The Midnight Game Ritual: Baltimore, 2003

At 12:17 AM on January 21st, 2003, the candle in Margo Nolan’s hand blew out-despite every window sealed shut inside her Baltimore row house. As the rest of the group raced to relight theirs, they heard dragging footsteps circling the parlor, and a cold draft seemed to curl around them all at once. One friend dropped her candle and swore she saw a black shape dart across the cracked tile. They had started the Midnight Game ritual as a dare, following every rule: salt lines, wooden door, the needle on paper. But by dawn, Margo refused to unlock the front door until they’d each checked there wasn’t anyone-alive or not-hiding inside the house.