I knew something bad had happened to make Theo so quiet as a child. It was clear as I saw the memory orbs that something traumatic had happened. Since some of my memories were still missing, I didn’t know if I already pieced this together as I got older. But I could already tell there was a difference between knowing what happened and seeing the ghostly footprints walking down the stairs, through the kitchen, and out the front door. I tried not to imagine it as little Theo, but I couldn’t help it. The haunted face that was so familiar to me was no doubt born that night.

I worked the rest of the evening, scrubbing the living room floor. This kind of cleaning always made my mind wander, and tonight I didn’t want it to. All I saw was Theo’s small footprints. I didn’t want my imagination to tell me what his face was like. The frightened, perhaps dazed look he had.

I closed my eyes tight before opening them. I focused instead on my job. Scrub, scrub, scrub, dunk in the bucket, move the flashlight to make sure I could see what I was working on, scrub, scrub, scrub. Just focus on this. Don’t focus on anything else.

The living room gave a sheen, and I did nothing more but sigh as I moved to the entertainment room. I didn’t know how long I was freezing my mind to keep myself from thinking about what I’d discovered. I wasn’t surprised when the words appeared and I was forced into sleep, waking up not feeling rested at all. I dragged myself out of bed, rubbing my eyes as I walked outside, doing my morning routine.

The glass went into the barn. I checked my bedroom window, gathering the beer can and cigarette butts. My instincts flared up again as I glanced over my shoulder, but another part of me said that the only thing to come out of this was a couple of dopamine points. So far nothing else had happened, except for a moment for my skin to crawl. Though it might get worse since I thought that.

I placed fifteen more baked clay into the tool. The greenhouse fence needed five more bricks, which I planned on dropping there and then dumping the rest into the storage unit. I stopped by the garage to switch out batteries to charge.

I then entered the chicken coop, petting my two chickens and complimenting them on their eggs. My heart wasn’t in it. It was morning time, and Theo wasn’t here. I didn’t know where his base was on the other side of the river, but every second he wasn’t here made me think about the worst-case scenario.

I placed the eggs in the storage unit before I walked into the greenhouse. The tomatoes and potatoes were ready to be harvested, which was fantastic. I harvested the potatoes before cutting up one of them and replanting them. I placed the baskets of food in the storage unit before entering the second greenhouse, gathering lettuce. I’d have enough for three salads, especially with the carrots I picked.

I placed the food in the storage room, letting out a sigh. Morning routine was done. It would only get longer once the barn was finished and I had a cow.

I picked up the clipboard, looking at my progress.

Farming level 21

Cleaning level 24

Logging level 27

Cooking level 19

Building level 27

Animal Care level 20

Oh, I was so close. So very, very close to level twenty in everything. If I spent the rest of the morning cooking my supply of food, I’d reach it. It was a great idea to play with Killie while I cleaned. That definitely helped. I was also close to getting the fourth level cleaning clothing, which wasn’t that big of a surprise to me. I’d been cleaning a ton the past couple days. I was pretty sure once the first floor was clean, I’d get to level twenty-five. I wondered what new skill I’d be able to unlock.

“Quinn?”

My heart started pounding, tears filling my eyes. Theo. Theo was back.

I dropped the clipboard and ran out of the covered back porch. Theo was by the first greenhouse, his gaze remaining on the ground, though he glanced up when he saw me, smiling.

“Hey, Quinn. I told you I’d be-” He was cut off as I threw my arms around him. He grunted, holding on to me before steadying his feet. “Quinn?”

“I’m just glad you’re alright,” I said.

I knew, then, why he refused to go into that house. What with the hauntings, it would be so much worse for him. It was odd seeing his face, not seeing the haunted looks there. Seeing how much growth he had made.

“Quinn?”

Theo knew I was hiding something. The way he studied my face made me think he was wondering whether to push it. If he asked, I wasn’t sure if I could tell him. It might trigger something in him.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“So… what did you learn with dying?” I asked, trying to keep it light. Then realized what I said and wondered how this was my life right now.

Theo chuckled. “Well… I saw the level above the wolf’s head.”

“Oh?” I asked.

“Sixty-five. That thing is a level sixty-five monster.”

My shoulders drooped. “Oh,” I said again.

“It’s… I need to get strong enough. It’ll just take way more grinding.”

I let out a sigh, closing one eye. “Theo…” Once again, I found myself in a position where I didn’t want to crush his hopes. Sixty-five? I tried finding something not as scary to talk about. “How strong were the monsters on your side?” I asked.

“Highest one I fought was a level twenty-five,” Theo said, rubbing his chin as he stared at nothing. “Had to fight that creature a few times before it finally died.”

I kept watching him, then started doing the math in my head. When I reached level twenty-five, I got a fourth article of clothing. There were only five articles of clothing total. I wasn’t sure if that meant I couldn’t go any higher. Maybe it did.

