This glossary contains terms and labels specific to the world and events within the book excerpt.
The Simulation: The current reality experienced by the characters, which they know is manufactured or programmed. It is speculated to be a virtual fantasy for unconscious bodies, a programmed life, or, the most feared possibility, a form of meaningless entertainment where they are just computer characters.
The Glitch: A technological event that occurred an estimated 20 to 23 years ago, which caused the simulation to become stuck. Since the Glitch, every day restarts as September 1, 1988, with a refresh of food and fuel, and a drastically reduced population.
Reset (or Switch): The daily event that occurs at dusk (Pacific time zone). During the Reset, everyone is shuffled into a different body, and the day restarts as September 1, 1988.
Body Shuffling: The process of a person’s consciousness being moved into a new body at the end of each day’s Reset. These bodies vary widely in age, gender, and location, such as one day being a forty year-old man in Ohio and the next a seventy year old woman in Kuwait.
Keith: Referred to as the “angel of death”. Keith actively attempts to reduce the population by killing the body he currently occupies or others at the end of the day, hoping to dwindle the population until he is the last one remaining.
NPCs (Non-Player Characters): Individuals who are believed to have never truly existed, but were instead programmed into the human experience. Those who were lost in the Glitch and certain recognized roles (like celebrities and genuine medical doctors) are suspected of being NPCs.
The Glitchers: A group, mentioned by a “cultish man,” who claims to have special knowledge or control within the Glitch. They are described as being able to “Control where you end up each day” and “See what others can’t”.
