Chapter 1 Game Over

• Rain lashed against the bedroom window as Christy Helms adjusted her headset, her eyes fixed on the glowing monitor. The dark room smelled of warm electronics and cold takeout. On her screen, the gritty city streets of Armageddon overflowed with armed enemies and burning police cruisers. She knew every alley, every gun stat, and every mission trigger by heart.
• "Left side, Christy! Cover the alley before the snipers flank us," Lisa shouted through the headset, her voice sharp with tension.
• "I know this mission by heart, Lisa," Christy replied, her thumbs moving across the controller with practiced speed. "The snipers spawn in three seconds on the fire escape."
• A bright flash illuminated her screen as her avatar rolled behind cover, firing three precise shots that dropped the target instantly.
• "You have played this final campaign twenty times this week," Lisa sighed over the voice channel. "Do you ever get tired of Armageddon?"
• "Not until I hit a perfect speedrun," Christy said, leaning closer to the monitor. "This game is the only thing that makes sense lately."
• A low rumble of thunder shook the window frame, rattling the plastic casing of her desktop computer.
• "Did you hear that thunder?" Lisa asked, her voice cracking through a layer of sudden static. "The storm outside my apartment is getting crazy."
• "It is just rain," Christy muttered, her gaze locked on the main boss health bar. "Just hold your position at the intersection."
• "I am serious, Christy. My apartment lights just flickered twice," Lisa warned. "You should turn off your setup before a power surge fries your computer."
• "Five more minutes," Christy insisted, ignoring the warning. "I am seconds away from beating the main campaign."
• Outside, a blinding streak of lightning split the night sky, followed immediately by a deafening clap of thunder. The desk lamp in Christy's room flickered violently before dying completely, leaving only the blue glare of her monitor illuminating her face.
• "Is your audio buzzing?" Lisa asked, her voice distorted by growing interference. "You sound like you are underwater."
• "My controller is getting warm," Christy said, frowning as a strange vibration hummed through the plastic grips in her hands.
• A strange metallic taste filled her mouth as the air in the room grew heavy and hot. Blue arcs of electricity began dancing along the metal frame of her computer tower, crawling across the keyboard cord toward her desk.
• "Unplug it now, Christy!" Lisa yelled, her voice cutting through sharp static. "That does not sound right at all!"
• "I almost have him," Christy said, her fingers pressing tighter against the buttons despite the unsettling warmth. "I am not stopping now."
• A sudden violent pop echoed from the power strip beneath her desk. A shower of bright sparks erupted near her feet, instantly setting off a sharp smell of burning rubber and melted wire.
• "Christy, answer me!" Lisa panicked as the audio line hissed with violent static. "Are you still there?"
• "Something is wrong with the power strip," Christy whispered, staring as blue sparks leaped from the metal box directly toward her controller cable.
• She tried to drop the controller, but her muscles locked instantly. Before she could pull her hands away, a blinding surge of raw electricity shot through the wire, slamming directly into her palms.
• "Get away from the desk!" Lisa screamed through the earpiece.
• "I cannot move," Christy choked out, her voice barely a gasp as blinding white pain surged through her body.
• The voltage rushed up her arms and tore through her chest, seizing her heart in a severe grip. Every nerve in her body fired at once as the room dissolved into a wall of blinding light. She could hear her own rapid breathing, but her lungs refused to take in air.
• Her grip on the controller finally broke as her body collapsed backward off the chair, hitting the carpeted floor heavily. The monitor above her flickered wildly, displaying a blue error screen before turning pitch black.
• The sound of Lisa's panicked voice faded into a dull whisper. The sharp odor of ozone lingered in the air, but Christy could no longer smell it. The intense, scorching heat in her chest gave way to a cold weight that pressed down on her ribs.
• Her vision narrowed into a tiny pinprick of fading light. Her pulse slowed, skipped a beat, and then stopped completely. Darkness rushed in from every edge, swallowing the room, the storm, and the lingering echoes of her friend's voice. Christy Helms took her final shallow breath, her life ending in the silence of her darkened bedroom, entirely unaware of where her soul was about to wake up.