Amnesiac

You awake suddenly in a dark room with curtains and some sort of material darkening the windows. No light coming from the windows. It's hard to make out the details of where you are but you see a light cracking through the closed door. As you get up you grumble as you begin to feel extreme pain from your head. //What a killer headache.// You think out loud. You struggle a bit to get up and can feel that you were laying in a bed. As you put your feet to the ground you notice you're still wearing your running shoes and the floor is made of hardwood. As you get up off the bed and head towards the light to the other room, you notice that you're stumbling as you head over to the light. //Why am I so tired?// [[You open the door.]] { (set: $authorities to false) (set: $washUp to false) (set: $Blitz to false) (set: $Found to false) (set: $Caught to false) (set: $Hallway to false) (set: $Fred to false) }

The light blinds you momentarily. As your eyes adjust to the brightness of the light you catch glimpses of the room. There is a toilet in one of the corners of the room. A sink is directly in front of you and as your eyes adjust you see a mirror directly above the sink. You see your reflection and see that you are covered in blood. Your eyes widden as your eyes finally adjust to the light and you notice that blood is everywhere. It's smeared all across your face, on most of your clothes, all over your arms and legs... //There's no way whatever is on me lived. This is way too much blood.// You think. //What do I do?// (link: "//I'm going to the police. They can sort this out.//") [(set: $authorities = true)(goto: "I'm going to the police. They can sort this out.")] //[[I have to find out what happened before I go to the authorities.]]//

Your mind is made up and you understand you are in over your head. //The police will know what to do, but what do I tell them?// This is when you realize you can't remember anything about how you got there, where you are or even who you are. //Hmm... I'm sure the police will be able to fill in the gaps.// [[Head out of the door.|The Hallway]] [[Examine yourself closer in the mirror.|You examine yourself closer in the mirror.]]

You look around and search for clues to what might have happened. A quick glance down and there is mud on your shoes. //I must have been somewhere muddy.// [[Head to the hallway.|The Hallway]] [[Examine yourself closer in the mirror.|You examine yourself closer in the mirror.]]

(if: $washUp is false) [In the mirror amongst the blood smeared throughout your face, you notice some scratches. They look like claw marks. A memory flashes through your mind as you examine the clawmarks. (text-style: "blur")[You're outside in the forest running away from something. You trip and fall in a pile of crisp autumn leaves. Not too long after your fall a bird that seems to appear out of nowhere starts attacking your face. You flail your arms defensively trying to stop the bird. Admist the struggle the bird drops to the floor. You've hit it. Scared, you stare at the bird then look around nervously. You continue to run.] //Huh. I guess that's what happened. What was I running from? Am I still in danger?// [[Head to the hallway and gather more clues.|The Hallway]] [[Wash the blood and clean up a little. |Wash up]] ]

You stumble on your way out of the bathroom and immediately feel a sharp pain on your right leg. When you look down you see a cut on your pants. When you touch it you can feel it sting. Upon closer inspection you feel the gash. //Where did this come from?// You continue on your way and limp past the empty wood, pannel hallway until you reach the top of the stairs. The living room is in disarray. Chairs are flipped, the table is askew, magazines and papers are on the floor. (set: $Hallway to true) (if: $authorities is true)[You search from the top of the stairs and see no phone or computer. There is no way of communicating to the police whatever is going on. //What would I even say to them? I woke up covered in blood? I can't even remember my own name.// Insecurities swirl and you begin to wonder if you should still reach out to the police in this matter. [[Second think your decision to go to the police.]]] [[Head downstairs]]

//I don't entirely know what's going on here but I really don't want to get in trouble with the police. For now, I think I'll hold back on letting the authorities know.// (link: "Head downstairs") [(set: $authorities = false)(goto: "Head downstairs")]

