The Decision to Sleep

  Arin paced the room, his anxiety mounting with each passing moment. Lyra still hadn’t shown up, and the clock was ticking closer to midnight. Kian, meanwhile, sprawled on the bed, pretending to be unbothered, though his occasional glances at the door betrayed his curiosity.

  “She’s not coming,” Kian said, breaking the silence. “Maybe she realized this whole thing is insane and decided to skip it.”

  Arin frowned but said nothing. His thoughts were a jumble of worry and frustration. He wanted to believe Lyra wouldn’t back out, but her absence spoke volumes.

  “Look,” Kian said, sitting up, “if this game thing is real—and that’s a big if—then why don’t we just go without her? You’re the one who’s so desperate to figure this out, right?”

  Arin hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. We’ll go. But if she’s in the game, we need to find her.”

  Kian smirked. “Sure, buddy. Let’s dive into your magical murder dreamland. What could possibly go wrong?”

  ---

  Entering the Game

  The two lay down, the room falling silent except for the faint sound of the wind outside. Arin closed his eyes, his mind racing. The familiar pull of the game began almost immediately, a strange weightlessness taking over his body.

  When he opened his eyes, he was standing in the middle of a dense forest. The air was thick with mist, and the eerie glow of the moon cast long shadows across the ground. The sounds of distant creatures echoed through the trees, a reminder of the dangers lurking nearby.

  “Wha—what the hell?!” Kian’s voice broke through the silence, high-pitched and panicked.

  Arin turned to see Kian standing a few feet away, his eyes wide with terror.

  “Arin, what is this?!” Kian shouted, flailing his arms. “Why am I here? Why is everything so... real?!”

  “I told you,” Arin said calmly, though he couldn’t help but smirk at Kian’s reaction. “This is the game.”

  Kian looked around, his face pale. “This isn’t a game! Games are supposed to have pause buttons and save points! What is this nightmare?!”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  ---

  Funny Fear

  Kian crouched low, his head darting back and forth as if expecting a monster to leap out at any moment. “Okay, okay. This is fine. Totally fine. Just a dream, right? I’ll wake up any second now.”

  “It’s not a dream,” Arin said, walking past him. “And you need to stay quiet, or you’ll attract—”

  A loud rustling noise came from the bushes nearby, and Kian let out a yelp, stumbling backward.

  “Arin! Something’s coming! It’s coming to eat us!”

  Arin sighed, drawing his sword. “Relax. It’s probably just—”

  The rustling grew louder, and a small, harmless rabbit hopped out of the bushes.

  Kian stared at it, then turned to Arin with a glare. “You didn’t tell me there’d be killer bunnies in here!”

  Arin rolled his eyes. “It’s just a rabbit.”

  Kian pointed at the creature, his voice rising. “Just a rabbit? Do you not see how evil it looks? Look at its eyes! They’re plotting something!”

  The rabbit twitched its nose, then hopped away into the darkness.

  “Yeah, definitely evil,” Arin said, smirking.

  ---

  The Search for Lyra

  After Kian calmed down—somewhat—the two began walking through the forest, their footsteps crunching against the leaf-strewn ground.

  “So, what’s the plan, fearless leader?” Kian asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “We just wander around until something tries to kill us?”

  “We find Lyra,” Arin said simply. “If she’s here, we need to make sure she’s safe.”

  Kian groaned. “Great. Chasing after a girl in a nightmare forest. This is exactly how I wanted to spend my night.”

  Arin ignored him, his focus on the path ahead. The forest seemed endless, the trees towering high above them and blocking out most of the moonlight. Every so often, the distant sound of growls or footsteps would make them stop and listen, their hearts pounding in their chests.

  Kian stayed close to Arin, his earlier bravado replaced by nervous energy. “So, uh... what happens if we die in here?”

  Arin hesitated before answering. “You die in real life.”

  Kian stopped in his tracks. “What?!”

  “Keep moving,” Arin said, not looking back.

  ---

  A Voice in the Dark

  Hours seemed to pass as they wandered through the forest, their nerves fraying with each step. Just as Kian was about to suggest turning back, a faint sound reached their ears—a voice.

  “Did you hear that?” Arin asked, stopping in his tracks.

  Kian nodded, his eyes wide. “Yeah. It sounded like... a girl?”

  They both stood still, listening intently. The voice came again, faint and distant, but unmistakably female.

  “Help...”

  Arin’s heart skipped a beat. “Lyra.”

  Without waiting for Kian, he started running toward the sound, his sword drawn.

  “Wait! Are you insane?!” Kian shouted, running after him. “It could be a trap! Or worse—it could be another killer bunny!”

  The voice grew louder as they ran, guiding them deeper into the forest. The trees seemed to close in around them, the air growing colder with each step.

  Finally, they came to a clearing, the moonlight shining down on a figure crouched on the ground.

  “Lyra?” Arin called out, his voice trembling.

  The figure turned, and Arin’s heart sank.

  It wasn’t Lyra.

  It was something else entirely.

  ---

  To Be Continued...