The Simulation

Good morning, and welcome to your first day in the simulation! Today, we'll be evaluating your mental state. We need to check for any irregularities before you're allowed to leave our facility. If you're lucky, you'll only need to go through the simulation once. Rarely anyone gets stuck these days, but keep an eye out for any bugs in the program. We'll do our best to guide you through the day, but try not to die before the end, alright? We can only do so much! Ready? [[Let's begin.->The First Choice]] [[Sources->Sources]]

You slowly come out of simulation-sleep. Your toes tingle and your head is fuzzy, but otherwise you feel fine. When you sit up, you see that you're sitting in a bedroom with blue walls and black carpet. There are two doors on your right. The one closest to you is labeled [[Bathroom->Bathroom]]. The [[other door->Explore]] is unlabeled, and you assume leads to the rest of the house. There are no decorations on the other walls, but there is a window to your left. You get off the bed and stretch before looking outside. You see a small backyard occupied by a single maple tree with yellow and orange leaves. A Doberman is leashed to the tree and is sleeping in the grass.

Sources: Heavy Breathing and Heartbeat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQs3BP9iBko

You walk into the relatively large bathroom. The sink is white marble and the shower is spotless. You see a toothbrush, toothpaste, and face wash on the counter and are suddenly very aware of how stale and grimy your mouth and skin feel. You check the [[shower->Get Clean]] and see body wash but no shampoo or conditioner. Next to the sink, a stench is eminating from under the closed toilet lid. You lift the lid and [[gag->Explore]]. The toilet is full of regurgitated sewer water and what looks like vomit. The green and brown swirl together and stain the [[toilet bowl->Clean the toilet]]. Your eyes are burning.

You walk out of the door with no label and enter a simple gray hallway. A beautiful grand staircase is directly in front of you and leads downstairs to what appears to be the [[foyer->Downstairs]]. To your right, there is a dead end with a [[picture->Picture]] hanging on the wall. To your left, hallway stretches into [[darkness->Darkness]].

You exit through the unmarked door and step into the hallway. To your right, there is a dead end with a picture hanging on the wall. To your left, the hallway stretches into darkness, so you descend the beautiful grand staircase that is directly in front of you. At the bottom of the staircase, you are greeted by a lush purple carpet with red dots. There is an umbrella next to the front door directly in front of you. To your right is a door labeled Kitchen. To your left is a family room with a sliding glass door that leads into the backyard. You cross through the family room and attempt to open the sliding glass door, but it's locked. You [[look->Search]] for a way to unlock it, but it seems to be [[locked->Break lock]] from the outside. The Doberman has lifted its head and [[stares->Harass]] directly at you.

You lower the toilet lid and leave the door open in hopes that the stench will air out. You decide to shower first. When you turn on the water, it is the perfect temperature. Your plain gray clothes are left in a pile on the floor as you quickly step into the shower (you don't want the hot water to go to waste!). Although the shower curtain is white, you can't see through it. You wash your body methodically; chest, legs, arms, neck. It is suprisingly relaxing. While turning off the water, you realize that you didn't check for any towels. You open the curtain and are surprised to see a folded light blue towel sitting on the counter. For some reason, this does not bother you. You dry off with the light blue towel and pull your clothes back on. While you brush your teeth, you think about what to do next. The Simulation is meant to be like a real day, but you feel a bit lost. You consider going to see the Doberman in the [[backyard->Glitch Backyard]], but you're curious about the rest of the [[house->Glitch House]].

You decide that you can't walk away from such a mess. You check under the sink and are pleased to find rubber gloves, bleach, a toilet scrubber, a plunger,and a folded light blue towel. You pull on the rubber gloves and attempt to flush the toilet. Most of the filth goes down on the first flush, but when you try a second time it gets clogged (you don't even try to guess by what). You spend several minutes unclogging the toilet with the plunger, and by the time you're finished, you're positive that your nose hairs have been completely singed off. After another flush (no clogs!), you use the scrubber and bleach to tackle the stains. 20 gruelling minutes later, the toilet looks almost brand new! You peel off the rubber gloves and wash your hands at the sink. While washing your hands, you think about what to do next. The Simulation is meant to be like a real day, but the instructions were not clear about what your goals are. You consider going to see the Doberman in the [[backyard->Safe Backyard]], but you're curious about the rest of the [[house->Safe House]].

You exit through the unmarked door and step into the hallway. To your right, there is a dead end with a picture hanging on the wall. To your left, the hallway leads to more unlabeled doors, so you descend the beautiful grand staircase that is directly in front of you. At the bottom of the staircase, you are greeted by a lush purple carpet with an intricate red design. There is an umbrella next to the front door directly in front of you. To your right is a door labeled Kitchen. To your left is a family room with a sliding glass door that leads into the backyard. You cross through the family room and slide open the glass door. The Doberman perks up immediately and begins wagging his tail. You smile as you apprach and let him sniff your hand before you pet his head. The dog whimpers, and you follow his gaze to a [[green ball->Play]] on the otherside of the yard, just [[out of reach->Harass Transition]].

You walk out of the door with no label and enter a simple gray hallway. A beautiful grand staircase is directly in front of you and leads downstairs to what appears to be the [[foyer-> Safe Downstairs]]. To your right, there is a dead end with a [[picture->Safe Picture]] hanging on the wall. To your left is another dead end.

