Flash Fiction Friday: 100% Secrets

Published August 8, 2009

100% Secrets

"Bastard!" He shouted at the computer screen as it flashed red with each shot from behind. My step-dad had brought his equipped chainsaw to the wall and was walking the perimeter, rhythmically whacking the space bar. With each failed attempt to open a hidden door the bloodied character let out a grunt.

Brit had beaten this level already. I had seen him do it: 100% Kills, 100% Items, 9:02 Time, 0% Secrets. After school I would grab a freeze pop or an apple (depending on how healthy mom was feeling at the grocery store that week) and pull up a second chair. At first I wasn’t allowed to play, but they soon gave in to my protests about how it wasn’t fair. They couldn’t argue with my point about how playing was no worse than watching. Even then I preferred to watch Brit play, though I was always a vocal spectator.

"Look! I saw a health in the corner!" I would try to help.
"Nope, it's a trap."

"Don't go into that room yet, there's like a million tomato guys."
"Good to know," he would reply.

"You shouldn't have used all of your shotgun ammo in the elevator,” I lamented as the last few percents of his health went helplessly away.
"I am so done with this game," he surrendered.

Sometimes his frustration and impatience would build up so much that he quit. Other times he would just walk away from the computer without even pausing. One day I came home and found him playing some sort of boring adventure puzzle game, which was much less interesting to watch. I gave it a chance to see if I could help Brit out with the clues, but it was way too slow for me to handle. I decided to check what was on TV.

A couple weeks later he had moved on to a murder mystery game that some old guy at work had let him borrow. I didn’t even stick around to see how lame it was. I just waited for him to get off the computer so I could pick up the responsibility he had ignored: one of us had to figure out what those secrets were. Some times he would bend over my shoulder and root for me, “Ooh! Oh, oh, oh! Get’em. Run, run, run! Get that shield!” It was only ever a few minutes before he left to read or go to the store, leaving me alone to fight all the monsters.

"Bastard," I cried at the computer screen as it glitched, stuck in a corner. No matter how hard I tried to get the man to move, the screen wouldn't budge. His nose bled red rivers and his eyes were crazed. Brit peeked around the corner with his eyebrows raised and his ears shifted back.

"Whoa, do you even know what that means?" Just because of the way he asked I already felt like I had been punished. He walked over to see the screen.

"Like a bad guy?" I asked back. Brit never disciplined me himself, but I was scared all the same.

"Nope. It's when somebody doesn't have a dad, and it's not nice to say. And that's what you get for using those silly cheats.” He smirked. “Just be careful who you say that to.”

Brit thought being able to walk through walls and use unlimited ammo took away the point of the game, which I guess means I don't know why he played. Sometimes he helped me through hard levels, but the game wasn’t important to him anymore. I don’t think he liked me playing either, but it was too late for him to tell me not to. He had given up after a couple weeks never having achieved 100% Secrets. I eventually did it on my own and made him come see my score. I don't think he was actually proud, but he acted excited. Now I don't even remember what I was so thrilled about myself.

------------

Now read the rest of the FFFers: Caitlyn, Gabriel, and Robin.