Cybered Out

You awake cold and tired. You aren't sure where you are or how you got here. Around you, you can see alleyways intersecting in an almost maze-like fashion. In the distance, you can see some neon signs, but not quite what they're advertising. Focusing on the immediate area, you see a few other people in a similar situation. It's hard to tell if they're just sleeping or dead. None of them are moving. Examining yourself, you notice a few key things. You're not wearing much for clothing, your left arm isn't made of flesh like your right one, and you can only see out of one eye. Upon further experimentation, you realize you're missing your right eye. Sitting in the alley, nearly nude, missing an eye, and tired, you try to remember what happened that led you to this unique circumstance. The only thing you can remember is being in a nightclub and hearing gunshots before everyone panicked and fled. You try to remember where the nightclub was in town, but it doesn't come to you. //It can't be far// you think to yourself as you slowly get to your feet. You have a few things you can do from your feet. You can examine the other bodies around you, go left, or go right. Looking left, you see more alleys intersecting and going who knows where. Looking right, you see more of the alley you're in and then what's clearly a street. [[Bodies->Comrades]] [[Left->Alleyway Agility]] [[Right->Street Sanctuary]] <img src="Images/Awakening.jpg">

You go left from where you woke up and straight into a mass of alleys leading off in various directions. It very much resembles a maze. After a slight curve in the alley you awoke in, you can see a street and some neon signs at the other end. It's hard to make out what the signs are for at this distance and with only one eye. There's an alley to your left which seems to go uphill, and then an alley to your right that looks like it does the opposite. Remembering you have nearly no clothes on and you're missing an eye, maybe leaving this downtown area is a good idea. But, you also have this feeling that you need to find this nightclub and figure out what happened that led to this. [[Go downtown->Nightclub Night!]] [[Go uptown->Going Residential]] [[Follow this alley->That Part of Town]] <img src="Images/AlleywayAgility.jpg">

Examining the other bodies in the alley around you provide some more details about how the previous //night// went. It appears as though everyone else is dead. You feel sick, like you shouldn't even be alive right now. //The world can be cruel// you mumble. You don't see any clothes that would fit you, unfortunately. Most of them are a bit bloody anyway so it's probably not a good idea to take them. At least your most intimate parts are covered, the essentials. Still, the city is cold, especially at this time of night. You'll be mildly uncomfortable until you can find actual clothing. Since the rest of this area is pretty empty, you can go left to the labyrinth of alleys or right to the street. [[Labyrinth of Alleys->Alleyway Agility]] [[Street->Street Sanctuary]] <img src="Images/Comrades.jpg">

You turn and head up the alley to the street. When you reach the street, you look around for anything that would help you find out where you are. After a quick scan, you still don't know where you are. There's dozens of neon signs long the street, nearly all of them are on and advertising something. The ones in the distance are hard to make out clearly, but the nearer ones are obvious. Most are advertising bars and eateries, there's one that's obviously a strip club, but not one that's a nightclub like you were in. Looking down the street, you see a lake that you can only assume is horribly polluted. Looking up the street, it looks like there's more city before things get more residential. The city seems pretty active for this time of night, but with all those neon lights people probably don't sleep much. //With a missing eye and nearly no clothes, is it really best to stay where tons of people are?// You ask yourself. [[It's fine!->Nightclub Night!]] [[I better go somewhere less busy->Going Residential]] <img src="Images/StreetSanctuary.jpg">

Nearly clothes-less and one-eyed, you make your way downtown in search of wherever that nightclub is. At least there's plenty of people to ask, though there's also a lot of nightclubs that could be dead ends. You have quite the task ahead of you to be sure. There's a few options for where to start your search. You could just wander the streets and ask people you come across, or you could attempt to jog your memory by going to every night club in the city. Either way, seems like it'll likely take a long time. You could also just call it a night and search tomorrow. [[Street information->Word on the Street]] [[Nightclub window shopping->Clubbing]] [[Call it a night->Going Residential]] <img src="Images/NightclubNight.jpg">

