The music had slowed, the drinks were half-empty, and laughter echoed through the room. Everyone gathered around a large round table with a bottle of alcohol placed right in the center. They sat cross-legged on the floor, some still giggling, others looking daringly excited.
A girl with caramel skin, long braids, and a silver nose ring clapped her hands to get attention.
"Alright y'all! Time for Truth or Dare," she grinned. "We spin the bottle. Whoever it lands on gets a choice—truth or dare. No skipping turns."
"Let's goooo!" the group cheered in agreement.
"You start, J," Mason said, nudging her shoulder with a grin.
"Say less," J replied, spinning the bottle hard.
It twirled wildly before slowing... then landed on a girl with wavy black hair and sharp, icy eyes—Nyra. Her aura was cold enough to silence half the group.
"Well, well, Nyra," J smirked. "You ready?"
Nyra rolled her eyes. "Yay. Kill me now."
"Truth or dare?"
"Dare."
J's smirk widened. "I dare you to lick the floor... and tell everyone you're an asshole."
The room erupted into laughter and gasps.
Nyra narrowed her eyes. "J, you're dead after this."
Despite her pride, Nyra dropped to her knees, reluctantly dragging her tongue across the floor.
"Ew!" half the group cried out.
Click! A girl with fiery red hair snapped a photo.
"Leah, delete that or I'll end you," Nyra snapped.
Leah just giggled.
"Say the line," J teased, arms folded.
Nyra glared. "I'm an asshole!" she yelled, storming back to her seat and shooting J a deadly look.
The game rolled on. Nyra got her revenge by daring J to dunk her face into the toilet, sending the group into another fit of laughter.
The bottle spun again and again—shouting, laughter, dares flying left and right. Then it was Jace's turn. He grinned and picked "Truth."
"What's your biggest secret?" asked Asher, a tall, smooth-voiced guy with neat cornrows.
Jace leaned back with a playful smirk. "I love women. And I plan on sleeping with as many as possible... no relationships. Just vibes."
The room went dead silent.
"Dude—what?" someone muttered in disgust.
"Gross," Maya whispered under her breath.
Trying to shake off the weirdness, the bottle spun again.
This time, Ruby gave it a fierce twirl. It landed on... Tasha.
Ruby's eyes lit up. "Truth or dare, Tasha?"
Tasha shifted, clearly uncomfortable. "Um... truth."
A slow, almost wicked smile spread across Ruby's face. "Do you like Mason?"
Gasps circled the group.
Tasha didn't speak.
"Why the silence?" Ruby pressed, voice colder. "Is that a yes?"
"Tch. Chill, Ruby," Maya said, trying to defuse the tension.
"She doesn't have to answer," Mason added, his voice protective.
"She does," J cut in. "Or she takes seven shots."
Tasha stared down for a moment. Then she quietly said, "No. I don't like Mason."
Ruby scoffed. "I don't believe you."
The room went quiet. The mood shifted. Eyes moved uncomfortably between Ruby, Tasha, and Mason.
Suddenly, Jace clapped his hands. "Alright, who's next?"
The bottle spun again—but the tension from Tasha's answer still lingered in the air.
And soon, Mason spun the bottle. It landed on Maya.
"Truth or Dare?" he asked.
"Truth," Maya said, smiling like she already had something cheeky in mind.
"What are you most scared of?" Mason leaned forward, curious.
Maya laughed lightly. "Getting pregnant."
The room exploded with laughter—everyone but Ruby, whose eyes stayed locked on Tasha.
"Girl, what?" J said between giggles.
"I'm too pretty to stress my body," Maya replied, checking herself in a compact mirror like it was the most logical answer ever.
The game went on for hours—laughter, teasing, a few drunk dares gone too far. Finally, the chaos died down and Leah jumped up.
"Scary movie time!! Pajamas, everyone! Now!" she shouted with a clap.
"Girl, your energy is draining me," J groaned, pushing herself up.
Everyone scattered to change. Meanwhile, Tasha approached Ruby, her voice soft.
"Hey... are you mad at me?"
