Chapter 9: Chapter 8

Dull. Everything was dull. 

Alexander had spent those twenty-seven hours mainly sleeping. Every few hours or so he would wake up in a dreary haze of fear, anger, and with fits of shaking. Every time he went to sleep, images of blood, limbs, and pain would flood into his dreams. And every time he would wake up somehow even more tired. The blisteringly white expanse of his home only added to his delirium. His mind was no starting to process what the hell just happened. 

During the last hour, Alexander was finally able to recollect himself. He did some yoga, practiced breathing, and changed his settings so that when the timer reached zero he would automatically exit the game. With this time, he also decided to meditate. It was the same with sleep, the second he relaxed his mind would rush into a frenzy of emotions. But since he was awake, he had more control. He deliberated on trying to organize, categorize, and really just to understand anything at all. There were serious swings in his mood, but five minutes before the timer reached its end, he finally found a foothold of stability. 

When Alexander awoke in the "real world," he found himself in that large, dark-colored metal container that the world now started to jokingly call coffins. A viscous gray liquid was washing off of him and receding into the metal of the "coffin." Seconds afterwards, the lid opened and the dim-yellow lights of his dorm flooded his vision. But his eyes didn't need time to adjust. 

He got up and stretched, but he still felt loose from the yoga he did inside the game. Alexander cocked his head in surprise, but shrugged it off. He turned to the other containers which had his two best friends. One of them was empty. 

"Hey." A familiar voice said across the room. It was Jacob, lazily sat back at the desk where Alexander used to labor over. "You've uh, you've changed."

Alexander looked at himself. He was taller, bigger, and had clearly defined muscles. He also had a few scars. He was also still only wearing his now signature green kilt, which by now had some cuts and gashes. 

"You're right." Alexander muttered. Seeing reality, and seeing the room where he actually lived, he remembered his old self. But then he remembered something else. The time in the game is one to one. It had only been a week. 

"Yeah... you ok man?" Jacob chuckled nervously. Physically, he hadn't changed much. He was around the same height and with the same stature. He was around five foot and eight inches, had curly blonde hair, and almost always wore jeans. Jacob did look thinner and much healthier, though. And he had a guitar in his arms. 

"Yeah." Alexander muttered again. He was a bit taken aback. It has only been a week. The world he was now in was dull. He felt every weird sensation too. The off smell of the dorm, the dust in the air, and some weird itches. The game made everything perfect, vibrant, and exciting; this world was dull. 

"Whatever you say man." Jacob shrugged. "I messaged Jessica to get out when she could, and she'll be out in a few hours. I got out yesterday and I've been trying to enjoy the world." Jacob said. Alexander sensed a slight quiver in his voice. 

"That's nice. I've missed you two." Alexander smiled. He started to feel much better. The familiarity of this world was soothing his neurotic mind. 

"Same here man. You kept dodging all our messages– the hell was with that?" Jacob pressed. Alexander then remembered that while in the tutorial you couldn't receive messages externally. He then felt guilty about not checking his messages tab after the tutorial was completed. 

"Sorry I was... in the tutorial still."

"The fuck?" Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Dude that shit took me like a day. Jessica only lasted a little past the first wave."

Alexander looked back at Jacob directly. "What?"

"You're telling me you went the distance?" Jacob chuckled. "Most people don't even attempt the first wave. My group tried but we all died..." He trailed off. "Most people just kill themselves or flee so they can hang out in the over-layer." 

Alexander stepped back. "If most people only want to be in the over-layer, then why do they even join the game?" 

"That's what I said at first. But the game makes everything better. Everyone is calling it the best damned drug to ever hit the market." Jacob looked at his container and gulped. "Look, most people just want to have fun, and they consider that horribleness that is the tutorial a small price to pay. After all, once through that, you never have to actually be in the game." 

"Why wouldn't you want to go?" 

"Because it's not fucking fun, dumbass. The game isn't fun." Jacob started to raise his voice. "This isn't fucking Skyrim where you can do whatever you want. You feel pain. You get hurt. The actual game is mostly war-zones." Jacob took a deep breath. Alexander saw sweat on his forehead. "Any news about the game is suppressed to high hell here in realty, but there's a good reason only eighteen and up can play. Beyond the over-layer, there's rape, murder, pillaging, and because of that stupid fucking timer you have to bear whatever you're going through." 

