Doug walked back to the hill where he had spawned and found a campsite with several other players. He felt a sense of excitement and accomplishment. He had proved himself to Jacob, and he couldn't wait to see what other challenges awaited him in the game.
As he settled down around the fire, Doug recounted the details of his fight with the bandits, relishing the admiring looks he received from the other players. He felt a sense of camaraderie with his newfound companions and knew that they had his back in future battles.
Just then, someone grabbed him by the arm and whispered urgently in his ear.
"Hey…you're Doug Carlton, aren't you? From the Bunker?" asked the voice.
Doug turned around slowly to face the threat behind him. There was something familiar about him, yet Doug couldn't quite put his finger on it.
“Lisa gives her regards.” the man seethed, “How dare you double-cross such a honest and generous person! But you’re quickly about to learn that I’m not nearly as forgiving as she is.”
Doug instinctively readied himself for another attack.
"Oh, come on, Doug," he chided, "Don't tell me you've forgotten already how you betrayed the compound.”
Doug felt anger boil within him, but he forced it down. This guy wanted revenge more than he cared about the welfare of any of the other members. That meant it was probably best if Doug stayed calm.
"Listen here," Doug started, "If you think I'm going to let you ruin my chances at survival because you want your pound of flesh, you're sadly mistaken. Who are you?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he chuckled, “Suffice it to say, you better watch your back in RL. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Doug glared coldly at the man standing across from him, daring him to challenge him.
The man let out a hearty laugh, “Killing your avatar in-game wouldn’t give me nearly enough satisfaction that it would to strangle the life out of you in-person.”
Doug laughed along with him. "Yeah, I bet you'd love to kill me personally, huh?" he chuckled. "Well, since you asked…"
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Taking advantage of the man's momentary pause, Doug lunged forward with a powerful thrust of his blade. Before the man could react, he buried his sword deep into his opponent's neck. Blood gushed forth as the man’s avatar fell backward, dead.
NeckSlash: Easy
Instant Kill
+10 XP
Paranoia getting the best of him now, he toggled his screen and logged out.
Doug threw the VR headset onto the couch, and frantically pulled off his haptic gloves. His hands were shaking uncontrollably.
How did he know I had a bunker?!
His heart raced faster as he imagined what might happen next. Was Lisa really responsible for this? Had she sent someone to spy on him, perhaps even to assassinate him? What if it wasn't her, though? Maybe some of the other players were jealous of him and decided to try to destroy his reputation.
No matter which option it was, he needed to confront them. First things first, however - he needed to get rid of this paranoia once and for all.
After taking a shower, Doug sat down in front of his computer again. He checked and re-checked to ensure his VPN was still working.
Was I followed?! Did they somehow track my IP address? Is someone monitoring this connection right now!?
He quickly logged into his security system and checked the video feeds of his many hidden cameras up above. He scanned his surroundings carefully, looking for any recent signs of movement.
Nothing. No suspicious characters lurking nearby. At least, none that he could spot anyway. And the motion sensors hadn’t picked up anything in the past several hours either. Still paranoid, he switched on every single camera feed available.
Everything looked normal. Nothing unusual whatsoever. Yet Doug remained vigilant, knowing that danger lurked everywhere. After all, he was a survivor, and he never stopped preparing for the possibility of another catastrophe.
While he waited anxiously for any sign of trouble, Doug considered his options. If anyone ever tracked him down, they would have to deal with him first. He had learned his lesson last time, and didn't intend to make the same mistakes twice.
A sudden thought occurred to him. Would it be possible to hack into his security systems remotely? Could someone possibly take control of his cameras and microphones without him noticing? Or worse – could someone use his personal information to harm him?
With these thoughts racing through his mind, Doug was wired despite the late hour and couldn’t even think about the idea of sleep. Instead, he reached out to his friend Kyle via email and messaged him to ask what he should do.
Kyle’s an insomniac. He would know what to do.
Kyle responded almost instantly, telling Doug that he needed to change his passwords immediately. Then, he suggested setting up additional layers of security using a password manager program.
Finally satisfied that he had done everything necessary to protect himself, Doug shut down his computer and headed to bed. Tomorrow was bound to bring more surprises, but at least now he could rest easy knowing that he was prepared.
----------------------------------------
© Copyright 2023 R.M. Mulder. All rights reserved.