There’s something strange in room 403

You are an esteemed employee, doing your best in a small yet tolerable office cubicle. The clock ticks by and you feel your neck muscles cramp. Have the last 30 years you’ve wasted away here really been worth it? There’s nothing interesting and you don’t care about anything you’re doing. All you ever do is click-clack on your computer, your eyes are always sore from looking at the screen, and you are forever hunched over. But hey! You earn a lot of money! “I should try to [[head out]]…” you mumbled, “But I have to [[continue working]], so I can just get this damn thing done and get my paycheck..”

(text-colour:black)[You walk down a long hallway with the weight of the world on your shoulders. Typically, the office space is chatty. The sound of keyboards click-clacking and the coffee aroma would meet your nose. But....there's no one...you pondered for a moment. //Where's everyone?// So empty. The silence is deafening. Maybe they're preparing a surprise party for your third employee of the month? You try to] (text-colour:green)[[explore]] (text-colour:black)[ I know damn well you shouldn't go around touching your co-workers' belongings. ''Choose wisely.''] (text-colour:green)[[keep walking down the hallway]]

''Great decision.'' What can I say? You’re a workaholic! No wonder you got employee of the month. You chose to work. Hours on end. You lost track of time. Neck cramps are becoming more prominent. You put on some muscle-relieving ointment and got back to work. After clicking save, you notice two files. “I’ve never seen this before…” (text-colour:red)[Be careful] [[poster.exe]] [[P0st3r.exe]]

<img src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/86/ac/22/86ac220313114e3949695628a680d77d.jpg"> [[I'm watching you]] [[continue working]]

A vintage poster pops up, ''We Want You'' is listed at the top with an Earth cartoon figure giving you a serious look with its cartoonish gloves pointing at you. Just right below the figure, it says.... "As the chosen one, it is ''OUR'' duty to keep the Earth safe and our future rests in ''YOUR'' hands." Why would this just show up in your computer? On top of the file number is a date, which was a 100 years ago. How strange! "I've never seen this poster before..." You glanced at the now-cold coffee. Maybe it's time to socialize with your co-workers. At the same time you are very curious. Do you want to.... [[head out]] Click on the [[poster]] Honestly you are so tired of this meaningless job. You take the little statue of the earth on your desk and slam it into the trashcan. Suddenly, you feel a very strong presence surround you. It says [[I'm watching you]]

(text-colour:black)[Damn, so you know that you are boring and now we know it too. You keep walking down the hallway that seems to never end. Your foot steps on something sticky which causes you to trip and fall hard off the linoleum floor. "I'm too fucking old for this shit," you sighed, hopefully not breaking your back or something. As you are getting up, you notice that the floor is littered with wrappers of all shapes and sizes. The smell is putrid and it makes you want to take your whole sense of smell away. Do you... Channel your inner good persona by (text-colour:green)[[clean up the litter]] or lazy, apathetic persona and make a path to keep walking by (text-colour:green)[[kicking the trash aside]]. I know you'd pick cleaning up the litter! ]

(text-colour:black)[//It's not like they're here right now anyways.// You look around because you're just so nosy. Some office cubicles are clean and some are messy. There's a family portrait. A couple portrait that made you scoff. //Oh, please. He's acting so lovey-dovey, but cheated anyway. Oh look he promised her a relationship but backed out for no reason. Typical! What's the point of this? A fancy decor?// ] (text-colour:black)[I didn't know you would be this....opinionated? Suddenly, something on the wall catches the corner of your eye. Do you ] (text-colour:green)[[Take a closer look]] (text-colour:black)[or do you](text-colour:green)[ [[keep walking down the hallway]] ]

Upon closer inspection you see that the poster is tinged brown and crinkled at the edges. At the top it reads''We Want You'' in bold black letters and something about it creeps you out. On the poster, a cartoon figure of the Earth gives you a serious look with its cartoonish gloves pointing at you. Underneath it says.... "you have been chosen by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is ''OUR'' duty to keep the Earth safe and the future rests in ''YOUR'' hands." To your shock the date written at the bottom is over 100 years old. You’ve walked down this hallway for 30 years and have never once seen this poster. A noise catches your attention. I think you should check that out. You want to reach out and touch the (text-colour:green)[[poster]] but maybe you should just (text-colour:green)[[keep walking down the hallway]]

''WHOOSH!'' all of a sudden you are sucked into the poster and transported out of the office. About time you have some adventure in your life! When you open your eyes, you are hovering in space! The Earth looms in front of you, but instead of being bright, beautiful, and blue, it is brown and dull. You see a figure in the distance and go towards it. You reach out and tap the [[celestial being]]

Ah. So, you do have a heart of gold no matter how you pose yourself as; You can't fool us anymore. .....As a reward for your good behavior, I will grant you an adventure of a lifetime! (yay) You see the (text-colour:green)[[poster]] again and this time you touch it.

