Your eyes slowly open. You are in a dark room, but cracks between boards covering a window let in a smidgen of red and purple light. Strangely, this seems quite bright to you. You blink. You are relieved as this light illuminates faces, other children. Your friends? You struggle to remember...Huddled close together in this small room, you look around. It is a familiar place, but strange. You see two old chairs. A cast iron table. Are they nailed to the ceiling? No. It seems you are the one who is upside down.
The sound of high pitched chirping rises as the perspective slowly shifts to reveal the kids’ faces on the heads of bats, ears twitching, mouths squeaking, clustered together and hanging upside down. The camera passes through a crack in the window to the outside, revealing the cupola, and then the whole house. It is winter, at twilight. Snow covers the yard and roof.
You hear footsteps crunching in the snow. The camera tilts down to reveal a trio of kids in heavy winter coats thumping up the steps to the door of the house. You don’t recognize any of them…except Roger, whose distinctive voice echoes in your oddly acute ears.
'What are you, scared?'
A dry, cracking woman’s laugh fills your ears as the scene fades to black.
Roll credits
The sound of high pitched chirping rises as the perspective slowly shifts to reveal the kids’ faces on the heads of bats, ears twitching, mouths squeaking, clustered together and hanging upside down. The camera passes through a crack in the window to the outside, revealing the cupola, and then the whole house. It is winter, at twilight. Snow covers the yard and roof.
You hear footsteps crunching in the snow. The camera tilts down to reveal a trio of kids in heavy winter coats thumping up the steps to the door of the house. You don’t recognize any of them…except Roger, whose distinctive voice echoes in your oddly acute ears.
'What are you, scared?'
A dry, cracking woman’s laugh fills your ears as the scene fades to black.
Roll credits
You awaken in a hospital bed. After the events of last night, your parents forced you to come to the hospital, as did all the
other kids’ parents. You overheard them talking quietly with the doctors, muttering about carbon monoxide poisoning, some darkly suggesting drugs were involved. Trying to shut out the worried whispers and sobs of the Picketts and Robards, fretting over Ian and Kyle.
Rising from your bed, your legs still unsteady beneath you, you take a walk down the hallway, hoping to see your friends. The hospital is small and their rooms are close by. Your friends are still sleeping, recovering after escaping from the depths of the Barnaker house. You pause to sit by the bedside of Louis and reach out to take his hand. You let yourself cry, just a little. After a moment you get up to clean yourself up in the bathroom.
There is a knock at the door—a nurse is here to take you back to your room. You need your rest, she insists. She opens the bathroom door and you see your friend in bed in the bathroom mirror…but it is not your friend. Laying in bed is the terrible witch-monster, grinning at you.
'You belong to me, dearie!' she spits at you.
Even as you scream—and oh, do you scream—you can hear her cruel, cracking laugh.
Fade to black.
Roll credits
other kids’ parents. You overheard them talking quietly with the doctors, muttering about carbon monoxide poisoning, some darkly suggesting drugs were involved. Trying to shut out the worried whispers and sobs of the Picketts and Robards, fretting over Ian and Kyle.
Rising from your bed, your legs still unsteady beneath you, you take a walk down the hallway, hoping to see your friends. The hospital is small and their rooms are close by. Your friends are still sleeping, recovering after escaping from the depths of the Barnaker house. You pause to sit by the bedside of Louis and reach out to take his hand. You let yourself cry, just a little. After a moment you get up to clean yourself up in the bathroom.
There is a knock at the door—a nurse is here to take you back to your room. You need your rest, she insists. She opens the bathroom door and you see your friend in bed in the bathroom mirror…but it is not your friend. Laying in bed is the terrible witch-monster, grinning at you.
'You belong to me, dearie!' she spits at you.
Even as you scream—and oh, do you scream—you can hear her cruel, cracking laugh.
Fade to black.
