"Brother I will be going to the cram school okay?"
"Okay, see you later."
The apartment's door was shut roughly and the lights shook and flickered then returned to normal.
In the end of the apartment 's narrow lobby, was a slightly opened door with blue and red lights peaking outside of the room, some yells, laughs and talking could be heard from the same room, as if few people are inside but there was only one person.
This person was a russian college dropout,a young adult at twenty three years named Alex Ivanov.
Alex's parents abandoned him and his brother Jones when they were kids. There small uncle took them in but soon he died, his wife never loved them and would always scold and beat him and Jones so the moment her husband died she kicked them out. At that time Alex was just a high school student who had no way of earning money.
He started earning small amounts of money by doing part time jobs. The money was very tight so Alex couldn't proceed any further in his studies when he finished high school.
Alex didn't want Jones to end up like him so he never cut down any money on Jones's studies and did his best to support him as an older brother.
Later on things got in a better state so they were able to afford a proper living apartment for them, it wasn't much rather small but was good enough for a cozy proper living, also it was still hundred times better than what they used to stay in.
He started gaming when he was still in high school in his friends computer but eventually stopped since he didn't have enough time nor did have a device of his own.
But one fine day he remembered that he was pretty good at gaming so he decided to give a visit to the local PC cafe.
That's when Alex began his career as a game steamer and social media user.
It didn't take long until his skills in gaming was noticed and also appreciated. He opened a social media account and topped to five million followers, of course it wasn't just his skill and talent that got him so much attention but also the looks he had.
Click click , Tap Tap tap
"Better luck next time buddy! What you wanna go for another round? Come on I don't have all day...okay this is the last one."
Alex tapped, clicked and talked for the next three hours. Every time was the last one but he seemed to be stuck in a time loop, although he really didn't want to stay in front of the monitor all day but the people kept on offering him money to compete with them and he couldn't resist money since it was never enough for his brother's tuition fee and study material.
His brother loved studying and learning a lot but to be able to do that he needs money, of course Alex wanted nothing but happiness to his brother so he kept on giving Jones money.
Jones was always very grateful towards Alex for giving him a lot of money but there was so many things he wanted to learn yet, so Alex tried giving him more to be able to do want he wants but it took so much money so Alex had to accept the other players offers in order to give Jones the brightest and best future.
"Ahh finally! I am so tired...why do something I love has to end up a must to do...whatever I need some rest." Alex jumped on his bed and started at the ceiling for a while until his eyes begun closing, slowly he was drifting into the other world at least he feels like that when he sleeps.
"Where am I? Oh the other world..." Alex mumbled in his sleep while dreaming.
His other world was white, nothing else was present just emptiness. In a blink of an eye he was in his room lying down on his bed like a dead starfish on the sea bed. Alex got up and looked around him, looking for something in specific although he didn't know what he was looking for exactly but everything was normal to him, nothing different, strange or extra.
"what am I looking for this time?" Alex asked himself not interested whatsoever.
"Nothing." Alex's other self blankly replied back in his head.
"Then stop bothering me I just want sleep soundly until Jones returns back home okay?" "Now shoo."
"I am afraid I cant my self." Alex's other self continued talking to Alex as he slowly took the same form of Alex just with different eye color in front of the real Alex.
"Why is that? I don't want go there again. There is probably something you can do about it." Alex was not a single bit surprised from what just happened.
"No I cant. And by the way you brought this upon yourself also I enjoy seeing you like this my other self!" The second Alex's lips curled into a sinister mocking smirk on one side of his face.
Suddenly Alex's body started randomly walking in circles. He didn't even give the command to his body to do so. Obviously it was the other Alex messing around with him.
"Stop messing with my head, what is this? Your making me walk in circles like some sort of a brainwashed chicken. Its not even funny." As much as Alex wasn't impressed his other half was dying laughing.
Alex stopped going around himself and walked out of his room then out of his apartment until he was on the main road between fast moving cars. Honking and yells were directed at him because he was in the middle of a six lane road doing nothing at all.
Right when a truck was about to hit him somebody threw him to the other side of the road. Alex tried getting up but his body was suddenly too heavy and his vision was hazy, all he could see was a girl in a school uniform on the ground with a pool of blood around her head and a man calling someone on the phone next to the girl.
Alex's world was slowly fading away, the sounds became distant and abstruse, the surroundings became vague and obscure, then everything and everyone went black.
Alex thought he was about to die once again until he opened his eyes only to see his brother Jones crying while holding his hands.
Alex was confused but he recovered fast, since this thing happened everyday for him so whats so new. He already knows that the girl from earlier died and her family cried a lot, he also knows that he broke his hand, nose and few ribs and ended up in the hospital, a lot more happened at the same day but he didn't want remind himself again.
Alex got up from his bed and yawned, He walked to his bathroom only to see his hair forming a funny crown on his head indicating the way he slept.
"Ugh I really Just want sleep without seeing this every single time...I am really gonna kill the other half. I don't know how but this cant continue. At least I woke up earlier than usual or else all that drama would've went on till the end.
Alex came out of the bathroom and checked the clock on the wall, he pondered on why Jones haven't came yet it was already past the time he returns from the cram school by thirty minutes.
He took his phone and called him several times but Jones didn't answer a single time. Alex frowned then grabbed his jacket. Just when he was about to head out to search for Jones a notification rang from his computer.
Alex ignored the notification but the computer suddenly opened and started glitching even after he shut it down. Alex got confused and closed the computer from the power button, the screen went black, after few seconds it opened again displaying a website that Alex never saw or opened before.
He sat down and begun reading its contents with a puzzled expression.
[You're invited to the mafia game.]
[Press the icon below to read the policies and regulations to continue.]
Click, click
[Do you agree with policies.]
Click
[NOTICE: You can't exit the game after entering until the game is finished.]
"What kind of game is this, I thought the mafia game is a practical game, well whatever let me agree and check the game later."
Alex agreed on the terms then left the apartment without closing or checking what the tab displayed on the screen.
[You're role is a citizen.]
[Half-witted Rogue is you're nickname.]
Alex got out out of the apartment's building and attempted to call Jones again.
"What a load of garbage how can I possibly play that game just by typing, its probably a scam."