The Phantom

Clare was always there for me. I remember when I was nine my grandmother passed away suddenly in her sleep. I’d never seen my father cry before then. My mother read something in a parenting book about giving children a role in the [[funeral planning.]]

My mother didn’t approve and we ended up with a black coffin but it made my father smile for the first time since she passed. Clare had a way of cheering people up, [[even at their worst.]]

I had imagined what it would be like when I inevitably had to say good-bye to a loved one. But I never imagined losing her. People in secondary school [[aren’t meant to die.]]

The story made national news “Teenager brutally murdered on way home from new year’s eve party in Tipperary”. Seeing the articles [[made me feel sick.]]

I woke up, groggy from the lack of sleep, today’s my first day back at school. Most of our other friends went back two weeks ago but I just [[couldn’t force myself up.]]

Yeah it’s time. Better get up. I showered and ate some leftover porridge from my father’s breakfast. [[They had already left.]]

She can’t just decide I need to move on, how could she understand? I was all alone in this. Okay that was a little melodramatic… [[Still I’m going back to bed, one more week won’t kill me.]]

“Hello, is this Ciara O’Brian?” It was a woman’s voice, she sounded panicked. (click: "Hello")[“Hi yes it is?” I replied quickly.] (click: "Hi")[“Oh thank god we caught you before you left” She exhaled heavily and continued.] (click: "Oh")[“Err Ciara I don’t want you to panic but we found something on Clare’s Facebook page and we need you to stay at home for the time being.”] (click: "Err")[“Wait what? Why? What did you find?” Butterflies were building in my stomach.] (click: "Wait")[“Look don’t worry, just stay inside, we’ll send some guards out to you.”] (click: "Look")[ [[Then she hung up. ]]]

I tried to ignore the shrill ringing but whoever it was clearly wasn’t giving up anytime soon. [Ignore it again.]<Example1| (click: ?Example1)[ RING RING RING RING RING RING. [Ignore it more.]<Example2| (click: ?Example2)[ Okay this is getting ridiculous at this point. ] ] [[Pick up.]] <audio src="http://www.soundjay.com/phone/telephone-ring-01a.wav" autoplay loop>

I was on the verge of sleep when the phone rang. “Why…” I groaned. [[Pick up.]] [[Ignore it.]] <audio src="http://www.soundjay.com/phone/telephone-ring-01a.wav" autoplay loop>

My mother had decided though, in conjunction with yet another parenting book, that I had to move on. [[I agree with her.]] [[I’m not ready.]]

[[Panic.]] Or [[Formulate a plan.]]

Oh god what did they find? Clare hadn’t told me anyone strange had been messaging her. She would have told me. I couldn’t breathe, I sat down gasping for breath. Ok calm down, calm down, calm down. (click: "calm down")[I can’t just sit here. I need to do something. (link: "Decide what to do.")[(goto: "Formulate a plan.")[[Formulate a plan.]]] ]

I just need to relax, it's okay. I could try to ring the guards back, it was a little rude to hang up like that. Or I could look at Clare’s Facebook page and try to figure it out from there. [[Ring the guards.]] [[Open Facebook.]]

I can’t get through. It keeps ringing out, not like its engaged, more like they’re ignoring me… Was this really the guards number? It was definitly the number that woman had called on, I pressed re-dial. [[I could just wait.]] OR I could [[Open Facebook.]]

I’ll check her page. Maybe someone posted something. I’ll have to get through all the RIP posts. I hadn’t built up the courage to look at the page since she was killed, but what other options did I have. [[Check Clare’s page.]]

(open-url: "https://goo.gl/rHCzAm") I guess Clare’s mam didn’t know how to delete the page so she just unfriended everybody. It doesn’t look like anything new was posted. Maybe she got a message from someone… I think I know her password. Maybe I shouldn’t? [[Try remember the password.]] [[Try calling the guards again.]]

I remember I dared her to tell me her password as a stupid trust exercise at a sleepover months ago. I never even went on to her page though, I can barely remember. I think it was a word followed by a number. Yes that’s it, it was something she loved followed by a four digit number. It had no capital letters, I'm sure of that. [[Check Clare’s page again.]] [[Think about possibilities.]] [[Enter password.]]

They aren’t picking up. They’re so unreliable. I’m just getting more and more anxious. Clare’s gone, I don’t she’d care if I checked, even if she was still here. [[Try remember the password.]]

This is driving me crazy. I can't just sit here doing nothing. I need to do something to pass the time until the guards call back. [[Open Facebook.]]

(open-url: "https://goo.gl/rHCzAm") [[Try remember the password.]] [[Think about possibilities.]]

