EMMA AND BLAINE ARE TOGETHER AGAIN, THOUGH THIS TIME, THE VIDEO IS BEING RECORDED FROM BLAINE'S HANDHELD CAMERA. THEY ARE JOINED BY ANOTHER STUDENT, ONE OF EMMA'S CLASSMATES, A STUDENT MAJORING IN VIDEO GAME PROGRAMMING, LEIGH [REDACTED]. HE IS WEARING THICK CLASSES, A GRAY SWEATSHIRT, AND GRAY TRACK PANTS. THEY ARE SEATED IN BLAINE'S ROOM, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANTLY NEATER THAN EMMA'S LAST WAS.

--File 013: Road Block--

10/12/XXXX

Blaine: "Sorry, man, can you explain that for the camera again?"

Leigh looks surprised at the sudden presence of the camera. In his hands is the gray block that makes up the handheld game console. The screen is on, but not visible from the camera's angle.

Leigh: "Why are you recording this?"

Emma: "Posterity. Can you say it all again?"

Leigh gives her a withering look, before rolling his eyes and beginning to speak.

Leigh: "I've never seen anything like this weird thing. Wherever you got it, it's not your run of the mill factory garbage. This was handmade using parts very carefully put together. The creator was a total techie."

Blaine: "So you're saying that it was handmade? As in, made by hand, not at any store or by commission?"

Leigh: "Yeah, exactly. Some guy sat down at a table and spent God knows how long on this thing."

Emma: "How can you tell that, though? All the screen says is 'GAME OVER'."

Leigh: "Well, partly because of that, but also, partly because of the quality of the device. The plastic is made from a kind of resin casing, very carefully painted and then primed. I can't see the board inside, but I'd bet it's pretty complex. The text on the screen itself is there by design; it's part of whatever program its running by default to display this and only this."

Emma: "So you're saying... what, that this is the game's only goal after all? To display 'GAME OVER'?"

Leigh: "I mean... without ripping it apart and trying to rip the files off of it to take a better look, I can't know for sure, but it just doesn't seem likely. The whole thing is so carefully put together that there has to be something else on it. I wouldn't be surprised if the answer was right here, on this screen, in front of us."

Blaine: "But how would people miss that, if that was the case? Wouldn't it be visible?"

Leigh turns the device over and over, rubbing his chin as he considers this. He pauses for a moment, and then leans over to angle the game under the light, and slowly turns it one way, then another, and then another.

Leigh: "You know..."

Emma: "What? What?"

Leigh: "I could be wrong, but there seems to be something... in the black background. It's really hard to see."

Emma reaches over and eagerly rips the game out of Leigh's hands, startling him. At the same time, Blaine moves with impressive speed to her side, angling the camera so it can see the black LCD screen. Emma does almost exactly what Leigh was doing, angling the screen so that the light above them is shining on it, and then tilts the game back with exaggerated slowness.

Leigh: "Do you see something, too?"

Emma: "You know what... I kind of do."

Emma points her finger, and where the screen is beginning to darken, there are somewhat visible symbols, though the visibility is lower because it is being viewed through the lens of a camera.

Emma: "I think it's... oh, shit. It's like- it's a button combo."

Blaine: "What is it? Leigh, do you have a piece of a paper?"

Leigh: "Yeah. You guys didn't tell me what this was for- where did you find this?"

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Emma: "The less you know, the better. Here we go- it's so hard to see. I can't imagine how they'd have seen this fifteen years ago, when the screen wasn't an LCD."

Leigh: "Fifteen years ago? What are you talking about?"

Emma: "Write this down- that looks like... an A. So... A... B... A... Up-arrow... A... A... Left arrow... Right arrow... Down arrow... B?... A."

Blaine: "You're sure that's it?"

Emma: "Not exactly. They're so faint, it's ridiculous. I almost couldn't see them at all."

Blaine: "So, what, do we try to do it? Push the buttons in that order, I mean."

Emma: "I guess so."

The camera shows Emma pausing for a moment, before she takes a deep breath and, looking over the paper that Leigh offers her, she starts to slowly go through the series of buttons. There is no immediate screen change as she's pressing them, but the second she inputs the final command, the screen suddenly flashes a brilliant white, and instantly, maggots begin crawling under the screen- real maggots.

