Author Bio: The author plays video games.
Blurb: It's a story about a girl trapped in a cinema.
Kasandra walks down the dim hallway to her seat in the movie theater.
The speaker behind the projector screens mumbles, “Five minutes...”
Kasandra waits quietly in her seat when all the power shuts off. Everything turns black, and it’s dead silent.
Kasandra calls, “Hello...?" Only to get a faint scream back.
The movie starts, and it’s not the movie she thinks.
"What’s The Death Tree?" she thinks to herself.
She looks up and sees a set of two bloodshot eyes looking down at her. She starts screaming, and people begin to wonder what is going on.
The movie plays, and she sees dead people being hung from a tree that looks very familiar to her. Kasandra notices that it’s the same tree in her backyard.
The monster from before jumps down and says, “Now it’s your turn.”
Then everything goes black again.
This time it turns out it was all just a dream. She gets out of bed and looks out the huge window next to her bed.
“Weird,” she says while looking at the tree that's the same as it was yesterday.
Kasandra walks downstairs and enjoys a nice parfait full of strawberry and granola and then starts her walk to work. On her way to work she thinks about how she wishes she could go to the movie theater tonight due to not having enough time for fun in her life. Coincidentally on the side of the road is a movie ticket, and the show is tonight!
Well, that just weird, she thinks, then picks up the ticket and continues on to work.
When she gets there she got all her work done faster than normal and had enough time to make it to the movie theater on time. When she gets to the movie theater she notices no one else is there except for the workers behind the counter. She gives the man her ticket and asks for some popcorn.
The man responds, “We don’t serve any food here,” in a weird voice.
“Why not?” says Kasandra.
“Because when you are watching our movie, you won't want to eat,” says the man.
Kasandra, confused by the answer, continues on into the movie theater without her desired popcorn. She decides to sit in the middle of the movie theater, right below a vent that looks like it doesn’t work anymore. Straight in front of her is a mediocre-sized stage with two lights on each side, pointing onto the floor of a wooden stage.
“The movie starts in five minutes,” grumbles a speaker on the right side of the stage.
The lights dim and the projector starts, but then a mysterious figure staggers onto the stage. Kasandra sits still in her place waiting to see what the creature is, and then the lights turned on.
On the stage a gremlin-like animal is staring at her.
The creature says in a deep voice, “How are you, Kasandra?”
Kasandra waits a minute and then responds, “Who are you? And why is there no one else here?”
“I am not alive, but instead a figment of your imagination,” said the creature, “but I guess you can call me Hannibal.”
Kasandra stands up and starts running for the exit.
“No, you don’t,” says Hannibal as he locked the doors, and then throws the key into the trash can.
“You aren’t getting those,” Hannibal says as he escorts Kasandra back to her seat, “now sit back and watch my movie.”
Kasandra watches as the projector turns on and the film starts playing.
The loudspeaker says, “This film is about the death of loved ones and your favorite tree.”
Kasandra watches the first scene, “That’s my mom!” she yells, hoping that someone would hear her screams.
The video continues, showing a person in a ski mask hacking at Kasandra’s mom's, mutilated body, and blood gushing everywhere.
“There is more,” Hannibal says, “A lot more, but we will spare your brain.”
Kasandra explains that she doesn't feel comfortable and Hannibal responds, “do not feel scared, as you will be alone soon. Once your alone, you will be alone forever.”
Hannibal then disappeared behind the curtain behind the stage.
Why does he need me? Kasandra thought, then she decided she was going to get out of the theater.
“How do I get out of here?” she says as she thinks.
She brainstorms ideas and then starts wondering why he didn’t show her the rest of the movie.
“I have to find a way to turn on that projector,” Kasandra whispers, trying not to attract Hannibal.
She finds a wooden board in the back of the room that is old and fragile and decides to try and get to the projector by climbing up the board. Kasandra angles the wooden board and starts climbing.
“C’ mon, one last jump and I'll be there,” Kasandra says.
Kasandra stands up to jump to the wall and as soon as she lifted off the board broke, thankfully she had enough time to jump up and grab the top of the wall where she then sneaks over to the projector.
“I heard the board break, Kasandra,” a voice says.
Kasandra thinks she must be careful and not let Hannibal notice she left. She peaks over the edge to see if Hannibal noticed, and he definitely noticed. Hannibal was walking around the room looking under every seat, and then Hannibal starts trying to climb up to the projector. Kasandra quickly hides behind a cupboard near the projector. Hannibal walks around the projector looking every direction for Kasandra but never sees her. After time Hannibal walks back behind the stage. Kasandra then went back to the projector.
“Finally,” she mumbled as she put the tape back into the projector.
Kasandra turns on the projector and skips to the part she was on, terrified at what she's seeing.
“Oh my god, my mother, sister, and brother,” she sobs as she watches them getting hung from the tree in her backyard, “Why did Hannibal have to choose me?”
She noticed when they hung her brother they took off the necklace he always wore.
The necklace reads, “Take the back door.”
It was a necklace Kasandra made him when she was five.
Why did they take the necklace off? Kasandra thought, Maybe it’s a clue!
Finally, her first clue, she's ecstatic but stays quiet about it to avoid Hannibal. She starts looking around the room for a back door when she sees a huge exit sign on the wall next to the walkway to get behind the curtain.
“Oh god,” she groaned, then gets down from the projector room and goes to the sign under the word, “Exit.”
There is an arrow pointing backstage. When she peeks behind the curtain she sees a dark room with three strings coming off the ceiling. When she turns on the light she sees her family hung on the same strings they were on in the video. She screams at the sight of her dead family, and shortly after Hannibal appears staring her dead in the eyes.
“What do you think you're doing?” he asks.
Kasandra attempts to run, but Hannibal grabs her arm and pulls her back into the room.
“You’re staying with me!” Hannibal screeches.
Hannibal takes out a set of keys from his pocket and presses a blue button labeled, “Lock down.”
When Hannibal presses the button the vent breaks from above and starts gushing blood everywhere. The room is filling fast and Hannibal has handcuffed Kasandra to a railing nearby before escaping the flood. The blood is already up to her waist as she starts banging on the metal pole. The blood has reached her head now and she is still banging the pole as it is getting looser and looser. Kasandra holds her breath and finally manages to break off the pole and is slowly able to move to the exit.
While moving to the exit she sees Hannibal dive in with a knife and Hannibal was coming right at her. Hannibal blocked the exit, but Kasandra had a plan. She quickly takes the pole in both hands and throws it like a spear straight for his groin. Hannibal drops to the floor as Kasandra opens the door and runs out. She takes Hannibal's knife and cuts off the handcuffs from her wrist. She runs to the street where a nearby cop is surveying the streets.
“Hello, Mister,” says Kasandra trying to get his attention.
The cop swiftly turns around and asks why she is red.
“Sir, there is a criminal in that theater!” Kasandra sobs.
“There can’t be,” says the officer.
“Why not?” asks Kasandra.
The police officer quickly replies, "because the place hasn’t been open in 50 years.”