Writing short fiction for an RPG always takes a thorough perusal of the game materials. You have to understand not only the setting and the mood that the game is trying to impart, but also the potential threats and experiences the players of the game might have. Whenever I’ve asked to write game fiction, I pick out something in particular from the game handbook and craft a story around it. This story was written for the (upcoming) game Dark Places and Demogorgans, which will be published by Wet Ink Games in collaboration with Bloat Games (no release date at the time of this writing). The setting is the 1980s as we remember them, except for there are strange creatures that lurk in our world, some of them just out of sight.

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Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

            The sounds of the ball on the pavement echoed across the empty school yard. Alan was hogging the ball. Harry looked across the soccer fields to where the sun was hanging low in the sky. On the other side of the court, Jacob was stripping off his shirt, not paying attention to the game. Evan was trying to reach in, making a steal attempt for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening. Harry looked back to the sun, red as a rose and deepening.

            “Come on!” he called. “My mom wants me home before dark!”

            Alan dribbled the ball, laughing as he faked Evan, running up the court and making a lay-up. He missed.

            Jacob came back to the game. “Your mom still makes you follow that rule? What are you, a baby?”

            Harry rolled his eyes. “I’m walking home if you don’t finish this game now. Come on, Alan! Just make a shot already!”

            Alan had managed to collect his own rebound and was dribbling towards the goal again, Evan on his heels. They jumped, colliding in the air as Alan released the ball. Harry and Jacob watched its perfect arc.

            Swish.

            “That’s game,” Evan called, disappointment in his tone.

            The sound of an engine came rolling into the parking lot. The boys squinted in the beams of the headlights. The car pulled in right next to Jacob’s. Alan watched excitedly as two girls got out of the car.

            “Hey,” Megan said, swinging her dark hair over her shoulder. The other girl, Annie, didn’t even look up from her magazine as she walked towards the court. She smacked her gum loudly, blowing little bubbles and popping them with a crunch. The lengthening shadows cast an eerie darkness over her face.

            “Hey,” Jacob responded, picking up his discarded shirt and heading towards the girls. Megan whispered something in his ear. Smiling, he turned back to his friends. “Give me a minute, will ya?”

            Harry huffed loudly. “Come on! Don’t make me walk home!” Darkness was fast enveloping the school grounds. The streetlights around them flickered on one by one. “My mom’s gonna kill me,” he muttered, sinking down onto a bench by the court, watching Jacob walk towards the school with Megan. They turned the corner of the building, disappearing out of sight.

            Annie leaned against the trunk of Megan’s car. She didn’t pay the boys any mind, absorbed in whatever she was reading in her Tiger Beat. Evan smirked at Alan, as Alan took another shot with the ball. It bounced off the rim. Evan sauntered towards the girl. Harry watched with amusement as he leaned against the car with her. Annie didn’t even look up.

            “Watcha reading?” Evan asked, leaning over her shoulder.

            Annie paused, sliding her eyes up slowly before meeting his gaze. “You really interested?” she asked.

            Evan tried not to fumble through his next words. “Well, if it’s interesting to you, maybe it’ll be interesting to me.”

            Harry snickered. Evan was never going to convince Annie that he was worth her time. He looked towards the school, watching for Jacob and Megan to return. A shadow moved across the light above the doors that led to the gymnasium.

            “Was that a bat?” he asked, standing up. Evan and Annie were staring in the direction of the school. They seemed nervous. Harry realized Alan was no longer dribbling the ball. He looked over his shoulder, back to the court, but Alan was gone. The ball rolled slowly across the court, coming to rest in the grass. It was quiet enough to hear the soft scratch of the blades against the rubber.

            “Alan?” Harry called.

            Evan and Annie had left their place at Megan’s car, moving towards him with widened eyes. “Something weird is going on here,” Annie said.

            The sun had fully set now. There was just a touch of hazy blue on the horizon. The air was still; too still. Harry didn’t even hear a cricket chirping. “Alan!” Harry called again. Not even the sound of the wind returned to him.

            “I’m getting Megan and getting out of here. This is creeping me out,” Annie said, clutching her magazine to her chest. Evan tried to snake an arm around her, but she dodged out of his way.    

