The Winking Mask

Ben Drowned

Glitched Conversations

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The mansion’s basement had an eerie hum tonight, the kind that crawls under your skin and stays there. I liked it down here—quiet, away from the others, and, best of all, I could hear myself think. Or at least, I usually could. But tonight, the hum was louder than usual, buzzing like an angry hive of bees.

“Damn, BEN,” I muttered, pushing open the door to the small gaming room we’d set up down here. “You really need to turn that thing down before it fries my brain.”

BEN Drowned was lounging on the worn-out couch, his signature green tunic rumpled and his blonde hair a mess, as if he’d just rolled out of bed—which, knowing him, was probably true. The TV screen in front of him flickered with static, the once-proud image of a game console menu now corrupted and twisted. He glanced at me with those piercing red eyes, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Sorry, Stripes,” he said, his voice carrying that electronic distortion it always had. “Didn’t know you were so sensitive.”

I shot him a grin, my mask’s permanent smile twisting slightly with the motion. “Not sensitive, just don’t want to end up as glitch bait like you.”

He laughed, a short, sharp sound that echoed off the walls. “Yeah, well, not everyone’s got the guts to mess with cursed games.”

I walked over to the couch, plopping down next to him. “Guts, huh? Is that what you call getting stuck in a cartridge for eternity?”

“Hey, I’m out now, aren’t I?” he retorted, nudging me with his elbow. “Besides, the view’s not so bad from in there.”

“Yeah, I bet. If you’re into pixelated hellscapes.” I picked up a controller, tapping the buttons as I looked at the messed-up screen. “What are you even playing?”

“Just something I whipped up,” BEN replied, his smirk widening. “Wanted to see how far I could push the glitches before it crashed. So far, I’m winning.”

I raised an eyebrow, glancing at the screen again. The colors were a sickly mix of green and black, the pixels shifting like they were alive. “Winning at what, exactly?”

“Life, babe,” he said, leaning back and stretching his arms over the back of the couch. “Or un-life, I guess. Whatever you want to call it.”

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t help but laugh a little. “You’re a real charmer, BEN. Ever think about getting a real hobby?”

“Flirting with pretty girls like you isn’t a hobby?” he shot back, winking.

I chuckled, shaking my head. “You know that doesn’t work on me, right?”

He shrugged, his smirk never faltering. “Doesn’t hurt to try. Besides, it’s not like I’m serious or anything. Just a habit.”

“Good thing I’m not the swooning type, then.” I tossed the controller aside, settling back into the couch. “So, what’s your deal anyway, BEN? You’re always down here in the basement, messing with these games. Ever think about doing something… I dunno, more exciting?”

He raised an eyebrow at me, curiosity flickering in his glitchy eyes. “What, like hunting down more victims or something? I leave that to you and Jeff. You guys seem to enjoy it more than I do.”

“Not what I meant,” I said, a sly grin forming beneath my mask. “I’m talking about really messing with people. You’ve got the whole haunted game thing going for you—why not take it to the next level?”

He seemed to consider that for a moment, tapping his fingers on his knee. “Like what? Hijack an entire server? Corrupt a few streams?”

“Why not?” I leaned in closer, lowering my voice as if sharing a secret. “Think about it, BEN. You could drive people insane without even leaving this couch. Just imagine the chaos you could cause.”