't want to die. His eyes flash open.
It comes with a harsh breath.
It is loud, so very loud. Incredibly [[loud.->KillSam1]] Fucking terrible.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam doesn't want to die. His eyes flash open.
It comes with a harsh breath.
It is loud, so very loud. Incredibly [[loud.->KillSamBad1]] Fucking terrible.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam doesn't want to die. His eyes flash open.
It comes with a harsh breath.
It is loud, so very loud. Incredibly [[loud.->KillSam2]] Fucking terrible.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio><audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
'' "Do you remember me, Sam?" ''
[["I remember."->Remember1]]
[["No."->No1]]'' "Do you [[remember->rememberreal]] me, Sam?" ''
[["I remember."]]
[["No."]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It touches Sam's face. It doesn't have a face of its own, so it needs Sam's. It doesn't have hands of it's own, so it needs Sam's. It doesn't have anything.
It is darkness incarnate. A glowing form of nothing.
'' "I am the child you never knew, Sam." ''
He can't move. Can't look away.
'' "I am the one you left to die." ''
[["I'm sorry."->No2]]
[["I couldn't take care of you."->No2]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>'' "No? Oh Sam." ''
It touches Sam's face. It doesn't have a face of its own, so it needs Sam's. It doesn't have hands of it's own, so it needs Sam's. It doesn't have anything.
It is darkness incarnate. A glowing form of nothing.
'' "I am the child you never knew, Sam." ''
He can't move. Can't look away.
'' "I am the one you left to die." ''
[["What--No, I wouldn't do that!"->No2]]
[["I couldn't take care of you."->No2]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It touches Sam's face. It doesn't have a face of its own, so it needs Sam's. It doesn't have hands of it's own, so it needs Sam's. It doesn't have anything.
It is darkness incarnate. A glowing form of nothing.
'' "I am the child you never knew, Sam." ''
He can't move. Can't look away.
'' "I am the one you left to die." ''
[["Leave me alone."->NoSam]]
[["I couldn't take care of you."->NoSam]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>'' "No? Oh Sam." ''
It touches Sam's face. It doesn't have a face of its own, so it needs Sam's. It doesn't have hands of it's own, so it needs Sam's. It doesn't have anything.
It is darkness incarnate. A glowing form of nothing.
'' "I am the child you never knew, Sam." ''
He can't move. Can't look away.
'' "I am the one you left to die." ''
[["What--No, I wouldn't do that!"->No3]]
[["I couldn't take care of you."->No3]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>'' "Why did you kill my mother, Sam?" ''
[["I didn't kill her."->screamSam]]
[["I didn't know how to help her."->screamSam]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It was early spring when she started getting sick.
They'd given the baby away a few weeks prior, but it didn't make anything better. She wouldn't talk to anyone but Sam, and he didn't know what to say, so they sat in silence.
[["I love you."]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"I love you too," Sam told her. It wasn't real. He couldn't make it sound real. He didn't know what love was, didn't know what it meant, didn't know how it felt.
Neither did she.
Neither of them had ever really known love.
And so they'd sit for hours. Just waiting. Waiting for nothing.
And when Sam went home, he'd always tell her to text him. He'd message her once he was at his house and they'd chat for a little bit, just shooting the shit, never discussing anything important. Just talking.
Until the day she didn't [[message back]].
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam didn't have anything to wear to the funeral. He couldn't make himself get up and get dressed.
He couldn't make himself feel anything.
[[Back->KillSam2]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"Leave me alone!"
It wasn't something he could really see. The demon itself was everywhere. Every direction. Every color. Every scream, every hit, every flick, flick, flicker.
[[Flicker->Sam Fights Demon]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>'' "Why did you kill my mother, Sam?" ''
[["I didn't kill her."->screamSam1]]
[["I didn't know how to help her."->screamSam1]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>'' "Why did you kill my mother, Sam?" ''
[["I didn't kill her."->screamSam1]]
[["I didn't know how to help her."->screamSam1]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"Leave me alone!"
It wasn't something he could really see. The demon itself was everywhere. Every direction. Every color. Every scream, every hit, every flick, flick, flicker.
'' "Oh Sam...why would anyone ever want to leave you?" ''
[[Flicker->Sam Fights Demon 2]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Things could be different.
[[<img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Black_colour.jpg/1200px-Black_colour.jpg" width="10" height="5"> ->faultR]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It's then that he can see her.
It is a girl, he knows that for sure. She isn't large. She isn't big at all. Yet she's pitch black, with glowing spots for eyes, and has a disformed body that stretches long behind her. Her hair moves, flowing, festering.
She stands there. Waiting for him.
[[Kill it->Sam Kills Ruth, Go To Wrong End]]
[[Don't Kill it->Sam doesn't kill Ruth, obtain Character Ruth]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It is then that he can see her.
It is a girl, he knows that for sure. She isn't large. She isn't big at all. Yet she's pitch black, with glowing spots for eyes, and a disformed body that stretches long behind her. Her hair moves, flowing, festering.
Above her is a long noose.
[[End her pain->Sam Kills Demon]]
[[Join Her->Sam Doesn't Kill Demon]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>He can't bring himself to hurt her. Sam stands in front of the demon and cries, letting the tears roll down his face. The rain falls harder onto him, and the wind picks up. It is colder than it was before.
"I'm sorry," he whispers.
Lightning flashes overhead. The little girl is illuminated--she is not a ghost. She is not a demon. She is not hell incarnate.
She is just a girl.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Ruth," she says. Her voice is small. Timid. "Who are you?"
"I'm...Sam," he replies. He had [[known]] before that the forest claimed the souls of all who entered.
