He limped deeper inside, flashlight cutting across the cramped space. Despite its rot and cracks, the cabin was still standing. Whole. Hidden under layers of vines and branches, nature itself had patched its wounds.

"Small but perfect... Guess this is home... for now."

Sid flopped onto the crooked chair, shoulders shaking from the run and adrenaline. He laughed weakly to himself, breath fogging in the cold cabin air.

"Okay, okay, rest for five minutes, Wilder. You survived, you got shelter, you didn’t die like an idiot."

He opened his palm and summoned the painkiller bottle, his thumb clumsy on the cap. Instantly, he swallowed the pill and followed it with water. The numbness rolled in almost immediately, easing the ache in his knee and loosening the tension across his shoulders.

Sid let his head fall back against the wall and watched dust float in the flashlight beam. He told himself this was a survival sim made real, that the game logic had just been grafted onto reality.

"I used to buy my rares and skip the grind. Now I’m here, scavenging like everyone else."

Exhaustion pressed down on him harder than any mission prompt. The painkiller dulled the physical edge, but his mind kept replaying the seizure, the blackout, and the instant when everything stopped on stream.

"Dying in my chair... streamer dies mid-game, headlines tomorrow. And now I’m here... playing it for real."

He dragged a hand down his face, eyelids heavy, thoughts slurring with exhaustion. Then, bitterly, he muttered the one thing that still clung to him, the insult that had haunted him ever since he failed the final boss fight.

"Couldn’t kill her... the Zombie Bunny Bride. One screw-up, and the internet branded me a necrophile freak. That’s my legacy."

His eyes burned, but the tears never came. His body finally gave in, too wrung out to hold him upright. The painkillers dulled the worst of his knee’s fire, but his chest felt heavy, his mind flickering between memory and dream.

"I died once already and I won’t let it happen again."

His voice trailed off, and before he could fight it, his stamina hit zero.

[SYSTEM ALERT!]

[Stamina’s empty. Body shutting down]

His body gave out, and sleep dragged him under into the dark. The darkness closed in until a sharp voice cut through and snapped him awake.

"Sid Wilder. You’re under arrest."

His eyes opened wide. The wooden cabin ceiling was gone. Instead, he saw white-painted stone glowing under fluorescent lights. He blinked hard, trying to process it, but before he could move, two men in uniforms grabbed him by the shoulders. Cold cuffs snapped onto his wrists. Sid’s voice cracked, panic spilling into the words.

"What the hell is this? Wait, under arrest? For what?!"

Sid twisted hard, his shoulder scraping against the desk he’d apparently been slumped on.

"I was just sleeping, what did I do?! Hey!"

The officers didn’t slow. One shoved him forward, the other pressing a hand into his back. Their voices blurred together, reciting something that burned through his confusion.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..."

"What?!"

Sid’s voice cracked as they dragged him down the too-bright hallway.

"This is insane! I didn’t do anything! Somebody, h—help me!"

Laughter rippled from the sides, voices echoing against the walls. Sid twisted his head, blinking through the light, and realized people were watching him. Rows of them, some laughing, some clapping, as if this was all a performance. His chest burned hotter with every step.

Sid was shoved through the doorway and tossed into a room. Trash covered the floor, but it looked staged, like someone had arranged it on purpose. Broken chairs slumped in the corners, and graffiti covered the walls, but none of it felt real. The two men didn’t explain anything. They just shoved him inside, left the cuffs on, and slammed the iron door shut behind him.

"You’re in jail now, Wilder... Enjoy your time."

Sid’s jaw tightened. He shoved himself up, slammed his cuffed hands against the iron door, and roared.

"YOU ASSHOLES! LET ME OUT!"

He turned, scanning the cell, and his breath caught. In the far corner, crouched low with her arms bound, was a girl.

She wore a school uniform that looked like it hadn’t seen an iron in weeks, wrinkled and stained in patches. Her short black-violet hair was just as messy, strands sticking up at odd angles. Giving her a rough look

Her eyes were wide, steady, and hard to read as she stayed partly in the shadow, watching him without saying a word.

Sid froze, realization creeping in as the laughter outside grew louder. His heart pounded once, hard, before he muttered.

"Goddamn. It’s February 14th... I totally forgot. I’m in the—"

The noise outside the booth was deafening. Students shouted, laughed, and hollered over one another, their voices blending into one restless hum. Somewhere above the racket, a student announcer called out with exaggerated excitement.

"For only a small fee, you can throw your crush in the Valentine jail booth with you! Come on, people, best chance to confess or maybe even spark something new!"

Sid groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

"Unbelievable. I should’ve known this smelled like some dumb event."

He turned toward the corner where the girl sat, still curled up like she wanted to disappear. His voice softened, though the irritation lingered.

"So... was this you? Did you set me up for this? Did you pay them to put me through this stupid stunt with you?"

The girl’s head whipped up, eyes wide, lips trembling. She shook her head quickly, almost frantically.

"N-No! I didn’t! I wouldn’t... I-I couldn’t."

Her voice cracked with the effort, and her whole body shivered as if she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

Sid squinted at her, studying her posture, the way her knees pressed tight together and her hands fumbled nervously against the cuffs. She wasn’t lying. Not even close. He sighed, leaning back against the fake wall.

"Yeah... Guess my so-called friends thought it’d be funny. Fucking idiots!"