(set: $time to 0)
(set: $investment to 0)
It's August.
The trees will start changing color soon, and thinking of the soon-to-be piles of dead leaves, you're grateful your yard is so small.
Sure, your house is small, and old, but it's serviceable (and more importantly, it's cheap).
All you really need is your desktop, anyway.
You're working on your Masters in [[//film and digital media.// -> goals]]
And even better, you've finally landed an internship — it's remote, but since you don't have your own car yet, you kind of prefer it like that.
So you spend most of your days working on your thesis, video editing, and scrolling through your social media feed.
[[September]]
(set: $time to it + 1)
It's September.
You're standing in your kitchen, hovering over the stove, hoping your pasta doesn't overcook while you scroll through your Twitter feed.
You almost pass it; it's sandwiched between two film major memes for a movie you don't like.
A blurry photo — looks like a landscape? What's that in the background of it?
The caption — "UFO spotted in Saskatchewan??"
It has 80 replies.
[[Close Twitter]]
[[Look further]]You close Twitter, not wanting your pasta to overcook.
It's not the first time you've seen some weird shit on Twitter, and it surely won't be the last.
In the meantime, you have a [[routine]] to keep.
(set:$investment to it + 1)
Looking through the replies, some people seem to be taking it pretty seriously.
There's a lot of skepticism — mostly making fun of the image quality — but there's a fair number of people mentioning similar photos elsewhere.
What //is// this?
Part of you wants to [[keep looking]].
But you have a [[routine]] to keep.(if: $investment is > 0)[Twitter is a cesspool anyway. It's probably best you focus on your work instead.]
You're enjoying your work a lot. Your thesis is coming along well, and the internship — while not exactly the production job of your dreams — is engaging.
In the evenings you make dinner while singing along to your playlists on shuffle. You're getting to be a decent cook.
On weekends you hang out with your fellow film students. You don't drink, but enjoy the energy of bar-hopping.
You've just come back from a night on the town, checking your social media feed one last time before passing out.
And there it is [[again]].(set: $skeptic to "none")
(set: $investment to it + 1)
Apparently the first photo surfaced a few weeks ago. Some sectors of the Internet are already going crazy over it, with various image analysts claiming the photos are undoctored.
[[You've been expecting something like this]]
[[You're a staunch skeptic]](set: $skeptic = "f")
Yeah, you've been wondering how long it would take for photos like these to surface. With the availability of cellphone cameras, it was only a matter of time before clearer photos of UFOs surfaced.
You spend the rest of the night scouring Twitter and other forums.
UFO enthusiasts insist this is proof of an upcoming invasion. Others declare it to be a government conspiracy, or a New World Order, or an encroaching police state, or a secret war.
[[You're hooked.]](set: $skeptic to "t")
UFO hoaxes aren't uncommon. And even if it's not a full-on hoax, it's likely some kind of <i> [ARG]<lnk|
(click: ?lnk)[(open-url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game")] </i> You'll believe it when there's a bit more proof.
[[But you're hooked. ->You're hooked.]]
[[Interesting, but you'll pass. ->again]](set: $investment to it +1)
(set: $history to "hooked")
(set: $early to "t")
You track it fervently, following the [[//forums// ->forums]] and accounts most thoroughly involved.
Checking up on the forums becomes a part of your daily routine.
(if: $skeptic is "f")[This is absolutely incredible, that there's so much evidence of aliens on Earth. Maybe you should start checking the [[news]].]
(if: $skeptic is "t") [You wonder where the ARG might be going, and how it could be so widespread. Part of you even starts to [[believe it]]. Part of you [[doesn't]].]The photos are clearer in this post. Glinting metal, a stable camera, and forests.
Is the saucer hovering above a //building//?
[[Check the news. ->news]]
[[Let it go. ->go]]
(set: $time to it + 1)
It's October.
You have the news on in the background while you eat your breakfast (a bowl of cereal, like always).
You're only half paying attention, but the word "UFO" snaps your focus.
The newscaster on screen speaks with the same push-pull inflection as she does when covering stocks and wildfires.
//"Photos are surfacing from all over the world of what appear to be UFOs. Our image analysts have found them to be undoctored, raising the question of what exactly these 'flying saucers' really are. Various online communities have come forward claiming they're anything from alien spacecrafts to proof of a Second Coming. So far, the United States government has declined to address the phenomenon, raising questions of..."//
(if: $skeptic is "t")[Impressive that this has made it all the way to the news. The fact that the government isn't commenting pretty well indicates this is just a really elaborate ARG (if: $investment is >2)[, though it's strange they don't mention the buildings].
