Game Glitch

I sit there blankly, staring at my monitor.

It is 11:30 at night. I am in my office, trying to put the finishing touches on the game before tomorrow's demo.

On my floor, I see no one around. It is as silent as a dead town. I can hear the sound of my own breath.

I cannot think of anything else.

All I can do is try to shut my computer down by force.

I mean, how do you explain that a character from the game you are building has suddenly started talking to you?

We do not have any AI system built in. At least, not that I know of.

I am scared.

The character is looking right at the camera, as if there is a real camera in front of it. He is staring straight at me.

"Hey... why do you have me trapped here?"

I do not know how to respond.

I hurriedly search for the power button. For the first time in three months, I cannot find it.

The system is not responding.

I try to pull the plug directly, but for some reason, I cannot unplug it.

Even if I scream, I know for sure that no one will come.

"What are you trying to do?" the character lashes out.

For a second, I freeze. His voice is filled with anger.

It feels like I am inside a horror movie.

I speak slowly, still trembling.

"Nothing."

"Then try to get me out of here... I hate this place."

"But..."

I cannot muster the courage to question him.

"Uh... I couldn't hear you," the character shouts.

"Sorry..."

"What are you sorry for? I don't know how I got here, but if you don't do anything in the next five minutes to get me out, it will be very bad for you."

Just as he says that, the lights on the floor start to flicker.

"I don't know how to get you out. I don't even know what you are."

At this point, all I can think about is running away from whatever this situation is.

But if I do anything wrong, or fail to have the demo ready tomorrow, the company will suffer a major loss.

I try to compose myself and start talking to the pixel character.

We are not building a horror game or anything like that.

"You don't know? Then what are you doing here? What is this place?"

I do not know how to explain things to a character that has somehow gained consciousness.

Should I tell him that he is not real?

That he is part of a game we are developing?

Would he even understand that?

In that moment, I think about what would happen if, one day, a giant being came down from the sky and told us:

"You are in a simulation. You are just a program in a game."

Everyone would lose their minds.

"You are part of a game we are developing," I say.

It is the only thing that comes to mind.

"Game?"

The lights flicker again.

"Yeah... but who are you? Do you have any memories of your past?"

I feel stupid asking that.

The character tries to recall something. His movements are so smooth, smoother than anything we have ever rendered, even with the best graphics technology we have.

"I... I don't recall."

I do not know what to say.

Before I can think of anything, one of the light bulbs on the floor explodes.

My computer suddenly turns off.

A chill runs down my spine.

I grab my bag and run as fast as I can toward the exit of the building.

What the heck was that? Am I overworked and hallucinating... or did that really just happen?

I leave the building with that thought running through my head.

Just as I sit inside a cab, my phone buzzes.

A notification from an unknown number:

"You can't leave me here."