No amount of money in this world can justify a lifetime of nightmares,

especially the kind that seep into the real world and cripple you with terror as soon as you wake up.

Nightmare so violently distressing that you will never know for sure

whether there's something in the dark,

lying in wait at your bedside, until the dreadful, unavoidable moment comes where

you'll be forced to turn on the lights and see for yourself.

If I'd known back then what creating that stupid challenge would bring upon me, I would have kept my mouth shut.

The small amount of money I won wasn't worth it, but it's far too late now to do anything about it.

All that's left for me now is to try and live out the rest of my days as best as I can,

knowing that someday, somehow I will turn on the lights and find that

thing there, waiting for me.

There was this old abandoned building right next to our school. I don't know exactly

how long it had been abandoned for, but if I were to guess based on some old newspapers, candy wrappers and tons of other trash lying around,

I'd say 20 years at the very least. Maybe more.

Despite the smell, the debris, the rats and piles of trash or even the occasional

hobo turds, as weird as it might sound, every one of us loved that place.

It was barely a couple of minutes away on foot from our school,

so it was relatively easy for a lot of people to see it

as an unofficial extension of school grounds.

Whether it was to sneak away and have a few smokes during lunch break, make out, or just

chill for a while after class, It was a place welcoming enough for pretty much anyone.

There are enough different rooms throughout the building varying in size, including a large oval room located on the first floor, which people

...