Tracy opened her eyes, blinking away the grogginess and haze that filled her vision. Not that it mattered, as she could only see pitch black. Where was she? Tracy felt weightless like she was in the middle of a pool, yet different somehow.

As she thought this, she noticed a slight blue glow pass by her on her right side. She saw a glowing blue bead that floated alongside her as she looked. It started as only one ball before more filled the air beside her. They streaked the air with blue light, like miniature comets flowing together in a stream. Tracy floated alongside them. It was oddly calming seeing their light.

In the distance, she heard a click. The blue orbs piled together, and their glowing blue light illuminated a steel hatch in the distance. As Tracy floated towards the hatch, she heard a mechanical whirl, followed by the hatch opening into a bright white light. The blue orbs fell through the hatch as Tracy approached.

Tracy shook her head. What was happening? This was one strange dream, but… she wasn’t dreaming. She looked over her hands. She was in too much control for this to be a dream. As she recounted her thoughts, she remembered that she had just been home when– The familiar voice of a young girl flowed into her mind.

“So why will you escape reality?”

Despite the small volume, the words reached her soul. Interesting question. She wondered what it was as she fell through the hatch and into the light. Her thoughts instantly faded as she felt the light’s gentle, warm rays. There was nothing except the pure bliss of the light bathing her. She twirled around, feeling like a ballerina.

Although, as she spun around, she saw more of the blue orbs she had seen before. As her eyes followed them, she saw the stream move along its path, converging and separating into several more streams before continuing on its way. Yet there was a pattern to it, like the streets of a large city, with each of the orbs rushing down them like busy cars on the road.

Tracy reached out, trying to grab one of the orbs. The shape moved through her hand, continuing along its path as if her hand wasn’t there. Trying to grab another, She paid closer attention to it. Inside its blue sphere were numbers. Specifically, the number one and the number zero. Code. There was code inside these orbs.

Although, wasn’t code not supposed to belong here? Code belonged inside computers. Why was it–

Her thoughts were interrupted as she was pulled involuntarily out of her stream, with several of the orbs of code creating a new data lane. She looked on curiously, wondering where the destination of this code would be.

‘That’s weird,’ Tracy thought. Below her was a massive round ball of green and blue. It gave off a mysterious glow. It was a glow that wasn’t as warm as the light she was in. Why would she want to go here? Before she could contemplate the massive sphere, the code started to clump together. One piece at a time before the blue of the orbs changed color to the metallic grey shape of another hatch.

As it opened, another message came into her mind, speaking in a deep, monotone voice. ‘Warning: exiting detachment zone, beware mental overload.’

Oh, Tracy thought. Detachment from what? The thought eluded her as she floated ever closer to the hatch. She looked back mournfully at the white light. She was going to miss this place. It seemed so soothing. Tracy looked at the hatch. With a mechanical whirl, the hatch opened, revealing more of the darkness she had seen before. Accepting her fate, she closed her eyes as she went through the hatch.

Tracy screamed. Confusion, excitement, and fear flooded her mind until she felt she was drowning. Tracy gasped for air as she doubled over from a massive headache. ‘What was that?’ Even just thinking back at the experience made her head spin. She wiped her face, which had broken out in a sweat. Unable to catch a break, the princess's voice blared into her mind. Tracy gritted her teeth and covered her ears. 'I need-- szztch – PLEASE HEL-- szztch'

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

‘Help wha–’ Tracy thought before she covered her ears again. This time, the deep, monotone voice gave a message. 'Do not resist. YOUR DEFIANCE WILL BE YOUR DAMNATION.'

She rubbed her ears, which rang from the ominous message. As Tracy opened her eyes, she saw she was in complete darkness. As she looked around, a flash of light illuminated the space. Tracy wished it hadn’t. She noticed several mechanical limbs twisted like they belonged to some sort of insect, each of them the size of a skyscraper. What scared Tracy even more was that all around this mechanical monster were thousands, if not millions, of glowing red eyes that followed her fall.

Tracy closed her eyes, unable to process this monster that she saw. She hugged her knees, putting herself into the fetal position. Her anxiety shot through the roof as her heart nearly beat out of her throat. And even though she was tense, she could still feel herself shaking from head to toe.

A cry for help? A warning? A monster? What was happening? Who were these voices in her head? The tears began to mottle her face in the middle of a void. She didn’t want to be in this nightmare. She just wanted to wake up. Was that too much to ask for?

As if the void gave its answer, her stomach lurched. If she wasn’t falling before, she definitely was now. She screamed, praying that whatever happened would end quickly. Tracy hit something, followed by rubble falling, knocking the wind out of her. As she recovered from the shock, she felt the pain. It wasn’t a sharp pain like she had imagined, but a dull one that sent her body into shock. She was lying face down somewhere… somewhere rough.

She groaned as she attempted to open her eyes. Grey was the only thing in her hazy vision. As she tried to move her arms and legs, they both screamed in protest. Not to mention that she still had a headache.

Tracy stopped, took a deep breath, and chuckled. She wanted to be a hero, right? Seems like she had been given that chance. Still, all of that had not been what she had expected. She thought back to the metal monster that she had seen. Its millions of eyes gave her the shivers as she thought about it. Just what kind of game did this princess run, and what the hell was that thing?

As her vision cleared, she noticed a pile of broken cement below her. That checked… sorta. Either she landed on this pile of rubble, or she had broken through the ceiling before landing on the pile. Either one of those should’ve sent her to the afterlife. To have that kind of endurance, she must’ve gotten some kind of superpower.

Pushing the fact aside, Tracy looked around the room. Shattered stained glass murals filled the windows while cracked statues of angels lined the walls. The room was filled with rubble from the ceiling and damage throughout the wall and the pillars. Tracy concluded that it was an old and abandoned church.

She grimaced as she thought about her body. Instead of trying to move her arm, she settled for a finger. She clenched her eyes, ready for the pain. She was surprised when she didn’t feel any of it.

Deciding to move up, she tried to move her arm again, and while she winced as it protested, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the first time. Using them, she pushed against the rubble, twisting herself to the other side. She needed to know the damage. Bleeding out wasn’t a pleasant way to die.

Her arms buckled as she tried to use them, but with a bit of wiggling, she got herself face-up. she looked herself over, checking for any damage. She chuckled again. Must’ve gotten anime powers to get out like this. Not even her sweatshirt was damaged.

Moving on to the next step, and with some difficulty, she managed to sit up, groaning in the process. The rubble shifted with each time that she moved. It forced her to steady herself, which only added to the pain. Still, she managed to get up, inch by inch, until she was standing up.

Even for herself, this was–

“Please help!” A familiar, youthful voice said, cutting through her thoughts. Almost as if she was speaking directly to her thoughts. It was the princess.

What? Tracy struggled to her feet before leaning against one of the pillars. The princess was here? But isn’t she… Tracy shook her head. Assumptions would only make things worse. However, the moment she got up, the ground rumbled, sending her to the ground again. What in the world–

A hideous screech filled the air, making Tracy cover her ears. It sounded like the combination of a crow’s raspy caw and a screaming teenage girl. It sent goosebumps down Tracy’s skin.

The screech filled Tracy with adrenaline. She jumped to her feet, ignoring the pain. She didn’t know what hell she had stumbled upon, but she needed answers now.

The screaming changed into a hideous cackle.

“Hey Princess, let’s play a game of hide and seek! I’ll start. Ready or not, death comes for you. eh heh HAHAHA.”