(set: $transCounter to 5)\
|sample1)[(transition: "dissolve")[FLICKER.]]
|sample2)[(transition: "dissolve")[''FLICKER.'']]
|sample3)[(transition: "dissolve")[''''SNAP.''
She screams. So loud. Before Sam can reach, Ruth grabs him tight. "Please, don't let it get me!"
]]
{
(live: 5s)[
(set: $transCounter to it + 1)
(if: $transCounter is 6)[
(show: ?sample1)
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(else-if: $transCounter is 7)[
(show: ?sample2)
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(else-if: $transCounter is 8)[
(show: ?sample3)
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[[Push her off and run.->Sam Leave Ruth to Die]]
[["I won't."->Sam Defend Ruth]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam reaches out to help her end it altogether, but she flinches away.
'' "Don't." ''
"Let me help you."
Sam can feel it in his chest. It's wrong. He doesn't care. He needs to end it. Anything is better than hearing her voice, knowing that she lives, knowing that he could have stopped her pain. He killed her, didn't he? And now both of them haunt her, both turned into one, both a figure of hate that stands before him.
Taunting him.
{(live: 5s)[
(either: "She screams so loud that it's almost hard to hear the little gasp of surprise when she stops. Sam's body shakes in tune to the fragile beating of her heart. Her eyes are large and blue. They look just like he'd always imagined they would--just like her mothers. Her hair is long and natted. As her heart stops, he grips tighter. The bones of her neck snap, one by one, until there is nothing left but a shell of a girl falling onto him.", "She begged him to stop. He couldn't. No, not after he'd begun. Not with her voice whispering into his ear. //Kill me, Sam. Just like you always wanted.//", "Dear God...Sam looks down at the body. It is so small. So, so small. Her dress is torn and her shoes are muddied. And her lifeless little hands stay reaching out. Waiting for the help that would never come.", "Why did he do it? Why did you make him do this? God, why? He can't stop shaking now, his entire body full of adrenaline and fear, tied together into a piercing pain that throbs within his chest.")
]}
[[Her body is so cold.->Sam Wrong]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam reaches out to help her end it altogether, but she flinches away.
'' "Don't." ''
"Let me help you."
Sam can feel it in his chest. It's wrong. He doesn't care. He needs to end it. Anything is better than hearing her voice, knowing that she lives, knowing that he could have stopped her pain. He killed her, didn't he? And now both of them haunt her, both turned into one, both a figure of hate that stands before him.
Taunting him.
{(live: 5s)[
(either: "She screams so loud that it's almost hard to hear the little gasp of surprise when she stops. Sam's body shakes in tune to the fragile beating of her heart. Her eyes are large and blue. They look just like he'd always imagined they would--just like her mothers. Her hair is long and natted. As her heart stops, he grips tighter. The bones of her neck snap, one by one, until there is nothing left but a shell of a girl falling onto him.", "She begged him to stop. He couldn't. No, not after he'd begun. Not with her voice whispering into his ear. //Kill me, Sam. Just like you always wanted.//", "Dear God...Sam looks down at the body. It is so small. So, so small. Her dress is torn and her shoes are muddied. And her lifeless little hands stay reaching out. Waiting for the help that would never come.", "Why did he do it? Why did you make him do this? God, why? He can't stop shaking now, his entire body full of adrenaline and fear, tied together into a piercing pain that throbs within his chest.")
]}
[[Her body is so cold.->Sam Wrong]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>They stay like that forever.
Bodies hanging in the [[wind.->Sam Wrong]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"Leave her alone!" he shouts. "Whatever you are, fight me! But don't you dare lay a hand on her."
Ruth clings tighter to Sam, burying her head into his side. Her hands are white where she grips him too tight.
'' "Oh? And why is that?" ''
"She's a child."
'' "You value her life over yours?" ''
"I've lived my life and made my mistakes. Let her live hers."
'' "Very well. Ruth, you may leave." '''
Ruth shakes her head.
"It's okay," Sam tells her quietly. "I won't let it hurt you."
He turns back to the creature. There is no one shape, no one form, no one voice. Instead, it is the forest itself, a thousand lives all trapped within, that he speaks to.
"She stays with me."
[['' "Of course." '' ->Sam gets to Claim Prize]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Sam's feet can't move fast enough. Behind him, her screams pierce the air.
(set: $transCounter to 1)\
|sample1)[(transition: "dissolve")["Come back!"
]]
|sample2)[(transition: "dissolve")["Please, Sam, don't leave me here all alone!"
He couldn't get away from that voice.
That small fucking voice.
]]
|sample3)[(transition: "dissolve")[''SNAP.''
She screams one last time.
]]
{
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(else-if: $transCounter is 3)[
(show: ?sample2)
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(else-if: $transCounter is )4[
(show: ?sample3)
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(else:)[
(stop:)
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[[There was no going back.->Sam Wrong]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>In a blink, the forest disappears.
Before the two of them is a room with three buttons. Each one of them is labelled.
'' "You may only press one. This is your choice, Sam." ''
[[Get Girlfriend Back]]
[[Restart Life Anew]]
[[Give the Prize to Ruth]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>//Alexia was a dime a dozen when it came to looks. She had long, plain features, and dark hair. Her eyes were blue, but so were the eyes of almost every other white girl in their town. There was nothing significant about her at all.
But every time that Sam saw her, his heart beat in anticipation. There was no denying the way she made him feel. He was calm around her. He was anxious around her. He was a bundle of emotions that changed with the weather.
Perhaps, some say, that was why the two of them had fallen in love.
They were high-school lovers determined to make themselves into a long-term relationship.
She fell pregnant, as young lovers oft were want to do, and the two lovers eloped at the courthouse before leaving that very day. They left their families little more than a note and took with them even less. With their documents in hand and Sam's old pick-me-up, a handdown from his father, the two of them made their own home thirteen-thousand miles away.
