A Cruel Life

I'm not as big of a gamer as many others are. I play every now and then, but most of my time is focused on writing. I'm an aspiring author. Though nobody reads the books I write, I still hope to someday get recognition. Atleast, hoped. Now, my life is a wreck. This is my story.

Although I'm not a huge gamer, there's one series that I can't live without: Castlevania. My fandom started with Symphony of the Night on the original Playstation. Since then, I've followed the series, buying every new game that comes out. Eventually though, I got short on money and couldn't afford an Xbox 360 to play Lords of Shadow.

One day, I was watching a YouTube video about a guy playing Lords of Shadow. Then, I decided to check out some local pawn shops in the area. I found one selling an Xbox 360 for 30 dollars. As I was picking it up, the guy at the counter slid a copy of Lords of Shadow into my hand. He then whispered to me "Just take it. Get it out of here. If you return with that damn game in hand, I'm calling the cops. Do you understand?" I nodded, very confused. I figured that maybe he was religious and was offended by the demons in the game.

As soon as I got home, I hooked up the Xbox 360. Then, I put in LoS. It worked perfectly. I played for hours and hours, loving every moment of the game. But as I played, I noticed there weren't many satanic symbols, except for the final boss. But he would have to play through the entire game to find that. So what made him so angry? Or scared?

After beating the game, I put down the controller and yelled with happiness. Then, the acheivement sound rang. You know, the one that occurs whenever you unlock an acheivement. The message at the bottom of the screen said "You unlocked a new level!" I was confused. After beating Satan, it wrapped up the story. Gabriel became Dracula. The end. I decided to press forward anyways. I wish I didn't.

The level was called "Tollam ergo gaudium a vigilo vestri sanitatem cecidimus". Unlike the other levels, there was no narration, no loading screen, no nothing to signify a normal part of the game. It showed a single thing on screen: a face. The face was only a pair of white eyes and a mouth floating in the darkness. I felt uneasy, but still a bit confident. It smiled. "Hello, Kevin." I went cold. It knew my name. I never used my name when playing the Xbox 360. Not for any game console I had. So how did it know my name? I decided to be reasonable.

"H-hello."

"Congratulations on making it here."

"T-thank you."

"But now, you must make a grave decision. Either you let yourself die, or you let your family die."

I was shocked. What was this about? It happened so suddenly. I got my confidence back up and confronted him.

'Who will this help?"

"Pardon?"

"What am I having to make this decision for?"

"The life of either your family or you."

"But, why are you doing this?"

"Simple really. I like to watch you suffer. Every ounce of pain you feel, it gives me energy. I'm dying off now because you've been living a good life. That good life has been going on for too long. It's time for you to feel eternal sorrow and grief. Now, make your decision."

I wasn't thinking. I picked up a chair in the room. I lifted it over my head.

"I wouldn't do that. Once you do it, you-"

I swung the chair down. The screen shattered. Sparks flew everywhere and a small fire started. Atleast I was safe. I got up, when a laughing rang out from the walls of the room. His voice echoed through the room, saying "Have it your way. Now suffer." Three zombie-like creatures appeared around me. They had blue skin, no eyes, and very long claws. I ran down to the basement and pulled out the pistol I kept hidden. I fired five rounds at the three creatures. All of them fell, dead. I was relieved. Then, the voice said "look again". I turned back. Lying dead on the ground was my mom, my dad, and my little brother, who was only 5. I ran over to them, dropping the gun. I began to bawl uncontrollably. The voice laughed so hard, he began to cough. I had enough. It's time to leave this world.

As I finish my story, I must say this. Be wiser than me. If something seems suspicious, turn around and run. Don't face it. Don't make the same mistake as me. Goodbye, Earth. I won't miss you anytime soom.