{(set: $cellphone to False)
(set: $switchblade to False)
(set:$angy to False)
(set:$superangy to False)
(set: $mail to False)}
//Welcome to my game "Alleys"!
The links in (text-colour:navy)[BLUE] are clickable. Try to avoid clicking the "go back" Arrows, as I have options at the bottom of the page to go back. I hope you enjoy so far!//
`----------~*~*~----------`
Light pries its way through your eyelids, leading you awake
You blink awake, feeling your sense return.
You want to go back to sleep. You were having such a good dream.
[[fall back asleep]]
[[wake up]]...
[[...]]Grunting, you roll over.
The sleeping bag really isn't all that comfortable, nor does it fit your entire body, but you didn't know what else to bring with you on such short notice. At least its something soft to sleep on.
Concrete wasn't all that comfortable.
You sit up, blearily rubbing your eyes. They're red and puffy. How annoying.
[[Surroundings]]..............
You don't think it's working
[[wake up]]You're under some type of concrete bridge. Maybe it's part of a sewer? You never saw it under the daylight so this is the first time you're getting a good look at your surroundings.
It's early in the morning, somehow. You usually don't wake up this early but you guess this counts as an unusual circumstance. Someone shouts off in the distance and a car horn honks.
At your [[feet]] you see your [[backpack]], which is covered in mud and grime. Most of the zippers and crevices are caked with dirt.
The [[sleeping bag]] you sit on as an ant on it.
You shouldn't stay here for too long.
[[Begin to leave]]Your shoes are ragged, and don't fit your feet very well, but they fit good enough. The heel of one of the shoes has completely come undone. You really should get yourself a new pair sometime soon.
Avoiding security cameras might be best this time around.
[[Go Back|Surroundings]]You've had this same backpack since you were in primary school. There's nothing special about it, but it's been with you for a long time. You're not a fan of change.
[[Check First Pocket]]
[[Check Side Pocket]]
[[Check Second Pocket]]
[[Go Back|Surroundings]]The sleeping bag is in pretty good condition. It was a miracle no one saw you take it. You guess the sports store manager either didn't see or wasn't paid enough to care.
You check under the covers, scratching uncut nails along the nylon before you feel a sharp edge. You pull it out and look at it for a second.
(live: 10s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[Maybe by now your mother would have had wrinkles under her eyes, or a few gray hairs. You wish you had any memory of her wearing something other than the floral patterned shirt on the photograph. All other memories of her face have faded out of your memory with time. You cannot imagine her doing anything else but softly smiling anymore.](stop:)]
(live: 20s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[Never throw the picture out. You have to keep a constant reminder of what could have been.](stop:)]
(live: 25s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[(text-style:"blur")[...It's not your fault though.]](stop:)]
(live: 30s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[(text-style:"blurrier")[Why can't you stop torturing yourself?]](stop:)]
[[Go Back|Surroundings]]It looks like you've gotten everything you need for now. You quickly stash your sleeping bag and backpack inside of a nearby bush, hoping that it will keep it from being stolen, flattening out the leaves around it. It seems concealed enough.
Before you leave, you remove a small black hard drive from a small compartment in one of the larger pockets.
You keep it clutched in your fist as you shove your hands in your hoodie pockets.
Peering around, it doesn't look like there's many people out in this part of town, nor are there any passerbys.
Figures. No one hangs out by eroded concrete and sewage pipes.
You stick your hands in your jacket pockets and begin to walk.
(if: $cellphone is True)[It doesn't take long before [[your phone buzzes.]]]
(else:)[ You're glad you left your cellphone in your bag. If it were to be tracked and found, then you wouldn't be near it.
[[Keep walking]]
]
The first pocket is filled with crumpled papers and gross old chewing gum. Can chewing gum expire? You aren't sure but the texture feels really uncomfortable. You ruffle through the papers to find nothing of interest - it's mostly just old homework and tests that you just shoved at the bottom and forgot about. There's a few bits of scrap metal in there - you totally forgot about the couple of computer chips in there.
[[Go Back|backpack]](if:$switchblade is False)[You keep your [[switchblade]] in here. Alongside some old snack wrappers and one miraculously untouched granola bar.]