As you walk down the stairs, there is a noise that you can't quite make out. (text-style: "rumble")[*rummages*] A brown Corgi runs from the far side of the house and starts licking your face at the bottom of the stairs. Memories came rushing back (text-style: "blur") [You see yourself with the dog while you're wearing a birthday hat. You see the dog running around in the dog park chasing a ball and you're calling out "Blitz! Come here boy!". ] //Blitz!// (link: "Pick up Blitz.") [(set: $Blitz = true)(goto: "Pick up Blitz")]

You find a rag and use the sink to wash off the blood that was smeared all over your face, hands, and arms. There are also clean clothes laying around the bathroom that seem to fit you. You change into clean clothes. //Is this my house?// Once clean you notice the clothes fit appropriately. //Now that I've washed away evidence, I probably shouldn't report to the authorities. I'm commited now to finding out what happened and then I'll decide what to do with that information.// (set: $authorities to false) (if: $Hallway is false) [(link: "Head to the hallway.") [(set: $washUp = true)(goto: "The Hallway")]] (else:)[ [[Head to the room|Room]] [[Head to the stairs|Stairs]] ]

"Blitz! Buddy!" You hold him in your lap and pet him. Petting his fluffy fur creates a calming effect. You continue to hold him as you walk down the stairs. (link: "Put Blitz down.") [(set: $Blitz = false)(goto: "Living Room")] [[Head into the Living Room|Living Room]] [[Go back upstairs|Stairs]]

(if: $Blitz is true) [You hold and stroke Blitz' fur and look at the disarrayed room. (link: "Put Blitz down.") [(set: $Blitz = false)(goto: "Living Room")]] (if: ($Blitz is false) and ($Found is false)) [Blitz barks and wiggles in your arms. You place him down. (set:$Blitz to false) When you place him down he runs straight to the room you woke up in earlier. [[Follow Blitz to the room.|Room]]] The living room is a mess and looks as if someone was angry and just started throwing everything around. There also seems to be some muddy footprints all over the floor. On the opposite side of the room there is a [[window]] with a curtain covering the view of outside. On the floor you notice mud footprints that lead to the [[backyard]] and to the [[front door]]. Or do you go back up the [[Stairs]]?

The hardwood stairs creek as you step on them. You notice there are mud footsteps on the stairs as well. As you reach the top you notice there are paintings of plants on the walls of the stairs that stretch towards the hallway. [[Head to the living room|Living Room]] [[Go to the bathroom|Bathroom]]

You walk towards the window and open the curtain to gain a view of what is outside. It's bright outside. To the left you see a view of a neighborhood with stores to the distance. On the right you notice what looks like a forest. [[Living Room]]

The backyard is an entire forest! There is lots of mud near the doorway and it looks like your shoeprints are engraved in it. [[Follow the shoeprints into the forest.|Forest]] [[Go back to the living room.|Living Room]]

You reach to the door knob and unlock the door. Outside is surprsingly bright. You can see a tidy front lawn, sidewalks and some pine and oak trees. As you look out, you see other people walking by. It's a rather large group. (if: ($Blitz is true) and ($washUp is false))[Blitz stares at the people and starts to growl. As he continues to see them move he begins to bark uncontrollably. He jumps out of your hands revealing the blood all over your body and calling attention to you. The people in the group look over shocked and gasp at the sight of you. You step away out of view and tell Blitz to stop barking as you pick him up again. //Uh-Oh. It might not matter if I want to go to the police or not. They might end up coming to me.//(set: $Caught to true)] (if: ($Blitz is true) and ($washUp is true))[ Blitz stares at the people and starts to growl. As he continues to see them move he begins to bark uncontrollably. The people outside look over and wave to you. You wave back and step out of view.] (if: $authorities is true)[//Then again, I might be able to talk to those people to report whatever happened here. Maybe they can help me out.// [[Go outside and talk to the group of people| Report]]] [[Living Room]]

You start walking towards the group of people slowly. They also back away slowly. You stop at a distance and slightly shout at them so that they can hear you. "Excuse me. I need help. I woke up like this and don't know what happened. Does anyone have a cellphone to reach the police? I can't find one inside of that house." They look hesitantly at you. A young lady that couldn't be older than twenty finally speaks up. "I'll call the cops." She pulls out her phone and starts dialing. "Are you sure that's what you want?" She asks with concern on her face. [["Yes, I need the authorities here."]] [["No, please. I've changed my mind."]]

