People. So many people. But, why did I know all their weak spots, all their backgrounds? Why did I have to resist the urge to kill them? Why did I feel this sensation in my gut, to see the pain etched on their faces? What was wrong with me?
I was so caught up in my mind that I bumped into someone. He stumbled a bit and patted me on the shoulder. "Careful there, bud," he said. "Don't wanna hurt anyone."
I shivered. If only that was how I actually felt. Then, he beckoned me and we continued.
"Do you know which way you are going?'
"Relax," he replied. "I am fully aware of what we, or rather you, will have to do."
I suddenly stopped. "What? What is it?"
He chuckled. "Curious, are we? Relax, it is something you will prevail at. I know you, Brandon, better than you know yourself."
"And you will not let me forget it, either."
He smiled, looking directly at me. "No, I will not."
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we arrived at the door of a rather shabby looking place. He knocked on the door three times and then muttered a word in Latin. A slot opened on the top of the door and two brown eyes peeked at us. Upon seeing him, the eyes widened and the door immediately opened. A 4'11" man with a comb over and a double chin greeted us, if you could call it greeting.
"You again, S? Who's the kid?"
"I found somebody to take the wager." The man's eyes widened even further and nodded. We followed him inside.Slowly, we walked through a cluttered kitchen and a messy bookcase. The man plucked Great Expectations from the shelf and a rumbling staircase deposited us downstairs.
The moment we pushed open the door at the bottom of the stairs, my brain exploded from the sheer amazingness of this magic room. There were machines all over it from Pac-Man to Asteroids. There was every single console ever made displayed on the table. There were devices that ranged from IPads to Blueberries. My eyes exploded from the sheer gamer instinct within me. I barely noticed the tall, lanky figure walking towards us.
"This," said S. "Is Dominic. Twelve time champion. Lots of trophies. Fastest runs on multiple games. High score on all of these."
Dominic shook my hand. "You must be Brandon. I've heard amazing things about you."
I felt his hand. It was cold and clammy, but tough, from his hours spent gaming. "Nice to meet you. You seem like quite the gamer."
"So, you're the lucky man who gets to go up against me then?"
"I guess so."
"Then. Let's set some ground rules. First, we will play any game, whether we have the ability to or not, that is chosen, as long as we can get it in here. Next, we cannot expose any glitches or hack, or we will be disqualified. Three rounds, your pick, my pick, then random."
I nodded. "That seems to be in order."
"Oh yeah. One last thing," he said. "I don't think you should use your Eye."
"Why not?"
"Too big an advantage. You'll be super instinctive, fully aware of shortcuts and surroundings, and your mind will already be able to process what is to come. That's not the real sign of a gamer. A real gamer embraces the surprises of the future and takes in the feeling of defeat, and continues to go forth from that point. I want someone worthy of my time and I want something challenging. Prove to me that you are good enough; take down your Eye."
Shoot, I thought, he's good. "I cannot remove it though. I've gone past that point in which it is my life now."
He wore a rather sickening grin. "That can be easily arranged." He motioned towards a spade. "You can shut it off, given enough pain, and rest." I looked at S. He nodded.
"We need you to win, Brandon. This is the only way."
I looked at him again and gulped. I thought about life without the Eye. I would be slower, less efficient, less aware. I would not be able to process certain information. I'd be the old Brandon again. Whether that was good or bad was up for debate. However, I knew that if I were to change back to the old Brandon, then the dark thoughts would leave me.
I made up my mind. Whatever it was that I had to do, I would do. It had to go according to plan. So, I took a deep breath, braced myself, and stepped down.
I barely even saw the stick move up, but the pain was real. My mind immediately began to shut down and my Eye shut down.
It was mayhem. I couldn't feel much of anything. My brain was panicking. Files were being shifted around, and my mind was having trouble comprehending the fact that I had just done that. But, I thought, before it all went dark, I have to do it. It was the only way I could earn his trust, and it was the only way that I could continue this way.