‘Right through the red lights! Good job!’

She tried to focus.

Who was it again? It sounded like a male. Her father? Her brother?

‘Come on, you can do it! All the way!’

What had happened after that? She tried to visualize it.

‘Yes, you made it! We knew you could!’

Why did the voice not sound like what she remembered of her family? Why did it sound like someone else?

‘Come back! Be careful!’

When did she get back, if at all? Where was “back”? Where was she then? Where was she now?

‘Run! Hurry!’

How did she end up here, wherever this was?

Her eyelids felt heavy. She tried to open them, but nothing happened.

She heard a faint continuous sound. What sound was that again? It sounded like a river.

A man’s figure appeared in front of her. He was dangerous. She recognized him.

Her eyes flew open so quickly it made her dizzy. She jolted up, gasping and grabbing frantically at the first thing she could find. Then a loud sound pierced the air.

The sound came from near her. Too close. She felt a light weight on one hand. Was she holding something? Everything was swimming in front of her eyes. She didn’t know what happened, but she could very well guess. She turned her head.

A river ran next to her. She looked around.

The scene was familiar. A wooden cottage should be somewhere nearby, next to some woods… Right? And this river should start somewhere around here, shouldn’t it?

She remembered. She played with them here.

Who were they again? Weren’t there two boys and a girl? How come she couldn’t see them anywhere?

She spotted the small cottage near the mouth of the river. That was where they pretended to live in during the day, pretending they had to live in the wilderness, pretending to hunt and gather water and make fires, before they had to go home.

Whatever she was holding felt familiar and foreign at the same time, but she didn’t want to know what it was. She didn’t look down. Where were her playmates? Who brought her here?

She closed her eyes again. She felt weak. She couldn’t move. Her ears rang. There was a warm, wet stickiness against her skin, gluing her shirt to her body.

The memories flooded back. Her eyes snapped open.

The man. He was standing right in front of her. ‘You’re coming with me,’ he said.

‘Run! Hurry!’ the male’s voice from earlier said. Her head spun.

She threw herself at the flashing sirens, the red lights blazing off the walls of the dark, eerie hall.

What had they been doing again? Exploring the forbidden halls of that house? What had that man been doing again? Guarding the halls of the house?

She screamed. The man lunged. Something was thrown into her hands. She didn’t think twice before pulling the trigger.

There was blood everywhere. All she could see was the wet, sticky liquid, covering the walls, covering the floors, covering her body…

Then she was here. Who brought her here? She looked at the cottage and smiled faintly when she saw her playmates laughing inside, pretending they were living that game they played.

But something was off.

Someone was missing. The weight in her hand grew heavier.

She looked down.

Her finger was on the trigger.