Select your character:
[[Tessa|Tessa]]
[[Thomas|Thomas]]
[[Emilie|Emilie]]
Hello, Tessa!
Let's get your background info:
-It's the weekend of your first college party and you're excited
-Your parents are out of town, so you have to take care of the horses before you can go
Ready? Let's [[begin|Tessa start]]Hello, Thomas!
Let's give you your background:
-You love Tessa
-Would kill for the things you love
Ready?
[[Let's begin|Thom prep]]Hello Emilie!
Let's give you some background.
-You like for everything to have a plan
-You just found out your girlfriend is cheating on you, which was not part of your plan
[[Next|Emilie driving]]You don't hear the footsteps, quiet on the hay covered dirt floor, coming up behind you.
You feel hands wrap around your neck and gasp wildly in response.
[[Fight back|fight]]
[[Go limp|go limp]]You grab your bat, a nice sturdy aluminum, and took a deep breath. It was now or never.
She was going to love you.
Hopefully.
Are you ready now?
[[Yes|go to the barn]]
[[No|choosing the good path]]You sneak up behind her and wrap your hands around her neck. Tessa gasps wildly and fights back.
She kicks back at you and knocks you to the ground.
[[Run after her|run after her]]
[[Let her get away|get away]]You moved slowly in the dark, careful to avoid any fresh branches and leaves that hadn’t yet been squished down by wildlife. It wouldn’t work if you were caught, and it needed to work.
The barn was just up ahead, and the doors were open, illuminating Tessa softly as she moved around talking to her horses.
[[Sneak up behind her|go for the kill]]You lift your arms and attempt to fight him off.
Your legs kick wildly and you break free.
[[Run|run away]]You go limp and they drag you out of the barn and into the woods. They stroke your hair gently, and that's when you take the chance to run.
You kick your legs wildly and break free of their hold, sprinting into the night.
[[Next|run away]]Out of the corner of your eye, you see something white. It looked like someone was running, their body moving awkwardly, like a puppet being tugged at.
You turn the radio down as you slowed the car, squinting in an attempt to see something else.
Nothing.
[[Look harder|save a life]]
[[Keep driving|friend is dead]]You squint again and see another flash. That was definitely a person running.
[[Call the police|good deeds]]
[[Decide it's not your business|friend is dead]]The blur was gone.
You shrug, assigning blame to the full moon, and turned the music back up to drown out your own anger and sadness.
[[Next|news in the morn]]You wake up in the morning with a headache.
[[Turn on the TV|TV]]You stop your car and call the police.
Once they arrive, they question you and [[send you home|Em home]]You rub haphazardly at your face as you drove down the winding roads that made up Tacturn Hollow, wishing that you could stop crying for just one minute so that you could collect your thoughts enough to think about what you were going to say to your cheating girlfriend when you get to the stupid party that she left you for.
Tessa was going to be there, and your best friend would know what to do.
[[Next|white flash]]You had been planning this night for weeks.
The smiling pictures of Tessa taped to the roof and visor of your car encouraged you as you unpacked your duffle bag. A mask was a necessity. So were gloves.
You decided against a jacket – it would only slow you down.
As you slid your gloves on, your mind takes you back to the day you first met Tessa.
[[Continue|remember Tess]]You crash wildly through the woods.
Your jacket snags on a branch and comes off, leaving you in your party dress.
[[Go back for your jacket|go back]]
[[Leave it behind|keep running]]You go back for your jacket, tripping over a branch.
Your head smacks onto a rock and you die on impact.
[[Try again?|Tessa]]You leave the jacket and continue running. You trip on a rock and tumble down a hill.
[[Try to move|broken leg]]
[[Lay there and accept your fate|die]]The tears dripping down your face mix with the blood on the cold ground and you try to move your legs.
Searing pain shoots through your thigh and you whimper in pain.
Your neck won't move.
[[Cry|die]]
[[Keep trying to get up|drag]]The moon illuminates you, so at least it isn't dark.
A shadow appears over you, and you look up to see Thomas St. Clair.
“Why did you run?” He asks softly. “I love you. You didn’t need to run.”