But it unsettles you. Prickles creep down your spine, your head filling with various //what-ifs//.]
(if: $skeptic is "f")[It's finally made it all the way to the news. It's thrilling and //scary//. Who knows what these crafts could mean? Are they peaceful? Or is something more sinister? (if: $investment is > 2) [And what about the buildings?]]
For now, it seems all you can do is
[[watch]].
[[wait]].You have classes to focus on, not to mention your internship.
Your plate is full and you don't need any weird Internet hoax distracting you from it.
If something really important happens, you'll find out. Until then, you elect to [[wait]].(set: $skeptic to "f")
Yeah, you believe it.
The photos are clear, and more people are coming forward saying they're undoctored. It doesn't make sense for an ARG to be //this// widespread, and //this// connected to the physical world.
Maybe it's not aliens. Maybe it's not a new world order. But it's definitely [[something. ->news]]
ARGs and hoaxes can be impressive. You'll believe it when you see it on the [[news]].(set: $history to "watch")
(set: $view to "none")
(set: $investment to it + 1)
<i>[[Twitter and the forums ->forums]]</i> mentioned on the news go insane. More and more people are starting to believe the story.
You're leaning towards.
(if: $skeptic is not "f")[[[A hoax ->hoax]].]
The [[government]].
[[Aliens]].(set: $time to it + 1)
It's November.
(if: $investment is > 1 and < 4 or $skeptic is "t")[It's a little hard to focus on your schoolwork and internship with this UFO business, but you're managing. You keep it in your periphery; daytime is work time. You can consider the "facts" (whatever they are) in your downtime.
You've come too far in life for a //conspiracy theory// to trip you up.]
(if: $investment is > 4 and $skeptic is "f")[Focusing on your schoolwork and internship is getting difficult. You find yourself almost compulsively checking <i>[[the forums ->forums]]</i> for updates and information. You live near a forest, after all. What if one of these ships shows up near your place? What if these things are really dangerous? What if there's information being covered up? What if this is a hoax and everyone is overreacting? What if your judgement about it has been wrong? How long until the government takes action? What if they attack the ships? What if they are from Earth but they're warships and a war is about to break out? How much of this information is fabricated?
Conversation is hard when the only thing on your mind is wrapped up in which contradicting report you saw on Reddit last night.
How are you supposed to focus on your thesis and editing and friends when you're not sure what to trust?]
(if: $investment is < 1)[Things continue basically as normal. You hear mention of it every once and awhile — something about UFOs? — but your schoolwork and internship come first. It doesn't really affect you, anyway. You're focused on the future. Being done with this thesis (as much as you love it!) and getting to do actual production and directing rather than grunt-work editing.]
Leaves are piling up outside, and the air has turned still and chilly.
You wake up early and go to bed at a decent hour. You're learning how to make stews in preparation for the cold weather. You try to bike three days a week, but half the time you're either too busy or too lazy (if: $investment is >= 4 and $skeptic is "f")[or too stressed].
Netflix has some decent content for you to watch over dinner, and you check social media(if: $investment is <= 2)[occasionally.](if:$investment is > 2)[often.]
Winter hits pretty hard in this part of the country.
(if: $investment is >= 4)[You're not looking forward to the longer nights and cold weather[[. ->president]]]
(if:$investment is <= 1)[You're excited for snow[[. ->president]]]
(if:$investment is > 1 and is <= 4)[Pretty soon you'll be plowing snow[[. ->president]]]
(set: $view to "hoax")
(set: $skeptic to "t")
The world is full of crazy hoaxes, made worse by the ubiquity of social media and Internet echo chambers.
This one just happened to get out of control.
You really wish the news would focus on something //actually// important, like global warming or covering the end of the war in Iran.
[[Whatever. ->wait]](set: $view to "govt")
(set: $skeptic to "f")
The government is always up to some shady shit, especially the military.
Them not commenting on the situation is practically pure proof that they're involved in some way.
But for now all you can do is [[wait]].(set: $view to "aliens")
(set: $skeptic to "f")
(if: $investment > 1)[Of course it's aliens. What else could it be? It's clearly not the government — too global for that. And at this stage, with it appearing on the news, it's extremely unlikely to just be a hoax.]