(if: ($Found is false) and ($Blitz is false)) [You look over and notice Blitz is trying to pull out something from under the bed. You bend down and reach under it to find a shovel. At the end of it you see an eyeball hanging from the nerve. It is, for the most part, intact but looks as though it has been squished a little. You pick it up and take it with you. (set: $Found to true) //Did you do this? Why else would you have the shovel?//] (else:)[The room is very dark, which is surprising considering it is daytime. The windows are covered with what looks like sunblocking curtains and a darkened film placed on the windows themselves. In the dark you make out a bed with some dirt where your feet were.] [[Go to the bathroom|Bathroom]] [[Go to the stairs|Stairs]]

(if: $washUp is true)[The bathroom has rags covered in blood from when you washed up earlier. Your old blood soaked clothes lay on the floor. In the mirror you notice your reflection.] (else:)[The bathroom has clothes on the floor and rags near the sink. You see yourself in the reflection of the mirror. [[Clean up a little|Wash up]]] [[Go to the room|Room]] [[Go to the stairs|Stairs]]

You take a look at the footprints imprinted in the mud and see they continue into the forest. The moss and rocks make it a little difficult to determine where the trail ends. [[Follow the trail as far as it goes.]] [[Go back to the backyard|backyard]]

She makes the call and everyone watches as she describes the situation. You look sheepishly around with awkward faces at the other people in the crowd. The woman turns to you and says, "They said they should be down here soon and not to touch anything." "Thank you," you reply. She looks at you nervously. Then makes a determined face and asks, "Are you dangerous?" You contemplate the question and answer, "I honestly couldn't tell you. I'm not sure who I am or what happened here." She stares quietly at the ground and looks disappointed. She then looks up and says, "You know saying that to the police probably won't help your case." [["I understand, but it's the truth. It's honestly all I have right now."]] [["Do you think we could just sit here quietly until the police come? I'm trying to remember as much as I can before they get here."]]

Quickly you come to understand the gravity of the situation and panic. You look straight at the girl and say with the most serious face you can make, "Don't you dare call the police." Then, you run back inside, shaking. You can hear the people outside speaking to one another confused, but you're not sure if anyone was calling the police. (set: $Caught to true) [[Living Room]]

She gives you an encouraging look, "I guess that's all we have sometimes." You nod in agreement. You sit and wait quietly for the police to arrive as you try your best to think of any memories that you could inform the police about. (set: $friend to true) [[The police arrive.]]

She gives you a disapproving look and grunts, "Yes, that's fine." You look at her sincere, "I apologize, this has just been a stressful time." She just stares at you. (set: $friend to false) [[The police arrive.]]

The red and blue sirens flash as the police pull up. The first to arrive are two cops in one car. They take one look at you and instantly begin to panic. "Lay down on the floor and put your hands above your head!" They command instantly. (if: $friend is true) ["Wait!" The young lady you were just talking to screams. "I just talked to her. She doesn't mean any harm!" She screams at the police. The police calms down a little and ask you what has happened. When you tell them you don't know, they look confused. You explain to them you seem to have lost your memory and woke up this way. They cuff you and read your Miranda rights. The other officer walks over to the young lady and pulls out a clipboard to get a report. They place you in the cop car.] (if: $friend is false) ["Good! Get her!" The young lady you were just talking to screams at the cops. They continue to arrest you and place you in the cop car without asking you any questions and read your Miranda rights. An officer goes outside and questions the group of people with her clipboard.] They read you your Miranda rights and put you in the car. [[You sit quietly in the car and contemplate what you will say when you arrive at the station.]]

[[The police interrogate you.]]

