Escape From Spooky Swamp

Welcome to Spooky Swamp. This is no ordinary swamp. Located in the Louisiana bayou, these waters are home to alligators, snakes, and the souls of those who never made it out.

Do you dare to embark on the tour? Are you brave enough to risk an encounter with the bog monster? Can you make it past Pentacle Peninsula alive?

This scary adventure is all about you. You decide what will happen. And you decide how terrifying the scares will be.

Start on PAGE 1. Then follow the instructions at the bottom of each page.

You make the choices.

If you make the right choices, you’ll escape from the spine-tingling swamp in time and come out with a killer playlist. If you make the wrong choice … BEWARE!

So take a long, deep breath, cross your fingers, and scroll down to PAGE 1 to GIVE YOURSELF GOOSEBUMPS!

PAGE 1

“We should wait for the next one.”

“It’s the last boat of the day, Ashley. What do you want to do?”

“I didn’t want to come in the first place, Rob. You decide.”

It’s the first week of October. The young couple is arguing in the scorching Louisiana sun. Ashley hasn’t smiled since you got here. You can’t blame her. Rob hasn’t taken his eyes off the ticket lady’s knockers in six minutes.

Rob screws up his face and sticks out his bottom lip. “I want to see a gator,” he whines.

Ashley groans. “They’re all over the damn place, Robert!” Her shoulders droop in resignation. They purchase their tickets and move aside, and you step up to the counter.

The young woman behind the glass flashes a dazzling smile, and you can't help but glance down; a nametag pinned to her chest reads ALESHA. Her face lights up in recognition at the sight of you.

“Of course! We’ve been waiting for you. You’ve just snagged the last seat on our final tour of the day!" She beams at you.

You shake your head in confusion. "I think there's been a mistake," you say. "Nobody knows that I'm in the city. It's a solo trip."

She says nothing in response, just stares with that large grin on her face.

Alesha's smile makes you feel uneasy. Something about her unblinking gaze gives you the heebie-jeebies. But you leave New Orleans tomorrow morning, and you've been looking forward to this tour for months.

What are you going to do?

If you decide to go on the swamp tour, scroll down to PAGE 2.

If you decide to return to the hotel, scroll down to PAGE 3.

PAGE 2

"Let's do it."

Alesha's smile widens, and your heart drops. Did her pupils just dilate?

Pushing your discomfort aside, you purchase your ticket and join the other passengers who are waiting for the tour to begin. Within minutes, you and twenty others have boarded the aging boat and are gliding through the still waters of the Louisiana bayou.

Your tour guide, a blonde-haired college student named Steven, is describing the swamp's ecosystem and scaring your fellow passengers with local legends. You can hear Rob at the other end of the boat excitedly mistaking logs for swamp creatures.

You roll your eyes. You've seen plenty of alligators. You're here for the ghosts.

The day is beautiful, and the scenery is exquisite. You pass a group of kayakers. Their bright red paddles send up little sprays of water that glitter like drops of blood in the sunlight.

You're just starting to think that maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all when the boat is rocked by a massive jolt.

"Don't worry, folks. That's probably just our local bog monster, Fred," Steven jokes, eliciting a few nervous chuckles from the passengers. You tentatively lean over the railing for a look at the mossy water below. Your stomach drops. There's a massive hole in the side of the boat.

It quickly becomes clear that this is no laughing matter. The boat is slowly sinking, and passengers are beginning to panic.

You stare down at the murky water bubbling up around the deck of the boat. You can see a small stretch of land up ahead, easily within swimming distance.

Do you jump in?

To jump in the water, scroll down to page 4.

To stay on the boat, scroll down to page 5.

PAGE 3

You need an out. "How long is the tour?" you ask.

That eerie, unblinking smile still plastered to her face, Alesha tells you the boat should be back within two hours.

"Oh, bummer," you lie unconvincingly. "I have a reservation in an hour. Thank you anyway!" Avoiding meeting her gaze, you turn and quickly head to the parking lot.

Disappointed, you walk to your car and begin the ten-minute drive back to your hotel. Your thoughts begin to wander as you think back on your strange encounter with Alesha, but you push it from your mind. She must have had you confused with someone else. No big deal.

You're crossing the first bridge when you hear a low rumble beneath your tires. Suddenly, the ground beneath you gives out, and your car plummets into the murky water below. It lands with a jolt and a PLOP!, firmly lodging itself in the muddy bottom of the bayou.

Looks like you made it to the swamp after all.

To get out of the car, scroll down to page 6.

To stay and wait for help, scroll down to page 7.

PAGE 4

You jump. The water is surprisingly deep, and you begin to swim toward the small island.

Ashley has followed your lead and clambers onto the shore beside you. You glance back. Everyone else has disappeared. The two of you are alone.

You hear an eerie voice, a woman singing in a low and melancholy tone. More voices join in unison, ghostly sounds that chill you to the bone. Ashley watches in confusion as your head swivels back and forth, your eyes scanning the tangled trees along the banks of the swamp, frantically searching for the source.

