The Waiting Game[]
Waiting. It’s something that is unavoidable in everyday life. The bus might be late, and you’ll have to wait for it to arrive. Or maybe there’s an egregiously long line snaking around the walls of your favorite store. No matter how productive you may be, at some point, you’ll have to wait.
Well, with this guide, you’ll finally be able to beat the Waiting Game.
Firstly, you'll obviously need the tools to start the game. All you'll need is a clock, and a candle. Nothing else. Get yourself to a spacious room in your house that can be sealed. Close all the doors and windows, and strip it of any unnecessary furniture (TVs, wardrobes, etc). Now wait until 11:59 PM. Place the clock in front of you, with the candle sitting on top of it. As the hands are about to strike midnight, light the candle and say the following:
“My patience has run thin. I will wait until it's over.”
Immediately blow out the candle and close your eyes. If you feel a chill run down your spine, there is no going back.
The Game has begun.
When you open your eyes, you should be in a place that looks just like your house. However, when you leave the room you started in, you should notice that your house should be bigger than you expected; there are more rooms that you've never seen. Even more perplexing, you can't seem to find the entrance or exit anywhere.
You're lost.
Now it's time for you to get moving. The clock will be nowhere to be found, but you will be able to hear it ticking, though the sound will be faint at first. Your house will look familiar, but strange. As you continue to explore, you'll find yourself trekking through room after room. At the start of the Game, the rooms will look similar to rooms in your house. There may even be exact replicas of your bedroom, or even the kitchen. But as time goes on, the rooms will begin to change.
After an hour, the rooms begin to decrease in sensibility. The walls might become stained with grey liquid, and the lights will begin to flicker. You may find furniture that is out of place, or the walls will have different colors.
Once two hours pass, you'll begin to feel cold, and there will be a strange odor that makes your throat feel dry. You might even find yourself hearing a faint cry that sounds like someone in pain. While you might be able to ignore those cries for help, you'll struggle to ignore the ticking. The sound will begin to gradually increase in volume. It's like you can feel it inside your head, and it's getting louder and louder.
At three hours, the rooms will start to appear darker. Puddles of the grey liquid will start to appear, and the furniture will be erratically placed. There may not be any furniture at all. There will also be a sense of something watching you, and you'll have a feeling that you're not alone. The ticking is getting louder, and you can hear the footsteps of someone approaching.
When the fourth hour passes, the rooms will become even more confusing. The floor will begin to creak and groan, almost as if it was breathing. The temperature will fluctuate, and the ticking will become louder and faster. Your head will start to ache, but you must keep moving.
You'll begin to find yourself wandering around the house in a daze. You won't be able to tell what direction you're going, and the ticking will be all that you hear. The rooms will be distorted, the hallways will twist and turn, and you may even find yourself standing in your own bed. You'll have a feeling that you've been here before, but you can't remember where.
At five hours, the rooms will start to spin, and you'll feel as though you're losing your mind. The feeling that you're being watched will increase, and you'll start to feel a strange presence. As the sixth hour approaches, you'll begin to see things in the corners of your eyes. Doors will open and close, and there will be a sense of movement everywhere you go.
You're hallucinating.
The seventh hour has arrived. The rooms are becoming more distorted, and the floors will be buckling under your feet. The temperature is rising, and you can feel sweat trickling down your face. The ticking has become deafening, and you can barely hear anything else. It's like the sound is being generated from inside your own head. You're losing your grip on reality.
Don't stop moving.
At eight hours, things will begin to fall apart. You might find yourself wandering through the same room over and over, even though you know that you've already been there.
At nine hours, you'll start to hear voices in your head. They will sound as if they're coming from all directions at once. They will sound like your own thoughts, but they will also be distorted. You will hear your own voice saying "I'm scared", but it will sound as if it's coming from another person.
But the ticking will still be there. The sounds of footsteps will continue to come from all around you. The temperature will rise, and you'll begin to feel dizzy. Your body will begin to tremble, and you'll feel as though you're going to faint.
Keep moving.
At ten hours, you'll feel like you're going crazy. The voices will become louder and more insistent, and you will begin to hallucinate. Your sanity will likely be hanging on a thread by now. You might even start hearing things that aren't there. There will be a sense of something watching you from the shadows.
Keep. Moving.
At eleven hours, the fact that your not alone will become more apparent. You will hear the sound of someone screaming, and loud footsteps will soon follow. The voices will be screaming incoherently, and you'll have a feeling that you're about to die.
This is where you start running.
You will run, and you will never stop. You'll keep running until your legs can't move anymore. You'll keep running until you can no longer feel your body. But you must keep going. And don't even think about turning around to see what's chasing you. If you do, the Game will be over.
As the twelfth hour draws near, the rooms will delve into insanity. The walls will become stained with blood, and the floor will be covered in the grey liquid. Ignore these obstacles and keep running. The ticking will become loud enough to drown out the voices. Soon, you'll find yourself running through the same hallway over and over again. You'll know that you've already been here, but you can't seem to remember how you got there.
Soon, you'll see a pair of two wooden doors in the distance. The Game is almost over. Muster up all your remaining strength and sprint towards the doors. Once you reach them, close your eyes and prepare for impact. Once you feel yourself collide with the exit, the ticking will immediately stop.
Twelve hours have passed.
You beat the Waiting Game.
You'll find yourself in a grey room with a single white door in front of you. Go through it, and you'll meet me. I've been waiting for you. I always have been. I'll congratulate you, and tell you that you're very lucky to have survived. I'll spread my arms, gesturing you to come closer. I'll give you a hug, and you'll feel a sense of relief. Your consciousness will waver, and you'll be lulled into a deep sleep as you hear my voice one last time:
"The Wait is over."
When you wake up, you'll find yourself in the same room you started in. The clock and candle will still be there, and your house is back to normal. You may think that nothing has changed, but soon you'll notice that things seem more...convenient for you. Your package will arrive on time, maybe even sooner. There are no more long lines at the supermarket, and the bus never seems to be late. It's as if everything in your life has suddenly become easier.
You'll begin to forget what happened during the Waiting Game as you go about your daily life. You'll have forgotten that you were ever in danger. You'll forget about the screaming and the voices that you heard. You'll have all the time in the world to complete your tasks.
But there's something that needs to be said.
I have been waiting for you read this story. I knew your patience would wear thin at some point. So much so that you'd do anything, anything, to alleviate the painless agony of waiting. My wait is almost over now that you've arrived. You'll eventually play my Game. We'll finally meet face to face. And when you draw your last breath, long after the Game is over, you'll take my place. I'll finally be free of my never-ending torment. And you'll be trapped, trapped within time's infinite prison.
Do you not believe me? That's fine. You will soon realize that everything I have said is correct.
But until then, I'll be waiting.
I'll be waiting.
I ' l l b e w a i t i n g.
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