All right! So, welcome to my official new story based on Dead Space 3! I've played through the whole game now and had a blast with it, and I can finally start writing this story!

Right after Dead Space 2 came out, I had started a story called "Dead Space: Journey into Darkness", an experimental post-Dead Space 2 story starring my OC, Timmy Stamford, along with Isaac and Ellie. Unfortunately, I ran out of ideas for that one, so I've decided to take it down and rewrite it to follow the true Dead Space 3, so if you were reading that story, ignore everything that happened there, as this will pick up where "Dead Space: Forgotten Memories" left off and wrap up my trilogy. However, I've downloaded and saved the old story right from fanfiction, just in case, since I no longer have the original chapters.

As for this story, my plan is to try and incorporate everything from the game, including moments only found in the co-op campaign and maybe some of the optional missions, too. Think of this story as being like an "enhanced single player campaign". The first chapter will be a prologue, and then the real story should kick in!

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this story! I've been having fun planning out how certain parts are gonna go, and I hope you guys like it, too! :D

DISCLAIMER: Only my OCs and plot ideas are mine. Everything else belongs to Visceral Games/EA.

WARNING: There will be Dead Space 3 spoilers throughout this story!

January 25th, 2011…

Either I was the most impatient guy on the planet, or this day was going way too slow for my liking.

I readjusted my position in my seat, resting a hand on my knee as I waited for the session to begin. My trusted therapist, Dr. Bridgette Anderson, repeatedly shuffled some papers on her desk, and after the umpteenth time, the rustling sound began to get on my nerves, making me clench my fists and curse my new sensitivity to small sounds. The room was uncomfortably hot, and I loosened my T-shirt collar to stop my shirt from sticking to my skin. I knew the day was cold, but did she have to have the heat practically on full blast?

And would that clock on her wall stop ticking so loudly?

"So," she began, finally looking up at me, "Timothy. You finally decided to show up."

I sighed and glanced up at the ceiling, where I spotted a spider crawling upside down on the beige surface. Used to be I was afraid of those eight-legged arachnids, but these days…it was like nothing scared me anymore.

"Yep," was all I said, shrugging.

Dr. Anderson glanced over her glasses at me. "And I understand that you've…regressed since our last session," she stated, "Missing a doctor's appointment today, and now this. This really isn't helping your case, you know."

"I know," I replied, "But I didn't mean for it to happen. I was just…dealing with the problem."

The therapist made it a point to stare at me. "Timothy," she said, "You wrecked an expensive game console earlier today. I don't think you were dealing with the problem in the ways that I showed you. I really thought we were making progress here."

I ran a hand through my curly brown hair and sighed, not knowing what to say to that. "So I relapsed," I quipped, "The first time since I last came to see you, which was almost a month ago. What's the big deal?"

Dr. Anderson shook her head. "The big deal, Timothy, is that if you keep up these little episodes, you're never going to get any better. And your uncaring attitude right now isn't helping matters, either."

It wasn't that I didn't care. Of course I cared. I just didn't see the point in really talking about anything. So I had been feeling depressed over the last year, but not for the reason everyone thought. Instead, everyone thought I was just stressed out with school and trying to find the right college, no matter what I said to try and prove otherwise. If I truly opened up to my therapist, she wouldn't believe me. Neither would my family.

"Why don't you tell me what's really on your mind?" she asked, picking up a pen, "You know, just throw your feelings out there?"

I almost burst out laughing. If it was really that easy to just "throw my feelings" out there, I would have, but she really had no idea about my situation. She only thought she did.

My ears honed in on the annoying ticking clock on the wall, and each time it sounded off, I felt a pulsing sensation in my stomach, where one of my biggest and most recent scars now resided. My battle scar, I liked to call it. There was one on my back, too, which led to this one, and I tried not to focus on the throbbing pain as I closed my eyes and remembered all the recent events that had brought me here to this very moment…

I didn't remember much of the time between Isaac Clarke removing the spear from my stomach and the moment where I finally woke up for good again, but I did remember that the engineer had managed to stop the Convergence Event while I had been fighting to stay alive. His actions had also allowed us to escape in a moment where we thought we were going to die: a last minute rescue mission in the form of our new friends, Ellie Langford and Alexandra Adams.

