I look blankly at the screen, as the credits roll and I feel my hands tightening on my mouse.
"Ridiculous, one hundred plus hours and I can't find a damn thing. Not one good ending." I stand and stretch, more out of restlessness and frustration than the need to.
Looking around my apartment I look to see if my delivery had made it, heading to the door I step over the litter and trash strewn about the floor. Mostly diet soft drinks and water bottles, with the occasional pizza box.
I open the door slightly, satisfaction stricken on my face as I see a small wooden box lying in front of my door. Opening the door slightly more I look around my hallway, caution on my mind I step outside.
"Well shit" on my door next to the handle, a notice. I rip it off "a one month notice to vacate or be forcibly evicted. Fucking bullshit." I crumple the paper and throw it into my apartment kicking the box in along the way, slamming my door shut behind me.
Setting the box on my table, I analyze it a bit, bolted shut I'd need a screwdriver to open it up. Scratching my chin I head back to my pc.
Closing the credits, I reload back to a save before I had completed the final mission. Frustration once again filling me as I close the game and look for another possible ending.
"This fucking game, one hundred hours." My teeth's now gritted I scrolled through the eight possible endings where my favorite character survived. "And not a damn thing."
The game was called afterlife. It was a single player rpg, set in a dystopian fantasy world where magic wasn't so magical and machine turned into a cancer on humanity. Corruption, drugs, war crimes, gang violence, any manner of deplorable acts are explored in this game. It reminds me of the city I currently occupy if I'm being honest, especially with the apec happening downtown not too long ago. The riots and chaos in the streets were something you'd see in the game.
My favorite character, Xia tian or known as melody was doomed in this game, no matter the ending, she was doomed from the start, like the character you play as. She was a psychic, could read minds and warp reality, the daughter of two gods from a prequel book series. Her parents dead she was abducted and treated as a weapon by the government and its people. More war machine than human. The premise of her character was that she would end up betraying you to save her own skin but end up dying no matter the outcome. Her will to live and be free no matter the cost struck a cord with me, seeing her perspective as almost the antithesis to mine at the moment.
Her will to live and be free struck a cord with me, reminded me of my youth, a time not to long ago where I craved for life. And I wanted that for her, more than my own characters survival.
Scrolling further I see a possibility of a better ending. Closing the window I open the game back up, reloading a save from a couple of days ago, I go through the quest that leads to a decision on the final outcome of the game.
My character, Tyr, holds melody in his arms, her form unconscious and fading black veins potruding from her porcelain face. Tyr stands face to face with the only person he thought he could trust.
"James, it didn't have to come to this." Tyr says, the rain heavy as they both stand atop a skyscraper. "Just let us walk."
The moon casting enough light above, the neon lights shade the man's face in darkness, his hood unable to hide his glowing blue eyes, half lidded and sorrowful.
"I'm sorry friend, but I have my orders." He says brandishing his sidearm. "And I agree, it didn't have to be this way, hand the weapon over and leave." He raises it pointing at us both.
"You're a coward, I hope you know that." Tyr says, grit in his tired voice. "Using any means necessary to dodge accountability. You say it's an honor to serve, but you don't know the meaning of the word."
"You-" James takes a deep breath, his shining eyes now covered by his lids. "You wouldn't get it. Neither of you would. Hand her over or die." He says opening them up again.
"To get to her, you know I'd have to be dead for that to happen." Tyr says, steady and confident. Taking a last glance at melody, her withering form still and lifeless.
"I know." James pulls the trigger, the golden light rips through the air.
Tyr turns, covering melodies lifeless body with his own, as the bullet rips through his back and out the front of his chest. Tyr takes a knee, his breathing heavy and haggard. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls a detonator.
"We're free Mel, finally." Her back against his knee, he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, looking at her pale form, the restless nights and long battles evident on her face. Pulling the trigger the building erupts, the bottom floors going first as it channels its way up.
James puts his gun away, his form portraying that he had accepted his fate.
Still holding melody, Tyr collapses, placing her to his side. Both of their bodies lie, still and motionless. The night being lit up by orange and blue flames as the building is blown to oblivion.
"Huh." I say, a little more satisfied with this ending. My eyelids feel heavy, my mind drowning in melancholy.
This is a rather quick ending, I had the option of giving Melody up or killing James and escaping. Killing James would have ended with a long drawn out sequence where Tyr would revive Melody but later she is captured by a separate group and is tortured to death to revive her parents. Giving her up would result in her being revived by the government and becoming a super weapon for the government and she then secretly contracts Tyr to kill her as a final wish.
"Only freedom in death, fitting name for the ending." Sitting through the prologue, seeing no morgue or burial for either of the characters, the friends that Tyr had were busy hiding or fighting against an unjust government and world. The only person who would have mourned for Melody died the same night she did. Sighing I stand.
"Time for my own freedom" I say making my way to the wooden box. Looking at the bolts on the box, I pick it up and smash it against the floor. "There we go."
The insides of the box now strewn across the floor, looking at the items I take a step closer. My jaw clenches, my old shit from my locker down at the precinct.
Rummaging through the trash I make sure to look for a specific item.
"I know it's here somewhere," rummaging through my assortment of shit, old badges, fake ID, random shell cases and a gold bar, some bloody clothes. "There it is." I say picking out a picture from the mess.
The picture was of two men, ones arm around the others head in a friendly embrace.
"be joining you soon friend" I say pushing the picture into my pocket. I look around at the mess and see it, my ticket to freedom. A point twenty two revolver.