The Rat in the Maze (Poofless-esque)

Debauchery

Someone has to be the bigger person here, and it sure as hell isn't going to be Preston.

You take a deep breath and start walking toward him, hoping his embarrassment about anyone else finding out about your little squabble last week will help push the conversation in a more productive direction. You get in line right next to him and pretend to be staring up at the menu on the wall behind the counter. It takes about five minutes of obliviousness for him to look up and realize that you were there. He looks blankly at your face and you see him glance around before he says anything.

"Why're you even here, Rob?" He is still pissed, yeah, but not to the same extent he was last week. He puts his phone away and crosses his arms over his chest in a semi-subconscious attempt to intimidate you, staring ahead at the menu board to avoid looking at you.

"I think I remember us meeting because we both liked video games. This is a video game convention. I have just as much right to be here as you do." You didn't think it would come out drizzled in so much bitter, syrupy sarcasm. He rolls his eyes and sucks in a loud breathy sigh through his nose, the muscles in his biceps twitching in anger.

"And it's not creepy AF you stalked me right here to this exact spot." That relights the fury in your chest and you feel the flames licking at your ribs.

"Somehow, we used to be friends so we booked rooms in the same god damned hotel and just happened to walk in through the same door. If I were you, I wouldn't get that caramel shit - you're salty enough already." On some level, he seems mildly amused. You think you hear someone snickering behind you.

"Can you stop being a frickin' yandere and go find someone else to pester? You gotta have something better to do than follow me around."

"Why is it always about you?"

"Why are you always there? Everywhere? Last time I checked, I wasn't your boy toy."

"Preston, I just wanted a fucking coffee." He glances up at the sound of the smile in your voice, his eyes narrowing at the anger he sees in your face. His eyes leave your face and dart behind you and you can hear snorts of laughter being choked back, the sound getting louder when his face turns cherry red. You can almost see the steam rising up from his head as he stalks away, coffee completely forgotten. You turn back toward the boards with the drink options, not bothering to look at the winding line of people behind you, all of their eyes trained on the back of your head. You won't give them - or Preston - the satisfaction of you leaving. You make them all stand in awkward silence until you finally grab your overpriced caffeine and head toward the franchise demos, the promise of Truthwatcher 3 actually being worth you coming to this damn convention growing slimmer with every passing nanosecond.

The morning passes relatively uneventfully, but you start to wish that you had done more to disguise yourself so you wouldn't be stopped every five feet for a selfie or an autograph once they open the doors to the public. You manage to keep your temper in check but you can feel your patience wearing thin. Why did you even come if you knew you were going to be miserable? When Preston said you shouldn't go, maybe you should have listened, even though he was only saying it to be an asshole.

You start planning out a hopefully Texan-free lunch at a sketchy looking pizza place on the far north side when you hear a roar of screaming coming from the direction of the entrance behind you. It isn't the kind of screaming you hear when celebrities are spotted - this screaming is full of terror and desperation. It doesn't take long before the screaming spreads and the echoes of rapid-fire gunshots answer all of your questions.

Everyone around you is starting to swarm, heading in dozens of different directions and shoving each other out of the way. You need to get moving before you get trampled, or worse.

Take cover inside Preston's precious coffee shop - go to Enzyme

Head toward the indie games where Preston disappeared this morning - go to Blacklist