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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/BadandyTheRed on 2024-10-31 02:51:41+00:00.
Nothing is working, I can’t get out. Every time I try it's the same. I never should have been fooled by that damn flyer. Treasure, yeah right, I will be lucky to get out of this alive.
It started with that weird paper I found on my car in the parking lot earlier today. It was some sort of flyer advertising,
“Trick or treat for treasure! Real gold, precious gems and more. All yours for the taking, if you are brave enough. Join us tonight at 5:00 pm 10/30/2024 at the Center Street Mall, if you dare. (Costumes mandatory)”
It seemed like some sort of event or contest. I started to wonder if there was a legitimate prize or if this was some sort of scam. If it was some sort of Halloween contest and they were giving out actual treasure I might be in for it. I was getting kind of crappy hours this time of year at work, so I would not turn down the prospect of a big prize. I had no plans for Halloween eve anyway so I thought, what the hell, why not?
As I was reading the flyer and making my decision, my friend and coworker Scott clapped me on the back and asked,
“What are ya reading?” I regarded him and showed him the flyer.
“Some kind of contest, check it out. There might be a legit prize or something, we should go.” He raised an eyebrow but did not hesitate too long before responding,
“Yeah, let’s do it, Nicole might want to go too. She is always down to check out Halloween decorations and spooky shit, so she would love an excuse to go trick or treating. I will call her now.”
It was decided and we went home to get ready. I got a blue jumpsuit and Michael Myers mask and took an empty pillow case like I used to when I was a kid going trick or treating. I figured if they really did give out valuables to the winners it might be a take all the loot you can carry and I would need something to haul it in. I felt a bit silly, but if it was real I wanted to be ready.
I got in my car and drove off to pick up Scott and Nicole. Scott was dressed as a pirate and Nicole was dressed as a witch. We regarded each other's costumes and enjoyed the nostalgic feeling of getting ready to go trick or treating.
We arrived at the location at 4:50 pm and got out. I thought it was a bit strange since the Central Street Mall had been closed down due to a fire that destroyed much of the building. It had never reopened but I guess somehow these people got a permit to host an event here.
We found a few other people waiting there in costume, so at least we were not alone. I was looking around for some sort of event official, to see if we should wait in a specific area. Scott and Nicole had struck up a conversation with two people wearing a ghost face and zombie getup.
I waited and watched my phone and at 5pm on the dot, a large black van pulled into the parking lot. It had tinted windows and a small logo on the side that said, “Trick or Treat”.
It parked nearby and a tall man in a large white sheet that made him look like a cheap ghost stepped out. He spoke very curtly saying,
“Is this everyone?” I looked around and saw decent group of other people and we all nodded in unison.
He clapped his hands together and proclaimed,
“Good, very good. Now a few ground rules about how this is going to work. The old stores in this mall have been converted into a haunted village. So, we have a large group of makeshift houses with real hardwood doors, decorations and everything. Besides the eye candy of our authentic set, they have something I know you will all be interested in. You are allowed and encouraged to knock at every door and trick or treat as normal. The gifts these tenants give out will run the gambit from cash, to valuable gems, gold and silver. All of this treasure is real, I assure you. You are of course allowed to keep whatever you can take out.”
The group seemed excited and were about to cheer at the declaration, but the man in the ghost costume interrupted and held out his arm in a flourish and continued,
“Now you might be thinking, what’s the catch? Well, I am glad you asked. Once you are in there you will not be allowed out until you can find the main doors release switch. But I must warn you it is well hidden. On top of whatever you can get with your trick or treating, if you are able to make it out you will win a prize of $100,000.”
We all gasped when we heard the crazy amount of prize money. If they were willing to shell out that much to the winners, I was thinking that this was going to be tougher than I expected. The man in the ghost costume resumed his explanation,
“Now you will not be alone in there, besides the villagers there is something else that stalks the shadows. This other visitor is there for treats of its own and if it catch's you........Well let’s just say you will be out of the contest.”
I heard a grim chuckle coming from underneath the cheap sheet and figured he was trying to play up the scary angle to this event. He continued with his instructions,
“Now the people in the village are there to help, but only if you follow their rules,
You are to remain in costume at all times.
You are to say trick or treat at every door.
You are not to try and enter their houses no matter how desperate you are.
You are to say thank you after visiting each house.
You are not to try and sneak out through any other means.
If for any reason you do not abide these rules, the villager who catches you is authorized to ring the disqualification bell which will see you removed.......... from play.
Occasionally the villagers will ring a town bell and lock their doors. This is the only warning alarm you will get when danger is near. And you should indeed be careful, danger stalks the shadows. You will have to run or hide, though I would not advise the former, it.....is very fast.” He did his best ominous laugh as he finished up and waved us toward the entrance.
We looked at each other, everyone was a little unsure. What exactly was the danger stalking the shadows?
I was wondering myself if they were really giving out valuables or if this was some sort of trick. I also wondered what the alarm was for. I wondered if the danger was a person in costume trying to scare us like a haunted house. It seemed like if you broke the rules or got caught you would lose your loot. As I was contemplating the rules, Nicole asked a question,
“What happens if we need to leave early? Like for a legitimate emergency? Is there some sort of emergency exit?” We saw the man under the sheet shake his head and respond,
“No, I am afraid you will have to exit like everyone else. If you are unable to continue then I would suggest finding a good hiding spot and waiting for your fellow participants to open the door. Once you are in, the front door will be the only way back out. Also, cell phones must be checked at the door, you will be able to retrieve them when you leave. Don’t try to sneak them in, that will be considered a violation of the rules, no unfair advantages. If anything is not agreeable and you do not wish to participate let us know now, otherwise enter and conquer your fears. Good luck.”
He waved his hand and it seemed he was departing before answering any other questions people had. There was some sort of staged fog or smokescreen and he had suddenly vanished. The little magic act elicited a few cheers of awe for the stunt, but I wondered what we were supposed to do to get in.
As if on cue, there was a loud rumbling sound and the heavy-duty doors on the entrance swung slowly open. Next to the door we saw a small lock box with an aperture wide enough for our phones, one by one we dropped them in. I did not feel great about doing so and I was even more paranoid this was a scam and we were going to come back and they would be gone. Scott and Nicole dropped their phones in and moved on, so I just did the same.
We moved beyond the threshold with our small group. There were fifteen people when we had arrived. Yet when I looked around before stepping through the door it seemed we had lost three. A dozen players in total moved into the darkness and braced ourselves for the challenge.
The main door lead through a narrow hall that was dimly lit. I could barely see in front of myself and Scott and Nicole huddled close to try and not get separated. We were positioned around the middle of the row of players. The person in front was dressed as a Jedi and had a light-saber that conveniently lit up at least some of the dark hall.
We followed the narrow tunnel-like path and as we all moved further inside, we heard the heavy entrance doors slam shut behind us. They were not joking, we really were locked in.
I felt bad since someone near the back of the line heard the same sound and started panicking and saying he did not know there would be the dark tunnel and such confined space; he said he had claustrophobia and needed to get out. Another player stayed behind with him and his pleas for help and knocking on the door faded as the rest of us moved further in.
Fortunately we soon saw a much stronger source of light. We had arrived in the so-called village. The area which I think used to be the mall's food court, had been transformed into a dark ages style town square. The light was emanating from a large bonfire in the center of the square. The smoke wafted up into an open skylight that allowed for some ventilation. There were huddles of small houses that looked handmade and very authentic to the...
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