It's said that the two of them lived until they were 90, and that the lovers were found dead in each other's arms.//
[[Sam Right]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>//Alexia was a dime a dozen when it came to looks. She had long, plain features, and dark hair. Her eyes were blue, but so were the eyes of almost every other white girl in their town. There was nothing significant about her at all.
But every time that Sam saw her, his heart beat in anticipation. There was no denying the way she made him feel. He was calm around her. He was anxious around her. He was a bundle of emotions that changed with the weather.
Perhaps, some say, that was why the two of them had fallen in love.
They were high-school lovers determined to make themselves into a long-term relationship.
She fell pregnant, as young lovers oft were want to do, and the two lovers eloped at the courthouse before leaving that very day. They left their families little more than a note and took with them even less. With their documents in hand and Sam's old pick-me-up, a handdown from his father, the two of them made their own home thirteen-thousand miles away.
It's said that the two of them lived until they were 90, and that the lovers were found dead in each other's arms.//
[[Sam Right]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>'' "How noble of you, Sam."
"But you didn't really think anyone would believe you were honestly a good man, did you?"
"You don't even belive you are a good man."
"And yet..." ''
There is a long pause.
The room goes black.
'' Flicker. ''
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
[[~~FLICKER~~ ->Sam Secret Win]]There is something to be said of a soul so broken that they would willingly give away their only chance at redemption to someone they'd just met.
That said, Sam was always a bit more than that. Perhaps that is why he was taken pity upon.
Because, as Sam was suprised to find, his eyes opened not to death and eternity but to the quizzicle look of a small girl sitting on his chest while pressing a flower into his nose.
"Daddy!"
And that is how their story ended: With a beginning as rich as their past, and minds cleared of everything else.
[[The End.->Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/misc/sounds/dream-harp-02.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You pick up a bow and arrow off the ground.
[[Hunt?]]
[[Don't.->no hunt]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You remember when your dad first taught you to hunt with a bow and arrow.
//"Just like those indians," he said. "Aim, breathe, shoot." Your mother told you not to use that word, but it was always okay to say it around your dad. You liked that it was your secret. You could do anything in those woods.//
You put fit the arrow into the string and pull it back. It is surprisingly easy to hold, despite the fact that you hadn't done it in years.
As you squint, you can see two figures in the woods ahead of you. One is a little rabbit, it's nose tilted up to the sky.
The other is an eight-point deer.
[[Shoot rabbit]]
[[Drop the arrow and leave->Walk further into the woods.]]
[[Creep up to deer]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You start down the slope, feeling the wind charging at you from behind as you force yourself to keep walking. The rain is steady and weak, not yet ready to be called a storm.
It is quiet in the woods.
So very quiet.
[[Keep Walking->Why]]
[[Look around the ruins->Find bow and arrow]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/ambient/sounds/spring-weather-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>All it takes is one shot. You hit the rabbit right in its eye.
It screams for ages.
When you go closer to view the body a terrible fear fills your stomach.
She is so [[little.->Redacted killed Ruth]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You find yourself back at the same slope as before. It is quiet as you walk.
[[Keep walking->Why]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You walk closer, crouching low to get a better shot.
[[Aim and fire->Kill the deer (is Sam)]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You feel something is wrong the moment you let go of the string.
The deer looks at you and it sees you.
It tries to run.
It doesn't have a [[chance->Sam dies.]].
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You knew the demon played tricks on all who entered.
But you didn't know there would be anyone in the forest with you. You didn't think anyone would be there.
[[You thought wrong.->End Redacted]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It takes so long for him to die.
You keep walking until you reach where he lay. The arrow sticks out of his throat. He is bleeding profusely.
"I'm sorry," you say.
You know how to end the pain.
You pull out the [[arrow->End Redacted]].
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>All who kill in the forest belong to the demon.
You, too, belong to him.
[[You always have.->Redacted Wrong]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It's within this quiet that you begin to think. The alcohol-induced haze you've had all evening has left your mind blank.
Why did you come here?
[[To kill something->Redacted Kill Demon1]]
[[To bury something->Redacted no kill]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/misc/sounds/shovel-into-snow-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
There is no killing in these woods. You know this. You've always known this.
That is why, perhaps, it is so fitting that the last death to occur will be yours.
You'll cry, of course. You'll try to fight it.
You'll do everything in your power to stop yourself.
But there is no stopping what is to come.
There is only pain.
Only blood.
Only seconds left until your vision fades.
Only seconds left to remember.
Oh, you tried to remember.
You did try, didn't you?
[[End it->Beginning]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/misc/sounds/shovel-into-snow-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
Yes, you remember now.
You came to bury it.
"I'm here," you shout. You stop walking. There is no use going further into the woods. It had known you were here from the moment you entered.
'' "And why is that, old sport?" ''
"I'm here to end this, demon!"
'' "That's no fun." ''
[[Kill it->Redacted Fight Demon 2]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/communication/sounds/ink-pen-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/phone/sounds/phone-hang-up-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
It takes a form you know all too well. You [[remember]] that night you met. They'd looked like a dear friend of yours, one who had died a year prior.
Those dark eyes had always entranced you.
'' "You wouldn't know how to end anything if you tried." ''
You burn with rage just looking at it. That form it takes is disgusting.
It rushes towards you.
[[What are you waiting for? Kill it!->Redacted Kill Demon 2]]
[[No, wait. Talk to them.->Redacted Die]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You pull the knife out of your pocket and flash it at the demon, but it quickly disappears.
'' "You won't stop me that easily." ''
You curse under your breath. Of course it wouldn't be over quick. There was no such thing as a graveyard digger who worked an easy job.
So you keep walking.
