As he turned it over and over in his hand, he realized how comfortable it was to him. As if it were personally fitted. He grabbed the hilt and stabbed the air downward like a dagger, and that was when he saw it. On the bottom of the pommel, at the base of the hilt, there was an eye staring back at him!
He dropped the sword and scooted across the carpet away from it.
It blinked!
Liam rubbed his eyes. It blinked again. "Whoa."
Shadow whimpered and backed away.
Slowly, he picked up the sword again and stared at the eye. "Can you see me?" Liam said aloud and then stuck his finger up his nose. "What am I doing? Does this gross you out?" But nothing happened.
"I must be seeing things, boy." He returned the sword to its sheath and then walked into the kitchen to get a snack.
He poured a tall glass of ice water and also gave some to Shadow. Then he grabbed a protein bar from the cabinet and tore into it. He hadn't eaten anything the whole trip. Deciding to take one for the road, he shoved another bar into his pocket where the note from the cemetery was. He unfolded it and read over the riddle again. He felt fortunate to stumble upon the Levy family mausoleum and find the sword.
Then, the initials in the bottom right corner caught his eye. M.P. He didn't pay much attention to it while in the graveyard, but now that he had a chance to ponder it, the initials seemed awfully familiar.
"Morgan! Morgan Paradise!" He jumped up and down with crazed excitement. "Holy crap! Is he trying to tell me something?"
Perhaps Morgan was somehow communicating through the game. Suddenly, the eye on the sword made sense.
11
As much as Liam didn't like the idea of being zapped back to his house after he had made so much progress, he felt a surge of warmth and familiarity wash over him once he realized Morgan was likely behind the clue that led them to the new weapons. The eye was a clue. A reminder to Liam to stop and look at what was going on around him, to really see what was happening.
Still, it would've been nice for that clue to become obvious while he landed in the next game setting instead of back at home. Liam wondered if that, too, was a clue. He was on his way over to Morgan's house to find out. Shadow followed along as Liam rounded the corner on to Maple Street.
Just a few houses down the street and then he raised his fist to knock on Morgan's door. The door opened before he could even knock, and Morgan quickly pulled Liam inside. "Get in, quick!" Shadow bolted inside just as Morgan closed the door.
"Morgan! It's really you."
Morgan locked the door and latched the chain guard. "Well, of course it's me. Who else would be dumb enough to do this twice? Um, present company aside."
"Why are you here, in the game?" Not that he minded, but Liam knew Morgan was alluding to the fact that at least Liam had a good reason to be back in the game world--he was hoping to rescue his best friend.
"There've been some developments." Morgan said as he peeked out the curtains.
"Developments?"
Morgan rested both prosthetic hands on Liam's shoulders. "Thank goodness you finally figured out my message. I thought you'd never show up."
"Show up? So the clue, the note about the treasure chest and the weapons, that was all you?"
"Well, yeah. I hoped my initials would've made that clear." Liam watched as Morgan checked again that the door was locked.
When Morgan noticed Liam was staring, he continued. "Sorry. I don't mean to scare you, but we can't be too cautious. Now that they know what I've done..."
"What you've done?"
Morgan finally sat down. "You might want to sit down, too."
Despite his best efforts to breathe normally, Liam's heart was beating fast. He didn't like the way Morgan was talking. Something was definitely wrong. Shadow sensed it, too. He always stayed close to Liam, touching his leg, when he was unsure of the situation.
Liam sat down on Morgan's couch and petted Shadow's head. "It's okay, boy."
"Long story short, I was able to hack into the code of the game. The sequel that you kids played to get back into the game world."
"You hacked the game?! Cool! Can you hack it to save Katie? And Rhonda and Caleb?"
"Not so fast there, kid. Someone running the game must've noticed my intruding. I'm sure security alerts were going haywire. Anyway, when they zapped your friends out of the graveyard, I knew I had to intervene."
"What do you mean?"
