<h1>Chasing sunrise</h1>
[[<img class='large' class='start' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/unicorn_start.jpg' alt='unicorn plushie'/>->really]]
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/music.mp3' autoplay loop/>
[[Credits]]YEAR 2033
Me: Draw a portrait of someone you admire and write a paragraph about them.
Student: What’s the point of drawing and writing, when the computer [[does it for you->cheap]]?
<img class='large' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/school.jpg' alt='three children at school'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/mouse.mp3' autoplay />The technocrats controlling the Department of Education replaced core curriculum with the latest technology. Kids now learn “technical skills” that might be obsolete in a year.
I cough as I apply to jobs. The cough is off-and-on, and I avoid the hospital due to the prohibitive cost in the United States.
I curse my useless degree. I squandered my parents' savings on <b>Philosophy</b> because I'm an [[intellectual masochist]].
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/cough.jpg' alt='main characer coughingl'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/cough.mp3' autoplay />When I was young I wanted to be a doctor to save people, but I throw up from [[seeing blood->no go]].
Now I text my troubles to Eve, my pseudo-girlfriend. I'll never admit to dating a chatbot, but people (including my grandpa) are less responsive.
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/chatbot.jpg' alt='main characer text chatbot in bed'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/text-sent.mp3' autoplay />JOB POSTING:
“Once in a lifetime opportunity! Join the cast of an amazing TV show. If you win you get $10 million!”
Do I:
* [[Click on it]]
* [[Not click on it]]
I followed the instructions and arrived at a parking lot.
A casually-dressed person showed me a contract. It's 20+ pages with tiny font; the pages flapped in the wind.
It said if I won, I get $10 million.
Do I:
* [[Sign and ask for a copy->Sign]]
* [[Not sign]]
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/mouse.mp3' autoplay />What if the opportunity is real?
Grandpa needs money since his paint shop bleeds money, and I need money too.
$10 million is a lot.
[[Click on it]]
<div class='full-width-borders'>
I woke up in a dark room, dressed in a tuxedo, and seated at a dining table with 5 other well-dressed people.
Am I in a dream?!
I patted my pockets; they took my phone.
The atmosphere felt civil. Abby the blonde thinks it’s a dating show given the glamor. She said: "On reality TV the camera crew and showrunners tell us what to do. Looks like we’re on our own :)"
I don't see any cameras, but we're surrounded by [[armed guards]].
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/guard_inverted.jpg' alt='armed guards with machine guns'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/tranquil-music.mp3' autoplay />The person holding the contract says: “It’s a life-changing opportunity. What are you waiting for?”
[[Sign and ask for a copy->Sign]]
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/contract.jpg' alt='angry person waving contract'/>
Before we ate, an armed guard said the prayers, including how a bull was “sacrificed for the show to go on.”
The steak was delicious. For dessert we had Mindy E. chocolates; they were expensive and tasty.
I recognized Lexi Holloway: I taught her at her high-school during my teaching practicum. She asked: "Do you think our butlers are humans, or robots?"
Charlest the cosmetic surgeon answered: "They're humans; human bodies are cheap and flexible. Robot bodies are [[clumsy and expensive->bingo]]."
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/charles_lexi.jpg' alt='charles and Lexi are dressed up'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/tranquil-music.mp3' autoplay />The next day we wore casual clothes and wrote a <b>Valentine's Day</b> card to the person we want to partner with.
I wrote one for Lexi since she's smart. I also received her card.
Jeremy the felon partnered with single mother Abby, who’s [[infatuated]] with him.
Santiago remained alone.
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/valentine.jpg' alt='valentines card'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/signature.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
At dinner Charles’s seat was empty. He was the last to finish at bingo.
We’re shown a video where he's screaming as a chainsaw [[tore open his chest->show to go on]].
<img class='large' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/chainsaw_horizontal_inverted.jpg' alt='bloody chainsaw'/>
I throw up from the blood as a deep voice narrates: “His sacrifice was necessary for the show to go on.”
