Chapter 2 - Into the game

Chapter 2 - Into the game

Rudolph and others were called into the main room to get ready for their game.

“Just shoot anyone with a nametag that doesn’t say ‘enemy’,” Steve whispered to Rudolph before the game started.

There were nametags too? This was going to be some realistic computer game. Rudolph wondered if there were going to be any zombies. He would enjoy having his brain being eaten countless of times when he respawns. He wondered what dying felt like. Did you just get put into a deep sleep? Rudolph realised he wasn’t listening to what Steve was saying.

‘... protect the bomb so it doesn’t go off. The players’ goal is to detonate the bomb. The level is set on hard so just go all out guys.”

Everyone stepped in an elevator-like box. There were dozens of them. Rudolph went along and stepped into his own, the doors shut tight. There was a humming as the box vibrated and Rudolph’s vision went foggy. A long minute passed and when his vision cleared, he saw a vast arena of dry land and small buildings. He was tense but felt calm at the same time. He gripped his long, slender gun that he had spawned with. He had also spawned with some very military-style gear on. It was black and blue, signifying that he was the enemy. He looked up and sure enough, the word ‘enemy’ floated above his head.

It happened too quick for Rudolph to catch. Players had spawned with green clothing and guns and were running around shooting at the ‘enemies’. Rudolph fired at a player and he fell to ground, his body disappearing. Rudolph was shot in the head from behind and it bloody hurt. Not for long, though. He collapsed to the ground and he was put into a room with some other ‘enemies’. About thirty seconds passed and he respawned back in the arena. Gunfire could be heard all around, some grenades went off. Grenades. He was supposed to protecting the bomb! Crap he thought. He turned around and saw a group of players running inside a building where the bomb was planted. He fired and managed to kill one of them, before getting killed himself. He respawned and shot down two players. One minute until the end of the game. Rudolph ran to the building where the bomb ticked, ticked, ticked, and found that the players were very close to winning. He sprayed bullets everywhere and he was shot down by a player just entering the building.

Words lit up in the sky:

Players team detonating bomb…

It appeared that the players were about to win. After a few seconds fireworks exploded in the sky and words read:

Players team has successfully detonated bomb. Time: 9:23 minutes

Rudolph’s team had lost. But that was okay, the enemies had to be defeated at some point. After ten seconds everyone teleported back to the main room, where some people sat around and did their own thing.

“Welcome back. How did it go?” One asked.

Not everyone went into the game.

“Players won,” Steve said.

The group disbanded and some people went to their Boxes. Rudolph leaned against a wall and went over what had just happened. He had experienced death multiple times that day and had obviated player’s artificial bodies. A bright, slim, brown-haired boy came up to him.

“Hello there! My name is Blake, pleasure to meet you.” He stuck out his hand and Rudolph shook it.

“Hi, my name’s Rudolph.” He felt the slightest bit brighter.

“I was the new one until you came along. I came in about three weeks ago. Funny thing, everyone kinda ignores me.”

Rudolph pointed to back out into the arena.

“What just happened in there?”

“Ya know,” Blake said, “I’m not really sure myself! All I know is that whenever we die out there, we respawn.” Blake’s voice was rising in volume. “And do you know what’s bloody annoying? Having to follow command or we die for real! We have no bloody freedom in what we do in the game. It may seem like it, but it’s bloody not!” He had a British accent and his chest heaved up and down and anger was drawn all over his face. He arm was stretched out pointing to the arena. Some people were staring at him and calm washed away his anger. “I’m sorry. I just… can’t believe we haven’t had any previous life before here.”

“It’s okay, dude.”

The two acquaintances at a rectangular table in the centre of the room. Rudolph on one side, Blake on the other. Rudolph saw a small metal piece in Blakes right ear.

“Hey, uh, what’s that thing in your ear?” He asked.

Blake touch his ear with his hand. “Oh! You haven’t noticed before? It’s called a Chip. Everyone has one, including you. It beeps when you have an alert. Like when you need to go into a game or something.”

Rudolph felt the little Chip in his ear and his fingers landed on a flat button, sitting flush in the surface of the Chip. He pressed it and a screen glowed in front of him.

No new alerts

“Whoa.”

“I know right.”

There was a beep and words flashed onto screen.

Game in Arena 23 - Castle Defence

Blake turned his Chip on to find the same.

“Well then,” he said, “Let’s go.”

Blake led Rudolph down a corridor to a door labelled 20-29. He pressed a button and the doors slid open.

As the two walked through, Rudolph said, “Wait, there’s more than one arena?”

The room had smaller glass windows on the walls yet the arenas were just as big as the first one. Rudolph looked through one and was flabbergasted. “How… How do they get the place for these arenas?”

Blake scratched his head. “They don’t really take up any space at all, strangely.”

A girl was walking in behind them when she collapsed to the ground. On her side, she had her head in her hands, screaming.

“What the… Are you okay?” Rudolph asked, rushing over to the girl, along with Blake.

The girl didn’t speak.

Veins were pulsing out of her skin and her hands went pale. But slowly, she relaxed. The girl got up, closed her eyes for moment and opened them again.

“I’m… fine,” she replied.

“Are you sure?” Blake asked.

“Yeah. Let’s just get into the game.”

To Rudolph, something didn’t feel right. The atmosphere felt somewhat fragile, thinner, as if it were about to fall apart. Blake and Rudolph walked through a door with the number 23 and inside there were Pods. Just like Arena 1. They zapped themselves into the game and found themselves in a very green landscape. At one end of the arena was a castle and the rest of the game was forest and grass and stone. Rudolph looked down and saw his body clothed in armour. He was riding a horse. He was holding a sword and a shield. Attack the castle he thought. That sounded about right. More of his comrades spawned and he could see a couple of players at the top of the castle with weapons. Numbers lit up the sky.

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

A horn sounded and the game began.

Rudolph’s horse galloped forward as he charged toward the castle. An arrow sliced through the air and touched a program a couple of metres away from him. He froze and coloured pixels ate away at his body. Rudolph stared as it happened to another, then another, then to him. Something definitely was not right. As his body decayed, he saw the sky split apart, revealing the white grid walls of the arena. The pixels were up to his chest now. It felt like he was being burned alive. The flame-like pixels licked at his face and he could feel himself being wiped away from existence. Soon, he was engulfed by darkness and put to sleep.