Chapter 2: The Shit Hits the Fan
More walking, more streets, more idle chatter of thousands of programs around me parading as people. The ground under me was solid. The wind cool and soft as well as unpredictable, much like real wind. The sun was warm on my back. I was careful not to run into people, keeping a hand trailing along the cool side of buildings.
It was interesting. I wanted to see where everything went, but after a while they came back to me. Seems they were bored with looking at scenery.
"When do you actually plan on playing, Ms. Drayce?" asked Mr. Hanmer boredly in my ear. I narrowed my eyes with annoyance. I had been walking on a board walk that lined an ocean view.
"As far as I can tell, this is playing." I said loudly. Still wasn't sure what I was supposed to do really, I was hoping something would happen that I could react to soon. I heard someone snort, irritated, and a distant creak of a chair from somewhere outside. I gritted my teeth, but stopped when I saw an interesting looking building a little off in the distance, away from the city, but also away from the ocean.
"What is that?" I asked. There was quiet from the other end of the line, but I could feel general interest. They were silent. I smirked as I turned toward it, interest growing. It was the most enthralling silence I had ever heard. There was no sound, nothing, yet something lurked under that nothing.
I climbed the base of the building stairs, up and up, and found glass doors. The entrance. It was a bit dark inside. Un-dwelled in haunted look. The wind blows eerily. Apprehension, a sweet taste inside the corners of my mouth, the glitter I see in my eyes and hair from the reflection of the glass. I hear nothing of my employers. They are nothing at that moment.
This is the thrill. Being on the edge of something. This had importance written all over it's dull walls. It's in all games. Something hidden and waiting for you to find it, embrace it, and become it. This is the place where you loose yourself and everything in your life. All to this. As simple as opening a door.
My hand fogs that cool smooth glass…
… and I am inside. Door closing quietly behind me. The room beckons, and I answer. More walking and more exploring. There is no remark. There is quiet from that part of the world. It's eerily odd. A musky smell. Gray tiles made the floor. Walking in, footsteps echo in the empty air. Glass cases hugged the sides of the walls down that stretching hall.
Turn some corners. Watching the glass cases, display cases, in fact. Artifacts everywhere. Strange but normal. Does that make sense? I wonder to myself. Not for every long. A door way, a jar open, catches my eyes. Searching eyes. Captivates my interest where I stop to watch it. Study it. Barred off. With chairs and something that reminds me of the yellow tape the police use to block off a scene of a crime. So accusing is that door.
I walk over the tape, step on the chairs, and step quietly onto the ground. I move quietly, slowly. The setting, it reminds me of those spy games. Get past the guard. Yet, I hear no footsteps or see any lights. Touch the door with soft hands, listen to it creak open slowly under the slight pressure of my hand. Watch the darker ravenous abyss going down those stairs. Glance behind me. There is only gray dull grayness in the gloom. Turning back I see the inviting darkness, like an open handed greeting.
I take that hand.
Eyes wide and unseeing, my fingers prickle at the smooth feeling walls. So dark I can't see yet. My eyes are adjusting. Decent smooth and sweet. The excitement is rising, rising due to the childish daring, daring me to tread in that all concealing darkness. Tempt fate into taking you with spade black claws.
Light ahead. I'm reminded of my falling journey down into this game. Reminded heavily. But here there were no lights. No starry night. Just oppressing black abyss. The stairs suddenly end and I almost trip. Grab the wall for support. My eyes shift to the steady golden glow. When my footing is balanced on the level floor, I look at my coated hands, stretched out, confused for a moment, before looking up and finding the source of that glow.
A tablet.
I smile.
"You guys did a great job with the lights." I said with warmth. Chuckling in that part of the world. More scratching of notes. I stay where I'm standing, absorbing the sight for a few more minutes, until Mr. Hanmer ruins it like usual.
"Why don't you take a closer look?" Smug. But did I hear curiosity? I took it as my ears playing tricks on me at the time. I took a casual walk over to the thing, the light getting brighter and brighter the closer I got.
Three steps away, I get an awed breath out of my ear, like a whisper, from that part of reality, and I know I should've ran right then. But the sight was far too curious and appealing. I let my eyes wander over the images. Two men, pictures of monsters around them. More pictures but in words. Hieroglyphs. Egyptian. A breeze brushes by my ear.
