(Spoiler details warning )
I've done all three possibilites with the matches but I don't understand the ending? The writing was good, but the mystery isn't fleshed out well enough in the ending imo, or did I miss an important plot point?
(spoilers)
Hi WarNovaDragoon - I think your criticism(s) are well founded.
When we wrote the story, we decided on an ending that happens 'beyond the screen', i.e. we felt that there was enough information for a reader to be pretty confident that they knew what happened, without explicitly saying it.
(But, that sort of ending does often lead to the feeling you are talking about - it doesn't feel fully fleshed out.)
As for Mike, you are absolutely correct. He was intended to be the black sheep of the group.
And, as for the trope-y writing, you are correct, it does lean that way. I am not a horror writer, so the trope-traps are easy for me to fall into. I think If I had had more time, I could've made everything feel tighter and imparted a better feeling of verisimilitude.
I really appreciate your thoughts, and thank you for playing.