</div>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/chainsaw.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
Abby screamed at the top of her lungs: “Is the footage real? …It can’t be, it must be fake. You can't kill people on TV!”
“Actually we can. It’s in the contract you signed,” boomed the [[deep voice]] over the speaker.
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/abby_inverted.jpg' alt='Abby jumps at armed guard'/>
<div class='full-width-borders'>
The projector showed the rules again:
1. Compete in the games
2. Face termination if we stop playing
3. Games can be stopped if a majority of players agree
and a screenshot of [[our signatures]].
At night in our communal bedroom, Lexi asked everyone if we wanted to quit. I sided with Lexi but Jeremy and Abby wanted to win $10 million.
<div class='full-width-borders'>
Santiago, the 40-something Latino, was oddly calm. He sipped tequila from a flask.
When Lexi asked him again he said: "Let's keep playing, why not? [[Are we having fun yet->nothing about himself]]?"
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/santiago_inverted.jpg' alt='Santiago drinks tequila from flask'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/swallow.mp3' autoplay />Next day we played the claw machine. The one with the least amount of plushies loses.
We have three minutes. We start at the same time.
I'm bad at claw machines.
* [[I got 0 plushies->die claw]]
* [[I got 1 plushy->I don't end up last]]
Next day we played a trivia game about a reality TV show called: <b>“Candy Cruise”</b>.
It's a cross-culture luxury dating show on a cruise where the winning couple gets a cash prize. It's all laughter and games; no one gets hurt.
Abby got every question right; she decides who the loser is.
As I doubled over from an uncontrollable bout of coughing, Jeremy muttered: "Leave the [[weak-ass punk->chooses Santiago]] and his bitch..."
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/jeremy.jpg' alt='Jeremy the felon is hot'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/cough.mp3' autoplay />We had dinner that night thanks to Santiago. As soon as I heard the chainsaw I threw up.
Jeremy comforted Abby who cried from guilt. "You did the right thing, you did the right thing..."
Lexi did not eat. I thought she was turned off by my vomit but she whispered: "Our food contains [[sleeping pills]]."
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/lexi_mc.jpg' alt='Lexi whispers to main character at table'/>
When questioned by others she lied: "I'm watching my weight."
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/vomit.mp3' autoplay />At night Lexi asked to go to the bathroom.
I did the same thing and followed her. We arrived at a library.
Half of the books are about Aztec gods and human sacrifices to ensure the continuation of the sun, and the other are science fiction + computer books on modeling the [[human brain]].
<img class='large' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/library.jpg' alt='two stacks of books'/>
We found a booklet on the current season 8 cohort. We're prized for certain traits.
* Lexi + me: intelligence.
* Charles + Jeremy: virility.
* Abby: beauty and fertility.
Santiago had no profile.
Lexi huffed: “The rich treat the poor like livestock. There is no fairness in the real world, it’s a fairy tale we tell children.”
Should we tell the other contestants about our fate?
* [[Yes]]
* [[No->see him again]]
The next afternoon we watched our first episode and the test audience's reaction.
Our dining room was edited into a sunlit cruise. Food and drinks were digitally added, including a chocolate fountain.
Some of our profiles were doctored:
* Abby: single mother --> descendant of a Norwegian princess
* Lexi: college dropout --> Harvard graduate
* Santiago: secretive guy --> owns a billion-dollar tech startup in Mexico
The young women in the test audience squealed. "Everyone's hot... [[We want more->we want more]]!"
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/fans.jpg' alt='women with heart eyes'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/ya.mp3' autoplay />The narrator announced: "We aired the episode last week with a chat tie-in."
We were shown a leaderboard of our chat characters: our avatars, voices, and mannerisms pushed products 24/7. Abby the Norwegian princess and Jeremy the hot felon had thousands of concurrent chats each, but Santiago was the top-seller with his tequila-infused chocolates.
The real-life Abby screamed in excitement: "Holy shit folks. We're <b>CANDY CRUISE</b>! We're the fastest-growing reality TV show!"