(if: $investment <=1)[Aliens. Pretty insane. But it seems too global to just be the government, and the fact that they have genuine undoctored photos...what else are you supposed to think?]
But for now, all you can do is [[wait]].(set: $time to it + 1)
It's December.
You get a notification about an emergency presidential broadcast.
(if: $investment is >= 2)[You think you know what it's about.]
(if: $investment is < 2)[That's concerning.]
You have a bad feeling about this. You pretend your head isn't buzzing as you [[click the link to the livestream. ->speech]]
(set: $time to it + 1)
It's January.
(You didn't feel much like celebrating New Year's.)
You're sleeping. Or, you //were//.
A bright flash of light wakes you up.
Still half-conscious and groggy, you peer through the blinds. (click: "blinds")[
The dread wakes you up.
There's a silver saucer. Just a few miles away.
It's hovering low, brushing the tops of the tall pines.
You squint. It seems to be pointing a beam of ligth down to the surface.
...Is it building something?
[[Call the police. ->police]]
[[Go outside alone to investigate. ->explore]]
[[Go back to sleep. -> stay]]
](set: $investment to it +1)
<!--this is kind of like a social media feed, checking it periodically will update w/ new information-->
==|
(font: "Helvetica")[
first pic was from sweden 4 weeks ago, pretty clear pic of ufo abt 8 miles away
--------------
more recent pics from around the world, including u.s., canada, mexico, brazil, china, india
---------------
ufos arent like any earth aircraft. hovering silver discs w/ no windows
----
all crafts have been spotted in rural forested areas, far enough from people to be extremely difficult to access
>>>raises questions abt how many there really are vs. just how many are visible
----
crafts hover abt a mile above the surface
----
UPDATE: some pics seem to show small metal buildings being built right under the hovering discs(if: $time is > 1 and < 4)[
-----
UPDATE: seems like theres signals coming from the bases/crafts. might be encoded radio signal or sometihng else. currently indecipherable]
(if: $time is > 2)[
-------------
UPDATE: buildings are being constructed closer to towns now
-------------
UPDATE: a few people near "touchdown" locations have gone missing]
(if: $time is > 3) [
--------------
UPDATE: even with touchdown locations within driving range of towns now, nobody has been able to get footage or info from any. anyone thats tried has gone missing]
(if: $time is > 4)[
---------
UPDATE: president's speech //CONFIRMS// government involvement
-----
UPDATE: president's speech //CONFIRMS// government not involved
-----
UPDATE: president's speech //CONFIRMS// secret war
------
UPDATE: people are now very close to deciphering ship radio signals
]
(if: $time is > 5)[
------
UPDATE: radio signals have been successfully deciphered. seems they're representing some kind of date & time code?]
(if: $time is >= 6)[
------
UPDATE: approx equivalent of date & time code deduced:
===|
March 30th, 2:37 AM
---------------
|==|
UPDATE: date & time probably when phase 2 (3?) of invasion begins
----------------
UPDATE: people throwing apocalypse parties around the world
]
]
(if: $history is "hooked") [[[back ->You're hooked.]]]
(if: $history is "watch") [[[back ->watch]]]
(if: $history is "wait") [[[back ->wait]]]
(if: $history is "speech") [[[back->speech]]]
(if: $history is "stay") [[[back -> stay]]]
(if: $history is "post") [[[back -> post]] ]
(if: $history is "parents") [[[back ->parents]] ]
(if: $history is "February") [[[back ->February]] ]
(if: $history is "alone") [[[back ->alone]] ]
(if: $history is "dead-end") [[[back -> dead-end]] ]
(if: $history is "endgame") [[[back ->endgame]] ]
(if: $history is "home") [[[back ->home]] ]You don't trust the police. You'd rather investigate for yourself.
You grab a heavy coat and a flashlight (you'd rather not drain your phone battery), testing to make sure it still works.
It's dark.
[[You start having second thoughts. -> chicken]]
[[You keep going. ->keep going]](set: $history to "post")
You post about it. It feels kind of strange giving your exact location publicly online, but (if: $investment is > 2)[your approximate coordinates might be helpful for figuring out what's going on.] (else:)[it seems pretty important.]
//[[Check the forums. ->forums]]//
[[Call your parents. ->parents]]
[[Sleep. ->sleep]]You try to sleep.
