- The bomb has been planted. you can hear it ticking. no one knows where it is, but everyone can feel it.

- You hear footsteps behind you, but when you turn, no one is there. the footsteps never stop.

- The knife is always sharp. it never dulls. you have never sharpened it.

- You buy armor at the start of every round. you know it won't help. it never helps.

- The AWP fires. you see the shot. you die. you always die.

- Every match starts with the same phrase: "good luck, have fun." no one means it. no one has fun.

- The flashbang blinds you, even when your eyes are closed. you see the light. it burns.

- The game updates. nothing changes. everything changes. you don't understand, but you keep playing.

- The voice in your ear says "rush B." you don't question it. you never question it.

- You feel the spray pattern in your hands. it moves you, guides you. you are not in control.

- The headshot sound echoes. it reverberates through your mind. you can still hear it when the game is off.

- You jump-throw a smoke. it lands perfectly, every time. you don't remember practicing it.

- You buy the same weapons every round. your hands move on their own. they know the routine.

- The map changes. the layout is the same, but the colors are different. the walls seem closer.

- The skins on your weapons tell stories. you can almost hear them if you focus. they are not your stories.

- The knife fights in warmup are ritualistic. you engage, knowing it is a dance with no winner.

- You watch a replay. the movements are familiar, but the players are strangers. you don't recognize yourself.