You follow the trail as best as you can and notice that it ends with a patch that looks as if someone had dug and covered something with leaves. (if: $Found is false) [[[Go to the backyard|backyard]]] (if: $Found is true) [You touch the ground with your hand and wipe off some of the leaves. You notice the fresh dirt. //Something was definitely buried here.// You're still carrying the shovel you found in the bedroom. By now the eyeball has fallen off, who knows where but you start to dig in the fresh dirt. Not too soon after you notice you've hit something. As you go on your knees to dig with your hands you see a human head with an eye missing. You faint. (if: $Caught is true) [When you wake you notice blue and red lights. The police have finally arrived and are headed your way. Too tired to run or perhaps you feel that you deserve to be arrested, you let the police arrest you and put you in the cop car. [[You sit quietly in the car and contemplate what you will say when you arrive at the station.]]] (if: $Caught is false) [When you wake up, you notice the body and nearly faint again. You prepare to fall but instead just stand there and stare at the dead body. //He doesn't even look familiar... Who is he? Why is he here? Did I do this?// Your head swirls with so many questions you have to sit down. //Should I reconsider telling the [[police]]?// Just then you hear a crack and something hits you in the head so hard you fall to the floor. It doesn't knock you out so you're able to look up. (if: $Fred is false) [//I know this [[guy|Guy flashback]].// ] You fight back and he struggles to grip the shovel. After some conflict you're able to take him down and hit him in the head with it. He passes out instantly. Do you run to the [[front lawn]]? ]]

(if: $Fred is true) [//Knowing what I know I can go to the police and explain that there was a murder and I'm not a murderer!// You're almost giddy knowing you didn't do it. //However, that still doesn't explain why I have blood on my clothes.// You wonder how wise of a decision it would be to go to the police. Just then you hear a groan and you see Fred is getting up. He looks at you and you ask, "What are you doing?! I thought we were friends." He looks at you and says, "You know far too much." He pulls out a gun hidden in his pants and shoots you twice in the head. You're dead.] (if: $Fred is false) [//Unsure of what happened the police are probably going to blame everything on you. What's worse is you won't even have a way to defend yourself since you have no memory of what happened. Even with all that you decide going is the more honorable thing to do. You have to have trust in the police to discover the truth.//[[You go to the front lawn to look for someone to guide you to the police.|front lawn]] ]

(set: $Fred to true) (text-style: "blur")[You and your buddy Fred (the guy you are fighting) are at your house playing a friendly poker game when Josh (dead guy) unexpectedly comes over. //Aww yes. This is my house.// Josh says he has devastating news he needs to tell Fred right away. They go outside to talk. Fred looks disturbed by what Josh just told him and covers his mouth with his hand. He turns around and faces away from Josh. Josh looks back apologetically and tries to talk to him. Fred then turns around and faces Josh, throws his beer bottle on the floor and grabs the shovel, and hits him. The angle Fred hits Josh gets him in the eye. His eye comes out as he pulls the shovel off Josh's face and you can hear him scream, "An eye for an eye!" You yelp in terror from the window on the backdoor. Then, Fred looks at you. Your eyes meet and then you want to run. You can't remember past that.] [[You're at the forest trail.|Follow the trail as far as it goes.]]

You run to the front lawn but for some reason start to feel queasy. You notice there is a large amount of blood on the floor. Your leg gash is bleeding profusely. Just as you get to the front you notice a police officer is talking to your neighbors. The officer looks over at you and notices you're hurt. They come towards you. "Hey! What's going on over there?" He yells. [["I need help," you yell back.|You sit quietly in the car and contemplate what you will say when you arrive at the station.]] [[You attempt to run away from the police.|Hospital]]

As you try to run away from the police, your gash bleeds profusely. You faint again. This time you wake up in a hospital bed. [[Sit in bed and wait for police to come.|The police interrogate you.]] [[Try to run away before they get to you.]]

