I woke up in a bus. I looked around disorientated. This game was different from the others that I played before. For one, it didn't use the StaViCon avatar but my real appearance. For two, I  didn't know what the damn game was about. 

“Last stop TownCity. Last stop Town City.” The speaker inside the bus announced over the engine noise.

The bus stopped in front of a gas station. The driver turned toward me.

“Young boy, you should get off. The bus is going to the depot.”

I got off seconds before the bus departed. There were a few people at the gas station but they were merely minding their own business. They bought gas and whatever they needed. No one paid me any attention. The town proper started a few hundred meters away. I went to check it out. 

There were two streets that crossed each other. And that was it.  It took me 5 minutes to go from one end to the other. There was nothing interesting to see. There were 3 shops that looked outdated. Two trucks were parked in front of a diner. Otherwise, the place was deserted.

I stood like an idiot in the middle of the street wondering what-the-hell I was doing here.

“Status.”  

[quart=Name, Age] Akira Lu, 15[/quart]

Supervisor

Dr Jennifer Sterling

So the game was part of my therapy. I understood now why Jennifer asked me to play a game with her. However, that still didn't help me to know what I should be doing here.

“Skills.”

You have no skills for the time being.

At least, I could gain skills. So what was I supposed to do? Stand here and hope for the best?

An old man came out of the diner. He stared at me with curiosity filling his eyes. I stared right back at him with a don't-bother-me-look. He looked like a busybody that wouldn't give up until he knew my life story. And sure enough, he came to me.

“Hello! I haven't seen you before, you must be new in town. I'm Terrance Gridd, you can call me Grandpa Terry.”

“Hello! Yes, I'm new. Name Akira.”

“So what brought you to our little town, Akira?”

I stayed silent. I didn't know how to answer that question. Should I say that I tried a game and ended up here? Or should I make a lie? My silence seemed to be answer enough for him. He asked me another question.

“Where are you staying?”

“I don't have a place yet. I just get off the bus.”

“Well, the town doesn't have an inn nor a motel. We don't get strangers often. I have an idea, why don't you stay at my house, I have a room I don't use.” His proposition was nice but I had to refuse.

“Sorry, I don't have money.”

“Don't worry about it. If you need a job, the diner is recruiting.”

“Akira!” A female voice called my name. Jennifer Sterling, my psychiatrist ran toward us.

The old man's face darkened as he saw her. “So you're insane like the rest.”

“What?”

Before he could explain what he meant, Jennifer had already joined us.

“Akira! You should have waited for me before coming here.”

“Why?”

“I'm your doctor, I have to help you adapt here.”

“Adapt? What do I need to adapt to? There's nothing here.”

“TownCity is a place where we can assess and improve your interactions to the general population.”

“I never had trouble with anyone in the 'general population' as you put it.” Affronted at what she implied, my tone was harsh. She made it sound like I was not right in the head.

“Akira.” She called my name showing a little impatience.

“No. I have a place to stay and I'm going to apply for a job at the diner. So, see ya.”

I dragged the old man with me. At first, I wasn't going to accept his proposition but it was a good way to piss her off. She  would see who had trouble interacting with the 'general population'.

Grandpa Terry had been silent with Jennifer around. But as she stayed behind and didn't pursue us, he started talking again.

“So you're one of the insane people the doctors brought every once in a while?”

“I'm not insane. I just have too much on my plate and I needed a break. At first, I thought that I needed a shrink but now, I'm not sure.  Having two shrinks fight on your lawn can put doubts in anyone's mind.”

“Two shrinks fought on your lawn?” He asked in disbelief.

“Can you believe it? Even the police was called. I was so embarrassed.” I lied a little. The scene the two doctors caused didn't embarrass  me as much as it amused me but I needed to look sane.

“I see. So why did you follow them here?”

“My parents, you know.”  That was something I learned early. Very few people would ask you what you meant when you say 'you know' at the end of a sentence. Basically you could say anything and put a 'you know' at the end and people would make their own idea about what you wanted to say.

This time it also happened this way. The old man made his own idea about what I said. 

“So your parents left you with one of the fighting doctors?”

“Yes and no. They let me come here but I have to make my own way, if you know what I mean.” I didn't know what I meant but he seemed to get it. He led me inside the diner where I talked to the owner.

In real life, I would never have taken the old man on his proposition even if I wanted to piss someone off because he was a stranger but in a game, of course, I would do it. There was nothing to fear.  In a game there wouldn't be perverts or psychopaths, even more so in a game where a shrink monitored me. 

