by Eden Redd
The friends hugged each other before letting go. Morgan watched as Mina waved goodbye and walked toward her gothic home. Morgan turned and stepped toward his small house.
Stepping in and closing the door, shadowy darkness greeted the exhausted player. The first day and night was beyond what he expected. When he thought he had made a connection, monsters killed her. It was a sobering thought that the game was playing with some themes. He had played horror, fantasy and science fiction games before, but the realism he witnessed felt more than a simulation. It whispered to the inner thing in his psyche and he couldn’t shake the images of Karen’s lifeless eyes.
The player made his way to the bedroom when he looked into his unfinished study. Not sure if he would sleep well knowing he had to find work, Morgan stepped into the Study and sat behind the desk. Feeling the gun at the small of his back, he retrieved it and placed the weapon in the top desk drawer to his right. Morgan looked at the silver metal of the handgun, hoping he didn’t have to use it again before closing the drawer and facing the keyboard and screen.
Tapping at the keyboard, the screen came on with a long list of options. Scrolling through it, he saw job listings and clicked on it. Another list appeared, slowly running down with small descriptions next to them. The screen displayed basic information and didn’t show any graphics. Morgan wondered if it was meant to keep people off their computers and interact with each other in the environment. Whatever they meant, the player continued to eye the job listings so he could apply and just go to bed.
Eyes focusing, he stopped the jobs scrolling and clicked on the “Chef” position. The job took up the screen, detailing the duties for the position. Morgan read every line, intrigued with the idea of cooking. He never cooked at home and neither did anyone else. Home delivery and rations were staples in every tower. You wanted a pizza, you ordered it. You want Chinese food, you ordered it. You don’t have enough money for ordering food, you ate rations, which in a funny and ironic way, were delivered to you in large quantities.
A dark thought snaked into his mind as he clicked on the Accept button. A whisper touched him, agreeing that a skill with a knife could come in handy. A pop up appeared, indicating he got the job. Morgan let the inner shadow caress his thoughts and an e-mail alert appeared. Without thinking, the player clicked and opened it, the screen turning white. Morgan’s tired eyes grew sharper as only one sentence appeared to the left.
Yir has awakened, the email said.
Morgan was silent, eyes drinking in the words. A long moment ticked on until the player tapped the power command and the computer screen died.
“Yir needs to stop spamming me,” Morgan growled before standing up and making his way to the bedroom.
Flopping onto the bed, Morgan let his eyes drift closed as exhaustion seeped into every muscle. With a small exhale, he fell into a fitful sleep. Dreams crashed on the shores of his mind. Dark forms rose up from the waters and Morgan walked toward them with open arms. A buzzing sound vibrated through the air as shadows stepped closer, kissing Morgan on his naked chest and neck. There was no fear as the shadows crowded around, touching and pawing at his skin. The player basked in it, bonds forming while the buzzing grew louder.
Morgan let the shadows caress his body when a giant bee appeared in air the above him. Waves touched the beach as Morgan looked up in the brilliant daylight. The bee hovered down, pointing its stinger at the player as the shadows grew rougher with him. The insect was the size of a large car and the stinger gleamed in the sunlight. Shadows pulled at Morgan’s arms and legs, lifting him up. The player watched, hearing the bee make a deep guttural growl before it dove toward him, stinger aiming for his chest.
Morgan’s eyes opened and he let out a long exhale. Lungs burning, it felt like he was holding his breath for a long while. The buzzing continued and when the player sat up, he could hear it coming from outside. Seeing that he was still in his clothes, he rolled off the bed and stood up. Checking his watch, he saw that he had only slept three hours. Darkness under his eyes, he made his way through his house and to the front door.
The moment the sunlight touched him, the player blinked in agony. The brightness of the late afternoon dimmed and he stumbled into his front yard. Eyes adjusting, he looked over and saw that his neighbor was using a power trimmer on his bushes.
“Afternoon,” Richard said as he wore eye protection and headphones to cancel out the noise.