"Don't you hear it?" you ask. Ashley shakes her head, her face pale with fear.

"I don't hear anything," she whispers.

You both freeze. You've noticed at the same time how dark and cold the small island has become, as if all contact with the outside world has been severed. You shiver, and Ashley instinctively inches closer, pressing her body up against yours.

Ashley suddenly grabs your arm and turns, surveying the terrain of the small piece of land. "That tour guy talked about this place," she says quietly, her voice filled with terror. "This is Pentacle Peninsula. He said it's haunted."

You snort. "Don't be silly. There's no such thing as 'haunted.'"

You're bluffing. There's totally such a thing as haunted, and you'd bet your life this place fits the bill.

"He said the spirits of the voodoo witches guard the pentacle," she insists. "And we aren't supposed to step inside the circle."

For the first time, you notice the stones, small rocks arranged in a large circle around a star, the outline mere feet from where you stand. It's getting dark, and you aren't safe by the water's edge. You scan the surface for any sign of life and find none.

You hear a noise, a soft humming, and look to the south. Squinting, you can just make out the outline of a small boat, steered by a heavyset man in a t-shirt and baseball cap. He pulls up alongside you and stops.

"Hop in," the man says.

You hesitate, glancing at Ashley. Is this a heroic rescue or the embodiment of stranger danger?

To get on the man's boat, scroll down to page 8.

To stay on the island, scroll down to page 9.

PAGE 5

You back away from the railing as water begins to seep over the sides of the boat. Tourists line the far deck, scrambling up on to the railings.

Suddenly, a massive figure emerges from the water, scaled and ghostly white, with pale red eyes and rows of enormous teeth. It hits the deck with a thud, the force knocking several people off the railing and into the water below. The boat tilts with the weight of the beast, and someone slides past you into its gaping jaws. In one swoop, the alligator has dragged a screaming Rob below the water's surface. They do not return.

Well, he saw a gator, alright.

You push your way to the far edge of the tour boat and follow a woman onto the roof. You find yourself precariously balanced alongside a man and his son, a boy around the age of twelve.

You look up and see a branch above your head, slowly growing ever more distant as the boat sinks deeper into the water. If you stand on your tiptoes, you think you can reach it and pull yourself up.

Suddenly, the child beside you slips, and he dangles over the water. You hear a large splash and look over to see the red eyes of the gator just above the water's surface, quickly gliding toward you.

If you save the boy, you'll miss your chance to climb onto the branch.

To rescue the kid, scroll down to page 10.

To leave the kid and save yourself, scroll down to page 11.

PAGE 6

You climb through the sunroof and onto the hood of the car.

Within seconds, a car comes crashing down from above, operated by an inattentive driver who has realized too late that the bridge is out. The last thing you see is the heavy metal falling down upon you, and then ... darkness.

THE END

PAGE 7

Pulling out your cell phone, you dial the emergency number, but there's no service. Great.

Staring through your windshield, you tap your fingers on the steering wheel and consider your options. After a moment, you begin to notice the surface of the water rising up around you. You watch it closely.

Yes, you're certain now. You're sinking. It's a bog.

To exit through the driver's side door, scroll down to page 12.

To exit through the sunroof, scroll down to page 13.

PAGE 8

Ashley scrambles onto the boat, and you hesitantly follow. She sees a blanket crumpled on the floor and grabs it, throwing it around her shoulders and inviting you to share its warmth. You huddle beneath the thin red fabric together as the man pulls away from the island and heads for the dark trees of the Louisiana bayou.

"Our tour boat crashed," you explain.

"Don't care," he says simply.

He's headed south. "Didn't we come in from the north?" you mutter to Ashley.

She stares blankly back at you. "Do I look like I know directions?" she asks plainly. Her tone clearly indicates that she does not, in fact, know which way is north. You sigh and squint into the darkness, trying see beyond the thick veil of drooping branches.

Nearly an hour later, the man stops the boat at a small wooden pier, and you quickly follow him up the dock.

Something is definitely off, but you have no idea where you are. It's easy to get lost in the bayou. Many an unfortunate soul has disappeared in this swamp, never to be seen again.

To run away, scroll down to page 14.

To stick with the man, scroll down to page 15.

PAGE 9

"I don't think we should be getting into boats with strange men," you whisper. "I don't like the look of that guy."

Ashley stares at you in disbelief. "He's rescuing us," she says matter-of-factly. She walks with confidence to the boat, and you watch her, eyeing the man with uncertain suspicion.

Suddenly, Ashley lets out an ear-piercing shriek.

"THERE'S A DEAD GIRL IN HERE!" she screams. Almost before she's finished her sentence, the man has stepped behind her and slashed a blade across her throat. Her lifeless body collapses to the floor.