(text-colour:black)[Well you know what…karma is coming for you. You clearly don’t care about the environment, which is disappointing because it is ''dying''. Speaking of dying...a fluffy, brown(?) blanket in the corner of the hallway catches your attention. Do you....] (text-colour:green)[ [[investigate]] [[I'm watching you]] [[Enter Room 403]]]

You slowly opened your eyes, disoriented. "W-what happened...?" The palm of your hands are covered in blood, and so are you. Another wave of rotting smell hits you and the realization that what you're on is not some soft mattress....you rolled away, puking in an instant upon seeing multiple bodies. A cranking noise activates your fight or flight and you choose to [[run]]

You feel darkness surrounding you. "What is that // rotting// smell?" you cover your nose. Better yet, are ''you'' in the office? What's happening? SPLOTCH! I think you might've stepped on something squishy. Atleast you don't have to work and I don't have to continue narrating this game. (align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[END] [[New Game]]

Curiosity gets the better of you and you head towards the blanket. As you get closer, a rotting smell hits you. Covering your nose, "Why the hell is no one cleaning this up? Where are the custodians?" //No one is here, but us.// You lift up the corner of the blanket to see with maggots coming out of it. You start to gag and yet you can’t look away. ''What about it makes you look at it?'' You glanced away for a moment just to see the [[poster]] pop-up again... "Why do I keep seeing that poster?" you muttered, narrowing your eyes at it. Still, you are overcome with a very strong urge to [[touch the body]].

Every inch of the walls in this room are covered with environmental posters from top to bottom. You sit down and just take it all in. "Huh...I haven't seen this place in a while..." Your coworkers seem to really care about their jobs, you think. When you first got here, there was only one poster in this room. The posters read... (align:"=><=")+(box:"XXXXXXXXX=")[Tips to save the environment: ] 1. Reduce Energy Consumption by turning off lights and appliances when not in use 2. Use Renewable Energy Sources such as solar or wind power for electricity 3. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: minimize waste generation by opting for reusable products, recycle materials such as paper, glass, and plastics 4. Eat Sustainably: reduce the carbon footprint of your diet by choosing locally sourced, seasonal, and organic foods 5. Minimize Car Use: Use alternative transportation methods such as walking, biking, carpooling, or using public transit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from personal vehicles 6. Conserve Water: Reduce water usage at home by fixing leaks, installing water-efficient fixtures, and using water-saving appliances You come to the realization that even though you literally work in an environmental agency you have never once thought to change your behaviors to reduce your carbon footprint. You try to leave the room but it is locked. Do you... [[sit down and wait]] [[open another door]]

Running as fast as your legs could. You didn't care. You never looked back and didn't notice that you are transported into a portal and dumped into a beach. The coarse particles scratch you and it scorches your feet. You look around and all you can see are mountains of garbage. Trash falls from the sky and every time you blink, piles of garbage are forming, surrounding you. You see so many plastic bags, bottles, cans, cigarette filters, bottle caps, and lids. It hits you just how destructive humans are to the environment. Turtles and fish tangled up in nets wash up on the shore. You fall to your knees defeated. More and more pollutants fall from the sky and surround you. There’s no escape. You realized too late that your actions have consequences. Death by materialism, how //poetic. // [[New Game]]

To be forced to look at your past mistakes and what you should’ve done differently is a punishment. You will rot away, just like Earth. Are you even living on [[Earth]] to begin with?

This room is full of cctv cameras and a mic. "What the hell?" you noticed that no one's talking to you anymore; There's no "I's." You walked closer and you saw a paper of the entire script...and reading through it... (align:"=><=")+(box:"XXXXXXXXX=")[ NARRATOR: You are an esteemed employee, doing your best in a small yet tolerable office cubicle. The clock ticks by and you feel your neck muscles cramp. Have the last 30 years you’ve wasted away here really been worth it? There’s nothing interesting and you don’t care about anything you’re doing....] "That's the introduction?" you said aloud, "There's 5 endings...What is the beach ending?" you flip through the script, "This is for an AIQS project?" There's no way you're in some sort of game right? You noticed that there's a mannequin right outside your office door, positioned in a way that looks like it's knocking on it. All of a sudden, one computer screen flicked. [[I'm watching you]]

