WICKED GAMES | COMPLETE

FORTY SEVEN

EPILOGUE

A/N: I wanted to give you guys all a little thank-you for your awesome support. Whipped up this tiny snippet for a taste of our characters' lives right after The Ghost Pepper was released. I will be working on a sequel too, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, do check out my latest book, BRIBE ME. More fun times and steamy games to be had over there. ;)

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Interviewer: "Hello, good folks of the Internet and beyond! It's your friendly neighbourhood gaming channel, Lock & Reload. I'm your host, Jasmine Garfield, and today we are playing the final installment in Mad Labs' trilogy – The Ghost Pepper. But who wants to watch just another gamer play another game? Here with me now are the two devs who lit the gaming world on fire and are fiercely fanning the flames – Miles Mason and Liam Parsons of Mad Labs!"

Miles: "Hey, Jasmine. Great to see you again. Thanks for having us back on the channel."

Liam: "Honestly, I just came because you said you had cream puffs."

Jasmine: "And that's why we always love having you guys here, even after you sent us all into a coma last year with that shocking announcement! None of us were prepared for that post-apocalyptic scenario."

Liam: "Neither were we, Jas." Snorts

Jasmine: "No, but I bet it was rough for you. They tried to cover it up, but Golden Vault haven't exactly been secretive about how you 'betrayed' them, have they? And now they're trying to take credit for your new game."

Liam: Grunts "I mean, if the competition wants to score their own goal and try to get a point off of it..."

Jasmine: "Oh yeah. I think we can all see who's clearly in the right here. I doubt the community would let them get away with it so easily. But you slogged it out and we're finally here with The Ghost Pepper! So, we'll forgive you for pretending to abandon us. Here are your controllers, guys. Tell me what your process behind this game was like."

Miles: "The whole team worked remotely on this. If you notice, the mechanics are totally different from Red Sky and Wasteland. We jigged the code from scratch and our talented writer gave it a great, clean story to end the series with."

Liam: "Dude, no, dude, pick Greg or something. I wanna play as Lisa."

Miles: "You just like her because she has dimples like Paige."

Jasmine: "Sorry, Miles, I'm gonna pick Greg, because I like that tattoo on his forearm. Three large stripes is pretty bold, like he's a walking ad for a certain sports brand."

Miles: Sniggers

Jasmine: "So, Liam, let me guess – is Paige Clarke wearing a ring that matches the one on your finger?"

Liam: "Right-o you are!"

Jasmine: "Is it true that you two met at GamersUnite and she was a fan who dressed as Jessa?"

Liam: Guffaws "What? No, that wasn't Paige and me. We met her in the indie hall, and she was just positively starstruck by me. You know how that goes. I trapped her with my smile and she hasn't been able to escape from my charms since."

Miles: "Mate, you have to stop trying to pick up every gun you see. Just stick with one. You already have a shotgun."

Jasmine: "Drop the shotgun, Liam. Just don't complain if Miles blows your head off with it later."

Miles: "I wouldn't waste my ammo on that. His bad decisions will solve the problem for us."

Jasmine: Laughs "Well, shoot, if that fan-in-a-Jessa-costume rumour wasn't about Liam and Paige, then that leaves us with Miles and your mysterious lady, doesn't it?"

Miles: "Come on Jas, we're all friends here, you don't have to pretend. I'm sure you've read all about her once the fans caught us moving in with our furniture."

Jasmine: "Alright, you caught me – hold up, I'm just gonna take out these guys here while you two flank the main base up front. Now, Miles, you told me before that you were committed to your games. But with Andie Craven in the picture, how's your new life with two relationships?"

Miles: "Well, one of them still loves me even when I key in the wrong commands."

Liam: Scoffs "Even the way he processes love is with computer speak."

Jasmine: Chuckles "Seems like your relationships have changed the way you two deal with your work. You guys have started to open up more."

Liam: "Are you implying that we are getting more lovey-dovey?"

Jasmine: Laughs "No! But, also, I mean, yes. I'm just saying... You made it possible for some of these characters to fall in love with each other! You guys have never done that before."

Miles: "I suppose we'd never fallen in love before."

Jasmine: "Not even in school? I'd think many people had their first loves then. I fell so hard for the trumpet player in our high school band."

Liam: "Jas, dude, band members have this thing they can do with their –"

Jasmine: "Monetising! We gotta keep this safe for monetising!"

Liam: Guffaws

Miles: "I don't know, Jas, I suppose those feelings could count as something like puppy love, or... misguided investment. I don't think I knew what love was until I met Andie."

Jasmine: "Aww, that's really sweet. Is that you two, then? Hashtag couple goals and all of that mushy stuff?"

Miles: Chuckles "Yeah, sure. Please, no couple hashtags though. She's been pushing me to do better – for our work and in life. I'm truly inspired by the way she is so passionate about her work. Oh, and the other day we went to the supermarket, and she made me switch to organic poultry."

Jasmine: "Sustainable and responsible eats are important! Also, Liam, kindly stop blocking me from stocking up on my med kits."

Liam: "You don't need four med kits! There's only three of us!"

Miles: "Love is like four med kits. It makes you feel safe and secure, even if you didn't think you needed it."

Jasmine: "Yeah, that pretty much hits the nail on the head. Though it's rich coming from you – none of your games make us feel safe or secure. Especially not this game. I feel like any decision I make could kill any one of us, at any time."

Liam: "Like just now. Sorry, guys, I think I screwed this one up. I picked up a mysterious package that's blinking on my screen now and I can't throw it out –"

Jasmine: "You've gotta be joking!"

Miles: Shouts "No! Great, Liam, you've just gone and blown us to high heaven, haven't you."

Liam: "Shove off, mate, I wasn't the one who built this damn code. Now let me admire these pyrotechnics I drew. Freakin' gorgeous they are."

Jasmine: Laughs "Well, we had a good run, guys. I suppose that calls it for our session with the boys of Mad Labs and their latest release, The Ghost Pepper. It's available in stores and online so go get it now! Thanks so much for joining us at Lock & Reload, Miles and Liam!"

Miles: "Always a pleasure, Jas."

Liam: "Splendid! Can we please have those cream puffs now?"

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