by Dante Steel
“How does it look?” she asked.
“Adorable.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “No woman wants to hear she looks adorable.”
“Speak for yourself,” Elena said.
“You want to be degraded like that?” Olivia demanded.
“It’s not degrading. It’s a compliment.”
“Yes, well, I would rather be considered hot.”
“You’re a narcissist,” Elena commented. She slammed her fist onto the head of another rat. Blood splattered.
“I am not,” Olivia said defensively. She whirled around to face Gary and demanded, “Did you tell her about my degree?”
“Nope.”
“Don’t need a degree to know when someone’s narcissistic,” Elena said airily.
Gary winced. “Ladies, please. There’s no reason to fight.”
“Is that why you aren’t?” Olivia asked.
He glanced at Elena, who shrugged.
“She has a point,” Elena said. “You want to go up in level, fight.”
“But I have no power and no weapons.”
“You know what that sounds like?” Olivia asked Elena.
The redhead nodded. “Like an excuse.”
"Great. Now you're ganging up on me?" Gary groaned.
The two women laughed and returned to hunting rats as if it was the most fun they could have.
Gary had to try and stomp on the rats, which wasn’t easy, but he did manage to gain one level by the time Elena had reached level three and Olivia had to be not far behind her.
The two ladies had both found new gear and more rupas, but Gary ended up with nothing outside of bloodied hands. Disgusting. For the most part, he was just tagging along, and he couldn’t help feeling useless.
For the first time, the game wasn’t much fun. In fact, Gary was the first of the three to say goodbye and log off.
Chapter Seven
After work the next day, Gary decided not to go home. Instead, he checked in on Jorge. His friend lived a block away from where they dropped off the truck at the end of every shift, so Gary walked over to his apartment complex and knocked on door number 248.
“Come in,” a distinctly female voice called.
Confused, Gary pushed open the door. The lights were off, the curtains closed, making the place seem a little claustrophobic.
“Jorge?” Gary called.
“Gary? I’m in my room.”
Gary walked through the living room and dining room area to Jorge’s bedroom. His friend lay in bed, and a beautiful young woman sat perched on the side of the bed, patting Jorge’s hand.
“May, can you give us a minute?” Jorge asked.
“Of course.” She kissed his forehead, smiled at Gary, and left the room.
“Isn’t she an angel?” Jorge asked dreamily.
“Who is she?” Gary asked.
“My new girlfriend.”
You mean flavor of the week.
“Where did you meet her?”
“At CVS. She’s been taking care of me ever since. My nurse. My angel.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Gary couldn’t tell if Jorge truly was sick or not.
“I have the flu.”
Gary narrowed his eyes but decided it wouldn’t be in his best interest to mention that it wasn’t flu season.
“You could’ve called to let me know you wouldn’t be coming into work,” Gary said.
Jorge shrugged. “I’m sorry. I can’t keep my thoughts straight.”
“Too sick to play, huh?”
“Play? Oh, Superheroes Online. Yeah, not now, mi amigo. I’m too busy trying to get better.”
You mean, too busy with May.
Gary curled his fingers into fists. “When you’re better, will you get back to playing?” he asked, trying not to be so annoyed.
“I don’t know. May doesn’t care for video games.”
“But you love them.”
“May’s amazing.” Jorge sighed.
“Aw, you’re so sweet.” May stood in the doorway. “I made you some tea, sweet pea.”
Gary grimaced. No way was Jorge seriously sick. He was just playing hooky to be with his new girl. Clearly, Gary wasn’t high on the priority list right now.
“I hope you feel better,” Gary rasped as he edged toward the door since May was already next to Jorge, helping him sip from a ceramic mug.
“Nice to meet you,” May said, but she wasn’t looking at him, too worried about brushing Jorge’s black hair back.
Gary rushed out of there. He should be thrilled that Jorge seemed happy, but he doubted the relationship would last. Jorge was always looking. His friend wasn’t going to settle anytime soon.
