The only thing sifting through my ears was the distant song Jump by Van Halen. Van Halen was my favorite band, possibly of all time. If anything could get me into the zone, it was this song.
My eyes zipped around in different directions on the screen as I made watched every angle of my character. Level 69.. I was almost there.
35 seconds to get out of that level.. jump, duck, wait two seconds for the lasers to pass, jump over the incoming crab. I did so with ease.
In a split second, I made it to the end and entered the portal. The pixelated words, 'LEVEL 70' appeared, and behind it showed my character, nearly a speck of dust compared to the wizard, my opponent. My eyes moved toward the door in the top corner, then made their bay back down as I dodged oncoming shots from the wizard's staff. My hands hadn't started cramping yet, giving me hope that I'd actually get through the level.
This was it- the wizard was loosing a life every 4 seconds: the amount of time it took me to get up to the top platform and jump on his head before he shot blasts of lasers in every direction. I hid under the first platform on the ground, the only platform the would be able to protect me.
He still had 2 lives though. Not for long.
Jumping to the top, a few small blasts flew close by me. This made the hair on my neck stand up.
I was actually getting a little scared.
I sighed shortly, refocused on the game. Two more jumps and I'd have my name on the top of the scoreboard.
One more jump. As I proceeded to play, the song faded from my ears and a low hum of murmurs replaced it. I assumed a crowd had gathered behind me, but I didn't want to be cocky so I ignored it.
And here I stood, about to make history.
One jump up the platform. Then another. Then another. I'd reached almost the highest platform when I saw my character fall right into a blast shot about a platform down from where I stood.
My heart nearly stopped. Fuck! I was so close. The crowd I'd suspected was there let out a few boos and groans. I turned around to see a bunch of kids, scowling at me. "Ah, eat my shorts, ya blockheads." I flipped them the finger as the crowd broke down, all the kids finding someone else or watch.
Ash stood, looking around at the kids as they disappeared, then walking up to me while I leaned against the game with an angry pout. I was conjuring up a new plan mentally, thinking it through before I tried again. I was going to get it.
"At least you got your name on the board.. no one's gotten that close to winning yet." I could tell they were sympathizing, knowing damn well how fixated I was on beating this game. I looked over at them, pulling a quarter out of my pocket, "I'm gonna beat this dumb hunk of junk if it's the last thing I do, Ash." I grumbled, slapping my quarter in the wrong spot on the machine and feeling it slip from my hands.
We both looked down, watching the quarter roll under the machine. "I'm losing my good luck."
Ash chuckled, "Why are you wasting your game talents on this game? I mean, you've got some gnarly skills. I bet you can beat every game here." They folded their arms primly at their chest.
I knelt down and reached my hand under the machine, the feeling of the rug against my skin giving me deja vu of when I would rub my eczema against my carpet flooring whenever it would itch. My mom despised it.
I pursed my lips as I peered over the side, I saw my quarter in between the game machine and the one next. As I went to grab it, some writing on the side of the machine.. some kind of cheat code.
B,A,A,B,up,left,up,right
to access the door
impossible to open
use the code and find
yourself the token
-RED
I wonder what that could mean.. 'find yourself the token.' I reread the words in my head again and again, before I realized I was still laying on the floor.
"..you good there?" Ash raised a brow as I snaked my arm out of under the machine and stood back up. Popping my quarter in, I gave them a sure smile. "Yeah, I got it."
"It's 6.. we should head over to the diner." They turned to see some of the kids leaving, others continuing to play or some watching those kids play. But I wasn't going to let time best me.
"One more game, alright? I already put my quarter in. And I won't take long, I promise," I gleamed effortlessly up at them, and then succumbed with a sigh. "One more game.. and because I lost I'll pay. But I'm expecting you in no later than an hour," They pointed their finger at me, and I nodded, bringing a hand up to my forehead to salute them.
"Aye aye, cap'n." I replied contently. It was only in that moment that I was content, because right when I looked back at the game, I slammed my hand on the start button and it was on.
With the amount of attempts I made today, my game time was condensed to 47 minutes so far. I was impressed with myself, since I had actually gotten to the fight without dying in 47 minutes.