And I realize that there is movement in this place shrouded in dim golden light. I turn and there is someone partly cloaked in the dark. Face hidden under a head of hair tinted gold due to the light. There is silence. I feel a chill creep softly down my spine. The child of a shiver.
Hands in its pockets that human shape does not move, stays partly hidden. A smile is on its lips. I feel ice cold. Somehow this is not what I expected, even though it was perfect for the game.
"Who are you?" I ask in cautious tone. No movement. Strangely familiar in that gold glow. I don't run. Don't move. My legs refuse. I watch with wariness.
And in the same hiding place he speaks with a voice like poison, hungry for pain, and filled to the brim with rage.
"You don't belong here." Stalking tone echoes harshly around that room. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I wait. No answer from me. Part of the program I'm sure. I smirked at how uneasy I was. This was going to sell big time in the market, I hoped they knew that. They would have to have a warning on the box though; I'd have to make sure they got that. For know, I'd enjoy this game.
"Who are you to say?" My tone is neither harsh nor scared. Drawled by the tongue. Still no movement from this character. His voice echoes as if on a haunted fog.
"You smell of different things. Not of this place at all. So where do you come from?" More uneasiness. Yet the assurance that this is all fake makes me continue to grin.
"America." I say quietly, "So good of you to notice."
"Much farther than that." he retorts shortly. I blinked, surprised, but laughed a moment later. How humorous! When this sequence was over I'd have to congratulate them on the scariness of that tone. I was smiling wider when that voice spoke again.
"You smell of outside. State your name."
"Drayce."
"Full name." I put my hands on my pockets, admiration beaten down to annoyance.
"Love Drayce." I say sourly. They had to have added that. Just because I won't give my full name to them. They must have been itching enough to put it into the blasted game. There was going to be hell to pay when I get out.
There was a cold chuckle.
"You're the seventh to come to this place, but the first to come in here."
"Lucky number." I reply simply. The symbolism is hilarious. They'd have to think of a better number. Something not so boringly dull and over used.
"Did they not tell you of the other six?" Still he does not move. I'm getting bored with this conversation. It only adds to my annoyance and the raging session I was going to have when I got out of here.
"No." I say, close to a sigh.
"It was easy to drive the other six mad, weak-willed. You smell different from them, though."
"Do I?"
"You have what I want." I pressed my finger to my ear and laughed.
"You getting this guys? And I suppose you'll have him leap out at me and try to grab me with a knife, right?" Silence. That's weird.
"Guys?"
"They can't hear you." I look back at the stranger, getting a little annoyed with this programming.
"Bullshit. This is just a glitch they're going to have to fix." I snarled. I accepted a 'that does not compute' or 'I don't understand' or 'blank face and ignore completely what I'm saying.
"This is no glitch." Growls the voice playfully.
"What do you mean?"
"I severed that link. Quite easily." He replies icily. I looked at him. Looked at him angrily.
"…This isn't funny." Just a smile. A creeping sanity-checking smile.
"But it is."
And his hand lifts from out of his pocket. Except it's longer than it should be. And grayer. It slides down and points at me, black tunnel at the end of it. At this point my confused brain recognizes it finally. I can't move.
"Are you going to shoot me?" I asked softly and regularly. He laughs in an amused tone. Not scared. Just a game. Eerie frightening game. No, can not allow myself to taste coppery fear. Just breathe.
"No, this is for you." He placed it gently on the ground and slides it. I can hear it skidding down on the tile floor and thuds gently against my feet. Metallic shine pierces through the dim. Revolver. Six shots. I pick it up. Check the barrel. All six shots are in. Fully loaded. I can smell sulfur. Snap the barrel back with a swift jerk of my wrist and curled my index finger around the trigger, but point it to the floor instead of him. Has to be a catch after all. I ask him.
"No catch. I figure if you're so keen on playing games, you'd try mine. That's your weapon. You have six shots."
"Alright, this game has any rules?"
"No. Anything goes."
I lifted the gun and shot at him. The smell of sulfur increased mightily with the bang. Something new to this game, for sure, besides the feel of metal instead of cheap plastic like at the arcades were they steal you're quarters from you. Shooting games weren't my best, but I was good. It would've hit the mark.
It didn't.
