2 Cards Pulled
8 of Clubs: Someone has been modifying files on your computer. What have they seen? What have they changed?
Ace of Clubs: You find a one-use portal in time that will give you 10 minutes to go back and correct something that went wrong. What did you do? How did it turn out? How do you feel now?
I am not sure how or why, but I am getting more and more convinced that my studio has a connection to the Game in some capacity. There is no other explanation to what happened today.
I got into work about thirty minutes early this morning, because I just couldn’t sleep. I seem to do that a lot lately. When I went to boot up my computer, I knew immediately that something was wrong. I know that I shut it down on Friday, but when I pushed the button on the screen, I was greeted with my desktop, fully booted and waiting for me. This could only mean one thing; someone had been using my computer. Dread pooled in my stomach as I carefully started looking through my files. I couldn’t find anything off in the files that concerned the project I was currently working on, but that was no longer true when I got to the folder of my personal files. I usually just kept text files in there for jotting down thoughts and ideas that I wanted to come back to later, but now… There was a new folder in there. I sat staring at it for several minutes before I had the courage to open it. The folder was named 11920, and I was scared of what I was going to find.
In the end there wasn’t much there. A text file and an image was the only things that had been added to my hard drive. I opened the image first, and thought that I would be sick. It looked like a frame from a security camera, and it showed the inside of a very familiar room. It was the escape room from this weekend. Even if I hadn’t recognized the room, I would have known when it was from. Because by the door, a hand reached out with the intent to touch it, was Joanna. This was her very last moment before getting electrocuted by the door. Feeling a chill through my body I scanned the image closely. I could see the shadows that indicated that the rest of us were there as well, but that was the only thing I could see. Changing my focus I looked at the file name, and bit my lip hard to stop from making a sound. ‘Could you save her?’. That’s what the image was named. They are taunting me I think. Especially considering what was written in the text file. But I am getting ahead of myself. At this point the others were slowly starting to trickle into the office, and I had to put the disturbing folder on hold for a few hours to work. I did copy the contents over to a flash-drive just in case someone decided to mess with my files again, and resolved to check the text file before going home at the end of the day. I sat on pins and needles all day.
As people started to leave the office, I made an excuse of wanting to finish up something before leaving. I don’t really remember what I told them I was working on to be honest, but no one questioned me. I could see Aleks giving me a long look before heading out the door, but he didn’t say anything. I appreciated that, because I don’t know if I could have kept up a conversation at that point. My hands were shaking as I opened up the folder that contained the new files. I had already looked at the image, now it was the text file’s turn. The file was called ‘Second Chances’ and I took a deep breath before clicking it open. I am not going to transcribe the full note here, because it was rather long and contained rather detailed instructions, but the cliff-notes are disturbing enough.
The note started with telling me to look in the cupboard of my work desk. There I would find a briefcase with a combination lock. The combination was also in the note. It went on to tell me how to use it. According to whoever wrote this, the briefcase contains a portal that would allow me to go back in time for a 10 minute period to change something that I did. A chance to correct something that I did wrong. It can only be used once, so I would need to think carefully about how I want to use it. If I want to use it that is.
I ended up taking the briefcase home with me, and it is now sitting in a drawer of my desk with every note that I have received as well as the flash drive with the digital notes. I don’t know what to do. I have thought about it a thousand times since getting home, but I can’t come to a decision. There are so many things that I could do, but I only have one shot. I need to be sure that what I do actually matters.
I could go back and not tell Joanna about the Game, but I don’t know if that would make any difference. The trip to the Escape Room was planned before she told me about it, they would go there even without her knowing.
I could go to the Escape Room and stop her from touching the door, but then we would be stuck in there. The note telling us about the levers to pull didn’t show up until after Joanna had already touched the door, and there was nothing to say that those levers were active before that point.
On the other hand, I could go back and try to save Aiden, but I dismissed that thought almost immediately. I have no idea when he actually died, and how, so that would be one big gamble.
At the end of all of this thinking I have come to a conclusion. I will not use the portal. Not today at least. I will keep the briefcase in my drawer, along with the file telling me the combination to open it, but I will leave it there for the time being. I might figure it out one day and I might not, but I will not use it until I am completely sure that it will make a difference.
For now, this is Kit, Player Number 11 9 20, signing off.
Ending Roll: 5; Tokens Left: 10