Chapter Text
Chapter 1
==> John: wake up…
Your name is John Egbert and you have just woken up from this really weird dream. You were supposed to be playing some sort of reality altering game called SBURB with some friends you were supposed to have met through the internet. And it’s funny how all of it felt so real yet none of it really was.
“John! Your friend’s here!” You heard your father shouting from downstairs.
You took a quick glance on your clock and you noticed how late it was and how stupid of you to forget what day it was. Today was supposed to be the day you and your friend would watch the new movie that just came out a few days ago.
You took a quick shower before changing into a new set of clothes. You decided to wear one of your favorite ghost shirts. If people saw your dresser, they would definitely say most of your shirts looked the same. But you swear they were all different even though they were right. But that’s enough of your stupid choice of clothes because it was getting late and you didn’t want to keep your friends waiting forever.
Downstairs, you caught the glimpse of one of your friends. She was looking at the television and had her back turned on you. You decided to surprise her.
“What took you so long?”
Scratch that idea. You should have known that won’t work on her. Who we’re you kidding anyway? This was Ms. Lily Camberg, the self proclaimed genius in school and the only girl you can’t successfully prank even if your life depended on it.
“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting here for you to come down?”
“Hey, I’m sorry. I had this really weird dream and kind of slept overtime. How about I treat you to something later?”
She gave you a sly smile but nodded to your proposal none the less.
“That would be delightful. Anyway, we better get going. We don’t want to miss the show.”
You gave her an okay and the two of you walked out of the house. It’s been a while since you’ve gone out with her like this and to be honest, you’re a little nervous. You don’t know when it started but recently it felt more and more awkward for you to go out with just the two of you. But for some reason, today also felt different. As if there was this nagging feeling there was something wrong with this scene but you just couldn’t put your head into.
“Are you finally going crazy?”
Her words snap you out your own thoughts.
“You’ve been staring into space a little bit too serious since the last intersection. Is there something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. Something just feels off that’s all.”
You gave her a reassuring smile, but it didn’t seem to work. She gave you that if-you-spill-you-guts-I’ll-kick-you-hard-on-the-nuts look and you know she wasn’t joking when she told you that threat with just her eyes. Maybe you should go back to her fist question and answer yes.
“Something about this feels wrong. I don’t know how to say this, but maybe going to that movie isn’t the best idea.”
She stared at you for a few seconds before bursting into laughter, wiping away the few tears forming on her eyes.
“You might really be going crazy on me. And here you were the one who was really excited about going when you invited me.”
You wanted to retort but she held on to your hand, catching you by surprise.
“Don’t worry too much. There’s no way there could be anything wrong about this. We’re just two friends going out to watch a movie, nothing more, nothing less. Okay?”
You chuckled to her encouragement and smiled. She returned your smile and the two of your walked off. Maybe she’s right. Maybe it’s just your imagination. But why is this feeling still nagging you? You returned her hold on your hand and held it tighter. You knew she felt it too, and held onto you tighter as well.
==> John: Watch Movie…
You were surprised to see the cinema packed with people when you came in. It wasn’t usually this pack when it was the fourth showing. Was the movie that good?
“Maybe it was a bad idea to come,” Lily teased. You gave her the look and she smiled. “I’m kidding, but seriously. I never thought it would be this popular. Some of these people might have even watched it more than once already.”
You nodded. But as she opened her mouth to say more, the lights turned off and the projector started.
“Oh, look. It’s starting.”
She quickly sat back down her seat, and concentrated on the movie. You couldn’t help but smile before turning your attention on the screen as well. But what you saw wasn’t something you expected.
The burning town, the screams for help, everything was the same. They were all the same with the ones you saw in your dreams.
“Where the FUCK is that fool!”
His voice seemed familiar to you.
“He… disappeared… I’m not quite sure. I can’t find him anywhere in this universe.”
Her voice as well… why do they seem so familiar?
“Maybe he finally found her dead girlfriend…”
“Don’t say that, Dave!”
Dave? Wasn’t he one of your supposed friends in your dream? He’s the ironic one if you remembered correctly and your best friend.
The screen pans out and there stood the guy who’s suppose to be Dave with his blonde hair in disarray, surrounded by some other people you remembered seeing before. They looked like they just got into a big fight with all the tattered clothes and what looked like scattered robot parts.
“Is there something wrong,” the person on your right asked.
You looked to your right and there sat a girl with sunglasses. Wait, sunglasses? Who the fuck wear sunglasses in a cinema? But that’s beside the point right now.
“Excuse me?”
“You seem to be quiet troubled so I thought maybe something was wrong.”
“I-it’s nothing… really.” You chuckled nervously.
“If you say so,” She replied and gave you a last smile before going back to watch the movie.
You weren’t quite sure on what happened. But you decided to just ignore it and go back to the movie and surprisingly, everything seems different. There was no sign of Dave or any of the other people you recognized from your dream. Even the town was different. How much of the movie did you miss to not notice the change?
“Hey, Lily,” you called out gaining the blonde’s attention. “What happened to Dave and the others?”
“Dave? What are you talking about?”
“You know, Dave, the guy wearing sun glasses and the red stupid outfit. He’s in the movie.”
“You might really need professional help, John. There was no such person in the movie. And if there was, I would have definitely remembered him.”
You couldn’t even reply. What was she saying, there was definitely someone named Dave in the movie. You can even remember that Jade girl shouting at him for some reason.
You quickly turned back to the person at your right but someone else was sitting there.
“Hey, do you know where the girl went?”
“Girl,” the guy beside you asked.
“Yeah, the one sitting at your place before you know… you sat at it.”
“Dude, there was no girl sitting here. I was the one sitting here since the start.”
What is he saying? You’re sure the one beside you was a girl and not some sweaty guy drinking Faygo. You wanted to shout at him, but the words wouldn’t come out. You just weren’t sure enough if he was actually messing with you or he’s actually telling you the truth. And by the way he’s staring at you dumbfounded. You have to say he’s quite serious with his answer.
Then what’s happening exactly? Is everyone in cahoots trying to mess with you? Or are you actually going crazy? Bit you were sure of what you saw. Fuck, you were sure of everything. You fucking saw those scenes and you fucking did talk to that girl.
You decided to run out of the movie and to try to look for that girl. But the instant you stood up, you felt this unbearable pain in your head. It was as if the entire world was shaking as you tried stood. And it wasn’t long before everything started fading away. You could hear people shouting at you to sit down and Lily asking you what’s wrong. But their voices were getting weaker and weaker by the second. And you know any minute now you would just…
==> John: Blackout