Work Text:
December 19th - 2017
Ash pauses at the fridge, not quite believing his ears. He stands up shooting his brother a look of betrayal.
“Come again?” He said.
“I… I’veneveractuallyplayedyourgame.” Sam mumbles.
“Sorry once more? I can’t be hearing you right.” Ash asks, wanting to draw out Sam’s discomfort.
“I have never played Croatoan.” Sam admits sheepishly.
“Okay you’re getting your own fucking beer.” Ash concludes, putting one of the bottles he had just taken from his fridge back.
“Seriously, man?” Sam scoffs.
“Yes seriously! That game is my baby dude. I spent fucking blood, shit, and tears on that.”
“Sweat.”
“What?”
“It’s blood, sweat, and tears.” Sam corrects.
“Alright well I was sat down for most of the programming, but some of that takeout I ordered while working got me real backed up… so I think I’ll stick with the original statement.” Ash reasons.
“Okay TMI.” Sam grimaces.
Ash snorts, before springing up in his chair.
“Ferb, I know what we’re going to do today!” He shouts.
“...Okay you’ve been hanging out with Gwen and Liv too much.” Sam snorts.
“Hey if I don’t spend time with them how am I supposed to become the cool uncle? I swear to god if Dean gets that title I'll- whatever, that’s beside the point, you, my tall brother, are going to play my game.”
By the time he's finished that sentence, Ash is already starting to set up his game, soon he’s handing a controller to his brother who is looking more than skeptical.
“I’m shit at video games, you know this.” Sam huffs as he started up Croatoan.
“Boohoo princess. I look forward to watching you die then.”
The black screen becomes static and then reveals the words: An ASH SINGER Production.
“Okay I gotta admit that’s pretty cool man.” Sam comments.
The words fade and the picture zooms out to show the static is from an old TV, different options appear on the screen.
Sam clicks New Game hesitantly.
It opens up a character creator.
“Alright let’s do this.” Sam furrows his brow in determination.
“Dude.” Ash says, deadpan, “You haven’t even started playing.”
-----
It takes Sam 15 minutes to perfect his character.
“Jesus are you done yet?” Ash complains, throwing up a goldfish cracker and trying to catch it in his mouth.
“Hey! I have to get the hair right. Fuck off… almost- alright, perfect, I’m done. What’s next?”
“You have to name him.” Ash supplies, “Don’t just call him Sam you weirdo” He interjects as Sam starts typing his name into the box.
“O-kay? What do you suggest I call him?”
“I don’t know, something cool… like Thor.”
Sam gives Ash an insufferable look, but names himself ‘Thor’ anyway.
“Now what?” Sam asks.
“Next you actually play.” Ash smirks.
“Oh… goodie.” He groans.
He clicks done.
The screen fades to black before showing Thor in bed with another guy.
“...Ash? Why are we both shirtless?”
“Uh, I think that counts as spoilers dude.”
“...Okay? Wait- What the fuck? The dude I’m sleeping with looks like Dean?” Sam asks, baffled.
Ash laughs evilly, “Of course you’d catch on to that Stanford, I was kind of hoping no one would, yeah a few of the characters are based on people IRL.”
Sam pauses the game turning to his brother, “Am I in it?”
“Nah.” Ash shrugs.
“Oh c'mon! Dean’s in it, but I’m not?”
“Yeah well Dean has that whole survivalist, rugged thing about him. You, on the other hand, are a lawyer.”
“I do parkour.” Sam pouts.
“Oh really?” Ash’s response is dripping in sarcasm, “I don’t think you mentioned that 10 times this week.”
Sam scoffs, but unpauses the game without any more complaints.
The cutscene continues.
“What… happened?” Thor asks.
“I- I don’t know.” The man next to him said, his voice gruff.
“Holy shit.” Sam gaped, pausing the game once more.
“Would you stop doing that?!” Ash groans.
“I-Is that Dean?! You got Dean fucking Singer, our brother, to do a voiceover?!”
“The very one.”
“Unbelievable! I can’t tell if I’m mad because you didn’t ask me, or delighted because I can hold this over his head now.”