The city pretty quickly switches from bustling to nearly empty. However, this part of town looks incredibly expensive. You close your eye and try to remember anything you can about this area. After a few moments, you remember that this is where the corporation houses its employees. You nearly gag at the thought of exploring this area much, you clearly don't like corporate workers as with most people. Although this is a less busy part of town, staying here in your condition might bring unwanted attention. As you're stopped, thinking about what to do, the layout of the town starts to come back to you. If you keep going this direction, you'll eventually hit the college district which is the largest district in town. It's the right time of year for the district to be full of students. Perfect place to blend in, but you're still missing clothes and an eye. Looking behind you, you can see most of the downtown district. At first, it's almost too much for you and your brain wants you to shut your eye. But you quickly adjust with a few blinks. It's a sea of neon and loud music, you're suddenly glad you decided to go away from that. Thinking about what you can do next, you think of only two things. You could stay in the corporate area and maybe try to //find// some clothes or you could go right on through to the college district and see what's going on there. [[Corporate clothes work->Corporate Conundrum]] [[College time->College Daze]] <img src="Images/GoingResidential.jpg">

You follow the alley you awoke in and it spits you out onto a street that goes downtown, uphill towards a residential area, or straight. Following the road straight ahead leads you to a pretty lifeless part of the city. Not tons of lights or tons of people, it seems strangely empty for a city of this size. Continuing along the street, you pass a few people who are definitely down on their luck. Many of them look like they might've went down the path of drug abuse. Drugs these days are something else, some of them just kill you outright. It's beginning to seem as though you've made it to //that// part of town. Things are getting less and less inviting the further along you go. As you start thinking about it, there's really only two ways to proceed. You can try to find a place around here to spend the night, somewhere is better than nowhere. You could also turn back and go a different direction. [[Time to sleep->Goodnight Sweet Prince]] [[Turn around and go downtown->Nightclub Night!]] [[Turn around and go uphill->Going Residential]] <img src="Images/PartTown.jpg">

You walk down the street where all the corporate workers are housed, looking for a place to //borrow// some clothes from one of them. You pass by many houses searching for an open window, door, //something// that would let you gain entry to get some clothes on your back. You pass a total of 16 houses before you finally see an option. There's a second story window on a house that's sitting wide open. It //is// on the second story though. As you're examining the area, you see light pouring out of the rear of a house across the street. Two options for getting clothes stand before you. The climb to a second story window, or what's likely a back door across the street. [[I prefer the back door->Back Door Bites]] [[I can make that climb->Willingly Window]] <img src="Images/CorporateConundrum.jpg">

You decide to walk right on by the residential area, "dirty corpos," you cough out as you pass by and head into the college portion of town. Turns out your instincts were correct, there's a //ton// of students present. And //all// of them are giving you looks like you don't belong. After all, you //are// missing an eye and clothes, so the looks are somewhat deserved. Your idea of blending in here clearly aren't going to pan out, at least not in this state. You could always just go get clothes from the corporate housing, but you still won't blend in here. You'd have to go downtown and hope for the best. You //are// looking for a club, so maybe going downtown is the best option after all. What do you say, go downtown and search there now or go find clothes in some corporate house? [[Downtown, now->Nightclub Night!]] [[I want some clothes first->Corporate Conundrum]] <img src="Images/CollegeDaze.jpg">

You decide that walking along the street and asking people is probably the easiest approach, especially with one eye. You'd be one hell of a sight in a club in your current state. The people you approch don't seem to know what you're talking about, and some even flat out ignore you when you approach them. That is, until a one-armed man changes everything. His eyes widen when you ask him about the club, "ya remember that too? Nothin' else come to mind?" "Yeah, were you in there with me?" You ask. "Got no idea," he shakes his head, "but I can help ya look for it?" "Wait," you request, "did you wake up near a whole bunch of bodies too?" "Yeah, think the club will have bodies around it then?" "Oh, it might," you admit, "I hadn't thought of that. Let's see what we can find then." "Want me to lead, or d'you wanna lead?" [["I'll lead."->Leading]] [["How about you lead."->Following]] <img src="Images/WordStreet.jpg">