I know I had to meet ash at the diner, and I really didn't want to leave them waiting.. but I was too close. I had to get to the end.
I was pretty sure everyone else left.. maybe a few kids stayed but it was getting dark out. In my head bounced around the cheat code I read. Maybe it would work? No.. cheat codes were cool, but usually for games that were a one-sitting completion. Thinking about this almost made of the blasts from the wizards staff hit me.
With a quick purse of the lips and a mental shrug, I thought for a slight moment. If I don't do this now, will I ever know?
probably.. but not important.
I quickly pressed in the code.
B A A B UP LEFT UP RIGHT.
Watching the screen, it immediately turned off.. which caused a flood of instant confusion and anger into me. I started pressing the buttons erratically and jolting around the joystick, which I was not having any joyful experience with.
Then, as I was about to just give up and leave, a billion curse words flooding through my head, The screen turned back on. It blared a purple-ish screen, with a growing black sphere in the middle. Glancing over at my thumbs, they seemed to be deteriorating into pixels, into the circle. Picking them up in confusion, they continued to fade into the circle.
My eyes widened.. 'what the fuck was going on? This is.. straight up.. bananas.' I thought, stepping back, but before I knew it my whole body was falling apart into small pixels, eventually getting sucked into the dark circle.
I didn't really know what to do, so I just screamed. It was like I was falling through a tube, neon blue and purple and white streams of what I could only guess was electricity surrounded me as I fell.
Looking over my shoulder I saw another growing black circle. Twisting my body, I was now falling face first. I had managed to stop screaming now, but instead of anticipating another fall I covered my eyes. I could feel I was nearing an exit, but I stayed still so I wouldn't get hurt.
The most peculiar sound played in my ears.. like someone slamming slime onto a table. I didn't feel anything happening and didn't want to take any chances until I hit a floor.
Carpet. My eyes peeled open, looking down at the same wacky designed carpet from the arcade.
I sat up instantly, my eyes darting around the room. There were less arcade games than before. "..where.. am I?" I asked aloud to myself, looking at a particularly interesting game where the claw machine once was.
It was a large screen, with a small podium with two buttons on it. The sign on top read, "Temple Run."
This wasn't here before. I began to notice many other new games here. Also, there was no one else in the arcade. At all.
Bringing myself to my feet, I stood and made my way up to the game.
How do you play that? I reached my hand out to press one of the buttons only to find out they weren't even buttons. They had a slim crease in them, big enough to fit a card. No coin slot.
I stared at the game for another minute before heading for the doors, stepping out into the blinding sunshine. 'It's not supposed to be so bright for 6 pm..' I brought a hand to my forehead to shield my eyes from the sun. Walking by me were two girls holding hands, both wearing jeans that hugged their legs tight, one with half a shirt and the other with a shirt that was tied up in the back. How.. peculiar.
They both had a box the same size in their back pockets.. not that I was staring for any reason.
Across the street there was no diner- but a department store. A store called 'Tilly's.'
There were lots of people in it. In fact, lining the whole block was stores, rather than closed down pizza joints and secret drug houses.
"Hey cutie!" A nasally, thick accented voice called out to me, catching my attention. Turning to make eye contact with a girl, she walked up with a few more girls and a guy. She had a silver-like hair color, a light tint of purple in the gleam if the sun. Her eyes were the prettiest shade of green.. she was tall, dark skinned, carried some weight. She was beautiful.
They all had the same grin on their faces, besides the one talking to me. "Uh.. hi," I looked around to make sure she was talking to me.
Nobody who was this physically attractive looked my way.
"Got a name? Or can I just call you.. sometime?" She held up a rectangular object.
I stared at it, and her friends giggled.
"I-I um.. well ac-actually.. can you tell me the date?" I stammered.
"March 28, 2018," she replied obviously, as if I would've known I was a loooooong time from where I'm supposed to be.
In that moment, I nearly had a heart attack.
"Uh.. you good there?" I heard one of them ask. It took a few minutes for me to comprehend this. "Y-yeah.. I just.. I gotta jet." I quickly walked past them, toward my house. Erm.. where I live..d?