Wiping Ashley's blood on his pants, the man turns to you and begins to disembark from the boat. You back away with increasing speed as he advances toward you. Glancing back, you stop in your tracks.

You're at the edge of the pentacle. You wish you'd paid attention to Steven's stories. You have no idea what the penalty is for stepping within the boundaries of the satanic circle.

But you've got a crazy guy coming at you with a knife. What are you gonna do?

To run away through the pentacle, scroll down to page 16.

To fight the man, scroll down to page 17.

PAGE 10

"Goddammit," you mutter, bending down and grabbing hold of the boy's shirt. You pull him back up to the boat's roof and deliver him into his father's arms.

You glance up. The branch is out of reach. You're going to have to swim.

You scan the terrain and see two options: you can make for a small island not far in the distance, or you can swim to the nearby shore.

To make for the shore, scroll down to page 18.

To head for the peninsula, scroll down to page 19.

PAGE 11

"Sorry, kid," you mutter, turning away. You jump and grab hold of the branch.

Wait ... that isn't a branch. The enormous snake sinks its fangs into your flesh, and you let go, falling into the water below. Quickly paralyzed by the serpent's venom, you sink beneath the surface and drown.

Karma's a bitch. Should've saved the kid.

Yep, that means that this is ...

THE END

PAGE 12

Sighing, you collect your things and pull on the door handle. You push. It doesn't move.

Fuck.

The car continues to sink, filling with water, and you pound on the glass windows. They don't break. You jiggle the sunroof cover. It's jammed.

The water creeps up over your shoulders, around your neck, up past your chin. You take one last breath. Unfortunately, this is ...

THE END

PAGE 13

You made the right call.

You climb through the sunroof and jump into the muck below. Seconds after you reach the shoreline, a piece of concrete from the crumbling bridge drops from above, landing in the place you just stood.

That was a close call, but lucky for you, your time in Spooky Swamp is over. This is ...

THE END

PAGE 14

You decide to take your chances and make a break for it. Nudging Ashley, you indicate your plan, but she shakes her head.

To stay with Ashley, scroll down to page 20.

To leave her behind, scroll down to page 21.

PAGE 15

You follow the man a short distance, and after a few minutes, you can see lights and a log dwelling.

You pull the blanket tighter around your shoulders as you enter the cabin, and the fabric catches the porch light as you walk through the door. You realize that it isn't red at all. The cloth is white, a creamy hue dotted with dark red stains.

You cross the dim threshold and look up to see cages full of naked men and women. Several are missing limbs. They stare at you sympathetically. Beside you, Ashley shrieks, and you hear the man's deep voice rumbling in your ear.

"Welcome to hell."

THE END

PAGE 16

You turn and run, but before you've crossed the foreboding line into the pentacle, you slam into the welcoming arms of a rescuer, a man who has unwittingly crossed the satanic symbol from the other side of the peninsula. The officers and volunteers who accompany him quickly capture the murderer and escort you to a local hospital.

Sure, your rescuer mysteriously dies two weeks later, but hey. You've survived Spooky Swamp.

THE END

PAGE 17

You aren't going down without a fight. Squaring your soldiers, you lower your head and prepare to charge.

It's a good effort. An unsuccessful effort, but a commendable attempt to survive nonetheless.

If it's any consolation, the man doesn't kill you. While running at him, you trip on a stick and slam your head into a rock. Yours is a painless, albeit stupid, death. Better luck next time.

THE END

PAGE 18

You swim the short distance to the shore and begin to make your way inland. The other survivors of the wreckage follow suit, and you soon find yourselves at the edge of the swamp, back where you started.

To your surprise, Alesha is standing on the dock waiting for you.

"Happy Halloween!" she cries.

Halloween? you wonder. It's the first week of October.

You glance around at your companions in confusion and, to your horror, see that the faces staring back have become sunken, wrinkled, decrepit. You run past Alesha and up the dock to the ticket window, stopping to stare at your reflection in the clear glass. You gasp at the face that looks back. It must be eighty years old. How long were you trapped in that swamp?

Hmmmm. Best not to think too much about it. Just be happy that you've come to ...

THE END

PAGE 19

As you swim, you suddenly feel cold fingers wrap around your ankle and begin to pull you down. The bog monster!

You are unable to break free as it drags you deeper into the abyss. You can't believe it. This can't be how you go.

But, I'm sorry to say, this really is ...

THE END

PAGE 20

You can't leave her behind.

Big mistake. The man leads you to an empty shed. Meat hooks hang from the ceiling. Is that ... a human torso?

You see two men seated at a table and hear the door of the shed being bolted shut. The man's voice sounds behind you.

"Dinner, boys."

Is this...

THE END?

Yes.

PAGE 21

You're gonna have to ditch her.

And it's a good thing you do. You fumble your way through the darkness and soon come to a highway. You flag down the next car and are rescued by a couple of good Samaritans.

Ashley is never seen or heard from again. She should have made better choices. At least you did.

THE END

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