Everybody Dies is a Glulx interactive fiction story written with Inform 7 and is © 2008 by Jim Munroe. It was an entry in IF Comp 2008 where it took 3rd place overall and 2nd place for the Miss Congeniality award. At the 2008 XYZZY Awards, it won the Best NPCs award and was a finalist in five other categories (Best Game, Best Writing, Best Story, Best Individual PC, and Best Use of Medium). This story was also featured on the Interactive Fiction Top 50 of All Time; it placed 34th in 2011 and 46th in 2019.
In this character-driven narrative, you begin the story as Graham, a disaffected rocker finishing a smoke on a bridge just east of the Cost Cutters you work at. It's a shit day, fucking grey slush is everywhere, but collecting shopping carts beats the hell out of cleaning toilets. The Rouge River is raging today, but you can still see the wheels of the cart you pushed in there. Your ace in the hole. Holy fuck the water's cold. When you pull the cart over, you also pull up a fish. Gross. The fish has a hole in its side, and there's another fish inside it looking at you, and you can't look away, and you can't feel your legs,... and you fall head first onto a rock. Fucking hilarious. *** YOU HAVE DIED ***
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 2, Serial Number 081116 of the story.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction story. Please make an honest effort to play the story before reading this walkthrough.
Bridge
> x me. i. x river. x cars.
> x jeans. x sweatshirt. x jacket. x Kodiaks.
> x pack. x matchbook.
> w.
West Side of Bridge
> x brush.
> n.
Clearing in the Woods
> x log. x can.
> e.
Edge of River
> x graffiti.
> e. (uh, looks dangerous dude)
> e.
The Water
> take cart. x fish.
> w.
*** YOU HAVE DIED ***
Void
This section is told in pictures: (1) a blue splash, (2) a blue fish, (3) a blue fish with a red fish inside it.
>> SPACE
> z. z. z.
>> SPACE
Northwest Bathroom Stall
You're now playing as Ranni.
> look in toilet. (You briefly see a tiny fish tail.)
> x me. i. x kirpan. (Sikh ceremonial dagger)
> x apron. x shirt. x slacks.
> x toilet.
> out.
Cost Cutters Bathroom
> x mirror. x sinks.
> n.
North Bathroom Stall
> x toilet. clean toilet.
> out. ne.
Northeast Bathroom Stall
> x toilet. clean toilet.
You hear Patrick enter the next stall. Unfortunately, you cannot avoid him.
> out.
Cost Cutters Bathroom
Patrick didn't even flush, and now he wants to know what's making that bump under your apron.
> show kirpan —or— hide kirpan. (He leaves.)
> nw.
Northwest Bathroom Stall
> x toilet. clean it.
> out.
Cost Cutters Bathroom
Patrick is back. Lisa confronts you either about threatening Patrick with a weapon or making a "lewd gesture" just before Patrick shoots you with a gun.
> z.
You can't move. Lisa screams, but Patrick shoots her too.
*** YOU HAVE DIED ***
Void
Another series of pictures: (1) A blue fish in a blue void at a grate; (2) Close up on the blue fish's mouth as the red fish starts to emerge; (3) The red fish swims through the grate into a red void; (4) The red fish arrives at a second grate; (5) Close up on the red fish's mouth as a green fish starts to emerge.
>> SPACE
> z. z. z. z. z.
Bridge
You are still Ranni. During the next few turns, you realize you are where you were yesterday, on the bridge collecting carts, because somehow it is yesterday. Also, Graham and Lisa was somehow in your head talking to you. Lisa insists you need to get a seventh cart you missed.
> x carts. x me. x river.
> Graham, x river. (You now see the cart there.)
> e. (You find the fourth cart.)
> e. (You find the fifth cart.)
> e. (You find the sixth cart.)
> w. n.
Clearing in the Woods
> x cans. x pit.
> e.
Edge of River
> x graffiti. x river.
> e.
The Water
> x cart. take cart. x fish.
> w. w. s. e.
Bridge
There's now seven carts.
> push carts.
This time, Patrick sees your kirpan when you change out of your wet clothes in the bathroom. He gets the gun from his locker and shoots you immediately.
*** YOU HAVE DIED ***
Void
The pictures: (1) The green fish enters the green void; (2) The green fish is now at a button; (3) The green fish pushes the button; (4) The red fish enters the green void through a now-opened grate; (5) The blue fish enters the red void through a now-opened grate.
>> SPACE
> z. z. z. z. z.
>> SPACE
Cost Cutters
You're now Lisa, at work, even earlier in the timeline. There's customers. Ranni's and Graham's voices are now in her head.
> x me. i. x glasses. x blouse. x slacks.
> x customers.
> s. (An old man stops you, asking about a coupon, which he gives you.)
> x man.
> x coupon. (The coupon expired. You hand it back.)
> s. (This time a mom and daughter stop you and hand you two products, asking which are peanut-free.)
> x mom.
> x Puffs. (maximum peanuts plus heavy metals)
> x Snax. (almost no English on it)
> Ranni, x Snax. (no peanuts)
> s.
The Staffroom
> x calendar. (It's two days before the shooting, and the 4pm locker inspection from central office is very soon.)
> x lockers. (They have labels with the names JILL, PATRICK, PAUL, RANNY, GRAHAM, JASON, and LISA.)
Tim from main comes in in a rush, snags a can from the soda machine, and runs off again to meat room, saying he only has time to check the lockers of the new hires (Patrick, Ranni, and Paul).
Graham's reaction to all this is suspicious: does he have something in his locker that shouldn't be there?
> take Patrick's label.
> take Graham's label.
> put Patrick's label on Graham's locker.
> put Graham's label on Patrick's locker.
> x desk.
Tim enters and opens Paul's locker. It passes inspection.
> x Tim.
Tim opens Ranni's locker. It passes inspection.
> x machine.
Tim opens what he thinks is Patrick's locker. It does not pass inspection, and Tim calls the police with glee.
>> SPACE
*** WE DIDN'T DIE ***
These thumbnails of screen-captures are samples of just some of the artwork in this game. Please play the game to see the artwork in its intended sizes and contexts.
Player characters:
Other characters:
Minor characters:
Found dead:
Mentioned:
This is the response to CREDITS:
Written by Jim Munroe. (www.nomediakings.org)
Illustrated by Michael Cho. (www.michaelcho.com)Beta testers: Carol Borden, Raigan Burns, Susan Bustos, Michael Cho, Gil Cnaan, David Faulkner, Matthew Finch, Heather Galaxy, Dennis Jerz, Ryan Kamstra, Sean Lerner, Rowan Lipkovitz, Tim Maly, Jodee McCaw, Danya O'Malley, Nick Pagee, Jack Saturn, & Miguel Sternberg.
Improved v2 with their feedback: Gemma Bristow, Doug Egan, Clare Parker, Anssi Raisanen, Sarah Selfasfractal, & George Shannon.
Technical Enablers: Graham Nelson (Inform), Philip Chimento (Gnome-Inform), Jon Zeppieri (Zag), Mikael Segercrantz & David Fisher (extensions).
Inspiration: Emily Short.
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