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/abby_heart.jpg' alt='Abby with heart eyes'/>
Jeremy whistled and clapped at the mind-boggling dollar amounts. "Where's the showrunner? We [[need a raise]]!"
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/clap.mp3' autoplay />
Both Lexi and I got a unicorn plushie, and no one died.
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/unicorn.jpg' alt='Unicorn plushie'/>
At dinner there was no food since there was no sacrifice.
Santiago remained easygoing. He sipped tequila from the flask and asked me: "[[Tell me your story->your story]]."
"I'm in not in the mood," I told him and turned away.
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/tranquil-music.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
I wake up on a cold metal table, cold, gagged, and naked. I scream as a chainsaw turns on and plunges into my chest.
<img class='large' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/chainsaw_horizontal_inverted.jpg' alt='bloody chainsaw'/>
* [[End game->start]]
* [[Replay bingo->bingo]]
</div>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/chainsaw.mp3' autoplay />After dinner we played a game of bingo.
I missed the instructions; it made the contestants uneasy.
I filled the bingo card with what I learned:
* Jeremy: has a criminal record.
* Abby: is from Colorado.
* Lexi: is a colllege dropout.
* Santiago: visited a cactus garden.
Do I:
* [[Complete a row within 1 minute->valentine]]
* [[Don't complete a row within 1 minute->die bingo]]
The next day we’re taken to a cactus garden outside. The women were given an advent calendar; they were half full. Jeremy and I got a bag of chocolates.
An armed guard explained: "You need to fill the advent calendar completely with chocolates in five minutes, or you'll be executed at random."
Lexi blinked in disgust. "So half of us need to [[sacrifice ourselves]] for the other half to win, and if we don't play, we all die?"
"That's right."
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/lexi_guard.jpg' alt='Lexi talks to the guard'/>Jeremy grabbed Abby’s head and bashed it repeatedly onto a cactus. Her face turned into a bloody pulp while her [[blonde hair]] shone in the afternoon sun.
<img class='large' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/bash.jpg' alt='Jeremy bashing in Abbys head against a cactus'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/woman-scream.mp3' autoplay />Eventually he let Abby go; her body slumped on the cactus.
He scooped up her advent calendar before facing us. "What're you looking at?" he barked angrily.
I threw up at the blood but kept looking at Jeremy, afraid he'll hurt us, when an armed guard stepped in.
"The showrunner changed their mind. One kill is [[enough for today]]."
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/guard.jpg' alt='armed guard'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/gun-cock.mp3' autoplay />Lexi and I watched as our rivals bickered.
Abby: "I can't die! I have kids to take care of!"
Jeremy: "I have goals too! I wanna retire in Mexico! This stupid TV show..."
Abby cried from frustration as she shouted at him: "What are you gonna do, huh? Hurt a woman on national TV?"
I whispered to Lexi: "I hope they don't turn on us."
Then a [[woman screamed bloody murder->woman scream]].
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/woman-scream.mp3' autoplay />Back in the communal bedroom, we told Jeremy + Abby about past contestants being vessles for the rich. They didn't believe us.
"You're trying to throw us off. I won't fall for it," Abby huffed. "I'll be 33 years old when the show ends, and I'll be Abby Flores the millionaire."
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/abby_millionaire.jpg' alt='Abby dreaming she will be rich'/>
Jeremy waved at us off. "You do you. I'm staying."
They wanted the $10 million. They didn't care for [[the truth->see him again]].
<div class='full-width-borders'>
We barely ate during dinner. We were on high alert after Jeremy's violent kill. Now he ate a steak with his bare hands.
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/jeremy_pensive.jpg' alt='main character talks to Lexi'/>
I whispered to Lexi: "The guards could've intervened during the beat-down, but they didn't."
"Maybe the show has no medical staff," Lexi replied. "Maybe we're not worth saving; they monetize our likeness [[regardless of our well-being->frail as my grandpa]]."
