Virtual Reality ✔

Touchy Topics

We, again, had the option to chose both a weapon and armor. I was sent into the waiting room and was shocked to find that nobody else was waiting there. I expected them to arrive later, because maybe they were just taking longer to get ready, but the red light started flashing and a message appeared on the door. You'll have to find your team. Watch out for the gremlins. It hit me that I wouldn't immediately have my team's assistance, also that I'd most likely have non human obstacles. I had only one life, and the people in charge seemed to want to take it from me as soon as possible.

I spawned somewhere in a forest. It smelled of pine and the floor beneath me crunched as I walked. I tried talking into my headset, I got no reply. They must've cut us off from them completely unless we got near to each other. After a good minute passed just walking forwards I heard the edge of the map's boundary behind me close in. A smaller space would help me find my team, but it also helped other teams find me.

I tensed as I heard someone else walking not far from me. Not a second later a large brown ball of spike jumped at me. I fell over and it scratched at my side. Taking a significant amount of damage in the process I grabbed for my weapon and hit what I assumed was the gremlin with the side of it. It paused and I scrambled to my feet and started shooting at it. It was good at dodging my shots but not good enough. It faded just as human players did and I hurried away, talking quietly in my head piece in case I did near one of my teammates.

"Grace?" I heard someone ask. It sounded innocent enough until I recognized the person speaking to me was Jasper. I stopped walking and looked around. He could have been anywhere nearby and I hadn't wanted to risk him hearing my steps. "We can team, you know. I'm sorry about how I treated you guys." I hadn't known whether or not to trust him, and I didn't want to risk anything. Nikki said he'd been quiet, better than usual, but someone doesn't change completely in one night. I wasn't able to gauge what direction he was coming from so I started to slowly sneak in the opposite direction I had been going in earlier.

"I hear you, Grace. Just trust me," he said through the headpiece. He started to sound slightly irritated and I knew he was lying. I stopped walking and stood by a tree, I was now starting to hear other voices in the background but Jaspers was by far the loudest. Next thing I knew I was pushed to the ground from behind, I struggled to be upright again but wished I couldn't see what I had saw. Jasper ripped my weapon away from me and threw it to the ground too far to reach for. He straddled me in a way that wouldn't allow me to move and a rush of panic surged through me as he lined his aim where he'd wanted. Never in this competition had I seen someone use physical force like this to help themselves win, and I thought it was cruel and practically cheating.

I screamed in unbearable pain that was worse than respawning, I couldn't stop the long line of curse words aimed at him from leaving my mouth. I kicked and continued to scream, but eventually all I could do was try to stop his bullets from reaching my head. I had barely noticed the pain stop.

When it occurred to me that new pain hadn't replaced the old and faded, I wondered if I'd lost already, I looked up to see Jasper scurrying away and Duncan shooting at him. When Jasper was a ways away Duncan helped me up and I had to lean on him for support. My vision was blurry and I became too dizzy to stand straight.

"Get that," he instructed, he pointed at something but I couldn't make out what it was. After a few more minutes of his patient urging me forwards, I could finally make out what he'd pointed at. A health orb. I'd only seen one before, when Parker had to use it. He had told me it felt so much better than the regeneration one one, and I was able to experience it when I grabbed one and felt the warmth vibrate throughout my body. It wasn't as effective as regeneration was but I had gained health nonetheless.