Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.

Rating: K+

Chapter 8

Alex is the first to wake. He rolls over, rubs his eyes, and then feels around for his glasses. Julie watches him, her eyes glassy and her jaw clenched to hold in a yawn.

"Mornin'," she says. He sets his glasses on and then looks over at her.

"Morning." He climbs to his feet and glances around their temporary campsite. "Anything happen in the night?"

Julie pulls her blanket away and begins to fold it. "No. Well, I did see a figure flitting around in the bush, but it never came close. I think it was just a curious animal."

Alex nods, but she doesn't miss the frown on his face.

"What is it?" she asks, softening her voice.

"I was kinda hoping that Willie might change his mind and join us," he admits. "I understand why he wouldn't want to - we are being hunted down. But I also kinda figured that since he's immortal in the game he might not care."

"We might still run into him later," Julie says. "He probably knows all sorts of secret ways around if he's been in the game for a while." She pauses. "Were you guys close?"

Alex shrugs. "I don't know. I thought we were friends, at least."

"If he really is your friend, then I'm sure we'll see him again." Julie offers him a smile. "Now, I think we should wake the others."

Alex nudges Luke and Reggie with his feet while Julie covers up the remains of the fire and packs up the vehicle. They eat a quick breakfast from their rations and load up. Julie pulls out her map.

"It looks like we're going through another forest," she says. "This one is shaded a lot darker than the first one on my map."

"Video games usually get progressively harder as you work through them," Reggie says. "It's probably full of all sorts of dangerous things."

"And on that happy note," Alex says, "let's be off."

They reach the forest around noon. The first thing Julie notices is that all the animals stay far away from the edge. The shadows from the forest seem to reach out with smoky fingers.

"There's no way we're going to be able to navigate the car through that," Luke says. He pulls up along the edge. "I guess we're going on foot from here."

"Are you sure there's no way around the creepy forest?" Reggie asks. Julie consults her map, but the yellow path leads straight through.

"Nope." She hefts her pack over her shoulders. "The sooner we get started, the better."

They disappear into the darkness. Only the barest rays of sunlight stream through the canopy, leaving the entire forest just slightly less dark than the inside of the temple.

Julie feels jumpier than ever. Every rustle in the bushes sets her heart racing. Every insect chirp or bird cheep causes her to grip the machete at her belt more tightly. Luke leads the way again, smashing his own machete back and forth to clear a path.

The boys are as jumpy as she is, Alex especially. She remembers that he's the only one who has lost a life so far. Although they know she can restart the game and reset their lives, none of them want to have to do all of this over again, least of all Julie.

She's already worried about how much time she's spent in the game today. With the inconsistent time differences, she has no idea if it's been an hour or twelve. What if her real body is lying in the loft and her dad is freaking out trying to wake her up?

Her face twists into a frown and she feels Alex's shoulder bump against hers. This time he's the one asking if she's alright.

"Yeah. I'm just worried about how much time I've spent here. I don't want my dad to freak out about me not waking up like you guys did. I don't know if he could handle it."

"Recent death in the family?" Reggie asks, his voice low.

Julie feels her throat swell up. She can only nod. "What about you? Aren't your parents worried about you?"

Alex and Reggie exchange glances. Luke alone doesn't turn back, though he whacks the plants in front of him with more aggression that he did before.

"None of us were really close with our families," Alex says. "We all moved out months ago."

"But they're probably still tracking your progress as musicians. No matter what happened, they still love you. If you went missing right before playing the Orpheum, they're probably freaking out."

Alex shrugs. "There's nothing we can do now except try and get out of this game. After that…" he trails off.

They walk in silence for an hour. Julie hadn't meant to kill the mood, but obviously her inquiries about their home lives hit a sore spot. She understands their reluctance to talk about it and respects it.

The day gets warmer. Without the sun shining directly on them, it's a humid warmth. Julie uses a strip of cloth to tie her hair back and she rolls up her sleeves. Alex takes off his round hat and fans himself with it. Reggie is back to his crop top and shorts outfit and Luke unbuttons the front of his shirt. Julie is glad he's walking in front of them.

