Running Emergency Game program in BIOS

Success

Proceeding...

CHAR:

Rosey

SEX:

Female

SPEC:

Human

HGT:

5'4.1

CHAR - LEV:

3

MOVE:

2

EXP:

29

GOLD:

3

SKL:

Evade capture

TURNS:

0/0

Exp - Lev:

1

9/500

Steel Bones:

1/10

TURNS:

1/3

Exp - level:

1

30/500

STATS

HP:

7/10

MP:

0/12

ATT:

20

DEF:

12

AGI:

6

"Can't the system let me call things up?" Why's it so important to show the stupid stats?! Quit it!" I batted the screen it spun around mid air, it stopped with the the letters still spinning, and came closer to my face, showing again the stats screen.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Well that's different the old list if 30+ is gone, why'd it simplify?"

Rows of partially sideways seats, a shoe dangled from one, a backpack hung precariously off a fat bolt. Further down the driver was wedged between the cracks of the backrest and seat. A large pile of backpacks, papers, but no phones it seemed. This sucks. This really sucks. I hadn't noticed it before, it hung in the air a faint burning rubber mixed with a sharp heavy gasoline odor.

A movement.

His leg twitched, and he slid down the cushions.

With blurry rapid movements of the hands, Rob and Avery both caught him and helped him find his balance, Rob helped him grip the bar between the seats.

His eyes popped open, and an eyebrow tweaked. "Put me down, boys." He worked his way near the driver's seat and peered out the window, starting at the blue screen.

It still hasn't vanished yet.

"Where is everyone else?" I started to lean forward nearly falling, so adjusted my footing, and leaned some weight on a seat edge. Any clue what's going on with the system?" The animals want to kill everyone, the system is screwy, my parents should have been back by now, the students on here are also missing, where're trapped on a bus and it's going to rain. I hope we make it through this. I don't want to be a deer's lunch.

The bus creaked followed by a low sprinkling then a siiish, this sounded much like sugar pouring or sand.

I leaned next to the closet window. At first nothing but forest, and nothing but a blurry darkness along the forest floor. Squinting the blurr reduced showing the Forest on the other side of a shallow chasm. If... turning into a fiery inferno. Maybe there's something I'm missing? There's got to be a way out of this mess.

Rob went over to the bus driver, turned to the window, the forest and back in here his gaze taking everything in. "I say we leave this bus it could be shifting."

If it shifts while we try escaping...

Restart Save

Not again. Another little box.. hum It looked more like buttons this time. "Save maybie?" I reached out to tap it, then dropped my hand to my side. "I..."

"Try it, I think the system might be trying to help," Avery's tone barely above a whisper. He nodded.

Well, the results weren't too bad last time. Save it is. Click. After pressing it the screen above faded away, all became quieter, the light breaths my only clue everyone was still here. The clouds swirled, moved, and disappeared at top speed, the sun dropped down out of sight, the animals moved a little then settled down, still staring. My brother clung to seat tightly the skin stretched taut over the knuckles.

Everything began to slow down, sun streaked partly through the windows, it's now partly overcast.

Avery shuffled and half-climbed his way over. "That was unexpected."

Of course, with the whacked out system anything could happen. It could wipe us all out, reboot again, restore things, start up some unknown program, decide to kill everyone, turn us into flowers, make the animals immortal, anything it wanted. I hope I'm wrong.

"System?" It's been a while, I haven't called it in a few weeks, too busy, not to mention it was acting more than strange.

Working...

"That's a good sign, the screen color is back to normal!" The bus driver's shoulders relaxed and he gave a half-hearted smile.

Applying Saved Character Stats and Skills

Shortly after the screen returned.

[Congratulations, you have unlocked two classes: MRDK and SLAR ]

Chose one

[Note: Choices are permanent]

MRDK SLAR

There's no way I'm jumping in this without knowing anything. "System, Info on classes, please." We really need to leave this bus and soon, all the delays can't be good. I peeked behind the screen, the animals were in the midst of digging like before. Wish my watch wasn't back home. "What time is it?"

Avery checked his oversized wristwatch. "I can't tell you." His bows came together in the middle as he tapped at the watch face. "It looks like, a countdown timer."

My stomach decide to do spasic fits, followed by a race of a chill up my side reaching my scalp leaving it tingling. "A count down to what?"

A warm hand on my shoulder. Rob had quietly moved over beside me. "While we wait, how about oh, I don't know, we escape this death trap?" Without warning he lifted me up by my armpits until my fingers hooked on the open window. I helped AVery leave, then Rob helped the driver and we all jumped away a good 30+ feet away. Over by the clearing edge the hole now enlarged to twice the size. They'd come through soon. Too much thinking about this reminded me that my hands still shook a little. I pulled the long hoodie sleeves down over them, and grabbed the ends. It was always soothing.

"It's hard not to watch them." Avery said.

"It's not like we should leave while the system is choosing a class." Another bug that need fixing. Missing important class choices, upgrades and promotions left people in limbo unable to interact with the world in any way. My uncle had this happen to him, you can still see him sometimes, a monochrome faded character that just sits on the ground staring the sky near his home. Mom brings him flowers and talks to him, he seems to be able to listen at least.

"After this let's find a way out, there's always a way out. right?" Rob helped the driver into a sitting position, then he resumed standing between Avery and I.

"Of course." Unless the system has become rogue, rejecting it's programing. That's never happened before. It'll fix itself it always has before. Our system it's a little glitchy but it takes good care of us. Besides we'd die without it, heck mom said it even controls the air quality.

A fox slipped under the clearring barrier, like a demonic furry arrow it leapt at Avery who'd back was turned.

"Run, move, duck!" I closed the distance and kneed it in it's stomach. All the air wooshed out and it dropped bouncing along the ground a few feet away.

Everyone stared, Rob he usually couldn't hold eye contact long, but didn't this time.Turning away from them, I kept a watch on the fox. "Comen' quit it, don't stare." That should've hurt but it didn't this was strange. A soft prickling sensation started at the fingertips, and worked into my hands."You know I feel sort of funny."