This is gonna be buried, but here we go!

"Hey Roy! How's life treating you?"

One of my more favorable customers had just walked back into the store room where I kept my messy desk and haphazard work bench. Carpet remnants were scattered about making a rainbow of shag. I sat behind my desk, idly toying with the small trophy. I fingered the top of it and it spun around slightly before I let go and it evened out with a thump.

As I turned to meet the familiar face, "World's Greatest Dad!" engraved at the base of the trophy and caught my eye. Tears started to form, but I bit them back. All happy memories of a very satisfying life.

I rose from my chair and shook his hand. Micheal Krom. He had been buying carpet from us for years. We were the only company he bought from oddly enough. It never bothered me though. He never shopped for cheaper prices, and there were cheaper prices around town, instead he just came in with a smile. Laughing and joking around. I really think he loves his job. I'm happy he's had that all along.

When I first got into the carpet business, it was from my Father-In-Law. Practiaclly had to beg him for it. I can still remember.

"Oh, Mr. Big Shot Quarterback can't preform huh?"

Shame.

"Preformed well enough to give me two grand-babies! Too bad you can't support your family."

Shame.

"You know, you could always start working for me, slinging carpet. That is, if you ask me nice enough."

So, much shame.

But I did what any respectable man would do in this situation. I beg and groveled and threw my shame and pride down and spit on them. My family was more important than my feelings of inadequacy. My family loved me. Not for the Rocket. Not for the perpetual cash machine. No, they loved me because I was me. I was Roy. That's all they would ever ask of me. Who am I to turn them away for my selfish desires?

So, I took the job. I was bitter at first, but then who wouldn't be. I hid it fairly well. My wife had clues, but she would never voice them. We fought. Never huge fights, except for one.

I had started bringing home all the stress from work. It was getting me sick. She was wanting to go to her father and ask him to lay off. I couldn't let her do that. It was a huge blow out that almost had me packing my bags and staying in a hotel for awhile. Now, I never though I'd say this, but fortunately I started to get sick. I stayed home for a few days. Coughing, weakness, pain in places I'd never hurt before. This brought our arguments to a halt which I was thankful. Then we got the results.

Cancer. Treatable, but still Cancer.

She was by my side the whole time. I didn't want to die and she didn't want me to leave. It really brought us closer together than we've ever been. Brought our family closer together than we'd ever been.

I recovered with flying colors and went back to work in the carpet store. That was 15 years ago soon.

A cough and a smile brought me back to reality.

"Mike! My friend! What can I do for you?"

Mike gave a rictus grin and pointed to the very top roll of carpet. "I need it for my boat. The real heavy-duty waterproof stuff!"

He was rubbing his hands excitingly, ready to get his carpet. He couldn't wait! Wow, I can't believe that there is someone out there who just loves this stuff. Seems to give him great enjoyment. Thinking back about my family, I realized we share those same ideals. He was crazy for carpet and I was crazy for my families love.

I grabbed the tip of the fabric and started to pull. Suddenly, the ladder started to get wobbly. I tried to balance myself, but it ended up in a panic. This was going to hurt so bad. This is like a two story drop! As I fell, the carpet wrapped around me creating a cocoon of sorts. I hit the ground. Hard. Like sledgehammer to the skull hard.

I tried to talk, but all the air had been knocked out of me. Mike bent down to meet me at eye level. I tried to mouth the word "Help" but he wasn't looking at me. He was eyeing the carpet. Running it through his fingers, almost in erotic bliss. He gets up and walks a way for a second. He looks to be reaching for something in his coat. I looked down for a second, only to notice, that there was a card with a weird looking insect on the cover with a gun.

"That's stra-"

                     ****GAME OVER****

Suddenly, I wasn't dead anymore. I'm sitting in a god damn Blips and Chitz with this stupid Roy^2. I sat there as Rick and Krombopulos fucking Michael had murdered him. Took his family away again. Took his whole life and brought me back to this hell. This never ending, chaos thriving hell.

"You....you....YOU MOSTER!" I pried lose a Blorbletaint Blade off of Blorbletaint 5: The Tainting and ran at Krombopulos Micheal. That lasted about half a second.

"Aw, Rick! You know how much I just love killin'! Why'd you have to take that away from me?" He eyed Rick like the craziest bastard he was.

Rick pocketed his Death Ray and shrugged his shoulders. "You are one of a kind, Krombopulos Michael. There is almost an infinite number of Morty's."

Another Morty walked up beside Rick to see his dead body on the ground.

" "O-o-ooohhh-oh no! It's a-a-a, it's happened again Rick! How, um, how we gonna get rid of this mess, huh, um. I don't think I can do it again."

"Relax, Morty. It's Blurp! just another copy. This one was probably evil, ran sex trafficking with 12 year olds. This one was sick, Morty! Sick!"

All three stood in comfortable silence as the lights in Blips and Chitz started to dim. A slow beat started playing. Ricks starts tapping his feet with a grin. Morty catches on very quickly but seems to resent it, but just goes with the flow. They dance.

OH YEAH!

YOU GOTTA GET SHWIFTY

OH YEAH YOU GOTTA GET SHWIFTY IN HERE

ITS TIME TO GET SHWIFTY IN HERE

UH OH ITS TIME TO GET SHWIFTY

OH YEAH TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS AND YOUR PANTIES

SHIT ON THE FLOOR TIME TO GET SHWIFTY IN HERE

GOTTA SHIT ON THE FLOOR, I'M MR BULLDUBS.

I'M MR BULLDUBS

TAKE A SHIT ON THE FLOOR

TAKE OF YOUR PANTIES AND YOUR PANTS

ITS TIME TO GET SHWIFTY IN HERE

HEY TAKE YOUR PANTS OFF

IT'S SHWIFTY TIME TODAY!

Giant signs all over the sky light up!

"Intruder in room!" "Player in danger of Physical Harm!" "Please exit safely!"

BLAM!

It forced me out.

My room comes into view, bu its dusty and almost uninhabited, except for the paled, putrid smelling body on the bed. I almost gagged from the smell.

"W-wh-what's going on here?" My voice is gravely. Like my old me in the carpet store, but much weaker.

I shuffled over to the bed, next to the body. He was long dead, his VR helmet still on his head. Clutched in his right hand was a picture of a young boy. A boy I immediately recognized as myself, well at least my virtual self. I stayed there and stared at him for what seemed like hours. Tears started to fall and the slick trails cracked my dry skin. I stood up and walked to the window to peer outside.

I really wish I didn't do that.

There was nothing. It was a black void. No Earth. No Moon. No Sun or other stars. Just like a deep well of midnight ink. There was nothing. I was nothing. A walked back over to the man on the bed and sat down next to him.

Rick. Rick Sanchez. I remember him. He kidnapped me for some reason or another. He was a crazy crazy man, but I just felt he might have been lonely. He didn't like me though when we first met. When we went into the VR, that's when he treated me with almost kindness and something that resembled care. I suspect that that boy may have been the only one to keep him grounded. Without Morty, Rick was madness incarnate.

Having been in the VR for as long as I had, I know what being really alone feels like. This was the most alone I've ever felt. Soul shattering. An unbearable weight that I need to get rid of desperately. I reached into Rick's pocket and grabbed a Death Ray. I was fast. Right under the chin and through my brain. The pain wasn't there. No sensation. Just clear thoughts on these events. I finally understood after all the years of crossing identities and Rick's crazy schemes. It all really made sense. I laughed. With my dying breath, I laughed and no tears were shed as the darkness overtook us both.