(if: $switchblade is True)[There are a few old snack wrappers and one miraculously untouched granola bar.]
{
(if: $cellphone is False)[
On the other side pocket, is your cellphone. You put it in your pocket.
{(set: $cellphone to True)}
]
(else:)[]}
[[Go Back|backpack]]The second pocket is the largest, and most of your belongings have been shoved inside. The few clothes you have, a toothbrush, and a [[notebook]] are wedged inside. A bunch of crumpled papers and crumbs sit at the bottom - you really haven't cleaned it in a while. Huh, so that's where that old hard drive went.
An old crusty laptop sits inside. The edges have started chipping away.
[[Go Back|backpack]](if:visits is 1)[You don't have time to read that right now, and there's nothing to add anyways...]
(if:visits is 2)[...Well maybe you have time for a quick entry
You open the book
//11/17/2017
Ran again. Under a smelly bridge I reckon. Not ideal. They seemed nice but I don't want to be there. Same as usual. This sucks. I should move to madagascar. Or wherever the hell Digi lives.//]
[[Go Back|Check Second Pocket]]''@77DigiGlitch77: '' (text-colour:cyan)[hi gm wyd]
(set: $one to False)
(set: $two to False)
(set: $three to False)
(set: $four to False)
(after:3s)[''@RazorKnightly:''(force-input-box:2bind $hinothing,"XXX=======",1,"hi nothing. u?")]
(live:3s)[(if: $hinothing is "hi nothing. u?")[
(stop:)
'' @77DigiGlitch77:'' (text-colour:cyan)[also nothing lol. bored. brother is out with friends. fortnite ?]
(set: $one to True)
(live:3s)[(if: $one is True)[
(stop:)
''@RazorKnightly:''(force-input-box:2bind $cant,"XXX=======",1,"cant rn. busy.")]]
]]
(live:3s)[(if: $cant is "cant rn. busy.")[
(stop:)
''@77DigiGlitch77:'' (text-colour:cyan)[booooo boring. you never say no to fortngte. mean. ]
(set: $two to True)
(live:3s)[(if: $two is True)[
(stop:)
''@RazorKnightly:''(force-input-box:2bind $haha,"XXX=======",1,"haha. sorry mate im in a bit of a situation rn.")]]
]]
(live:3s)[(if: $haha is "haha. sorry mate im in a bit of a situation rn.")[
(stop:)
''@77DigiGlitch77:''(text-colour:cyan)[ oh shoot. stuff with ur parents again? :( ]
(set: $three to True)
(live:3s)[(if: $three is True)[
(stop:)
''@RazorKnightly:''(force-input-box:2bind $kinda,"XXX=======",1,"yeah kinda. ill get back to u when i can, ok? I need a minute to figure stuff out. I'll ttyl.")]]
]]
(live:3s)[(if: $kinda is "yeah kinda. ill get back to u when i can, ok? I need a minute to figure stuff out. I'll ttyl.")[
(stop:)
(set: $four to True)
''@77DigiGlitch77:''(text-colour:cyan)[ Ok, good luck. I'll see you soon. Let me know how everything goes :( im here if u need anything, byebye.]
(live:3s)[(if: $four is True)[
And then your friend friend was offline again. You sighed and pocketed your phone.
(stop:)
[[Next]] ]]
]]
"DigiGlitch" had been your friend for about a year. You met somewhere on Minecraft and hit it off as fast friends. As much as you're aware, he lives in America, and he's around your age.
It's nice to have a friend, especially one that has so much in common with you. You've tried making online friends in the past, but you never connected as well as you did with "Digiglitch".
It's funny, you and Digi didn't even know each other's real names or faces, but you DID know almost everything about his favorite foods, his relationship with his brother, and some of his biggest anxieties. It was strange how that worked.
Hopefully one day, you'd be able to meet. Or at least video call.
You're a bit lonely.
[[Keep walking]]Take the switchblade?
[[Yes]]
[[No]](set: $switchblade to True)
You put the blade in your jean pocket. You never know what will come in handy.
[[Go Back|Check Side Pocket]]You decide to leave it in your backpack. You won't need it right now. Why would you?
[[Go back |Check Side Pocket]]You keep your hood up over your head as you walk briskly through the streets, trying to draw as little attention to yourself as you possibly can.