To be honest, we hadn't expected them to come back to get us, but they had, and I knew we would forever be grateful to them for putting their lives on the line for us. That was how we now found ourselves in a gunship as we piloted away from the imploding Sprawl, and at the moment, I was resting myself on a long bench and closing my eyes, the pain from before reducing to a dull ache as I realized that without a place to land, I was still stuck in this game. I wasn't sure how long we had been traveling, but I knew we were all going to need medical attention as soon as possible.

My stomach growled, and I clutched the injury, wondering if Hans Tiedemann had managed to completely destroy my intestines after shooting me with a Javelin spear back on Titan Station.

"Oh, no, is it hurting again?"

I opened my eyes, swiveling my head to the right as I spotted Alex standing over me, blinking her green eyes as she bit her lower lip anxiously. I glanced at the gash underneath her left eye, a reminder of how she had nearly been blinded by Nolan Stross back on the Sprawl.

"Don't worry about it," I assured her, smiling, "I'm okay."

Alex frowned, staring from me to the injury and then back to me. "I hope so," she said, "You've been through a lot and you deserve to make a full recovery. All three of you do." She nodded at the rest of us as Isaac and Ellie continued to navigate the gunship through space.

"You do, too," I reminded her, "You've been through a lot as well. Turning your back on everything you stood for…that took a lot of guts. And you seemed sincere about it, too."

Alex sighed and bowed her head, looking down at the ground as she folded her hands. "Yeah, and look at where that got me," she mumbled, "Isaac doesn't trust me. Not that I blame him at all, but still."

"Well, you did say a lot of things that really hurt both of us back at the Church." I tried in vain to sit up, only managing to prop myself up on my elbow.

"You just need to prove that we can trust you again. I don't care how you do it, but it should be something really good. If we're all gonna be together during all this, then we should try and at least get along." Alex just glanced down at her hands and then looked up at me again a few seconds later.

"Why are you so willing to give me a second chance, anyway?" she asked, "I figured you would be one of the last ones to be so accepting of me."

I shrugged, thinking back to our brief kiss from a little while back. "I guess…I guess I'm just tired of feeling like I can't trust anyone," I told her, "I know almost everyone's tried to kill me and Isaac, but there has to be at least a few other good people out there, even if it takes a while to warm up to them. I mean, look at Ellie."

Alex followed my gaze to where Isaac and Ellie were sitting now, with the former leaning his head on the latter's shoulder. "Yeah, she's been really good to you guys, hasn't she?" she whispered.

I smiled. "She's one of the only people who stayed on our side during the whole mission. And I think it's really good for Isaac, too. You know, after everything he's been through…"

We fell silent, Alex leaning on the edge of the bench as I returned to my original position, staring up at the ceiling of the gunship. I was surprised I had managed to survive for as long as I did, but I knew not to push my luck. I trusted that our friends would find some place we could hide until this whole mess died down. We didn't know when that would be, but we hoped it was soon.

Suddenly, Ellie glanced over her shoulder briefly after setting the gunship to autopilot, and I took in the patch over where her right eye used to be. "How are you feeling, Timmy?" she asked.

I just grinned and gave her the thumbs-up sign. "I'm okay," I assured her, "Still in pain, but I think I'll be all right. How about you guys?"

"About the same," the pilot answered, "Isaac fell asleep up here a little while ago, though. His injuries have closed up for the most part, but he still needs help. We all do."

"Have you found any place we can land yet?" Alex questioned.

"I was getting some signals earlier," Ellie explained, pushing a few buttons on the panel in front of her, "So I pulled up the coordinates on here. According to this…we're close to a lunar colony."

Both of us perked up, and I would have sat up in surprise if I hadn't been in so much pain. "You're kidding!" I gasped. There's other colonies besides Titan Station? I thought to myself.

"Ellie, this is great!" Alex chimed in, "I just hope it's not affiliated with EarthGov or Unitology."

"If it is, we know how to lay low," I said to her, "Isaac and I have had a lot of practice with that. I'm just sorry you and Ellie had to get dragged into all this."

"We're all in this together now," Ellie replied, "There's no going back." She turned back to the panels and pressed a few more buttons.

"According to the data I've pulled up," she continued, "It's called the New Horizons Lunar Colony, right on Earth's moon."

"Earth's moon?" I echoed, "Wow, we made it back here quickly!"