You think you succeed.
[[February]](set: $history to "parents")
They beg you to move home as soon as possible.
Your mouth is dry. You don't have much to say.
But you can feel something slipping away. Something intangible. Something in your core, slowly unraveling.
//[[Check the forums. ->forums]]//
For now all you can do is try to [[sleep]](set: $police to "t")
Shaking, you call 911. The operator is silent as you explain the situation.
The police show up shortly after. Five cars, six officers.
They look scared and confused. One or two have their hands uncomfortably situated on their guns. Like a pistol will protect them.
One of them instructs you to stay inside.
They stand outside your house, looking uneasily at the alien spacecraft in the distance.
[[You've got no choice but to stay inside. -> stay]](set: $history to "stay")
(if: $police is not "t")[You don't think the police would be particularly helpful, so you huddle up in your room, shutting the blinds.]
(if: $police is "t")[You feel a little safer with the police there. Or at least to have the company. That's what you try to tell yourself, anyway.]
//[[Check the forums. ->forums]]//
[[Post publicly about the spacecraft. -> post]]
[[Try to sleep. ->sleep]]
[[Call your parents. ->parents]]
It's dark.
You're not used to navigating the woods around here.
What you would normally assume to be common forest sounds are suddenly more sinister.
[[You're having second thoughts. -> chicken]]
[[You've come this far. -> deep woods]]It's dark. Your flashlight only illuminates a small cone in front of you.
[[This is a bad idea. You should turn back. -> chicken]]
[[You aren't giving up now. -> deeper woods]]It's dark. It's cold.
You're doing your best to be quiet, but it's hard when the floor is littered with sticks and patches of crunchy snow.
How long have you been walking? (click: "walking")[
You spot it, between the trees.
The beam of light is most visible, but it reflects off a small metal building, no bigger than your own house.
It glints, shiny and strangely beautiful, a contrast to the dark woods surrounding it.
You flick off your [[flashlight.]]
(set: $history to "February")
(set: $time to it + 1)
It's February.
The craft comes and goes. You keep your blinds closed.
The encouragement to move comes quietly. There's no big announcement on TV. There's no emergency broadcast.
It's a letter in the mail, requesting you (font: "Times New Roman")[relocate, if possible, to another residence, if available, for your own safety.]
[[Move back in with your parents. -> move]]
[[You're fine right where you are -> don't move]]
You don't want to move home. but things are getting serious.
so you do.
and it's a good thing, too, because two weeks later, the airports close.
then the highways.
then your university.
it's kind of nice to be [[home]].(set: $move to "f")
You've built a lot here. You can't just move home.
What about school? What about your internship?
what about your [[future]]?
(if: $investment > 3)[you've heard about this.]
your friend is planning on holding a party for the projected "end of the world" on march 29th. there will be drinks, and music, and activities. you know most of the people there.
[[sounds fun ->fun]]
[[you'd rather not ->not]]
it's march 29th
you show up to the party around 9 pm. there's alcohol. you have some.
the air is tense. there's something unnamed stretched between all of you, the tightness in the rope holding a guillotine.
you laugh and smile — some of it's real! — and joke around. you catch up.
you don't talk about school. you don't talk about the internship. you don't talk about the future.
but it's nice, to see your friends again. to say hello. (mouseover-replace: "hello")[goodbye]
//(if: $investment is >= 3 and $conversedc is not "t")[[say what you know about the situation -> knows]]
(if: $early is "t" and $conversedb is not "t")[[tell them how long you've been keeping track -> history]]
(if: $converseda is not "t")[[shoot the shit]]//
(if: ($investment is < 3 or $early is not "t" and $converseda is "t") or ($converseda is "t" and $conversedb is "t" and $conversedc is "t"))[
and then, it's [[time -> witching-c]]]no, you don't want to go to a party. you'll spend that night
[[alone -> night-a]]
[[with your family -> night-f]]you don't want to face your parents like this.
you curl up in bed with the covers pulled over your head, ignoring their knocks at the door.
you can't sleep, so you stare at your phone, the texts and posts and mindless phone games blurring together.
until the clock [[strikes -> witching-a]]you spend the evening with your parents.
mom makes your favorite meal, but your mouth is numb and you can't taste it.
you look at each other in the tense silence, something strung tight around you like a noose around your throats.
