As a rich second-generation kid, getting people out for a party was effortless for Dan Lee.
With a single phone call, several of his friends immediately made plans to drive over.
These friends went by the names Dashan, Xiaoshuai, Xiaomei, Jessie, Dazhuang, and Calami…
Those weren’t their actual English names, of course.
They were the Chinese nicknames Dan Lee had assigned them at their own request.
Jennifer had also called over a few of her gal pals.
The group was surprisingly fast on their feet.
They even picked up the beer, fruit platters, and various snacks for the party themselves—though Dan Lee naturally footed the bill, being the host.
There was one other detail worth mentioning.
All of these friends shared Dan Lee’s passion for horror, maintaining a keen interest in demons, ghosts, and the paranormal.
When they found out Dan Lee had encountered a demon, they grew more excited than anyone else, even suggesting they play a summoning ritual.
Faced with such death-seeking behavior, Dan Lee didn’t even know what to say.
Soon enough, the small house in the suburbs was packed with people.
The living room was lined with beer, fruit platters, and snacks.
The house was brightly lit, with everyone gathered in the main room.
Jessie watched Jennifer clinging to Dan Lee with mixed feelings.
She couldn’t compare to that woman in any department.
Ever since surviving the Mutant Cannibal ordeal with Dan Lee, she had expressed her interest during their day of recovery.
Unfortunately, their connection had ultimately ended as a one-night stand…
Jessie wasn’t the only one eyeing the pair.
A blonde girl—one of Jennifer’s gal pals who had shown up uninvited—opened her mouth with a tone that instantly rubbed people the wrong way.
“Hey, Jennifer, is this your new boyfriend?” Jennifer immediately flipped the blonde girl off.
“Bitch, he’s my *first* actual boyfriend.
If you’re so jealous, why don’t you go drag your own pathetic excuse of a man over here?” The tension between the two was more than just sparks—they were outright mortal enemies.
At that moment, a brunette girl nearby said with envy, “Jennifer, I heard your boyfriend is Eastern nobility and owns a castle over here.
Could you take us to visit sometime?” “Yeah, Jennifer, can you take us to check it out?
We could take a few photos as souvenirs.” With a subtle smile playing on her lips, Jennifer snuggled deeper into Dan Lee’s arms and said airily, “I’ll consider it.
If I have time, maybe I’ll bring you all over for a party or a get-together.” She thoroughly enjoyed the flattery and brown-nosing from this group of plastic friends.
One look at the blonde girl’s green-eyed, resentful face showed just how satisfying it was.
Usually, these girls talked trash behind her back, but now that she’d bagged a high-quality man, who would dare call her a whore?
Dan Lee’s relative lack of fame at school was purely academic and event-based.
When it came to good looks and wealth, he was famous throughout Clam Shell Town.
Even as an Asian guy, the girls pursuing him at school were beyond counting.
The brunette and the others knew this all too well, which was why they were so envious.
The blonde’s previous comment about Dan Lee being a “new boyfriend” was an intentional provocation meant to undermine their relationship.
But Jennifer was no push-over and had clapped back immediately.
Dan Lee naturally had zero interest in these women’s petty games and rivalries.
He was busy chatting with Dazhuang and Xiaoshuai about summoning rituals.
Dazhuang’s real name was Mike.
He was a hardcore paranormal enthusiast with the deepest knowledge of these kinds of occult games.
With a creepy, deliberate aura, he explained the mechanics of a ritual to the group.
“This one’s called the Closet Game.
First, you stand in front of a closet, close the door, and hold an unlit match.
Then you chant, ‘Show me the light, or leave me in darkness.'” Hardly anyone in the room was scared.
Xiaoshuai was even eager to try.
With so many beauties present, Xiaoshuai naturally wanted to show off.
Although his Chinese nickname meant “Little Handsome,” he was anything but.
Calami, one of the few Black guys present, declared on the spot that he wanted to test out the Closet Game right away.
Dan Lee hadn’t heard of this specific game; he was only familiar with Bloody Mary and the Pen Spirit.
The former was a classic Western ghost tale, while the latter was an occult game from back home.