The woods around you are thick and overgrown. It's been so long since humans walked the land here. Years have passed, a little over two decades, but to the earth, it is as though whole lifetimes have passed.
The longer you walk the more tired you become.
You know this was it's plan. It wants you tired. It wants you exhausted. You grit your teeth and keep walking.
Somewhere within this twisted place is the house you lost all those years ago.
You won't rest until you find it again.
So you keep walking
and walking
and walking
and walking
and walking
until your feet are stumbling
until sweat is pouring down your body like the rain
until thunder crackles overhead
until the endless night just about drowns you.
It is then that you find it.
[[Enter your home->Redacted enter house]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/ambient/sounds/spring-weather-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Wrong move.
The demon doesn't stop to say goodbye--instead, it snaps its fingers and a thousand birds flock to you. The trees reach in, their spiny arms grabbing you and holding you in place.
You hear their screaming long after you leave that disgusting body of yours behind.
[[Restart->Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/button/sounds/beep-17.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The stairs creak as you walk up them. The house is large and empty. The front door is gone, ripped off the hinges, and blood stains the wood.
Years ago, you had built that house with your father and grandfather.
It was your hunting lodge, and you had always been proud of the work you'd put into it. There was nothing more satisifying than knowing that you were staying in a house you'd built by hand.
Likewise, there was nothing more terrifying than entering it's hollowed remains.
[[Go to the living room->Redacted watch movie]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/footsteps/sounds/wooden-stairs-2.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
The living room is a mess.
You can still see your father and yourself sitting on that old couch, watching movies on his VHS. It used to be your favorite time of the year. Just you and your old man, watching movies, having father-son time.
It all changed after his death.
A lot of things changed after his death.
Don't you remember everything that's happened?
//Your daughter was born in 1993. Don't you remember her?//
//That smile on your wife's face after birth. The way that she held her baby in her arms, so tight, so loving. You two had tried for years. She'd be the only child you'd ever get. You'd do anything for her. Anything.//
//Why did ''he'' have to take her away from you?// You see an old bottle of beer sitting on the table, unopened. It's room temperature but you don't care. Rage fills your chest. You grab it and chug, wanting the memories to dissappear.
You told her not to date that boy.
You told her.
You told her.
You //told// her.
And what did she do? Did she listen? NO.
God, they never listen. They never listen. They never //fucking// listen.
Why did it have to happen that way?
When your wife found out it killed her. Killed her. Your wife. The only love in your life. The only person you wanted to spend your life with. The only person who made it bearable in this fucking world.
She just left you behind.
No note.
No goodbye.
Just her body, found in the same spot as you daughers.
Forever holding on to your baby girl's picture.
[[Leave this room->Redacted fight demon 3]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/transformer-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
You walk into the kitchen with Ruth, who stays a few feet away from you at all times. You don't blame her. You'd never wanted to be alone with yourself anyway.
The kitchen is clean compared to the living room. It is bare, but the lights turn on as you enter and there is a small hum coming from the fridge. It is open.
The room is cold but the fridge is warm in comparision.
A few bottles sit inside and you grab one--the first drink you had wasn't enough. It was lukewarm anyway. This one is at least semi-cold.
It tastes bitter. Like the handles on a bike left outside during June. You always told her other not to leave her bike outside. To put it in the carport.
She never listened. Never. She was an ornary child.
Ruth also takes something from the fridge. It is a water bottle, half empty, but she downs it like she's been wandering a desert. You chuckle.
As you sip, you sit down on the counter. It's cold and rough. You grip the base to keep yourself steady. The beer tastes horrible. You keep sipping on it.
"What is that?"
Ruth points to the bag next to you on the counter. It's brown--a paper sack. //She doesn't know what a bag is? Stupid girl. Probably has only seen plastic ones.//
"Oh, it's just a-"
You grab it to show her but it's wrong--it's heavy in your hands. Like there's a rock inside.
Your throat is sore.
You know what's inside that bag. It was your father's dirty little secret. He kept it from everyone but you. He was a good guy, he really was. He only took them when the two of you were hunting.
Years after his death, you'd kept his last package. You couldn't bear to part with it. You knew that it was from the same batch that had killed him.
[[Take it, what use is there to stay here?->Overdose]]
[["It's nothing, Alexia."->Remember daughter]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>There is no happiness within the house. You walk back into the den and slump into a chair.
//Why did she have to leave you like that?//
You never wanted her to go. You could have been there for her. You were supposed to be there for her.
How could you though?
How could you talk to her about it when you felt absolutely nothing?
How could you go to therapy with her when all they did was ask you to open up about the fucking thing that left you sobbing and broken and ruined.
They wanted you to relive the pain over and over.
There is no carthasis in that.
Your wife was supposed to find help in it. Look where it got her.
Look.
Look.
Look.
Look.
Look.
FUCKING [[LOOK.]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/mechanical/sounds/transformer-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>//"Let her be, sweetie," your wife urged you.//
Fuck her. Fuck them. She would let Alexia get away with murder if she could. A fucking mistake. She wasn't ready to actually be a mother. She would spoil that child and let her do whatever the fuck she wanted. She didn't know how to parent.
Someone around here had to do it.
You force yourself to stand up. The world is spinning. Red. Everything is so fucking red. Your face is red. Your chest is red. The way you breathe in, your lungs tightening, a wheeze caught inside you, is red.
"ALEXIA."
She starts to run faster.
[[Catch Her->Kill demon, R1]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>She hides behind the couch.
"Get your ass out here now. Five."
She's covering away from you.
"Four."
It isn't until you're closer that you can see her clearly. That you can see those fucking eyes.
Those red eyes.
That skin--decayed. Gone.
"What--what the fuck are you?"