(if: $investment is >= 3)[[[tell them what you've learned -> history-f]]]
(if: $investment is < 3 or $conversedf is "t")[
you cry. your parents do too.
you hug them tight. tighter than you ever have.
it's [[time -> witching-b]]](set: $conversedc to "t")
you tell them everything you know, reciting what you've read on the forums, some of it out of order, some of it a little slurred or incorrect.
they nod along, faces growing concerned but still interested.
angela downs a martini.
[[the conversation shifts ->fun]](set: $conversedb to "t")
you tell them how long you've been tracking the whole thing, the weird forum posts, Twitter, the first night with the pasta
they oo and ahh with dread and curiousity. they ask what you thought at first.
you tell them you thought it was (if: $view is "hoax")[just a hoax at first] (if: $view is "govt")[a governmental conspiracy at first] (if: $view is "aliens")[aliens from the beginning](if: $view is "none")[nothing, you tried to avoid it for awhile].
(you leave out the anxiety attacks)
[[the subject changes ->fun]](set: $conversedf to "t")
you tell them.
about the forums, about tracking it, about what you've learned. they look concerned.
so you go back to waiting in [[silence -> night-f]] you hold your breath.
for a moment, nothing happens. your eyes are wide, and some small part of you wonders //maybe it really was a hoax//?
and then there's an unfathomably loud sound, like a clap of thunder, but enough to shake your bed.
your body locks up from fear. you hear a scream somewhere, but you
can't
[[move ->stuck]]it's 2:37 AM.
at first, nothing happens.
you and your friends all meet eyes, uneasy.
you're holding your breath.
some tired part of you thinks //maybe it was a hoax//
and then everything goes to hell.
there's a deafening cracking sound, like thunder, and a blinding flash outside.
your mom stands up, shaking, and walks to the closed curtains.
she peeks between them.
you see a (color:red)[beam] cut through the opening, bathing your mom in its (color:red)[light]
and she [[screams]]it's 2:37 AM.
at first, nothing happens.
you and your friends all meet eyes, uneasy.
you're holding your breath.
some tired part of you thinks //maybe it was a hoax//
and then everything goes to hell
there's a deafening cracking sound, like thunder, and a blinding flash. varun rushes to the door and throws it open. kim yells at him to stop.
you barely catch a glimpse of it outside — a seemingly infinite beam of (color: red)[light], rotating in the distance, casting a ray like some kind of lighthouse.
varun steps out into the night
the (color:red) [beam] spins and spins and //hits// [[him]]
things happen very [[fast]] after that night(if: $witness is "friend")[you don't have time to bury varun. you're not sure it's even safe to touch the body.
you try to text and call your parents but there's no service, no internet, the phones are //dead//, the cellphone towers and //dead// the radio stations are all //dead//, the power is all //dead//.
angela goes near catatonic and there's nothing you can do but sit and wait for awhile, wondering where and when things went so wrong and if you could have done anything different to stop this, to stop the crying, to stop the squealing sirens outside, to say goodbye better.
you have several week's worth of food at varun's house.]
(if: $witness is "family")[you don't have time to bury your mom. you're not even sure if it's safe to touch her body. you light a candle instead.
your dad tries to call someone but there's no service. there's no internet.
panic sets in.
the phones are //dead//. the cellphone towers have gone //dead//. the internet is //dead// the forums are //dead// the radio stations are //dead// the power grid is //dead//.
your dad doesn't usually swear. until tonight.
he holds you while drawing a bath.]
(if: $witness is "none")[you get control of your body again after awhile, you don't know how long.
you're shaking hard, and find yourself calling for your parents, like a child, like you're five again, like you've heard a scary sound at night and want a hug before you go back to sleep.
the house is dark and silent but outside it's loud.
you don't have time or strength to bury your parents. their bodies are crumpled and shriveled like wet jerky and you don't know if it's safe to touch them so you don't.
you try to make some calls — to someone, anyone; friends? distant family? the police? — but the phone is //dead//.
the internet is //dead//. the cellphone towers are //dead//. the radios //dead// the tv is //dead// the power is //gone// the forums are //dead// and your parents]
planes fall out of the sky and there are bodies, all crumpled, all broken and half-liquid. dead birds scatter the streets.