Emma immediately turns ghostly white and screams, dropping the handheld, but it's too late- there are maggots crawling up her hands and her arms.

Leigh shouts and immediately backs up, but Blaine, with heroic speed and effort, jumps to, dropping his camera on the bed as he immediately begins sweeping the maggots off of Emma's arms. As they land on the floor, he also immediately begins stomping them with more vicious intensity than is required.

The handheld game is still pouring out maggots, and the angle is too far for the camera to pick up anything being said on it. Emma is screaming and backing up toward the wall in horror; Blaine, still moving fast, disappears for a moment and reappears with a bag in his hands; he moves to pick up the handheld, but fumbles and drops it. A scourge of maggots burst out from seemingly the seems of the console.

Leigh has backed up to the door to the room, pale and gray and horrified, and Emma is looking ill. The maggots are bee-lining for her on the floor, and Blaine disappears again, no longer able to contain the console with just the bag. He returns quickly with a vacuum in hand, jams the plug in the wall in an impressive, one-move stunt, and flicks it on. The roar of the machine fills the room as he rushes forward to snag the maggots before they can reach Emma, and they are seen heavily thudding around in the clear container of the vacuum, still alive in spite of the journey it took to get there.

At last, there are no more maggots, and Emma is staring in disbelieving horror at the handheld console. All three of them are breathing hard and staring at the same object, at a loss for words. It is Leigh who speaks up first.

Leigh: "I suddenly don't think I want to know anything about this thing."

Blaine: "Probably for the best, man."

Leigh hesitates for a moment, looks between Emma and Blaine, sees Emma's obviously strong reaction, and turns and leaves. The two are by themselves, but it is several very long seconds before Emma speaks.

Emma: "How are you always so calm when this shit happens?"

Blaine doesn't answer. He checks the container of the vacuum and grimaces; the maggots almost look as if they're banging themselves against the clear plastic of the container. It's not effective, but it's unsettling.

Blaine: "They were aiming for you, specifically."

Emma: "Blaine. Why the heck aren't you freaking out right now?"

Blaine: "Another time."

His voice is so curt that Emma seems to realize that there is some reason behind his stoicism after all, but also seems to decide not to press it. She changes the subject.

Emma: "What does the screen say?"

Blaine gingerly moves over toward the handheld console, picks it up, and examines the screen. He looks for only a moment before his eyes widen.

Blaine: "It's a menu screen. There's a game listed there- just one."

Emma immediately stands up and, giving the vacuum a wide berth, she moves over to Blaine and looks at the screen. After a moment, Blaine walks over toward the camera, finally picks it up, and angles it toward the screen.

There is a single file titled "Caught You".

Emma: "Do we... play it?"

Blaine: "Not right now, and maybe not in my dorm room. I need to clean up my carpets."

Emma and Blaine look toward the horrible, pale mess of smashed maggots in his dorm room, and she blanches in disgust.

Emma: "You have an iron stomach, dude."

It is at that point that Emma's phone begins ringing, and it is evident from the ring tone that she knows who it is. She grimaces, slides the smartphone out of her pocket, and quickly silences the call.

Blaine: "No one important?"

Emma: "Not at the moment. I don't think I can deal with this, right now."

Unfortunately, after a moment, the phone starts ringing again. Emma pinches the bridge of her nose before finally answering the call.

Emma: "Hey, Keith, this is a bad time, can I call-"

She is silenced by someone saying something on the other end. The voice is not audible to the camera's microphone, but her expression begins to sour.

Emma: "I'm sorry, what the hell kind of business is that of yours? Did you maybe forget all the shit I've been through?"

There is another pause as she listens, and her expression sours further into disgust.

Emma: "Keith, I am currently with Blaine, and no, it still isn't your stupid business. Fuck off."

She angrily taps the button to hang up the call, an anti-climactic action for her obvious hurt and anger, and Blaine shifts in place.

Blaine: "Everything all right?"

Emma: "Peachy keen. Look, I'm going to go... take a shower."

Blaine: "Emma..."

Emma: "They were on me. I need this. Please. I need... I'll be back. I need a shower."

Emma looks at her hands, which are shaking, and she quickly grabs her phone and the game console before darting out of the room. Blaine stands for a moment longer, before sighing and ending the video right then and there.

--END TRANSMISSION--