"I figured out a way to triangulate your location through the progress you were making in the game...," he waved his hand, "Eh, very technical stuff. So, I zapped you here."
"WHAT?!" Liam threw his arms up. "Why would you do that? I was so close to catching Thomas and Katie!"
"You'll get your chance at Thomas. Of that, I am sure. But now isn't the time."
Liam jumped to his feet. "But she's in danger!"
"Do you really think he'd hurt her without you there to witness it?"
Liam had already considered that possibility. "No, I don't. But I can't just leave her with him."
"Kid, you were walking into a trap."
Liam looked at Morgan, waiting for him to continue.
"Sit down." Morgan removed his fedora and scratched the top of his bald head.
Liam had never seen him without his hat on. He wondered if Morgan had always been bald or if he shaved his head once he lost his hands.
Morgan got up and went into the kitchen for a glass of water. When he returned, he had one for Liam and a bowl of water and a treat for Shadow. Then he continued, "After the game convention, I started poking around in the game code, eh... the code in the game that I originally wrote."
"The one that we all first played," Liam nodded.
"That's the one. I found some interesting things. Odd things."
"Like what?"
"Well, we already know that after they canned me, someone else took my code and altered it."
Liam interrupted, "That's right! Someone else implemented the VR elements."
Morgan continued, "Which is how you and your friends wound up in this game world. Heck, that's how I wound up here, too. We all played the game!"
Liam jumped at the sound of Morgan slamming his prosthetic hand into the coffee table. "Wh-what'd you find?"
"Names, social security numbers, and... blood types."
"Huh?"
"Like I said, odd things. At least for game code." Morgan reached down and patted Shadow on the head. He had made a fast friend thanks to the treat.
"Luckily, I was also able to get my hand on a copy of the game disc that HoriZon handed out at the convention. The same sequel that brought you and your friends here. And me."
"Did you hack it?"
"You bet I did. Funny thing. The VR code from the first game had been updated. It is much more complex. But I was able to decode it. Or at least, some of it."
Liam scooted to the edge of his seat. "What's it say?"
"Kid, HoriZon's making clones."
Liam swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn't have to ask if the clones were of people or not. "You mean... like, they're manufacturing... zombies?"
"'Fraid so."
"Bloodriver Cemetery," Liam said under his breath.
"Pardon?"
"The cemetery, all those tombstones. The names..."
"Real people."
The knot that had been forming in Liam's gut tightened. He was doing his best to keep up, but it was tough wrapping his head around something so abstract. It was hard enough remembering that he was living inside a video game.
"Those people," he swallowed again. "It was their names in the code?"
Morgan nodded, and then Liam continued. "We saw Katie's grave. And one for Rhonda's friend, Michael."
Morgan stared at Liam for a moment as if he were deciding how to say the next piece of news. "Liam," he began. It was unusual for Morgan to call Liam by name. "The girl you've been chasing..."
Liam's eyes grew wide and dark with fear and worry.
12
Liam didn't believe his ears. No way that what Morgan just told him was true. Of course that was Katie! He'd been following her ever since they all returned from the game world weeks ago. Sure, she wasn't exactly like her old self, but he knew it was her. She looked the same, she sounded the same, everything about her was the same. Well, except... her personality.
He flopped back against the couch.
"That's what I was trying to get you to see. I was intentionally cryptic with the clues. Time ran out once I realized they were on to me."
"I don't believe it." Liam ran his fingers through his hair.
"You couldn't have known. Heck, I had to hack their code to figure it out."
"Well, if that's not Katie, then where is she?" asked Liam.
"Sadly, I don't know."
Liam threw up his hands, and Morgan continued, "But I'm guessing that Thomas, or someone, does have her."
"What do you think he's got to do with this?"
"Heck, you know who he is. His father is the CEO of HoriZon, so he's gotta be involved somehow."
"But why would HoriZon want to make clones?"
"Got me."
"There's one thing that I don't understand how it fits," Liam began. "Katie's grave was undisturbed."
"Hmm?"