After the meeting with the diner's owner, I went to check out the old man's house. I regretted following him. His house was on one of the two streets the town had. It was small and kitsch as hell. A white picket fence surrounded a small garden that had seen better days. The walls were yellow. Inside wasn't any better. The wallpaper was an ugly orange, the floor was a green and yellow checkered carpet. The furniture looked like they had been in fashion a century ago in the middle of the 1950's. However, that wasn't the problem. The furniture showed their age and the layer of dust on them didn't make things any better.

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Inside the house, the sunlight didn't enter. Light bulbs at the center of  the ceiling cast  surreal shadows over the rooms. My imagination went on overdrive. At any second now, I  expected a zombie to come out. The place had the same feeling that the city in Zombie Apocalypse had. 

I wanted to turn around and go back to Jennifer. Wherever she wanted me to stay couldn't be worse than here. My reaction to her words had been childish. I should stop trying to anger people when they hurt me. It was destructive and in the end, I was always the one that regretted it. But old habits died hard. I was sure that this kind of situation would come again and that I had to learn to lie in the bed that I made for myself. 

I stomped down my uneasiness. Grandpa Terry's place wasn't my idea of a welcoming home but apart from that, I didn't have any reason to leave. 

“The house is small but it's enough for me.” 

The size wasn't the problem but I didn't tell him that. He led me to a guestroom at the back of the house. On the way, he showed me the kitchen, the bathroom and where his bedroom was. 

“You can stay in this room.” Contrary to most of the house, the guestroom was devoid of dust but the décor was still as bad as the other rooms.

I didn't stay  in this room. We didn't even stay in the house. 

“It's time for dinner. I always take my meals at the diner. Come, I'll treat you.” I smiled and nodded at what he said but in my mind, I was cursing him. Couldn't we just have stayed at the diner, take our meals and then come to the house rather than leaving the diner, coming to the house, going back to the diner and coming back again at the house?  

The diner was more crowded than it was before. People from different ages mingled together in the building. I was surprised at their number as I thought than the town couldn't hold that many people.

Their friendliness felt forced as Grandpa Terry made the presentation. I didn't mind it though. I understood that they were wary of an unknown kid showing up the way I did.  Their eyes filled with curiosity and veiled apprehension but they kept their questions to a minimum. 

After having our meal, we went back to the house. The sun had already set. The shadows inside the house were more pronounced than during the day. 

“Well, I'm tired. I'm going to sleep. You can watch TV if you want. Good night!” Grandpa Terry went to his bedroom.

“G'night.”

Staying alone in the sitting room wasn't my idea of fun. I checked out the TV but there was nothing interesting to watch. I went outside to maybe find something to do but the town was dead-silent. None of the residents could be found on the streets. The diner and the other shops were closed. A police car parked in front of me. 

I rolled my eyes in disbelief. History was repeating itself. I hoped that this time I wouldn't get arrested. 

“You're the boy staying at Grandpa Terry's house. What are you doing on the streets at this hour?” A man dressed in a khaki uniform rolled down the car window. His tone was filled with suspicion. I remembered him, he was one of the people I met earlier.  

“I couldn't sleep and I thought that the diner would still be open.”

“It closed a few minutes after you left...”

“Oh! Okay, I'll go back to the house.”

“Get in, I'll bring you back.” 

“No need, It only takes a few minutes to go back.”

“I insist. It's not safe to wander at night alone.” I accepted the lift even though his persistence felt weird. As I predicted, it only took a minute to reach Grandpa Terry's house. 

“You shouldn't stay out at this hour, you don't know what could happen to you.” I shook my head to dispel the curious idea than sprouted in my mind. His words felt like a threat but it couldn't be true. 

The game was therapeutic. I had a psychiatrist monitoring me. There couldn't be anything dangerous in it. I reasoned but the feeling I felt gave me a cold shiver. I went inside the house without turning back. 

My heart beat loudly. Inside the guestroom, I laid on the bed. I tried to slow down my breathing. The game wasn't as good as I thought it would be. 

“Log out!” Nothing happened for few seconds. I frowned in worry when a notification appeared in front of me.

You can't log out until the 12-hour restriction has passed.

WTH! I wanted to leave and I couldn't because of some restriction I never heard about. I had played this game for less than two hours, I had ten more to wait. I sighed and kept on taking deep breaths. I didn't want to have a panic attack. I was stuck in a game in the middle of the night with absolutely nothing to do but sleep.

My rising panic was brought to a halt when something scratched the window. I raised my head from where I laid. I stared at where the sound came. A creak sounded just outside my door. 

I got up. I heard whispers outside the room. I didn't understand what they said. 

“Hellooo! I know you're here so come out.” I shouted as hard as I could. I didn't feel like going outside and confront them.

A loud bang on the door startled me. I held my hand above my heart feeling like I was in a bad dream.  I screamed as the glass  window shattered. 

WTH was going on? Wasn't this game safe?

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