Chapter 1

Made of bones

I awoke, no, that’s not the right word. For how can I wake up when I don’t remember going to sleep.

No, what I felt was more like I had regained consciousness and along with it, a loud ringing in my head.

I looked around, trying to get a feel for my surroundings but all I saw was darkness, which made rethink if I was even awake, perhaps I was asleep and this was a dream, a very lucid dream. But yet I knew that wasn’t it, something in me told me I was wide awake even if there was nothing but darkness around me.

I stretched my arms out to try and feel something, anything, that would give me a clue to where I was. And luckily I did, for my hands touched something, I think, for I couldn’t really see what I had touched, but my hands would not go any deeper into this darkness I found myself in.

 Slowly, I moved toward whatever I had touched, which was to my side, the darkness made it impossible to see what it was, but I was certain that it was a wall of sorts, I could feel it, not through my hands for some reason, my hands felt numb, but somehow my body told me that it was a wall, don’t ask me how, because not even I knew how. 

I used the wall to guide me around this darkness.

I could just picture myself standing all alone in god knows where, using this wall as a guide, like some blind person. Which wasn't so far from the truth considering all I could see was darkness. But the darkness wasn't the only thing afflicting me, my head, for some reason, was throbbing, almost as if I had been hit by something.

How did I end up in this situation?"

All I remember was playing Magic and Swords, which was an VRMMO RPG , the latest immersive game from Extra Life Corp, maybe this was part of the game, after all , the game did pride itself in being the most immersive VR game in the market. And as an avid gamer of role playing games, I had to say it lived up to its name.

Or perhaps I was just dreaming after having spend an obscene amount of time playing the game, and as a self proclaimed professional RPG player, playing long into the night or days wasn't something strange to me, maybe I had fallen asleep inside the VR cocoon I had bought to play this game. 

"Menu open up," I said, trying to get the pop-up menu of the game to appear in front of me just like the manual had said, but nothing happened.

Well this is strange. 

"Menu open up," I said, again, but nothing. 

Which made me scared, no point in trying to hide it, but can you really blame me, I mean, if you found yourself all alone with nothing but darkness around and no way to escape, wouldn’t you be scare too?

 I began to walk, slowly, and carefully, trying to navigate the pitch black darkness I was in, using the wall next to me as a guide, and having no idea where it would lead me, all I could hope for was that it will take me out of this darkness.

As I continued to walk, it felt like this darkness was endless, stretching into eternity. Was it a bug of the game? Heck, am I still inside the game, perhaps I wasn't , maybe I wasn’t awake at all, what if I had died playing Magic and Swords.

I had heard rumors of players dying inside the VR gaming cocoons, the realness of the game intoxicating them and making them addicted to the game like a drug. Which, if I was honest, wasn’t a bad way to go, especially for a guy like me. I mean, I was a twenty seven year old with nothing going for me except for my love for games. I hand't done much with my life that a twenty seven year old should do, like having a career, a wife and kids, but I cant complain, i had lived my life how i wanted it. 

 Maybe this is the afterlife, and I’m walking toward the destination my life got me, whatever that may be.

Stop it? I can't think like that.

This is just part of the game, it has to be.

 I stopped for a moment, hesitation in me building up like a balloon about to explode at any moment. 

 Do I really want to see was at the end of this tunnel? 

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

I moved my head back, and saw only the darkness I was trying to escape waiting me.

Well, I hoped at least what awaits me isn't more darkness.

I let out a faint laugh, and resumed my walk, not caring where it would take me, as long as whatever it was had at least some light, it couldn’t be too bad.

 As I walked what I assumed must have been forever, I noticed a strange flickering light floating at the end.

I stopped.

 The light was reddish in color, like a light from a flame. I decided to wait for it, letting the light come to me, not knowing whether that was a good idea or not. As the light got closer and closer, I could hear footsteps accompanying the flame.

“This is it,” I told myself, trying to give myself the courage to face whatever was coming my way.

As the footsteps got closer, the light began to illuminate some of my surroundings. I could only make out a few glimpses of what the light had illuminated for it was dim, as if it was losing its strength the closer it got to me. But luckily, it was enough to give me a view of where I was.

The large thing to my side that I was using as a guide in this darkness was a wall made of stone.

 If the walls were made of stones, did that mean I was in some kind of dungeon?