You exit through the unmarked door and step into the hallway. To your right, there is a dead end with a picture hanging on the wall. To your left, the hallway leads to more unlabeled doors, so you descend the beautiful grand staircase that is directly in front of you. At the bottom of the staircase, you are greeted by a lush purple carpet with an intricate red design. There is an umbrella next to the front door directly in front of you. To your right is a door labeled Kitchen. To your left is a family room with a sliding glass door that leads into the backyard. You cross through the family room and slide open the glass door. The backyard has dead leaves on the grass and several scattered about, but the Doberman you saw from the window is gone. You take a step further into the backyard and check the tree, but the chain that the dog was leashed to is hanging limp and unbroken next to a [[green ball->Play]]. A growl rises from behind you. You turn around slowly and see the Doberman, hackles raised, standing between you and the [[glass door->Run Inside]].

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You walk down the stairs and are greeted by a lush purple carpet covered in [[red stains->Carpet]]. There is an umbrella next to the [[front door->Leave]] directly in front of you. To your right is a door labeled [[Kitchen->Kitchen]]. To your left is a family room with a sliding glass door that leads into the backyard, but when you check it, it's locked.

You step closer to the picture on the wall. The frame is old and cracking, completely different from the well-finished house around you. The picture is of a young boy with blonde hair. He's off center, as if the person taking the picture changed their mind at the last minute. The boy is not smiling, but holding something black and red in his hands. You squint, but can't make out what he's holding in the dim light-. A shiver runs down your spine. You decide to go [[downstairs->Downstairs]] and return if you find a flashlight.

You begin walking down the hallway. The light fades behind you until you can no longer see your hand in front of your face. After a few minutes walking in the dark, you notice the breathing behind you. You stop walking and hold your breath, thinking that it's the sound your own breath bouncing off the walls, but the sound of breathing and footsteps that are not your own continue. You take a cautious step forward, listening carefully to where the sound is coming from. The cautious step becomes walking. It's probably just a bug in the simulation, you think. A hand brushes the back of your neck. You break into a run, but the breahting and footsteps are right behind you, always following. After running for what seemed like hours, you finally see a light up ahead. The breathing and footsteps grow quieter the closer you are to the light. When there if finally enough light to see your surroundings, you realize you're walking into the same hallway that you had left from. You are facing the [[deadend->Picture]]. The door to the bedroom is to your right. The [[stairs->Downstairs]] are to your left.

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You kneel and look closely a the red spots that are scattered unevely across the carpet. The spots are matted together unlike the fluffy purple sections. When you touch it, your hand comes away wet. You stare at the redness on your hand, uncomprehending, before it hits you. Fresh blood. You scramble backwards and wipe your hand on your pants. Someone's blood is on the carpet. You look around, but nothing else is out of place. You can hear your heart pounding in your chest. You don't think this is supposed to be a part of the Simulation. You need some time to think, so you pause the Simulation.

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You grab the green ball and smile at the dog. He barks and presses his paws into the ground, ready to play. He doesn't have a collar, so you call him Buddy. He doesn't seem to mind. You don't know how long you play catch with the dog, seeing how high he can jump while on the leash, but it makes you happy. You almost forget that you're in a simulation. Buddy runs to a corner of the backyard to go to the bathroom, so you sit under the tree and sigh. You decide to pause the simulation after such a good experience.

You laugh at the dog when you realize it can't reach the toy. Instead of pushing the ball within the dog's reah, you place it just a few inches out of range. The dog struggles against his leash with a growl and you laugh even harder. You're laughing so hard you don't notice that the chain break until the dog is running gtowards you. You take a step back but the dog is already tackling you to the ground. It snarls in your face and you shut your eyes. You're sure that your body parts will be strewn across the yard in a matter of minutes, but then the growling stops. The pressure on your chest eases, and when you open your eyes the dog is gone. You sit up and brush yourself off with shaking hands. You decide you need a break and pause the simulation.

The Doberman's growl intensifies at he takes a step towards you. Without hesitation, you run past the Doberman and towards the house. The dog bites at your ankles but you leap over him, barely catching yourself before you fall. The dog's bark shakes your bones as you launch yourself through the glass door and try to slam it behind you, but a yelp cuts through the air. Your hands shake as you look down. The Doberman's head is caught in the sliding door. His head is turned at an unnatural angle. You take a step back in disbelief at what you've done. You're about to [[turn away->Turn Away]] when you hear a [[desperate->Kill the dog]] whimper from the dog.

Your heart is pounding. You can't do this. You turn away from the dog. WHimpers chase you up the stairs and into the bedroom. You sit on the bed with your head in your hands. You can't hear the whimpers anymore, but the sound echoes in your mind. You can't do this. You decide to pause the simulation.

You can't leave the dog to die. You slowly open the sliding door and hear a sickening crack as the dog slides down onto the floor. The dog's chest is moving rapidly and you want to cry, but you have to do this. You use the umbrella from the foyer to stab the dog through its eye. It twitches for moments after, but at least it isn't whimpering anymore. You put down the bloody umbrella and sit your head in your hands. The room is silent, but whimpers echo in your mind. You can't do this. You decide to pause the simulation.

You step closer to the picture on the wall. The edges of the frame are worn comfortably, as if someone frequently runs their fingers along the brown trim. The picture is of a young boy with beautiful locs weawring his Sunday best. He's off center, as if the person taking the picture changed their mind at the last minute. The boy is smiling, and you can't help but to smile too. You step away from the picture with a warm feeling in your chest and walk [[downstairs-> Safe Downstairs]]

Before you can walk down the stairs, there is a glitch in the Simulation. The house around you melts away, and you have no choice but you take a break.