Beyond The Screen Chapter 1

As the clock struck midnight, Alex sat hunched over his computer, bathed in the dim glow of his monitor. The allure of a new horror game beckoned him from the depths of his digital library. He never played horror games, but he thought he would give it a try, he clicked on the icon labeled "Project Nightfall"

"Alright, here goes nothing," he muttered to himself as he entered his credentials and accepted the terms and conditions without much thought. The screen flickered, and an email notification popped up.

"Join Project Nightfall as a beta tester!"

Alex furrowed his brows. With a click, he opened the email, revealing a message.

"Survive the nightmare. Reply 'Yes' to begin."

"Sounds ominous" Alex muttered, hovering over the reply button, he clicked "Yes" and waited.

Moments later, He got a message with a username and a password to use for launching the game. 

Immersing him in an eerie atmosphere. The main menu displayed three difficulty options: Easy, Normal, Hard and Nightmare. Without hesitation, Alex selected Nightmare mode.

"Let's crank up the terror!" 

he chuckled nervously, not fully grasping the gravity of his decision.

- You have two lives, including one try.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He didn't understand what 'one try' meant, but he didn't give it much thought. 

Then the screen faded to black before revealing a city cloaked in shadows. Alex's heart quickened as he navigated his character to the city.

It was like a normal city and he met other players. Nothing scary but some darkness.

A player said.

"Let's stick together" 

'There are microphones. Huh'

- Make a team of at least five players to continue. 

- Teams can't be changed, so choose wisely.

After picking a team, his surroundings morphed into a labyrinth of twisted corridors and obscured pathways, disorienting him at every turn.

"Stay calm, Alex. It's just a game," he reassured himself, though his trembling hands betrayed his facade of confidence.

He couldn't find his team members 

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream shattered the silence, causing Alex to freeze in terror.

"What the hell was that?!" he exclaimed, his voice quivering with fear.

With trembling fingers, he navigated his character through the darkness, looking for his teammates. his heart pounding in his chest like a drum of impending doom.

As he rounded a corner, a Woman lunged from the shadows, sending Alex's heart into overdrive.

"You scared me!"

She was one of his teammates, Eva.

"Sorry, about that I was running from a Monster."

She displayed some arrogance when they teamed up, so he didn't think she was the type to apologize. Maybe it's because she is scared.

"I am glad you're okay"

Thud.

Alex immediately turned his head to the direction of the sound, but he found nothing. He felt as if he was the character, but it was probably because the game is so realistic.

"There's noth...."

Rip!

Before completing his words, he looked down then saw a hand passing through him.

- Health: 20%

"Run!" he screamed, frantically mashing the keyboard in a desperate bid for survival.

He ran until his character's lost all its stamina, weakend with low health, then the figure caught him.

Alex screamed to the top of his lungs. Though he never played horror games before. That wasn't the reason.

"Why did I feel like I was the ......character."

[You are the first to die to a Doppelganger.]

[Achievement Unlocked: Shattered Trust.]

[New Skill: Lie Detection.]

- You have one life left. 

He didn't want to continue playing, but he had to because when he signed up, he gave all his credentials and checked a box that says that he needs to finish playing. He tried to join but for some reason, he couldn't? He tried clicking multiple times but he got nothing but a reloading screen. 

"Thank goodness"

Alex was happy that he won't need to play that game again. Maybe horror is just not his thing.

He took a video of him trying to join and sent in to the company.

'I am so tired'

He looked at the time and exclaimed.

"3 A.M! I have work tomorrow!"

He rushed to sleep.

An ominous message reached him.

- Don't worry! It's working as intended!