The Zodiac Story

An Old Friend

Leo's POV///////////////////////////////////////////
I furiously mash the buttons on the controller as I focus on the graphics displayed on the screen. Games. Games. I absolutely love games! Always have to be honest with you. The floor creaks beneath my body as I lean side to side, trying to make my character turn around faster. My eyes narrow, kill after kill after kill. Over and over I press the button, pulling The virtual trigger as I end the life of the AI. Run, shoot, move, hide. Faster, and faster I go.

There's a knock at the door. I don't have time for this I need to pay attention! I ignore the person. Again, another knock, louder this time. I continue to ignore it. Louder the raps bang on the door. I growl and keep focused on the task at hand. "Go away!", I call, not taking my eyes off of the TV screen. Another loud series of knocks. It's trying my patients, but I try my best to ignore it. Another knock.

I throw the controller down and whip towards the door. "WHAT?!", I rage, my voice much louder than it should have been. Then, I hear the dreaded sound of a scream that could only have come from my own character. I look back and see the large lettered words: game over, on the screen while my character's corpse lies motionless on the digital screen. "NOOOOOO!", I cry out as I witness my hard work being thrown away right before my eyes. I fall to my knees and stare at the controller. Then, I just fall flat on my face and groan. "Whhhaaaaaaat?", I moan, over emotional at the death of my virtual being. It's not even over emotional! That took forever!

"I came to see what you're doing. You haven't exactly been quiet.", a voice scoffs behind me. "Uuuugggghhh. I can do what I want to okay???!!!", I slur, completely unmotivated to do anything else. Then, pisces (otherwise known as that voice) is just silent, and I don't bother to break the akward atmosphere in the room. "Wait are you okay?!", pisces questions after a while. "Nooooo... I died.", I whine, my face still stuck to the carpet. The floor creaks as he walks over to where I am. I feel him sit next to me and take a look at the screen.

"So, you like video games?", he asks, if he was looking at me I couldn't see. I turn my head to look at him, but it's still on the ground. "Yes.", I state blankly, my tone extremely punctual but yet upbeat and welcoming. "What' cha playing?", he asks, looking at my epic faceplant. I lazily sit back up, as far from graceful as I could get. I grasp the plastic box and scan it. "Well.... it's just a game. I've never really played it before, I just found it along with some movies on the TV Stand. Something called.... Doom?", I admit, squinting as I try to read the dusty box. I look back over at him and he looks at me with a tilted head. "What's it about?", he asks, sitting cross legged and comfy in his skinny jeans and dress shirt. I continue to look at the box and smile as he asks me the question. "Well, I've been playing for quite a while now. The basis seems to be a first person shooter game with a linear story with side quests and upgradable things. Lots of guns and death.", I explain, happy to teach someone something on my personal hobby. He nods and looks back at to the screen. "You usually play this kinda stuff?", he asks, not looking at me as he says this, but not avoiding me either. I lower the box and look back up at him. I go back to the box with a small sigh. "Well, I don't actually have a preference, I just play whatever I can get my hands on. Even old game consoles. If they're broken, I can usually get my sister to fix them if I do her a favor.", I say with I smile. Then I turn my body towards him with a happy smile in my face. "Do you have any siblings?", I ask him, still happy about his question. He looks caught off guard at my question but he quickly settles down with a sad smile on his face. "No, not anymore.", he says, a smile seemingly masking his true feelings. "So how long were you playing that run?", he asks, changing the subject easily as if I wouldn't have noticed.

But I did.

However, I didn't say anything more about it. If he doesn't want to talk about it I'm not going to pester him about it, I don't think he trusts me enough yet to tell me. So, I will wait. I give a downward smile. "Call me obsessed?", I say, the smile stuck to my face as I pause. I turn to look at his face as I answer, "two and a half hours." His eyes go wide in shock. "That long?.... no wonder you got upset...", he trails off, a heavily expression on his face. "Mind if I join you?", he asks, stretching his legs out in front of him as he asks. I shrug. "Well this is only a solo game on one box. To play it you'd have to have another whole set.", I sigh my eyes averted. He looks apologetic but I look up and smile. "But there are more games and game systems! We could play something else!", I laugh, rummaging through the stacks of games as I talk. Then I smile as I pull one out. "Let's play this one! All I have to do is get it set up!", I beam, a huge smile on my face as I wiggle my kitty ears and hold the box. He looks blank but then that transitions into a warm smile. "Yeah, that'll be fun."