He raised his arms and you can see the bat he's holding.
“You shouldn’t have run.”
The bat came down.
[[You died|next]]
You drag your body forward, but your hair is caught on something. Something steps on your leg.
[[Whimper in pain|die]]She runs through the woods and you curse and run after her.
Tessa crashes through the trees, leaving an easy trail for her to follow.
[[Keep chasing her|chase]]She didn't see your face.
You can [[try again|go for the kill]] a different day.
Tessa falls down a hill and you hear a crack.
She shouldn't have run. Now you have to kill her.
[[Continue|kill her]]You stand over Tessa and raise the bat.
She looks up at you with pleading eyes.
[[Kill her|kill]]
[[Show mercy|mercy]]You bring the bat down.
Her blood goes everywhere.
[[Next|end]]You hesitate, sit down next to her.
You try to explain yourself. How you love her and can't let her go. How she shouldn't have run. You sit there for what feels like hours, enjoying her company.
And then you hear the sirens.
You don't want to go to jail.
[[Run left|left]]
[[Run right|right]]You drop your bat and run, crashing through the trees.
The sirens are closer now. You trip over a rock in your panic and smack into a tree.
You die on impact.
[[Try again?|Thomas]]You run because you don't know what else to do.
The tree branches smack you in the face and you get distracted.
You trip over a rock and go flying.
[[Continue|thom die]]In the morning, you get a call from Tessa.
She says she was attacked last night but the police showed up right on time.
What would have happened, if you'd made another [[choice?|Begin]]The news is on, and they're running a story about a murder.
Tessa's face appears and you freeze.
Could you have saved her?
If you'd made a [[different choice|Begin]]Your life was short, and you died alone.
What would have happened if you [[made a different choice?|Begin]]You shove open the barn door, quieting the horses who whinny nervously at your approach. You pull out their dinner and extra blankers. You feel like you need to hurry. You need to leave soon if you're going to have time to meet up with your friends before the party.
You'd just reached for the last stack of blankets when the horses began their nervous whinnying again.
Decisions, decisions. What will you choose?
[[Ignore the horses and keep hurrying|footsteps]]
[[Decide to do your chores later and go to the party now|party]]
You slam into a tree and die on impact.
What would have happened if you [[made a different choice?|Begin]]You shrug, turning around and hurrying back to the house. The horses could wait.
[[Check your phone|incoming text]]You have a new text message.
''Emilie''
Text Message (4)
[[Click to open|open text]]''Emilie:'' u coming?
''Emilie:'' hello
''Emilie:'' ma'am
''Emilie:'' I rlly need you to say you're coming to this party
Choose a response:
[[I'm on my way|yes text]]
[[I don't think I'll make it|you die homie]]You reassure Emilie that you're on your way and tuck your phone into your purse, digging out your keys as you crunch through the frosty grass to get to your car.
[[Continue|at the party]]You tell Emilie that you don't feel up to a party tonight and decide to head back inside.
As you make your way back to your house, you shiver. It's cold - November is always cold - but you feel like you're being watched.
[[Look around|look around]]
[[Run inside|run inside]]The drive to the party went smoothly, and you find Emilie quickly when you get there.
She tells you about her girlfriend cheating on her, and you're quick to console her.
[[Get drunk|drunk]]
[[Sit and talk|sit and talk]]You glance around you, still feeling scared.
Suddenly, arms wrap around you. You panic.
[[Struggle free|fight]]
[[Go limp and hope for the best|go limp]]You sprint inside and look your doors, heart pounding. You feel flustered, and that makes you laugh.
There's probably nothing out there, you try to rationalize. You glance out the window and let out a shriek when you see a dark figure lurking near the corner of the barn.
[[Go hide and call the cops|hide]]
[[Decide it's your imagination|imagining]]You kill the lights and run to the back of the house. The nearest room is your parents. There are a lot of hiding options.
[[Hide in the closet|closet]]
[[Hide under the bed|bed]]
[[Hide in the bathroom|bathroom]]You shake your head. You're letting the darkness get to you.
There's nothing there.
//You're fine.//
[[Go upstairs|go upstairs]]You squeeze yourself into the closet and pull some coats in front of you, taking a deep breath.