As the sour mood begins to lift, Luke begins to hum under his breath. Alex and Reggie join in, sometimes with the same note and sometimes with harmonies. It takes Julie a few minutes to realize that they're not just humming a song they know - they're writing one on the spot, together.

As the melody irons itself out, Luke begins to throw in words here and there, occasionally changing them up or humming sections where he hasn't figured out lyrics for. Julie hides her smile as she listens to them work. It reminds her of when her mother used to write songs.

"You guys really don't waste any time, do you?" she asks.

"It's not like we're doing anything else," Reggie says.

"Besides trying to survive?" Alex asks. "Oh, that's a good line, Luke."

An hour later, the boys have composed an entire song. It's missing the full band sound, but Julie knows it could still be a hit. Part of her longs to join in and help them compose. She stifles the urge and contents herself with walking.

Luke suddenly stops. He holds his arms out. "Did you guys hear that?" he asks.

"Hear what?"

Julie lets out a shriek when she sees the black-clad figures drop from the trees. A dozen men, each with wicked knives and a couple with guns. Julie backs up to Luke and Alex.

To her surprise, Reggie simply cracks his knuckles. "Alright. Time for berserker mode."

His avatar's eyes flash red and he lunges forward with a speed that startles Julie. He disarms the first two attackers before Julie can blink. Then all the men converge on them at once.

Luke steps out and defends her and Alex with great strokes of his machete. One man sneaks into range and he kicks his chest, sending the man flying fifteen feet. On their other side, Reggie absolutely demolishes the attackers, flipping and spinning and somersaulting like a superhero. Luke takes out two more guys and then the forest falls silent.

"There's probably going to be more," Reggie warns. He grabs his pack, which he had discarded before fighting, off the ground and slings it back on. "We should get out of here."

They pick up their pace, but the sun sets before they've reached the other side of the forest. Julie can tell they still have a few hours of hiking before they break through.

"We're going to have to spend the night here," she says. Her eyes are drooping and her body is sore. She desperately needs sleep. "I can't stay awake much longer."

"Let's get set up for the night and then you can pause the game," Luke suggests. Since the forest looks pretty much the same anywhere, they find a tree with thick roots and settle down between them. Once again Luke tears off branches to create a small barricade. Alex starts a fire.

Julie glances around them to see that blinking pairs of yellow and white eyes are gathering close. "Guys."

"Yeah, we see them." Reggie grips his machete tightly.

"Fire," Alex says. He turns to Luke. "I need a few sticks to use as torches. They'll stay away from the fire."

"We'll have to take turns sleeping," Reggie says.

Julie watches them, but she's barely aware of what's going on. Her eyes are drifting shut…

Before she can remember to pause the game, she wakes up back in the real world.

Julie's phone is vibrating loudly. She's in the loft, the TV screen black in front of her. She drops the controller and grabs her phone.

It's her dad. She picks it up. "Yeah?"

"Hey, honey. Where are you?"

"I'm in the garage. Why?"

"Oh." A pause. "Okay. Can you come to the house? Your aunt is here."

Of course her aunt is here. Julie wonders if she got a note from the school. She rushes down the ladder, grabs her backpack, and runs up the steps and through the archway to the house.

Julie bursts into the living room to see her tía standing with her arms crossed over her chest - never a good sign. By her side, her dad's face is a mixture of concern and confusion.

"Uh, hi," Julie says, glancing between the two of them. She has the feeling she's going to be in for a long conversation so she sits on the couch and grabs one of the cushions to cradle in her lap. "What's going on?"

"Your aunt got an email from the school," her dad says.

Tía raises an eyebrow. "From your calculus teacher."

Julie sighs. "I know."

"If you're having trouble with math, why don't you just ask for help?" her dad asks. "They have tutors at the school."

"I know. I've just been under a lot of stress lately."

"Does it have to do with cleaning Mom's studio?"

Julie shakes her head, not trusting herself to try and lie.