(if: ($Fred is true) and ($washUp is true)) [Your story explaining most of the memories you got from walking around the house while scant, was enough to seem believable. Some pieces are a bit unclear but the police feel they have enough information to arrest Fred. Once Fred is arrested he confesses to stabbing Josh but claims you also stabbed Josh and should also be arrested. When interrogated again you .. [[Explain as much as you remember, including washing off the blood.|Enjoy your freedom.]] [[Deny Fred's claims.|Spend a lifetime in prison.]] ] (if: ($Fred is true) and ($washUp is false)) [The police hear your story but are unable to determine why there is blood on your clothes. You don't know yourself. They further interrogate Fred and he admits to hitting you in the head to knock you out and putting you in the bed. You then reason with the police that he probably framed you to cover up his murder. Since the last time you saw Josh, he was still alive you reasoned that he probably had Josh bleed all over you and then put you in your bed until he figured out what to do with you. Unable to prove you wrong or refute what happened the police try to obtain a confession from Fred. He confesses to the crime for a reduced sentence. [[Enjoy your freedom.]]] (if: ($Fred is false) and ($washUp is true)) [Your story explaining most of the memories from walking around the house seemed a little unbelievable. The police also think washing the blood off of you was a bad idea since you were tampering with evidence. You explain to the best of your ability although it becomes difficult since they don't even know your name. They start to wonder if the amnesia is just a way of washing yourself of the crime. [[You sigh and try your best to explain.|Spend a lifetime in prison.]]] (if: ($Fred is false) and ($washUp is false)) [Your story explaining most of the memories from walking around the house seemed a little unbelievable. They thank you for not washing off the blood and tampering with the evidence but they find it suspicious that you even had blood on you in the first place. It definitely makes you look guilty. [[Spend a lifetime in prison.]]]

//Is freedom ever really free, or does it come with a price?// You spend the rest of your life sporadically having nightmares about what happened that night. In some nightmares you see Fred holding Josh over you to spray you with his blood. In others, you see yourself stabbing Josh and Fred hitting you in the head. There are many different versions of these dreams, but you're not sure which of them if any is what really happened that night. //Could you really be a murderer? Or were you really innocent?// That is a secret, it seems, you will take to the grave.

In prison you meet hardened criminals and try to do your best to avoid them. However your inability to keep out of trouble sentences you to a lifetime in prison. One night on your way to your cell, a group of inmates comes into your cell unexpectedly and beats you down. You lie in critical condition in the hospital. As you lie in your death bed on the brink of death, you have another flash memory: (text-style: "blur")[After Fred stabs Josh, he lays on the floor yelping in pain. Fred looks at you and you yelp in horror. You want to run, but there is something about the look in his eyes that paralyzes you. He starts walking towards you and you run to the front door. As you struggle to unlock it, you notice he's not behind you. You look out the window in the front and see he has somehow made it there before you. You yelp again and run towards the backdoor. Josh is still in pain but now he has gotten up, he grabs you and asks you to help him. //Help me. Helppp meee.// You look at him and out of reflex push him away. He keeps coming towards you and you grab a spade that is on the floor next to your garden. Josh keeps coming towards you and you stab him where Fred stabbed him earlier. he bleeds all over you and goes limp on top of you. You push his dead corpse off. Fred, who was watching near by says to you, "You're now involved." You tell him, "No, it's all your fault." He glances at you, "I never finished the job." You stare back at him. Fred looks at you, shovel in hand and says, "But since we can't come to an agreement..." and tries to hit you in the head with the shovel. You dodge it just in time and start running towards the woods. You fall and a bird starts clawing at your face. You look around for Fred after the bird disappears and continue running. Tired, you hide behind a tree. Fred finds you, and tries to stab you with the spade you stabbed Josh with. It misses and gets your leg. Fred finally decides to use the back of the spade and hits you in the head with it. You pass out and later awaken in the bed.] //I was just as involved in this murder...I deserve to be here.// This is your last thought as you die in the prison hospital.

You see the beeping lights and your mind swirls with thoughts. //What if they think I'm responsible for what happened? I have to get out of here.// You take off the various cables and cords that were attached to you and grab your clothes you find in the corner of the room and head towards the door. As you look out, you notice there is a police officer by your door. You put your head back into the room and narrowly avoid the police officer, you understand you can't leave the hospital. [[The police interrogate you.]]