Chapter 1: The Grey Plastic

Leo loved old video games. On Saturdays, he liked to spend time at the local flea market. Other teenagers bought clothes or phones, but Leo searched for retro consoles.

His friend Sam was with him. Sam was loud and never walked slowly. "Come on, Leo! We are late," Sam said with a smile. "There is nothing interesting here today."

"Wait a second," Leo replied. He wanted to look around one more table.

Behind a pile of dusty books, Leo found a strange object. It was a game cartridge for an old 1990s console. It had no sticker, no picture, and no title. The plastic was grey, scratched, and surprisingly heavy.

"How much for this?" Leo asked the old seller.

"Two dollars," the man muttered without looking up. "Take it."

Leo decided to buy it immediately. Twenty minutes later, the boys were in Leo's bedroom. Leo cleaned the dust, put the cartridge into his retro console, and pressed the power button.

The TV screen blinked once. A low buzzing sound filled the quiet room. There was no logo and no music.

Then, pixel graphics appeared.

"Wait..." Sam whispered. His voice was full of confusion. "Look at the background. That is not a fantasy castle."

Leo stared at the TV. On the screen, a small 8-bit room appeared. It had a blue sofa, a wooden desk, and a red poster on the wall. It was an exact copy of Leo’s own bedroom.

"Something is wrong with this game," Leo said. A cold feeling of fear touched his neck. "I want to turn off the console."

"No, wait! Look at the text!" Sam shouted.

Suddenly, white letters appeared at the bottom of the screen: PLAYER 1: FIND THE SILVER KEY UNDER THE KITCHEN TABLE.

Sam laughed, but Leo did not laugh. Leo walked out of his bedroom and went to the dark kitchen. He knelt on the floor and looked under the wooden table.

There was a fresh metal key taped to the wood.

Before Leo could pick it up, his phone rang loudly in his pocket. It was an unknown number. Leo answered with a trembling hand, and a robotic voice whispered into the speaker: "Good job, Player 1. Now do not let your friend leave the room."