(put: (prompt: "Password") into $name) (if: $name is "kodaline1998")[ [[Login granted]]] (else:)[ The password you entered was incorrect. (link: "Try again")[(goto: "Enter password.")[[Enter password.]]] [[Check Clare’s page again.]] ]

Oh wow, I didn’t think that would work. Seeing her profile hurts, those doodles, I forced her to put them up. She was so shy. I can’t get side-tracked now, I need to figure out what’s wrong. [[Check Clare’s friend requests.]] [[Check Clare’s messages.]]

Maybe if I lay out some basic things I know about Clare that will help. Birthday: 17th November 1998. Favourite book: Emma. Favourite TV show: Game of Thrones. Favourite band: Kodaline. Dog’s name: Poppy. [[Try remember the password.]] [[Check Clare’s page again.]]

Just as I got up to leave the the phone began to ring. Weird time to call. 6:30am? [[Pick up.]] [[Ignore it.]] <audio src="http://www.soundjay.com/phone/telephone-ring-01a.wav" autoplay loop>

50 new friend requests. Too many to check individually. Since her mam deleted all her old friends I can’t really check to see if any stand out. There’s only one place left then, (link: "her messages.")[(goto: "Check Clare’s messages.")[[Check Clare’s messages.]]]

She had only messaged three people on New Year ’s Eve. That would make it easier. Me. (click: "Me")[I really don't want to re-read those...](click: "those")[(link: " Check them anyway.")[(goto: "Me.")[[Me.]]]] Our friend [[Julie Nevins.]] And Somebody called [[John Phantom.]]

(font:"Arial")[(align: "=><=")[(colour: "black")[(colour: "white")[(text-style: "bold")[(background: #3B5998)[Facebook Messenger]]](background: white)[(text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[ 31st December 2015]] (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[5:23pm - Ciara O’Brian]] Pleaaaaaaaaaaase come It’ll suck if you don’t And Conor will be there <img src="http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bf9.gif" width="25" height="25" alt=";)"> <img src="http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bf9.gif" width="25" height="25" alt=";)"> <img src="http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bf9.gif" width="25" height="25" alt=";)"> (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[5:43pm - Clare Wade]] Ughhh The things you make me do <img src="http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bl2.gif" width="25" height="25" alt=">:O"> OK What time? (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[5:44pm - Ciara O’Brian]] You love me deep down 8 at Julie’s Ok? Oh btw mam said you can stay at mine (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[5:47pm - Clare Wade]] Whew okay I’m excited now <img src="http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bd3.gif" width="25" height="25" alt=":D"> (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[5:48pm - Ciara O’Brian]] You’re supposed to be excited for the party not the sleepover!! (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[5:50pm - Clare Wade]] I’m equally excited for both I swear I better get ready CU in 2 hours (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[5:53pm - Ciara O’Brian]] Cya then <img src="http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bb8.gif" width="25" height="25" alt=":D"> (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[1st January 2016]] (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[2:45am - Clare Wade]] I’m goinn bck to yiurs now ok I’ll be ther in 15 min (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[2:47am - Ciara O’Brian]] OK sorry for leaving early, I felt so sick. <img src="http://www.pic4ever.com/images/waaaht.gif" width="25" height="25" alt=":'''("> (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[2:48am - Clare Wade]] Don’t worrrry I had fybn alone (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[3:10am - Ciara O’Brian]] Clare where are you??? (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[3:20am - Ciara O’Brian]] Seriously I’m going to wake my parents up if you don’t respond. (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[3:28am - Ciara O’Brian]] Please please please answer, I'm actually so worried (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[4:28am - Ciara O’Brian]] We went out looking for you, I’m calling the guards so if you’re joking please stop, sorry if you’re annoyed at me for leaving, just please answer (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[5:28am - Ciara O’Brian]] I'm so scared please answer, I need to know you're ok ]]]] [[Back.]]

Check more messages. The messages from [[Me.]] The messages from [[Julie Nevins.]] The messages from [[John Phantom.]]

(text-style: "shudder")[(click: "Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic.")[Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic.(link: "Panic.")[(goto: "Panic..")[[Panic..]]]] (click: "Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic.")[Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic.] (click: "Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic.")[Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic.] (click: "Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic.")[Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic.] Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. ]

I was given the job of picking out the coffin. Clare helped of course, she was almost as upset as me. [[We decided on a bright pink coffin with a black lining.]]