"That we did," Ellie agreed, "We shocked out of Saturn's system while you were sleeping. I don't know how long this colony's been around, but it looks like the perfect place to stop and get help."

Alex moved away from the bench, hurrying to the front of the gunship to peer out the window. At that moment, someone in the front groaned, and I propped myself up again as Isaac finally sat up straight, moving his head away from Ellie's shoulder as he massaged his own injured limb.

And there's the big guy now, I thought, resting my hand against the wall next to me to try and help myself stand up. More pain coursed through my stomach, but I ignored it as I finally managed to get myself on my feet. Using my surroundings as support, I hobbled my way over to where the other three were until I was standing directly behind the engineer.

"Ugh, what happened?" Isaac groaned, rubbing some sleep out of his eyes, "Did I miss anything?"

Ellie smiled as she pulled up another screen. "Look what I found," she announced, and Alex, Isaac, and I all gasped in awe.

On the monitors were pictures of an expansive colony not unlike the Sprawl, which I realized was the New Horizons Lunar Colony the pilot had told us about a few minutes ago. Like Titan Station, there were massive skyscrapers, ships that were slowly cruising around the place, and high speed vehicles on what looked like a freeway. I even thought I spotted a train hurtling through the complex as well, and I squinted my eyes in time to catch Earth in the background. The whole sight was breathtaking, similar to when Isaac and I had had a beautiful close up of Saturn from Titan Station's Solar Array.

"Holy shit," I whispered under my breath, "This looks even bigger than the Sprawl was!"

"Got that right," Isaac muttered in agreement, "Think anyone will recognize us if we stop here?"

"Doubt it," Ellie answered, "There's got to be at least a million people here. They can't all know who we are."

"So how quickly do you think you can get us there?" I asked her.

"I just have to find an optimal path and a dock, and we should be all right. Hang on, though. This may get a little bumpy." The gunship shook a little bit as she said this, and Alex tugged on my arm.

"Come on," she whispered, "Let's go buckle in." She turned to leave, but instead, I glanced at the blood that had formed a clot on both Isaac's shoulder and left hand.

"I know you hate it when I ask you this, Isaac," I said, "But how are you feeling?"

Isaac leaned back in his seat, rubbing his temples this time. "I've been better," he cracked, "I haven't had any visions since we destroyed the Marker and left the Sprawl. Maybe…maybe it's all over for good now. Maybe you've been freed from the Marker's influence, too."

"It's over," I assured him, "We all made it out alive, and that's what matters."

"Barely," Isaac replied, "I mean, look at you. Look at Ellie! You guys weren't supposed to almost get killed like that!"

"Isaac, it's not your fault-" Ellie insisted, but the engineer cut her off.

"I insisted that you watch over Stross," he said to her, "And Timmy risked his life to go back to the Sprawl."

"You didn't force me to go back," I spoke up, "I made that choice on my own. That was my responsibility."

"Either way, we're still alive, and we're going to get help," Ellie told him, "The two of us are not holding anything against you." Isaac didn't say anything in response, refusing to look at both of us.

"Hey," Ellie whispered, "It's going to be okay, Isaac. We're going to get through this. Together." She reached across the control panels to take his good hand in hers, and he responded by leaning his head on her shoulder again.

"Go get some rest, Timmy," Isaac told me, briefly glancing over his shoulder, "We've got it from here."

"Sure thing. Let us know when you're ready to land." I patted Isaac's good shoulder and then smiled at Ellie, who nodded in return, and with that, I turned and limped back over to where Alex was, resting my hand on the wall again to steady myself.

"How is he?" she whispered.

I ran a hand through my hair. "He'll be okay…I think. After everything that's happened to him, I know it'll take some time for him to get back on track. Well, all of us, really."

It wasn't too long before Alex and I heard Ellie announce that she was going to land on the colony, and I reached for my seat belt buckle and strapped it across myself. Despite the fact that she only had one eye now, I still trusted Ellie's piloting skills. She hadn't let her accident stop her from helping us on the Sprawl, and judging by her character, she wasn't going to let it stop her here, either.

Isaac hadn't said too much since waking up, and even though he had assured the rest of us he was fine, I began to wonder if he was really okay. Physically, I knew he'd be fine provided we got help in time, but emotionally and mentally…I wasn't sure. He had a habit of keeping his emotions bottled up and then finally lashing out if somebody pushed him too far, which I had learned the hard way back on the Sprawl. Now, I never tried forcing him to talk about what was on his mind unless he brought it up first.