You're here to do a job. Packing your bags and leaving the house you stayed at was a way to kill two birds with one stone, but you had to make a stop before you could truly book it out of town. Maybe you could call a cab?
It would be expensive though... it might be better to just walk and see where you end up. You can find a way to manage on your own just fine. You have lots of practice with this sort of thing.
(click-replace:"sort of thing.")[sort of thing.
The walk isn't too far. Luckily no one notices you, and before you know it, you've weaved your way around enough buildings to find where you're supposed to go.
The alley inbetween the market and the baker. Go down the path, turn left, right, left again, and then...
...
There is a figure there.
[[Approach]]
]The figure looks up as you approach.
A boy, maybe around ninteen or twenty years old, stares you down. His clothes are sloppy, and his hair an absolute mess. Another kid, shorter and more stout, hovers next to him, looking you up and down.
Your arrival seems to have surprised him. He rolls his eyes as you come to a stop in front of him.
"I wasn't expecting you to show up, honestly. You're late."
"I got held up," you say, dry. "Consider yourself lucky it's just ten minutes."
"You're awfully cocky for fourteen. Don't push your luck, kid."
[["How about I push you off a bridge instead."]]
[["Alright. Do you want the thing or not?"|"Alright. Here you are."]]{(set: $angy to True)
}
The boy's eyes narrow, and his posture goes rigid.
"Don't be a smartass with me. We had a deal. Just give me what I need and I'll give you your half."
[["Alright. Fine. Here you are."|"Alright. Here you are."]]You reach into your your hoodie pocket and take out the flash drive you had been toying with between your fingers.
Deftly, you toss it to the other boy, who catches it in his hands.
"Everything you want is on there, including the photos and a textlog from 2014 to July of this year."
"What about her bank account information?"
"It's there. IP address too."
The boy looked it over, pinching the drive between his forefinger and thumb as he studied it. As if the plastic casing would somehow tell him what was inside. Man, this guy is a moron. You'd be surprised if he figures out how to plug the USB in.
"Well bloody hell, I guess you really can do all that rubbish everyone says you can, Kyle."
[["I go by Casey. No one calls me Kyle. Can I have my money now."|hundred pounds]]
[["I know my way around."]]
The boy blinked in surprise. "Now??"
You felt a weight drop in your stomach. "Yes, now. We had a deal. A hundred pounds for your revenge on your ex or whatever. Hand it over."
"Wh- I can't do that now. What if you're scamming me? This could have a virus on it or something that blows up my computer, can I?"
What a jerk, you had a name for yourself, did he have no trust in your skill?
{(click-replace:"trust in your skill?")[trust in your skill?
(text-colour:grey)[(text-style:"superscript")[// (Technically there is a 9 petabyte zip bomb nested in there with everything else but this guy never said you couldn't add anything more than what he wanted.)//]]
]
}
Well, you suppose that's reasonable, but you don't have time for that. You needed to leave the city as soon as possible, this was just supposed to be a quick stop before you left.
You were relying on already having a hundred pounds in your pocket by now. You can't wait any longer.
[["No, I need the money now. Pay up."]]
"Clearly you do, you've gotten quite the reputation for yourself," the boy muses. "You got my mate Eric an IP grabber and the Heathrow Airport's No-Fly list. I don't know how you did it but it's impressive."
"Practice," you answer casually. You look behind you, thinking you may have heard a police siren.
"For a wee little man like you it's impressive. You could make a fortune from things like this."
[["Not interested in spending my life doing this, thanks."]]
[["I'm taller than you."]]"Sorry kid. No can do. I didn't bring anything with me. I'll get back to you tomorrow."
//"I won't be here tomorrow,"// You hiss. "You said nothing about making me wait for my money. I need it right now, or else things are going to get real ugly, real fast mate."
(if:$superangy is True)[
[[Continue|superangy]]]
(if:$superangy is False and $angy is True)[
[[Continue|angy]]]
(if:$angy is False)[
[[Continue|not angy]]]
"Eh, your loss. Burning money if you ask me."
[["Speaking of money..."|hundred pounds]](if: $angy is True)[
(set: $superangy to True)
"What did I say about being a smartass?? You're testing my patience." The goon to his right, who had done nothing so far but lean against the wall stood up a bit straighter.]