As for Gary, well, he didn’t have many options at all, and Elena and Olivia didn’t count. They were just his teammates. He had no idea where they lived, and he wasn’t about to ask.
Of course, in his dreams, they weren’t just teammates. Last night, he’d dreamed about saving Olivia, and, man, the things she could do with her tongue were amazing. He had to adjust himself just thinking about the dream.
By the time he made it home, Gary had to eat something. It was late, so he wasn't surprised that neither of the ladies was there. Gary spent a few hours training and gained new boots that thankfully fit. When he logged off, he was level four, but he still had no superpower.
Oh, well. Maybe tomorrow.
Chapter Eight
Only tomorrow came, and Gary had to take on another second route. Another garbage man was out sick, and it ended up that Gary had to work double for several days, which meant he had no time to play.
Finally, his birthday rolled around. Twenty-five. The second garbage man was able to come back to work, so Gary was able to take the day off like he wanted. He didn’t know if Jorge was still “sick” or not.
To splurge in a not-too-expensive kind of way, Gary bought a six-pack of cupcakes from the grocery store, the ones that were discounted because the sell-by date was today. Gary returned to his place, and even though it wasn't exactly fun, he finished unpacking the rest of his stuff. It didn't take him long at least, but most of his free time had been spent playing the game, so he hadn't gotten around to it until now.
His phone rang, and he answered immediately without checking the ID first. “Hello?”
“Happy birthday, man,” Jorge said.
“Thanks. What are you up to?”
“Trying to wash away the scent of trash before May comes over.”
Ugh, that stench had a way of seeping into their pores and making them smell for hours afterward, shower or no shower.
“Let me guess,” Gary said. “She doesn’t know what you do for a living.”
“Nope. Not yet. She doesn’t need to know unless we become serious.”
“And the chance of that happening?” Gary couldn’t help but be skeptical giving Jorge’s track record.
“Eh, you never know. You still playing that game?”
“I was about to log on, actually.”
“You’re still playing?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?” Gary picked up the box to the game and flipped it around to read the back.
“Because you have no superpowers. It’s a lame ass game if you ask me. Not worth my time. I feel bad, so I’ll find you a better game. I promise.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Gary protested. “And what happened to those women you were talking to?”
“I don’t need them. I have May, remember?”
“You’re still with her?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?” Jorge sarcastically parroted Gary and then laughed. “She’s a gem. I’m telling you, man, when you’ve been with as many women as I’ve been, when you find the one, you just know, right off the bat.”
“If you say so.”
"I do. I'll see you for work. Have a kick-ass birthday, Gary!"
“Thanks.”
As soon as Gary hung up, someone knocked on his door. Gary crossed ove
r and opened it. Wyatt stood there and held out a card.
“How’s it going?” Wyatt asked, flashing a tired smile. Nowadays, Wyatt always looked tired. He worked crazy hours for peanuts, but Wyatt found the job rewarding.
"Can't complain. Come in. Check out my new place."
Gary gave Wyatt the tour, which lasted only a minute. There wasn’t much to see, just the living room with a small dining room off to the side, a tiny kitchen, a bathroom that was so tight it could give a dwarf claustrophobia, and a bedroom.
“Nice,” Wyatt said. He handed Gary a card.
Gary opened it to find several gift cards for the nearest grocery store and some gas cards too.
“You’ll get a car before you know it,” Wyatt said. “You’re moving on up.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Oh, you have that new game everyone is talking about.” Wyatt picked up Gary’s headset.
“Have you played it any?” Gary asked.
“Nah. I don’t have time.”
“You have time now. Make a character. It won’t take long.”
“But you only have one headset.”
“So?” Gary shrugged. “I have a cupcake with my name on it.”
Wyatt grinned, and Gary saw a flash of his old friend who used to be too smart for his own good and would get them into trouble because of the pranks they would pull.
