Unusual Friends | Animal Crossing Story/Creepypasta?

Chapter Two: Who Is Alan?

I couldn't stop staring at the message. I could barely make out the name Alan as the one who posted on the board. That's not the name of any NPCs, as far as I know.

This can't be real. I told myself, It's hacked. My aunt bought this game from some hacker who wanted to mess with people. There's nothing to be scared of.

I tried to continue playing the game, but I couldn't stop thinking about the message. It gave me an odd feeling that I can't explain. It wasn't exactly fear, but kind of close. Foreboding is the best word I can think of.

It didn't help that the shadow figure started appearing more frequently. Before, it only popped up occasionally, usually when I least expected it. Now, it seemed to be following me.

The figure resembled a player character. Which was... concerning. I definitely didn't invite anyone to my island, not that I had any friends to invite.

"It's a hack. It's a hack. It's a hack." I muttered to myself. "Someone changed the code and made it a horror game and sold it online. Alan is just an NPC. He-"

"NPC, am I?"

I froze, and so did my character. I wanted so badly to believe that I imagined this voice. That I was going crazy, or there was some crazy skilled hacker that wanted to scare people. But it felt so real...

"I told you. You can't run from me."

I couldn't deny it anymore. My entire body seemed to be frozen. My mind was blank with shock, but also buzzing with questions.

"Heh, I can't believe somebody is actually playing this island. I thought it'd been destroyed, and I was stuck here forever."

The shadow figure slowly walked in front of my character. I was too terrified to move away, and something told me that I wouldn't have been able to even if I tried.

"So maybe there's still hope for me. Say, how old are you? You aren't freaking out as much as I expected."

I was internally panicking, and couldn't find my voice. How was I supposed to answer a simple question when I was so scared and confused?

"...go on, talk. I can hear you."

"I-I'm thirteen." I forced myself to answer.

I know what you're thinking. A bit young to be a video game fanatic, right? Everyone always says that, but my parents bought me games to entertain me so I wouldn't bother them, so they're really all the comfort I have. It's not like I have friends. I was always more of an introvert and didn't interact with people if I could help it.

I found that talking to a sentient character in a game was somehow easier than talking to real people, as if that doesn't say something about my social skills then I don't know what does.

"Oh... you're a kid."

His voice suddenly became a little more... human-like. There was some definite emotion behind that sentence. Surprised, curious, and maybe slightly apologetic? It was hard to tell, but made me feel the tiniest bit calmer.

"Are you Alan?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Of course I am. Sorry if my message scared you. I just... didn't want you to try leaving me and this island."

"Why not?" I inquired, my voice hesitant.

"It's lonely here. They deleted the music, probably for my own sanity, but it's also really quiet. I don't even want to know how long it's been."

I paused for a moment. Who was 'they'? Is Alan a real person that was somehow trapped inside a game?

That's impossible. I thought. But I also used to think that sentient video game characters were impossible too.

"So if this cartridge hasn't been destroyed... then it's still a possibility that I'll die if it does." The voice sounded hopeful, which was a little worrying.

"Are you real?" I blurted out. It was pretty blunt, and a little rude on my part, but I had to know for sure. There was still a tiny part of me that believed (or hoped) this was all a prank.

The figure turned towards the screen- towards me. Suddenly, the blackness faded away like ink, and it revealed a somewhat normal-looking character, with light brown hair that stuck out at the top, and a plain gray shirt. The only thing strange about it was that its cartoony eyes were bright red when they were supposed to be black.

"I'm as real as you are." The way Alan stated this sent chills down my spine, and some of my initial fear was came back to me. He sounded so serious it was scary, but also a bit like he was trying to convince himself.

"Are you trapped inside this game?" I already guessed the answer, but asked anyway.

"Yes."

"I'm... sorry." I said. "That sounds like a terrible existence."

"It is." Alan said bitterly, and his eyes went angry for a few seconds. "I want to move on. But I'm too scared to ask you to destroy this game. What if I'm still trapped, even after the cartridge is broken?"

"Move on?" I echoed.

"Die. Whatever happens after death." Alan explained, sounding a bit impatient. Which I guess is fair, considering he probably hasn't had anyone real to talk to for several years.

"Would you want to spend eternity in a Nintendo game? I want to just move on already. I didn't want..." His voice trailed off as Alan looked at the ground.

Even though I was still scared, I wanted to know more. "Who did this to you?"

Alan didn't respond for a while, as though he was debating whether or not to tell me. "Someone who's had a grudge against me for the past ten years." He finally answered.

He clearly didn't want to talk about this anymore, so I changed the subject. "Are you going to hurt me?" I knew this was a stupid question, but I was scared. There was a gaping feeling in my stomach, as though my life was in danger, even when it clearly wasn't... as far as I could tell, anyway.

Alan actually laughed, which surprised me, yet I felt relieved that he could do something casual and friendly like laughing. "Not physically. I could traumatize you for life, but I can't kill you, if that's what you're afraid of."

I almost asked how exactly he would traumatize me, but decided I didn't want to know the answer. I opened my mouth to talk, but I heard my mom's voice calling through the door, making me jump in surprise.

"Osiria! It's almost nine p.m! Get ready for bed!"

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," I said hurriedly to Alan. "I don't want my parents to find out about.. well.. this." I saw him nodding as I closed my 3DS.

My mind was still a little stunned from the whole experience. What just happened? And did I really just promise to talk to Alan again in the morning, when I sort of didn't want to? A part of me wanted to throw away the cartridge and never think about this again, but that felt cruel.

Eventually, I drifted off to sleep, wondering what would happen the next day...