Shadow Creek

A Haunt Online Litrpg Series

Chapter 1: Dead Welcome

            Jack looked back as the Uber car drove off. This was it. No turning back now. During the drive he kept trying to come up with excuses to go back. Anything than being dropped off with an uncle he hardly knew. Okay, that wasn’t true. He knew the uncle was his mother’s twin brother, but unlike most twins, he didn’t have the need to be close with his sibling.

Far from it, in fact. The few times Jack remembered his mother talking about her twin. He always was looking for a reason to be by himself. She assumed he didn’t want to fall into that old cliché where twins did everything together when they were growing up. No, he was just…odd.

            Like spooky odd. He was that one kid that made goths look normal. The type of guy that liked living in an old novel by a famous retired horror novelist: King something…or was it Stine? Jack wasn’t familiar with old horror writers. He much preferred a good Litrpg novel over anything else.

            From what she told him about her brother. They grew further and further apart during high school. Then when they went to separate colleges, they hardly talked anymore. It seemed like Ivan Bishop wanted nothing to do with family, until now. Why did he suddenly take an interest? Jack had wondered that ever since he first learn he had an uncle. The man didn’t seem to care at all for family. What’s more Ivan hadn’t even shown up for his own twin sister’s funeral after the accident.

            It still felt like a horrible dream to Jack. It had been three weeks since his parents were cremated. Neither wanted to be buried in the ground. They wanted their remains to be free and spread out over the mountain lakeside in the Catskills where they went on their first date together.

His parents did a lot of traveling thanks to their job overseeing branch offices overseas to keep things running smoothly. Both his parents worked for the same international corporation, Stasis Inc. It was a worldwide leading VR company. One of the first to touch the field of full-immersion—or better known as FIVR—technology. His parents loved their job. Mainly, because it helped provide jobs for a lot of people in this modern era where technology made most mundane jobs completely obsolete.

            Heck, the Uber that dropped Jack off was fully automated. People didn’t need to drive themselves to work anymore, save for the luxury of it now. Even then, there were separate roads for private drivers to cruise. People were able to save money using the full-auto services, hardly anyone needed to own their own vehicles thanks to it.

            Unfortunately, with their job, it left Jack a lot of alone time, including holidays. He was often by himself, but he didn’t think much about it…or tried not to, at least. That didn’t mean his parents forgot about him. Far from it. While their job took them away from him, for weeks on end sometimes. His father always got him the latest FIVR equipment and games. When Jack wasn’t in school and after he got done with all his school work. He would immerse himself in worlds filled with swords and magic. Sometimes, he’d roleplay and pretend he was living out some of his favorite Litrpg stories.

            Those games kept him from being too lonely. He met and befriended a few people online whom he’d go questing with some times. On holidays, when his friends weren’t tied up with their own family. They’d gather together and celebrate in a tavern, or go on some epic-line quest. Yet, for all those precious memories he had in those games. He couldn’t bring himself to set foot into one after his parents passed away.

            It felt too much like running away, and his mom always—had…taught him to never run away from his fears. Plus, the games lost their zeal to him, especially now that he knew he was truly alone. If he were to step out of his FIVR pod, he would know his mom and dad would never be there waiting for him, all alone for the rest of his life. Until, he got a call from his family’s lawyer, Bill.

            Bill his dad’s best friend, far back as elementary school, and had been a close friend still, had been watching over Jack since the accident. Apparently, they had plans in case something unexpected ever happened to them. Should the event of their deaths, which it did, Jack was to live with his uncle Ivan, who would become his legal guardian until Jack was of twenty-one of age. Jack tried to argue with Bill about it, stating he was technically old enough to look after himself, being just shy of eighteen now.

            He didn’t need to go live with some creepy uncle that didn’t care enough about his own sister. That is…until Bill laid it all out for him. Jack had to live with his uncle or until he was twenty-one to access his family’s funds. Since he had no way to support himself and the house was still under their name. He couldn’t afford to keep living in his own home.