After that, Clare and I planned our own funerals, we swore that our coffins would definitely be pink. [It seems morbid looking back now, given all that's happened.]<Example| (click: ?Example)[ In reality, her coffin was brown. [[I helped her mother pick it]] ]

I couldn’t breathe at first, my heart was pounding. I was numb, then I cried for days. I kept imagining all the things I should have said,[[ did she realise how much I loved her? ]]

The funeral was delayed twice to give the guards more time to examine her body. By the time the funeral came my overpowering grief had turned into uncontrollable rage. Who did this? Why haven’t the guards caught them yet? [[Why did this happen to her?]]

I kept imagining how everyone would act around me, would they stare? I try to imagine my situation from their point of view, I think I would stare if I were them. Then there’s the fact that every little thing reminds me of her, what if I start crying in class or in the corridor? [[What a nightmare.]]

Then I heard it. A beep. I looked back down at my screen, struggling to breathe. (font:"Arial")[(align: "=><=")[(colour: "black")[(colour: "white")[(text-style: "bold")[(background: #3B5998)[Facebook Messenger]]](background: white)[(text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[ 22nd January 2016]] (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[7:21am – John Phantom]] It took you long enough I want to play a game Hide and seek I hope you don't mind but I always preferred seeking You have 1 minute to hide <img src="http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bb8.gif" width="25" height="25" alt=":D"> ]]]] [[DO SOMETHING]] <audio src="http://www.stdimension.org/MediaLib/effects/computer/federation/keyok5.wav" autoplay >

I just couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I just sat there. I don’t have to wonder how Clare felt anymore. I heard the steps as they reached the landing. I closed my eyes. [[It was over.]]

(set: $counter to 60) You have |amount>[$counter] seconds left! (live: 1s)[(set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "Freeze")] (replace: ?amount)[$counter]] [[Find a hiding spot.]] [[Phone the guards.]] [[Reply on Facebook.]] (link: "Do nothing.")[(goto: "Freeze")[[Freeze]]]

You have |amount>[$counter] seconds left! (live: 1s)[(set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "Freeze")] (replace: ?amount)[$counter]] I looked around wildly. The room is quite large. [[Hide under the bed.]] [[Hide in the bathroom.]] [[Hide the in wardrobe.]]

You have |amount>[$counter] seconds left! (live: 1s)[(set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "Freeze")] (replace: ?amount)[$counter]] I grabbed my phone from the table. My palms were slick with sweat. 999. I was hyperventilating. “Hello” a sweet, female voice answered. “I can track your location, what service will you need?” (click: "need")[“All of them” I whimpered.] (click: "whimpered")[“Okay stay calm, what exactly has happened?” she sounded so relaxed.] (click: "relaxed")[“Someone’s in my house”] (click: "house")[“He’s going to hurt me”] (click: "hurt")[“Does he know where you are?”] (click: "are")[“I think so, he killed my friend”] (click: "friend")[“Stay as quiet as you can, help will be with you in 10 minutes”] (click: "minutes")[“That’s too long” the brief calm feeling this woman had imparted on me abruptly faded. [[Keep quiet but stay on the phone]] ] [[Find a hiding spot.]]

You have |amount>[$counter] seconds left! (live: 1s)[(set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "Freeze")] (replace: ?amount)[$counter]] (font:"Arial")[(align: "=><=")[(colour: "black")[(colour: "white")[(text-style: "bold")[(background: #3B5998)[Facebook Messenger]]](background: white)[(text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[ 22nd January 2016]] (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[7:21am – John Phantom]] It took you long enough I want to play a game Hide and seek I hope you don't mind but I always preferred seeking You have 2 minutes to hide <img src="http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bb8.gif" width="25" height="25" alt=":D"> (text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[7:21pm - Clare Wade]] Why are you doing this? (click: "Why")[(text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[7:21pm – John Phantom]] Never underestimate the quiet guy in the corner <img src="http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bd6.gif" width="25" height="25" alt=">;)"> (click: "quiet")[(text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[7:21pm - Clare Wade]] Why her? (click: "her")[(text-style: "bold")[(colour: #3B5998)[7:21pm – John Phantom ]] Why not? You really should get moving It’s no fun if you don’t run! ]]] ]]]] [[Find a hiding spot.]] (click: "fun")[(link: "Stand still.")[(goto: "Freeze")[[Freeze]]]]

Then I heard it, a deep laugh. Heavy footsteps climbing the stairs. [[I felt like I was going to faint]], my heart had never beaten that hard before.

I sat there with the woman’s reassuring words filling my ears. Then I heard it, a deep laugh. Heavy footsteps climbing the stairs. I felt like I was going to faint,[[ my heart had never beat this hard before.]]

