I hear people yelling nearing me and watch as they sprint down the staircase.  My heart is pounding.  Should I stay in this corner helplessly, or should I race down the stairs too and risk being caught?  I am still debating what I should do, when suddenly, I hear a quiet noise at the end of the hallway.  The sound turns into footsteps as somebody creeps down the hallway toward me.  I hope it’s not who I think it is.  The footsteps cease, and the silence that follows is deafening.  After what seems like an hour, the noise continues as he draws closer to me.  My worst fear is confirmed when I see a figure in black approaching.  It’s him!  He pauses right in front of me.  Will he find me?  All I can do now is wait.
I sit still as he briefly turns his head in every direction, including toward the wall right above my head.  Does he see me?  I don’t breathe for fear that attention will be drawn to me.  After what feels like forever, he looks away and departs down the stairs.  I’m safe…for now.  I linger in the corner for a minute, just to make sure he’s gone.  Then, I creep down the hallway and take the opposite exit route from the third floor. 
         I escape to the second level without being caught.  The red exit light casts a dreary glow on the hallway.  I find an unlocked door and open it cautiously.  No one else is in the room—from what I can see.  The room is completely dark, except for the sliver of moonlight streaming in through the window.  I tiptoe farther into the room and peer toward the dimly lit street in the distance.  It must be about midnight.  I’d better leave this room before he finds me. 
         I maneuver out of the room and down the stairway to the first floor.  Where are my friends?  Did he find them already?  I start heading down the main hallway and turn left.  I can hardly see anything, because the building is so dark.  Unfortunately, instead of finding a different hall, I run straight into a wall.  My head is throbbing.  I use the wall to guide myself to the hallway.  After a few steps, my arm bumps into something solid.  Is it a person?  My suspicion is confirmed when somebody grabs my wrist and grumbles, “Be quiet.  He’ll hear you, and you’ll get us all killed.”  There’s no commotion near me, so I decide that I’m safe staying here for now.  After about two minutes, I hear people frantically running.  Then, a blood-curdling scream pierces the first floor, followed by dead silence.  He found his first victim.
         I feel my heart pounding all the way through my head.  I draw short, rapid breaths.  Is he coming this way?  Should I escape to the second floor, or should I just continue farther down this hallway?  Either choice could make the difference of my survival.  I decide on the latter.  I step into the middle of the hallway, so I don’t disturb anyone else.  I tiptoe to the end of the hall and lie down, pressing myself against the wall.  I hear footsteps creeping past the entrance of the hallway.  I pull myself up and wait to leave until the footsteps fade completely. 
         Once I’m out of that hallway, I turn left and find an open double doorway that leads to the darkest hallway in the building.  I step into an abyss of darkness where I can’t even see my hands in front of my face.  I’m completely vulnerable.  I have to find his first victim.  As I inch down the hall, I see a small stream of light.  I discover its source, a large, dimly lit gymnasium.  If I’m going to hide in there, I need to conceal myself behind something large.  Suddenly, I hear footsteps rapidly approaching.  He’s coming!  I don’t have time to run into the gym, because he’ll see me.  I slide my hands on the wall’s surface.  Thankfully, I find the opening of a different doorway.  I sneak through, and my foot hits something hard.  I touch it and discover a set of stairs.  I maneuver up the stairs using my hands for guidance.  I reach the top and realize I am standing on a stage.  I have to be careful not to trip on the props scattered around the floor.  His footsteps echo in the gym.  I hide behind the stage curtain, so he doesn’t find me.  His footsteps are eerily quiet as he walks to the far end of the gym.  This might be the time for me to escape.  Should I sprint into the hallway now while he is on the other side of the gym?  What if I run, and he’s able to catch up to me? 
         I poke my head around the curtain and watch as he searches the gymnasium for other victims.  He is facing the opposite direction.  Now is my chance to escape.  I quickly tiptoe across the stage.  Unfortunately, I’m too careless and trip on a prop.  I freeze, wondering if he heard me.  I hear his footsteps approaching in the gym.  My heart sinks.  I know he heard me.  My only option is to run.  All I can think about is surviving. 
         Adrenaline keeps my feet moving faster than they’ve gone before.  I race down the hallway and into a room on my right.  There are no lights on, but I can see the outlines of tables.  I must be in a cafeteria.  I hear his footsteps rapidly drawing closer.  There are shadows of other people in the room.  Since he’s following me, they are in danger of being discovered too.  I duck behind a chair, but it’s only a matter of time until he finds me.  He creeps into the room.  I peer around the chair as he preys on other innocent victims in the room.  Maybe he won’t see me.  He turns around and scans the room.  His eyes settle on me, and he approaches slowly.  I’m doomed.  He is just about to reach me, when in the distance, I hear the words “Game over!”  And so ends another game of Survival in the Dark.