"Because you've been spending a lot of time in there, mija. Maybe you need to take a break."

She shakes her head again. "No, it's not that. It's...it's just school in general."

"Do you need us to talk to your teachers?" Tía asks.

"No - definitely no. I'll be okay. I promise. It won't happen again."

"Okay." Her dad smiles. At his side, Tía nudges him. "Uh, go to your room." Tía clears her throat. "And study," he adds.

Julie rolls her eyes, though she's relieved the conversation was so short. She shuts her bedroom door and pulls out her calculus book.

An hour later, after slaving away at derivatives and the unit circle, Julie finally finishes up the homework she'd missed as well as tonight's homework. She checks her texts to see that Flynn had sent her an audio recording a few hours ago. Julie listens and takes time to give her feedback.

It's already eleven when Julie slips on her pajamas and climbs into bed. She's just settled into a comfortable position when she realizes that she left the boys in the game without pausing. She sits up with a jolt.

Julie pulls on a robe and slippers and sneaks out of her room and down the stairs. She's almost made it to the front door when her father walks by. He gives her a strange look.

"Going somewhere?"

"Nope!" Her voice rings out false. She clears her throat. "Just going to the bathroom."

"You didn't want to use the upstairs one?"

Julie's mind races. "Carlos used it not too long ago."

"Understandable." Her dad nods. "Well, goodnight, Julie."

"Yep. Goodnight to you, I mean."

She ducks into the bathroom and flushes the toilet. There's no way she's sneaking out of her house tonight. The earliest she'll be able to get back to the game is in the morning before school. Hopefully the boys can survive without her for that long.

Hopefully not too much time passes within the game.

Julie wakes up an hour earlier than normal and sneaks out to the garage. The sky is gray and there's a cool breeze in the air. She makes sure to close the doors after her.

She sets an alarm on her phone for an hour. She's not sure if it will do anything, but she has to try something.

She picks up the controller, turns on the TV, and is immediately sucked into the game.

Everything is so disorienting at first that she doesn't know what's going on. Her body's bouncing up and down and the world around her is passing in a blur. Her head is resting on something and only when she lifts it does she realize what's going on.

She's being carried on someone's back. A few steps ahead she can see Reggie's avatar, the red hair flowing freely in the wind as he runs. She half-twists and sees Alex's avatar a few steps behind. That must mean that Luke is carrying her.

A spear hits the ground a few feet to her left. She turns again and this time sees that they're being chased by a group of men with long, wicked-looked spears and bodies covered in paint. No doubt the natives of Jumanji.

"Can't we just convince them that we're on their side?" she asks Luke. At the sound of her voice, he nearly stumbles.

"You're awake!" His breath is tight from exertion.

She ignores the comment. "They're after us because they think we're with Caleb. If we convince them that we're trying to put the gem back, they might help us!"

"They don't speak English and none of us speak their language," Luke replies. "Can you run by yourself?"

"Yeah."

Without breaking his pace, he releases her legs and she slides off his back, launching forward as soon as her feet hit the ground. She swerves around a tree just as a spear thuds into it.

"How long was I out?" she shouts. Luke vaults over a tree stump ahead of her before answering.

"Two days. We made it through the haunted forest and wandered straight into their village. We thought we lost them, but they must have picked up our trail."

Julie fumbles with the canister at her belt and pulls out her map. She alternates between glancing at it and watching the path ahead of her.

"You guys got really off-track! We're way off the path!"

"We didn't exactly have our cartographer to show us the way!"

Julie's eyes scan the map. A branch slaps her across the face but she continues running.

"There's a set of cliffs ahead! There's a single bridge across it. If we get across it, we can cut the ropes and they won't be able to follow us!"

She shoves her map back into the canister and piles on her speed. Alex is right on her heels. Reggie is the furthest ahead. He breaks through the treeline and disappears. Luke is right behind him and then she and Alex.

The bridge comes into view. It's old, rickety, and even from a distance Julie can see missing planks. If they weren't being chased by two dozen men with spears, there's no way Julie would step on it. As it is, she's risking death either way.

