Tang Ri Shan

Are You Game?

Prologue

"Ahh! Home sweet home!" Alan Parish sighed happily, spreading out his hands and twirling happily on the landing. Judy and Peter Shepherd watched from the top of the stairs, smiling, as Alan followed Aunt Nora downstairs.

"So, tell me about your latest role" Aunt Nora said, placing her hand on Alan's shoulder. Alan turned and smiled at her and she smiled back.

"I'm no psychic, but I'm hearing wedding bells" Judy stated

Peter suddenly made a face. "Wait, aww that means I have to wear a tie, right?"

Judy laughed out loud. "After all we've been through, wearing a suit should be the least of your worries, Peabody" She said as they followed Alan down the stairs.

"True" Peter replied, laughing.

Later that evening

Later that evening, Judy lay in her bed, tossing and turning, muttering softly in her sleep.

In her dream, Judy found herself walking through the thick jungle that was Jumanji. "Great" She siad to herself. "I've been in Jumanji so many times that it's showing up in my dreams. I can't wait to destroy this thing." The cries of birds echoed through the trees, insects buzzed through the air around her, but never seemed to land on her. Through the trees, she saw familiar sights, a crocodile floating on the banks of a river, a zebra stampeding through the trees, a black panther chasing after an antelope. Judy wanted to wince as she watched the panther catch the antelope, raking its claws down the creature's back, but strangely she didn't.

BANG! Judy paused as a gunshot echoed through the air, then instinctively darted off the trail, crouching down behind a bush in the shadow of a big tree. If Van Pelt was nearby, she did not want him finding her. He was scary enough in reality. Suddenly, she heard footsteps.

"RUN!" A panicked voice yelled.

"I AM RUNNING!" Another voice, higher pitched, answered. Judy frowned, she didn't recognize those voices. Two figures darted through her line of vision, one of them stumbled and fell. Judy caught a glimpse of long red hair and saw a flash of jewelry and smelled strong perfume as the figure picked herself up and rushed away, screaming, as fast as she could in her high heels. Judy rolled her eyes. Jewelry, perfume, and high heels? That fool wasn't going to last five minutes! She had to help her! Judy slowly stuck her head out from behind her bush, scanning her surroundings for any sign of Van Pelt, but she didn't see the hunter. After a couple seconds, she took off in the direction of the screaming.

A few seconds later, Judy heard two gunshots, followed by a deathly silence. "No!" She exclaimed, rounding a great tree-and skidding to a halt. In a small clearing a girl in a fancy dress and a boy in a tuxedo were both sprawled facedown on the jungle floor, not moving. Van Pelt was standing over them, laughing. "NO! Judy screamed, then clapped her hands over her mouth. Van Pelt looked up and spotted her before she could retreat.

"Ah, young Judy" He said, his grin widening. "I thought you had left Jumanji for good. Pity, you and your little brother were worthy prey, whereas your replacements..." He broke off, tapping the side of the boy with his boot. The boy didn't move. Only now did Judy notice a small puddle of red forming in the mud beneath him. The girl's white dress was beginning to stain red as well. As Judy stared at them, she felt tears come to her eyes.

"HOW COULD YOU?" She screamed, balling her fists and throwing Van Pelt her most angry glare, though the tears streaming down her face ruined the effect.

Van Pelt simply laughed. "It's the law of the jungle my dear" He said, as if it were the most common thing in the world. "Hunt, or be hunted. But, if you are really looking for someone to blame, you need only look in a mirror."

"Wh-what do you mean?" She choked as she felt a sudden flush of guilt that she was not expecting.

"Like I said, you were worthy. You and your brother are the best challengers to enter Jumanji. Trust me on that" Judy's eyes widened as Van Pelt respectfully nodded in her direction. "But not that you've freed that cur Alan, I imagine you'll move on, like everyone else who has played. And so, new players will find Jumanji, and the cycle will begin again."

"No! I won't let that happen!" Judy yelled, wincing as she saw blood freely flowing from the bodies of the two children.

"And how, may I ask, will you stop it from happening?" Van Pelt smiled.

"I'll destroy the game!" Judy yelled. "Then no one will be able to play-AAHHH!" Judy screamed as she felt something grab her ankles and yank her backwards. Before she knew what happened, she was upside down, starring down the barrel of Van Pelt's shotgun. Around them, the jungle suddenly came alive with the cawing of birds, the roaring of animals and the buzzing of insects. Even the trees themselves seemed to shake and moan. Judy thrashed desperately, trying to escape, but the vines that held her ankles were like iron, and they were slowly creeping up her legs. She could feel them tightening.

"YOU THINK YOU ARE THE FIRST TO TRY? YOU CANNOT DESTROY JUMANJI!" Van Pelt's voice roared over everything else. "JUMANJI MUST EXIST, AND IT MUST HAVE A PLAYER!"

Judy felt her face whiten as Van Pelt suddenly lowered his gun and stepped forward. He grasped Judy's upside down face and pulled it so they were eye to eye. "Tell me, who would you prefer to play this game? A champion who has triumphed here time and again? Or a rookie who would not last five minutes?"

Judy, who was now wrapped up as far as her chest, gasped and shook her head as she realized what he meant. "I can't, I'll never survive! And there's no way I'm risking Peabody's life!"

"Maybe you wouldn't survive at this level" Van Pelt said cryptically. "But if you were to rise to the next level, maybe you would persevere. What do you say, Judy Shepard?" Judy gave a muffled scream as she suddenly felt the creeping vines wrap around her face with lightning speed. "Are You Game?" Van Pelt paughed as the vines covered Judy's eyes, covering her entire body like a mummy. Judy screamed as darkness enveloped her.

"NO!" Judy sat bolt upright, her face and body drenched in sweat. She took a deep breath, than another. She glanced around, seeing her bedroom illuminated by sunlight streaming through the white curtains that covered the windows.

"It was just a dream" She told herself. "It was just a dream" She sighed with relief as she got out of bed. But it seemed so real.