The Game of Sanity

Chapter 2

I push my front door open and step inside. The house feels deathly quiet which I find odd. Sure, the house is always quiet when I get home from school. Mom is still at work and gets home around five but today feels different.

I shake off the strange feeling and chalk it up to being scared of what the stranger had texted me then kick off my shoes.

After they're off, I head for the stairs a little past the entry way and go up to my room. With every step closer to the room a sense of foreboding gets stronger until I see my door.

It's closed as it should be and this puts my nerves at rest. I open the door and walk into the small room. My eyes briefly scan the room for anything out of place, my bed still sits unmade on the far left wall and the window by it is still open. My closet at the edge of the room still stands open with clothes spilling out and my TV still sits on the floor pushed up against the wall. Nothing is out of place.

I roll my eyes and sling my bag under the bed then grab my laptop and position myself on my bed so that my back is against the wall.

I don't even have time to open my computer when I realize that something isn't right with my bed. I'm sitting on something hard.

My eyebrows furrow as I reach under myself and grab the thing. I pull out a Nintendo game cartridge with a torn off sticker and duct tape on the front that reads "Majora's".

"What the hell?" My confused voice breaks the silence in the room. My brain races to figure out what to do with the thing that I hold.

It doesn't take me long until I find myself reaching for my phone and taking a picture to send to Amber.

Me: Hey dude, look at what I found in my room.

Amber: WTF? Don't you have a Majora's Mask game that's in better condition?

Me: I think so. Also I got some creepy af texts at school. Something about "leaving a gift" for me.

Amber: Why the fuck are you texting me?! Call the fucking police! Someone obviously broke into your house and left the game.

Me: Because it may be a prank?

Amber: Who the fuck would break into a house and leave a free game as a prank?

Me: You've got a point but still.

Amber: You're so fucking stupid sometimes. Call the police.

Me: I'll think on it.

I turn off my phone and boot up my laptop only for my phone to give me it's notification sound again. I grab it and turn it on again, expecting to see Amber's number but instead get the stranger again.

01101000 01100101 01101100 01110000: Play the game. I don't like getting bored with my play things.

I raise my eyebrows and stare at the text in confusion. Play things? Who the fuck is this guy? I wonder and decide to just ignore the text but as soon as I turn my phone off, my laptop goes from the password screen to a sight called Cleverbot. I know what this is. I've been on it a few times when I was bored enough to find amusement from talking to an AI but now is not one of those times. I try to exit the screen then even turn off my computer but nothing works and I'm left with just staring at the screen in confusion.

Then the text box changes from "say to cleverbot" to "thinking". This isn't supposed to happen. Cleverbot never speaks first.

It doesn't take long until Clev's sentence is sent and what is has to say sends chills down my spine.

Hello, Roxanne. Play my game or else.

I reread the message a few times until I get the courage to respond.

Or else what?

Or else.

Then my laptop powers off.

I do nothing for a moment but stare ahead with my laptop still on my lap. It takes a moment for me to even get the courage to place the computer back under my bed but once I do, I decided to just say fuck it and pick up the cartridge then with all my strength, throw the game out the window.

I don't watch it fall because as soon as the game leaves my hand the TV turns on. Fear builds up slowly in my stomach as I slowly turn around to see the game innocently in my Nintendo and the TV on and the Majora's Mask normal start screen shows.

My mouth hangs open as my brain races to comprehend what the fuck had just happened and how it is even possible. I can't can't look away from the TV and then something really weird happens. The screen goes from the normal aerial view of Hyrule to the saved game menu. The only file on screen is named "BEN". A moment later, the file is highlighted and the name changes to "P L A Y I T" .

I bunch up my hands, and my nails painfully bite into my palms but I don't care. I'm scared of what's happening. It takes a moment to pull myself out of my fear-caused trance to realize that my phone's notification has been going off. I spin around and grab my phone, hoping to see that Amber or my mother is contacting me but instead see the stranger's number flash across my screen.

01101000 01100101 01101100 01110000: So. What do you think?

I stare at the message for a moment as I feel my blood boil. I can feel my face flush in anger and I have to restrain myself from throwing my phone onto the ground.

Me: What do I think?! What do I think?! I think that you're a creepy fucker who is playing some fucked up prank on me.

01101000 01100101 01101100 01110000: Oh? A prank? Tell me then, why would I hack your computer for a simple prank? How did I get the game into your console in less than a second? How did I rewrite the filename? This would be a pretty elaborate prank, wouldn't it? What makes you think that you'd be worth my time if this was only a prank?

Me: Who are you?

01101000 01100101 01101100 01110000: I have already told you.

Me: No, you haven't.

01101000 01100101 01101100 01110000: 01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01001110 01100101 01100101 01100100 00100000 01001000 01100101 01101100 01110000 0001010

Me: So you won't even give me a straight answer? Fuck you.

01001101 01001001 01001110 01000101 0001010: P L A Y T H E G A M E !

Me: Or else what? You'll kill me?

01110011 01110100 01100001 01110010 01110100 0001010 0001010: Maybe. Maybe not. I haven't decided yet.

As I read his last answer, I feel another burning surge of fear run through me and decide to dial 911. As I put the speaker up to my ear, a dull and mechanical beeping is heard. No service. I bring the phone back down and hang up then check my signal. Five bars. Confusion overtakes fear and I try to call Amber, Mom, Mom's work; I even text them but nothing goes through. I am completely cut off from the outside world.

"What the fuck?" I mumble and stare at the unsent texts in defeat.

01110011 01110100 01100001 01110010 01110100 0001010 0001010: Are you losing hope already? Pity, I thought you would be stronger.

Me: Why are you doing this? Who. Are. You?

01110011 01110100 01100001 01110010 01110100 0001010 0001010: Do what I told you to and maybe I'll be nice enough to tell you.

The rest of my fighting spirit slowly deflates and I look back to the screen of the game. The file "P L A Y I T" is still highlighted and all I do is stare at it in fear and defeat as I slowly walk to the TV and lower myself to the floor.

Whoever this guy is, he's powerful and he knows who I am and where I live. If I want to keep Mom and Amber safe, I need to listen to whoever the fuck this guy is.

I place my phone next to me, close my eyes for a moment then slowly reach forward and pick up the controller.