Game Over Novels & Stories

"I don't like where this is going." --- Twenty minutes later... George stared at the board. "...You've trapped my queen." Lee nodded. "I have." George sighed. "There goes my plan." "You had a plan?" "I thought I did." Lee couldn't help laughing. "Check." George looked down. "...Already?" "I'm afraid so." George studied the board for another minute before finally smiling. "I surrender." Lee extended his hand across the table. "Good game." George shook it. "That wasn't a good game."

Shane’s voice was steady, though his hands clenched tightly. “She looked out the window when the voice said not to. They don’t like it when you disobey.” “The what?” Shane didn’t answer her question right away. His eyes lingered on the girl with the rose blooming from her mouth, then slowly turned back to Farrah. “The ones who run this… whatever it is… they call it a game,” he said quietly. “But it’s not a game anyone wants to play.” Farrah’s hands clenched into a fist… “She’s dead, isn’t she?”

I could feel my hands trembling. “Mm-hm,” the voice purred through the speakers. “Car crash, overdose, bullet — doesn’t matter. Point is, you’re toast. Gone. Bye-bye, reality. But don’t pout! Because you’ve been invited to play a game. And not just any game…” The mask on the screen tilted, smiling wider. “Win,” it said sweetly, “and you get a second chance at life.” I stared at the screen, completely frozen.

I found myself in a stark white room packed with people. The system's robotic voice announced, "Welcome, all 100 players, to the Survival of the Poorest. Starting funds: 50 dollars. Objective: Survive 7 days inside the game. The winner gets 1 million dollars in prize money! Overspending, dying, or stepping outside the designated area will be treated as a forfeit, and you will carry one million dollars in debt." Then, with a sly tone, it continued, "Now then, do any cowards want to back out?"

It was close enough that every person in the hall accepted it without question. I did not accept it. I said nothing. "Game Three begins in four minutes," the voice crawled continually. "No rest period. The game is called Dead Weight. Each player will be assigned a partner by the system. If your partner dies during the game, you lose two lives. If you cut the chain yourself, you will be executed immediately… No exceptions." The screens on every wall lit up simultaneously. A list of names in paired columns scrolled until it stopped. I found my name on the left side.

"I understand what you are saying, sir, but I trust you more at this point and I easily get scared nowadays" "Ava, listen to me. You can't be scared or weak right now. Have you forgotten what you are up against? If you want to get revenge you need to forget about fear! You need to fight your fears and overcome your demons. I do not know who you are up against but I know you need to build your confidence and self-esteem first before you can stand and beat your chest and say you are ready"

The game was over. This was not revenge anymore. This was war. And Maya was no longer playing it. She was ending it. No matter what it cost. No matter who had to die. She was ending it.

I swallowed hard and obeying our contract I stood in front of him, trying not to be intimidated by him. "It's time for an end." He said firmly. I just gave him a questioning look as he continued taking a circles around me and speaking each sentence by lowering his voice and with more amusement, "The end of this game." "You gave very little time left for your game, Garnet." "You might lose because you have pushed me past my limits." He stood in front of me with a smug look, looking thrilled and furious at the same time as he spoke his last sentence in a whisper,

even was. It told me: [Conditions unmet. Mission will initiate upon sufficient capability and target reacquisition. Program will remain active until completion.] Because it had no emotions, it gave me books—endless books—to study. I crouched in front of her, the hatred in my eyes no longer hidden. "I wanted you dead. How could I ever fall in love with you?" With that, I got on my bike and sped off. The private investigator, Callum Vance, whom I hired also sent me good news.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself inside a game world. The title "Family of Four" screamed wholesome parenting sim to me. I quietly looked around at the other players who had entered with me. A lot of them were terrified of this new environment, and several men were cursing loudly. Among the crowd, a veteran player named Mike Bates started explaining the situation. "This is an infinite horror game. The only way to clear it and revive is by getting an SSS rating. Otherwise, you will be killed by the boss." "How do you even get that kind of rating?" a college girl asked.