The Abandoned Mansion

The worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my life happened about a few years ago, when I was a sixteen-year-old kid hooked on ROBLOX. It was the early fall, and the allure of the virtual world overtaking my mind was only intensified by the dreariness of the real world surrounding me.

I had joined a new gaming group called "HorrorSeekers" that specialized in testing the limits of horror games on ROBLOX. As a kid who never shied away from a challenge, I was eager to prove my fearlessness to the group. So when I stumbled upon a hidden gem called "The Abandoned Mansion", notorious for its terrifying gameplay, I couldn't resist diving in.

I stepped into the game, my friends by my side in a voice call, ready to conquer any horrors that awaited us in this supposedly scary game. The atmosphere was chilling, with the "haunting" sound design and "realistic" graphics heightening our senses, which were actually just clunky free or poorly made models, so right at the start, I laughed at myself for even considering this a gem. Navigating through the dimly lit corridors, I could feel the tension in the air, however. Each creak of the floorboards sent shivers down my spine, but I pushed forward, determined not to show any fear. My friends followed closely behind me.

We encountered various jumpscares, gruesome scenes, and eerie puzzles throughout the mansion. But instead of being terrified, we found ourselves exhilarated by the challenge. As we progressed deeper into the game, the horror intensified and the game surprisingly became better, with each room we went through, I could feel a rise in the game's quality, so I was weirded out by how this was even possible. How could this poorly made game be this good?

The unsettling ambiance and immersive gameplay kept us on the edge of our seats. We worked together, solving intricate puzzles and overcoming terrifying obstacles. The game seemed to be tailored specifically for our group, testing our courage and perseverance. It was as if we were the protagonists in our very own horror movie. Each twist and turn of the game brought us closer to the edge of our seats, but we were determined not to let fear consume us.

Despite the gruesome and horrifying scenes we encountered, our group remained unphased. We laughed in the face of danger, mocking the ghosts and monsters that tried to scare us. The adrenaline rush and thrill of the game only raised our senses, and we embraced the horror with a sense of excitement rather than fear.

By this point, even though the game started being a little high quality, the scares were laughable and cheap. I just wanted to leave the game bored out of my mind.

As we delved deeper into the game, the challenges became more intense and twisted. We navigated through claustrophobic tunnels, where the walls seemed to close in, threatening to suffocate us. But we remained calm, relying on our collective problem-solving skills and unyielding determination. The game designers had truly outdone themselves with this game. The level of detail and intricacy in the gameplay astounded us. Each new room we entered presented us with a unique challenge. Whether it was deciphering cryptic clues, escaping from traps, or facing off against horrifying monsters, our group met each obstacle head-on as we mastered the game's puzzles.

As the game progressed, the horror element intensified even more. The atmosphere grew thicker, our hearts raced faster, and the dread became palpable by this point. But my friends and I remained resolute, the fear of a dumb game being non-existent at this point. My friends and I were unafraid to face the terror that awaited us.

But little did we know, the game had something else in store for us. As we traversed the eerie hallways and solved the mind-bending puzzles, a subtle change began to take place. The atmosphere grew darker, the sounds became more sinister, and the once predictable scares started to feel unsettlingly real.

My friends and I, confident in our ability to overcome any horror, pushed forward without hesitation. But as we entered a particularly ominous room, the atmosphere shifted, and a sense of unease washed over us. The previously predictable scares now felt uncomfortably real, and a chill ran down my spine. My friends and I exchanged our confusion in the call, our confidence wavering for the first time. We had prided ourselves on being unafraid of horror, but this game was testing our limits in ways we couldn't have anticipated.

Suddenly, the room went pitch black. The familiar flickering candlelight and dimly lit corridors were replaced by an abyss of darkness. Panic filled my chest as I realized that something had gone terribly wrong with the game.

My friends and I started to call out to each other in the voice call, but I could barely make out what anyone was saying. The silence that followed was deafening, only broken by the sound of my racing heart.

In a desperate attempt to find each and escape the darkness, we stumbled blindly through the void. Panic set in as our voices echoed fruitlessly in the abyss, unable to guide us back to safety. Suddenly, a faint glow appeared in the distance. We hurried toward it, feeling a mix of relief and trepidation because we could finally see something. As we drew closer, we realized it was a flickering candle casting light. We still kept going after it.

After a long time of playing, we finally reached the final room. The door creaked open, revealing a dark, foreboding chamber. The room was adorned with decaying furniture and an unsettling stillness that made my heart race even more. I cautiously stepped inside, my curiosity outweighing my fear. Just then, a faint glow appeared in the distance. For whatever reason, even though we were all in the game, all of my friends were silent. I tried talking to them but got no response.

In the barely lit room, I could make out the shape of a figure standing in the center of the room. It was a tall, shadowy figure with glowing red eyes. Fear gripped my heart, and I could feel the hair on my back stand. At this point, I still had doubt that this is real, but the experience had me on the edge of my seat.

Without warning, the figure in the game turned towards us and played out a bone-chilling laugh sound effect that echoed and caught me off-guard. Things only got worse as I realized I could not move anymore. I constantly tried using shift lock, jumping or even holding WASD all at once, but nothing worked. I felt bigger dread as my friends were still able to move and were seemingly unaffected by whatever was going on. I tried to reach out to them, but nothing happened. It felt like I was trapped and for once, I was legitimately scared.

Just then, another door that was fully dark from the outside opened in the middle of the room. I could suddenly hear my friends talk. They were only discussing what was happening, nothing out of ordinary, but they still refused to answer anything I said. They decided they would enter the room and they all went in one by one, but I was still trapped and couldn't move. Since I was done putting up with this silent treatment, I left the call.

When I decided to leave the game, a power outage happened. Since it was currently night, I had to grab a lantern and go to the back up generator in the basement that we had in case a blackout happened. When I entered the basement, I saw a small source of light peeking in the corner, but I didn't think much of it. Perhaps it was a part of the generator.

When I started up the generator, I was surprised the power still didn't come back on. I didn't like this because I could only see with my lantern and whatever was lighting up the corner of the basement. Filled with curiosity, I decided to approach it. I cannot recall what happened from then onwards as it seems like I passed out for the entire day. When I regained my senses, I was lying on the floor next to the generator drenched in cold sweat. Whatever was the source of light was seemingly gone, but I felt relief as the power was back on.

I decided to boot up my computer again, and log into roblox and the site that we used for communication. All of my friends were offline, which was odd considering they would always be on at this time of day. What was even weirder was that the game we played was taken down under review, which meant that you couldn't play it anymore. The creator of the game was banned too. As I couldn't communicate with my group anymore, I decided to do my own thing and the day went as normal.

I haven't heard from them since. But to this day, the thought of what happened haunts me. Each day, I still think about it from time to time. I constantly imagine scenarios, but one stands out in particular: If I had been able to move or do something, I only have one question that won't leave my mind:

"What if I went inside?"