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Ricky lives in a studio apartment with a single window covered by curtains.
The small room includes a minifridge, a gas canister stove top, a single-size bed, and a separate bathroom.
On one end of the studio is a $2000 gaming computer set up with all the peripherals any teenage boy dreams of.
He does not remember how long he's lived here and he does not remember the last time he spoke with his parents.
Ricky left their house after high school.
He does know that every weekend he live streams playthroughs of horror and survivor games.
It's Sunday and he wakes up from a restless sleep. He must have been in bed for 12 hours, yet he still feels groggy.
He sits in front of the monitor with his headphones on and a mic in his face and sits in front of his neon-lit monitor.
(sound of game booting)
"Trepidation controlling the avatar through a dimly lit corridor. Damp side effects cursing through the headphones. In the distance, flesh tearing sounds emit drawing attention, and pressing R1 we draw our pistol (with the flashlight in the other hand.) Walking towards the sound, we find through the pillars a large presence, noticing our light. It raises its head, standing hunched over and hitting the ceiling. Pale, fleshy, and in one hand a body, a doctor with his head missing and ribcage bursting out of an empty chest. Slowly approaching, the monster reveals a hideous face with greasy black hair stringing down its forehead and teeth inside the eyesockets".
He reacts to how unimaginative the writing is, how repetitive the jokes are, and overall just how dull it is.
But he cranks them out for the sponsors pay for his viewership.
He edits the video and uploads it onto Youtube titleling it 'Hollow Forest; Chapter Eight'.
As he uploads the video he browses his library and notices the previously uploaded video is titled 'Hollow Forest; Chapter Eight'.
Curiously he clicks on it and watches himself reacting to the same episode, but with more enthusiasm.
Ricky does not remember this at all.
How can this be?
He swears he remembers playing the last chapters of the video game.
He goes back to his uploads page and is surprised to see all of the videos are of chapter eight!
He scrolls way down to the oldest video and loads and jumps to its page.
It's Ricky reacting to the same episode hooting, gasping, and cackling over the shenanigans and spectacles on the screen.
He scratches his head in confusion clicking back and forth with his mouse on the different uploaded videos.
A gleam of light flashes between the curtains from outside catching his attention.
He looks over at the window and gets out of his $800 gaming chair to open the curtain.
It's been so long since he was outside.
He pulls the curtains open to reveal a lush green park outside, the sun beaming its light and birds chirping in the distance.
"Since when was this park there, and what the hell am I doing in here?"
Ricky looks and finds his shoes in the cluttered studio apartment and goes for the door.
He intends to go for a walk, but he never comes back home.
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