It doesn't respond.
"You steal my daughter's body too?"
You shake with rage. The demon knows no bounds. It disgusts you.
That form behind the couch is dead--and, if you get your hands on it, it will be bloody too.
[[Make it pay->Kill demon, R2]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You grab the couch and shove it away. The demon crawls into the corner and hisses.
It's voice is low and ugly.
You hate hearing that //thing// come out of your sweet baby girl's mouth.
[[Fucking kill that disgusting beast->Kill demon, R3]]
[[Wait->Don't Kill Demon, R2]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You slam the beer bottle you'd grabbed earler into the wall, spraying the demon with what little bit of it remained.
With the shards of glass, you hold it to the demon's throat.
[[Kill that fucking demon->Kill Demon]]
[[Wait->Doesn't Kill The Demon, Obtains Ruth]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It whimpered as you slid the glass across it's throat.
The whimper became a scream.
It became something far louder than that.
The blood coats your body.
She's screaming so loud.
She's sobbing and choking and then it's all over--her body is on the floor, gone.
Gone.
Gone.
[[You killed your baby girl.->Redacted Wrong]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Your hand shakes as you hold the demon in place with the bottle.
"I just wanted to help you, Alexia," you whisper. "Why wouldn't you let me help you?"
"Please," it whispers. It's crying. It's face is puffy and red. "Please stop."
You can't do it.
You drop the bottle and slump down next to it.
"Kill me," you cry. "Why torture me like this?"
The two of you stay there for what feels like hours.
Time passes so slowly.
It isn't until you start to drift off that the thing moves once more--this time, pushing itself off the floor and shakily standing.
"Don't leave me," you plead. "Please. If you must look like her at least let me keep my baby."
"Don't hurt me," it says. "I...I just want to go home."
"So do I."
"Who are you?" it asks. It's so small. So tiny.
It's then that you look at it--truly look at it.
It looks just like her.
So young.
So little.
But something is off. Her ears are too large--and they're not attached. They aren't pierced.
The way she stands is wrong too. Alexia always stood heavy to her left. This girl stands up straight, even shaking, even scared.
And there's a large birthmark on her cheek. No freckles.
"You're not Alexia."
"No," she whispers. "I don't know who that is. I just want to go home."
"Who are you?" you ask. No one besides the demon could enter the woods. Why a little girl? This is a trick you are not used to. It feels wrong. Worse, somehow, than the torture it normally puts you through.
This feels like betrayal.
"Who are you?" you repeat.
She shakes her head and takes a deep breath. "My name is Ruth," she finally says. "Who...who are you?"
(set: $transCounter to 0)\
|sample1)[(transition: "dissolve")["My name is Peter Praetor."]]
|sample2)[(transition: "dissolve")["This is my hunting lodge. These are my woods... These used to be my woods, at least."]]
|sample3)[(transition: "dissolve")["Your woods...are you the mayor?"
She sounds so simple. So sweet.
"I am."]]
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You look around the living room. It's a mess. "I...I have to leave this room. Come with me, it's not safe for you out here."
[[Leave the room->Redacted make food]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Ruth watches as you pull out the container. It's wrapped in cellopane.
You carefully unwrap it, layer by layer, until you find a little capsule. Just one. He'd never take more than one at a time.
You swallow it with a sip of beer. It's rotten.
[[So rotten.->Die]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>There is no memory in death, so you are saved from feeling.
But there is no hope in death either.
As you look up with your last second, you can see him grasp Alexia. Tears are streaming down her face. You cannot feel yours.
He's taken her.
He's won.
[[Restart->Beginning]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"I'm not-"
(set: $transCounter to 0)\
|sample1)[(transition: "dissolve")["I'm sorry. You're Ruth."
"I knew that."
"I just..."]]
|sample2)[(transition: "dissolve")+(transition-time: 4s)[
You can't breathe. You throw the bag far away from you. You don't look to see where it lands.
"I miss her so much. She was my baby girl."
]]
|sample3)[(transition: "dissolve")+(transition-time: 8s)[
"What happened to her?" Ruth asks. She's so sweet. So fucking sweet.
Childhood is a type of innocence you wish were illegal.
"She had her baby," you say. It hurts just to think about it. To remember it.]]
|sample4)[(transition: "dissolve")+(transition-time: 12s)[
"She couldn't keep it. She was too young to have a baby. But that didn't stop her."
You remember the way she cried the night the child was given away for adoption. She signed the papers and sobbed for hours.
"She locked herself away from everyone. No one could talk to her."
That wasn't quite right. He could talk to her. He'd always been able to.
]]
|sample5)[(transition: "dissolve")+(transition-time: 20s)["We just wanted what was best for her."
You're shaking. Hard. It rocks the table.
It hurts but you can't stop talking.
"I never wanted to hurt her. I didn't know she would--I didn't think she'd be that upset about it. Everyone knew she couldn't keep the baby. She said that she understood. That it would be okay. We all told her it was okay."
"Was it?"
]]
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[["No."->Go Upstairs]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You can't stay in here.
"I have to go."
You throw yourself off the counter and hit the ground hard. Your feet hurt. Your legs hurt.
You don't give a shit.
You walk out of that room fast, leaving Ruth behind. She says something. You don't stop to listen.
You have to leave. It doesn't matter where.
You find yourself walking up the stairs.
Up towards the two rooms. The master bedroom and the guest.
[[Go into the master bedroom.]]
[[Go into the guest room.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You didn't have sex that night.
(set: $transCounter to 0)\
|sample1)[(transition: "dissolve")[But that had never been your plan.
]]
|sample2)[(transition: "dissolve")[You just wanted to tell her the truth. That you liked her. That you thought she was the most beautiful girl you'd ever seen. That you wanted to take her on a date. A real date.