            So here he was, standing in front of a house that looked ready to fall in on itself. Literally, the exterior was riddled with loose planks. If it ever had a paint job, it had worn off a long time ago, leaving behind cracked, grey and brown wood. Every window he saw was cracked and only one had actual window panels, and even those looked ready to fall off at any minute. It was the definition of what all haunted houses should look like.

            The front porch looked no safer. Every panel of wood looked mostly rotted with rusty nails sticking out in random spots. Jack was afraid one step on them would spell his doom. But…

            “Mom always said ‘Face your fears and brave the unknown’,” Jack murmured to himself.

            This was only temporary, anyway. He just had to survive the next three years, then he’d be able to go back home. Live in his own house once again…with only their memories to remind him of them. Jack quickly shook his head to banish those morbid thoughts. They wouldn’t help him with the situation now. His uncle was said to be expecting him, so he might as well get it over with, right?

            Finally settling his worries aside, Jack made his way up the stairs. Not at all surprised to hear each panel creek loudly as he slowly put his feet down on them. Once he was sure they would hold his weight, he ventured further until he reached the front door. Jack took a moment to lick his dry lips, finding that hard to do as his mouth barely had any moisture in it. He wished he hadn’t skipped breakfast, or had the mind to grab something to drink for the trip.

            Jack tried to suppress the growing nervousness in the pit of his stomach as he raised his hand up to knock on the door, just like he was instructed to do upon arriving. It was a weird thing to tell him to do, but that’s what Bill told him what he needed to do. So, he did just that…but just as his curled fingers were about to touch the door, it made a clicking sound, then swung wide open.

            Startled, he almost leapt back from the suddenness of the door, expecting to see his uncle there, but there was no one, just a void of darkness. Peering into its depths, Jack saw no one on the other side. “Okay…that just happened.”

            Jack had no idea if that was supposed to happen or he was being pranked. If it was the latter, oh his uncle was going to get an earful. Either way, it only made him angry. He came all this way only to be made fun of by some cheap Hollywood effect? Ivan must have a twisted sense of humor, but Jack wasn’t amused at all! A hint of teeth flashed from his lips as they turned into a snarl. If this was an attempt to scare him off, Ivan was in for a rude awakening.

            Letting his snarl grow a fraction more, Jack stomped into the gloom of the entryway and stalked all the way in, until he stood at the center of what he assumed was a foyer. He was about to shout to call out his uncle, when the front door slammed shut behind him with a thunderous echo.

            Jack didn’t want to admit he didn’t flinch, but he did. That sound pierced right through him and put his nerves back on edge. When he tried to call out, all he managed was a weak, “…H-hello?”

            Not expecting an answer from such a flimsy response, Jack nearly leapt out of his skin when someone did reply. “…Welcome to my home, Jack.”

            The voice sounded almost like a whisper, but it seemed to carry far enough to reach Jack’s ears. Looking up to where he assumed the voice came from, Jack saw a man standing at the top of the main stairway that led to the second floor. Jack almost expected some Victorian dressed man, or a business suit when he first laid eyes on Ivan.

            He did not expect the gangly man wearing baggy cargo pants, a gray T-shirt one-size too large for him. His hair was a mess of black locks, as if a comb never once touched them, and a hap-hazard kept bread and moustache stamped on a thin-framed face, sporting thick black-frame glasses. Yet, behind them rested eyes so intense they froze Jack to the spot.

            They had permanent bags underneath them and dark from lack of sleep. The kind insomniacs were known to develop after years of neglected sleep, but the orbs resting in them beguiled all that weak appearance. They were the clearest blue, even from the far distance, Jack could make them out. His mother had blue eyes like those, but where’s hers were warm and welcoming like two pools of gentle water. Ivan’s were sharp and hard as ice.

            Jack found he couldn’t look away from them, as if bespelled by their cold, unforgiving gaze. Then Ivan blinked and Jack snapped back to reality. He remembered he could talk and spoke.

            “…Uncle Ivan?” Jack said meekly, inwardly frowning out how feeble he sounded just then. He wanted to be angry right now, not sound so pathetic.

            “Uncle…” Ivan said as if trying out the word, looking down in thought. He remained quiet for a moment, then shook his head ever so slightly. “…Just Ivan, please. I…haven’t been much of an uncle to you to deserve that title.” There was a note of deep remorse in his words.