{(if: $angy is False)[
(set: $angy to True)
"Don't be a smartass with me, boy."]
}
You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms.
[["Whatever. A hundred pounds, now."|hundred pounds]][The boy jerks violently and pushes himself off the wall sneering. "You've been pushing all my buttons since the moment you showed up, I've //had it!!!"//]
(live:3s)[And with that, he tries to get physical.]
(live:5s)[Big mistake.]
(live:7s)[Immediately, you swing your fist out, clocking him in the nose. The boy howled in pain, clutching at his face and trying to ram himself into you.]
(live:10s)[You threw your limbs around wherever you could reach, wherever you could hit. ]
(live:13s)[But he wasn't backing down.]
(live:15s)[Two punches hit your face. You could taste blood on your tongue, but you weren't sure if it was coming from your nose or your mouth.]
(live:18s)[You pushed the boy as hard as you could, causing him to skid away from you and wipe blood from his face. His little minion was shouting his name, and between the ringing in your ears you could hear a glass bottle shatter and someone]
{(live:21s)[(if:$switchblade is True)[
[[rapidly approach.|choice]]]]
(live:21s)[(if:$switchblade is False)[
[[rapidly approach|nosw]]]]}
{(set: $mail to true)}
"You better watch your mouth, kid. I've not been given any reason to trust you yet. I'm more than happy to get my mate to beat you to a pulp."
The kid nods, glaring and on edge.
"Wait for your money or don't get it at all, punk. I promise you, you WILL regret it."
[["I'm taking my pounds one way or another."|superangy]]
[["...Ok, fine. I won't be in town tomorrow though, so... you'll have to mail it."|not angy]](if: $mail is True)[The boy squints at you for a moment before shrugging. "Alright, I will. A hundred pounds in the mail."
"Ok," you say, feeling nausea in your throat. This wasn't how it was supposed to go, but what other choice do you have right now?
The other boy pockets the flash drive and grins. "See ya, mate."
And then he and his friend are gone.
As you wander off back out of the alleyway, the only thing you can think of is if the convinience store clerk would be too tired to notice you take a few things off the shelves.
(if: $cellphone is true)[You pull out your phone and send a text message.
''@RazorKnightly: ''(text-colour:orange)[Hey mate. sorry wont be able to play for a couple of days. need to get some stuff sorted out. can u call?]]
The End.]
(if:$mail is False)[The boy sighs, reaching into his back pocket. "Alright fine. here's the hundred. You've managed to be only slightly obnoixious. But I swear you this, if you're trying and pull anything on me, I will have you hunted down and killed by my own bare hands."
You snatched the wads of cash from the outstretched hand, stuffing it in your pocket. "Noted," you say.
When he leaves, you can't help but grin. 50 of these pounds are going towards food, and
You'll be long gone by the time he crashes his whole computer.
The End.]Time slows.
(after:3s)[(text-style:"outline")[(text-colour:red)[Switchblade]
[[Yes|yessw]]
[[No|nosw]]]
]
You remove the switchblade from your pocket.
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:red)[(live:3s)[It's flipped open and inside someone's stomach before you can process what's going on.]
(live:8s)[Someone screams, you're not sure which one.]
(live:13s)[By the time you come to, you have blood on your hands, and sirens grow progressively louder.]
(text-rotate-x:8)+(text-rotate-z:335)[(live:18s)[There's no way out of this one.]]]]
(live:23s)[The End.]
(text-colour:red)[(live: 3s)[You can barely process the world around you before there is suddenly a blindingly sharp pain in your side.]
(live:6s)[You can't think anymore.]
(live:9s)[The world phases in and out after that. With a flash of vertigo, you suddenly find yourself laying on your side in the alleyway. The two boys have fled.]
(live:12s)[It hurts to move.]
(live:15s)[You can hear police sirens begin to grow closer and closer.]
(live:18s)[You don't know if you're going to survive your injury or not.]
(live:21s)[Footsteps and shouts grow closer, and the only thing you can think of as you fade is that whether you wake up or not, there will be hell awaiting you on either side.]
]
(live: 25s)[The End.]