“How about neither. Dean is over the moon about being in this, he thinks it makes him cool, and if you remember you were in California when I was making this so I couldn’t exactly ring you up every other weekend and ask you to record, could I? Now-” He snatches Sam’s controller, unpausing the game. “Play.”
“I don’t remember anything. Do you?” The man says.
“No…” Thor replies, he then clears his throat awkwardly, “A-are you wearing anything under here?” He motions at the sheets.
“No.” Dea- I mean, the unknown man, responses, blushing. “Wait- Shit- We… need to go somewhere.”
“Yeah staying here probably wouldn’t be safe… I- I don’t know why.” Says Thor.
“No, I mean somewhere specific, I can picture it. We need to go there.” The man insists.
Three options appear on the screen:
- No way! You could be a murderer
- Okay… I trust you.
- … (Silence)
Sam clicks on the second option, saying he trusts this man.
“You’re such a girl.” Ash comments.
“Sorry for not wanting to alienate my one lead here.” Sam scoffs.
“Thanks… my gut tells me the same thing about you. I’m Dan by the way. Dan… Dan... I’m actually not sure what my last name is. Anyway, we better go now- after we put on some clothes.” Dan decides.
“Dan… really? You made an entire video game, but weren’t creative enough to change Dean to something a little less obvious than Dan.” Sam snarks.
“It was a creative choice... shut up.”
The cutscene ends.
“Follow me.” Dan urges disappearing out of the tent he and Thor were in.
Thor starts to explore, rustling through cabinets, he picks up a few items and puts them down again before seeing a small object glinting in the corner of his eye. He stuffs it into his pocket.
“Nice.” Sam grins.
“Ah yes zombie vs. swiss army knife, who will win?” Ash adds.
Thor trails out of the tent, he sees Dan waiting for him at the entrance of a building, but he takes some time to explore the area he can see. It’s pretty unremarkable, several tents like Dan’s are spread around. There are chairs with unlit campfires, and some boxes with what he assumes are supplies lie near the big building Dan is near. It seems to be some sort of church, and a central area for the… village? Camp? Some people are milling around, and most look confused. He wonders if they have any more recollection than he does.
He approaches one lady.
Options appear:
- Do you remember anything?
- Where are we?
- Who are you?
- Leave.
“No, do you?” She asks frantically.
He shakes his head.
“Oh… well I suppose that makes sense.” She continues, “I just woke up in a strange place, no idea where I was. I have complete amnesia… I’m not even sure why I know the word amnesia, or any words at all. This is all very confusing.”
- Where are we?
- Who are you?
- Leave.
“Well I did do some exploring when I got up a few minutes ago… I found a sign that says ‘Camp Chitaqua’. I guess that’s where we are.”
- Who are you?
- Leave.
“I… don’t remember. Do you?”
“Yes, I’m Thor.” He responds, surprised.
“You know your name? I… I don’t know my name. Hopefully it will come to me.”
- Leave.
“Huh… interesting. Why would she not know her name, but me and Dan do? Is she lying or… do we all just get affected by this amnesia in different ways or... intensities?”
Thor suddenly stops, looking at the church, it’s almost drawing him in. “I need to go there.” He whispers to himself.
Thor runs over to the entrance of the church.
“Fucking finally.” Dan complains, opening the door and letting Thor through.
Another cutscene starts.
Thor looks around to see 3 new people, all around 30. A Latina chick, with a septum piercing, leather jacket, and a look that could kill. A small, bearded, white guy, wiping his glasses on his army green jacket. And finally a blissed out looking hippie chick, her blonde wavy hair reaching down to the small of her back.
“You’re late.” The Latino girl accuses.
“We know.” Dan says, “This guy was apparently more interested in interviewing folks outside.”
- Yes, I don’t owe you anything
- Yes, to find out more information
- I came as fast I could
- … (Silence)
“Yeah I did, what’s happening is insane, and I wanted to figure out what people around here knew. I didn’t know anyone was waiting for us here.” Thor defends himself.
Risa glares at him, but steps back.