Maybe Ellie can get through to him better that I can, I thought, folding my hands and looking down at the ground as I felt the gunship descend towards the colony. I could see how much Isaac had warmed up to the pilot during the course of our adventure on Titan Station, and I had grown to like her as well, seeing how she had helped the engineer in more ways than one and was just an overall nice person. Maybe he needed someone more like her: levelheaded.

"Timmy?"

I glanced up from the floor as Alex cleared her throat.

"What do you think is gonna happen to us from here?"

I glanced over at Isaac, who was gathering what little supplies we had as Ellie continued to put us closer to the dock. "We'll have to lay low, probably," I said, "Like we were saying before. Give ourselves enough time for EarthGov to hopefully forget about us, and then keep going from there."

"I'm sure they have more important things to worry about. Like watching over all these colonies."

I just chuckled quietly and shook my head. "Doubt it. Isaac's destroyed two Markers now, I'm an outsider who knows way more than I should, you double-crossed all of us, including EarthGov, and Ellie helped us get to the Government Sector. I'd say we're pretty big threats to them."

Alex just sighed and buried her face in her hands. "I just wish I could undo everything I did to you and Isaac," she mumbled, "I know you said to come up with a way to show that I'm on your side, but I can't get the incident at the Church out of my head. It was horrible and never should have happened."

"Then let's start over with a blank slate. Forget Unitology and forget what you did for now. This is a chance to start over from scratch. And Alex."

She glanced up at me.

"This time…just be yourself. Okay?"

She smiled sadly. "Okay," she whispered, "I'll try. Thanks, Timmy. Thank you, but I really don't deserve your forgiveness."

Before I could respond, the gunship suddenly lurched downwards, and I leaned over in my seat as the dock finally entered our line of sight. Ellie pulled a lever next to her and slowly descended into the hangar, everything going dark except for a couple of runway lights. I clutched the seat, willing myself not to throw up as we touched down on the surface and bounced a few times. I was not a fan of flying, and even though this was only a gunship, this was definitely no exception.

After a while, the ship stopped bouncing, finally slowing to a complete stop about halfway down the runway. I felt myself jerk back in my seat, sighing as the harrowing trip was finally over.

"Whew," Ellie sighed, wiping her forehead in relief, "We made it."

Isaac unbuckled himself from his seat and turned around to face us. "How are you two holding up?" he asked.

"We're okay," Alex replied, and the engineer only nodded before getting up to leave the gunship.

"We've got a long way to go," she muttered, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder for support after I got up from my seat.

As soon as we stepped foot on the runway, however, I doubled over as I felt nauseous again, coughing as my stomach shifted and sent searing pain coursing through me. "Timmy?" Alex cried, but I ignored her as I clutched myself. Everything went blurry around me, and I felt that familiar sensation of falling under the influence of a sedative. This reminded me of when I had left the first Dead Space game, and I wondered if it was happening again.

"Timmy, look at me!" Alex shouted, "Stay with me, all right?"

"Come on!" I heard Ellie cry, "We've got to get to a hospital anyway! Grab him and let's go!"

I glanced over at Alex as she pulled on my arm, letting me lean on her again as we jogged directly behind Isaac and Ellie. The further we traveled, however, the more tired I felt, and I eventually felt my limbs grow heavier as I knelt down to the ground, my vision and hearing fading in and out.

"Damn it!" I heard someone yell above me, though I couldn't tell who it was, "Don't die on us now, Timmy!"

That was the moment everything went dark around me.

I remembered the last time I had left the Dead Space universe, feeling like I was being dragged under by a sedative that I couldn't fight off. I didn't like the sensation of being in a dream where I was falling, my stomach rising up to my throat as I wondered when I was going to finally hit the ground.

Eventually, I managed to slowly pry my eyes open, taking in the familiar feeling of carpet underneath me. The lights above me seemed brighter than usual, and I clamped a hand over my eyes to block it out and prevent myself from tearing up.

"Timmy? Timmy!"

Who was that calling my name so insistently? I groaned, rolling over on the carpet as I tried to sit up. There was something I recognized about it, and I suddenly remembered who it was and where I was, too.

"Timmy, why are you lying on the floor like that? Are you okay?"