            That wasn’t the response Jack was expecting. He honestly was expecting a harsh, or even short-tempered, but the more he looked at Ivan, the more he saw a man dealing with grief in his own way. Maybe his twin’s passing had affected him more than Jack thought, or…was this just how he always was? Was he clinically depressed or was this real sorrow? It was too soon and too hard to tell.

            A few awkward moments went by before either noticed the other wasn’t moving or talking. Ivan broke first, bowing his head in what looked like an apologetic way, then made his way down the stairs. “Sorry, I…don’t often have people here. Usually, just…yeah,” Ivan remarked slowly when he reached the bottom.

            ‘Wow, and I thought I was going to be the nervous one,’ Jack thought after seeing how awkward his uncle was being.

            “Look,” Ivan suddenly said, a little firmer this time, as if reading Jack’s mind. “I’m not the best around other people. Never was…”

            Jack wanted to feel angry. He wanted to yell at this man for making excuses to avoid his family, his sister, but seeing Ivan now. Jack could see his uncle was beaten up over the lose just as much as him, if not more. Deciding to cut Ivan a break, at least for now, Jack replied, “It’s fine…I’m overwhelmed with all this, too.”

            Ivan ran a hand through his wild locks. “Hey, umm, h-have you eaten yet?”

            Jack shook his head. “Don’t have much of an appetite anymore…” His stomach on the other hand had a different opinion as it voiced its discontent just then.

            A faint chuckle came out of his uncle. “I haven’t eaten, either. How about I order something for us? I’d cook…but you’ll thank me for not.”

            “S-Sure.”

            “Okay, I know this Thai place that’s really quick with their orders,” Ivan said, seemingly happy things were turning out well. He pulled out his phone and quickly ordered for them, after Jack said he’d be fine with anything. Once the order was placed, Ivan motioned Jack to follow him upstairs. “Let’s get a room picked for you, so the movers will know where to put your things when they get here.”

            Right, Jack had forgotten all about the movers. Although he couldn’t live in his own home anymore, Bill made sure Jack would have all his personal things to help make things more comfortable, even his Full-Dive Pod. They were going to be delivered tomorrow, so having a spot picked out might be a good.

            “Okay,” Jack agreed, then fell in behind Ivan as they headed up to the second floor.

            At first Jack thought they were heading to the room Ivan had picked out for him, but he quickly found his uncle was being quite literal. “Most of these rooms are empty, save for my bedroom and office, though I usually sleep in my office. So, if you want mine for tonight, you can sleep there until your things arrive,” Ivan said, after showing Jack that indeed most of the rooms were bare empty.

            After seeing the third one, Jack couldn’t help himself. “Why do you live all alone in this big house if you’re not using the space?”

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            He expected a hesitant response, but Ivan was quick to answer. “Atmosphere…”

            “Huh?”

            “This place…has the perfect atmosphere to let me work in peace, and also, inspiration for what I’ve accomplished,” Ivan said.

            “Oh…so, uh, what are you working on that has you so isolated from everyone?” Jack asked, then quickly regretted it as he realized how it sounded.

            Ivan didn’t show he was bothered by it, or rather, he appeared used to the question. “I’m a game developer, or more precise, a programmer, one who just finished creating a life-long dream that’s been out for the last two months now.”

            Jack perked up at that. “What, really? You created your own game? What is it?”

            A ghost of a warm smile appeared on Ivan’s lips. “How about I show you after we get you settled and we’ve eaten, hmm?”

            Jack wanted to know more but getting settled would be nice and food sounded really good. They continued inspecting the rooms, until Jack picked the fifth one. It was almost as big as his old one plus his living room back home. It might be bigger than what he was used too, but…it was different, and Jack always wanted a bigger room, having lived in the same room since as far back as he could remember.

            With that out of the way, Jack had agreed to using Ivan’s unused bedroom for the night like they talked about. Ivan showed him the room, where the bathrooms were, then they headed back downstairs to wait for their food to be delivered. Once it had arrived, and Jack saw the door open up to an unfazed delivery guy, he assumed it was normal for it to do that. He asked Ivan about it, but his uncle just snickered a little.