You don't trust the people on the street enough to ask them for any help, understandable. So, one-by-one you walk into clubs looking for one that jogs your memory. Probably the longer of the two options, but the one you're ultimately more comfortable with. Surely you'll find it eventually, right? After checking out fifteen different clubs on the street, you finally see one with a dead body leaning against it in the alley. //This has to be it//, you tell yourself as you approach the entrance and scan the area at the same time. You walk into the club, scanning your surroundings the whole time. It's scarily empty and dark. You can barely see your hand in front of you as you wander the dark interior. Suddenly, lights flick on, temporarily blinding you. "''SURPRISE!''" Many people shout at once, voices from everywhere around you. You stand there, completely shocked and utterly confused. Words escape you as everyone approaches you wearing party hats. "Happy birthday!" They all cheer and someone holds their hand out to you, your eye resting in their palm. The confusion doesn't leave you. "Th-thanks?" You finally manage once your eye is back in your head and you can fully see again. As you stand there, thinking, memories come flooding back to you. It felt almost as if someone tore down a wall inside your mind. You remembered mentioning some crazy shit in a very drunken state. Apparently your friends and coworkers took it seriously. "Did you guys kill all those people?" "What?" Someone responds, "no, we stole those bodies. The one outside the club was just Bomb being the great actor he always wanted to be, he's right over there now," they pointed to Bomb, who was perfectly fine and just had some red painted on him and his shirt. Well, happy birthday to you, champ! <img src="Images/Clubbing.jpg">

You begin looking for a place to spend the night. After all, you have been tired this whole time. But where to stay? That's the question now. Many of the houses around you seem to be abandoned, at least as far as you can tell. It's hard to tell since they all have lights off and no visible cars near them. Many of these homes look like they were built before the expansion of the city. They have two stories at the maximum, but most only have one. As you're inspecting a home that looks particularly welcoming, you hear talking coming from inside. It's hard to tell what they're talking about from your position close to the street. You could get closer and risk getting caught, or you could move onto the next house on the street even if it looks less inviting. [[What are they saying?->Stranger Danger]] [[Like the wind I'm gone->House Next Door]] <img src="Images/Goodnight.jpg">

You decide to eavesdrop on the conversation going on inside the house. Well, more of an argument since you can hear it from the street. As you properly approach the house, it becomes more obvious what the people are arguing about. You manage to piece together that they're a couple, but one of them was cheating on the other. You're not sure which did the cheating as they both look equally upset. That's when the woman inside the house spots you and points you out to the man she's arguing with. The man turns around and looks at you, his eyes glowing a dark red as he charges out the front door and straight toward you. He runs up to you and punches a hole straight through your neck, killing you near-instantly. ''GAME OVER'' <img src="Images/StrangerDanger.jpg">

You decide to move on from the house with talking people inside, they probably wouldn't welcome your eavesdropping anyway. You continue up to the next house on the street, most windows are completely gone. You firmly believe nobody lives here after noting that. What convinces you fully, though, is that the door is only hanging on by one hinge. You waltz right inside and see nothing of note besides a pretty worn couch in what must be the living room. You decide it's comfortable enough to sleep on and settle down on it. Surprisingly quickly, you're asleep on the couch. Turns out it //was// comfrotable after all. You don't wake up. ''GAME OVER'' <img src="Images/NextDoor.jpg">

You decide that climbing is the safer of the two options, even with only one eye. You walk toward the wall, arms outstretched until you make contact. //Thank god these are stone walls//, you tell yourself as you find footing on the outer wall. You begin your ascent to the window and get up to it without much trouble. As you're hanging from the windowsill, you take a deep breath and peek inside to see a master bedroom before you. //This place is bigger than my apartment//, you tell yourself as your hands start to ache from hanging on the windowsill. You climb inside the house without issue and spot the closet. As you approach it, the door slides open silently and closes behind you. One side is clearly women's clothes, and the other must be her husband's. You put on some clothes, these people dress like cartoon characters it seems. You shrug as you exit the closet again and realize you have another choice to make. The window is the way you came in, but what about just leaving through the front door? [[The way out is the way in->Defenestration]] [[Front door is easier->Front Door Exit]] <img src="Images/WindowTime.jpg">

You lead the man down the street, scanning for bodies outside nightclubs as you approach them. You walk by twelve more nightclubs before finally seeing one with a body slumped up against the side of it in an alley. "//Bingo!//" Your comrade whispers to you as he points to the body. "This isn't looking good," you tell him cautiously as you scan the area with your singular eye, "see anything we should be worried about?" "Unless my eyes are lyin' to me, nothin'. Think it's safe to go in?" "One way to find out," you mumble, "let's go." You both walk into the club, scanning your surroundings the whole time. It's scarily empty and dark. You can barely see your hand in front of you as you wander the dark interior. Suddenly, lights flick on, temporarily blinding you. "''SURPRISE!''" Many people shout at once, voices from everywhere around you. The man you came in the building with slaps you on the back and chuckles, "oh man, we got ya good!" You stand there, completely shocked and utterly confused. Words escape you as everyone approaches you wearing party hats. "Happy birthday!" They all cheer and someone holds their hand out to you, your eye resting in their palm. The confusion doesn't leave you. "Th-thanks?" You finally manage once your eye is back in your head and you can fully see again. As you stand there, thinking, memories come flooding back to you. It felt almost as if someone tore down a wall inside your mind. You remembered mentioning some crazy shit in a very drunken state. Apparently your friends and coworkers took it seriously. "Did you guys kill all those people?" "What?" Someone responds, "no, we stole those bodies. The one outside the club was just Bomb being the great actor he always wanted to be, he's right over there now," they pointed to Bomb, who was perfectly fine and just had some red painted on him and his shirt. Well, happy birthday to you, champ! <img src="Images/Leading.jpg">