At the familiar sound of my friend, Mandy's, voice, I moved my arm away from my face and repeatedly blinked as I took in her face after not seeing her for a long time.

"Mandy?" I mumbled.

"Yeah, it's me," she answered, tilting her head to the side, "What's up with you?"

I glanced over to where my book bag and cell phone were situated, and I grabbed both as I leaped up from the ground.

"Whoa, Timmy!" Mandy gasped, "What's going on? Where are you going?"

"Sorry," I muttered apologetically, "But I just remembered I have to go. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Before she could say anything, I turned and bolted from the room, colliding with my other friend, Roger, in the process.

"Hey, slow down, Timmy!" he cried, "Why are you leaving so soon? We haven't even started the game yet!"

I stopped myself from scoffing at that last statement. "I've gotta go," I told him, "I'm sorry. I'll see you and Mandy at school tomorrow." I hoisted my book bag over my shoulder, not looking back as I hurried down the stairs and out the front door, hopping into my car and starting it so that I could get home.

Damn it, I thought as I cruised down the street, Mom and Dad are gonna kill me! I didn't want to think about how worried they were about me right now, and I felt bad I was letting them down. Though I loved my family, I almost dreaded going home, even though I didn't want to feel that way. Being stuck in the Dead Space universe was hellish enough, but being back in my own world where I was sure nobody would believe me didn't seem to be much better, either.

I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I hated it.

Eventually, I turned onto my street, my heart hammering in my chest as my hands shook on the steering wheel. All the cars were in the driveway, which was an indicator that both my parents were home. Deep breaths, Timmy, I coaxed myself as I pulled in behind Dad's car, You can do this. This is your family, for Christ's sake!

I moved slowly and deliberately, taking my sweet time turning the engine off and grabbing my bag out of the back. After that, I began heading up the walkway, taking my house keys out of a pocket in my bag and steadying my hand as I slowly unlocked the front door.

It was almost like everyone in my family had ears like a deer or something; right after I pushed the door open, I caught the sound of someone pushing a chair back. "Timmy?" Dad called out from the kitchen, "Is that you?"

"Oh, for God's sake, that better be him," Mom replied, slamming something down as I heard her get up from her chair and storm into the front room with my dad and brothers, Allen and David, in tow.

"Timothy Robert Stamford!" Mom snapped, folding her arms, "It's about time you got in touch with us again! Do you have any idea how scared I was when you stopped answering your phone? Where have you been? Because it certainly wasn't at the appointment you were supposed to go to!"

I just leaned against the door, taking in the frantic/angry expressions on everyone's faces as they waited for me to explain myself. I opened my mouth to answer, then closed it again, which in hindsight was probably a bad idea.

"Answer your mother, Timothy!" Dad spoke up, making me and my brothers flinch.

I gulped, but managed to find my voice again as I cleared my throat. "Look, I'm sorry," I apologized, "But there's a perfectly good reason for all this-"

"Then what is it?" Dad asked. I didn't answer right away, wondering how I was going to explain myself. My hesitation in answering was only making my family even angrier, and I knew I had to think of something fast, or else they would blow a fuse at me.

"Timmy!" my father yelled, and I clenched my fist, trying to ignore my furiously pounding heart.

"No, Zach," Mom piped up, "Yelling at him won't do any good. I have a better idea." She faced me, folding her arms and giving me a stern expression.

"Timothy," she growled, "You have exactly three minutes to go upstairs and put your book bag down. After that time is up, you're going to come back downstairs, we're all going to sit in the living room, and you're going to tell us everything. And I mean everything! Understand?"

I didn't have to think twice about this; I turned and bolted up the stairs immediately, not wanting to waste what little time I had. As soon as I made it to the room I shared with Allen, I slammed the door shut and slid to the floor, fighting tears in my eyes as I buried my face in my hands. A sob rose in my throat, but I willed it to go away. Don't cry, Timmy, I told myself, Don't cry, don't cry.

When I lifted my face up again, the first thing I noticed was the Playstation 3 sitting on top of the cable box, and I felt a wave of anger course through me. I hated that console, I hated videogames, and I especially hated how something I used to love now left me with bad memories.

Tossing my bag aside, I marched over to the Playstation 3, grabbed the plug behind the dresser, and yanked it out of the socket, holding the console over my head. With a scream, I chucked it towards the mirror leading to the closet I shared with my brother, watching as it collided with it, making a loud, shattering noise as pieces of metal and glass flew everywhere, some hitting me in the face as I quickly shielded my eyes.

