Chris stared at the screen of his phone, puzzled. It seemed like a typical simulation game, similar to those popular in the app stores, but instead of managing a hotel, aquarium, or pet park, it was all about running a haunted house.
He examined the app closely, noting that every detail matched his own haunted house—the daily visitor count, the various attractions and setups. It was as if this game was a digital twin of his real-world haunt. The uncanny similarities between his failing business and the virtual world were unsettling.
"Could this game be modeled after my haunted house?" Chris wondered aloud. "If changes are made in the game, could they somehow impact the real world?"
He continued to browse the app, noting that the "Zombie Resurrection Night" attraction was rated poorly and that once-popular features, which had even made headlines, were given only half-star ratings.
"If even the horror attractions are getting half-star reviews, I can only imagine how terrifying the unlockable scenes must be," Chris mused, tapping on options to unlock more. A prompt appeared, stating that certain daily tasks needed to be completed to unlock new horror scenes.
"It looks like daily tasks are crucial. Completing them unlocks more horror scenes, which will attract more visitors, increase revenue, and allow me to expand the haunted house. This could create a positive cycle," he reasoned.
Familiar with mobile games, Chris quickly grasped the rules: the completion of daily tasks would impact the development of the haunted house.
He opened the daily tasks menu, revealing three options:
Easy Difficulty: Enhance the background stories of the "Zombie Resurrection Night" and "Horror Attraction" scenes.
Medium Difficulty: Repair all the mannequins in the haunted house before midnight.
Nightmare Difficulty: Curiosity piqued? Try a mini-game to uncover the truth about the existence of ghosts. The answer will be revealed the moment you open your eyes.
Daily tasks refreshed at midnight, with only one task available per day. The difficulty of the task would affect the rewards.
"Tasks in the game seem to require real-world actions. Does this mean the game can influence reality?" Chris speculated.
To test his theory, he decided to pick a task. Given the choice between easier and nightmare difficulties, he was wary of the ominous warning about extremely dangerous tasks.
"Choosing the nightmare difficulty seems risky with such vague descriptions. I'll start with the medium difficulty—repairing all the mannequins before midnight is challenging but doable."
Decisive by nature, Chris grabbed his toolbox and a bucket of unopened artificial blood and began inspecting the mannequins in the haunted house.
It was late, and Chris navigated the sprawling, darkened house with only a flashlight. To save electricity, he didn't turn on the hallway lights, carrying the malfunctioning mannequins back and forth.
If anyone had seen him, they would likely have called the police out of sheer terror.
"I'm exhausted. I didn't realize so many mannequins were malfunctioning. Clearly, maintenance has been lacking!" he muttered.
At 11:45 PM, Chris received a notification on his phone: "You have completed the medium difficulty daily task. Attention to detail is crucial for creating the perfect horror atmosphere. Congratulations! You've earned the reward—'Black Friday' background track."
"'Black Friday' is a banned track overseas, rumored to cause suicidal thoughts. The original version is long gone," Chris noted, finding a CD icon in the app's reward section. "This must be a prank, right?"
He tapped the CD icon, and an unfamiliar melody began to play.
The music felt inherently dark—lonely and mournful. Chris felt a deep sense of isolation, as if sinking into the ocean or walking through an endless tunnel.
When the track ended, he was drenched in sweat and relieved he hadn't opted for a repeat play; he wasn't sure he could handle more of that eerie sound.
"This is real! It must be the original track!"
The fact that completing tasks in the game yielded real-world rewards presented Chris with a potential solution to his haunted house's woes.
He closed the music, stored it carefully, and after tidying up, retreated to the staff lounge.
Exhausted, Chris lay in bed but couldn't sleep. The day's events were overwhelming for anyone to process.
By the time midnight passed, Chris still stared blankly at the ceiling.
"I can't sleep at all!" he said, bored and reaching for his phone. "The daily tasks should have refreshed by now."
Opening the app, he saw that the daily tasks had indeed changed:
Easy Difficulty: To offer visitors a truly frightening experience, focus on pacing. Actors and traps appearing too early or too late can ruin the experience. Consider installing sound detectors and surveillance to monitor visitor progress.
Medium Difficulty: A successful haunted house needs a strong team. Hire more staff to help you through these tough times.
Nightmare Difficulty: Still curious about the existence of ghosts? Play a mini-game to discover the truth. The answer lies in the moment you open your eyes.
Chris was conflicted.
The easy task, installing sound detectors and surveillance, required money—something he didn't have.
The medium task was also challenging, as he had just lost a long-time staff member and hiring and training new employees would take time—time his haunted house didn't have.
With the easy and medium tasks ruled out, Chris focused on the last option.
"Higher difficulty means greater rewards. Should I try the nightmare-level task?"