Glitch

Night. You're immersed in a virtual world, furiously typing away when suddenly—bang—the monitor goes dark, plunging you into pitch darkness. The system unit hums cheerfully, but the screen is dead. "What the hell?!?" flashes through your mind. Instinctively, you unplug the power cord, hoping for a miracle... And then, as if mockingly, the screen flashes for a moment, revealing someone's smile. You blink—and the vision vanishes, as if it never existed. A glitch? Overwork? Or the beginning of something far stranger?

Ten minutes later, with a sinking heart, you reboot your computer. The game is running, your adrenaline is pumping... And then, a chilling touch on your shoulder. But it's not just a hand—it's something alien, as if pixels have burst into reality. Is this like... a bug in real life?
— "Whatcha playin' here? How're u doing, gamer?" — a voice says right next to your ear.