"Timmy!" Allen shouted from downstairs, but I ignored him as I grabbed all the Playstation 3 games we had and ripped the jewel cases open, snapping the discs one by one and then throwing the fragments against the wall. For a few seconds, I surveyed the damage, stunned at the now destroyed Playstation 3 and the broken mirror, and I just took some deep breaths as I suddenly heard someone pound on the bedroom door.

"Timmy!" Allen cried again, "Open the door!"

I gripped one of the jewel cases in my hands, feeling my stomach sink as I realized the damage I had just caused in my anger. Damn it, I thought, Damn it, what have I done?

"Timmy?" Mom yelled, banging on the door, "Timmy! Open this door right now!"

"TIMMY!" Dad chimed in just as I heard David wailing at the top of his lungs out in the hallway.

I didn't say anything in response, only hugging my knees to my chest as I sank to the floor again, surrounded by broken game discs and chunks of Playstation 3. "It's open," I replied quietly, and I looked up as my dad threw the door open and allowed the others to pour into the room.

"Timmy," Dad repeated in a softer tone, surveying the damage, "What on Earth…?"

"I'm sorry, Dad," I apologized, not looking at him, "All you guys. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything…"

And with that, I buried my face in my hands again. I refused to look at the others, finally feeling like a heavy weight was being lifted off me.

I opened my eyes again as I returned to the present, staring across the desk at Dr. Anderson as she waited patiently. My family was outside in the waiting area after my mother had insisted I schedule an emergency session, and I thought back to what she had said about "throwing my feelings out there". The more I thought about what had happened to me, the more I realized…maybe it was time to tell them everything after all. After today's debacle, they deserved to know the truth. And they were going to get it.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Anderson," I apologized, "But I still need a little more time. Can I schedule another appointment?"

"Certainly," the therapist replied, though I picked up on the impatience in her voice, "You have my number to call me if need be."

I nodded, though I hoped after today that coming back here wouldn't be necessary. I got up and quickly left the room, welcoming the blast of cool air in the hallway as I made my way back to the waiting room. Both my parents had their noses buried in books while Allen helped David play with some building blocks that were scattered around the floor. They looked up as soon as they noticed I had returned.

"How did it go?" Al asked nervously.

I sighed. "Same as always," I explained, "Not much progress, because this time, I realized a therapist isn't what I need. Can we just go home? I'm ready to talk now. About everything."

Mom and Dad sighed in relief, put their books away, and stood up, silently guiding the rest of us back to the family SUV. None of us spoke the whole way home, and I just sat in the back and twiddled my thumbs, wondering how the hell I was going to phrase everything in a believable manner. I got sucked into the game probably wasn't going to go over too well with my family. If I was going to pull this off, I was going to have to be creative.

Once we finally made it back to the house, I hurried upstairs to my room and grabbed my laptop, turning it on and quickly pulling up the Dead Space Wiki site. Satisfied, I hurried downstairs to the living room, where the others were already waiting. My heart beat frantically again. This was the moment they were either going to believe me…or think I was completely insane.

"Okay, Timmy," Mom started, sounding a lot calmer than she had hours ago, "You promised you would talk. Now talk. What has been going on with you for the last year? What could have possibly happened to make you behave like this? And why have you been shutting us out whenever we asked you about it?"

I took a deep breath, gripping the laptop as I walked over to them and set it on the coffee table, opening it and showing them the Wiki page. "Dead Space?" my dad asked, tilting his head to the side, "Wasn't that a game you bought last year?"

I sighed again, my body starting to shake now. "Yes, Dad," I confirmed, "That was a game I bought last year. Now, what I'm about to tell you may sound completely ridiculous or made up, but I promise you, I'm not lying. Before I do that, let me tell you a little bit about the series."

And with that, I proceeded to fill them in on all the events of Dead Space 1 and now Dead Space 2 as I clicked through various pages, showing them Isaac Clarke, Nicole Brennan, Ellie Langford, Challus Mercer, Nolan Stross, Hans Tiedemann, Zach Hammond, Kendra Daniels, Daina Le Guin, and Terrence Kyne. I explained the concept behind Unitology, pointing out the Marker and going into detail about the dreaded Convergence Event, followed by EarthGov and their role in the story. I didn't know how much time had gone by since I had started talking about Dead Space, but I told them everything I knew about it, watching as they just nodded and took the story in strides, confused as to why I was going into such detail about this.