(if: $witness is "none")[you have no choice but to spend the next months by [[yourself -> end-a]]]
(if: $witness is "family")[you spend the next months with your [[dad -> end-b]]]
(if: $witness is "friend")[you have no choice but to spend the next months with your [[friends -> end-c]]]
(set: $investment to 3)
(if: $skeptic is "t")[you didn't believe it. or maybe you didn't want to believe it. you're not sure anymore. it doesn't matter anymore.]
(if: $early is "f")[why didn't you get involved sooner? why didn't you arm yourself with facts the second you heard about this?]
(if: $investment is >= 3)[you've been tracking this (if: $early is "t")[for so long], as if the information could save you. as if consuming theories and numbers or whatever bullshit you could get your hands on would save you, would protect you from this.]
(if: $investment is <= 2)[why didn't you keep up more? why did you avoid information so much? what if there had been something in those posts that could have helped you? what if you could've stopped this all if you had actually looked into it instead of blocking it out? would your mom be alive now? would you have gotten to see your friends again?]
you're mad. you're scared.
you're tired.(click: "tired")[
the water from your bath ensures you have fresh water in case the water treatment plants fail (they do)
your dad says the two of you should leave, before you run out of food, so you do.
you're careful. you're smart.
you loot grocery stores together, and he's right that it's good you left early, because others start to have the same idea.
most people you meet are friendly, just scared, like you. but your dad warns you (though you already know) that people do strange things when they're scared.
so you have to be careful. you have to be smart.
at night, your dad cries.
you're both half-aimless, collecting supplies with no real destination. more metal buildings are being built, and you see crafts fly overhead ocassionally.
you're not sure what to do.
head for the coast?(click-replace: "head for the coast?")[what would that accomplish?]
head to the countryside?(click-replace: "head to the countryside?")[that's where the invasion started]
stay at home?(click-replace: "stay at home?")[what's left for you here?]
[[you're walking around the ruined city when you spot it -> feel]]](if: $skeptic is "t")[you didn't believe it. or maybe you didn't want to believe it. you're not sure anymore. it doesn't matter anymore.]
(if: $early is "f")[why didn't you get involved sooner? why didn't you arm yourself with facts the second you heard about this?]
(if: $investment is > 3)[you've been tracking this (if: $early is "t")[for so long], as if the information could save you. as if consuming theories and numbers or whatever bullshit you could get your hands on would save you, would protect you from this.]
(if: $investment is <= 2)[why didn't you keep up more? why did you avoid information so much? what if there had been something in those posts that could have helped you? what if you could've stopped this all if you had actually looked into it instead of blocking it out? would varun be alive now? would you have gotten to say goodbye to your parents?]
you're mad. you're scared.
you're tired.(click: "tired")[
sadie is a good leader, or at least the most assertive for now. you're happy to be with people your age.
you venture outside in teams of two when it's time to get more supplies.
angela sleeps most of the time.
kim calls the supply raids a "temporary solution". they argue a lot.
julia agrees you should do something.
head for the coast?(click-replace: "head for the coast?")[what would that accomplish?]
head to the countryside?(click-replace: "head to the countryside?")[that's where the invasion started]
you met varun in 5th grade. he's the reason you pursued a career in film.
you never told him.
you're walking through the ruined city with kim, careful of the saucers hovering a few miles to the south. then you see [[it -> feel]]](if: $skeptic is "t")[you didn't believe it. or maybe you didn't want to believe it. you're not sure anymore. it doesn't matter anymore.]
(if: $early is "f")[why didn't you get involved sooner? why didn't you arm yourself with facts the second you heard about this?]
(if: $investment is >= 3)[you've been tracking this (if: $early is "t")[for so long], as if the information could save you. as if consuming theories and numbers or whatever bullshit you could get your hands on would save you, would protect you from this.]
(if: $investment is <= 2)[why didn't you keep up more? why did you avoid information so much? what if there had been something in those posts that could have helped you? what if you could've stopped this all if you had actually looked into it instead of blocking it out? would your parents be alive now? would you have gotten to say goodbye to your friends?]
you're mad. you're scared.
you're tired.(click: "tired")[
you run out of food at home eventually. you can't drive, so you bike. you take your dad's decorative hunting knife (like that will do anything)
there are more metal buildings. you're careful. there are more crafts. you're careful.
you can't just be alone, though.
you find a group of strangers, maybe some neighbors a few streets over? you never got to know anyone in this neighborhood. they say they're making their way to the coast.
you can't think of anything better.
