The Game of Sanity

Chapter 3

I stare in confusion at the TV as Link holds his mouth and nose tightly and falls over.

Link just drowned. On land. What the fuck?

I place the controller on the ground and open my mouth as if I'm about to say something but close it before I do as I try to make sense of what just happened.

It must have been a glitch, I figure. What else could have that have been caused by?

A quiet ding pulls me from my irritated state of wonder.

01100100 01110010 01101111 01110111 01101110 01100101 01100100 0001010: Enjoying the game?

I purse my lips at the annoying stalker that I have just acquired.

Me: No. I am not. I have been playing for hours and all that I have been able to do is get past the starting area! You're not letting me do anything!

01100100 01110010 01101111 01110111 01101110 01100101 01100100 0001010: I know. It's amusing.

Me: I'm not playing this damn game anymore.

I get up and stretch out my back then turn off my console and TV as my phone goes off again.

01100100 01110010 01101111 01110111 01101110 01100101 01100100 0001010: Did I tell you that you can stop playing? Did I tell you that you can get up? Did I tell you to turn off my game?

Me: No. You don't own me. You don't even know me.

01100100 01110010 01101111 01110111 01101110 01100101 01100100 0001010: I can fix that.

Me: Fuck you.

01001101 01001001 01001110 01000101 0001010: You shouldn't have done that...

Me: Wait, did you number just change?

01001101 01001001 01001110 01000101 0001010: You shouldn't have done that...

Me: Has it been changing this whole time?

​​​​​​​01001101 01001001 01001110 01000101 0001010: You shouldn't have done that...

Me: Answer me damn it!

​​​​​​​01001101 01001001 01001110 01000101 0001010: You shouldn't have done that...

Me: Why do you keep saying that?

​​​​​​​01001101 01001001 01001110 01000101 0001010: You shouldn't have done that...

I decide to give up on my stalker and his cryptic messages as I drag my laptop out from under my bed after throwing my phone onto my pile of pillows.

I boot up my laptop and put in the password only to see that my wallpaper has been changed from the normal picture of Illidan Stormrage to "You Shouldn't Have Done That" in glitchy looking dark red letters.

"What the... fuck?" I mutter as I open the file that should hold my old wallpaper but find hundreds of pictures all saying "You Shouldn't Have Done That".

All I can think to do is close my laptop with wide eyes and slowly push it under my bed.

Then my phone goes off again.

​​​​​​​01001101 01001001 01001110 01000101 0001010: You've met with a terrible fate haven't you...

After I read the message a demonic and glitchy chuckle emits from my phone and I scream in fear then throw it at the far wall.

"What is happening?!" I yell at the phone as I curl up into a ball on my bed and cry in fear.

A knock on my door makes my head snap over as the door slowly creaks open. I'm expecting a hideous monster to be on the other side to come in and eat me but instead my mother walks in with messy graying hair and concerned bright blue eyes.

I calm down almost immediately and run over to her and throw my arms around her in a hug.

"Honey, whats wrong?"

More tears slip out of my eyes, "M-mom! There's a strange guy who wont stop texting me a-and he broke into the house and left me a game and he hacked into my laptop and- and- and I'm scared!"

I feel Mom tense up, "Where is your phone and the game? Did you call the police?"

I shake my head, "I tried to but nothing could be sent from my phone."

I then pull myself from my mother and walk over to the Nintendo but the game is no longer there. My stomach drops and I run over to my phone and open the texts but don't see the mysterious messenger. I even check the texts I sent Amber for evidence of the cartridge but the whole line of texts we sent each other is gone.

I turn around in confusion and whisper, "It's gone. The game is gone. The messages are gone."

Mom stares at me in disbelief then in conclusion says, "It must have been a bad dream sweetie."

I nod in agreement but I know what I saw.

I know what happened.

I know it wasn't a dream and I know that won't be the last time.