“If you insist.”
While Wyatt began to play, Gary grabbed the container of cupcakes. He already had one, but it was his birthday. A second wouldn’t do any harm.
“This quiz is a little crazy,” Wyatt said.
“Tell me about it. Your answers will determine what power you gain.”
“I figured, but I don’t see how your favorite color helps with that.”
Gary shrugged even though Wyatt couldn’t see him. “Just go with it.”
“I am. It’s calculating my power now.”
“And?” Gary held his breath, for some reason nervous.
“Oh, cool.”
Gary’s heart sank, and he immediately felt guilty. He shouldn’t want his friend to have no powers, but even though Olivia didn’t have any, she was still kicking ass in the game. Gary felt like a loser, like he was held back, handcuffed. So much of his life had been spent just trying to get by, and honestly, it felt like that was carrying over into the game too.
“I can cause earthquakes!”
Gary blinked. “Wow, that’s pretty cool.”
“Yeah, I want to test—”
Just then, a buzzing sounded, the noise loud enough that Wyatt removed his headset.
"Oh, crap. I'm on call. Gotta jet. Thanks, man. I have a headset back home. Maybe I'll come over the next time I have a break, and I'm not crashing for hours."
“Sounds like a plan.” Gary shut the door behind Wyatt and sighed. He often had spent a lot of time alone at Wyatt’s place when his friend was working. Theoretically, he should be used to being alone all the time. Today, though, was his birthday, and he did not want to feel like a loser.
Feeling sorry for himself wasn’t the way to go about it. Not at all. He would find a way to have fun and without having to spend money either.
Yes, he was going to play. He didn’t know if Elena or Olivia would be there, but it didn’t matter. He’d just train. Find himself a weapon that wasn’t rusted. Put more into strength. So far, he had split all of his points from gaining levels into strength and vitality. He’d never be as strong as the superheroes who had super strength, but he needed to be able to fight the baddies. Without magic or any powers, he figured strength was his best option. And vitality. All the hit points. Not that he wanted to get jolted a ton, but better jolts than dying.
Gary logged Wyatt off and himself on. He didn't immediately see any of his friends, and he didn't care to fight rats again. Instead, Gary found a cluster of bats by a tree. Killing them was more of a challenge, but since there were going to be a ton of dragons in the game, he might as well get used to fighting flying creatures.
He dropped a bat, and the creature lay on the ground, all bloodied and broken. Beside it, a small dagger appeared, and he picked it up.
“Hey,” a guy said. He looked muscular, but it was his face that caught Gary’s eye, all red, his eyes narrowed to the point of almost being closed. “That was mine!”
Gary backed away. The guy looked angry enough to attack him. He gulped. “I’m sorry. I just saw it and thought—”
“No one likes a poacher.” The guy brought up his hands, which glowed red. Fire. He couldn’t conjure flames, but Gary could feel the heat.
Gary moved to toss him the dagger. “Sorry, man,” he said, backing away.
“You’re going to fight me?” The man gave a yell and rushed Gary.
Coward that he was, Gary logged off. It wasn’t until he removed the headset and sank onto his couch that he realized he still had the dagger. Whoops.
So, players could attack each other. Great. Gary truly hadn’t meant to steal from the guy. He hadn’t even realized that someone else was fighting those bats.
Maybe he was naïve, but Gary hadn’t realized just how diehard and ultra-serious and competitive some of the other gamers would be. Now, he knew, and he’d do his best to stay clear.
To kill some time and because he didn't have anything better to do, Gary went to the grocery store and stocked up on some items. Back home, he made himself some spaghetti and meatballs, his favorite dish. Gary washed it down with some orange soda. Yeah, others always gave him sideways glances when he would drink it with any meal, but Gary loved the stuff.
By now, he figured the macho guy had moved on, and it was safe to play. He was just putting on his headset when thunder rumbled.
Crap. A storm.