[[you're walking through the ruined city when you spot it -> feel]]]an old newspaper, one of the well-respected national ones.
well, "old"
it's dated feb 29th
the headline:
==|
(font: "Times New Roman")[
EXTRA TERRESTRIALS: THE TRUTH IS OUT]
|==|
the guillotine falls. the mental fog — the raw fear, residual adrenaline, the limping through the apocalypse — it finally clears.(click: "clears")[
something very obvious finally hits you.
something selfish.
something that breaks your heart and spine.
you'll never be that director. you'll never be that producer. your plans are not "on hold". they are dead.
there are no more plans.
you laugh at first.
then you [[cry]]](set: $history to "alone")
//[[check the forums. ->forums]]//
//[[eat. ->alone]] //
//[[sleep. ->alone]] //
[[wait. -> dead-end]]##variables##
# skeptic, either t or f
- t: more hesitance in reaction to news, less likely to look further. large events will have more dramatic impact
- f: more independent investigation, more paranoia, more confusion
# investment
- init at 0, counts up as engage w/ online and news
- +1 for news, +2 for checking daily
# time
- init at 0, counts up as time passes, to 12
#view
- how is the player interpreting it? as the govt? a hoax? aliens?
# style guides
- italics are links that you can come back from
- full sentence links are choices
- single word links are punctuated and have no choices involved
This story contains swearing, explorations of apocalyptic scenarios/existential dread, depictions of panic attacks and brief dissociation, death of close family and friends, and brief non-graphic mention of vomit.
[[start]]Just thinking about it makes you excited. The idea of directing your own movie or TV show has been your dream since a young age.
(And not to brag, but you know you're [[//pretty good at it// ->start]].)(set: $history to "speech")
The President stands at her podium, dressed in a simple black skirt suit.
Her hair is in a bun nearly as tight as her posture and expression.
She steadfastly ignores the flashing cameras and hungry-eyed reporters.
(font: "Times New Roman")[
==|
//As many of you know, in recent months, strange aircrafts have been spotted around the world, including here, in the United States. In addition, there are reports of some of these crafts constructing small outposts in undeveloped forest. More troubling, individuals living near these outposts have begun going missing.//]
|==|
She inhales, eyes flitting to her paper, before becoming pointed, at the cameras, at the audience.
(font: "Times New Roman")[
==|
//I am here to assure you that this is not the work of the United States Government, nor, to our knowledge, any other governmental body.//]
|==|
She swallows, shuffling her papers.
(font:"Times New Roman")[
==|
//At present, we — the CIA, the military, NASA — believe these crafts to be extra-terrestrial in orig//]
|==|
(if: $investment is > 2 and $skeptic is "f")[(font: "Times New Roman")[//Extra-terrestrial.//]
So it's true, then. It wasn't a hoax or the government or a New World Order. It's honest-to-god fucking //aliens//.
There's no words for the rush to your system. The speech fades away, though you catch something about (font: "Times New Roman")[//keeping the American people safe//] and (font: "Times New Roman")[//not to panic//].
You can't tell whether the adrenaline is fear or some kind of twisted pride in being right.
The rest of the night passes in a blur. You think you //[[check the forums ->forums]]//. You think you fall asleep at some point.]
(if: $investment is > 2 and $skeptic is "t")[(font: "Times New Roman")[//Extra-terrestrial.//]
So it's true, then. It wasn't a hoax or the government or a New World Order. It's honest-to-god fucking //aliens//.
It's beyond unbelievable. It's riduculous. It's hilarious. It's silly. It's stupid.
There's no words for the rush to your system. The speech fades away, though you catch something about (font: "Times New Roman")[//keeping the American people safe//] and (font: "Times New Roman")[//not to panic//].
The rest of the night passes in a blur. You think you //[[check the forums ->forums]]//. You think you laugh for awhile. You think you cry for awhile. You think you fall asleep at some point.]
(if: $investment is <= 2 or $skeptic is "none")[The rest of the speech turns to a blur as your ears fill with the static of rushing blood.
She says something vague about (font: "Times New Roman")[//keeping the American people safe//] and (font: "Times New Roman")[//not to panic//], but your head is swimming, your hands are shaking, there's cold sweat, there's nausea, there's a chill up your spine, there's nothing around you anymore. Your heart isn't beating anymore, it's shrieking.