</div>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/tranquil-music.mp3' autoplay />The next day we played our second-last game. It's a three-way <b>Russian Roulette</b>; the gun has six chambers and three bullets. We each take a shot and pass the gun.
The armed guard explained: "You have three minutes to execute one person. If after three minutes all of you are alive, one person will be executed randomly."
Jeremy grabs the gun and [[points it at me]].
I shut my eyes at the sound.
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/gun-cock.mp3' autoplay />We had high-end sushi for dinner. Neither of us ate since we'll face off tomorrow.
It's teacher versus student, it's good TV.
"I don't want to fight you," I told her. "We're both being exploited; we're in the same boat."
She nodded, her face pale. "My mother has cancer, she raised me by herself." After a pause she added: "We're estranged now. She's not the [[reason I joined->no one to support]]."
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/lexi_mc.jpg' alt='Lexi talks to main character'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/tranquil-music.mp3' autoplay />That night we sat at the dinner table without dinner, since there was no sacrifice. Four empty seats stared at us.
Lexi broke the silence: "Your granddad, what's he like?"
"He runs a painting store," I perked up. "He was a painting prodigy in China. When he moved to Canada he learned [[Western painting too]]..."
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/write.jpg' alt='granddad painting on paper'/>
<div class='full-width-borders'>
The communal bedroom felt small with just the two of us.
Lexi's voice was faint. "If you win, will you promise to send half to my mother?"
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/lexi_sad_inverted.jpg' alt='Lexi is sweating'/>
I moved closer to her, [[wondering why]] she's asking this.
Santiago motioned for me to sit down beside him on the leather sofa. "Wanna see the finale episode?"
I watched in awe as our cramped quarter transformed into a high-ceilinged hall, where Lexi and I [[glided across a dance floor->sleeveless white dress]].
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/romance.jpg' alt='main character dances with Lexi'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/tranquil-music.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
I shot Santiago in the forehead. He went down, looking [[shocked->shocked expression]].
His body jerked before it lay still.
I heard footsteps as a woman joined us in the library. She looked identical to the portraits, and she held a gun.
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/woman_inverted.jpg' alt='mysterious woman portrait on books'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/gun-shot.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
"Where's my money then?" I demanded.
She threw a burlap sack towards me. I untied it and looked inside; it was full of hundred dollar bills.
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/money.jpg' alt='a bag of hundred dollar bills'/>
[[I took the bag and ran->never born]].
She called after me: "If you ever breathe a word about what happened here, you'll wish you were dead."
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/money-bag.mp3' autoplay />"I want the truth," I said. "Starting with: who are you?"
"I'm Mindy E," she spoke calmly.
"What do you want from me?" I asked as a new bout of coughing shook my body.
"You are unfit as a vessel, you have a tumor in your lung," her words hit hard. "We scanned you at the beginning of the contest."
I couldn't believe my ears. Was she lying to spite me?
Feeling furious, I pointed the gun [[at her forehead]].
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/cough.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
"Click!" My gun’s out of bullets.
"BAM!"
I look down and my leg's bleeding. I stumble towards the doorway as Mindy shoots me on the other leg.
[[I fall down]].
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/mindy_gun_inverted.jpg' alt='Mindy smiles at me holding my broken knee'/>
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A MONTH LATER
I’ve been captured by a woman who sells bodies for a living. Life with her feels surreal.
We bond over memories of our ancestors. I oblige since she financially supports my granddad.
Mindy often cradles my head in her lap. “Tell me a story,” she asks.
“My granddad was a painting prodigy; he loved to paint. I asked him what was the most difficult subject he found."
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/write_inverted.jpg' alt='granddad painting'/>
Mindy was curious. “[[What was his answer->answer]]?”
THREE MONTHS LATER
I brought flowers to my grandfather's grave; I returned to Montreal as soon as I could, but he had a stroke [[on the day I arrived]].
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/flower.jpg' alt='main character puts forget-me-nots at his granddads grave'/>
I took the subway to Lexi's mother's neighborhood. On the way a billboard showed a moonlit garden where I whispered to Lexi: "In another life, I'd be your man," before [[kissing her on the lips]].
