Chapter 2: The First Choice
The hours after they checked into the Grandview Hotel passed quickly, just like any school trip.
Kids went to their rooms, some grumbled about the slow internet, and others looked at the old furniture.
The fun they had felt about "The Midnight Game" app mostly faded away.
They were more worried about finding the best snacks, seeing whose room was bigger, and making plans for the evening.
As the sun went down, painting the hotel windows purple and orange, a big group of students gathered in the hallway on the third floor.
It was a wide hallway, like a forgotten fancy room, with old flowery wallpaper and dusty pictures of serious-looking people.
About fifteen students, including Kaito, Sakura, Akari, Ren, and Yui, sat on the thick, old carpet.
Some played cards, others looked at their phones, sharing funny pictures and complaining about homework.
Their quiet talking and laughing filled the air.
"Man, this place is so old," Ren grumbled, tossing a snack wrapper towards a trash can.
He missed.
"I swear I can smell dust from a hundred years ago. And the internet is super slow."
"It's 'historic,' Ren," Akari said, not looking up from her phone.
"Enjoy the old-timey feel."
"More like the feel of a haunted house," Yui mumbled, shivering a little.
"I keep thinking those creepy pictures are watching me."
She pointed to a picture of a very serious woman whose eyes seemed to follow them.
Kaito, who always watched everything, chuckled softly.
His phone was quietly recording what they were saying.
"It definitely has a lot of personality. Good for the video, at least."
He moved his camera around the hallway, showing the relaxed group.
"Did anyone else get that weird game app earlier? 'The Midnight Game'?"
"Oh yeah!" Sakura quickly said.
"I totally forgot about that! What a dumb prank. I thought something cool would happen right away, like a secret message or something."
"Nah, probably just Kenji messing around," Ren said, waving his hand.
"He's always trying to do computer stuff. Bet it just takes your information or something boring."
Most of the students nodded.
The app had been a quick, fun thing, but they forgot about it fast as they got busy settling in.
They were just talking, happy to be away from home.
The hotel's slightly creepy vibe was just part of the background for their normal chats.
No one was really thinking about the game or waiting for anything to happen.
It was almost midnight, but they barely noticed.
Their casual talking continued, a comfortable hum filling the hallway.
They joked, they scrolled, they planned what they'd do tomorrow.
The old grandfather clock at the end of the hallway, a huge, dark wooden clock with a fancy swinging part, was slowly, carefully, ticking towards the hour.
No one paid it much attention.
It was just part of the old hotel's background noise.
Tick. Tock.
The general chatter in the hallway kept going.
Tick. Tock.
The big hand on the grandfather clock slowly moved towards the number twelve.
Tick.
Then, a deep, loud BONG rang through the hotel.
It was the sound of the grandfather clock hitting midnight.
BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG. BONG.
Twelve sounds. Midnight.
As the last chime faded, a new message popped up on every single phone at the same time.
It wasn't the game app itself, but a message from their phone system, appearing over whatever they were doing.
It was plain white words on a black screen, impossible to miss.
THE GAME HAS CHOSEN. HIROSHI.
Everyone gasped together, then a ripple of excited giggles and nervous laughter spread through the group.
"No way!""Is this for real?""Who got picked?""Oh, poor Hiroshi!"
Ren burst out laughing, pointing at his phone.
"Someone actually put Hiroshi? That's hilarious! I bet it was Kenji, trying to be funny."
Sakura nudged Kaito, a playful grin on her face.
"Bet it was Ren! He's always picking on Hiroshi."
"Hey, no fair!" Ren protested, still chuckling.
"I put down Mr. Sato! He gives too much homework!"
Another student, Haruna, piped up.
"I put down Akari! She's too smart, makes us all look bad!"
Akari just rolled her eyes, but a small smile played on her lips.
The relaxed feeling they had was instantly replaced by a buzzing, prank-fueled energy, everyone looking around to see who would react, who would make the next joke.
Hiroshi, who had been sitting quietly on the carpet near the window, playing with a loose thread on his backpack, slowly, carefully, started to stand up.
He was a small, quiet boy, his head still bent down a little.
Everyone watched him, expecting him to say something funny, or maybe pretend to be scared, or even complain about being picked.
They thought he was going to play along with the joke.
"Look at him! He's actually doing it!" Ren snickered, nudging Yui.
"What's he gonna do? A dramatic monologue about being the 'chosen one'?"
"Yeah, Hiroshi, give us a show!" another student, Daiki, called out, laughing.
"Are you gonna pretend to be a ghost now? Do the spooky walk!"
"Don't forget the creepy voice!" Kenji added, making a low, groaning sound.
But Hiroshi didn't speak.
He didn't even look at them.
His movements were stiff, not natural, almost like a robot.
He didn't walk; he shuffled, his feet dragging a little on the carpet, making a faint, unsettling scraping sound.
His head stayed down, his dark hair covering his face, hiding what he was thinking.
He moved with a scary, steady purpose towards the big, fancy window at the end of the hallway.
This window looked out over the hotel's big, dark gardens.
The hallway lights, which were already dim, now flickered noticeably, casting dancing shadows that made the people in the pictures on the walls seem to move a little.
The sweet, decaying flower smell, which had been faint since they got there, now got much stronger.
It felt thick and heavy in the air, and strangely still.
A cold breeze moved through the hallway, even though all the windows were closed tight, making their skin bumpy.
"Whoa, is he actually going to jump?" Ren joked, his voice a little too loud, trying to get a bigger laugh.
"Like, for real? Hiroshi, don't be so extra! You'll break the window, dude!"
"Yeah, Hiroshi, don't be a drama queen!" Yui giggled, though a tiny hint of unease was starting to creep into her voice as Hiroshi kept moving without a word.
"It's not that serious! Mr. Sato will kill you if you break hotel property!"
Kaito, still filming, zoomed in on Hiroshi, thinking he was about to capture a hilarious prank.
"Get ready for the Oscar-winning performance, guys!"
Hiroshi reached the window.
It was a huge piece of old, wavy glass, held by heavy, dark wood.
He stopped directly in front of it, his back to them.
The moonlight, coming through the old trees outside, made long, strange shadows around him, making him look super tall and thin.
The sweet, decaying flower smell in the hallway got even stronger, making their stomachs turn.
A low, deep hum, almost like a soft growl, shook the air, pushing into their ears.
The whispers came back, faint and hissing, seeming to swirl around Hiroshi, getting louder, more demanding.
Before anyone could even process what was happening, before the jokes could fully die on their lips, Hiroshi suddenly jumped forward.
With a horrifying, sickening CRACK, his head slammed against the thick glass of the window.
The glass spiderwebbed, then shattered inward with an explosion of sharp shards.
And then, without a sound, Hiroshi launched himself through the broken window.
His small body disappeared into the darkness outside.
They heard it.
A sickening, wet THUD from three floors below, echoing through the silent night.
The sound was horribly final.
The students in the hallway were frozen.
Their faces were pale with shock and disbelief, their eyes wide with unspeakable terror.
The sweet flower smell was too strong, and the whispers were a loud roar in their minds, screaming accusations they couldn't understand.
The broken window, like a jagged, open mouth, let in a rush of cold, night air, bringing with it the faint, metallic tang of blood.
Hiroshi was gone.
And the game had only just begun.