"I…I'm awake? Or… not?"
D—damn so dark, am I… Dead? I…can't see my hands—my legs?!
Haah, haah. Chill out, damn it!
F—f*. I—I'm dead?! N—no ,no, that's not true.
I can't be dead! My PC! My views! ARGH, this can't be happening!
Calm down. Calm down. Calm—F*! I'M NOT CALM.
Up, I need u—
Jelly? Legs? Are my bones made of jelly? Why?!
Ah, yes. This must be the gates to hell or heaven. F*! What did I do?!
I was an angel on earth! Sure I cursed the monsters at games, but that's that!
...
Games?
Yes, YES! It must be those isekai types… ah—ah! So where…
A glow? no—eyes. Floating. Starring.
C—crap, I—don't—what—huuh?!
"S—SAVE ME! T—tasukete! Y—yuurei da!
F* What am I saying?
The eyes didn't blink.
They just… hovered there in the darkness.
Big. Too big. Why are they glowing?! Why do horror stories ALWAYS start with eyes?!
My body finally remembered to move.
…Bad news: it remembered wrong.
I tried to step back,
My legs folded like expired noodles.
WHY. WHY ARE MY LEGS SO WEAK?! DID I TURN INTO A BABY GHOST OR SOMETHING?!
The eyes drifted closer.
Slow.
Quiet.
Like it knew I was frozen.
"No—nope, nope, nope, nope," I whispered, scrambling backward. "This is a dream. This is a dream. I just stayed up too late gaming—"
The air grew heavier.
Something cold brushed against my arm.
NOPE. THAT WAS NOT AIR, SQUAD REPEAT, THAT WAS NOT AIR AT ALL.
I flailed.
Very heroically.
Like a dying cockroach.
"幽霊がいる!! Tasukete! I don't wanna die twice! I ALREADY DID IT ONCE!"
I closed my eyes shut.
🎉POP!
"Congratulations, Adrian! You unlocked Nightmare Mode!"
Confetti exploded into my face.
I opened my eyes slowly.
What greeted me was bright lights, colorful toilet papers… whatever you call em, and—a red carpet?
Also, a giant banner hanged from the ceiling read:
⟨WELCOME PLAYER: ADRIAN⟩
…
Huh?