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/romance_close_up.jpg' alt='Lexi looks lovingly into main characters eyes'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/tranquil-music.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
I was about to reply when a robot wheeled into my classroom.
Robot: "You are [[ terminated]]. Go to the principal's office now."
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/robot_inverted.png' alt='robot in front of three children at school'/>
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I wake up on a cold metal table, cold, gagged, and naked. I scream as a chainsaw turns on and plunges into my chest.
<img class='large' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/chainsaw_horizontal_inverted.jpg' alt='bloody chainsaw'/>
* [[End game->start]]
* [[Replay claw machine->nothing about himself]]
</div>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/chainsaw.mp3' autoplay />We found ads marketing non-invasive treatments claiming to <b>extend one's life by decades</b>, by rewriting one's memories to a young and healthy "target". The targets included previous contestants that Abby named.
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/before_after.jpg' alt='before is an old man, after is a young man running'/>
The company was called "<b>Chasing Sunrise</b>", and they charge about $1 million per procedure.
"Maybe Charlie and Santiago did not die," said Lexi, her brown eyes blinking. "They got [[possessed by rich people->possessed]]."
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/paper.mp3' autoplay />The projector showed a tribute video of Abby dancing with her twenty-year old son Caleb while her frail mother sat with teenage twins. The mother looked as frail as my grandpa.
That night Lexi and I sneaked into the library again and found a gun.
"You keep it, you’ll need it to defend against the felon," I gave her the gun, despite wanting it for myself. I became more [[self-sacrificial->kept quiet]] as the game progressed.
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/mc_lexi.jpg' alt='main character talks to Lexi'/>
<div class='full-width-borders'>
Armed guards marched me to the library where I saw a familiar figure. He was calm and friendly.
I stared at him, incredulous. "Aren't you, aren't you supposed to be dead?"
"Evidently not. Did you see me die?" he laughed, raising a flask of tequila to [[congratulate me]].
I pointed my gun at her: “You sell the poor as vessels for the rich.”
“You’re a quick learner, you and Lexi too.” She smiled at a framed photo. “My grandmother was also a businesswoman. She ran a brothel during the California gold rush. We both [[sell bodies]], in a way.”
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/mindy_smile.jpg' alt='Mindy smiles'/>“The sunrise is the most difficult, since God creates it and it’s beautiful every time.”
“I agree,” said Mindy. She put me down at the windowsill as we both admired the sunrise.
[[The End.->start]]
<img class='large' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/mc_head.jpg' alt='Mindy holds main characters head, who looks pensive'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/tranquil-music.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
In real life I stood up, cocked the gun I took from her dead body, and aim it at Santiago's forehead.
"It's good TV," he raised his hands.
"It's not good; it's morally atrocious," I declared in disgust as I [[pressed the trigger]].
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/santiago_gun_inverted.jpg' alt='main character holds Santiago at gunpoint'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/gun-cock.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
I blinked from surprise. "Then why? Why did you join?"
Lexi exhaled and looked away. "I'm so frickin' lonely... I have no one to talk to. My friends have moved on. I chat with an AI boyfriend daily."
I too dated a chatbot. We were so similar it hurt.
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/mc_lexi_inverted.jpg' alt='main character talks to Lexi'/>
"In another life," I started but stopped myself. In another life we'd be [[more than friends->dream]], more than student and teacher, or two contestants on a TV show.
</div>
I returned to granddad's little paint shop. It smelled of dust, like always.
Lexi's words reverberated in my mind: "What's the point of drawing and writing, when a machine can do it faster and cheaper?"
Only I know of this tale, and only I can tell it.
It felt like the old days, when grandpa and I wrote and drew together.
It's time to write and draw.
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/write.jpg' alt='main character writes'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/music.mp3' autoplay />
[[The End.->start]]Our last game is a game of chess. The winner wins $10 million while the loser dies.