You sit and ponder... Where are your coworkers? Are you even living on Earth? Why are you alone? What's happening? Does everything make sense? How are you gonna get your paycheck? What will your significa—oh nonsense! Your romantic relationships sucks. You're only in situationships and talking stages. Endless thoughts run in your head and it doesn't stop (align:"=><=")+(box:"XXXXXXXXX=")[END] [[New Game]]

(text-colour:white)+(bg:(hsl:162,0.8815,0.2647,0.65))[The celestial being emits a strong glow that pulls you closer. It turns to you and starts to speak.] '' (text-colour:white)+(bg:(hsl:0,0.6543,0.4765,0.5))[“Earthling, the Earth is dying and it is because of your kind. You have polluted to such a degree with your materialistic tendencies that the earth is unsalvageable.”] '' (text-colour:white)+(bg:(hsl:162,0.8815,0.2647,0.65))[You are so shocked and saddened by this news. How could humanity have let it get so bad! You worked at Environmental Protection Agency! You're an esteemed employee, doing your best. Tears roll down your cheeks.] (text-colour:white)+(bg:(hsl:162,0.8815,0.2647,0.65)) [It looks at you,] '' (text-colour:white)+(bg:(hsl:0,0.6543,0.4765,0.5))[“But you have proven yourself. You have demonstrated your worth and shown that you do care. Though you have made a lifetime of selfish decisions, I see potential in you. I am granting you a second chance. But if you go about your life in the same wayl, the Earth will start to die again. This is your opportunity to make the world better.”]'' (text-colour:white)+(bg:(hsl:162,0.8815,0.2647,0.65)) [The celestial being pulls you both toward earth. You watch as it spins the dying planet backwards on its axis, restoring to what it once was. Overjoyed is an understatement. It reaches its gigantic hand to you. You take it...] (text-colour:#4dabf7)[ [[fly back towards the earth]]] or (text-colour:#4dabf7)[ [[office]] ]

You have been given a rare opportunity to fix your mistakes and you grasped it like your life was on the line. Upon returning to earth, you immediately modify all aspects of your life like water usage, plastic usage, amount of waste, and energy consumption. You install solar panels, get rid of your car, only use recyclable materials, eat locally sourced and organic foods, and reduce your carbon footprint. Most importantly, you educate everyone you come across, utilizing your occupation to raise awareness. Slowly, people started to change their behaviors. Soon enough...it is adopted all around the world. "See you tomorrow!" your co-worker says. You waved goodbye, "Yeah! Let's grab dinner sometime." Your co-worker chuckles, "I don't mind~" your heart skips for little. Once they were out of your line of sight, you looked up to the sky...and, for a moment, you catch a glimpse of the hollow-eyed being that brought you back in this timeline. You smiled at the epiphany of feeling whole. Your purpose has been fulfilled. (align:"=><=")+(box:"XXXXXXXXX=")[END ] [[New Game]]

You are an esteemed employee, doing your best in a small yet tolerable office cubicle. The clock ticks by and you feel your neck muscles cramp. Have the last 30 years you’ve wasted away here really been worth it? //Yeah,// you thought. You know your duty, purpose, and motivation. Sure, all you ever do is click-clack on your computer, your eyes are always sore from looking at the screen, and you try your best to keep up a great posture. You're working to make the world a better place. "Maybe I should take a break and chat with my co-workers for a bit.." You hear someone knock. What do you do? (align:"=><=")+(box:"XXXXXXXXX=")[END] [[New Game]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[There's Something Strange in Room 403] (align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[by... Renee Gale & Srila Munukutla ] (align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[ [[New Game]] ] (align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[ [[Credits]] ]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[Credits] (text-colour:#c3fae8)[Stanley Parable Office Cubicle: ] https://www.giantbomb.com/a/uploads/scale_medium/14/146856/2564448-0808388703-ss_a5.jpg (text-colour:#c3fae8)[Office Hallway: ] https://generations.krea.ai/images/6ca7a5a6-a3bd-4e2a-a674-9762ad6252fc.webp (text-colour:#c3fae8)[Outlast 1: ] https://assets.rockpapershotgun.com/images/13/sep/outlastss3.jpg (text-colour:#c3fae8)[Celestial Being found in Google Images: ] https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/useruploads/display/e542ea36-5439-4e5c-9f2c-c74986bce6be_syphorax_celestial_horror_f0d86848-44a7-4f7c-9326-c1fa09daf594.png [[Start ]]