The Glitch (First Interactive Novel)

"Ben!" Yelled Mrs. Ingram called for her son.

"Ben! Come down! It's dinner time. Go down and have your dinner before you go to your night shift!" Mrs. Ingram yelled again.

Still no reply from her son. So, she decided to go upstairs into her son's room. 

This nearly 50th years old mom mumbling about her son's habits.

Benjamin Ingram, a skinny nineteen years old guy, with blue eyes and copper hair, is still in full concentration playing his favorite virtual game called "Monsters Invasion"! 

For now, Monster Invasion is one of the most popular games in the world, played by many gamers in almost all parts of the world.

The game itself is about monsters that came from another portal of dimension and try to attack the earth, kill the human race and take over the earth for their new homes.

Ben who is from London, has become one of the best top ten players, together with other players from other countries.

"BEN!!" Mrs. Ingram decided to take out Ben's headphone and yelled out loud in his son's ear.

Ben shocks a lot when he realizes his mother is already standing in his very messy awful room.

"Ben, didn't you hear me? I've been calling out your name about five times," Mrs. Ingram got upset.

"Sorry, Mom! I didn't hear you," said Ben and is going to continue playing the game.

"Ben! This is the final call," warned Mrs. Ingram.

"You have to go on your night shift after dinner right?" Mrs. Ingram asked.

"Yeah, Mom! But I still have to finish this level first," Ben said.

"Alright. No more playing games. All of your friends has already gone to college,"  said Mrs. Ingram.

"Only you're the one who stayed here, in your parents' house and do nothing!"

"You also promised to make up your room last week!"

"But I didn't see you're doing it. It's still messy like this."

"Your father and I really almost gave up on your laziness," Mrs. Ingram shook her head.

"Okey … okey … I'm going now!" Ben finally gives up. 

He takes off his headphones without turning off his computer and then goes down with his mother and starts to have dinner with his mother.

His father still has not yet come back from his work. His father is a senior firefighter. 

By the time he finishes his dinner, his mother asked him to go immediately to work at the 24 hours pharmacy where he became the cashier. 

"Bye, Mom!" Said Ben then he shut the door.

He walk out from his house to pharmacy store, that just about three blocks from his house.

"Hi, Nancy!" Said Ben while yawning to his friend. 

Nancy is his partner in store. Right now Nancy has just finished her shift and Ben is about to take the turn.

"Hi, Ben!" Nancy greets him back.

"Ready for night shift?" Ask Nancy.

"I guess so!" Ben sat down on an old chair behind the cashier.

"Bye, Ben!" Said Nancy while put her jacket on. Then she opens the door and leave Ben alone in the store.

Thunder rumbling at the night sky. Maybe its going to be raining soon. 

Ben stayed till late nite. It's about eleven o'clock now, and Ben almost fell asleep in his old chair.

When suddenly a bell door ringling and someone came in.

"Whooaa! What a night, rite?" Said that person.

"I need some antihistamine. Do you have it?" Asked that man.

"Yeah of course, second isle, third row, Dude!" Said Ben.

"Alright! Thanks, Dude!" Said that man that go straight directly following Ben's direction.

Not taking too long, that man came back again to pay the antihistamine.

"That will be five dollar and thirty seven cent," said Ben.

That man give a ten dollar and Ben give him a change for the money when suddenly a quite strong earth quake shocking him and his customer.

Ben and his customer hold on to the cashier counter and try to protect themselves under the cashier counter.

"Whoaa! For God sakes, what happened?" Asked that man.

"Earthquake of course!" Said Ben thinking that this man is a stupid man.

'Oh, No! Mom stays alone at home!' Ben suddenly remembers his mom.

"That's a big earthquake, Dude!" Said that man again.

"I'd better hurry and check on my family to see whetter they ok!" Said that man again and then rushed to leave the pharmacy.

Ben quickly grabs his mobile phone then calls his mom.

###

"Ben?" Mrs. Ingram answering Ben's calls.

"Mom, are you ok?" Ben asked his mom worriedly.

"Yes, Dear! Are you ok, too?" Asked Mrs. Ingram.

"Thank God!" Said Ben.

"Has Dad come home yet?" Asked Ben again.

"No! He has not come home yet," Mrs. Ingram explained.

"Listen, Mom! I will come home as soon as I can, ok?" Ben tries to make his mom comfortable.

"It's ok Ben. It's just an earthquake," Mrs. Ingram also tries not to make her son worry much, neglecting that she has a big wound on her hands because a mirror had just broken up near her when the earthquake happened.

###

Ben rushed to close the pharmacy earlier. Actually he is not allowed to do that. Because it's a 24 hour pharmacy.

Someone might need to buy some supplies after this earthquake. But, he was really worried about his mom.

Ben walks down the empty street. It's so dark with so much thunder rumbling. He turns left and sees something that is a little bit weird.

Looks like a human. But it looks like it's floating in the air with something attached to him.

Or her? 

Ben can not see clearly from where he stood. It's so dark, not like usual.

That person looks like he's making some mumbling voice. 

Or moaning?

Ben tries to look clearly from the dark place where he was hiding.

And he got shocked!

That man was the man who just came to his pharmacy.

"HELP ME!" That man makes very pitiful sounds.

"Aaaaahhhhh!" He is screaming miserably.

Ben widened his eyes and finally saw that the man was being eaten alive by what looked like a giant tentacle.

Ben immediately hid behind the dark shadows of the buildings. Breathing hard.

"Oh, shit! What did I just see?"

"What's happening?" 

To be continue ….