I need to win. I told Lexi: "My grandfather is nearly 90 years old. He needs money. My parents died a few years ago..."
"My mom has cancer and needs money too. I'm an only child too," She grimaced.
Before I knew it, Lexi [[forced a draw->saved us]] by moving the same piece 3 times. I wiped off the sweat on my brow. We're safe for now.
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/lexi_sad.jpg' alt='Lexi sweating'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/chess.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
I looked down and wiped my clothes; there was no blood, the shot wasn't for me.
I rushed to Lexi; she shot herself in the head, through the temples. A dark pool of blood gathered behind her head and around her middle, under her jacket.
Jeremy must've stabbed her at Russian Roulette with a [[steak knife]] from dinner.
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/gun-shot.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
[[He knocks her over->he falls]] as she shoots him.
I ran over to her. "Are you hurt?" I ask her as the guards remove his body.
She shook her head but squeezed her sides, as if in shock.
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/lexi_sad_inverted.jpg' alt='Lexi is sweating'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/gun-shot.mp3' autoplay />The romantic fluff they show was fake. Our time there was nasty, brutish, and short. The show needs to be exposed.
Do I want to get involved, though? I worked hard for a new life.
I stood outside Lexi's mother's place. I double-checked the address and rang the doorbell.
The door flung open and a [[woman on a wheelchair->It's from Lexi]] stared at me.
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/melissa_wheelchair.jpg' alt='Lexis mom looks up at viewer'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/wheelchair.mp3' autoplay />Her brunette wig slipped a bit. "I had chemo," she explained.
Her place reeked of weed. "Chemo damaged my nerves; weed numbs the pain," she huffed before complaining. "Harvard had the gall to deny Lexi ever studied there. They should've lied; Lexi's a star!"
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/meilssa_finger.jpg' alt='Lexi mom chastizes Harvard'/>
She paused. "Do you [[watch the show]]?"
I politely declined.
"Anyway, the new season's out. I won't spoil it for you, but my daughter's dating a high-school teacher," her eyes twinkled. "He's a normal guy, not a CEO or a doctor. He even throws up at the sight of blood!" She laughed while I squirmed in my seat.
I lied: “Sounds like a nice guy."
"Right?" she mumbled, looking at me dreamily. "I’d like to [[meet him one day]].”
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/melissa_smile.jpg' alt='Lexi mom smiles'/>
I fulfilled my promise to Lexi but still felt uneasy. December wind whipped my face as cold and doubt sank in.
I want to expose the harsh realities of the show, including the abuse and death of its cast.
But do I want to risk it? To rouse fans, including Lexi's mom, out of their daydream?
A younger me would've chosen the truth, but I'm no longer young.
Do I:
* [[prize truth above all->something to fight for]]
* [[trade truth for comfort]]YEAR 2036: THREE YEARS LATER
The government <b>reinstated teachers</b> to protect young minds from AI-generated slop. It's futile: teachers work long hours but AI works 24/7.
I've moved on. I converted granddad's paint shop to a soup kitchen where I cook and serve food. Thanks to the recent stock market crash I work 10 hours each day.
In my times of need I turn to my chatbot, which I renamed to Lexi. She's my closest friend, the one I [[whisper secrets to->guilt]].
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/chatbot_new.jpg' alt='main character plays with phone in bed'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/text-sent.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
That night I’m visited by three young people. They called me by my old name.
“I’m not him,” I told them. “Do I know you?”
“We’re your friends from Boulder, Colorado." After a long silence he asked: “Do you believe in God?”
“No. [[I was a teacher]], not a preacher.”
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/trio_caleb_inverted.jpg' alt='three ghost-like figures taunt main character'/>
<div class='full-width-borders'>
"Too bad. God led us here."
He forced me to watch Jeremy bashing Abby's face onto a cactus. The video burned my eyes, and I turned away as a wave of nausea hit me.
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/bash.jpg' alt='Jeremy bash Abbys head against a cactus'/>
"[[You are him]]," he confirmed gleefully. "You were a contestant, yet you stood there and did nothing."