“Look, we’re all scared, and confused." Dan starts, "But I know we’ve all felt a pull to this building, and there has to be an explanation for that. So why don’t we start with introductions. I’m Dan, I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I intend to find out.”
- Introduce yourself next.
- Wait for the others.
There was a pause, “Well I guess I’ll go next, I’m Chuck-”
“Is that CJ Shurley? The nerd from high school?” Sam asks.
“His real name is Charles, hence, Chuck. Oh, and he’s a writer now.” Ash tells him happily.
“No shit? How’d you get a hold of him?”
“Facebook ad.” Ash shrugs, “He’s a surprisingly good voice actor, for that matter so is Dean.”
Sam glances at the screen, “Oh fuck. I missed the introductions, how do I go back?”
“Ah you don’t really miss anything. That’s Risa.” He points to the biker girl, “And that’s Cassandra.” He points to the stoner.
- Introduce yourself.
- Don’t introduce yourself.
“Why would someone not introduce themselves, that’d just be weird.” Sam whispers absentmindedly.
“My name is Thor. I don’t know any more than any of you, so I don’t really have anything to add…” Thor admits.
“Speaking of things to add… I actually think I have something useful. I have something that can make you remember.” Chuck says quietly.
“What? Why didn’t you say that first thing maldito idiota?!” Risa shouts accusingly.
“Hey calm down!” Dan took a step forward, “Chuck obviously wasn't trying to hide this from us, so I don’t think we can accuse him of anything. If we are going to figure out what's going on, then we better work together. Got it?”
Dan raised his eyebrows at Risa specifically.
“Fine.” Rise eventually growled, stepping back.
It seems the group has a new leader…
“O-okay when I woke I was in the woods with Sandy. C-Cassandra, sorry, instinct, I… I must’ve called you Sandy before… Um, anyway, we were both on the floor, and my hand was all cut up.” He lifted up his left hand to show off a bandage covered in blood. “At first I was like you all… no memories, not even my name, but then I noticed my hand and I… well… brought it to my mouth and suddenly I was having this vivid flashback. Me, Sandy, and Risa, though I didn’t recognize her at the time, were in some sort of chamber. There was a man in… a cage. He didn’t look right though, he looked almost sick, and he kept groaning and bashing against the cage, but he never said anything. And then… I woke up. Anyway I realized later that there was a broken glass bottle under my hand, which is what I must have cut myself on, and then gotten some of the substance in my mouth. The good news is, I think that was a real memory, so we have a working cure. The bad news is” He took a water bottle from his bag, which had a small pool of blue liquid at the bottom. “This is all we have left. And the worse news is this.” He took out a broken glass test tube, with a radioactive symbol on it, and the word TOXIC in all caps.
“Oh shittttt.” Sam gasps. “CJ’s gonna die.”
Ash laughs, and the pair look up as a knock comes from the door.
Sam pauses the game, and Ash gets up to get the door.
Jess stands there, Olivia on her hip who buries her face into her mom’s shoulder upon seeing Ash. Ash doesn't have time to feel left out before Sam’s eldest, Gwen, is giving him a big hug.
“Hi Uncle Ash!” She waves, “Mommy says we have to steal back Daddy.”
“No!” Sam complains, “Ash’s game isn’t as crappy as I thought it would be.”
“Hey!” Ash growls, while Jess laughs.
“Can I entice you home with the promise of cookies? Gwen and I made some this afternoon.” Jess offers.
“Hmm, I think so.” Sam smiled, hopping over the back of the couch.
He walked over to her giving her a quick kiss, before taking Olivia, who was making grabby hands at him.
“You all are too domestic, fu- go away before I’m sick.”
Jess laughed, telling Gwen to say bye-bye before walking off.
“Oh,” Sam turned around before he left, “I’d love to continue Thor’s story sometime… if you’re down?”
Ash grinned, “Looking forward brother. Now fuck off.”
“Language!” Sam chided.
“Whatever she’s like 2, she won’t remember.”
“She’s 4.” Sam sighs.
“Oh… my bad.” Ash shrugs, “See you soon amigo.”
Ash smiles waving as his brother leaves the house.