"The cemetery. Zombies climbed out of the graves and attacked us. But hers was undisturbed. Same for Michael's." He still held on to the hope that wherever she was, whatever she had become, there was not a zombified version of her running around.
Morgan sat back in his chair and did that thing he does when he's thinking--remove his hat and rub his head. "Well, that's interesting. That throws a monkey wrench in my analysis. I need to think about this for a minute." He stood up and paced back and forth mumbling to himself.
Liam watched him like a slow moving ping pong ball for no more than a minute. He jumped up. "We don't have time for this. I need to be out there looking for her. Zap me back to where I was."
"I still think you'd be walking into a trap."
"Then that's a chance I have to take." He looked Morgan in the eye and continued, "She's the best friend I've ever had."
"Okay, but I'm going with you."
"Uh... No offense, but what good are you gonna do when a horde of zombies surround us?"
Morgan looked down at his prosthetic hands. Liam didn't mean anything by it, but he had a point. Morgan's efforts were better served at his house decoding more of the game code.
"I'm sorry. That sounded really awful."
"No, no, you're exactly right. I'm more useful here. Follow me." They went upstairs where his computer was, and Morgan sat down at his desk. "I'm pretty sure I can transport you back to where you would have landed when you exited the staircase. It wasn't very clear, but it looked like you were about to land in a volcanic region."
"Oh, great. I've always loved the lava levels in games," he said with a sarcastic tone. "Do you think Rhonda and Caleb landed there, too?"
"Kid, I have a feeling you're gonna find what it is you're looking for." He forced a half smile. "Just be careful."
"I will. Thanks, Morgan, for all your help. You didn't have to come back here, but I'm really glad you did. You're a good friend, too."
Morgan nodded and said, "Looks like someone else would like to go."
Liam looked at Shadow who was panting and appeared eager to go with his master. "Wanna go on an adventure, boy?" Shadow whined and turned in circles like he was about to get a special treat. "Come on," Liam patted his leg so that Shadow would heal beside him.
"When you're ready to be zapped back, look into the eye on your sword. I'll be watching." Morgan winked.
Liam took a deep breath and said, "Beam us up, Paradise!"
Liam and Shadow were thrust back into a portal that seemed to pull and tug against them. They finally landed at the entrance to another cave. After making sure Shadow was okay, Liam pulled out Katie's scarf that he found in the jungle. "Here ya go, Shadow." The dog sniffed the scarf until he was satisfied he had gotten the scent.
Unlike the other cave, when Liam entered, he was blasted with a wave of hot air like he'd just stepped into a sauna. Hot and humid, it was the kind of atmosphere that had his clothes clinging to him after only a few minutes. They continued down a stone passage way, twisting and turning a few times, before finally reaching a small alcove. It looked like something straight out of an Elder Scrolls game with random stuff scattered around the dirt floors. He wondered if he pillaged the wooden crates if he would find food or a health potion.
Sadly, there was nothing of real use. Liam looked at Shadow, "I had to try."
They left the alcove and continued down the passage. The light from the room behind them finally lost its reach, and Liam had to break out his flashlight. "Stay close," he whispered to Shadow.
After a few more minutes, Shadow started sniffing the air. "What is it, boy? What'd ya smell?" He had her scent and took the lead, trotting a few steps ahead of Liam.
They soon rounded a corner and entered a long hallway where the walls were lined with coffins. It resembled the Levy mausoleum, only the crypts weren't enclosed. Liam put his hand out so that Shadow would heal beside him slowly. Maybe if they were quiet enough, they wouldn't disturb whatever was lying at rest in the graves. About halfway through, Liam thought they'd made it until he took a step and heard a CLICK.
All around them, stone coffin lids slid open. That guttural sound of concrete rubbing against concrete, knowing something was about to spring up out of the coffins, sent chills down Liam's spine.
"Oh, no." Liam drew his sword and spun around in a circle.