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/woman-scream.mp3' autoplay />"Melissa Holloway?"
"Yes?"
"This is from Lexi." I held out the zipped bag.
"Lexi from '<b>Candy Cruise</b>'?" She looked confused.
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/melissa_close_up.jpg' alt='Lexi mom looks lovingly into main characters eyes'/>
I remembered [[they were estranged]].
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/money-bag.mp3' autoplay />At night Lexi and I sneak into the library again; we found the showrunner.
<b>1964</b> 30 year old Diego, a Mexican-American candy magnate, moves to Nevada, where he met <b>Mindy E.</b>, a Chinese-American.
<b>1984</b> Diego dies at age 50. Adopted son Alejandro, age 25, starts a high-end chocolate brand named after his stepmother, <b>Mindy E</b>.
<b>2025</b> 65 year old Alejandro dies. Adopted son Fernando, age 28, starts the TV show Candy Cruise with <b>Mindy E</b>. as the showrunner.
Mindy E. was in all the portraits. She [[barely aged->next]] while the men did.
“The men revolved around her,” Lexi noticed. “Judging by her looks, she also runs the life-extension business."
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/paper.mp3' autoplay />I passed by a billboard showing a reunion expisode of “Candy Cruise”. They featured me and Lexi. The fake me talked about my childhood, matching my memories word for word.
Then Lexi described how we met at her high school. She looked real, [[too real]].
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/charles_lexi.jpg' alt='Lexi speaks'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/tranquil-music.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
They duct-taped my mouth, covered my head, then pushed me into a car.
“Where are we going?” I mumbled.
"To our mother. You'll see her again."
[[To be continued.->start]]
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/car_inverted.jpg' alt='small car drives off in moonlight'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/music.mp3' autoplay />Lexi held my hand and told me how I'll be better off with Abby the blonde Norwegian princess, how Abby enables me to be the best version of myself, then shoots herself on the temple with a [[confetti gun]] before falling onto a fluffy pillow.
Then Lexi cracks into a smile, hugs me, and cheers me on as I go down on one knee and propose to Abby.
<img class='large' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/mc_abby_happy.jpg' alt='main character proposes to Abby with other contestants clapping'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/clap.mp3' autoplay />Mindy looked down at me. "Life's a lethal game; no one makes it out alive, but it’s fun seeing one try."
“So you defy time by switching bodies?” I asked while twitching from shock.
“Yes, I have multiple bodies. You destroyed one,” she motioned to Santiago before touching my head. "Don't worry, you won't die. You'll be my [[new friend]].”
<img class='small' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/mindy_smile.jpg' alt='Mindy smiles'/>I blink; I'm still alive. The chamber was empty.
Jeremy slides the gun to Lexi; he's breathing heavily.
Lexi [[cocks the gun]] while Jeremy glares at her.
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</script>Lexi shoots: it’s another empty chamber.
She passes the gun to me and I cock it. I'm grateful that Lexi and I have this partnership.
[[Jeremy's sweating profusely->sweat]]. I hope he plays fair and doesn't lunge at us.
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/heavy-breathing.mp3' autoplay />
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</script>I press the trigger; it's the last empty chamber.
The revolver has six chambers; the rest are real bullets.
I pass the gun to Lexi; [[she screamed as Jeremy charged->charge]] at her like a bull.