She tried to go down on you, but you couldn't get it up. It was all too fast.
It wouldn't be real that way. No. You couldn't.]]
|sample3)[(transition: "dissolve")[She respected that.
The two of you talked all night instead. When you woke up, she was cradled on your chest. She looked like an angel even in her sleep.
She had been perfect.]]
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A creak pulls you from your daydream.
A [[figure->Fight Demon]] stands in the doorway.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It's tall and daunting.
It takes a form you've seen before. One that you know.
It is the demon.
[[Kill it->Struggle]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It growls and shouts at you, it's voice garbled. It backs away from the door and into the hall, taunting you.
You follow it out the door.
"You fucking bitch," you say. "You can't fight me like a man?"
It rushes towards you and tackles you.
The two of you hit the ground in a tangle of bodies--fists flying. It is larger than you and stronger--but that doesn't matter. You have something the demon will never have. A soul.
You manage to get on top of it and grab it by the throat.
It hisses at you.
[[What are you waiting for? Kill it!->Kill Demon, Re]]
[[Wait->Don't Kill Demon, Re]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You squeeze hard. It continues to struggle but you don't let it win.
It's hands grab you--nails cutting into your skin.
You keep squeezing. Harder.
Harder.
Harder.
Harder.
Finally, it falls limp. You keep squeezing. You won't let it get the best of you. You know better than to fall for one of it's tricks.
You squeeze so hard that you feel something break. Its neck is limp underneath you. Your wrists lay on top of its snapped collarbone. Your knees dig into its weak ribs.
It's body is warm and stiff underneath you.
It is then that you really get a look at the creature. It is not a demon. It is a grown man. One who's face you begin to recognize.
You killed [[him.->Redacted Wrong]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Wait? For what?
It claws at you. You squeeze tighter.
"You fucking monster," you spit. "You ruined so many lives."
It hisses again.
[[End it->Kill Demon, Re]]
[[Wait->Struggle1]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It kicks your legs and you grunt in pain as it squirms underneath you. It may be larger, and it may be stronger, but over the years you'd gained a lot of weight and you definitely weighed more than it. It stayed underneath you, unable to get out.
You dig your knees into its chest and get closer to its face.
It growls at you, spitting gutteral in some demonic language. You laugh.
[[Kill it->Kill Demon, Re]]
[[Wait->Don't Kill The Damn Demon]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It wants free but you don't let it go.
"You think you're so much better than everyone," you say. "You think you can just ruin lives and--"
It hisses. You let go of its throat with one hand and punch it hard. There is blood on your hand when you put it back on the throat.
"Shut the fuck up!"
[[It's time to bury it->Kill Demon, Re]]
[[Wait->Save Sam]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"You fucking-"
It manages to grab ahold of your leg and cut you with its nails. You reach back to grab it but it's faster than you are--it kicks you again, pushes itself off the ground, and headbutts you hard.
You fall to the ground and curse.
"Stop," the demon shouts.
"Stop?"
You [[laugh.->Remember Sam]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"I'm not a demon."
(set: $transCounter to 0)\
|sample1)[(transition: "dissolve")[You grin. It isn't the demon. No. That form is real--it is real and it is finally time for you to get the revenge you'd wanted.
"I know you aren't."
]]
|sample2)[(transition: "dissolve")[
"You're something worse."
]]
|sample3)[(transition: "dissolve")["You're Samuel Sputhers."]]
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[["You killed my daughter."->Fight Sam]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"When you stole that half-million from your family I knew you'd be on the run," you say. You wanted to laugh. No, no, you hold yourself still. Be calm. You've been waiting for this for too long.
"I knew you'd need an exit from town.
"But the cops knew that too. You knew they'd block you from leaving.
"So you do the only thing you can think of--run off into the forbidden woods to escape."
Sam shakes his head. "You don't know anything, old man. You've been wrong your entire life. But no one has ever been brave enough to say it to your face, have they?"
"Then say it," you say.
"Say what?"
"Say it to my fucking face."
[[Kill Sam]]
[[Do Not Kill Sam]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"You're the reason she's dead."
That's it--you can't take it anymore. You scream and throw yourself onto him. There is something deep and dark within you and you let it take control. You scream and scream and every bit of frustration you've ever experienced comes up. It takes control of you.
The rage is what pounds into Sam.
The rage is what snaps his neck.
The rage is what makes you keep hitting him.
The rage is what makes you dig your fists into his skin until they are coated with his sticky blood.
The rage is what makes you scream long after his last breath is taken.
You look down at his bloodied [[body.->Redacted Wrong]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"I never killed your daughter. If anyone killed her, you did," Sam says.
A black heat fills your body.
"She was so lonely and you wouldn't even help her. She tried to talk to you and you shunned her."
No. That isn't how it happened. //She// is the one who wouldn't talk to you. You tried to talk to her--you did. You tried and you couldn't get through to her. She just wouldn't //listen//.
"You made her feel like shit. You wouldn't let me see her."
"You were the fucker you put her in that mess to begin with," you say. "You blame me? Blame yourself. If it wasn't for you, my daughter could have been happy. She could have kept her grades up. She could have finished high school."
[[Make him pay for what he did.->Kill Sam]]
[[Wait->Seriously, Don't Kill Sam]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"Stop it!"
You hear her before you see her--she's running up the stairs.
That mop of brown hair looks just like Alexia. Your heart fills with hatred at the sight of it.
"Please. Stop fighting," she begs. "Don't kill each other."
"He killed my daughter-"
"He killed my fiance!"
"I DON'T CARE," she screams. Her voice ends in a sob. "I just want to go home. Don't do this right now. Please. Can someone take me home?"
You look to Samuel and he looks at you. The two of you both shake your head.
