Collision Course [+ Additional Levels]

Level Seven - Gone Missing

Pacman awoke in bed with a jolt. He blinked hard in the morning light, heart pounding. He felt like he was still running. After taking a couple of deep breaths, he slowly uncurled his fistful of blanket. He swallowed and stared at the wall. Eyes focusing, he frowned. Lifting his head from the pillow, he looked around himself; he was in a light blue painted room that he didn't recognize. Pacman sat up, senses heightened from the unfamiliarity of the scene. His jacket was on a desk by the bed, and his shoes were on the floor. He looked down—otherwise, his clothes hadn't changed. He yanked the blanket off of him, and swung his legs over the side of the bed, slowly standing up. He cautiously walked across the carpet to the door, and slowly turned the doorknob. It opened with a click, and he warily pulled the door.

"Pac? Is that you awake?" a voice called.

He paused, and then stepped through the door and walked out. Jumpman looked up at him, sitting on a brown couch, a flip phone in his hands. Pacman let himself relax. "Yeah," he said. He noticed that Jumpman hadn't changed his clothes either, except for his jacket. Dressed in dark red pants, and a long sleeved dark blue shirt, his red hat sat on the couch beside him. Pac looked around in the living room. "Um, where am I?" he asked.

Jumpman smiled. "," he replied.

Pac blinked, looking around again. "This is your house?" he asked him incredulously.

"Yup. You passed out on the way back, so we guided you in here," Jumpman told him, grinning.

"Oh, yeah," Pacman said, recalling the memory vaguely. "Guess it was a good thing that I didn't drive us home."

Jumpman stared at him, face deadpan serious. "Don't even joke about that. In fact, I've got to discuss driving privileges with you." Then, noting how not awake his friend was, he added, "A little later, though. Like, after you've had breakfast or something."

Pacman wanted to point out that it was Jumpmam who had handed him the keys the night before, but he let it go. He yawned and stretched. "I don't think that I've ever been here before."

Jumpman chuckled. "Unlike you, we aren't constantly running around from state, to state. I stay put," he said. "And QBert likes to hang around here sometimes. Besides, I have a job not too far from here."

Pacman walked up, and plopped down on the other side of the couch. "Speaking of QBert, how is he? Whatever Coily did last night, it definitely did something to him," he said.

Jumpman lost his smile and frowned. "Actually," he looked at the door to the bedroom that QBert was in, "I haven't seen him out of his room yet."

"I couldn't have gotten up before him, could I?" Pacman asked, worried.

"Well, for someone that hasn't slept for days and spent all of their energy the night before, you haven't slept in very much," Jumpman pointed out, glancing at his watch to check the time.

"Still." Pacman stared at QBert's bedroom door.

They fell silent, Jumpman staring at the little screen on his device. After a moment, Pacman spoke.

"I'm gonna knock, and see if he's okay."

Jumpman looked up. "You sure?" he asked.

Pacman stood up, and walked up to the door. "We don't know what kind of effect Coily had on him last night," he said. He knocked on the door three times. "QBert?" he called. He paused a moment. "QBert? You awake?" He fell silent, listening. There was no reply.

"Okay, somethin's up. QBert's a light sleeper. Like, annoyingly so."

Pacman glanced at Jumpman. "QBert?" he called again.