Chapter 10: The Virus

Charlie came by to give me dinner. Not just food but another dessert and letter from Charlotte, and an Oculus Rift box with an Xbox One. "There's a letter inside the Oculus box." said Charlie.

"So a letter from Dr. Carroll huh?" I said.

"No actually. It's from a General."

"A what?"

"I can't explain more, but the answers are in the Oculus Rift. I'll see you tomorrow."

He left me in confusion. I open the Oculus Rift box as I see that there was a blue and black letter inside. I open it up and read it.

PUT IT ON

I don't think it's a request. I took out the Oculus Rift from the box. It's differen't though. It's got these weird tech lines all over it. I don't like it but Charlie said the answers are in here. I have to know.

I put it over my eyes and turned it on. Before I knew it my reality changed. I was standing back in the woods where that lake of colors are. "About time you showed up." said the black haired little girl from my last dream. "I've been waiting in the Rift for 20 minutes."

"You're the girl who was controlling my body." I said. My anger took over as I picked her up by her blue and black jacket. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Why did you make me hurt my friend?!"

She punched me in the face and suddenly brought me down by some martial arts move. "Ow! What the hell?!"

"I don't like being manhandled as much as you don't like being controlled." she said, "So why don't you sit down and relax while I explain?"

I turn over to sit criss cross as she sat down too. She has this serious look upon her face, so it's not likely she'll be bullshitting me. "Dr. Carroll is mad man who will take any chance to perform his own experiments. If you disobeyed his orders he would've likely done something way worse to you than Aaron."

"I wouldn't care about that. I rather get hurt than hurt others."

"Keep that up and you'll only forsaken yourself and others. You're valuable to Dr. Money and to us."

"Who is this us exactly?"

"We're called Hackers. We're the ones trying to save you and the prisoners. Couldn't explain on our first meeting because it's hard to connect to someone in dreams. When we did we had limited time to hack into your body."

"To hack into my body? What do you mean?"

"We knew about Dr. Carroll's "little experiment". To counteract the microchips within your body. Charlie has been dosing you with our own microbots through your drinks. At this moment they're corrupting the microchips so you won't be under his total control. Also it was the only way how I can contact you. The Oculus Rift console is our very own tool to enter the rift of cyberspace... Is any of this making sense to you?"

"Somewhat."

"What part doesn't make sense?"

"The microbots. So Charlie has been dosing me with them and never bothered to tell me?"

"It was crucial to keep you in the dark at the time. That way you won't give anything away to Dr. Carroll."

"So that means the other prisoners have been dosed too?"

"No, just you. The less that people know the better."

"Why me only though? I don't get it I'm just a gamer."

She smiled as she said, "That's why. People like you have good hearts. Hackers are mostly made up of gamers."

"What is the purpose of Hackers?"

"To stop the Virus of course. You see Dr. Money's plan is to find people who can be immune to the Virus, and the Virus is tiny micro-organisms attacking all the cells forcing the people to die. You see, he's trying to bring us out of hiding."

"Oh, so he's your enemy then."

"Correct. We've been bumping heads for a while. People like you who are immune to the Virus have what we call "Hacker's Blood". Blood that can destroy anything that's a threat to the body. Though strangely, not many people are dying from it. Some of them are actually merging with the Virus so they act as a carrier to spread it to others."

"I remember that Charlotte had told me that she hasn't been getting customers because of the Virus." I mentioned.

"I'm sorry who?"

"Charlotte, she's own a bakery shop across from Blue Rose Prison. She hasn't told me if she's been infected by the Virus. So then she must be immune! Please you have to get her away from Blue Rose Prison."

"... Besides letters what else did she sent to you?"

"... I didn't mention that she has been sending me letters. How can you know that?"

"Answer me Mark." she demanded with a stern look.

"...She sent me an IPod and some pastry goods."

"...What about Mr. Smiley has he sent anything besides games and letters?"

"How do you know that?"

"Has he?!"

"No, he hasn't!"

"... How strange."

"What's so strange about it? Why are you freaking out about Charlotte?"

Before she could even open her mouth all of a sudden everything went black. I was back in my cell with a dead Oculus Rift. I took it off and tried to turn it back on but it refused. "Dammit!"

I put it away under my bed until I can tell Charlie about it. Even though I'm upset I still ate my dinner while reading Charlotte's letter.

Dear Mark

I'm so happy you like the music. There are other playlists on there so I hope you like them all. As for dessert I bake you a piece of White Rose cake. It's new, so I hope it tastes good for you. Charlie told me he will give this to you at night. I hope you're feeling alright after what that doctor has done to you. Remember, even though you're their prisoner. Don't let them beat you down. Charlie says he'll get you and the others out one day. I have faith that he's telling the truth. I'll be waiting for you Mark. I promise.

