The next morning.

Lying in bed, motionless, with his gazed fixed on the ceiling fan slowly revolving above him. Emotionally adrift, Alex grappled with an uncertain mix of feelings.

Sensing a deep inability to remain in his state of sadness and despair, his thoughts drifted back to the cryptic message that had arrived the previous night.

"It sounds too good to be true, but what if it is? What if I could leave the mess behind and start anew? It's just... difficult to imagine. Why did I receive this? What's special about me?"

With a pitiful deep sigh, Alex reluctantly stood up and slowly dragged himself out of his messy room and across the hallway to use the bathroom. Alex stopped in his tracks after catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

"I look like... like.. shit."

Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Alex couldn't help but criticize his disheveled and unkempt appearance.

Alex never cared much for his outer appearance as he believed if he never left the house, there'd be no one to judge him. Though this was the first time Alex had really caught himself at his worst.

His usual semi-clean hair now a stark contrast to his current state. Now his hair was a tangled mess, strands sticking out in random directions as if they hadn't met a comb in days. Dark circles hung prominently beneath his bloodshot eyes; evidence of many sleepless nights spent lost in turbulent thoughts. His clothes, which had already been in bad condition, seemed intricately worse.

His blue Gun's and Rosies shirt contained rips and freshly made armpit stains from days of use. Stubble had grown on his face, neglected and uneven, alerting him how long it's been since his last shave. A stale air of neglect and exhaustion that seemed to envelop him, manifesting in his slouched posture and lethargic movements, as if every step he took required an immense effort.

Standing back and looking at himself in whole, he judged his appearance to truly mirror the turmoil within, a reflection of the emotional turmoil that had engulfed him for the past eight days.

Shamefully averting his gaze from the mirror, consumed by disappointment in himself. Alex let the impromptu reality check settle in as he sat and relieved himself, lost in his thoughts. Finishing up and washing his hands, he paused, peering deeper into his reflection. He allowed himself to confront his image entirely, taking in every aspect.

In this introspective moment, a flicker of motivation ignited within. Instead of dismissing these newfound feelings, he seized them firmly. Change beckoned him. A yearning for purpose stirred deep within, propelling him toward a newfound resolve, and Alex listened.

Leaving the bathroom, heading back to his room, Alex sat at his computer and re-read the message sent to him.

From: PRI12ta

"Do you want to play a game? Are you tired of your pitiful daily life and longing to experience what it's like to have every decision you make mean the difference between life or death? Reply YES if you want the power to change your determined fate."

"I don't know if this will even change anything, but I don't have anything to lose. I want change. Besides, I doubt anything'll happen."

Alex then replied, "YES"

Letting out a deep sigh as he pressed the enter key, releasing his hands from the keyboard and staring intently at the computer screen, anticipating a response.

"PRI12ta is typing..."

From: PRI12ta

"Excellent, you've made a great choice! Go about your day as normal, Alex Strong."

Alex looked at the message, completely baffled.

"How the fuck!? HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?"

Typing urgently, attempting to comprehend why this stranger knew personal information about him.

From: CaptainJellyFART13

"HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW MY NAME? I'VE NEVER TOLD YOU WHO I WAS! WHO DOXED ME? IS THIS A PRANK? HEY START TYPING! DONT MAKE ME GO FIND U YOU PIECE OF SHIT! WHAT'S YOUR NAME HUH???"

Shocked by the sudden mention of his full name, Alex continued typing, hoping for answers. However, no response came from the mysterious individual. Alex continued to stare at the message, waiting anxiously.

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Three minutes passed while Alex continued to have a stare down with his computer, unblinking. Then surprisingly, another message appeared.

From: PRI12ta

"Alex Strong, your assimilation into the system will begin when the local time is 1900. Best of luck Mr. Strong."

"What? What the fuck does that mean? Assimilation? What the fuck are you talking about? Wait what time is it?"

Alex checked the time and was shocked to see the time the mysterious individual mentioned was only six hours away.

"Holy shit, this.. this can't be real. It has to be some sort of joke, I mean I talk to a lot of people on Discord, so one of them must just be playing a prank. I shouldn't have done this."

As Alex pondered, he couldn't think of anyone other than Suzie who knew his full name. But even in the midst of their messy breakup, he couldn't fathom Suzie orchestrating something like this.

"It has to be someone else, but who?"

With no clear suspect coming to mind, Alex unrelented and decided that if something were to happen in six hours, he'd be safe. He didn't plan on leaving the house anytime soon, nor did anyone know where he lived. These thoughts brought some peace to his overly anxious mind.

"I've never told anyone where I lived, that'd just be stupid. This person may know my name, but they won't know where to find me. Besides we have plenty of weapons in the house."

Feeling the weight of exhaustion from sleep deprivation and hearing his stomach grumble, Alex decided that it was about time to grab some food and maybe catch a nap afterward. As he made his way downstairs to the kitchen, an eerie silence enveloped the house. His mother wouldn't return from her late shift until much later tonight, working tirelessly to make ends meet.

Entering the kitchen, Alex surveyed the space with a discerning eye. His family wasn't affluent, but the kitchen was well-maintained, a testament to his mother's dedication to cleanliness. However, Alex himself rarely contributed to household chores, his mother seemingly never requesting for his help. Though, his father harbored strong disappointment towards Alex's choices over the years, seldom engaging with him.

Despite the strained family dynamics, Alex unabashedly raided the kitchen shelves indifferent to the mess he left behind for his mother to clean. He made three PB&J sandwiches and grabbed a party-sized bag of BBQ Lays before ascending the stairs, seemingly unconcerned about the aftermath of his actions.

Those in Alex's circle wouldn't characterize him as a responsible adult. Most would steer clear of any mention of him altogether, avoiding discussions involving his name.

Upon hearing these opinions, Alex paid little attention and dismissed them as mere jealousy. In his view, those individuals were simply envious of him.

Seated in his computer char, Alex placed his food on the desk and launched YouCube. He randomly selected a video, put headphones on, and settled in, ready to spend his time indulging in a combination of eating and watching random YouCube gaming videos.

Alex had become increasingly confident in his assumption that nobody would come, reasoning that no one knew his address. While they might be aware of his name, he couldn't picture any serious harm coming from someone knowing just that.

After spending three hours engrossed in random YouCube videos, a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him. Despite the fatigue, he still had some unsettling thoughts of potential danger lingering in his mind. Rashly dismissing the unsettling possibility, he decided a nap wouldn't hurt and reasoned setting an alarm just five minutes before the said "assimilation" was to happen.

"Hey Ulexa! Set an alarm for 6:55PM."

"Alarm set for 6:55PM"

Now with a contingency plan in the form of a set alarm, Alex felt reassured enough to allow himself a much-needed nap.

Turning off his monitor and rising from his chair, Alex rolled up the bag of BBQ Lays and placed it atop his computer. He then proceeded toward the bed covered in scattered letters and lay down, preparing for his nap.