And if i was, does that mean I'm still inside the game?

I must be, since I don't remember logging off.

The footsteps were now getting louder, it was still too dark to see just who, or what was coming toward me, and as the footsteps got closer and closer with every second that passed, their sound engulfed me, making me forget about this darkness I was in, and soon, whatever was coming my way, will be upon me.

The anxiety was getting to me. Even if this was a game, it sure felt too real.

I tried to look to my sides, trying to find a place to hide, but it was useless. I was in a stone hallway, which meant there was only one way to go, and to make matters worse, the small dimly lit light that was flashing in front of me was now gone, and all I could see was darkness again. 

I prepared myself for whatever was coming my way. Expecting the realness of the game to no doubt trigger my anxiety, and activate my flight or fight response.

A feeling I was all too familiar with. For I was more of a lover than a fighter, well , if I’m being honest, I was never much of a lover either, still being a…

Its here !

Whatever had made its way toward me was literally standing in front of me.

I could feel him, or it, whatever it was.

Yet, for some reason, I didn’t feel scare or anxious, at all. I felt nothing, which was weird.

It was as if I was empty inside, I didn’t like this feeling. I stood up straight, no longer slouching against the wall like some meekly man, no, whatever was in front of me was going to see me erect and ready for it. I could picture myself standing in front of it, both of us looking at each other.

I could attack, no, is better to wait, for now. Not being sure of what to do was more aggravating that being in some dark dungeon or wherever I was.

The anticipation was killing me, if I wasn’t already dead.

I felt their presence lingering over me in silent, whoever was standing in front of me was just doing that, standing, maybe they were waiting for me to move.

Whoever or whatever was in front of me was waiting in silence, their presence hanging heavy on my shoulders, maybe I was in the way,

Yes that’s it, I was in their way, I told myself, trying to reassure myself of it.

 And as I was about to move out of the way, something grabbed me, I think, because my body stopped. Has it finally decided to attack me? I wondered.

“ARG GRAH AR,” a heard a voice, it sounded cold, lifeless, and empty. And just when I was about to try and free myself from whatever was holding me, a light flashed around me like a light switch being turn on, illuminating everything.

I couldn’t believe my eyes, I was at a loss of words, not that I was much of a talker, but still.

I must still be in the game somehow, for that was the only explanation that could explain what I was seeing in front of me.

It was a skeleton standing in front of me, he had holes were his features of flesh were supposed to be. The figure in front of me was a skeleton, there was no denying it. But what caught my eyes was the transparent bars hovering over his head, just like an enemy in an RPG game.

“Lvl 10 Skeleton ,

 HP 50,

 MP 0.”

 It read. 

There was no denying it now, I must still be connected to the game somehow. Which meant I was still in my avatar with the name 1337Noobpunisher1337 floating above me, hey, don’t judge me, I know it’s embarrassing but I was feeling extra bored the day I created my account.

And as I tried to yank myself free from its grasp, I looked at my arm, feeling so stupid for not paying attention to the most important thing in front of me, my body. 

If a skeleton with RPG elements standing in front of me was weird, what I was looking at was even harder to comprehend. But I didn’t panic when I saw my arm, no, all I did was stand like some statue, unable to move or comprehend what was going on. I didn’t know if I was in shock, or what. The only thing I could think to do was run my other hand over the arm this skeleton was holding.

I didn’t feel anything, but then again, there was nothing to feel. My arm was white and pale, no different from the bones of the skeleton in front of me.

This wasn’t my avatar.

“GHRA GHA,” the skeleton in front of me said, his jaw moved up and down, yet his words felt cold and empty. He let go of my arm and pointed, with his bony pale fingers, toward the end of the corridor or hallway we found ourselves in. He looked at me one last time, his hollow eye sockets giving me nothing but darkness, and then he made his way past me, his body disappearing into the darkness I had left.

I just stood there, looking at my body, my pale, white bony body.

How is this possible? Perhaps I was still in the game, yea, that must be it, I told myself as if my words were the only truth and nothing else.

Or maybe I was dead? Those words send a chilling heat down my spine, literally, or perhaps it was the heat from the burning fire on the candles that were hanging on the stone walls of the dungeon, its flames Illuminating the dungeon with their reddish hue.

image [https://i.imgur.com/MZqSdag.png]