“Nathan, are you coming downstairs for dinner?”
A knock sounded on Nathan’s door as he heard his mother’s voice. Twelve-year-old Nathan was playing a shooter video game on his computer. He was a tall, dark-haired kid with green eyes. He was good in the games; he liked shooting, killing aliens, and whatever obstacle was in his way. Nathan’s favorite shooter video game was Destiny Franchise. Tonight, he was playing a Destiny 2 story game online, but the website suddenly shut down. He switched off his computer and then switched it on again. He logged onto the game website, but he found a new creepy game which involved killing aliens. It was a new Destiny 2 story developed by a crazy fan who loved the game. The Bungie logo had been replaced with the logo of a dragon with a human leg sticking out of its mouth. Nathan loved this new game.
The graphics were so real that blood splashed all over his screen whenever he killed an alien. He felt a rush of adrenaline as he fired a series of bullets into an alien’s head.
“Nathan.” Mommy called.
“I’m coming.” Nathan said.
“Hurry up; you know it’s rude to keep people waiting,” Mommy said.
It was Nathan’s dad’s birthday, so they had guests in the house.
“Do you want to upgrade the game to reality mode?”A feminine computer voice asked.
“Yes.”
“Are you alone? The reality mode is hazardous and should be played when you are alone.”
“Yes.” Nathan lied.
A screeching sound filled the air and Nathan’s room appeared on the computer screen. The other parts of the house also appeared on the screen. Nathan could see the guests downstairs; his grandfather was in the kitchen, while his mother was outside his door.
You were warned.
His heart pounded in his ears, and he knew something crazy was about to happen.
You lied. Do you take responsibility for whatever happens tonight?
“Yes,” Nathan typed.
A red glowing light flashed out of the computer screen. He was mesmerized by the light. Nathan’s eyes slowly transformed until they were glowing. He felt a burning sensation in his head, and he cried out. He staggered out of the room, moving his arms around, to find his way.
“There’s an alien behind you.” The computer voice whispered in his ears.
Nathan whirled around, grabbing a fire poker which was beside the staircase.
“Nathan, are you alright?” His mother asked.
He lifted the fire poker above his head as he approached her. She took a step backwards as fear coiled around her. Nathan looked different and scary.
“Somebody call the cops!” She screamed.
Nathan heard the alien’s screeching sound. He aimed the iron fire poker at the alien, and it pierced the creature’s stomach. Nathan pulled out the iron and licked the blood on it. He kicked his mother’s body, and it rolled down the stairs, dropping on the floor with a loud thud.
Nathan’s family rushed out of the dining room. They screamed when they saw the body on the floor. When Nathan looked at his family, he didn’t recognize them. He thought they were aliens; his father looked like a dangerous predator. He threw the poker at his father, and it went through his heart. The others screamed and ran towards the door. Nathan looked at the door, and it closed. The guests and Nathan’s siblings screamed as they tried to open the door.
Nathan’s older sister, Anne, called the cops as she hid under the dining table. Nathan stood over his father’s body and stabbed the iron into his chest several times. Blood splashed onto his face while he laughed mechanically.
Nathan thought he was still playing the game. He loved the upgraded version of the game, it looked so real and the aliens’ bloodcurdling screams echoed in his ears. Nathan stabbed the iron into his father’s heart and ripped it out. He rubbed his fingers on the bloody organ in his hand, it felt warm.
Anne crept behind her brother and jumped on him. Nathan hurled her against the wall, and her skull cracked. Thick grayish matter trickled out of the sides of Anne’s face as she slumped on the ground. Nathan looked at the guests who were at the door, trying to open it. He grabbed a man by his collars and stuck the fire poker into his mouth, blood rushed out of the man’s mouth and dribbled down his white shirt. Nathan felt a rush of excitement at the sight of the blood; he slid the iron into the man’s right eye and poked out his eye.
Nathan threw the body on the floor and strode towards the others. The door suddenly opened, and some cops rushed in, with guns in their hands.
“Step back.” The cops yelled.
The lights in the house suddenly went off, and the computer in Nathan’s room shut down. He crashed to the ground; convulsing and then he became unconscious.
Several hours later, Nathan woke up in a mental hospital. His hands and legs were chained to the bed.
He was never the same again.
He always felt an insane urge to kill; sometimes, the urge was so strong that he ripped off the flesh on his arms with his teeth.
Nathan’s grandfather told the cops that something in the game changed his grandson, but no one believed him. The cops checked Nathan’s computer, but all they found in his browsing history was a link to a harmless shooter video game.
