Toby loved old video games.
Pixelated graphics. Creepy music. Forgotten titles.
The weirder, the better.
He found "No-One Lives.exe" on a dusty USB at a flea market.
No label. Just a post-it note:
"Don't play after midnight."
He laughed, brought it home, and booted it up.
---
The game was simple.
A top-down maze.
Creepy 8-bit music looped behind.
You controlled a small figure with no face.
The only enemy was a tall, black shadow that followed you slowly.
If it touched you—
The screen turned red, and you had to start over.
Each time you restarted, the maze changed.
And each time, the shadow got a little faster.
---
Toby couldn't stop playing.
He was hooked.
Addicted.
Every death felt realer than the last.
The shadow's movements grew more human. Its jerky limbs more detailed.
Then came the fifth death.
When he hit "Continue,"
The game loaded a room…
That looked exactly like his bedroom.
---
He stood up, confused.
Looked around.
Then his game character moved on its own—tilting its head to match his.
On screen, it typed:
> "Nice room. Mind if I stay?"
The power cut out.
A soft knock echoed from his closet.
---
Toby never opened the door.
He ran, left the apartment, didn't go back for days.
But when he returned… the monitor was on.
The game was still running.
His bedroom was still the map.
And the shadow?
It stood closer now.
Just pixels away from the bed.
He deleted the game. Smashed the USB. Burned the computer.
But every night since…
He hears the old music playing from somewhere inside the walls.
And a voice whispering:
> "Continue?"
---
Urban Legend Update:
It's said that No-One Lives.exe still exists.
It finds players. Not the other way around.
Usually after midnight.
Usually when you're most alone.
If you ever see the title screen…
Don't press start.
And whatever you do—never hit continue.