Awaken
A Horror Flash Fiction story based on nostalgia for the 2000s and PS2 Games.
Yousra Qadwimi
I jolt awake, a screeching sound erupting from the TV screen. Before I can turn it off, a journalist materializes on the screen. He is trying to convey a message but failing to. Through my sleepy eyes, I can only catch a few glimpses.
I-I’m Steve…
On Sunday…
…Careful…Please…
No screen…
Each time he tries to speak, a man-like shadow overtakes the screen, and with it comes the screeching sound. It resembles a fight where those with the monopoly on broadcasting are crowned champions— like in Street Fighter. Steve has Dhalsim’s sense of justice, while his opponent has Sagat’s animosity.
The switching back and forth between the eerie sound and the plea in Steve’s voice sends chills down my body. Panic starts building itself, slowly crawling from my stomach to my throat. It wasn’t just his voice. Steve looked horrified and horrifying, with his eyes wide open and his brown strands all over the place, stumbling over words, mirroring the disfigured face of the Shadowman.
I switch it off. The black screen stares back at me. Suddenly, I can’t remember if that was just a scene from a movie I must have seen. But what could I have been watching? Desperate for a distraction, my eyes fall on the TV cables, the controller, the PS2, and a familiar videogame: STREET FIGHTER ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION.
All the memories of playing with my little brother Ali threaten to overwhelm me. He used to love collecting the game series, and when the new one came out, I had to indulge him. I was fifteen the first time we played—he was thirteen. Suddenly, at twenty, I want to play again.
White, yellow, and red cables plugged one after the other. Connect the PS2 to the TV. Then, open the video game, retrieve the disc, and put it inside the game tray. Next, plug in the controller. Lastly, turn it on.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
“CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER.”
Gazing at the characters, I notice there are only two to choose from instead of the usual panel. My heart beats furiously at the sight of a tan male brunette—Ali!
The second one is our favourite character, the one we would fight over to pick—Blanka! A small laugh escapes my lips as I smile softly at the recollection.
“CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER,” the robotic voice shrieked once again, startling me.
My hands are shaking. My eyes keep glancing back and forth between them. My mind remains undecided and hesitant.
“CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER.” I go for Blanka.
“FIGHT.”
There was a time when I was good at this game, but now I’m slower at getting started. The screeching sounds coming back at each strike my character sustains from my brother’s blows. We used to play for hours despite my mother’s disapproval, hiding away in this fictional bubble. While playing the game, we forgot about our worries until we reached its inevitable end and returned to reality.
“K.O. BLANKA WINS.”
Instead of witnessing Blanka's usual victory lap, the TV goes blank. I hear the phone ringing. Something awful just happened, and it seems like I caused it.
Ring, ring, ring.
“Mom?” I ask with a shaky voice in the guise of a greeting, tears rolling down my cheeks.
“He’s… gone.”
All I can hear is grief.
“It was awful, Leyla. I woke up from the sound of the game console being turned on. I -I went to tell him off for being up so late. He wouldn’t listen. I know my baby is stubborn, but this was different. He had this blank look on his face. I don’t think I’ll ever get it out of my mind,” she breaks down on the other line.
“He wouldn’t move, and I was scared to go near him,” she confesses with a small voice. “He had eyes only for the stupid game you used to play together, remember? At some point, he started bleeding, and bruises appeared on his body. It was horrid. I screamed, and your Baba came. He tried to make it stop, but nothing worked”, she pauses.
“He went still during the same moment the TV went off. By the time the medic came, it-it was too late, Benti.”
We stay silent after this, the only thing that can be heard is our shaky breath. We try to understand if what we’re experiencing is a dream or a nightmare. Will I ever know?
