Before the Game

Chapter 2 | History Project

Sara's eyes slowly blinked open, being met by the warm light radiating from her windows. She yawned, closing her eyes again before forcing herself up. She looked around her room, scanning it. She felt like hell. Her body felt heavy and her eyes stung.

She'd had multiple nightmares that night, and had been incredibly restless. She still couldn't get the strange, long-haired figure out of her mind. What did he want? Did he know her? The questions crowded her brain, swamping her with more weight.

No. She had to stop thinking about it. She was safe. Joe was coming over, after all. She eyed her alarm clock, and panic rushed through her. It was 12:54. 

Did I really sleep that late? She thought as she stumbled to open her dresser, picking out a plain beige colored shirt and a pair of jeans. She hobbled around her room as she pulled up her pants, her eyes wide. 

Joe's gonna be here in 20 minutes! I need to get my room clean...

She grabbed piles of used uniforms off of her floor and raced to grab a broom. She shoved the dirty clothes haphazardly into her closet and began to sweep wildly at the ground, brushing the trash into the broom pan. She then made her bed, pulling her sheets up and smoothing out her blanket. 

Finally.

Her room was now clean, and she still had 5 minutes until Joe would arrive. She slumped down into a chair in the corner of her room, exhausted. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door downstairs. Her heart stopped.

Why is Joe early? Who is at the door? She began to sweat, her arms trembling as she slowly got up. She walked cautiously down the stairs, her heart pounding. There was another knock on the door. Another. She felt her mouth go dry. She was close to the door now, her eyes wide.

"Sara! Hey! You gonna open the door?" Joe called from the other side. Sara let out all of the breath that she was holding. It was Joe after all. Thank god. She reached for the door handle, opening it.

"You alright, Sara?" He asked as he entered the home. "You look sorta sick." He chuckled, looking at her. She realized how messy she looked. 

"Oh, yeah, sorry." She shrugged, giving him a half-smile. "I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night." 

He gave her a worried smile, "That's understandable. I didn't get a lot of sleep either." 

The two remained silent for a few minutes, staring off to the side. "So uh, how about we get started on the project?" Sara suggested, smiling. 

Joe's eyes widened. "Crap! I knew I forgot something." He facepalmed, shaking his head in shame. "I forgot about the poster." He admitted.

Sara sighed, "Well, I guess we can probably go to the grocery store and buy one." She began to walk toward the door, opening it.

The two walked to the nearest store, a large Walmart Supercenter. It was close to where Sara lived, so it wasn't a huge deal. 

They walked through the entrance, looking around. Sara smirked as they walked by the candy aisle, her eyes stopping on a large Yowie egg display. Yowies had been her favorite type of candy since she was little. She'd collected all of the figures by now, Crag being her favorite. Joe noticed what she was looking at and grinned at her.

"You like Yowie eggs too?" He asked with a goofy smile.

"Yeah, they're my favorite. Hey, maybe we should get some!" She suggested, excited. She hadn't had Yowie eggs since she was little!

They rushed to shake the eggs, making sure they grabbed the heaviest ones. The heavier the egg, the more likely it was to be a Crag, Rumble, or Nap. 

By the end of their Walmart shopping trip, they had 5 Yowie eggs, 1 huge poster board, and two packs of markers. 

They approached the checkout, both of them grinning wildly at how cursed their purchase was. The worker, a tall man with light teal hair, sporting a nametag with the name 'Shin' written in large print, clearly wasn't impressed. He unenthusiastically scanned the items, carelessly throwing them into bags. 

Sara grabbed the bag full of Yowies, and Joe grabbed everything else. They ran out of the Walmart, laughing at themselves as they walked back to Sara's house. 

By the time they were back, the Yowies were slightly melted. Sara carefully peeled away the aluminum of one of the heavier ones, her eyes shining with excitement as she cracked open the chocolate and dove for the plastic egg. She popped the egg and inside sat a small, poorly colored seal.

She huffed, disappointed. Seals were the most common Yowie. She had probably over 50 at this point. She looked over at Joe, who was struggling to open another Yowie capsule. Eventually, he got it open, and his eyes lit up. He quickly revealed to her a beautiful Crag.

"Woah! You got Crag!" She said loudly, her eyes wide in excitement. The two decided to put the rest of the eggs inside the freezer and begin on their project. 

By the time the project was done, the sun was sinking down below the horizon, painting the sky dark blue. They looked proudly at their completed project, which was now sitting on Sara's coffee table. They smirked at each other.

"We're definitely going to have the coolest project in class." He breathed out, his eyes shining. She nodded excitedly.

"To celebrate, why don't we open a few more Yowies?" She suggested. The two headed to the kitchen, Sara pulling open the freezer. Suddenly, she heard a gasp from behind her. She looked over her shoulder, seeing Joe staring doe-eyed out the window. 

"Sara. He's out there. The guy is out there." He whispered quietly, his pupils locked on one specific spot in the bushes. She slowly closed the freezer, her blood going cold. She joined him at the sink, looking out. Sure enough, he was standing under a street light, once again holding a camera. 

"Joe. We need to hide." She urged, grabbing his sleeve and leading him upstairs to her room. She shoved him into her closet, joining him. They stepped over the piles of uniforms and hid in the back. They waited there for around 30 minutes, and eventually, retreated from their hiding spot.

"Can I stay the night at your house?" He asked nervously, fumbling around with his bracelets.

Sara nodded, "Of course you can. I'll set up an air mattress for you." She said quietly, still shaking.

After setting up the air mattress next to Sara's bed, the two decided it would be best to just go to sleep. 

Sara laid down in her bed and closed her eyes tightly, trembling. How did the stalker know where she lived? Who was he? The questions that had plagued her mind earlier were now back, and her fear had returned with them. 

Soon, the living world faded away, and Sara had drifted off to sleep.