The familiar purple loading screen appeared, but the music was… off. Instead of the upbeat synth of "Billie Jean," it was a slowed, distorted loop of a beach tide. When the game finally loaded, I wasn’t at the Ocean View Hotel. I was standing on the sand at the furthest edge of the map, looking back at the skyline.

I double-clicked the archive. The extraction bar crawled across the screen like a tired soldier. Once finished, I launched the game.

I never reinstalled it. Sometimes, though, when the sun sets just right over the real coast, the light hits the buildings with that same "U-R-R" glow, and I wonder if I’m the one who stayed inside the mod.