“Afternoon,” Morgan said, the noise of the machine driving him insane.
“Is the trimmer bothering you,” Richard said without turning it off.
“Yes,” Morgan said but wasn’t sure Richard heard him.
Richard nodded. “I’ll be done soon. You know, you shouldn’t sleep so late. Neighbors might get the wrong idea.”
“Is that right?” Morgan asked with an annoyed edge.
Richard continued, clearly not hearing him, “Yardwork is good for the soul. You should try it sometime. Your yard could use it.”
“Thanks,” Morgan growled.
The player was about to turn around when something moved in Richard’s second floor window. Morgan looked up, seeing two glowing dots in the darkness off a low shade. They were the same ones he noticed yesterday and he stood, mesmerized. The buzzing of the trimmer stopped and Morgan looked down to Richard’s stern gaze.
“What ya looking at?” Richard asked while holding the sharp trimmer up to chest level.
“Admiring your home,” Morgan lied.
Richard’s expression didn’t change.
“Do you have any family here?” Morgan asked.
Richard’s gaze narrowed before he let the trimmer fall to his side. “Nope, just me. The wife died a few years ago in a car accident. We never had any kids.”
“Sorry for your loss,” Morgan said softly.
“Don’t be. If she knew her place, she wouldn’t have died,” Richard said before turning on the trimmer and going back to work on his shrubs.
Morgan eyed his neighbor for a long moment before looking back to the window on the second floor. The two dots were gone and the shade pulled down. The player stared before turning and walking back into his home.
“What is this, suburban hell?” Morgan sighed as he pressed his back to the closed door.
Day two and an odd weirdness seemed to seep into the entire town. A thought stabbed at the player’s mind, whispering that his neighbor had someone locked away on the second floor for whatever reasons. It was enough to stir his curiosity, but not enough to investigate. He didn’t have enough points to go charging to anyone’s rescue. And frankly, it wasn’t his business. He joined the game to live a simple life, find love and win enough money to help a friend. It wouldn’t do him any good to confront his weird neighbor on why he had someone imprisoned in his home, if they were a prisoner.
Shaking his head, the player decided he needed to keep busy until he started work tomorrow. The day almost gone, he brought up his Build and Purchase menu. He still had about eight hundred bucks so he began shopping for some home furnishings. Knowing that he had taken a chef position, the player called up an island and tapped it on screen. It appeared in the middle of the kitchen as a rack of knives blinked onto the island and other silverware appeared in drawers. Moving on, he tapped at bundles of groceries and they appeared in his refrigerator. A dish rack appeared by the sink and dishes filled it. The more Morgan worked on the home, the better he began to feel. When the shopping and building was finished, he checked his stats.
Morgan Strange
Attractiveness - 2
Style - 2
Luck - 1
Skill - 2
Knowledge - 1
Job
Chef
Funds
278 DIM Bucks
Traits
Bookworm
Athletic
Brave
Artistic
Evil
Morgan nodded to himself, seeing that he still had a lot of work ahead of him to improve h
imself. The doorbell rang and shifted the player out of his inner thoughts. Walking from the kitchen and into the living room, he opened the door and saw Mina standing in her black and orange witch outfit with a bottle of wine in her hand. Without skipping a beat, she shoved the wine bottle into Morgan’s chest and stepped in.
“It’s starting to look nice in here,” Mina said as she made herself at home.
“How was work?” Morgan smirked before stepping to the kitchen.
“I couldn’t tell you,” Mina said loudly so he could hear her.
Morgan pulled two wine glasses from a cupboard and a cork screw from a drawer. A second later, the cork was out and wine pouring into each glass in turn. Wine bottle in his arm and hands picking up the glasses, the player made his way back into the living room and handed a full wine glass to Mina’s outstretched hand. Setting the bottle on the floor, the two friends clinked glasses and took a deep sip.
“Like don’t want to tell me or can’t tell me?” Morgan asked simply.
“You’ll see when you start. Have you picked a job?”
