The night hides a thousand dangers, and facing them requires preparation, resourcefulness, and a spirit of initiative. Fighting the creatures of darkness recklessly leads only to ruin, especially if you decide to fight alone. Being able to count on a skilled and trustworthy team makes every battle much easier, but choosing the team members requires equally careful and thorough consideration. The 15 girls selected are all strong candidates, so they will have to prove to me that they deserve one of the five available spots. All of them have had experiences with the supernatural or horror, and all possess great skills in various fields. In the abandoned hotel, I’ve gathered warriors, detectives, or simply survivors of violent and traumatic events that ordinary people wouldn’t have been able to face. There are only five keys to get out of the hotel, and the men hunting them are in the dozens. Whether they’re criminals, psychopaths, or just bored people, they’ve all been given precise instructions about the girls there and the few simple rules they must follow. They can do whatever they want with them except kill them, all without any risk of being reported or convicted; they cannot bring weapons from outside, but any object found in the hotel may be used freely; all the girls captured and all those remaining inside the hotel after the five winners have escaped will be at their complete disposal until dawn. The agreement satisfies them, even though I made it clear that I won’t take any responsibility for any injuries or worse. That said, I wait for midnight in the small outdoor room set up as a control and surveillance room, with six monitors from which I can observe everything happening inside the building. When the bell rings, I unlock the doors to the rooms where the girls are waiting and the one to the dining room where the hunters are gathered. The game begins!

First girl: Morticia Addams . Every girl has her own strategy and lets her emotions guide her in a different way. Some, however, look for the right person to team up with before heading for the exit. Two of them are Morticia and Wednesday Addams, the most unusual members of the group. A mother-daughter duo with a gothic style and an unusual lifestyle, the two wouldn’t have made it into my selection, but somehow they found out what I was organizing and personally asked to take part just for a bit of fun. They are a truly fascinating woman and girl, and I decided to let them participate because, in the worst-case scenario, they would surely be welcomed by the first ones able to catch them. Instead, their performance turns out to be surprising: Morticia advances at a slow pace with her head held high, her long, elegant black dress flowing to completely cover her feet. Every time someone tries to attack her, they are knocked down by the young Wednesday, who moves with agility and manages to use every object she finds in her path as a lethal weapon. The number of people on the ground rises dramatically: some are crying over broken bones, others are trying to staunch cuts and wounds as blood flows freely. Wednesday is highly skilled at dodging lethal blows, but with every attack she seeks to inflict suffering on her victim, and it soon becomes clear that in their case, the roles of hunter and prey are reversed. When they reach the exit, Wednesday is completely covered in blood, while Morticia is as elegant and flawless as she was at the start of the competition. She’s the first to leave the hotel, using the first key.

Second girl: Wednesday Addams . Wednesday waits patiently for the large door to close behind her mother before using the second key. But not before she has thrown a knife that pierces the hand of a burly criminal who was trying to sneak up on her. The man’s screams echo through the lobby as he struggles to pull his hand away from the wall. Wednesday simply walks out of the hotel with a look of contempt to catch up with her mother.

Third girl: Alice Liddell . Wednesday hasn’t even reached her mother yet when she hears the front door open and close behind her. She turns around, curious, and reacts with unprecedented surprise at the sight of the new winner. Alice Liddell bears a striking resemblance to her in both appearance and manner. She still carries a long knife smeared with the blood of her victims, blood that also covers her white and blue dress. Her skin is as pale as Wednesday’s, and even her long black hair resembles that of the young Addams, though the latter wears hers pulled back into two neat braids. At first glance, they could really look like two little sisters. Alice smiles and compliments her on the chaos she’s left in the hotel while licking some blood off the blade. Their encounter gives me the chills, since I’ve been able to follow the escalation of violence by young Alice on the monitors, and it’s every bit as intense as Wednesday’s. But while Morticia’s daughter sought amusement in her violent outbursts, Alice strikes coldly and ruthlessly, focused solely on her ultimate goal. There isn’t a shred of mercy in her, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many don’t survive their injuries. Then again, that’s to be expected from a girl who spent her best years trying to survive in a cruel and gloomy asylum. I’m glad to have two such powerful companions to rely on, but I can’t help but feel a chill run down my spine.

Fourth girl: Wendy Corduroy . More time passes between the third and fourth girls, a sign that the most unpredictable and uncontrollable participants have dropped out, but also that now that only two keys remain, the competition has become fiercer. Some contestants slow each other down by colliding, benefiting not only the others who can sneak past the obstacles, but also the hunters on their trail. Yet there are those who have nothing to learn from that rowdy, disorganized band of pursuers. Wendy Corduroy has recounted growing up as the only girl in a family of men, all interested in hunting and life in the woods. From her father, she learned dozens of survival techniques which, combined with her tenacious character and great skill with weapons, have transformed her into a true warrior. The fact that she survived an apocalypse unleashed by a demon of dreams is just another feather in her cap! Like a wild animal, Wendy moves slowly but never stops, studying the tracks and picking up on every sound to evade her pursuers and track down her rivals, whom she ruthlessly uses to draw the hunters’ attention and get past the most heavily guarded checkpoints. Poor Ashley Graham pays the price, finding herself in her path by pure chance and being used as bait without her knowledge. With cat-like steps, Wendy leaves her behind, heedless of her desperate cries as she’s surrounded by ferocious, horny men. In a matter of moments, the young woman is out of the hotel after grabbing the second-to-last key.

Fifth girl: Velma Dinkley . A few minutes later, two girls enter the lobby. Velma and Daphne are part of the same mystery-solving team and have solved numerous cases with their teammates. They’ve done well in this situation too, but by going it alone, they’ve ended up wasting too much time, and now there’s only one key left. From a distance, they hear the sounds of men and women approaching—some to secure the area before the final escape, others to claim the last key. Desperate, Velma paces back and forth, searching in vain for a way to ensure they can both get out, but the rules can’t be changed. In a burst of selflessness, the charming Daphne grabs the last key and hands it to her friend. She knows full well that she’s made it this far only thanks to her friend—less outgoing and popular than she is, but gifted with great analytical skills and a brain that, in her own words, deserves the victory. Before Velma can respond, Daphne lunges at her to snatch a kiss and shove her out the door before she can react. The game is over; I’ve found my teammates. I wait for them to catch up while I watch Daphne run off in search of a hiding spot and the other defeated contestants face their fate.
[CONTINUE]

Alice Lidell

Velma Dinkley

Ashley Graham

Saeko Busujima

Heather Mason

I'd save Morticia, Wednesday, Ellie, Wendy and Abigail