You follow the man down the street, scanning for bodies outside nightclubs as you approach them. You walk by twelve more nightclubs before finally seeing one with a body slumped up against the side of it in an alley. "//Bingo!//" Your comrade whispers to you as he points to the body. "This isn't looking good," you tell him cautiously as you scan the area with your singular eye, "see anything we should be worried about?" "Unless my eyes are lyin' to me, nothin'. Think it's safe to go in?" "One way to find out," you mumble, "let's go." You both walk into the club, scanning your surroundings the whole time. It's scarily empty and dark. You can barely see your hand in front of you as you wander the dark interior. Suddenly, lights flick on, temporarily blinding you. "''SURPRISE!''" Many people shout at once, voices from everywhere around you. The man you came in the building with slaps you on the back and chuckles, "oh man, we got ya good!" You stand there, completely shocked and utterly confused. Words escape you as everyone approaches you wearing party hats. "Happy birthday!" They all cheer and someone holds their hand out to you, your eye resting in their palm. The confusion doesn't leave you. "Th-thanks?" You finally manage once your eye is back in your head and you can fully see again. As you stand there, thinking, memories come flooding back to you. It felt almost as if someone tore down a wall inside your mind. You remembered mentioning some crazy shit in a very drunken state. Apparently your friends and coworkers took it seriously. "Did you guys kill all those people?" "What?" Someone responds, "no, we stole those bodies. The one outside the club was just Bomb being the great actor he always wanted to be, he's right over there now," they pointed to Bomb, who was perfectly fine and just had some red painted on him and his shirt. Well, happy birthday to you, champ! <img src="Images/Following.jpg">

You jog across the street to the house that's spilling light out of its rear. As you approch the gate to the backyard, you hear two things that make you stop in your tracks. First, you hear a dog bark. It's hard to tell just from the bark how big the dog is, but the bark alone is enough to make you rethink the choice. Dealing with a dog wouldn't be fun now, would it? The second thing you hear is what really gives you pause, it's a person. "C'mon boy, time to come in, I need to get back to sleep," the person sighed, "I don't have time for this, c'mon." Trying to steal clothes from a house with a dog //and// someone who's awake, not a good combo. You turn around, disappointed that you now need to climb up to a window. [[Naturally->Willingly Window]] <img src="Images/BackyardNo.jpg">

The window it is then! You stride back to the window, confidence coming back now that you're clothed. Even with your eye missing, you feel more complete with clothes on, especially so since you'll be outside again. You slip outside the window and begin your descent, which goes rather smoothly. //Alright, now I can go downtown and find this club//, you tell yourself before leaving the house behind and walking downtown. [[Making my way downtown->Nightclub Night 2]] <img src="Images/Yeet.jpg">

You decide that the front door will be the easier route instead of climbing down the stone wall. After all, houses have //stairs// that lead downward instead of a ninety-degree wall that needs to be scaled. You grab the knob of the door and turn it while pushing the door. It creaks loudly and you quickly realize you opened the //bathroom// door. Plus, now the occupants of the bed are moving. It's too late to get to the proper door and get out the front. You turn to the only option left, the window. [[Yeehaw!->Defenestration]] <img src="Images/Bathroom.jpg">

Now clothed but still one-eyed, you make your way downtown in search of wherever that nightclub is. At least there's plenty of people to ask, though there's also a lot of nightclubs that could be dead ends. You have quite the task ahead of you for sure. There's a couple options for where to start your search. You could just wander the streets and ask people you come across, or you could attempt to jog your memory by going to every night club in the city. Either way, seems like it'll likely take a long time. [[Street information->Word on the Street]] [[Nightclub window shopping->Clubbing]] <img src="Images/NightclubNight2.jpg">