It was a normal Saturday morning—except it wasn't. Today was new game day.
"Aaaah—oooh—uh... nothing feels better than getting a new game!!" Alex yawned, stretching like a cat.
Seventeen-year-old orphan Alex Hathaway had only three priorities in life: sleep, eat, and play games. With no parents and no one to watch over him, he lived the way he wanted. Money wasn't a problem either—his wealthy uncle's allowance could keep him going for an entire year.
Alex got ready as quickly as possible and headed to the nearest game store. This part of the city was always quiet on weekends—hardly any offices, barely any people.
"Hmm... feels lonelier than usual," he muttered as his sneakers hit the empty street.
Minutes later, the familiar bell above the game store jingled as Alex walked in.
"Hey, good morning!" he greeted, waving at the saleslady behind the counter.
"Morning, Alex! You're just in time—we got the new game in today. And—you won't believe this—we even have a Collector's Edition."
"What?! There are only twenty copies of that in the entire world! How did Mr. Cats pull that off?!"
She grinned. "The manager and Chris Hawkins go way back—childhood friends, I heard."
"Seriously? Who would've thought..."
"Oh, and one more thing." She slid a sleek paper bag across the counter. "The manager saved it for you. You're one of our favorite customers—and since Chris Hawkins is your favorite creator, he wanted you to have it as a gift."
Alex froze. This... this can't be real.
"Wait, you mean... I don't have to pay for this?"
"Not a cent," she said with a smile.
He picked up the bag like it was sacred treasure. "I don't even know what to say. Nobody's ever done something this nice for me... I'll have to thank Mr. Cats—he's probably overseas, right?
I'll have to write him then."
"Enjoy your new game, Alex!" she waved as he left.
Today couldn't get any better. Alex strolled down the same empty street with a grin that wouldn't quit.
And then—
No blackout. No flash. No dramatic transition.
One moment he was walking home. The next—he was standing in the middle of a dense forest.
"Huh...?" His voice cracked. "What the hell just happened?"
He looked down—the bag was gone. His game was gone.
Before panic could fully set in, a glowing screen flickered into existence in front of him. A holographic screen.
"This... this is a dream. This has to be a dream..."
The screen shimmered, and a mechanical Ding! rang inside his skull.
[WELCOME]
[DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE IN THIS WORLD?]
[YES] [NO]
Alex's mouth went dry. "The... hell?"
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