He extends his hand towards you.
You don't shake it.
"Let's [[go->Travel with Sam and Ruth through the woods]]," you say. "We can settle this later."
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You sit down.
'' "Why are you here, Praetor?" ''
"I'm here..."
[["To end this."->Kill New Demon]]
[["So you can kill me."->Die->RDie]]
[["To make a bargain."->Bargain With Demon]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You reach out to the demon and grab him.
He punches you hard--you taste blood but that doesn't matter.
Both of you stand.
"Let's end this," you say.
The demon rushes towards you.
[[Kill it->Back to Life]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The demon holds out his hand and you take it.
Except it isn't death he offers you.
[[It's a second chance.->Redacted]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The three of you leave the house. It is cold outside but it has finally stopped raining. Little Ruth walks ahead of both of you, looking back from time to time as she walks, as though to check to see if you are both behaving.
You want to laugh. She acts just like Alexia too.
You wonder if Sam knows who she is. He hasn't said anything to her--not once since you left the house has he said anything.
"Did you bring her here?" you ask him.
"What? Why the fuck would I bring her here?" Sam says. "I came here to get away from the police. I wanted to start over."
"Start over with her?"
Sam gives you a confused look.
"You don't..." You shake your head. Of course he doesn't know. Sam had never been the type to look into things.
That's why you didn't want Alexia to date him. He was a stupid boy. Rich, ignorant, the type who got whatever the hell he wanted and didn't care how.
Of course he wouldn't want to watch over his child. He didn't want anything to do with her. He was the one who advocated for the adoption so hard--he wasn't ready to be a father. He was ready for the sex, but nothing more.
Nothing more.
Sam was nothing more than a piece of shit.
"Ruth is your daughter," you tell him. "You can't see Alexia in her? I made certain she went to a good home. I visited them often. So did your father. We pay each month to make certain she gets taken care of and fed properly."
Ruth is walking ahead. You talk low so she doesn't hear you.
"Don't worry," you tell Sam bitterly, "she doesn't know. She doesn't know anything."
Sam is quiet.
[[Keep walking]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The second the three of you step foot inside his voice is all you can hear.
The lights are loud and flickering.
'' "You brought me new souls, did you, Praetor?" ''
Sam grasped Ruth and hid her behind him. You sigh and shake your head. You know that it is useless.
"Take them," you plead. "Take them and end this nightmare."
It laughs. It is a dark and deep laugh, and you can feel it inside your own stomach. You look down at yourself--at your dark hands--at your dark feet--at the shadow of a man you'd become.
You were a demon, just like him.
'' "If you wish to end this," the demon spoke, "then murder him." ''
A gun appears in your right hand.
You lift it to Sam--and something akin to joy rises inside you. You are happier than you've ever been as you pull the trigger. Bubbles of laughter spill from your mouth like the blood spills from his head.
Ruth's screams are so loud.
'' "Good job, Praetor. Now leave this place. Never return." ''
"What about the girl?"
Once again the two of you laugh. It is stronger than her little tears.
'' "Would you care to watch?" ''
It seemed like a question but it wasn't. You cannot move, but you can see yourself moving. You can see your shadowed body walking towards her. You can see the gun discarded. You can see your hands, widened, and your fingers, sharpened at the tips, closing in on her small body.
All the joy leaves you.
You can feel again.
You can feel.
Feel.
And you can hear her screams.
And see her bright eyes swelling with tears.
And you watch as you drain the life from those pretty eyes.
[[Yeah, bad choice.->Everyone is murdered]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You leave the two of them outside. Hell knows what the demon would do if you took them in with you--all he wanted was more souls to torture.
You aren't going to give him that.
You're going to end this. Once and for all.
You enter the pub. It had been [[years]] since you'd last been in a pub.
[["Come out, Demon. Let's talk."->Talk to the demon]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>[[Ya done messed up, A-Aron.->Redacted Wrong]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>"I want to end this," you say.
'' "You know how to end this." ''
You shake your head.
"Not like that."
'' "You know you want it over. Just end it." ''
A gun appears on the ground before you.
You shake your head.
"No more tricks."
There is a deep chuckle from within the pub. Even empty, it sounds as though his voice is lost within a crowd.
"Come out," you plead. "Come out and let's end this."
It appears in a chair and motions for you to sit down next to it.
You [[sit->sit]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The world spins and you throw up.
You leave the pub to find the two of them waiting on you.
"What happened?" Ruth asks you.
"Nothing," you say. "It's over now. Let's go."
Sam gives you a look, but you shake your head. You no longer want to fight him. Something inside you has softened. Your head aches.
As you reach the gate and begin to leave, you let Ruth go ahead and pull Sam back.
"You need to make this right," you say. "And so do I."
"Is she really mine?" Sam motions to Ruth. You nod. He takes a deep breath. "Let me take her with me. Let me start over. Please. I'll make this right."
You look him deep in the eyes and know that he is telling the truth.
You nod.
This time, when he holds out his hand, you shake it.
[[End->Redacted Right]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You grab the gun from earlier off the ground and shoot.
The demon stops and falls.
It screams.
On the ground where it fell is a small [[rabbit.->Redacted End]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>The demon grins.
'' "Then let's bargain." ''
The demon points to the wall, where there is a large TV. It is playing a basketball game.
'' "Which team will win?" ''
[[Home->Win]]
[[Away->Lose]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Aight just tell me this.
Why the fuck. Did you think. You could win a deal made with a demon?
[[You can't.->Redacted Wrong]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Aight just tell me this.
Why the fuck. Did you think. You could win a deal made with a demon?