Once I was finished, I watched their facial expressions, and Mom raised a hand to her chin as she frowned at the picture of Isaac that was on the screen. "You know quite a bit about these games," she commented, "A lot more in depth than the average gamer, it seems." She leaned back in her seat as Allen and David scooted closer to her.

"I can't help but wonder," she continued, "Timmy…is this series the reason you've been so upset this whole time?" Before I could answer, Dad moved to sit next to her as he considered the Wiki site.

"I've been wondering the same thing," he chimed in, "I remember it was almost right after you bought this game that you weren't acting like yourself."

"Was it something you saw while playing through all this that bothered you?" Mom asked.

I opened my mouth to answer again when Allen cut in this time. "But why would this specific game bother him?" he questioned, "We've played others like this one. Like Resident Evil. It's not the same, but there are similar ideas, and he wasn't upset by that. I think it's more than just getting a little spooked."

"You're not that far off, Al," I told him, "Believe me. This is where the crazy part comes in." I took another deep breath.

"You know how everyone's always saying that people get way too immersed in video games?" I asked, "How they can be bad for us sometimes? Well, what if someone was so into what they were playing that they could somehow experience the game in real time? Not through a controller and a screen, but actually be a part of the game with the characters?" Mom, Dad, and Allen all exchanged worried glances, and I hurriedly continued so that I wouldn't lose my nerve.

"I know it sounds crazy, but think about it. Al, you've read all those fanfictions about people getting pulled into their favorite game, right?"

Allen frowned in thought as he eventually nodded. "I have," he said, "But that was just fiction. Authors wanting to be alongside their favorite characters. From everything you've said so far, it sounds like you're suggesting that that could happen to someone in real life, but it doesn't make sense. Is there some kind of force that would make them enter the game? Is it good or evil? There's a lot that you have to consider."

"Well, say someone ended up going through Dead Space in real time," I replied, "I've told you about the Marker. It has the power to manipulate people into doing what it wants them to do. Hell, it tried to make Isaac Clarke kill himself just to complete the Convergence Event. What if somehow, it selected a person from our world and wanted to mess with him or her by sending them into the game? It's not that far out there, if you think about it. The Marker's capable of anything-"

"Timmy, Timmy, slow down," Dad piped up, holding a hand up, "All this talk about somehow being sent into the game…this may sound outlandish, and I may be completely wrong, but are you saying that this is what happened to you, by any chance?"

Bingo! I thought, suppressing a smile on my face. "Yeah," I confessed, "That's what I'm saying."

Silence. I waited with bated breath as Mom and Dad exchanged glances with Allen and David, and I wasn't sure if they believed me. Even I thought it sounded ridiculous, and I had lived it!

"And this also happened with Dead Space 2 earlier today," I added, "Which is why I stopped answering the phone, Mom. I didn't mean to disconnect like that. Honestly." I glanced at my mother as she shook her head and folded her hands together, making my stomach sink lower every minute.

"I'm sorry," she finally spoke up, "But I'm really having a hard time believing all this. This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! I think you've just been playing too many games and want to blame them for the way you are now. Well, you can't, Timmy. You're seventeen years old now. You have to start taking responsibility for the stress in your life instead of making up excuses."

Ouch, I thought, clutching my chest and not knowing what to say at first. I reminded myself that this type of reaction was to be expected, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"But Brianna," Dad spoke up, "Think about it. If what he's told us is true, then that would explain those mysterious cuts he's been getting. He never told us how he got them, and he didn't say they were from anyone he knows here. Therefore, the only way he could have gotten them is from Dead Space."

Mom blinked furiously, widening her eyes in shock. "You mean you believe this nonsense?" she gasped.

"I don't know what to believe right now," Dad answered, "But Timmy's our son, and if there's one thing he's not, it's a liar. You know that. Why else would he have gone through the trouble of explaining Dead Space in great detail if that wasn't the reason all this happened?"

"You're forgetting that it also took him a year to tell us what's been bothering him!" Mom snapped in response, "Say all this game stuff is true. Why didn't he come clean about it sooner?"

