Trapped in the mud

Date: 8/2/2025

At school, I found a cool looking vintage console, I thought it was a battery to charge at first. Teachers wanted to confiscate it as a stupid rule Jimmied my way out of it. Turns out I was a video game, a horror video game about going to a swamp with a cursed book that would guide you. If you threw the book away your soul was attached to the book and youd perish unless you found it again in a 30 seconds. Wilson and the gang were going out camping, apparently going to that place but somehow for real? I was staying overnight at their house before we all left, it was vacant and I was the last one inside, it felt very empty and not at the same time . I was brushing my teeth before leaving when I heard tapping on the second story window, I peek to see brianna standing on the unsafe looking stairs to see me, she hadn't seen me well through the curtains so I snuck close and went "boo!", it startled her and made her lose her balance. It was at this point I began to think out loud whether our trip might be cursed, and if we should go on with it at all. It left us with a slight atmosphere of dread. She clung to the windowsill as I panicked and tried to get Wilson's attention but he might not have made it, after a bit of struggle I realized I should have been the one getting her up and saved her. Wilson was mad but didn't show that I didn't think to do anything until it was almost too late. We depart to the muddy camping grounds. As we get closer the city surrounding it gets more and more disheveled. It looked like the city was almost a part of the encampments, people sat on the sidewalks camping out, looking homeless and riled up, some fights broke out. We made it after some struggles and not even a few minutes in something happened to scare most of us, I took the initiative and said we were getting the fuck out of there, I threw the book and that was when I realized I was stuck. I made the decision quickly, I screamed at the rest to run, to leave me here and not turn back. I screamed at them with such emotion knowing I was doomed, but they didn't have to be. I ran further ahead, not glancing at where I threw the book and advancing without it. I wanted to die rather than stay here. I found a lake and near it a bog, I ran for the bog and dove in. I saw some points I could pick off the ground like a game, and fish. It looked like a deeper level of the game, I stayed until I suffocated. I respawned outside, it was an amazing experience and I called wilson so we could all try it out. They'd gone back home and said yeah. After a bit of retelling I decided to stay myself, using Wilson's house as a base since it was near. I kept my mouth shut about what I saw inside but it was obvious to everyone I was under alot of stress as I got bags under my eyes. Inside it was like an encampment, except everyone inside was trapped like me. There were a few scientists and explorers, vikings too. Normal people all pushed to the brink and made to work together as a sort of society to survive. The women were traded and given to warriors, everyone grew slightly twisted as they stayed.