The door creaked open slowly. (click: "open")[I blinked away the tears and looked up.] (click: "up")[A face I recognised stared back at me, malice filled his icy eyes.] (click: "eyes")[“It can’t be...” I stuttered, dropping the phone in surprise.] (click: "surprise")[He opened his mouth to speak then his eyes flickered to the phone.] (click: "flickered")[Rage overcame his expression.] (click: "expression")[“You shouldn’t have done that”] (click: "that")[His knife swung at me.] (click: "knife")[(link: "My world went black.")[(goto: "noticed him.")[[noticed him.]]] ]

The door creaked open. (click: "open")[I blinked away the tears and looked up.] (click: "up")[A face I recognised stared back at me, malice filled his icy eyes.] (click: "eyes")[“It can’t be...” I stuttered] (click: "stuttered")[“You didn’t hide”] (click: "hide")[“No”] (click: "No")[Then suddenly, inexplicably, his eyes filled with tears. He dropped his knife and turned away from me.] (click: "knife")[“I don’t regret it you know” his voice cracked as he continued.] (click: "continued")[“You’re all the same, you never even look at me.” Then he left, I heard him descend the stairs slowly. A minute later the door slammed.] (click: "slammed")[ [[Someday I hope I forgive him]] ]

His name was Brendan Williams. I didn’t even know his second name before the newspapers plastered it all over the world. He went to our school. I never heard him speak before he came to kill me, he sat alone all the time. He was scary looking, he had this piercing stare. [[It was easier to ignore him.]]

It’s been three months since then. My doctor told me a diary would help so I wrote this. But all this did was make me re-live it. I was lucky I know that. But I’m no closer to putting my life back together. I keep thinking what life would have been if he hadn’t picked us. Or an even worse thought, what if we had just talked to him, [[noticed him.]]

(link: "Restart the 60 seconds.")[(goto: "DO SOMETHING")[[DO SOMETHING]]] A story by Kate McNamara. Twitter: [[KateMcNamaras]] Itch.io: [[chefkay.itch.io]]

(open-url: "https://twitter.com/KateMcNamaras") Thanks for playing! (link: "Back")[(goto: "noticed him.")[[noticed him.]]]

(open-url: "https://chefkay.itch.io/") Thanks for playing! (link: "Back")[(goto: "noticed him.")[[noticed him.]]]

I dropped to my knees and crawled under the bed. Wrappers and old socks littered the floor. I instantly regretted my decision, I knew he would find me instantly. But it was too late to change anything. [[So I waited.]]

I sprinted to the bathroom and jumped into the shower. I crushed myself again the tilled wall, making myself as small as possible. Through the shower curtain I could see the mirror reflecting my empty bedroom. Then I stood there, waiting, [[trying not to breathe.]]

You have |amount>[$counter] seconds left! (live: 1s)[(set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "Freeze")] (replace: ?amount)[$counter]] I tried to cram myself into the little, wooden wardrobe but the doors simply wouldn't close. I needed a new hiding spot quickly. [[Hide under the bed.]] [[Hide in the bathroom.]]

Then I heard it, a deep laugh. Heavy footsteps climbing the stairs. I felt like I was going to faint, my heart had never beat this hard before. The door of my bedroom [[creaked open slowly.]]

Then I heard it, a deep laugh. Heavy footsteps climbing the stairs. I felt like I was going to faint, my heart had never beat this hard before. The door of my bedroom [[creaked open slowly...]]

“Hmm where could she be?” he said mockingly. (click: "mockingly")[He paced the room slowly.] (click: "slowly")[Then suddenly, he bent over, his eyes met mine.] (click: "mine")[The scream I had been suppressing burst free.] (click: "free")[I knew him.] (click: "him")[“Thanks for playing, I’ll make this nice and slow as a [[reward.]]”]

“Hmm where could she be?” he said mockingly. (click: "mockingly")[He bent down, looking under the bed.] (click: "bed")[Then he turned towards the bathroom.] (click: "bathroom")[I could see his face clearly now, [[I knew him.]]]

It could have been slow, I didn’t notice. It hurt at first but I soon became numb. My vision eventually blurred. (link: "Darkness.")[(goto: "noticed him.")[[noticed him.]]]

As he reached the bathroom door I saw his face break into a wide smile. (click: "smile")[Could he hear me breathing?] (click: "breathing")[“Nice try Ciara.”] (click: "Ciara")[He ripped the shower curtain out of the way.] (click: "way")[I crumpled to the floor, defeated.] (click: "defeated")[“I’m glad you decided to play, Clare wasn’t so willing.”] (click: "willing")[“I’ll make this nice and slow as a [[reward.]]”]