Shelter for the Night

A horror storygame by Bill_Ingersoll

Commended by mizal on 11/8/2020 8:12:53 PM

Player Rating6.30/8

"#168 overall, #13 for 2020"
Based on 66 ratings since 11/17/2020
Played 1,342 times (finished 62)

Story Difficulty3/8

"Trek through the forest"

Play Length6/8

"It'll be a while, better grab a Snickers®"

Maturity Level6/8

"I'll need to see some identification"
Some material may be inappropriate for persons under age 16. If this were a movie, it would probably be between PG-13 and R.

Tags

Horror

Shelter TitleGeorge and Amy are one day into a forty-mile backpacking trip in the Adirondack Mountains — tired, hungry, and discouraged by the threat of rain. Their path has brought them to Shingle Shanty Lake, the site of a dank cabin that by all appearances hasn't been inhabited for many years. They are reluctant to camp among the debris and mouse turds, but the rain is falling hard and darkness is coming fast.

As the shower begins to ease, Amy steps outside saying she'll be gone for just a minute. This leaves George alone inside the cabin, waiting impatiently — not realizing his night of torment is only just beginning.

** Updated November 2020 **

This storygame was originally published to meet the 2020 Halloween Writing Jam deadline, but there hadn't been time to complete all of the intended branching. This version includes a second primary story branch as well as 4 additional endings, satisfying my original ideas.

Note that both branches are intended as independent stories, with abundant inconsistencies between the two. Each stands on its own. Exploration may be required to find where each branch diverges.

Important Notes:

  • Contribution to the 2020 Halloween Writing Jam
  • 11 unique endings spread out across 51 total pages
  • Individual storypath lengths range from 8 to 16 pages

© 2020 Bill Ingersoll

All photos by the author

Player Comments

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Northwind on 11/3/2020 8:53:23 AM with a score of 4
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ninjapitka on 11/1/2020 1:05:35 PM with a score of 7
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Darius_Conwright on 4/13/2022 9:39:32 AM with a score of 6
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Quorrah on 3/7/2022 11:24:32 AM with a score of 11
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iggymcfly on 9/18/2021 8:14:09 PM with a score of 6
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— Bee on 9/10/2021 3:40:39 AM with a score of 6
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Lux_Inferni on 8/4/2021 7:18:27 PM with a score of 7
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enterpride on 11/13/2020 10:12:32 PM with a score of 5
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poison_mara on 11/10/2020 3:34:59 PM with a score of 2
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Tim36D on 11/7/2020 2:13:29 PM with a score of 5
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