            “Just a little innocent prank…,” Ivan said.

            “Right…” Jack uttered and left it at that.

            When they took their food from the delivery man, Ivan led Jack to the dining room, where an overly long antique table, suited for hosting ten people if not more, was used by just them. Jack was worried about eating off it, but seeing how Ivan didn’t appear to mind placing the bag on it and taking out the greasy take-out box on top of the surface, he relaxed a little and didn’t think about it too much further. Back at home, had him and his parents dined on such a piece of furniture, his mother would have freaked out about it getting stains or marked up.

            Watching how Ivan was spreading everything out, making a mess and flopping down in the chair at the head of the table and started digging in without pause, only showed how opposite he was from his sister to Jack. Taking the hint, Jack plopped down in the chair closest to Ivan’s and they dug in, falling into a pleasant silence, which Jack found oddly comforting. When they finished eating, as promised, Ivan showed Jack where his office was…the attic.

            It was wide enough to be a small apartment. Desk, bookshelves with actual hardcovered books, relics in a modern era where everything pretty much printed and read was on the internet now. Jack tried to read their spines but his attention was drawn elsewhere. All of Ivan’s computer equipment was stationed around a novelty mahogany desk resting in front of a large, round window. Next to it all was a hammock, which explained why Ivan slept more here than in his own room.

            But what caught Jack’s attention was the centerpiece resting in the very middle of the attic.

            “I-Is that?” Jack was in awe at the sight, quickly running over to it.

            “Mmhmm, the latest Full-Dive Pod, the Stasis Extreme Series 5.0,” Ivan replied, his tone taking on an excited one like Jack’s. “This beauty puts to shame all the past Full-Immersion tech out there, and has been the key to making my life-long dream come true.”

            Jack was mesmerized by the pod. He had been wanting one of these bad boys for himself since his dad hinted at their production. When it came to VR Pods, Jack went total geek. He was always enraptured with how they worked. How the sensor arrays kept a constant reading of a person’s vitals while they were in full-dive while resting in a nano-gel pad seating that molded itself for extreme comfort for every individual. A total stranger could get inside it and instantly feel relaxed, then go right back to its previous settings when the pod’s owner used it.

            Around the head of the pod was a semi-headband that would rest over the user’s head with a multitude of sensors to register and read brainwaves. It was just amazing how those sensors were able to allow people to let them enter a virtual world of their choosing. Some people, mainly people that still believed all technology was evil, saw the pods as nothing more than fancy coffins, but to Jack…they were gateways to fantastical, wondrous worlds.

            From what he could weasel out of his dad, this pod was said to make Full-Dive even more intense, so life-like, it would be almost impossible to tell the difference between real and virtual. He wanted to know what that would be like, so much he was almost drooling over the pod.

            Ivan’s chuckle broke him out of his state. “I see you are a gamer, then?”

            “Wha…? Oh! Y-yeah…Mom and dad always got me the latest stuff. Kept me busy when…” Jack fell silent as he once more remembered the last few weeks.

            Seeing the grief befallen Jack’s face, Ivan placed a hesitant hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “…You may not believe it, but I miss them, too.”

            A flare of anger spiked through Jack. He tried to keep it reigned in, but he couldn’t. He whipped around with enough force to knock Ivan’s hand off him, and glared at Ivan and spoke with heated words. “Then why? Why didn’t you go to the funeral?” He hated himself for losing his temper, but in truth, it made Jack feel better. All the pent-up emotions that had been bottling up inside, all the hate he wanted to unleash on this man finally was coming out. “Tell me why!”

            A heavy sigh came out of Ivan, but he put his hand back on Jack’s shoulder. “I was there…”

            “You…were?” Jack murmured, confused. It took him by complete surprise. He hadn’t expected that answer. 

