The Haunted Traveler December 2017 Edition

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is, the playground is dangerous, and, things, lurk inside the walls of the grounds. That
means the second objective of the games is to survive. The year I watched with my dad
over 300 people didn’t make it out of the cargo ship, but there have been years where
the casualties were over 500. The police stop patrolling the grounds after the 48 hours
and a gong with sound signifying the end of the game. You must exit immediately to
claim your winner’s prize. The prize changes from year to year, but that year everyone
got a year’s supply of gas and food. The playground is demolished and everyone begins
looking forward to next year.
When I was younger, I thought the tradition was grotesque and inhumane, but as I
grew older I understood that everyone goes in on their own freewill and people who
don’t come out are meeting their destiny. So, as soon as the sign-up started, I went to
put my name in the list. When I did they gave me a list of the rules for the games. They
read:
Rules of Play
You must be 18-34 to enter
No outside weapons are allowed to enter the playground
You must wear your black vest at all times
No killing other players inside the playground
You must exit once the gong sounds, or you will be eliminated along with the
playground
You can reenter the playground after you are eliminated. Your vest will light up
signifying to both the authorities and the creatures that you are now a watcher and
not a player.
Survive.
Most importantly, Have Fun!
The rules were clean cut and easy to follow. After I signed up I anxiously waited the
month until the games arrived. Soon, the night before, I found myself unable to sleep
as I waited for my abduction.
I must have dozed off because I felt myself being violently shook awake. I heard
someone calling out my name, but it took a minute to register in my brain. I opened
my eyes to see my friend Becky from school staring at me with a huge grin on her face.
“Can you believe it, Sasha?! Were in the same group!” I took a moment to gather
my thoughts. I had already been taken from my home. I couldn’t help but feel a little
disappointed that I slept through my abduction. The next thing I noticed was the three
other members of our team. They were all young males that I have never seen before
and they all sat there quietly listening to music or playing with their phones. My last
thought was that none of us were blindfolded or bound, we all sat there freely. I leaned