"Because I was afraid of your reaction," I spoke up, clearing my throat as both my parents faced me, "I was afraid you wouldn't take it very well, just like you aren't now. This is exactly why I didn't want to say anything."

"Got that right I wouldn't take it very well!" Mom hissed.

"If it helps," Allen chimed in, "I noticed the scars on Timmy's arm right after he came downstairs from playing Dead Space."

Mom rounded on him. "And you didn't say anything to us?" she inquired.

"I thought Timmy would tell me what happened, but he never did. I tried asking a few times, but he wouldn't say anything to me, either."

"You guys want to know where all these markings came from?" I asked, "Here, I'll show you." With that, I reached down and pulled my T-shirt over my head, earning a gasp from everyone else as they took in the various scars all over my right arm, my hands, and the new one on my stomach from the Sprawl.

"Whoa!" Allen gasped, "Timmy, your stomach-"

"I know," I interrupted him, "See that round mark right by where my stomach is? Hans Tiedemann impaled me with a spear. The cuts on my hand? Those were from when I got into a fight with Challus Mercer in his Necromorph form. The incisions on my arm? Challus Mercer again. He was trying to turn me into one of those Necromorphs I showed you earlier. The tissue's still there, but I have no idea what kind of effect it has here-"

"Stop it!" Mom suddenly yelled, slamming a fist on the couch and making the rest of us jump, "Just stop it! I'm sick of hearing these stories!"

"It's not a story, Mom!" I insisted, putting my shirt back on, "I know you think I'm making it up, but it's the truth! This is what happened to me last year, whether you wanna hear it or not!"

"Don't you take that tone with me, young man! I don't want to hear anymore!" Without saying another word, she got up and exited the living room in a huff, leaving me with everyone else as David started to cry. I felt bad for upsetting everyone like this, but at the same time, relief washed over me. The truth was out now. I no longer had to hide anything.

I turned away from my mother and faced Dad and Allen, who were just staring at me as if I was a Necromorph. To be honest, I was surprised at how well they seemed to be taking this revelation. Or maybe they were only pretending to take it well so that I wouldn't have another conniption.

"I shouldn't have said anything," I commented as I sat down where Mom had been, "It was stupid to actually talk about all this and expect things to go smoothly."

"Well, you have to admit it sounds bizarre," Dad said, "But I don't know…it seems like one of those 'truth is stranger than fiction' moments. It's just too much information for you to have just made up off the top of your head. And you showed us proof to try and back up your claims. So all that stuff really happened to you?"

I nodded, looking away from him. "I guess Mom won't speak to me now. She's basically shut me out."

"Give her some time, Timmy. This is shocking news for all of us. This is something so impossible that even I still can't wrap my head around it. It's gonna take some time for us to adjust to the idea, and you know your mother never likes to hear about people trying to hurt you or your brothers, fictional or not. Neither do I. I really wish you had told us about this sooner, since it's clear this has been bothering you for a while. We could have helped you. Whatever way we could."

"I'm sorry, Dad," I apologized in a quiet voice, "But I guess I was so worried about you guys thinking I was crazy or something. That's why I kept you all in the dark." I sighed, looking up at him as Allen and David crowded around me.

"Thanks," I thanked them, "You know, for just listening to me, even if you don't end up believing me. By the way, I'm sorry about the Playstation 3, the games, and the mirror, Al."

Allen sighed. "Don't worry about it. Really. I was more worried about you than the game console."

I smiled weakly. "I'll be okay. Just give me some time-"

"No," Dad cut in, pulling me and my brothers in for a hug, "We'll get through this together. Whether or not this game story is true, you're hurting right now, and we're going to make sure you're okay. Your mother may not say it now, but she wants you to be happy, too."

I returned the hug, holding my family close to me and feeling safer than I had in a long time. All I could do now was let time go by and see if everyone still believed me after this, but for now, I'd take any support I could get. Maybe revealing what had happened to me hadn't been so bad after all.

However, there was still a small part of me that remembered everything I had left behind in Dead Space: Isaac, Ellie, and…Alex. Oh God, Alex. I briefly wondered what was happening to me back in that world if I was here. I hoped I hadn't just pulled a crazy disappearing act on all of them.

Guess I'll never find out, I thought, Not like there's gonna be another Dead Space game in the future.

Oh, how wrong I would turn out to be.