[[Call the police|popo]]You squish yourself under the bed, shoving aside dirty socks and dust bunnies older than your grandmother.
//Do you ever vacuum this place??//
You try to control your breathing as you pull out your phone.
[[Call the police|popo]]You run into the bathroom and look for somewhere to go.
There aren't many options, so you go for locking the bathroom door and hope for the best.
[[Stay here|stay]]
[[Hide somewhere else|somewhere else]]You go upstairs and head into your bedroom, deciding that you'll just take a nap.
Suddenly, you hear a knock on the door.
[[Peek out the window|window peek]]You push the curtains aside and glance out the window.
The dark figure from before is standing at your front door. The motion activated lights are on, but the figure is turned away. Going off of the build and height, you thinks it looks like a man.
You squint closer to see that he's holding what looks like a baseball bat.
[[Go hide|go and hide]]
[[Call the police|popo]]You lock the door to your room and look around for a place to hide.
[[Hide in the closet|closet]]
[[Hide under the bed|bed]]
[[Hide in the bathroom|bathroom]]You quickly dial 911 and the officer assures you that someone is on their way.
You set your phone to vibrate and wait for help to arrive.
[[Continue|police arrive]]You stay in the bathroom.
[[Call the police|popo]]Where should you hide?
[[Hide in the closet|closet]]
[[Hide under the bed|bed]]The police arrive fifteen minutes later, and you breathe a sigh of relief.
An officer knocks on the door and you leave your hiding space to answer it.
[[Answer the door|answer popo]]The officer tells you that they've arrested someone and that they need you to come down to the station for some questioning.
You comply, and they give you a ride.
On the way to the station, you find yourself wondering.
What would have happened [[if you'd made a different choice?|Begin]]You and Emilie spend the night drinking her feelings away, and you forget about the creepy feelings that you had at the barn, falling asleep on the couch a little after midnight.
What would have happened [[if you'd made a different choice?|Begin]]You and Emilie find an unoccupied bedroom upstairs and sit and talk. Her eyes are red and puffy by the time you're done, and the two of you fall asleep in the early hours of the morning.
Your mind is still on the feelings you had in the barn and you wake up a little before the sun rises above the horizon.
Emilie is still sleeping, and you slip out of bed and go in search of some water.
[[Try the kitchen|go to kitchen for water]]You pause.
//Is this the best option? You're better than this.//
You pack up your stuff and start your car, driving home with a feeling of shame.
What other [[choices|Begin]] could you have made?You turn and run, kicking up grass.
The feeling of shame burns deep in your chest, and you sprint in the general direction of your car.
No one ever needed to know.
Still, there's a feeling in the back of your mind. What would have happened if [[you'd made a different choice?|Begin]]Every 73 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. (RAINN)
Every 60 seconds, a person is killed in the US. (WHO)
"In three words, I can sum up everything that I've learned about life.
[[It goes on|home page]]."
-- Robert Frost
You go into the kitchen and find an empty cup in one of the cabinets. Your phone buzzes in your pocket.
You pull your phone out and see that you have a text message from your mom.
''Mom:'' Did you remember to lock the door before you left? The alarm company just called.
A feeling of dread sets over you. There's no way that you're going home now.
You leave the kitchen and crawl back into bed with Emilie, making sure to lock the bedroom door. A feeling of dread slithers down your spine, and you lay awake for hours.
What had happened? [[If only there was a way to find out.|Begin]]Tessa had walked into the cafeteria freshman year of high school with her arm linked with Max Reinolds, and i had been love at first sight. You'd watched her over the years, enduring every time she ignored you in the hallway.
She wouldn't be able to ignore you after tonight. Tessa would be yours or no ones.
Are you ready?
[[Yes|go to the barn]]
[[No|keep prepping]]Life is a series of coincidences and choices.
One choice takes away another, and sometimes your choice inadvertantly affects other people.
How will your choices affect you?
[[Let's find out|Begin]]
*This story contains glossed over depictions of murder and sexual assualt. Please play at your own risk.
*For added enjoyment, please turn your sound ''on''
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