Chapter One
I’m mute, and I got transported into a horror game where the only way I can talk to the boss is in sign language.
He swore up and down that he knew sign language and told me to go ahead and say whatever I wanted.
I told him I needed to look for clues. He asked if I wanted to touch his abs.
I told him I wanted to leave. He grabbed me by the shirt and rolled me up under the covers with him.
After he’d misread my signs for the eight hundredth time, I lost it and signed something truly filthy at him.
He grinned. “Baby, stop complimenting me. Any more and I’ll float right up to heaven.”
Chapter One
[Welcome to Silent Town.]
[Starting players: 7]
[Objective: Survive, and find the final clue to escape.]
[Difficulty: SSS]
[Be careful, players. Whatever you do, don’t let him hear you!]
I’d only just fallen asleep when a flash of white light went off in my head, and somehow I was in the world of a horror game.
Before I could make sense of it, a line of red text appeared in front of my eyes: “Congratulations! You’ve drawn the role card: Youngest Daughter of the Mayor of Silent Town.”
I looked around. A punk with bleached-blond hair and a chip on his shoulder was yelling at the top of his lungs. “What the hell is this? What kind of dump is this?”
The words had barely left his mouth when a bolt of lightning struck him. A violent gust of wind swept him into the air and slammed him back down.
He lay there coughing up blood, and within moments he was dead.
Another line of blood-red text appeared overhead.
[Those who break the rules of the town will be executed.]
[Players remaining: 6]
[Please value your lives and make it to the end.]
Next to me, a girl with black hair and a white dress clapped a hand over her mouth and dropped to the ground in terror, but she didn’t make a single sound.
The six of us stared at each other. Every one of us lifted our feet with exaggerated care, terrified of making even the faintest noise.
At the same time, rows of livestream comments began to roll across the sky above the town:
LOL, he didn’t even read the rules before he started yelling. Well, that went great.
Someone died in the first minute. The death curse is already triggered. If they don’t break it fast, nobody’s getting out.
These guys all look like total newbies. This round’s a free kill, isn’t it?
The comments streamed past in a solid wave while we stared up at the sky, completely lost.
A man with a little ponytail at the back of his head lowered his voice. His name was Rhett, he said, and this was his third time in this game. If we wanted to survive, everyone needed to share their role cards first.
Everyone went through theirs quickly. Rhett was the sheriff’s deputy. Lillian, the girl in the white dress, was the mayor’s eldest daughter, which made her my character’s sister. Chase, the big tall guy, was the town bully. Monica, the woman with short hair, was the mayor’s wife. Ryan, whose face was spattered with blood, had been the blond punk’s roommate. The two of them had been gaming when they got pulled in.
Then every eye landed on me. Without making it obvious, I took two steps back.
I raised my hands and signed: “My name is Willow. I’m the mayor’s youngest daughter.”
Everyone looked blank. Even the big guy did a double take. “You’re mute?”
I nodded. Ryan perked right up. “Then you’re basically built for this game!”
To my surprise, the short-haired woman knew sign language, and she stepped in to translate for me.
“She says her name is Willow, and she’s the mayor’s youngest daughter.”
Word for word. It was the first time since I’d entered the game that anyone had read my hands correctly.
Soon it was time to choose rooms. A line of blood-red text appeared.
[Rooms will be assigned by drawing lots.]
Ladies first, we lined up and drew.
Ryan and I each drew a single room. Chase and Lillian drew one together, and so did Monica and Rhett.
The comments started scrolling like crazy again.
Chase and Lillian are screwed. That room is packed with ghosts. Almost nobody gets through it without screaming.
Wait, single rooms? Oh no. I just saw Willow draw the one at the very end of the hall.
Isn’t that the Big Bad’s room???