Ruby turned, face blank for a moment before flashing a sweet, too-perfect smile. "No, Tasha. You're my best friend. I could never be mad at you."
"Really?" Tasha asked, trying to read her expression.
"Yeah." Ruby pulled her into a light hug, her tone sugar-sweet.
"I'm sorry if I acted rude. Let's just enjoy the party, okay?"
Tasha smiled. "Yeah, you're right."
They walked into the empty bathroom together to change.
Not long after, everyone gathered in front of the big-screen TV, now in cozy pajamas. A horror movie began, the kind with cheap jump scares and way too much fake blood.
"I'm gonna grab some beer," J stood up and stretched. "Anybody want one?"
"Yeah!" a few voices called back.
J walked toward the kitchen alone. The hallway grew darker the farther she moved from the living room. Faint screams from the movie followed her, bouncing off the walls like whispers.
IN THE KITCHEN...
J reached the fridge and pulled it open. The pale blue glow of the fridge light was the only thing illuminating the room. As she grabbed a can of beer, the kitchen light flickered once—twice—then shut off with a click.
"Fucking light," J muttered, now half-laughing as she kept reaching into the fridge.
But then—
She felt something.
A presence.
Her breath hitched. The sound of the movie echoed faintly from the living room: a woman screaming... and then silence.
J slowly turned her head.
Outside the kitchen window... something watched her.
Two glowing red eyes. Unmoving. Unblinking. Floating just beyond the glass.
She froze. Her breath fogged up in the cold air leaking from the fridge. Her hands trembled slightly. And just as fast as the eyes appeared—
They vanished.
"What the hell..." she whispered, stepping back, her eyes still locked on the window.
She let out a shaky breath. "If this is a prank, I swear—"
SLASH!
A flash of steel cut through the air. In a blur, a towering figure in a dirty, blood-splattered bunny costume emerged from the shadows—its oversized head tilted sideways, mouth stitched into a grotesque grin.
J didn't even have time to scream.
With one swift, brutal motion, the creature swung a machete, slicing through her neck. The sound was wet, sharp.
Her head rolled across the floor, her body collapsing beside it—blood spraying across the fridge, the walls, the bunny's fur.
The fridge door slowly creaked shut on its own.
In the distance, the movie continued playing... a fake horror that couldn't compete with the real one about to begin.
INSIDE THE LIVING ROOM.
Minutes slipped by, and the tension started creeping in like a shadow.
"Is it just me, or is J taking way too long?" Maya said aloud, lowering her mirror with a frown.
Everyone slowly turned toward the kitchen. The movie's chilling sound effects hummed in the background, blending with the rising unease in the room.
"She's probably trying to pull some lame-ass jump scare," Nyra said, crossing her arms.
"I'll go check on her," Mason said, standing up.
"I'm coming too," Asher added quickly, already on his feet.
"Ooh! Me three! I live for jump scares," Leah chirped, practically bouncing after them.
"She's just in the kitchen—not Narnia," Nyra muttered under her breath, annoyed. But her words were ignored.
The three disappeared down the hallway. The others waited.
Then—
A blood-curdling scream.
Leah's voice shrieked from the kitchen, echoing through the house like shattered glass. Everyone jolted.
They raced toward the kitchen, their feet pounding against the hardwood floors. When they burst through the doorway, the scene before them froze them in horror.
J's lifeless body lay sprawled on the ground. Her head was missing.
Blood soaked the floor beneath her like a pool of spilled ink. Her head was nowhere to be seen—only her necklace, dangling from her severed neck, glinting beneath the flickering kitchen light.
Maya stumbled backward, a hand over her mouth. Leah was sobbing uncontrollably, pointing toward the wall. Everyone turned.
Written in dripping blood, large and terrifyingly neat, were the words:
"FOLLOW THE SCRIPT OR DIE."
Blood still slid slowly down the wall, letter by letter. The crimson liquid painted over the cheap wallpaper like something out of a nightmare.
A heavy silence swallowed the room, only broken by Maya's whisper:
"…what script?"
Then, as if on cue, the lights throughout the house flickered... and died.