Jacob stopped. Alexander just stared. 

"Sorry man. I just, I've just been cooped up in this room alone." Jacob calmed down a bit. "Look, having your intestines ripped out by a monkey isn't a memory you're supposed to live with. Let's go grab a bite to eat, there's a food truck not far." Jacob put his guitar up and threw on a leather jacket. Alexander just nodded and went along. 

----

It was spring, and the air was crisp with fragrant smells of life as the two sat down on a bench and chowed down on some burritos. Food making was now almost exclusively done by humans. Terra decided that another profession that could exist was cooks. They weren't paid, and they were provided with whatever materials they needed. And all the codes were kept up to date by drones. It was another effort to increase morale, everyone suspected. But it did help. 

"So I'm taking it that you don't like the game." Alexander said after a long silence. 

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"I love it, just not the actual worlds." Jacob swallowed. "A lot of people enter a state of shock during the tutorial. I've talked to a lot of our classmates about their experiences whenever I could find someone." 

Alexander looked around. It was midday, but the streets were almost empty. 

"The worst part is that there's no help in the game. All the therapy and medicines are here. In the game... there's nothing but yourself. And all the pain is real man." Jacob swallowed again. Alexander found his habit of talking with a mouthful of food amusing but annoying at times. Especially when he laughed.

"I told you it earlier, but those memories shouldn't exist. When you get mauled by something, you should die and have your DMT trip to heaven."

"I see your point." Alexander spoke silently. Jacob was a psychology major, but he only picked it because he didn't know what else he wanted to do. What he really enjoyed was music and entertaining people. He was always the class clown, and seeing him so serious was throwing Alexander off. 

"I know I'm talking your ear off." Jacob sighed. "And I'll cope, and so will everyone else. But this is all fucked up. We're also banned from talking about the game with anyone who hasn't joined. Anyone who enters it who isn't used to combat or life-and-death situations will enter a state of shock. And I'm wagering that most people aren't dealing with it in a healthy way. Whether to feel like they're a bad ass or drown their sorrows in whatever vice they can find, everyone is spiraling." 

"How very self aware." 

"Yeah yeah. I just, I just needed a friend to talk to." Jacob smiled at Alexander. He could see the cracks in his friend, but Jacob was also a reflection.

"I knew you two would be here." A voice called out. It was Jessica, clad in all black leather and looking strong. 

"Hey!" Jacob rang out. All the nervousness and neurotic behavior washed away the second he saw her. He got up and hugged Jessica. "How was your first fight in an arena?" 

"I lost, unfortunately. But they liked me enough to book me in another fight. Getting through almost two waves of the tutorial really puts a spotlight on you." Jessica laughed heartily.

"Arena?" Alexander questioned.

"Hey man, looks like you've been busy!" Alexander stood up and hugged her as well. "Yeah don't you know? There's some parts of Europe under control and they've set up streamed fight rings. I finally fought in a match!" 

"That's awesome." Alexander smiled. 

"Yeah he hasn't been to the actual world yet. That whole week he was in the tutorial, he went the distance." Jacob smirked. 

"Woah, no fucking way!" Jessica fist-bumped Alexander. "What class did you pick?" Jessica sized Alexander up. 

"Ah, nothing special, just some kind of basic fighter I think. What about you?" Alexander was surprised how easy it was to lie. 

"Rouge man. I'm a badass nun-chuck chick."

"And I'm a bard." Jacob piped up. 

The three of them stood there, laughing and joking, talking about the weirdness of the game. Then, after some time, they decided to walk back. Jessica had some training to attend soon and Jacob said he had some business to attend to. 

"Don't worry guys, I'll reply to your friend requests. How did you find me anyways?" Alexander said while opening his container. 

"Your username is your legal name. We just searched you up. Terra also helps with searches to find your friends in real life." Jacob said while getting in his container. 

"That's convenient." 

"No kidding." Jessica shot back as her lid closed. And as Alexander closed his lid, only one word popped up in his mind. Coffin.

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