He walked over to the window and pulled the curtain aside. The rain was coming down in a torrential downpour, the sky looming dark and murderous. Wonderful. Maybe he shouldn't play.
But what else was he going to do? He didn’t want to just waste the rest of his birthday.
Screw it. Gary logged in and glanced all around for that asshole or any other player, really. Unless someone approached him or he spied Elena or Olivia, he wanted to stay by himself. Gary was more than ready to try out this dagger. It was on the small side, yes, but he might be able to defeat stronger baddies with it and get a sword or other items he could sell and then buy a sword. His thoughts drifted to his dream and the long sword and then to Elena and what they had done after he had saved her…
Just then, a jolt went through Gary. Not like when he had been attacked in the game. No, this was a legit jolt. He felt as if he had been punched in the head. The blow was so hard that he was knocked to the ground. A shock went up and down his body, and he couldn’t do anything at all. He couldn’t move.
Dimly, he was aware of one thing and one thing only.
He had been struck by lightning.
Chapter Nine
Gary blinked, shook his head, muttered a few curses, and struggled to his feet. As he blinked some more and became aware of his surroundings, he realized he was still in the game. Huh. He would've thought that the lightning bolt would've jarred the headset loose from his head.
Maybe he should log off and make sure he was all right, but in the near distance, he could see a small green creature with twitchy movements heading his way. A goblin. The perfect chance to try out his new dagger and gain more experience points. He was so close to level five that he could taste it.
Gripping the dagger tight but not too tight, Gary walked over to the goblin. His own movements were jerky as if the effects of the lightning strike had affected him in the game as well as in real life.
This is crazy. I should go, make sure I’m all right, and then play.
But the goblin was directly in front of him now. With a gold ring like a bull through its massive upturned nose, rotted fangs for teeth, terrible breath, and spotted green complexion, the goblin was a hideous sight.
Gary didn't hesitate. He thrust the dag
ger at the goblin's gut, but the creature made an "X" with his hands over Gary's wrists to pin and stop him from jabbing him. The goblin was thin but deceptively strong as he spun Gary's arm up and around, forcing Gary's back to the enemy. The creature tried to remove the dagger from him, but Gary jerked his elbow back. His arm jarred from the impact of hitting the goblin's ear.
The goblin released him and gave a loud shriek. Shit. Would that draw more?
Gary whirled around and sliced at the goblin. A black ribbon of blood oozed from the superficial wound.
The goblin snapped its teeth and racked its claws against Gary’s chest, tearing his shirt and nicking his skin.
Gary gasped and staggered back. He hadn’t felt a jolt that time. He had felt pain. Real pain. Actual pain.
What the hell?
Taking a few more steps back, Gary glanced all around and spotted a nearby tree. He raced over, his legs moving more haphazardly and zigzagging more than heading directly for the tree. He jumped up, grabbed a branch, and swung up.
The goblin gave chase, but Gary was logging off.
Correction. Gary was trying to log off, but he couldn't.
There was no menu. No options. No way to see his gear or his attributes. Nothing at all.
Had the lightning gone through his headset to the game? Was there a glitch? Why couldn’t he log off?
Maybe because of the same reason why he felt actual pain.
Maybe because of the same way that he could smell the goblin.
He hadn’t been able to smell anything before. Of course not. The game wasn’t real. He could see and hear things, but not smell, not taste, not feel pain.
Gary grabbed a leaf and put it in his mouth. He spat it out. Yep. He could taste all right.
“Fuck me running,” he muttered. “Am I really in the game? No. No, that can’t be. This is a dream. A nightmare. I got struck by lightning and blacked out. I’ll wake any second. Any second now.”
Except you didn’t feel pain in dreams, either.
The goblin was beneath him, jumping up, trying to grab his boot, failing. Gary jumped down straight on top of him and shoved the dagger into the goblin’s eye. The creature’s body jerked and then stilled.