A great beast rose from that dark place and snatched it up. Ate it. I raised an eyebrow at the thing. Large massive monster of a thing. Had head of a bull with a bullish/ man body, standing on two legs instead of four, red fiery eyes, hand clenched around a huge club. Minotaur, really. Impressive. I glanced back at the stranger, who was holding a card between two of his fingers above his head.
"Beast on the card?" I asked.
"Yes." Even tone. Maybe a little interested. Didn't care. I stared for a moment or more before swaying to one side and bolting as fast as I could run. Left, always left, facing the stranger. Fired another shot. The thing didn't have time to move in front of his master, but enough to deflect it with its club. Heard the bullet bounce around the walls, wild and unpredictable. No chance of friendly-fire. He laughed.
"Try again."
Bit my lip and stared at the crimson emotionless eyes. Smoke escaped through its nostrils. What have you learned? Cards were magic. Can't fight magic with mortal weapons. Every fantasy game will tell you that. So what was there to do? I looked back at the tablet which was glowing golden even in the dark. Anyway to harness that?
Something crashed down next to me, sending a shudder through my entire body. Didn't look at what it was, bolted to the right and shot at it wildly. Enough time to see it seep back into the ceiling. Glanced over. Two cards in hands now. Oh great. I spun around and narrowly missed a long deadly looking sharp blade. It seeped back into the floor slowly, as I sprinted past. Made for the tablet.
Mere feet away and the ground explodes with two blades, like those of a massive Mantas. Can't stop. Slide between them, cutting my left arm bad. The sudden hot flaming pain made me scream with surprise. Hadn't expected pain. I registered it quick, and let it fly away. No time to think about it. I rolled the rest of the floor and hit the wall shuddering. Felt wet red blood pour freely from my arm, but lift it up and slap it on the tablet. Or rather the glass over it.
Didn't glance behind me to check how close the thing was. Just lifted the gun and blasted. BAM. Breaking glass started to run down on me, I twisted my face away from it eyes shut tight. Heard it raining like diamonds. When the last bits were hitting the ground I flung my hand up there. Slam, right on to the stony rough surface with my left hand, blood splattering onto the floor as I did so and pointed the gun forward.
Test number one was right in front of me. Some kind of monster that was living in the walls. Poked its head out when the glass was breaking. Mouth wide open. Cocked the gun and fired right into it. Bits of flesh and blood splattered everywhere, hot and sticky, black in the dim light.
Didn't pause.
I was on the Minotaur in a second and fired. Deflected with the club. Bitch in a can! Cocked the gun again right after and fired quick. Too fast for the bastard to block. A nice round hole appeared in his chest and he fell down like a great elm. Thud. Blood was running freely down my arm, throbbing with an ache I was trying to ignore. Lying flat on the ground like that, left hand clutching the rock, right arm pointing the gun at that shadow cloaked stranger, I was well pleased. Pointed right at him, favoring the feel, and pulled the trigger.
Click.
I looked at the gun, dumbfounded.
"You're six shots are up, Love." He said quietly. I glared at him. He removed something thick from his pocket and took a single piece of it. He drew a card from a deck of cards. Many cards. He laughed coldly.
"It looks like I win." He said coolly. I stared. Stared and felt my facing going white. He had a whole arsenal of beasts in that deck and I was out of ammo. The throbbing in my arm was strangely realistic. Horribly so. It seemed to say in quiet tone, that yes I was really injured, and the chance of being killed was very high. Ever heard of being brain dead?
I looked at him. He raised the card. Raised it high above his head, showing it off to no one but me. Had to be habit. I took a breath. Felt cold. Ice cold. Loosing a lot of blood. I gritted my teeth against the pain and fright. Fright making me shake so violently now. He was loving every moment of it. I was dead. Dead as dirt.
Something appeared in shadow as his voice summoned it. Too dark to make out. Something shifting and dangerous. Silent. Stalker most likely. This thing was going to get me. I was beat. Frustration. Nothing left. I knew I couldn't get up. Going to die. He's laughing. Insane laughter.
The glowing pulsed suddenly stronger. Didn't know why. I felt my head going down. So much blood. Getting dizzy. Tired. Too tired to move. My hand stayed clenched to the ancient stone. Someone's yelling. Faint and fuzzy. Ringing bells. Light so strong it banishes the darkness around me, banishes shadows as well as figures. But not the coming darkness behind my eye lids. Loud booming male voice. Silver eyes.
Must sleep.
Book Dragon: "Please review."