Sincerely

Charlotte Holmes

There's something about Charlotte that the girl I was talking to was freaking out. If I remember she found it more odd that Charlotte send me her IPod. Like if she wasn't suppose to send it to me. I took the IPod out from underneath my pillow. I put on the headphones and look through her library to see other playlists. Besides hers, I see two others. One was called Virus and the other Glitch. Virus and Glitch? Is that suppose to mean something?
I click onto the Virus playlist and see that there's only one song. It's still called Virus, well that's pretty ironic. I pressed play but I didn't hear music. I heard a high pitch noise that was so loud and painful I suddenly blacked out, but I open my eyes to see myself standing in darkness.

What am I standing on? Is this water? I bend my knees to gather some in my palms. It's clear but there's nothing in the water that I can see. "What's going on?" I said mainly to myself. Until suddenly a reply was answered.

"Well from what I can figure, the Virus has finally entered your body." It's a male that answered me, but I can't see him anywhere in this dark place.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Look into the water."

I did but I don't know what he's talking about. I got on my hands and knees to look closer into the dark water. I still don't see anything. "What am I looking for?" I asked. All of a sudden my own face popped out of the water giving me fright!

When I stand back up to get away he grabbed my arm, using me to pull him out. It's me but different. His eyes are black, he's wearing a black and red armor, and in his other hand is a red blade that looks like it's been forged in blood. "Thanks for helping me out Markiplier."

He head-butted me hard as I fell onto my back. He raised his sword to strike me but I rolled away. I stand back up as I said, "What the hell are you?! Why are you trying to kill me?!"

"What? You seriously can't figure that out on your own?" he said as he laughed, "You must be thick headed to not know who I am."

I thought as the answer hit me, "You're Darkiplier. I don't get it, how?!"

"Well you see, the Virus is suppose to challenge the human spirit. Forcing the Dark half take over the body, but this Virus you've been exposed to is way different."

He dip the sword into the water and suddenly everything changed. Where I'm standing is in the summer fields of grass. While he stands in the winter side of snow. Cold V.S warm, day V.S night, dark V.S light, and Markiplier V.S Darkiplier. "Well?" said Darkiplier as he step forward to enter my side, but snow emerge under his footsteps. "I really don't have all night." he said, "Are you going to get into gear, or are you just going to let me kill you?"

"Why do you want to kill me?" I said.

"It's obvious really. Because I should be in control. You're way too weak to even fight back. You had no control at all while you were whipping that friend of yours. So do me a favor and rest forever."

He swung his sword at me. I dodge rolled to get some space between us. "Why are you avoiding my attacks? There's no reason for you to live anymore."

He attack me again but I backed away. He nearly cut open my chest, but I didn't realize there was a green gem in the middle of it. "What the hell?" I said as I touched it. Then suddenly I was armored up once again. The familiar green, black, and silver armor. attached to my hip is a sword with a green and silver blade.

"About time, I was already getting bored." He charged at me with force full. He punched me hard in the gut and tried to run me through with his sword. I used mine to block it in time. I twist my sword around to knock his away and tried to stab him in the face. He dodged it but he got nicked on the right side of his cheek.

Darkiplier just smiled as he said, "What's this all of a sudden? Are you trying to kill me or fighting for your life?"

"What's the difference?"

I kicked him away from me as he stumbles back. He said, "What I mean is. Either you're trying to kill me because you want to, or you're fighting for your life because you're scared. I guess that's the true meaning to Light and darkness. People who join the light are only afraid of darkness because they don't understand it."

Out of nowhere he appeared right in front of me and stab me straight through the chest. Blood spluttered out from my mouth and splash upon Darkiplier. How did he manage to do such an impossible thing?

"Aww, I missed your heart." he slip the blade out and kicked me to the ground. Even though he missed my heart he punctured a lung! I'm drowning in my own blood. I can't breathe!

"Looks like it's a slow death for you. It's way more painful to drown in your own blood than under water. Too bad, looks like I'll be the one who will ever get the chance to see Charlotte."

When he spoke her name something kick started my body. It felt like an electric shock forcing me to get up. I did even though the pain is excruciating. "What's the matter? Was it something I said?"

"Charlotte..." I said, "She put the Virus in me... Why?"

"...Heh heh. Ha ha ha ha ha! For a gamer you're quite dumb. Charlotte is not an ordinary woman. She knows what goes on in Blue Rose Prison. If I were you-. well in a way I am, I would asked why would she want to help you get stronger. Why would she risk herself for you?"

"This is-?" I looked at my own blood that's upon my hands, "A way for me to get stronger."

"Tch, nothing get's by you does it? It's your choice to live or die!"

He lounge his sword at me. I knocked it away and stabbed him through the chest, but I got him in the heart. "Heh," he choked out blood, "You given yourself a reason to live. So what reason will that be, Markiplier?"

"For Charlotte, for my friends, my family, and for the people who believed in me. I will not succumb to you. NOT NOW, NOT EVER!"

The night side of winter disappeared. There's only the day summer fields of grass that remain. Darkiplier laughed as he said, "You say that now, but just wait. One day, you'll need me at your darkest hour, and I'll waiting to beckon your call."

I woke up back in my cell huffing a puffing for air. I put away the IPod, not bothering to dare to press play for the Glitch playlist. I'm afraid what it might do to me. Right now I'm just relieved for the first time to be back in my cell.