Either way, there was zero horror atmosphere in the room, given how brightly lit it was and how many people were packed inside.
Dan Lee had no intention of participating in the Closet Game—it required squeezing into a closet, after all.
He was content just watching them mess around.
The group partied until eleven o’clock, trying out several rituals back-to-back without seeing a single trace of a ghost or evil spirit.
It wasn’t until eleven o’clock that Mike brought up another ritual called the Midnight Game.
It was derived from the American horror legend of the Midnight Man—a tall, emaciated shadow figure rumored to have no face.
The setup required a candle, matches, salt, paper, a pen, a wooden door, and a single drop of blood.
You wrote a person’s name on the paper, added a drop of blood, turned off all the lights in the house, lit the candle, and placed both the candle and the pen in front of the wooden door.
Then, you knocked on the door twenty-two times, making sure the final knock landed precisely at midnight.
You blew out the candle, relit it, and the “Midnight Man” would be summoned.
Once the game officially began, you had to dodge the Midnight Man in the dark until 3:33 AM.
If you heard whispers while hiding, felt the temperature plunge, or saw your candlelight flicker continuously or go out, it meant “It” was nearby.
If the candle went out, you had to relight it within ten seconds, or draw a full circle of salt around yourself on the floor.
Nobody knew what happened if you got caught, because everyone who had played the game died.
As he reached the end of the explanation, Mike’s expression turned menacing, before he burst into a loud laugh.
“So, what do you guys think of this game?” Calami, the Black youth, scoffed.
“Boring as hell.
We played all those other games earlier and it was just you pretending to be a ghost to scare us.” Dashan and Xiaoshuai voiced their agreement.
Dan Lee, on the other hand, thought this game sounded far more intriguing than the previous ones.
Coupled with the fact that the demon had yet to reveal itself, he spoke up: “It sounds pretty good.
Count me in.” Mike wiggled his eyebrows at Dan Lee.
“Man, I knew you’d be interested in this one!” Xiaoshuai raised his hand.
“Cool, add me too.” “Me too!” Dashan raised his hand as well.
“Come on, count me in then,” Calami said, itching to try.
Jennifer, curled up in Dan Lee’s arms, raised her hand.
Seeing Dan Lee participating, the rest of the group chimed in one by one, eager to join.
Only Jessie was reluctant.
Having survived the hunt of the Mutant Cannibal, she harbored a deep dread of ghosts and evil spirits.
But with everyone else participating, she had no choice but to tag along.
Just like that, all ten people opted into the Midnight Game.
Mike turned off the living room lights and lit a candle.
The dim glow illuminated the room, finally bringing a bit of atmosphere.
He pulled out a large sheet of paper, spreading it open, and handed small slips to everyone.
“Write your names down and add a drop of blood.” Everyone complied.
After going through the series of steps, the time neared midnight.
The entire house fell dead silent, each person holding a lit candle in their hand.
Mike stepped up to the wooden door and knocked twenty-two times, timing the final strike to hit right on the stroke of midnight.
*Knock, knock, knock.* After knocking, he blew out the candle, relit it, and stepped back to stare at the doorway.
Ten pairs of eyes fixed on the entrance.
As the seconds ticked by, the expected Midnight Man failed to appear.
The group ended the ritual in disappointment.
Calami spouted rap lyrics under his breath as he headed for the bathroom.
He was the biggest skeptic when it came to ghosts and gods, tossing his candle onto the table without a second thought.
Even Dan Lee began to think the evil spirit had left.
He went back to drinking and chatting with the others.
But half an hour later, he suddenly realized something was off.
“Why hasn’t Calami come back yet?” Mike acted unconcerned.
“Constipated, probably.
Or maybe he fell into the toilet.” An hour passed.
The group slammed open the bathroom door.
Mike, being in the lead, was the first to see Calami’s corpse.
His internal organs had been ripped out by something unknown, scattered all over the floor.
“Burp—gagh!” Xiaoshuai, unable to stomach the sight, vomited on the spot.
The first gruesome death had occurred.
Before anyone could make sense of what was happening, a blood-curdling scream suddenly rang out from the living room—it was the brunette girl who had stayed behind!