"Keyboard Warrior...?"
"What kind of game is that?"
Inside the cramped dorm room, Ethan Thompson lay on his bed, staring blankly at his phone. Somehow, without him noticing, a new game had appeared on his screen. The icon was a black gear tinged with a strange, eerie vibe—decorated with dark red spots that looked unsettlingly like blood.
Ethan, a fan of horror stuff, couldn't help but get a little curious, though a bit confused too. He had no memory of ever downloading this. When did this get installed?
Frowning, he reached out and nudged David Smith on the opposite bunk. "Hey, did you use my phone to download a game or something?"
The two were close friends, often swapping phones and game consoles, so it wouldn't be too weird if David had installed something.
David, busy texting a girl on WhatsApp, waved him off without even looking. "Dude, I got a new tablet last month, remember?"
"Oh, right. Totally forgot."
Ethan scratched his head, finally recalling that David's new device was way better than his old phone – no reason he'd be using Ethan's.
He stared at the strange app icon again, a string of question marks popping up in his mind.
Maybe he accidentally downloaded it and forgot?
Whatever. May as well try it out.
He tapped into the game, not wanting to overthink it. The screen instantly went black, a creepy, low-pitched tune kicking in.
A line of dark red text bled across the screen: "From now on, you're the master of fate."
So it's a horror mystery game, huh?
Ethan blinked and tapped again, expecting a login screen. But instead, a strange visual popped up.
It was a small, neat living room. Modest-sized, obviously part of a smaller apartment, but everything was tidy. Sunlight filtered in, warming the soft yellow curtains. Oddly cozy for a horror game.
Ethan frowned, waiting. The screen stayed static. He was about to get bored when he noticed a shadow moving on the balcony window.
Then came a soft, rustling sound from his phone. He froze, squinting at the screen.
A dark figure slowly got bigger. Then, a man in his mid-thirties climbed through the window. He had a scruffy beard, wore shorts and a tee, and clutched a shiny knife.
Once inside, he tiptoed around, sneaking past each door like he was looking out for someone. After making sure the place was empty, he tucked away the knife and started rummaging through drawers and cabinets.
"A thief?"
Ethan's palms got sweaty. Even though it was just an animated scene, it gave him straight-up chills down his spine.
Something about the visuals felt way too real—almost like he wasn't just watching it.
As he moved to switch scenes, a prompt popped up out of nowhere:
Question: Should the thief be punished?
A. Catch him and detain for 7 days.
B. Let him go and earn 100 dollars.
Ethan stared at the screen, thrown off by how weirdly specific the choices were.
He was gonna pick A, but then shrugged. "It's just a game," he muttered, and tapped B.