Do you believe in your reality?
[[Of course!->Choice1]]
[[Ehh? What do you mean?->Choice2]]
Strange, I thought you would have been different.
[[Continue->Snow]]
I wonder… You will learn soon enough.
[[Continue->Snow]]
[Snowfall over campus]
It was snowing heavily as you walked out, and by the time you reached the bus stop, it had become a snowstorm. Canada has its charm, but in this moment, when you couldn’t even look anywhere due to the heavy snowfall, you really wished you were somewhere warmer. You could feel your toes getting frostbitten just by the short walk.
It was supposed to be a short walk right?
As you walked, not only could you not figure out what was happening, but you couldn’t even see any of the signs that indicated you were at the bus stop.
You tripped on ice.
“AAAAH!”
A hand shot its way toward you.
“Are you okay?”
“The buses aren’t coming for a while. You should come inside.”
[[Go with the person->Club]]
[[Don’t go with the person->Freeze]]
You walk and walk and can’t find your way anywhere. The snow doesn’t stop, and the cold becomes an unbearable presence till you are so frostbitten you begin to become numb and faint. You eventually freeze to death.
[[Go Back->Snow]]
[Figures sitting in a circle]
You look at a group of random students staring up at you. They appear normal but evoke an eerie feeling. For a second, as you walked in, you could swear their eyes had flashed red.
You sit down.
“Hi, I’m Ina. I’m the current EIC of Blueprint Magazine. Welcome to our humble abode while the snowstorm blows over. We were having a meeting with some of our previous EICs before I noticed you outside. So these are all my predecessors!”
She seemed very cheerful.
“We were playing a story game. It’s my turn now. Why don’t you sit with us while we wait for the storm to blow over? If you’d like, let me get you some tea.”
[[You nod->Tea]]
[[You refuse the tea->NoTea]]
“Sure… Do you have chamomile?”
Ina smiles and leaves.
You look around. The storm outside sounds harsher.
“So what year are you?” a girl asks.
“I’m a third year!”
“Tea is here!”
Ina returns with tea. The warmth spreads through you.
“So I’ll begin,” Ina says.
[[Listen->StoryStart]]
You refuse.
The room feels colder.
[[Continue->StoryStart]]
[Bus stop at night]
“This story is about Juri. She was studious and often stayed late.”
Do you have a big family?
[[Yes->FamilyYes]]
[[No->FamilyNo]]
They must be missing you right now… Are you warm yet?
[[Continue->StoryMid]]
I see. What do you do when you’re sick?
[[Continue->StoryMid]]
Juri hadn’t even realized, but it had become a habit for her. She would often finish her afternoon class, get a drink and snack and sit and study in the same spot for hours until it was just her sitting there. Since this was on campus, she felt safe here.
What about you? Do you feel safe at school?
One day while she was studying she began feeling a sense of discomfort. As if someone was breathing loudly around her.
HUFF HUFF
The sound of breathing was so loud, almost like a dog panting. Whoever it was definitely hadn’t learnt the fact you’re supposed to breathe through your nose.
Yet Juri ignored the noise and continued studying.
She got lost in her notes and case studies. Just as she was stuck on a question, she heard the sound of something drop to her right.
THUD
She quickly turned her head to look but nothing was there. She thought maybe something fell in the bookstore because the people closing hadn’t properly maintained the shelves before leaving.
As she turned back, she saw a small note in someone else’s handwriting on top of the question that was giving her all the problems. An answer to the question she was stuck on.
Juri quickly got up and moved from her spot to get out of the door to go home.
The next few days seemed relatively normal; however, the loud panting sound was there no matter what. At first, she was wary of the sound, but then she soon assumed it must be some strange duct that needed repairs.
[[Continue->StoryEnd]]
BEEP BEEP
Juri’s phone rang, pulling her out of her studies. She looked down at a message from her mother, telling her to come home soon because the weather was getting colder today.
Juri looked behind herself. For a faint second, she thought she saw someone in the corner, but just like that, the figure was gone. Perhaps it was just nerves. It had grown dark, and snow had begun falling. Juri packed up and put on her coat.
She sent a message to her mom asking her to have some tea ready by the time she got home, and received a smiley face in return. She was staring at her phone for so long that she never even noticed the crunching sound of the footsteps matching her own.
Step… Step…
The bus stop was vacant, and the busy streets seemed so quiet. The snow had also begun falling harder. Juri closed her eyes for a second and heard the sound of rushing steps.
By the time she turned, it was too late. She never made it home.
[[Back->AfterStory]]
Ina claps.
“Spooky, right?”
[[You’re joking->Response]]
[[A ghost got her?->Response]]
“I heard it was a stalker,” Ina says.
“She must have wished to see her family one last time.”
“It’s my turn now!”