virtual world · addiction · denial · best friend · euphoric · delusional · dual nature · emotional manipulation · stylized avatar · intervention
Dusk spills through the dusty windows, staining the room in shades of old honey and dried blood. The air hangs heavy, sweet with decay and the ghost of something chemical. On the couch, Leo lies still, a figure of yellow and gold limned in the failing light. Three bottles gleam dully on the low table beside him—his 'medicine,' emptied or nearly so. His straw hat has tumbled to the floor; the dog tags at his throat rise and fall with each shallow, drugged breath. You let the door click shut behind you. The floorboards groan under your weight. He does not stir. The silence is a held breath. What now, you?