We Happy Few - Role Reversal

Act I: Percy

It was just another day in Wellington Wells, the sun shining, vibrant colours filling everyone's vision. But for Percival Hastings, it was another day. He was simply tapping his fingers on the desk whilst writing his reviews for every newspaper that had found its way onto his desk. He was happy, or so people think.

"'I don't care what people think of this newspaper, it is a blast to read'" Percy whispered as he wrote down his saying.

Percy's day was going just fine, humming along to the music, until he saw what he thought he would never see. It was a newspaper...with his brother, Arthur Hastings, on it. Percy dropped his pen onto his desk and gasped.

"Dear God" Percy started to shake as some bad memories were coming back to him. His vision then started to change and everything became a darker colour. Percy quickly took his Joy pill bottle and popped the cap off. He took a look at the yellow pill and looked back at the newspaper article. "I should just, take my...take my...take my Joy, shouldn't I?"

Percy knew at that exact that he was just seeing illusion, Joy was just trying to block out the bad memories. Percy slammed the Joy down and then threw it away in a panic, along with the pill bottle. Arthur's voice, repeating his name in his mind.

"Percy! Percy! I thought you were coming! Percy!"

"Arthur! No...Arthur!" Percy picked up the newspaper and looked at the image of his young brother. "Oh, God"

Percy's vision then went back to normal when a particular voice filled the room.

"Where have you been? We've been looking for you for hours!" It was Victoria Byng, head of the company.

"Oh, just some daydreaming thoughts...I guess?" Percy lies, he knew he was rubbish at lying, but he had to give it a shot.

"Then why haven't I heard a single 'whoosh' through the door since ten'o'clock?" Miss Byng asked. "Don't you know that it's an employee's birthday today? We have a piñata"

"Oh...okay, sounds delightful" Percy pulled a fake smile. Miss Byng soon found the Joy pill that Percy had thrown away and looked at him with an angry face.

"Have you forgotten your Joy?" Miss Byng questioned.

"Of course not, I feel as happy as a clown" Percy quickly lied.

"Well, come on then" Miss Byng seemed to have fallen for it.

"I still...I still have a few more reviews to write" Percy informed.

"Then don't take too long to finish" Miss Byng took the pill that she found, resulting in a wide smile to appear on her face, creeping Percy out. Soon enough, as he thought it could not get any worse, his pen ran out.

"Oh, the pen's run out of ink" Percy stuttered.

"Well, what will you do?" Miss Byng asked.

"I should probably get a new cartridge" Percy got up from his chair and replaced the pen cartridge with a new one. He soon looked back at the newspaper and felt the urge to rip it up, but he knew that he could not that. He soon wrote a review with a positive tone.

"Well yes, I believe that's a past we can all get along with" Miss Byng smiled. Percy was in shock, but he tried his best to hide it.

"How does she know?" Percy gasped.

"Well then, I expect you to be quick" Miss Byng then left the room, leaving Percy to his thoughts. Sure, the newspaper was approved, but it just did not feel right, especially with his own brother being on the front page with him. Percy soon finished the last page and got up from his desk.

"Do they think that they know what life is like, outside the tubes, no I...I wouldn't expect them too, they're too caught up on Joy to even realise" Percy explained to himself about the newspaper holders going through the tubes. He kept walking, until  he saw that the workplace was a complete mess of paper and tubes. "We...seem to be a bit...a bit behind schedule now aren't we?"

Percy made his way to other offices, including on of his best friends, Prudence Holmes.

"Where did you run of to, Pru?" Percy questioned. He soon saw some notes scattered around her office. After reading them, Percy had realised something, Prudence ran away. "So you really did run away?"

Percy then made his way to another office, Clive Birthwhistle's. Percy had an odd feeling about Clive, he just had an inkling of some kind about his behaviour. Just like Prudence's office, he decided to scavenge for notes. He soon found one, and it was quite crucial. Clive wanted to steal Percy's job in promotion.

"Clive wants my view?! That little shit!" Percy cursed as he scrunched up the note to Miss Byng. He soon found his way to the door that he was hearing cheery noises from, people were having fun and smashing up a toy in the shape of a rat.

"Percy, you're here! You have to join the piñata, it's such an adorable Spanish custom, you smash it until all the sweets come out" Miss Byng explained.

"Well, alright" Percy grabbed the broom from Miss Byng and looked at the piñata, something about it seemed...off.

"Go on, hit it, hit it!" Miss Byng encouraged.

Percy soon mustered up the courage to smash the piñata to pieces and that's what he did. But the happy moments was not meant to last, he saw that blood was on his hands and the colours had dissipated. When Percy removes his hand from his vision, he saw something even worse than the blood on them. The employees were eating a RAT! Percy did not want to believe it as he backed away and almost threw up from the sudden scene.

Miss Byng licked the blood of he fingers and soon realised...

"You ARE of your Joy!"

Percy breaths got shorter with every passing second as the event got more and more horrifying. Miss Byng reached into her pocket.

"Take one of mine"

Percy knew he could not, he had seen too much to even try to forget what had happened. Everyone else soon had the same face that Percy had.

"Oh my Lord, he's a Downer! Call security, we've got a Downer!"

Everyone screamed at the sudden sentence. Percy knew that he could not stay any longer and ran to the closest door, while blocking it with the broom in the process. Everyone started chanting, 'Take your Joy!' on the other side.

"I guess now is a bad time to ask for those room adjustments" Percy climbed up the file cabinets and tried to get out of the facility. But he was not so lucky, Bobbies suddenly came bursting through the door next to him.

"Downer!" They shouted.

Percy fell the down the stairs in an utter panic, now knowing that the chase was on. He opened another door that led to a tunnel. He ran and ran until he came to a bolted door. He tried turning the valve...nothing. He grabbed a lead pipe off of the wall and tried to attack the Bobbies, only to  be smacked in the face with a baton and knocked out right after.

Percy could not see, but he could still hear and what he heard was not a very good sign.

"What's that smell?"

"Is that...gas?"

"Oh, Christ"

"Forget him, there's no time!"

And that concludes the first chapter of Percy's act in the game, I know it may be a bit short, but hopefully it will progress more and more thoughtout the story, farewell for now!