The crowd returned to murmurs, the separate group trying to theorise what was going on. “Come on!” Jaro squealed. “The mission!” I think he was just excited to see what would happen.

The crowd gave way as we pushed through to the podium.

Gabaltar stood there talking to another player. His full plate armour was so cool. With its giant pauldrons and gleaming surfaces.

Just as he finished with the player, which was actually odd, if this was a zoned area like it used to be, we wouldn’t have competition for his attention. Either way, Jaro excitedly snatched him up next.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “That mission has already been completed.”

---

“What the panda was that?!” Jaro tittered, wildly swishing his Corgi-tail about.

This was all a bit weird. The newly spawned players were a mix of high school teen-girl giddy and world-ending depression. It was time for a break, but when I touched my temple the main menu didn’t appear.

“Umm. Main menu.” Still nothing. “Logout.” Nothing but strange looks from my friends, until they tried and were equally worried. But this wasn’t like losing your house keys or wallet.

“Excuse me? You just loaded that character, right?” The cat girl just stood there staring at her hands. “Did you hear if there was something wrong with the game?”

“We—we were in the car… then it suddenly stopped working. Dad couldn’t steer. Couldn’t brake. We just crashed head on into…” Her eyes were welling up, and I could tell whatever temporary dam she put up was about to come crashing in.

“Woah. Slow down. You must be okay if you’re playing this game?” It’s not like they died in a car crash, otherwise how could she be here.

“I got the option to,” she said with a sob, “load a character into this world. I—I wasn’t thinking… now, I’ll be this cat-girl forever.”

Forever? “Wait, what about your family?”

“If I’m here, then they must be too. But if we didn’t base our characters on ourselves, how will we ever find each other.” That seemed to break the dam, and she welcomed my chest to cry on.

“But we didn’t die?” Rista mused, whilst she poked her finger with a dagger.

What did this all mean? What’s happened to the world? Are we alive? I think, therefore, I am. Right. I was definitely still alive. But could we not go home now? What about my brother, dad, or even mum? What about Jacinta? Actually, thank god I don’t have to deal with her.

Was this some kind of punishment for playing video games? Was this like purgatory? Perhaps I was supposed to be punished for skipping class.

Mykaru as his little-red panda, was looking a bit pale and wobbly, before staggering and falling face first into the cobblestoned street.

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

Holder puffed his chest and raised his snout up. "Come on! Let's get him to the inn! We can hold our thoughts until there."

"I'll meet you all there," Rista said, staring intently at a speck of blood on her finger.

"What? Are you even thinking straight? We need to stick together," I said harshly, regretting it instantly. Right now, these were the only people in the world that I knew were still alive. The last thing I wanted to do was push them away.

"I have some things to do, I'll catch up." Rista said and then quickly ran off, without giving us a chance to argue further.

“Okay, whatever. The inn is on the way to the West Gate. It’s called the Dragon’s Den.”

***

We strolled through the streets, Mykaru over Holder’s massive shoulder. Player characters were pilfering open stalls. Whether it was food, weapons, or armour. One player would interact with the stallholder, whilst his party members would lift anything they could. It was almost unbearable to watch, but when I turned away from it, my face boiled with rage.

“Hey fellas, check this out!” the virus of a minotaur player said, as he man-handled a female cat-girl NPC stallholder.

She looked up at him and smiled, but it had to be against her will. “Would you like to buy something? I have the best melons in the city.” She gestured to the watermelons at her stand, without acknowledging the obscene violation.

The virus cackled, sending a chill down my spine. “You hear that boys! The best melons in the city. Well, I wouldn’t say that, but I guess they’re alright,” he said, sizing them again.

Jerks! A big part of me wanted to go over there and clubbed them in the head.

“Don’t,” Holder said, seeing right through me, and aimed me back down the street, “we still don’t know what is going on, we don’t want to start any fights we can’t win.”

He was right of course. But my blood was thermonuclear by now. I shrugged his arms off and thundered over. “Hey! Leave her alone!” My words literally on fire.

They turned and looked at me. Their eyes were practically glowing, and their mouths were twisted into sneers. They were dressed in a motley assortment of armour. The minotaur held a large axe, while the other clutched a huge mace.

“You know, that's a violation of human rights. Don’t be such assholes! You can't just do whatever you want" I yelled.

Their leader stepped forward, licking his lips like the creep he was. "Is it?” His voice was deep and unsophisticated. “Firstly, she's an NPC, not human, and secondly, who the hell asked you?!" His sneer turning into a snarl. "We can do whatever we want here!" He brandished his axe and brought it down in an awkward swing, like a kid trying to hit a piñata. The edge bit down the middle of the poor stallholder’s chest, painting the cobble stones red.

She screamed a high-pitched scream of despair and pain, and staggered, clutching at the wound. The viruses laughed, and the one with the mace swung it, hitting her across the side of the head and sending her to the floor.

“No, no! Stop it, stop it!” I yelled, but they didn't care. They picked her up and threw her at the wall, knocking her unconscious.

I balled my fists up so tight my claws drew blood, and raised one, about to walk right up to them and punch them in their stupid faces, when Holder grabbed me.

"No, Austin, we're not doing this," he said, using my real name. And I cursed him for it. This poor girl was going to die if we didn't do something! Was he saying her life didn't matter?! "When did you become so callous?!"

He seemed to take the fired word straight to the heart. "I—I didn't mean... No, look they're too strong for us." His word tumbled out, injured.

Their gear did look better than ours… where we had leather, they had bronze or even scale mail. Whatever! I didn’t care. I brushed Holder off and charged with my club. I would smash all their heads in and save the girl. It was the natural thing to do for a heroine.

The axe-wielder, though wide-eyed and shocked at first, gathered his axe in an upward swing. Everything went white for a second and soundless, then I was falling, and it was raining red? It was only when I landed with a thud, unable to move, that I realised there was a searing pain across my torso. I’d been cut. But I couldn’t be cut? I’m supposed to save the day? Steam rose from my wounds and I could swear the pain was easing and flesh stitching back together.

“Stupid girl,” the brigand said, standing over me with a smug grin that was calling for an almighty slap. “Know what we do to stupid girls?” He didn’t give me a chance to respond and brought his axe up like some sort of corrupt executioner. Hope the others have time to run away. I closed my eyes and waited for the end.

His axe came down with a swoosh and a bang. And I was… Still alive? A shower of tinder fell upon me, and there was Holder standing above, with what was left of his wooden shield before it disintegrated into dust. “You alright?” he said, trying to act cool, and I could only smile in reply.

“Is that how you want to play it, huh?” the minotaur said, “boys, I think we just found ourselves some easy EXP.” The viruses spread out, each one locking onto one of us.

Why’d I have to butt my nose in to where it didn’t belong. The stallholder cat-girl was flat on the floor gasping. Her wound didn’t seem to be healing like mine was.

I was about to say something cool, like ‘Take her and run, while you can,’ but—

“Halt! You have violated the law!” came the cry, from down the street. It was a couple of humans with spears and matching helmets and armour.

“Cobber?” one of the viruses called out.

“Leg it,” the axe-wielding minotaur said. He shot me a death stare and gestured across his throat in a slicing motion, and then they were gone. The city-guards chased them down the street and out sight.

Sweat beaded off my brow and also on to the back of my hands as I wiped it, like actual sweat.

“Come on,” Holder said grabbing me with his free hand, “let’s get you to the inn.”