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 showed my ticket score, before taking one more look back at the arcade machines. My eyes traveled over the glowing screens, big red buttons flashing—_waiting_ for someone to start a game. I promised mom I would be back home before exactly seven o’clock. I may have slipped past curfew.

“Almost forgot.” I muttered to myself, making a short jog to one of the machines where I had left my plastic cup of lukewarm soda. The game was a recreation of Tetris. I spent a lot of time on this one. It’s where most of my tickets came from. Not because it was my favorite game- but it was mom’s. She used to stay up late with Adam and I, beating every level we couldn’t so we could get our name on the scoreboard. I learned from the best.

I notice the lights flicker off behind the machines first, dimming the open floor of tables in the arcade that were now empty. It wasn’t unusual for the arcade to close down early, especially if there weren’t many visitors. There were times where I realized I was the only one left, just like today.

I plucked my soda off of the machine, taking one last look at the screen of colorful blocks stacking themselves atop each other, before the screen begins to flicker. A familiar theme plays before the blocks disappear and the entire screen cuts to black.

“Huh.” I say under my breath. I hadn’t seen them shut down the machines before. As I circle around a row of arcade games, I watch as each game cuts off to a blank screen, reflecting my short height and oversized backpack like a mirror. Soon enough, the room grew quiet. More of the overhead lights beginning to flicker.

It was only when I made my way past the last machine did a spark of noise catch my attention. I whip my head back, wondering if one of the machines had turned back on before finding the cartoonish smile of a Fox rocking back and forth on one of the screens. A short melody played before big white bold letters appeared.

“GAME OVER!” A loud and cheerful voice exclaimed as the screen stilled on the words.

My mouth twitches awkwardly as I peer closer, curiosity getting the best of me. Maybe it was one of those crappy games that always swallowed up your coins. The ones that never worked, I always wondered why they don’t just get rid of the machine altogether.

Then another static sound appears behind me, and I’m turning to a similar image of bold letters.

“YOU LOSE.” A deep voice says before the whole screen freezes. I don’t seem to have time to digest the familiar voice behind the screen before the rest of the machines begin to flicker to life.

I hear them. The announcements of ‘game over’ fill the room, along with the distorted cries of characters losing in their own video games. During the day, I had never realized just how creepy those noises were. Now, it seems as though the room is spinning with their cries, as if the noise is only getting louder.

I panic. Because soon- that is all I hear. I don’t know what to do, I am alone. I am scared. All I can do is crouch down to the floor, pushing my palms into my ears as the wails around me become a piercing discernible sound. My heart is racing in my chest, my breathing shallow. For a second, I wonder if I’m drowning.

The touch of something solid against my shoulder jerks my eyes open. I find myself tilting my head up to one of the employees, dressed in those bright red t-shirts with a silver tag showing their names. I take a weary glance around the room, finding the machines back to simple black screens.

“It’s getting late bud, you ready to head out?” The woman asks me, hand resting on her hip as she adjusts the front of her hat. She gives me a worried smile, eyeing the backpack on my bag. I immediatly spring up.

“Yeah. Yeah- I…” I start, glancing back at the machines behind me. Was it my imagination? It was almost as if the whole thing never happened. Had my brain managed to scare itself?

“How many tickets did you get?” She asks, noticing my reciept. I take a look at it myself, suddenly remmebering what I was doing, reading the bold letters that read a hundred and fifteen tickets.

“Do you have any of the toy dinosaurs left?” I ask, surprised my voice hadn’t come out shakily. She smiles again, taking the reciept from me and reading it over herself. She gives me a nod, placing a hand over my back before leading me away from the room. I can’t help but wonder about the faint sound of static before we make it past double doors to the entrance.

“I’ll let you have the rest, how does that sound?”