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Kevin loves video games as much as the next teenager, but this game is more deadly than he ever imagined.
35 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 18, 2012
4 people want to read
About the author
Michael Kelso
38 books56 followersAuthor of books and Creepypastas. Former corrections Officer. My newest book, (Dark Tales of the Strange and Bizarre) is my latest short horror story book. I’ve also published 2 crime/mystery novels based in a prison, a YA novel, a children’s horror book ALA Goosebumps, 2 domestic thrillers, along with several short horror story collections. My most popular books are ‘Misadventures of a Cryptid Hunter’ (which won the 2024 Hollywood Book Festival in the Wild Card category) and my 'Dark Tales of Cryptids' series. Currently working on my upcoming series of zombie novels. Some of my stories have been narrated by YouTubers, garnering over 6 million views.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 31, 2012
Interesting little short story about a video game just a shade too realistic. It was developed by a brilliant but psycho software developer, and five demo copies were sent out to seemingly random players. The object of the game was to play the role of a serial killer. You had to stalk your victim, find a way into their respective houses, and carry out a murder. After each successful murder the game had the serial killer pull out a polaroid camera and take a photo of the victim.
Of the five "random" test players, Kevin was outperforming the others by a substantial margin. But about halfway through the game, his girlfriend grew very quiet and told him she recognized the house in the game from a news report of a real murder! Kevin's father just happened to be a policeman temporarily suspended, but he had worked on that specific murder case, and confirmed the girl's suspicions.
Further game-playing led the father and son to realize ALL the murders were actual unsolved murders! By doing some off-duty sleuthing, Kevin's father started making connections, while Kevin continued from level to level in the game. However, when he got to the final level, Kevin, his girlfriend, and his father all instantly recognized the house in the game as their own house!
Expecting a real serial killer to appear on the scene, Kevin's father armed himself and Kevin's girlfriend, and locked up the house, while Kevin continued playing. At this point in the book things got a little confusing, and it was unclear what was real and what was the game. However, the confusion was all cleared up by the time the surprise ending came around.
Like I said above, it was an interesting little short story. It only took less than 30 minutes to read, but provided a fair share of suspense in that short time. If you enjoy mini-mysteries, you will probably like this story. Or, if you happen to be interested in computer gaming, or the development of computer games, you will almost certainly like this story. Although it is kind of based on serial murder, there really isn't anything gruesome, graphic, or gross to be concerned about. This would be perfectly acceptable for pre-teens on up to read.
Of the five "random" test players, Kevin was outperforming the others by a substantial margin. But about halfway through the game, his girlfriend grew very quiet and told him she recognized the house in the game from a news report of a real murder! Kevin's father just happened to be a policeman temporarily suspended, but he had worked on that specific murder case, and confirmed the girl's suspicions.
Further game-playing led the father and son to realize ALL the murders were actual unsolved murders! By doing some off-duty sleuthing, Kevin's father started making connections, while Kevin continued from level to level in the game. However, when he got to the final level, Kevin, his girlfriend, and his father all instantly recognized the house in the game as their own house!
Expecting a real serial killer to appear on the scene, Kevin's father armed himself and Kevin's girlfriend, and locked up the house, while Kevin continued playing. At this point in the book things got a little confusing, and it was unclear what was real and what was the game. However, the confusion was all cleared up by the time the surprise ending came around.
Like I said above, it was an interesting little short story. It only took less than 30 minutes to read, but provided a fair share of suspense in that short time. If you enjoy mini-mysteries, you will probably like this story. Or, if you happen to be interested in computer gaming, or the development of computer games, you will almost certainly like this story. Although it is kind of based on serial murder, there really isn't anything gruesome, graphic, or gross to be concerned about. This would be perfectly acceptable for pre-teens on up to read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review