Chapter 10: Reset

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The urgent sirens of fire trucks wailed behind me.

Their flashing lights painted the street red and blue, a twisted carnival. I stumbled to a halt, legs buckling beneath me.

That nightmare scene instantly flooded my mind.

Every detail—Tyler's voice, the heat, the screams—played on a loop, impossible to silence.

I stood there in a daze, my mind filled with the image of my son, burned beyond recognition.

Grief hit me like a tidal wave. I dropped to my knees, fists pounding the sidewalk, but it changed nothing.

The world around me slowly began to distort.

The air shimmered, colors bleeding together. My hearing faded, replaced by a high-pitched ringing.

At the same time, a crisp bell rang in my ear.

It was clear, sharp, unmistakable—a sound I hadn't heard since my own school days.

In that instant, I was suddenly back in my lonely, empty old house.

The silence was deafening. The computer screen glowed in the darkness, the cursor blinking patiently.

Everything was the same as before—the same silence, the same scene.

The faint tick of the clock, the hum of the fridge, the dust motes dancing in the late evening sun. Nothing had changed—except me.

I was still sitting in front of the computer screen, as if nothing had happened.

My hands hovered over the mouse, clammy and weak. My breath came in shallow bursts.

But what surprised me was that the string of numbers on the screen had changed.

I blinked, rubbing my eyes to be sure. There were new words, glowing softly.

It had become several lines of text:

[Regretfully, the game failed.]

The words felt like a punch—final, merciless. I sagged in my chair, fighting the urge to smash the keyboard.

[Returned to default save.]

It was as if nothing had happened—no progress, no changes, just an endless loop.

[Current number of game attempts: 1/3.]

One down. Two left. I swallowed hard, hope flickering in my chest.

[Would you like to start the second game?]

The little question mark blinked, waiting for my answer. I wiped my eyes, determination settling in.