[[You can't.->Redacted Wrong]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>[[<img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Black_colour.jpg/1200px-Black_colour.jpg" width="100" height="100"> ->BURN THE FOREST DOWN]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>[[<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/Idxg7WyBBTtg1uQvZl/giphy.gif" border="0" /></a>->Beginning]]
<h4> This is a horror game. There are three players you can play as in this game. You are encouraged to play each route. </h4>
In this game, you may have to take a route several times in order to get past it. Read closely, as some routes may seem the same at first.
This game contains dark themes, some fowl language, murder, mention of suicide, mention of alcohol, satanic/devilish influence, and questions of morality. Please play at your own risk.
If at any point you feel uncertain, scared, or want to back out, do it. Do not put yourself in harm to continue playing. This goes for all games that you play.
This game is intended to be entertainment that makes you think, but not entertainment that makes you go into an anxiety attack/worse.
Some sounds in this game are extremely loud. Others are not. If you have an animal in the room with you, turn down your sound. My poor cat nearly died while I made this game.
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/ambient/sounds/spring-weather-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
[[Start Game->Beginning]]The tales said that all who entered would be lost. They would become the animals they sought to hunt.
Now, it seems, they became the very monsters they [[feared.->Sam doesn't kill Ruth, obtain Character Ruth]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>It was crowded inside the bar. Everyone was talking. You'd always hated crowds, but part of your job was getting to know people. So you did. You'd sit and drink a beer with people, laugh, talk politics, and show everyone that you were a good, wholesome, educated, and worthwhile leader.
Which is why when your best friend said, "Hey, let's make a bet." you thought nothing of it.
Bets were nothing but harmless [[fun.->Redacted Fight Demon 2]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/misc/sounds/shovel-into-snow-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
You see her.
She stands in front of you.
You want to say something. You don't know what to say. The words are there but they're wrong. They taste like poison.
"Fuck you."
You look away.
Don't look away.
She leaves you there, walking away from the den. She walks so funny now. Is that a limp? Has she always limped?
Fuck. No. Of course not. She wouldn't do that if she hadn't--
FUCK.
Why is she leaving you? She knows better than to leave you.
"COME BACK HERE," you shout. You don't want to have to follow her inside. "GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE NOW. THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT."
In your eyes she's still a little baby. A mop of brown hair and wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt covered in mud and paint. She has on a million hair clips. She's grinning.
Always grinning.
She always grinned when she was about to get in trouble.
"ALEXIA. GET YOUR FUCKING ASS DOWN HERE. YOU LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW."
She moves faster. You can hear her footsteps within the house.
Your blood pounds.
She's running away again.
[[Go After Her->Kill demon, R]]
[[Let her be->Kill demon, R]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/footsteps-1.html">
</source>
</audio>Wait? Wait for what, the demon to kill you too?
Wait for it ruin something else?
No. You came here to bury something.
You intend to [[bury->Kill demon, R2]] it.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/transportation/sounds/turn-signal-01.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You enter the master bedroom.
When you started to date your wife this was the first place you brought her. You'd gone on a camping trip with all of your friends--and she came with y'all.
Everyone stayed downstairs in the living room, drinking and having a good time. It was a party.
Later that night, you brought [[her->Remember wife]] upstairs. You were both tipsy.
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>There's nothing here. It's empty.
[[Leave the room.->Go into the master bedroom.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You walk towards the direction of the gate but everything is different.
The woods begin to thin. A path emerges and the three of you walk it, but your heart starts to beat fast as it turns into a road.
You know what the demon is doing.
At the end of the road is a pub. No, not //a// pub. It is the pub. The one where it all started.
You know what he wants you to do.
[[Take the three of them inside with you->Enter with R and S]]
It's time to end this. [[Enter Alone]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>You used to go to the bars every night. You'd sit and drink and laugh. You had so many friends back then. Everyone knew you. Everyone trusted you.
You were a smart guy and a good mayor.
That's why you made the bet. Because you were smart. Because you were never wrong.
// "I bet that our team loses by twelve points," you said.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Look at Ricky--he's too angry to think straight. The other team is getting to him. He's going to slip."
"Let's make a bet then. If home loses, then you win. If home wins, then I win."
"What do I get if I win?"
"I'll make sure you stay mayor of this town until the day you retire."
//
The demon was good on his word.
You won the bet.
So you made another. You came back to that same bar four years later, visiting as you had every Friday at that point. And he was there again.
// "I bet that we will win this game," you told him.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah." You grinned. Cocky bastard. You were always so sure of yourself. "You don't think so?"
"You know, I don't. I think that home is going to lose. I'll bet you that away wins by 9 points. If you win, I'll make it so that way you get more money than you can handle. If I win, I get your hunting land."
"Deal." //
It was a stupid deal.
You had always been a stupid man, though, hadn't you?
[[Back->Enter Alone]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/clock/sounds/clock-ticking-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>Anyone who kills in these woods sells their soul to the demon.
[[Back->Redacted enters the forest]]
<audio autoplay loop>
<source src="https://www.soundjay.com/misc/sounds/shovel-into-snow-1.mp3">
</source>
</audio>
↶↷
This is a horror game. There are three players you can play as in this game. You are encouraged to play each route.
In this game, you may have to take a route several times in order to get past it. Read closely, as some routes may seem the same at first.
This game contains dark themes, some fowl language, murder, mention of suicide, mention of alcohol, satanic/devilish influence, and questions of morality. Please play at your own risk.
If at any point you feel uncertain, scared, or want to back out, do it. Do not put yourself in harm to continue playing. This goes for all games that you play.
This game is intended to be entertainment that makes you think, but not entertainment that makes you go into an anxiety attack/worse.
Some sounds in this game are extremely loud. Others are not. If you have an animal in the room with you, turn down your sound. My poor cat nearly died while I made this game.
