I was perhaps 12 or 13. My friend and I were having a sleepover at a mutual friend's house. It was late, after midnight. Our friend, whose house we were staying at, had already gone to sleep in his room. My friend and I were on the couch in the living room, playing GTA IV. The room was unlit, except for the TV, but the streetlights outside cast creepy shadows on the blue-gray walls. We played, passing the controller between us each time we died, cracking jokes. Suddenly, we heard a blood-curdling scream. It was a woman.
OH GOD, somebody HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME
The screams continued. Then they stopped.
It sounded close. I remember my friend and I exchanged a look. I don't remember if we spoke about it. I do remember that we stayed inside. I remember, knowing, in some unverbalized way, that whatever would make a woman scream like that was not something a boy could address.
161 for Brevity Quest 2025