Game Over

My heart beat fiercely as I made my way one step at a time through the dark tunnel. I had no idea where I was or where the tunnel led to. I could only hope that it led to a way out.

As I moved through the dark tunnel, I could feel it distort, the dirt floor shifting under me as if it were changing directions. Should I change directions, turn around, or keep moving forward?

Yet, although I moved, and even as the tunnel itself moved, I felt as if I were going nowhere.

I froze in my tracks as I heard strange music. It seemed to be coming from everywhere. It sounded ominous and haunting as if it was a warning of something to come.

Something terrifying.

All of my senses increased on high alert.

In the pitch blackness, I heard rushing footsteps behind me. My heart raced when I realized I was being followed.

I had nowhere to go but through darkness and what ever was following me could attack from anywhere. My heart pounded. Was there more of them?

Suddenly without warning, the music grew louder and the atmosphere shifted as a faint glow, just enough to see, lit up the tunnel. I froze in horror as the dim light revealed the horrors of what the darkness concealed.

A tall humanoid figure with a thin build that moved with such precise and calculating agility it was terrifying. It stood there almost gargoyle like, its limbs almost as distorted as the tunnel itself.

I was so dead! My hand brushed against something attached to my waist. A sheath. What was I doing with a sheath?

With trembling hands, I reached for the sheath as the creature took a calculated step towards me. My hands wrapped around the handle of a blade as I pulled it free.

Where did this blade come from?

But there was no time for questions. My heart pounded as the creature stood hunched over ready for my attack. It eyed my hand on the blade's handle with sharp precision.

I pulled out the blade for protection. But the creature was far more skilled and agile than I ever was. In one swift movement it lunged towards me, its claws dealing what was sure to be a fatal blow.

The instant I was hit, I could feel myself falling through pitch blackness, tumbling through a dark void. As I fell, it was impossible to tell which direction I was going. Up felt like down and down felt like up. And then, in an instant, my eyes shot open.

The first thing I felt was the coolness of the hard wooden table under me. And then I saw a bright white light coming somewhere above me. I blinked. Was I dreaming? I didn't remember sitting at a desk.

And then I heard the ominous music again. This time, I jolted my attention to the source of the light.

There, in front of me, was a computer game with the avatar standing in place. A pop up box labeled Resume? hovered above them.

I drew back in speechless confusion.

That avatar looked strangely a lot like me. It was almost uncanny.

What game was this?

I was positive that I wasn't playing any such game.

Above the avatar was one star indicating the avatar had just one life left.

Out of curiosity, I clicked resume and the instant I did, I felt an electrifying rush. My eyes shot open to a sight of a long empty hallway ahead of me.

And then a chilling realization came over me as the hallway itself gave off its own chill.

That avatar didn't just look like me! It was me!

My heart beat in anticipation of what waited at the other end of the hall.

I gripped the handle of the blade from my sheath.

This was my last life and this was not a dream!