Chapter 4 – Memory
The hallway twisted and stretched like old chewing gum under Vera's feet.
Each step made the TVs flicker harder — static filling her ears like white noise.
The footage of her past streams melted into black-and-white blurs.
Until finally...
The hallway opened into a door.
A simple, pink-painted door.
Cute.
Harmless.
"Yup," Vera said flatly. "This is definitely where people die."
She pushed it open.
FLASH.
Vera blinked against the sudden brightness.
She was standing in a little girl's bedroom.
Pastel pink walls.
Tiny posters of cartoon princesses.
Stuffed animals piled in corners like sleepy guards.
A pink-and-white console sat in front of a small TV — blinking with a bright title screen:
"SUPER HAPPY ADVENTURE TIME!"
(Complete with a cutesy jingle playing on loop.)
At the center of the room, a small girl sat cross-legged on the floor, controller in hand, mashing buttons furiously.
She looked about seven.
Vera tilted her head.
"Is this... a flashback level?" she wondered aloud.
Pop-ups appeared again — this time, less "chatty" and more "whispery" — white text flickering like dying candle flames:
> "Don't interrupt her."
"Just watch."
"Remember."
"Remember what?" Vera muttered.
The timer didn't appear this time.
No door.
No monsters.
Just... the girl, playing.
Eyes glued to the screen, blocking out the world.
Outside the bedroom door — muffled yelling.
Sharp voices.
Arguing.
A woman shouting.
A man yelling back louder.
Glass breaking.
The girl flinched, just a little —
but didn't look away from her game.
Vera swallowed.
The room felt heavier by the second.
The stuffed animals' smiles drooped, their stitches coming loose as if they were aging with the sound of every shout.
On the wall behind the TV, graffiti-like writing started appearing — scribbled words growing bigger and messier:
> "GAMES MAKE IT GO AWAY"
"GAMES KEEP ME SAFE"
"GAMES > LIFE"
Vera rubbed the back of her neck, her pizza slice long forgotten in her other hand.
"Huh," she said, "someone's therapy bills are gonna be insane."
She was trying to joke.
Trying hard.
But her hands had started to shake slightly.
Just slightly.
Suddenly the TV the girl was playing on glitched hard —
the cutesy game shattering into black static.
The controller dropped from the girl's hands.
The door across the room slammed open — a flood of darkness oozing in, swallowing the pink walls, the toys, the memories.
The girl looked up at Vera.
Her eyes were hollow sockets, endless black.
She smiled.
And said, "Tag. You're it."
The entire room exploded into darkness.
Vera staggered back — the pop-up chat flooding in violently:
> "RUN."
"RUN."
"RUN!!!"
Something chased her through the collapsing house.
Hands from the walls grabbed at her clothes, her hair, her arms.
Memories played around her like broken TVs:
A girl blowing out candles alone.
A pizza slice with a single candle stuck in it.
A birthday party with no guests.
All blurred.
All distorted.
She ran, torch flickering madly in her hand, until finally —
a glowing door appeared ahead.
She dove for it.
Slammed through.
FLASH.
She was back in her gaming room.
Her PC in front of her, pizza slice somehow back in her hand, her headset on.
The screen flashing LIVE — thousands of viewers spamming her chat:
> "THIS STREAM IS AMAZING!!"
"BEST STREAM EVER VERA!"
"LOL THE DINNER GAME WAS WILD"
"I LOVE YOU VERA!!"
"WHO WAS THAT LITTLE GIRL???"
Vera stared at the screen, heart hammering against her ribs.
But her face?
Still the same.
Still calm.
Still lazy-eyed.
She blinked slowly, then reached for another bite of pizza.
"Cool," she said dryly. "I traumatized myself on camera. Again."
But in the bottom corner of her screen...
A new pop-up appeared.
Small.
Blinking.
> "PLAYER 2 JOINED."
And beneath it:
> "WELCOME BACK, VERA."
(End of Chapter 4.)