The Unfortunate Last Name

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I am Lucy Wade. When this started I was 17 years old. It has been two years now. Life before is distant from me, but I still remember well what happened. It's the kind of thing you never forget. When I am done telling you this story, it will be clear why. I am writing this to warn you, but whether you believe me or not is entirely up to you…

I lived in a small town in western Florida, that isn't even on the map. It was called Sunny Side. On November 10th; I was invited to a costume party at the school, which was to be hosted by a girl named Andrea, who threw a party every year. It was usually always at her house, but this time however she had permission from the Principal to throw it in the gym when normally she would have it at her house.

Although it was well after Halloween, we never had a party since too many people who could help were sick or away. She invited me every year and I always went, but for some reason, this time I had the strangest feeling about it. I couldn't place it at the time, but my best friend Alice was going, so I ignored it and accepted.

For some reason, I was the last to be told, three days before the party, but I figured I had enough time to get a costume. As I walked from my home towards the store, I got that weird feeling again, like I should stop what I was doing, go back home, and skip the party. But I thought that I was just being a wimp, and shoved the feeling to the back of my mind.

When I got to the store, most of the good costumes were gone. There were four left: A lame superhero costume (Tights included), an astronaut costume, a pirate costume, and lastly, a red dress with a black wig.

The pirate one was too skimpy, the astronaut one made me too stiff and uncomfortable, and I don't even have to explain the superhero one. That left the red dress and black wig. I didn't really understand how that was a costume, but the woman at the register said it was from a horror-videogame. Seeing no other option than trying to make one myself, I rented it.

She laughed when she saw my last name, explaining that the character I was going as was also named Wade. Shrugging, I exited the store, taking my costume home.

The next two days went by rather quickly, I went to school, I came home, and either went over to Alice's house or did homework. Everything was fine, my costume hung up in my closet just waiting to be worn.

The day before the party, I had a nightmare: I was inside a room, looking at a massive door. It was dark, and I couldn't see anything more than a few feet in front and around me. Curious, I walked to the door, and tried to open it, but it was locked. I also felt a kind of energy emanating from it, like a force field.

Somehow, I knew that this door led to a massive spherical shaped room called The Vault, and that someone was inside. Suddenly, I heard screaming inside my head; it was so loud and high that I thought my head would split. I grabbed my head, collapsing on the floor, screaming right along with it. It sounded like a girls voice, familiar somehow, although I wasn't sure why.

I thought it would never end, until suddenly I was standing upright in the place I had started in. Everything was the same, except it looked older, like a lot of time had passed. Suddenly afraid, I turned away from the menacing door and started to run, trying to find an exit. It was so dark I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. But not wanting to be in that creepy room any longer, I blindly pushed my way through the inky blackness, feeling it closing in the more my fear rose.

After what seemed like hours, I managed to find an exit. But just before I ran through, I heard a voice, but more inside my head than through my ears.

"Where are you going? Come back…” It was that same girl, but she sounded calmer, more controlled. I didn't know why, but I turned around. Immediately, I regretted it. Standing before me was the girl; she was wearing a red dress that reached her knees, and her straight black hair, parted down the middle, reached just below her shoulders. Her eyes, golden, stared at me. Her expression was emotionless, but in those eyes I saw pain, fear, and most of all, hatred.

"You will suffer for what you did," The girl said calmly, slowing walking towards me. "You will all suffer."

My face a mask of horror, I tried to scream, but my mouth wouldn't open, my voice wouldn't work. Her eyes paralyzed me with fear, those horrible, unblinking eyes.

Finally, I managed to scream, waking myself up, along with my cat at the end of my bed. He meowed a complaint before curling up and going to sleep again, the morning light glinting off his chocolate brown fur. I sighed, grateful it was only a nightmare, and got up to wash my face.

I told myself to get over it, and that it was just me freaking out over nothing, that the nightmare was the cause of eating too much pizza before bed. Curious, I looked up the game that the costume was from. It was called F.E.A.R. And in it, a little girl tries to kill you while you progress through a ruined building.

You later find out that she was experimented on because she had powers, and wanted revenge on those who were involved. Plus, she ended up dying, and all because of her horrible father. I thought it was an interesting storyline, quite sad as the girl was taken to the scientists when she was little, and died in her twenties. She had only wanted love, but upon receiving none, she gave back what had been given her instead.

That night, I got ready to go; putting on the red dress, the wig, and red socks that was going to blend in with the fake blood I was given, so I wouldn’t have to go barefoot. I walked to the school with shoes on, not wanting to step in anything and ruin my socks. I waited for Alice by the curve, and when she walked up we went inside. She dressed up like the Alice from Wonderland, which made me laugh. But it was a different version, her dress torn and bloodied, and holding a (Fake) knife in her hand. The crazy, more mature version, I assumed.

