Chapter Text
Niko awoke on a rooftop. The air was acrid and smoky making Niko’s nose scrunch up. This wasn’t their hometown. Getting up off the rough floor Niko looked around to see themselves in a big city. Cars drove by on the street below and the sky was mostly clear.
“Player, are you there?” Niko called out. But there was no response. “World machine?” Niko called out again. Yet still they were met with silence.
Niko wrung their hands together through the sleeves of their overcoat. What had happened? They were supposed to be back home weren’t they?
Something in the sky caught their eye. They looked up to see that the once blue sky now shimmered in impossible colors. The beauty was indescribable. Niko stared at the wondrous sight in awe. They were barely able to recognize screaming coming from below them, completely enraptured by the sight in front of them. A part of them wanted to know what was going on, but they struggled to take their sight off of the entrancing colors.
Soon a noise like static filled the back of their mind. it began to grow. Their mind felt numb. The sound grew louder. It was hard to think. The static completely enveloped their mind. The little space they had left in their mind to think with was focused on the sight above them.
All of a sudden white hot pain erupted across their form. They became aware of the screams of terror that ring out below, barely noticeable through the static that filled their ears. Niko fell to the ground, tears springing forth from their eyes. It hurt. Everything hurt. Trying to stand again they caught a glimpse of the street below. They wish they hadn’t. There was so much blood. Unthinkable creatures ran amuck, preying upon anything unfortunate enough to end up in their path. Guts were strewn everywhere.
They looked away, nearly falling to the floor in their rush to rid themselves of the horrid sight below. They had to get somewhere safe. Someplace where they wouldn’t see or hear the chaos taking place around them. Spotting a door they launched themselves toward it, feet slamming against the ground as they felt bile rise in their throat.
Niko bursted through the door, slamming it shut behind them before running up a small staircase. Falling to their knees they vomited on the ground. They heaved again and again, even when there was nothing else left to expel the kept retching and gagging. It took a few minutes before the dry heaving ended, the gory image of the street never leaving their mind. Niko pushed themselves against the wall bringing their knees to their chest, hugging them tightly. They took shaky breaths, dusty air stinging their raw throat. A sob tore through them and wet tears slipped from their eyes.
What happened? What went wrong? They should have been back home with their mother eating their favorite pancakes that their mom would always make them. They did what they were supposed to, right? They talked to the world machine and it had repaired the damage it had done. It had told them that it was sending them home. So why were they not back home? Why were they instead in the middle of someplace they didn’t recognize with monsters ripping people apart in the streets?
Tears just kept falling from their eyes. They didn’t know what to do. What were they supposed to do?
…
Niko cried for a long time. By the end their eyes stung and their throat burned. The rancid smell of bile lingered in the air. They just wanted to go home but they weren’t sure that they ever would anymore. They would probably end up eaten and never be able to eat the pancakes their mom would cook them ever again. No they shouldn’t think like that. With a final sniffle they wiped away their tear tracks and stood up. They should find someplace safe. Though they didn’t think anywhere would be truly safe with what they had seen outside (a shiver ran down their spine at the thought of what they witnessed.) Maybe they could find someone that would explain what was happening?
With that thought they moved to the staircase across the hall, the buzzing of static faintly ringing out in Niko’s mind, quiet but still present. Descending the staircase they arrived at a door. Hopefully nothing awful was waiting just behind the door. Niko grabbed the handle of the door, deciding to face whatever might be behind the door head on before they could think of whatever terrible thing they would come across and end up psyching themself’s out.
Turning the knob a soft click rings out in the barren room and the door swings open.