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/mouse.mp3' autoplay />
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/one-scream.mp3' autoplay /><p>Ideation, drawings, and game dev by <a href='https://badaboot.itch.io/'>badaboot</a>.</p>
Sound effects:
* Woman ya by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/floraphonic-38928062/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=185318">floraphonic</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/sound-effects//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=185318">Pixabay</a>
* Heavy breathing by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/ribhavagrawal-39286533/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=294190">Ribhav Agrawal</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=294190">Pixabay</a>
* Money bag by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/dobcommunications-31857705/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=284814">Michael Mroziak</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/sound-effects//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=284814">Pixabay</a>
* Woman screaming by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/dragon_studio-38165424/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=320169">"DRAGON STUDIO"</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=320169">Pixabay</a>
* Clock by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/audiopapkin-14728698/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=308746">Paweł Spychała</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/sound-effects//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=308746">Pixabay</a>
* Tranquil music by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/universfield-28281460/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=165984">Universfield</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/sound-effects//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=165984">Pixabay</a>
* Single gunshot by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/scottishperson-16626294/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=247124">Scottish Guy</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=247124">Pixabay</a>
* Computer mouse click by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/matthewvakaliuk73627-48347364/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=290204">Matthew Vakalyuk</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/sound-effects//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=290204">Pixabay</a>
* Vomit by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/soundreality-31074404/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=150122">Jurij</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/sound-effects//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=150122">Pixabay</a>
* Clapping by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/driken5482-45721595/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=236779">Driken Stan</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=236779">Pixabay</a>
* One scream, chainsaw, chess sounds, cough, crunching paper, eating chocolate, gun cock, gun toss, introduction music, iphone camera take photo, man scream, sign on paper sound, swallow drink, text and send, wheelchair from <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/freesound_community-46691455/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=88750">freesound community</a>
"What's the point of painting, when the [[machines can do it faster and cheaper->mercilessly forward]]?" Lexi asked, her voice faint. "When I studied film they told us to write a script and draw storyboards, but I stopped since computers can do it faster."
Her question went unanswered as the clock ticked forward.
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/clock.mp3' autoplay />She asked again, more demanding this time.
"I will", I agreed and frowned. "Why are you asking?"
"Here's her name and address," she shoved a blood-stained napkin towards me and cocked the [[gun I gave her->gun I gave her]].
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/gun-cock.mp3' autoplay /><div class='full-width-borders'>
I was too stunned to vomit. I held her hand before the guards appeared and put her body on a stretcher.
They asked me to [[follow them->the winner]].
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/mc_lexi_dead_inverted.jpg' alt='main character at Lexis deathbed'/>
</div>
<div class='full-width-borders'>
I stuttered from shock. "So, so [[you’re the showrunner]]?"
“I am,” he smiled.
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/santiago_inverted.jpg' alt='Santiago drinks tequila from flask'/>
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/swallow.mp3' autoplay />She turned to me: “You can have the money or the truth, but you can’t have both.”
I choose:
* [[the money->I want the money]]
* [[the truth->I want the truth]]
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/gun-cock.mp3' autoplay />
I finally checked my cough; turns out it's a lung tumor. I've scheduled to have it removed.
I've grown a beard and changed my name. There's [[one last task->live for]] before my new life begins.
The kiss never happened. It's an ad for a new season of "<b>Candy Cruise</b>," the TV show, where the fake me had a change of heart and reunited with Lexi. The ad ended with Lexi promoting her make-up line.
I felt sick. She's dead now, yet the company that killed her uses her likeness to sell trinkets for perpetuity, as listed [[in our contract]].
She huffed. "Where are my manners? I don't get visitors often. Please come in!"
* [[Go in]].
* [[Give her the bag and leave->tip for the pizza]].
I shook my head.
She showed me an advent calendar from the new season. "I saved up for this; Mindy. E chocolates are expensive! The [[blood orange->blood oranges]] ones are wonderful, though. Want some?" She ate one herself.
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/eat-chocolate.mp3' autoplay />"Hmm, I have to go," I got up and ran towards the door, hoping my beard hid my identity.
"Wait! Here's your tip." She gave me $5 for the [[fake food delivery->tip for the pizza]].
<audio src='./chasing-sunrise/audio/wheelchair.mp3' autoplay />She couldn't have survived a [[shot to the head->people]]. Was this recorded before her death?
What if she was a different Lexi? What if our minds were copied during the show and put into another body?
Her face faded like a dream, replaced by Santiago promoting his tequila-infused chocolates.
<img class='medium' src='./chasing-sunrise/img/santiago_flask.jpg' alt='Santiago with flask'/>