            Ivan nodded, locking his icy-blue eyes on Jack’s angry gaze. “I arrived first and paid my respects to her and your father.” His grip tightened, not enough to hurt Jack, but enough to make him uncomfortable and worried. His eyes grew a sharper edge of hardness as a flicker of emotions rolled over them. “Before the vultures came to pick at what they could, then I stayed in the background until everyone left. I saw you there, Jack. I saw how you were brave in front of everyone, until they left you be. Then when you thought you were alone, I watched as you cried for them in silence. I kept watching over you until Bill came for you and took you home. I…”

            He paused to wipe away a few tears starting to form in his eyes. “I…hid like I always do. I didn’t want the rest of them to see me and cause a scene for you. That wouldn’t have been right, not with all you’ve had to bear. You didn’t need them swooping in on you while you were in mourning.”

            The way he was wording everything, how he talked made Jack raise an eyebrow. “…So, there was more to it like I thought.”

            Ivan paused and looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Jack?”

            Now Jack sighed and leaned against the pod. “Uncle Robbie?”

            At the mention of that name, that piercing coldness returned to Ivan’s gaze. “What did he try to do?”

            “I remember a year ago. Uncle Robbie came to our house, unexpectedly. He wanted to discuss some kind of business project, but mom refused him before he could go into details. Told me to go to my room and finish my homework. Afterwards, there were raised voices, then uncle Robbie left angrily, yelling outside about how we owed him,” Jack said.

            Ivan barked out a sardonic laugh. “That sounds like him.” Then he gave Jack a thoughtful look. “A year ago, you said? That’s suspicious. Anything else happen?”

            “Yeah, actually. The day after I got the…news…he called the house, wanting to talk to me, but Bill wouldn’t let me talk to anyone. Said I needed time to grieve in peace. He’d handled all the aftermath stuff for me.”

            Ivan narrowed his eyes more during the explanation. “Bastard. He couldn’t wait…not even…” He trailed off as he looked away to snarl, not wanting Jack to think he was mad at him.

            “I don’t understand. What’s going on with uncle Robbie and the rest of the family?” Jack asked, feeling some dread growing in the pit of his stomach.

            “As hard as it will sound to you, Jack. Your mom and I…we are the black sheep of the family,” Ivan sighed out.

            “What? What do you mean by that?” Jack said. That statement only brought confusion and a number of questions he wanted to ask, but held his tongue when Ivan sighed heavier now.

            Ivan withdrew his hand from Jack and ran his fingers through his hair so vigorously, Jack thought he was going to yank his hair out. After he stopped and seemed to collect his thoughts, he pointed at the pod. “Because of that…because of what we worked on together. Because of the game we created.”

            “What game?” Jack asked.

            Ivan sighed half in frustration and pent-up rage. “We’ll get to that in a moment. Right now, I need to explain what your mom kept hidden from you. She told me not to tell you, either. But…she’s not here anymore, and if what I suspect might be going on, you need to know, too.”

            “I don’t like how this is sounding,” Jack admitted upfront. He really didn’t like how this conversation going, not one bit.

            “Yeah, it sucks,” Ivan grunted and slumped over to his desk. “There was an incident long ago. Robert’s father, Joseph, had swindled money…from everyone in the family. What did that have to do with us? Well, Joseph came to your grandpa, my father, expecting him to buy into the con he had set up to invest money with an off-shore company that was going to make millions on some random product that would go global. Well, your grandpa saw the lie the man was selling and didn’t give him a cent. Rather, he had his shady investment scheme looked into…and that’s when things took a turn for the worst.”

            “At the time, there wasn’t much to go on, but then when the investigators found when they started to look offshores, that all that money was going into said company was being immediately funneled out into a private Swiss bank account. When they looked further, they saw Joseph had hired a hacker to make the numbers look like the money was being used for what he promised. That bank account…was Joseph’s.”

            Jack blanched. “He was stealing from the family?”

            “From everyone,” Ivan said, sagging in his chair. “From the family, from strangers, from anyone who bought into his con. He was arrested once it was revealed, but things didn’t work out as one might hope. Turned out the hacker that had been helping Joseph with the fake company, had gotten wind sooner than the authorities could react…and emptied out Joseph’s account and made off with everyone’s money.”

            “…But if it was his and this hacker who took the money, why does the family hate you and mom?” Jack asked.

