The House of Midnight

Chapter Two

Game Tips

"Who the hell was that guy? And how could everyone just stand and watch while he killed that poor boy!"
A clock chimed somewhere. It was 12.00. Midnight.
"You should go back to room and sleep." May said.
"Sleep? Sleep! You except me to sleep with that psycho here?"
May sighed and leaned against the wall.
"I know you must be shocked, but that's how it goes. Besides, he can't kill you now. No one can. Not until morning, that is."
"Then someone could just come and kill me in my sleep before I wake!"
May smiled at me. "Thats against the rules. You are safe from being killed if you are asleep."
"The rules. That guy said that this was a game. What ARE the rules?"
"As I said, it's complicated. You have to learn them along the way. That's what I had to do."
We were standing in corridor No.1 outside of Mays room. She was leaning up against her door.
"Come on, we all need sleep. You can ask more questions in the morning, alright?"
"I can't just sit and wait, I need to know-"
"Lillian, listen, I'm tired and I want to go to sleep. I'll introduce you to more people in the morning."
She was looking annoyed now. I bit my lip and nodded. May said goodnight and went into her room, leaving me alone in the corridor. I shuddered, rubbing my arms. I turned and went to my own room, shutting the door quietly, even though I wanted to slam it. I found a pair of pyjamas on the bed, and I stared at them in wonder for a few minutes.
Then, I yawned, so I got changed and made myself as comfortable as I could in the old bed. I lay there in silence, straining my ears for, well, SOMETHING. Anything. The silence was maddening.
Slowly, but surely, I drifted off to sleep. It wasn't long before I woke up to the sound of footsteps down the corridor. I heard a knock on the door, and a voice called out.
"Hey! Is this Lillian's room?"
I rubbed my face and sat up.
"Yes?"
"May told me to wake you up. She wants to meet you in the showers."
"Ok, thank you." I yawned.
I heard the owner of the voice walk away, and I sat in bed, trying to wake up. After about five minutes I finally got up and grabbed my clothes and walked out of my room.
Several other sleepy people were walking out in their pjs as well. I went to shower room No.1 and found May waiting for me.
"That took you for ever." She growled.
"Sorry." I mumbled.
After a quick shower, we both got dressed and went to the mess hall that May didn't get to show met he day before. It was a long room with two long tables settled with chairs. In front of each chair on the tables were steaming bowls of porridge with a selection of honey, berries or sugar.
I took a seat with May, who sat in what I assumed was her group of friends.
"Everyone, this is Lillian." She said.
Two girls and a guy smiled at me.
One of the girls had frizzy black hair that she pulled into a bun. Her dark skin was clean and she had dark onyx eyes. "I'm Izzy." She said. "This is Becca," she gestured to the muddy brown haired girl beside her with bright yellow eyes, "and that's Marcus."
The boy opposite me gave a big grin.
"I was the guy who woke you up."
He had olive skin and spiky black hair with eyes darker then Izzy's.
"It's nice to meet you all." I said, my voice croaky.
They all smiled, and dug into their porridge. Marcus attempted to talk to me, and he did. Well, he talked AT me, as I was too busy taking notes about everyone else around me.
Nobody was any younger then 14, and no one was any older then 18.
There were only two tables, and I guessed that at least 20 people were on each table. I noticed that on the other table, every seat was filled up except for one.
"Who sits there?" I said, pointing to it with my spoon.
Becca looked behind her and grimaced at me.
"We don't talk about THAT person."
"Who?"
"White." May said, her face serious. "White doesn't eat with us. He eats his food when everyone else has finished and leaves the mess hall."
"Why?"
"He's weird like that." Izzy said, taking a mouthful of porridge.
"He was the guy who killed that boy yesterday, wasn't he?"
Everyone nodded.
"Why? I don't understand. And don't say it's too complicated to explain!"
May sighed, and Becca leaned forward to me.
"We're not allowed to tell you the rules of the game. But we CAN give you a few tips to survive."
I nodded.
"Ok."
"Tip No.1." Izzy began. "Always carry some sort of sharp object with you. Always. Even in the shower."
I nodded.
"Tip No.2." Becca said. "Try to avoid the kitchen as much as you can. Most attacks happen in there."
"And finally, Tip No. 3." Marcus said finishing off his porridge. "Stay away from White. Especially if he has a cassette recorder or a sharp object with him."
I frowned, but took note. "Ok. Why?"
"He doesn't hesitate to kill. No one talks to him. The last time someone did he stabbed them in the eye with a fork. Just stay away from him."
After breakfast was over, I decided that I was going to stay behind as the three left to get to the pool table before anyone else. I sat and waited for everyone to leave the mess hall. After they did, I sat in silence, waiting for HIM.
Despite all their warnings, I wanted to know more about this boy that they called 'White'. Soon enough, my patience paid off as he strode into the mess hall. He paused when he saw me, and stared. He then frowned, turned and walked over to the other table to his cold porridge.
Avoiding my gaze, he sat down and began to eat. Swallowing down fear, and the memory of a boy with scissors in his throat, I sat up from my chair and walked over to him. I sat down the seat opposite to him, and he growled.
"Haven't you heard the stories about me already? I like to eat alone."
I took a deep breath.
"I don't care. No one will tell me what the hell this place is and why you killed that boy yesterday. First of all, who are you?"
White took a mouthful of porridge, taking his time to chew and eat it. He swallowed, and licked his spoon.
"Ever heard of the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat?'"
I huffed, and he gave a small smile.
"This place is the House of Midnight. A place where you go if you've done something terrible. Or so they say."
He ate another spoonful and continued. "Living here is basically a game. You kill to win. If you kill five people in a row each day you get to leave."
I stared at him, my eyes wide. "That's awful!"
White shrugged. "That's just how the game is played."
"This is sick game. I don't want to do this. I never even got a choice!"
"Non of us got a choice." He took another mouthful and swallowed. "Often housemates just let me do the killings everyday so that we don't have to face Monster. Other times some snap and loose their minds because of the games Ring Master makes us play and they kill. Saves me getting messy."
I sat back in my chair, shaking my head with disbelief.
"This is insane. I can't do this. I WON'T do this."
I stood up, ready to run to the supposed door to outside, but White laughed.
"You can't get out of this place. All the doors to wherever-is-not-in-the-house, are locked. So would the windows, if this house even had any."
White stood up from the table, and pushed in his chair. He walked to the archway, but I rushed forward and grabbed his arm sleeve.
"You can't just leave me! I still have questions! I -"
White snatched his sleeve away and posed a knife at my throat. I stopped, and gulped.
"Don't EVER touch me. You should listen to your 'friends'; don't talk to me, don't go near me."
He flipped the blade away from my throat, pointing the handle at me.
"Main rule of this house: always carry a weapon."
Hesitantly, I grabbed the handle of the knife and he strode away, anyway who was in his path quickly parting. I stood at the archway connecting lounge No.2 and the mess hall, staring at the knife.
I heard people whispering all around me.
"He didn't kill her!"
"Wow, she actually talked to him without him loosing it."
"I wonder why her gave her the knife?"
"He's never treated newbies like THAT before."