Roll credits
You're lying on the back on the sterile white hospital bed, sliding into the whirring scanner. Another CAT scan, you're third this week you think. You watch with fascination and amusement at the x-rays as they stream from the equipment and rain down upon you, only to scatter and divert away. They will never find anything wrong with you, how could they? You understand it all now, life, the universe, everything. They fret and worry about you not saying anything, but what need is there for speech when you can commune with existence itself?
The camera slowly pulls away, leaving Harry lying on his back, a smug smile on his face, the mechanical hum of the scanner as it dances around his head.
The camera pulls back further, behind the screen in the control room his parents stands watching, his mother weeping into his father's shoulder.
Fade to black.
Roll credits
The camera slowly pulls away, leaving Harry lying on his back, a smug smile on his face, the mechanical hum of the scanner as it dances around his head.
The camera pulls back further, behind the screen in the control room his parents stands watching, his mother weeping into his father's shoulder.
Fade to black.
Roll credits
Darren and Louis meet on the playground at school. This is their first chance to talk after the events in the Barnaker house. Darren has a cast and Louis is still very sore from his emergency surgery, every movement a kaleidoscope of pain. They said he almost didn't make it and sometimes it feels like he barely did.
Your parents found out and made you talk to the police but it sounds like they are blaming the fire at the old house on Roger…not that they’ve found any sign of him. You're both emotionally scarred, even if your physical wounds are healing. Life in the Pickett household is unbearable, Ian's absence almost palpable. No one saying anything but the burning shame, the blame, the responsibility, it all tears at Darren, the failure.
You both take a moment to think about Kyle, not even able to talk of Ian and that loss. Shirley never returned to school, her family just up and left they say. And Harry's still not right. Still up in that hospital getting more tests and scans. They say it will be a while until he's well enough to come back to school, if he ever will be.
For a few unguarded moments your thoughts turn from mourning to elation as you celebrate your victory over the dreadful witch. Being children, you can't help but laugh and play together, new friends forged in the terrors you have survived.
In his pocket, Darren feels something stirring, wriggling about. He puts his hand in and gently carresses the soft fur. Shh, he hisses reassuringly and the movement stops.
Slowly the camera pulls away, our heroes shrinking, lost among all the other children playing in the unexpectedly bright day, a glorious last burst of warm weather before the chill of winter arrives.
Then the camera pauses and slowly pans to reveal the matted grey fur of an old cat, who has been watching you from afar. The cat turns to look at the viewers, his good eye revealed to be all too human…The creature suddenly hisses and runs out of sight. The previously happy music turns dark and ominous. A faint, cruel laugh can be heard as the screen fades to black and the credits roll.
Your parents found out and made you talk to the police but it sounds like they are blaming the fire at the old house on Roger…not that they’ve found any sign of him. You're both emotionally scarred, even if your physical wounds are healing. Life in the Pickett household is unbearable, Ian's absence almost palpable. No one saying anything but the burning shame, the blame, the responsibility, it all tears at Darren, the failure.
You both take a moment to think about Kyle, not even able to talk of Ian and that loss. Shirley never returned to school, her family just up and left they say. And Harry's still not right. Still up in that hospital getting more tests and scans. They say it will be a while until he's well enough to come back to school, if he ever will be.
For a few unguarded moments your thoughts turn from mourning to elation as you celebrate your victory over the dreadful witch. Being children, you can't help but laugh and play together, new friends forged in the terrors you have survived.
In his pocket, Darren feels something stirring, wriggling about. He puts his hand in and gently carresses the soft fur. Shh, he hisses reassuringly and the movement stops.
Slowly the camera pulls away, our heroes shrinking, lost among all the other children playing in the unexpectedly bright day, a glorious last burst of warm weather before the chill of winter arrives.
Then the camera pauses and slowly pans to reveal the matted grey fur of an old cat, who has been watching you from afar. The cat turns to look at the viewers, his good eye revealed to be all too human…The creature suddenly hisses and runs out of sight. The previously happy music turns dark and ominous. A faint, cruel laugh can be heard as the screen fades to black and the credits roll.