            “That’s where things got complicated. Joseph, out of spite, told everyone your grandfather and him were in league with the con. Said the hacker was hired by him and knew where all the money went and took it all for himself. It was a weak acquisition and your grandpa was able to prove he had no connection to Joseph’s actions…but the rest of the family believed it. They accused him of pilfering and leaving Joseph as the scapegoat to hide his tracks, and over time the suspicion turned into a grudge, then it turned into full-blown hate…” Ivan said with tired contempt.

            Jack almost said that couldn’t be true. They couldn’t all hate them, but then he remembered that his parents never really talked much about his family. All he was ever told was that they were too busy to really keep taps with them, using their work as the excuse, but it sounded now like they were using that as a way to keep from having to lie or tell the truth to him. Seeing the thoughtful expression on Jack’s face, Ivan nodded.

            “See why we were never gone to any family reunions now?”

            “That’s…hard to accept, you know?” Jack deflated as he started to accept that was likely the full truth.

            No one, except Uncle Robbie, every reached out to them. Heck, he didn’t even know where any of his family members lived. Probably nowhere near them, that’s for sure, if this was indeed the case. Most likely, his parents kept them as far away as possible. Ivan patted him on the shoulder, a bit more confident in his action this time.

            “It’s…best you do. And it’s better you know now before you thought about reaching out to the rest of the family and getting that nasty surprise, and why you’re here. You had no idea how the rest of our family view us, so better you’re here with me than taking their shit when you had no knowledge at all about it,” Ivan explained, then pointed at the pod. “Now…let’s talk about my pride and joy, and why its involved.”

            “Yeah, I’m kinda curious about that,” Jack said, giving the pod another glance.

            “It’s part of why the family is firm in believing your granddad did take the money. They don’t believe that something as huge as my game could ever have been made without massive amounts of funds. None of them want to believe that someone with smarts and hard work could make anything possible,” Ivan said with notable bitterness, then he looked up at the ceiling. “Right, Alice?”

            “Indeed, Ivan!” a young, energetic voice replied from everywhere.

            “What the?!” Jack flinched and darted his eyes around. “Who was that?”

            “That’s Alice, my pride and greatest achievement as a programmer, and the real reason why I was able to launch my game,” Ivan said and some of that excitement returned to his cold blue eyes, giving them a bit of a sharper look. “Say hello, Alice.”

            “Hello, Jack. I am Alice, Ivan’s personal advanced A.I. and administrative support system!” the A.I. responded.

            Jack was floored. A.I.’s were still considered very rare and only massive corporations were known to have them. For his uncle to have his own personal one…spoke volumes.

            “H-hi, Alice?” Jack greeted.

            “From your accelerated heart-rate and brain activity, I can tell I have you quite a start, just like I did with the front door!” Alice said…and giggled.

            “Wait, that was you?” Jack gawked.

            “As Ivan’s A.I. I have full access to all systems in the house. Ivan planted the automatic door opening function to ‘prank’ any visitors we receive. Can’t tell you have many pizza delivery guys have requested not to drop orders here with that harmful bit,” Alice said.

            “The brave ones get bigger tips,” Ivan added. “Figure they earned it if they’re willing to put up with Alice’s favorite pastime.”

            Something dawned on Jack. “Wait, Alice. You said you could tell I was startled…why would you have a program to tell you something like that?”

            “Glad you asked! Because its part of my job as the administrative support system, or ASS for short…” she giggled even louder, “to monitor and a person’s reaction to certain stimulating experiences, namely, what will startled someone.”

            “In other words, she actively looks for what will scare someone,” Ivan answered when he saw Jack’s eyes clouding a bit.

            “Why would she need to do that?” Jack wondered.

            Ivan grinned and that simple gesture took away the cold, steely eyed glare in his eyes. “So she knows what will work the best for the unsuspecting players.”

            “Just what game did you make?” Jack finally had to ask. He kept hinting at the game and even the A.I. appeared to really want to talk about it.

            The grin on his uncle’s face grew wider and now Jack got the impression he was staring at the cat that just ate the canary.

            “…My game? It’s called Haunt Online!”