“Chef.”
Mina nodded. “Sounds like a good one. Romantic dinners are all the rage.”
Morgan looked down, swirling his drink. “I don’t know about any romantic dinners. The one person I connected with died.”
“There’s got to be a reason for it,” Mina took a sip and licked her lips.
“Have you encountered any strange things happening?” Morgan asked as he looked to his friend.
“Aside from an actual clown hitting on me and David nearly beating him to a pulp, no, everything is pretty status quo.”
Morgan nodded and took a sip. Mina watched her friend, seeing the events still weighing on him.
“I know this probably wasn’t what you expected when you joined the game, but I believe it will get better.” Mina said with a cheerful edge.
“Maybe,” Morgan said in a low tone.
“David’s party might be a great start to finding a new friend. He invited a lot of people and he messaged me to bring more food.”
Morgan snapped out of his darkness with a small smile. “He’s really taking to the game?”
“I think so. Anyway, do you have a game system? I thought we could play for a bit before I go home and spend my first paycheck.”
Morgan looked to the flat screen on the wall. Mina followed his gaze and let out a small laugh.
“I could buy one now but it will wipe out my bucks,” Morgan stated.
Mina brought up a buy menu, “Don’t worry. I’ll get it. Think of it as housewarming gift.”
The witch tapped at the catalog until a game system appeared. Double tapping, she swiped the 2D menu screen away. A black game console appeared under the flat screen with two controllers on top. The witch stood up, walked over and scooped them up. Returning to the couch, she placed one in Morgan’s hands and the flat screen glowed to life.
“Now get ready to get your ass kicked,” Mina grinned.
***
The door closed and Morgan left his hand on it, gaze drifting down and a warmth surrounding his heart. It was nice to simply spend time with Mina playing games. The fighting in the trenches was often too serious, never really leaving any time to enjoy the thrill and excitement. Here, in Digital Hearts, it was different. Time slowed down and the comfort of hanging out with a friend touched a long-negated part of his heart.
Darkness whispered once again as the warmth turned to claws in his spine. Memories of indulging his darker half mumbled along, teasing the player with a shadowy happiness he hated to admit. Even in the game worlds, there was no room for a crazy player with delusions of odd, red dreams.
Moving to the window, Morgan pulled aside the curtain and peered out in the dark of night. A few lamp posts glowed along the dark cul-de-sac, but nothing stirred. The darkness beyond their little street shifted like a primal beast. The player listened to its silent song, basking in dreams of running through the darkness, hunting and taking. Technology saved the human race, Morgan mused, but it never truly stopped the urges of humanity’s ancestors.
“We are beasts,” Morgan whispered as the curtain fell back into place.
Moving through his home, his thoughts floated to Mina and David. Best friends on vacation in a simulated life. Did he dare to enjoy it? Should the normalcy keep the urges at bay? An image of Karen climbed to the surface of his mind and the cold logic of not feeling anything for her played on like a demented symphony. Her death meant nothing, but why did he gain a heart for such a person?
Stepping into the kitchen, Morgan sighed, pushing away the darkness. He had a lot to do in the coming days and he wanted to be prepared. Hand touching the light switch, the player hesitated. A light scratching sound touched Morgan’s senses and his gaze pointed to the back door. The sound was barely noticeable, but it was there, consistent and desperate.
Morgan moved like a ghost to the backdoor, pressing his ear to it and listening. The scratching continued with slight pauses. Something was out there, but the player wasn’t sure it was trying to get in. Morgan reasoned it could be a wild animal and almost moved away when a small meow came through the door. Heart swelling, the player grinned as he wondered if the cat was hungry. Opening the door, darkness greeted Morgan as he had not put in lights for his backyard.
Something big pounced, crashing into the player as he was thrown to the tiled floor. Hands grabbed at the thing on him, grunting and pushing with all his might. The thing growled before it was knocked to the side. Scrambling to his feet, Morgan rushed to the kitchen island and drew a cutting knife from the wooden rack. Spinning around, sharp knife in hand, Morgan stared hard until a sliver of shock stayed his hand.