“How many levels do you think you can go up to?” I asked.

Theo shrugged. “I mean… if that wolf is a level sixty-five, we can most likely reach level sixty-five or higher.”

I was not convinced. Maybe Theo could, but I had a feeling I capped off at level forty or fifty. “I… don’t think the wolf can be killed,” I said.

Theo’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“If… if we do kill the wolf, that creature is the only thing keeping the other monsters from crossing the bridge and entering my side of the forest. I… don’t think the alien overlords want that. I think the wolf is a staple, and I don’t think it can be killed.”

Theo studied me closely. “Why would anyone have me playing a monster game and not be able to kill the monster?”

I froze, then gestured around where I was. “I mean… this is a side of the river where there are no monsters and we don’t do any killing. So… maybe you can kill all the monsters on your side but not on mine?”

Theo pressed his lips together in a thin line as he thought. “I guess we’ll have to see, then. See how quickly I can level up. Because the whole point of this game is for me to kill the corruption. Or them as you call it.”

“Yeah.” It came out more as a breath. “What exactly was the wording on that?”

A frown tugged at Theo’s lips. “It is my responsibility to figure out how to rid this land of corruption.”

“That was the wording?” I asked.

Theo thought again, then closed one eye as he turned toward the autumn sky. “‘It is up to you to discover how to defeat the corruption before it consumes you and everyone around you.’”

I raised an eyebrow. “Ominous.”

“Yeah, well, killing a bunch of monsters fits with the ominous genre,” Theo said.

I shook my head, trying not to smile. “Still, that leaves it up for interpretation, don’t you think?”

Theo moved his head back, a smile on his face. “Not really. You know when the corruption comes, and I can figuring out how to defeat it.” He placed a hand on the greenhouse. “Speaking of, do you have any chores you need me to do? Is today the day we’re going to die?”

I let out another sigh, shaking my head. “You already died getting your information. Why do you want to die again?”

“I know what level the wolf is, yes. But there’s always clues with every monster. Especially if I can find their lair.” Theo glanced at the forest where they had gone the day before. “It was how I finally defeated the level twenty-five creature. Found its cave, got clues about a weak spot, then managed to totally destroy it even though I was five levels below.”

I rubbed my upper arm, feeling uncomfortable. Theo watched me, his frown disappearing. “Don’t worry, Quinn. I’m not asking you to die if you don’t want to.” He paused. “Though you seem like you’re considering it.”

This made me realize I hadn’t breathed yet, and I sucked in some air as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “I just… have you given any more thought to trying to contact the alien overlords?”

Theo frowned, then glanced at the sky. “I don’t see why this has anything to do with this.”

“Because for whatever reason I can communicate with them, and you can’t. Especially when I die. That is a mystery I’d like to solve,” I said.

He sighed, hands on his hips. “Yeah, okay. I’ll try. I didn’t see them when I died this time, but who knows.” He gestured toward the clearing. “Do you have any chores you need to get done that are outside the house?”

I paused, then pulled out my list.

Repair all damages done by them

Build a barn

Purchase a cow

Purchase the fourth article of clothing for building

Build a trap

Set trap in your foraging area

Clean the blackness in the house

The greenhouse fence had bricks in the tool waiting to be finished. It would most likely take some stone blocks, too, so I’d have to get some stones from the river and break them up. The barn was on hold until I got five more panes of glass for it, which would be tomorrow morning. Then I’d have to keep making glass for the greenhouses to finish repairing the damages. And finally, there was the cleaning. I double checked in the dawn light. The entertainment room was partially done, but then the bedroom and the hallway needed some cleaning. I didn’t see any marks on the stairs, which meant it was only on the first floor.

“Um…” I said, studying the list more. There was no way Theo would want to help clean the floor. “I need to do some cooking right now, which involves me sitting around a fire for an hour. If you can get me ten stones from the river, that would be really helpful. Or… at least ten stones.”

Theo nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great. Do you want to talk more about plans for later when I get back?”

“You mean plans for dying?” I asked.

Theo let the smile come through. “Yeah. Plans for dying.”

I let out a groan. “Yeah, fine. We’ll talk about it.”

The smile came through more genuine. “Alright. When I get back with the stuff, we’ll talk by the fire.”

I nodded, and he turned around and left. The small smile I had on my face disappeared as I watched him leave. Maybe I didn’t see it because I was a child at the time. But thinking back on all those memories of childhood, how did Theo survive? How was it that he was a functioning adult?

I watched him walk toward the river with confident ease. He had such a dark childhood. Yet here he was, not just surviving, but thriving. And yet, the biggest question I had about Theo was why? Why did he love violence and horror so much? Hadn’t he seen enough?

Despite the bond I felt like I had with my adopted brother, I doubted this was a question I could ever ask him.