Red Light, Green Light.

My head is pounding. My heart is racing. My ears are ringing. All that surrounds me is darkness. I spread my hands out in front of me only to be met at my finger tips by a cold hard wall. I lay my palm flat on the on the gritty surface, it brings me some comfort. I decided to drag my hand across the wall and crawl to blindly guide myself. As I crawled along the floor my hand touched a wet spot on the wall, I wiped it on my shirt and kept going. Another wet puddle submerged my hand, it felt so… warm. Slowly I reached my hand across the floor straying away from the wall, and I felt something.

“AHHHHH!” I jumped backwards, I wasn’t here alone. Someone else was in the room with me, and I think they’re injured… or worse.

“Hello?”, after a few moments I gathered enough courage to speak.

“Someone help me!” The last thing I remembered was walking home from the bar, after being stood up by my tinder date.

There was no answer to my words, just silence. A silence so loud it made my head hurt. I placed my hand on my forehead and winced in pain. There was a bump accompanied by a small cut near my temple, it felt like fire as I tried to touch it.

Suddenly the lights turned on, it felt like my eyes were being burned as I tried to allow the light in. I couldn’t open my eyes right away. As my eyes adjusted to the bright light, I saw a figure standing over me.

“Who are you? W- what do you want with me?” I cried in fear to the still blurry figure.

I was frozen when I saw the person move closer to me. As they approached I could see more clearly it was a man. He seemed so familiar… wait, no, it couldn’t be!

“I thought you wanted to go on a date? What do you mean? Have you forgotten me already?” He chuckled as he grabbed my face, our eyes locked. It was my tinder date. He smiled at me, he look exactly like his pictures maybe even more handsome in person.

“I’ve got a surprise for you!” He smiled like a mad man, slowly he put out his hand waiting for me to grab it. I looked around the room for an exit, but it was just a square concrete room that didn’t seem to have a door.

“Don’t be rude, take my hand!” He said with a slightly aggressive tone. I took his hand and stood. He turned me around, and covered my eyes with his hand.

“Now, like I said I have a surprise for you. It’s a game. You told me about a child hood game you use to play, Red light… Green light! Remember?” He said as he brushed my cheek lightly with his finger.

“Y- yes”,my legs felt weak what was this creep up to? Slowly he started to take away his hands from my eyes. My eyes locked on the lifeless body of a girl in the corner of the room. Blood puddled around her body, my stomach dropped. I looked up to the wall above her and there was bloody letters spelling the word, ‘Cheater’. I slowly turned to look back at my tinder date. He met my gaze with a crazed look in his eye.

“Let’s play!” He said excitedly, “Oh, and no cheating!”.

He placed me on one side of the room the walked away to stand on the opposing side.

“Green light!”, He yelled while smiling at me. With all hesitation, I slowly walked towards him making baby steps.

“Come on! You can go faster than that! Did I mention if you win you can get a prize?”, My heart jumped and I started racing towards him.

“Red light!”, he grinned ear to ear as I stopped in my tracks, “You better not move or that’s cheating!”. I held my breath and tried to concentrate on my balance. One of my legs was up in the air as my other was planted on the floor. He made a full circle around me and laughed.

“I’m so silly! I have work in the morning I better get some rest! Oh don’t forget, you can’t move!” He smiled at me and patted my cheek mockingly. He walked away and unlatched a door from the ceiling, and left.

I stood there frozen, my leg was starting to hurt. I couldn’t balance much longer. Was he really going to kill me if I moved? I thought back to the picture of that girls body in my head. So I stood there.

I stood there.

I stood there.

Waiting for the green light.