A woman crouched in the corner of the kitchen, wearing a single piece black bathing suit. Slitted eyes glared as a long tail vibrated with agitated menace. Pointed ears were folded back as white claws dug into the floor. Fur covered her forearms, shins and feet but for the most part, she looked like a full-grown woman.
Shock quickly died as Morgan let the knife drop to his side. Eyes widened and shifted to kindness as the player saw that she was scared. The player noticed a black leather collar around her neck with a broken chain link. Putting the knife on the island, he knelt down slightly and held out a hand. The cat-woman eyed him, the tension in her ears bleeding away. Yellow eyes gleamed in the kitchen light as she crawled forward on all fours and sniffed at his hand.
“Hello,” Morgan said with an even tone.
The cat-woman sniffed a little more, her nose wrinkling with each inhale. A tense second ticked by and she pressed her head into Morgan’s hand. The player let his fingers glide through her long black hair as she purred.
“Where did you come from?” Morgan asked as he scratched behind her ear.
The cat-woman blinked as she purred. It was then that Morgan made the connection. The two glowing dots from his neighbor’s home glowed brightly in his mind when the doorbell rang.
The cat-woman slinked back, fear coloring her eyes and tail low. Morgan’s heart began to beat a little faster and anger touched his brow. Standing up, he motioned for her to stay in the kitchen before walking into the living room and toward the front door.
“Morgan, it’s Richard,” a voice came through the door.
Morgan unlocked and opened it. Before he got a word in, Richard pushed his way in, eyes wide and searching.
Morgan coolly turned to his rude neighbor, “Can I help you, Richard?”
“I know she’s here,” Richard said with a hard edge. “I’ve caught her watching you from her window. Tell me where she is and I’ll leave.”
“I don’t know what you’re…,” Morgan began before he was cut off.
“Don’t act like a moron. I know she’s here and if you don’t hand her over, I’m calling the sheriff.”
“Leave before I call the sheriff,” Morgan countered.
Richard ignored Morgan as he turned away, “Nikki, come here and I’ll reward you. Come to me
.”
Seeing the kitchen entryway, Richard made a beeline for it. Morgan followed instantly and both men entered the bright kitchen, the player following his neighbor. Richard scanned the room. Morgan watched and noticed Nikki was nowhere to be seen. Richard’s eyes caught the kitchen closet door and stepped toward it.
“Why do you keep her locked up,” Morgan said as he stood in front of the island, his back to it and an inner darkness rising up.
“She’s property,” Richard said with an annoyed edge. “She belongs to me and no one else. She will know her place.
Morgan’s hand moved behind him, touching the long, pointed knife. “That has to be the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard. Leave my home.”
Richard glanced back with a smug look before turning back to the kitchen closet door and touching the handle. “I’ll leave when I have what’s mine.”
The inner darkness flared as Morgan’s eyes narrowed. “Richard, when I played in arenas and dungeon raids, I always noticed two kinds of people. There are those who want to enjoy the game and play with their friends, and then there are the players who want to see others suffer.”
Richard hesitated as he spoke, not looking back, “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Morgan’s hand tightened around the handle of the knife. “I never had room in my life for the trolls, griefers and rude players. When I found out who they were, I hunted them. I made them suffer and then I insulted their corpses. No one should have to endure added pain for living their lives.”
Richard gave a sarcastic chuckle. “You’re just a man who doesn’t understand the order of things. When this is over, I’m going to make your life a living hell for lying to me.”
Richard opened the kitchen closet door and an evil smirk stabbed into his cheek. Nikki huddled in the closet, eyes wide and still as a statue. Knees to her chest and tail wrapped around her body, the cat-woman seemed to shrink further into herself.
“You’re coming home, you stupid bitc…” Richard’s eyes went wide.
“No, she isn’t, Dick,” Morgan whispered into Ricard’s ear, the knife buried between his neighbor’s ribs.