The party was scheduled from five to twelve, so it would be dark outside almost the whole time. My friend and I danced for a good hour or so before collapsing on chairs, eating some food. We were having such a good time that I didn't notice at first the little girl in the middle of the dance floor.

Normally it wouldn't be strange, considering it was a party anyone could go to and sometimes kids would have to take their younger siblings, but this girl wasn't dancing, she was just standing there, staring somewhere to my left. What was weirder was she was wearing the same costume as I. There had been a few others at the store but the lady said I was the first to get one, let alone rent one. No one else seemed to notice the girl, and when Alice asked if I was alright, I looked away, asking if she noticed the child too. I almost expected her to not be standing there anymore, to disappear like in all the horror movies, but she was still there.

However, my friend didn't notice, and thinking I was trying to scare her, stuck her tongue out at me jokingly and got up to get more food.

That strange feeling again came up as I realized the girl looked familiar, but not wanting to freak out and make everyone think I was crazy, I quickly got up and followed Alice to the buffet table, trying to push down the fear growing inside me. For the rest of the night, I saw the child in the center of my line of vision, not moving, not speaking, but somehow managing to appear again where I could see her whenever I changed directions or positions around the gym. Eventually I almost got used to her, but she still scared me a little, the only reason I was still there being the fact that almost the entire school was too.

The girl also seemed strangely familiar, and by the time the dance ended and I was walking home with Alice to stay the night, I still didn't know. I walked a little faster than usual, to the point where Alice teased me about being afraid of the dark. I didn’t see the little girl at all on the way, but I was still nervous.

When we got to her house, we quietly went to her room, and then watched a movie before going to bed. As I was falling asleep, it hit me. The little girl was from my nightmare. I sat bolt upright, staring at the T.V in the darkness, thinking. Obviously the little girl was from the video game, but I never played it. I tried to think what her name was… Alga? Lila?

"No…" I thought. "It was Alma…"

Suddenly I knew I had made a terrible mistake. I should have gone as something else, should have stayed far away from that idea. I racked my brain, trying to remember something a friend had told me once about the game. Alma had killed people…Her family…They all had the same last name…

I put my hand to my mouth, trying not to scream and wake Alice. I remembered the lady commenting on my name, how it was the same as the Alma's. I got up and felt my way to the bathroom. Despite my fear, I was careful not to wake Alice with the light. I didn't want to drag her into this. I splashed water on my face, thinking that maybe since it was over, Alma would leave me alone.

"I mean…I'm not even related to her…" I thought again.

I looked up into the mirror, seeing dark circles under my terrified eyes. I looked away; turning off the light and slowly making my way back to my bed, jumping at every little creak and sound. I waited until my eyes adjusted again to the darkness, then glanced over at Alice. I thought she was sleeping soundly, until I realized she wasn't even there. Again, I sat up, quietly calling her name. I thought maybe she rolled off the bed, but there wasn't an answer. I was really starting to freak out when I heard a small voice. It sounded like it was coming from everywhere, "You will suffer for mocking me."

I leaped out of my bed, turning on the overhead light. Alice was nowhere to be seen, but I saw the door was slightly ajar, as if she had left suddenly while I was in the bathroom.

I glanced into the hallway, but no one was there. Sighing, I turned back, only to see my costume, which had been in my backpack in the closet, now spread out on the floor.

I was on the verge of going crazy, but I forced myself to stay calm and walk over to it. I wanted to prove nothing could hurt me, that I had just been dozing and for some reason gotten my costume out. It was only a video game. It couldn't be mad at me, couldn't have thought I was making fun of it. Even if it was real, why would Alma attack me? I thought I was hundreds of thousands of miles away from where the fictional town was. Plus, in the game the years are different.

But when I picked it up, I heard the voice again.

"You never should have done this."

It sounded directly behind me. I started to turn around. I tried not to, but it's like my body had a mind of its own.

Standing by the door, was Alma Wade, same as before. What I didn't notice before was that blood was all over her legs and the bottom of her dress.

"You will suffer." She smiled coldly, as horrible images plunged through my mind. They were more terrible than I even thought possible, more excruciating than even a game could describe. A scream stuck in my throat, my eyes were wider than they had ever been, and my whole body was shaking in absolute terror. Then it snapped; all my thoughts and memories crashed together. The last thing I saw was her Alma’s smile, her cruel eyes that must have once been a different color, enjoying my death. The last thing I heard was Alice scream as she came in with a cup of water in her hand, only to drop it on the hardwood floor, the glass shattering into a thousand little pieces. Her screams never faded as she found me on the floor, in a puddle of my own blood, holding the cursed costume. No one could explain what happened, why I had a heart attack as well as extreme brain damage, along with many other things.

Alma was never seen in Sunny Side before or after, but now I wander around the world, trying to warn of the danger before it’s too late. Before terror falls upon those that have the unfortunate last name…