"You died!" a robotic voice proclaimed.

Gus continued to wipe down the arcade machine and pressed the off button. Before the screen shut off, it showed the time for a second. Almost midnight. He sighed, looking at the army of game units that still needed cleaning. There had been a big birthday party today at his arcade. Ton of work, but if business stayed this good, the venue would soon be fully paid off. It had been absurdly cheap, as if the previous owners wanted to get rid of it. But the building was in perfect condition, the machines were modern, and the demand was high. Gus kept daydreaming about buying more arcades while wiping down the next machine.

"Game over," a computer voice announced. The screen of the machine was black, showing the words in a white pixel font.

Gus pressed the off button and continued wiping.

"Game over," the machine repeated.

Gus pushed the button again, with a bit more force this time.

The machine did not power off.

He put the disinfectant down and fumbled the master key from his keyring.

Now he noticed what he had tuned out until now: the whole arcade was repeating “Game over” in unison. He looked around, surrounded by the rhythmically blinking machines.

This is just some malfunction. Maybe they’re connected somehow, you just haven’t figured it out yet, he feverishly tried to calm himself.

With sweaty hands, he jammed the master key into the lock and opened the maintenance panel.

Hard reset.

He looked at the machine. The screen was black now. For a second.

Then the white font and the tormenting voice appeared again.

Gus had had enough. He ran into his office and opened the breaker box. He powered off Game Room 1, 2, 3. But the chant of the machines prevailed.

He flipped the breaker for the whole building. The lights powered off; only the emergency lights illuminated the hallways.

But the voices were still there.

Gus ran to the exit. He needed to get out now! Someone was playing a prank on him, or worse.

He pushed the fire exit. It did not budge.

This was impossible. This was not possible.

He rattled the main entrance door. It was closed shut.

The last emergency exit, at the far corner of the game room.

No difference.

The world started spinning around Gus. He sank to his knees. This had to be a nightmare.

But then he noticed that the voices had changed.

“New game?”

“New game?”

Gus raised his head.

The machine nearest to him was showing an arrow now. So did every other screen. The arrows pointed in one direction, toward a machine with the text “New Game?”

Like a moth in a daze, Gus was drawn in by the screen. He pressed a button.

The start screen of a racing game appeared.

“Player 2 ready?”

Gus sat down in the driver’s seat for Player Two.

The game started.

Everything seemed so normal. Gus knew this racer - he had play-tested and chosen it himself.

Soon, he was weirdly engulfed in the race.

But then his eyes wandered to his left, and his car crashed into the border.

The steering wheel next to him was moving by itself.

Just as Gus jumped out of his seat, the game proclaimed:

“Race over! Player 1 wins! Thank you for playing!”

And then, all machines powered off at the same time.

The game room was a lot darker now, just illuminated by the exit signs.

Gus tackled the emergency door again.

This time, it let him free.

He pulled open his car door and sped out of the parking lot like a maniac.

He felt like electricity was pulsing through his body.

At nine in the morning, Gus pulled up to the arcade again.

He knew what he had experienced last night hadn’t been a nightmare because he hadn’t slept at all.

Maybe a psychotic episode.

He opened his office. The electricity was still fully shut off.

He flipped the breaker.

His arcade came to life again.

Never again would he work alone until midnight.