Reggie reaches it first and pauses. He waves Luke past and then her and Alex. Two more spears hit the ground, one so close that Julie can hear the whoosh next to her ear. She realizes that Reggie is waiting to hold the men off so they have a chance to get across.

The bridge shakes back and forth as her weight settles on the first plank. She holds the ropes with both hands as she jumps over a gap. Luke is already at the halfway point. The bridge sways even more dangerously when Alex begins crossing behind her.

Her foot hits a weak plank and it dissolves beneath her. With a shriek she sink down, one leg swinging over the river flowing a hundred feet below her. Her hands, clutching the ropes with white knuckles, is the only thing keeping her from completely falling.

Ahead, Luke turns around and pauses, indecision clear on his face. Alex reaches her and grabs her waist, lifting her up and back onto the bridge with a grunt. Although her heart is beating hard enough to break through her chest, she doesn't hesitate before continuing to run.

Luke finishes crossing when he sees that she's clear of the gap. A few seconds later her feet are thudding on solid ground. If it weren't for their pursuers, she'd collapse on the spot. As it is, she whirls around to catch sight of the others.

Alex clears the bridge right after her. All three of them turn to see Reggie sprinting across, the athletic nature of his avatar helping him avoid the loose boards and gaps. The men on the other side are gathered around the posts. It takes Julie a minute to realize that they're sawing at the ropes.

"Run, Reggie!" she cries, cupping her hands around her mouth.

They saw through the first rope. The bridge twists nearly perpendicular to the ground. Reggie slips and falls. His hands reach out and grab the ropes at the last minute. He begins pulling himself hand-over-hand across.

The men continue sawing at the other rope. Reggie is tantalizingly close. Luke kneels down and extends his hand. Reggie reaches for it and their fingers brush. Luke leans forward as far as he dares. Reggie swings his hand back.

Just as their hands clasp, the other half of the bridge falls. Reggie is jerked downwards. A loose rope tangles around his ankle and yanks him away, his hand tearing out of Luke's.

Luke nearly falls with him. Only Julie and Alex grabbing his shoulders and pulling him backwards saves him from the same fate. Reggie's screams are still ringing in their ears as they scramble away from the edge.

It takes the game a few seconds to send Reggie back. He lands a couple feet away in a super-hero position, his chin thrown back and his hair snapping back with it. On his forearm is a single black tally.

Luke runs over to him first, throwing his arms around him. Alex is next. Julie hangs back, catching her breath.

When they finally let him go, they all sit down. The men on the other side are slowly creeping back into the trees. The bridge is completely gone, only the poles on either side remaining.

"I'm so sorry," Luke says. "I really tried."

"There was nothing you could do," Reggie says. "My avatar weakness, remember? It's heights." He motions at his arm. "And now we're all tied at one."

Julie remembers Alex's death, and of course Reggie just died, but she must have missed Luke's. She looks over and sees that, sure enough, he has a tally of his own as well.

"What did I miss?" she asks.

"Not much," Alex says. "Just a bunch of hiking and running."

"I died when we ran into the village," Luke explains. "They got me with a spear."

"What happened to you?" Reggie asks. "One minute you were fine. The next minute you were passed out."

"My phone rang in the real world. I think it somehow pulled me out." Julie remembers the alarm she has set. "And actually, I need to go. I have to go to school."

"School?' Luke wrinkles his nose. "At a time like this?"

"Yes, school," she says, standing. "I know that this is your entire life right now, but it's not mine. I'm doing my best to get you guys through this, but I also have to keep up with the real world. People are starting to get worried. If I miss school, I might get grounded and then who knows how long it will be until I can get back to the game."

None of them argue with her on that. Julie swipes for the menu screen. "I'll make sure to pause it this time."

She hits the button and closes her eyes as the spinning feeling surrounds her. A second later she's back in the loft. She grabs her phone just as the alarm goes off.

She tries not to think of how close she cut it as she heads back into the house to grab breakfast.