Writing Prompt

The red lights wrote help me stop let me out in the arcade

I’m trapped in another dimension in the virtual world in the VR world in this machines

There is a killer out there she’s in a computer game. He’s out to kill anybody. He’s the ghost of her arcade machine was brutally married and murdered Watch out she’s about....

Andy was always trying to leave me out of things. He was mostly locked in his room listening to his cool music on his headphones so I couldn’t even hear. Or playing video games that I was ‘too young’ for.

It was great when he got his summer job in the school holiday because I’d sneak into his room and listen to his records, and play his computer games. My favourite one was called “Arcade” and I l...

Jet fuel stained the snow in acid yellow stripes. Arcade games glittered under the emergency lights. Bright blue poker chips lay on the snow blanks like tears. NTSB investigators encircled Flight 808, the first and possibly last flying casino.

Ramsey reached for his vape, remembered he’d quit, and then angrily popped a stick of gum in his mouth. Jaw chomping, the chief examiner scrutinized the ...

The Arcade is a holdout from my childhood. Once upon a time, it was the Full Enchilada: a bustling miniature golf, bumper boat, and race cart wonderland PLUS arcade and pizza parlor. Yeah, my hometown had quite the diamond mine in the Enchilada, and locals still recall fond memories from its heyday in the '80s and '90s. Over time, trends changed as did the business ownership, and its popularity wa...

Johnny’s last quarter rattled down the coin chute making a satisfying clink when it hit the safe. The catchy theme song of the game started to play, as familiar as a lullaby.

Johnny blocked out the rest of the world. All around him games flashed and beeped as kids got high scores and cheered. Old Man Morris, the grumpy arcade manager, yelled at some teens to stop hitting a machine when it ate th...

Blinking lights. Insert coin. All there is.

Long past the hour when the sweet soda fizz.

Screens in unison wail game over.

Scott and Randall now stare in wonder.

Lights suddenly explode leaving dark.

Next day two new kewpie dolls leave mark....

Game Over. Game Over. Game Over. Game Over. What the… Why is every single game in this arcade saying, “Game Over?” Crazy man.

“Hey Glenn. Why are all the games saying ‘Game Over’ in that strange red glow?” I keep looking around, but every single one says it. Even the pinball machines. That is so weird.

Glenn does not answer, so I look for him. “Glenn? Glenn? Did you do this? Is thi...

That’s the last of it. Nearly a hundred orange tickets that would only be enough for the finger poppers and few jacks. Maybe it would be a good idea to bring back a few plastic dinosaurs for Adam back at home. It’s a shame he couldn’t come with me today, but maybe next time when mom had a few more bucks to spare.

I threw the arm of my backpack over my shoulder as I picked up the reciept that show...

Children’s laughter and giggles filled the buzzing arcade on Saturday night as I silently mopped the floors. “_When will somebody take their kids home?” _I thought, ears ringing from the deafening music of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong playing in the background. Just then, however, an unsettling silence fell upon the room, and a weight of my shoulders had been lifted. Looking around, my eye widened, rea...

The game over screens were just the beginning. Andrew was illuminated by red in every direction. He ran to the exit, but it was locked. Nothing, but his reflection staring back from the dark car park. His reflection and something else behind it.

He turned on his heels.

Nothing.

His heart relaxed for a moment, perhaps it was just his imagination, but then he felt the hand tighten around his mout...