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 their change. Johnny couldn’t hear a sound, he was consumed by a world of blinking pixels, as real to him as the plastic buttons under his fingers.

He made it to the level he’d been trying to conquer all night. Surely, this time he’d get it. If he could just move his fingers fast enough he’d beat the game.

“Come on. Come on,” he said to himself. “I’d sell my soul to the devil himself if I could just beat this level.”

His mind was ready for what was coming. He turned the joystick, tapped the buttons. One. Double. One. One. Double and…..

The psychedelic strobing of lights. The sweet tune of victory. He made it! He finally beat the game.

Johnny grinned from ear to ear. As the credits rolled across the screen Johnny came back to reality. The arcade was much quieter than it had been a moment ago. Turning to see if anyone had witnessed his conquest, he found himself alone.

“Game Over” flashed on the arcade games in his row, blinking bright red in the dim aisle. Old Man Morris was probably cleaning up by now. He’d be mad if he found Johnny alone in here after close.

As quiet as a mouse, he tiptoed down the row to the main aisle. Then crept from machine to machine keeping an eye out for the manager. He noticed every game flashing the same “Game Over” in unison.

He reached the front door and pushed it. Locked.

The hair on the back of Johnny’s neck stood up. Someone was staring at him.

“Sorry, Morris.” Johnny turned to face the old man, “I was in the zone. I lost track of—“

Empty. Just the flashing games.

“—time.”

Out of the corner of his eye a shadow moved. Johnny whipped his head to the right.

A tall man in a dark suit, who was definitely not Old Man Morris, stood at the end of the row. His features were obscured by shadow.

A chill ran down Johnny’s spine. He blinked and the man was suddenly right in front of him.

Johnny let out a yelp.

“I’m here to collect,” he said.

“Collect?”

“Your soul…” his face was still hidden but Johnny sensed the wicked smile spreading across it.

The floor beneath Johnny opened and hot red flames wrapped around his legs. Johnny screamed and grasped desperately to the edges of the floor. The fire seared his legs but the panic flooding his mind kept him from feeling anything at all. Johnny screamed and screamed but in the end he was powerless against the supernatural force dragging him down to the firery pits.

Then as suddenly as it appeared the chasm in the floor sealed itself shut and the man vanished into the darkness.

“Game Over” continued flashing for a few more minutes until every screen went dark.