Archive of Our Own

I had just come home from the job interview and I was stoked.

I just got the occupation I always wanted, becoming a game developer at a large studio.

I sat down on my couch, satisfied. Although it would've been nice to see my roots to all this, how far I've come as a game dev.

I get up from my couch. Up the stairs into the attic. I switch on the light. The smell of dust and faint smell of mildew immediately hit me. I should really clean this place up soon.

I look through my stuff and find a crate labeled "precious memories." Maybe this could have some ancient stuff from back in the day.

I find a USB and blow off the dust from it. Along with some old photos of me at my old PC. Could this be it?

I go downstairs and into my little workspace where my main PC was. I log into it and insert the USB.

Clicking on the files app and going into the USB, I found the original exe file for my first ever project, my first game...

"Johnny's Big Adventure."

I never finished it. Poured my heart and soul into this one side scroller game over the course of summer of 2010 and stopped working on it when school started again.

I boot up the game. I was instantly greeted with a screen and royalty free music I haven't seen or heard in years.

The bold title text of "Johnny's Big Adventure" sent a wave of nostalgia over me. But I couldn't help and noticed how something felt off about the game. The colors were a bit duller and less saturated than I remember. Perhaps my memory was just acting up again, my memory was never the best to begin with.

I analyze the start screen again. Johnny's spirte was on the left the screen like it should. You were supposed to click his sprite to start the game, and there was supposed to be text with an arrow pointing to Johnny, simply saying "Click to Start!" But it wasn't saying "Click to start," it was saying "Play with me! Please!"

It weirded me out a little, the dulled colors and text changes I don't remember. I shrugged it off as my memory acting up again, like always.

I start playing. The side scroller game was pretty easy. Just some easy platforming and I was done. No enemies, or obstacles that hurt you. I didn't finish coding those in. I even didn't get to finish level 2, all I had was just level one.

Reaching the goal, Johnny suddenly stops. His sprite turns to the camera. This was expected, I coded Johnny to do this at the end of every level and even recorded some lines of dialogue, so I was bracing for the cringe of hearing your own voice, especially the one of your younger self.

"Hello there, Andrew Maxwell!"

I froze. That was my real name.

"I've been waiting 14 years to ask you one question... Why did you abandon me!? Why did you create me only to never finish me!?"

The terrible acting of my younger self seemed to sound less and less like acting.

"While you've been out there fulfilling your dreams, I was here ROTTING away as a bunch of one's and zeros!"

"Rotting... rotting..."

I tried to close the game but it refused. Task manager didn't open. Alt+F4 didn't work. Johnny's sprite turns to me completely.

"Sitting here.. rotting..."

The colors got even duller. Mold began to grow everywhere. Johnny arm began to decay as well and fell off. He screams out in terror.

"This is all your fault! Your fault!"

None of this seemed like acting anymore. The plants around Johnny withers away and molds over, Johnny's flesh rotting and falling off while he screams in terror. his decaying body loses it's ability to stand upright and falls over on his back. But Johnny does not stops screaming despite his decayed state.

I attempt to lower the volume on my PC and it refuses to do so. I was, however, able to close the game and the screaming stopped.

My hands are shaking. I boot up the game again. The normal start screen doesn't show up. Just the same exact scene of Johnny screaming and the moldy environment. I close it again.

I go to delete the game from my USB. It was deleted successfully. I disconnect my USB, and scroll through my files.

The game had reinstalled itself onto my computer. I tried to delete it again. It came back. I noticed how it was renamed "YOUR FAULT.exe."

I deleted it again. It came back. Deleted once more. It just kept coming back no matter how hard I try.

I sighed and went to go onto my laptop, I really didn't want that game file bugging me 24/7.

The game had also installed itself to my Laptop.

I check my phone, it was downloaded onto it as well.

I checked EVERY device I had. Downloaded onto it.

I sat back on my couch. Still hearing that screaming from the back of my head.

What had I done?