Groans, as zombies crawled from their stone graves, assaulted Liam's ears. He was ready. "Stay back, Shadow. I got this." He swung at the closest zombie and sliced right through its head. Turning around, he took out the next closest one. But then the zombies moved in closer, faster. He was swarmed!
Of course, telling a Labrador to stay when his master was in trouble was pointless. And thankfully, Shadow was a typical strong-willed dog who instantly leapt at a zombie and started nipping at its leg. His strong jaws latched on to a zombie's pants leg and Shadow pulled with all his might giving Liam the room he needed to slip by.
"Good boy, Shadow!" Liam sliced at the restrained zombie until it finally fell into a heap of dead flesh on the stone floor. "Who's next, boy? You grab 'em and I'll slice 'em down!"
With their great teamwork, the hallway was cleared in no time. Liam wiped the sweat from his forehead with his already dripping wet shirt. "Good thing I packed a water bottle." He gave Shadow a small amount of water and then took a sip for himself. As he bent down to put the water bottle back in his backpack, he noticed the hidden switch that he had stepped on earlier. "Guess someone didn't want visitors."
After walking through several more booby trapped rooms and dispatching more zombies, Liam and Shadow finally reached their destination. A huge stone hall opened up before them. Lava flowed through cracks in the floor until all the different streams met and formed a huge lake of fire and lava. Standing coffins lined the walls of the great room, and on the far side of the red lake lay an altar. Behind that, stood three tall stone pillars with chains connected from their tops. The altar hid whatever was held by the chains.
Liam wondered how they would get across to the other side. Although, truth be known, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was being held by those chains. He had already defeated a zombie giant and an enormous skeleton, but the thought of something so big, so powerful that it required chains to contain it gave him a bad feeling.
Suddenly, before he could give it more thought, the ground shook. Lava splashed from the cracks causing Liam to dodge the fiery hot liquid. The ground continued to rumble as two more stone pillars rose from the lake of fire. Chains could be heard clanking like a drawbridge was being lowered. Up, near the ceiling, a platform was lowering. Liam could see human figures on the platform, and as it
lowered into view, he realized who it was.
Thomas stood with his arms spread like some kind of angel, only he was no angel. Behind him was an iron cage, and the more the platform came into view, the clearer Liam could make out that it was Katie in the cage!
"Liam, help me!"
"Ah ha ha ha ha! Your girlfriend's calling, pee wee! Although, be truthful. Is she really your girlfriend?"
Liam wasn't sure what to make of that. Did Thomas know that Liam and Morgan had figured out about the clones? Or, was he just teasing him like usual? He wasn't ready to show his hand yet, especially since it wasn't much of one. "Let her go, Thomas! Whatever your beef is, it's between you and me!"
"Actually, I think it's between you, me, and your three friends."
"Huh?"
Thomas then flipped a lever and two more chains began lowering from the ceiling. On either side of the platform, two iron cages were being lowered onto the stone pillars that rose up from the lava. Inside each cage were his friends, Rhonda and Caleb!
Thomas clasped his hands together. "It's one big happy reunion!"
"Let them go, you sick creep!"
"Now, is that any way to speak to the guy who controls all your fates?"
Rhonda and Caleb called out for Liam. They were ecstatic that he was still alive and had come for them.
"Don't worry, I'll save you!" he yelled. Then he muttered, "Somehow."
Thomas clapped his hands like a toddler pitching a fit because he was being ignored. "Now that I have your attention, I have a story to tell. Did you ever hear the one about the boy who was so consumed with getting what he wanted, he didn't care who got hurt along the way?"
Liam glared at Thomas.
"It's a good one. You see, that boy was so bent on getting revenge, that he dropped his guard allowing the," Thomas made air quotes with his hands, "bad guy to get away while a zombie munched on his girlfriend. Right. Before. His. Eyes."
As he continued to stare at Thomas, Liam's eyes grew dark with anger. He clinched his fists over and over. Internally, he was wringing his neck.
Zombie Boy 2: Level Up (Adventures of Zombie Boy) Page 7