You don't remember the rest of the night. You think you throw up at some point. You think you fall asleep crying.]
You start to have trouble [[sleeping]].Yeah. You probably shouldn't do this.
People have been disappearing, after all.
You go back [[inside. -> stay]] The only light now is from the craft, still a fair distance from your current position.
You squint.
//Movement.//
There's a tiny hint of [[movement]] in front of the structure.
Pain shoots through your head, worse than any migraine you've ever felt, like a railspike has been driven through your eye. (click: "eye")[
There's a flash, a numbing sensation overtaking your body, and it [[occurs]] to you.]There will be no movie.
You won't be a director, or a producer, or a film critic, or even an intern anymore.
You think you should have turned back.
You think you should have texted your parents.
And then there's [[nothing]]but your neighbors start to leave.
the houses in your cul-de-sac empty out in the next few days. (click: "days")[
and two weeks after receiving the letter, the airports shut down. ](click: "shut down")[
highways follow soon after.](click: "soon")[
then your university.
you're trapped.](click: "trapped")[
and you're [[alone]].
](set: $time to it + 1)
(set: $history to "dead-end")
it's March.
you're alone.
you talk to your family sometimes.
you cry a lot.
but mostly, you wait.
//[[check the forums. ->forums]] //
[[there is no routine. ->endgame]](set: $history to "endgame")
it's March 29th.
//[[check the forums. ->forums]] //
(if: $investment is < 2)[
you fall asleep early, around 1 AM.
you don't wake up.]
(else:)[
you message your parents and friends some, switching between strained conversations and looking at the forums.
it's 10 PM. (click: "10 PM")[
it's 12 AM.] (click: "12 AM") [
it's 1 AM.] (click: "1 AM") [
it's 2 AM.] (click: "2 AM") [
it's 2:30 AM] (click: "2:30 AM")[
it's [[2:37 AM]]]
]at first, there's nothing.
the clock ticks to 2:38.
you hold your breath. (click: "breath")[
then you release it.
maybe this was all some kind of wild hoax.
then everything goes to shit.
(if: $move is "f")[there's another flash of light. you peek through your blinds and see its source — the structure has raised some kind of...lighthouse?
a massive, bright white orb, spinning in place, casting a searing beam of light wherever it points.
at first it's spinning evenly, like a searchlight.
and then it points to you.
and then there's [[nothing]]
]
]
(set: $history to "home")
(set: $time to it + 2)
it's march.
you like your parents. mostly.
they give you space, and do their best to comfort you, despite clearly being just as scared.
dinners are silent and strained. there's not much to talk about.
you go to bed late and wake up late. you //[[check the forums ->forums]]//. you cry sometimes.
another benefit of being home is that you can reconnect with some old friends.
you get a text. one of them is throwing a [[party]].(set: $converseda to "t")
the alcohol loosens you a little and you talk about nothing.
the conversation drifts around sometimes, almost feeling normal.
julia has a girlfriend now. sadie broke up with her boyfriend. varun is living alone because he hates his parents.
kim had landed a job at an art studio right before this started. she doesn't elaborate.
angela still thinks this is a wild hoax, but she's had five drinks.
[[you look at the clock ->fun]]
(set: $witness to "friend")
varun shrivels and crumples like a deflated balloon. you think you see (color:red)[blood].
kim slams the door shut and locks it. sadie is crying. angela is stock-still, drink gripped in her hand one moment and on the ground the next.
julia stumbles to the door, clawing at it like she's trying to get it open, and she's screaming. the words don't register to you. your body is cold.
you're dimly aware of the thick sound of julia getting punched in the jaw, and sirens and screams in the distance, and the lights flickering [[off]] (set: $witness to "family")
she shrivels and crumples to the ground, fragile body reduced to a pile of deflated skin and meat. you see (color:red)[blood].
you're dimly aware of your dad shouting for you to get down as he rushes to shut the curtains.
you obey, falling to your knees and crawling under the table. your face is wet — tears or sweat? maybe a nosebleed? you don't know.
dad joins you soon, wrapping his arms tightly around you.
somewhere in the distance there are sirens, and screaming, and all the lights in your house flicker [[off]] (set: $witness to "none")
frozen with fear like some nightmarish sleep paralysis, you're distantly aware of sirens and people screaming. and you hear the //pop// of blown elecricity, and the power in your house flickers [[off]]
it's august.