Holy shit…

I stumble onto my feet and lean against the back of the sofa trying to gather my thoughts.

Ah yeah…

Still drunk.

Wow, what a mess this place has become. The beer cans Lamar tried to empty into the recycling bin are laying all over the floor, and there’s paper plates strewn everywhere for some reason.

I start chuckling and force myself to focus. Okay, what do I do now?

Uh, let’s check up on Kobi first. He’s supposed to be here somewhere.

“Kobi?” I call out.

“Yes?” He’s still sitting on the sofa, playing Earthbound.

“Good, you’re safe. I’m so proud of you. Now… tell me what I’m supposed to do.”

“You have work in two hours,” he says. “It says on the calendar on your wall.”

Oh, that isn’t good. Wait, no, I got that covered. My alpha charm instincts took care of that one. “Don’t worry. I called that–” Ah, shit, I forgot to call that coworker to get my shift covered. The thought didn’t even cross my mind. Well, that’s okay. As long as I get dressed and take a cold shower, I will probably be sober enough to do my job adequately. Nobody will ever notice.

“Wait,” I stop myself. “Go to bed, Kobi. It’s… uh… six-thirty! Stop playing!”

“But I’m already at the Deep Darkness. And sleep is for weak people.”

“Truth to that.” I extend my fist in order to attempt a famous Morgan Fist Bump, but Kobi keeps playing the game instead. “Uh, tell Lamar I said good morning.”

“Oh, Lamar already left,” Kobi says. “He went outside before you woke up.”

“He… what?”

“I don’t know, but he watched me play Earthbound all night. He was really excited to watch it, but he didn’t say much.”

“What do you… mean?”

“He mostly just stared at the screen. But I was at Moonside for a long time, and that place is a little strange.”

My mind clears and the drunkenness fades away almost instantly. Ah, shit. It’s one of these situations, where my enhancements kick in to save me.

“Do you… understand what this means, Kobi?”

“No?”

“We have to go look for Lamar! He could be in trouble!” I start packing my backpack, getting ready to go on a manhunt, before realizing that I don’t need a backpack for this.

Actually, I may still be drunk after all.