            With a pop, the light above the gymnasium doors went out.

            Annie screamed, grabbing Evan’s arm to steady her. Harry drew a deep breath and called again for his friend. “Alan!” He turned, trying to peer across the soccer fields in the darkness. “Jacob?” He called, his nerves rising.

            “Shhhh!” Evan chastised. Lowering his voice, he hissed, “Do you hear that?”

            The three listened closely, drawing near to each other in concern. Annie’s eyes were wide with fright. Evan squinted as he strained to hear the soft scritch, scritch, scritch that had caught his ear.

            “What is that?” Annie asked, frantic.

            Harry kept this gaze on the field. There was a figure moving out there in the darkness. It seemed to waver as it moved. “Is that Alan?” he asked quietly.

            A rustling in the bushes released another scream from Annie. She clapped her hands over her mouth as soon as it began, stifling the sound.

            “Will you stop that?” Evan snipped.

            Harry stood very still. He could almost sense something around them, just out of his range of vision. A darkness streaked across the corner of his eye. He glanced, but it was gone. It happened again; and again, he turned. There was nothing there.

            Scritch. Scritch. Scritch.

            “I’m waiting in the car,” Annie whispered. She walked fast, stiff-backed across the court, opening the door of Megan’s car. She let loose a third scream.

            Evan and Harry went running for her. She slammed the door before they could reach her. “There’s something…it was…what is it?”

            Evan peered into the car. “There’s nothing there Annie.”

            “There was! It went away when I looked at it.”

            Harry froze. He could still see the thing that hovered in the corner of his eye, right out of his sight. “What’s behind me?” he asked slowly.

            Annie and Evan both shook their heads. “Nothing,” Evan whispered.

            Annie was shaking with fright. She shook her hands at her sides and shifted her weight from foot to foot. “One of you get Jacob and Megan.”

            Evan and Harry looked at each other. “Not it,” said Evan.

            Harry sighed, and then turned from his friend. Alan stood behind him with the ball in his hands. Startled, Harry gasped, then slugged the other boy on the arm. “Alan! What the hell?!”

            “Something funny is going on,” Alan said. “It’s too dark.”

            “Where did you go?” Harry asked, hoping that it was Alan he had seen in the dark. “Was that you out on the field?”

            “I had to take a leak,” Alan said defensively. “But something was out there. Creeped me out.”

            “What was out there?” Annie asked.

            “I don’t know. I couldn’t get a look at it.”

            The four of them stood still and silent for a moment. Another light on the school building went out. No one so much as breathed.

            “Where is Jacob?” Harry hissed.

            “Go get them!” Annie prodded. “We have to get out of here.”

            Screaming broke the silence. Annie started to cry, blubbering for one of the boys to find Megan and Jacob. Harry sighed, stilling his racing heart, then headed for the school.

            He turned the corner where Megan and Jacob had gone. It was unnaturally dark. “Jacob!” he called. “Megan!” His voice died in that mass of blackness before him. He could hear Megan talking. “Megan?” he called again.

            There was movement in the darkness. Two shapes began to emerge. He took a step forward but stopped when he recognized his friends. Megan was crying, and Jacob was pulling her along by the arm.

            “Turn around, Harry. We’re getting out of here,” Jacob said, blowing past him.

            Jacob drug Megan to her car, ignoring all the questions being asked of him. He stuffed her into the driver seat. “Go to my house if you want,” he told her. She was shaking and crying as she turned the key in the ignition. Annie slumped into shotgun, looking pale. She patted her friend on the arm. Jacob kissed her forehead. “I gotta take Alan and Harry home first,” he explained.

            Harry was going to be in so much trouble, and his mom would never believe him about the weird darkness just out of sight.

            The boys piled into the car after the girls pulled out of the parking lot. Jacob didn’t even turn on the radio as they drove away. Harry snuck a glance out the rearview mirror. The school yard was darker than it should be. He wondered if he would still see the darkness when he was home. Would it still be hanging just out of sight?

            They drove for a time in silence before Jacob finally asked the question they were all thinking. “What the hell was that?”