Internet 24

Missing Aisle (Part 6)

A platform made of tile forms under me as the aisle begins to twist, stretch, and break apart. The pieces reshape and form floating islands. It's a scene ripped out of a video game as the fog disperses, and the aisle now floats in cosmic space.

I look at the floating islands, and each of them is different. Their sizes range from a bare living room to the size of a three-bedroom home. The terrain changes from a desert to a tundra, a lava-filled cavern, and a hot dog cart. It's just a flat space with a guy standing there with a hot dog cart with a sign saying rest zone.

KURT

Since you said it, you activated the Dungeon. 

There is no going back. You are given the option 

every month when your payment is due to attempt 

the Dungeon Run. If completed, your debt is 

washed. No more debt. If you lose, you must make 

that month's payment. You can only attempt this

 once a month. Once you start, you can't stop until you lose.

RYE

What does it mean to lose?

KURT

I would get to running before the slugs come back. 

Meet me at the end if you want your debt wiped clean.

Kurt was gone in a flash of blue light, and I was left standing at the beginning of this long aisle. If it means clearing my debt, I'll walk as far as I need to. I make my way down the aisle. The shelves are filled with the same mystically weird items as before. Then, a CLICK, and I hear Kurt's voice through an intercom.

KURT

This will be your last chance to purchase any 

items to help you on your run. If you do, the total 

will be added to your debt. If you complete the run, 

all debt will be erased. Fail the run; you must make 

your new monthly payment, with the new total 

adjusted for any additional purchase.

More debt, no thanks. It's just a walk; I can handle it. I make it to the first island, and light shines on the rim when I step on it. It's just a concrete circle filled with random shopping carts. I hear a chime and then a CRASH! A glass snail, the size of a golden retriever with shards popping out of its shell, falls from the sky. The stone shatters, and carts fly into the air. Its high-pitched screech sounds like breaking glass.

AM I SUPPOSED TO FIGHT THIS?

The slug has too long tendrils with eyes on its head. They are clear and have no pupils, but I can feel their stare. The monster charges at me, and it's faster than any slug i have ever seen. I expect a slow, tedious crawl, but it sprints like a Doberman.