Stan had been awake for six excruciating days. His head nodded and jerked as sleep tried to claim him. Stan’s numb hand clung to the bronze form of Grok the Mangler as it towered over the lobby of Spectrum Entertainment. Flashing lights of cameras and the noise of the crowd barely filtered into his consciousness. He shifted from one foot to another trying to restore blood flow to his numb feet. The sudden movement caused his vision to blur. He closed his eyes and drew in deep breaths, letting them out slowly. When he opened his eyes Miniature Groks with greedy little faces, started dancing around him in circles. They were up to no good. Oh god, was he hallucinating? His eyes blinked and they disappeared. It was a good thing too, he was in no shape for a fight.
“That’s it! Kindra has let go of the statue,” said the announcer. “She is out. Somebody, get her a medic!”
There was a long pause while medics, Stan assumed, were called in.
“On we go. We are on hour 144 of the Spectrum Entertainment Stand Off, and we are now down to two contestants.”
Stan found it hard to focus on the man’s words, but the message that one person between him and the prize of a lifetime registered in his sluggish brain. He forced his head away from Grok’s leg to see a limp form of a pale blonde girl. Her head rolled from side to side as two medics jostled her to the medical tent.
“It’s you and me now,” said a weak voice. “Give up now and I’ll split the lifetime supply of pudding cups with you.”
Unable to speak, Stan shook his head no, and his head lolled over to see his last opponent. A pale skinned man with a shaved head looked at him with bloodshot eyes. He looked like a strong wind could blow him over. The man’s hands clasped Grok’s open hand. It was a perfect hand hold. That explained why the man was still standing.
“Fine,” he whispered. “The rigs all mine and the pudding… the pudding…
The man’s eyes rolled back in his head, as his knees buckled mid-sentence. His hands let go of the statue. Stan watched him fall in slow motion. The man’s body crumpled to the floor and a cheer from the crowd boomed through the lobby.
”Gary has let go of the statue!“ said the announcer. ”Stan Thompson is the Winner!“
He felt his body being pulled from the statue as hands grabbed at him at him from all sides. The crowd parted as someone walked him to a stage set at the back of the lobby. Through the bright stage lights that shone down on him, he could see shapes of a crowd that filled the rest of the lobby. Stan looked for someone he knew, but Grok stared back at him from every face. He swayed on his wobbly feet and caught himself before he fell into the crowd. Across the stage, the announcer waved to him to come over. The world blacked out for a second and when he opened his eyes he was next to the announcer. The announcer was a lean man with red hair whose face waved in and out of existence. His long green ears flopped around as he addressed the crowd.
”Here he is, the winner of the first Spectrum Entertainment Stand In,“ said the announcer and his voice echoed through the lobby. ”How are you, Stan?“
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”F-fine,“ Stan stuttered after clearing his throat.
”First of all congratulations. How did you survive six days standing in one place?“
”How are you doing that with your face?” said Stan almost getting nose to nose with the announcer.
”Wha- what do you mean?“ said the announcer.
Stan opened his mouth to answer. Nothing would come out. The world was spinning. He collapsed, falling on the unsuspecting man. His exhausted legs could not hold his weight any longer. His world went dark and he fell through the floor.
”Medic! We need a medic!“ a distant voice shouted.
* * *
“At least the food is great,” said Stan as he ate the fruit filled jello.
“That is completely disgusting,” said Alex looking in disgust at the hospital tray which consisted of some sort of green and white blob. “How can you eat that crap?”
“You're just jealous you don’t have a tray full of hospital food,” said Stan.
“Hell no, said Alex turning his face away from the food.
“Where have you been, jerk?” said Stan.
“I’ve visited everyday for the past four days. I guess you’ve had a lot of sleep to catch up on.”
“You try standing up for six days with no sleep and see how long it takes you to recover.” laughed Stan.
“No doubt! At least this room rocks. I mean for a hospital room.” Alex looked thoughtful for a moment. “How are you going to pay for this place?”
The well lit room was much larger than rooms in other hospitals he had visited. It was even decorated in a modern style that made Stan feel like he was in a hotel, not a hospital. A glass table in the corner of the room was full of flowers, evidence that he had other well-wishers while he was unconscious. One vase of sunflowers, larger than the other flowers, held a miniature Grok the Mangler. It was hand delivered by Stan’s last guest.
“The president of Spectrum came by this morning,” said Stan rubbing the back of his neck his face turning red. “They are paying for it.”
“That’s awesome, but it makes sense. They almost killed you.”
“I didn’t almost die.”
“Remember, I was there. You should have seen yourself when they pulled you off that stage. I thought you were dead.”
“Ok, It was hell on earth, and I don’t remember too much. I’m fine now. The nurse said it was just exhaustion and dehydration. I haven’t even seen a real doctor.”
“What else did the president say?” Alex said tapping his fingers on the arms of his chair. “Did he give you your prizes yet?”
“He just congratulated me, then went over the prizes again. I’m getting the keys to the apartment in a couple hours when I get out of here, and the rig should be set up and ready when I get there. I’m not sure about the rest,” said Stan. “What are you doing tonight?”
“Are you kidding?” Alex asked in an incredulous tone. “Today is Even Online’s drop date! My VR helmet is charging as we speak. Not all of us tried to kill ourselves for a rig.”
“It’s awesome, isn’t it? After all these years of waiting, we are finally going to be inside a virtual world.”