Avatars Rising: SILOS I

by David R. Bernstein

  “The voice we heard has been the first clue about what we need to do since Kara’s death,” Rohan says. “I guarantee other avatars wouldn’t have a problem with killing.”

  I sigh. “We’re not like the rest of them, remember?”

  “To save us and possibly everyone here, it’s what we have to do,” Lucas says. “Unless another solution comes our way, it’s the only path we can take.”

  Lucas’ words float around in my head, and I turn them over, desperate to prove him wrong. The only comfort that eases my mind is that avatars respawn with no memories. I’ll be the one who will remember for them.

  “Okay,” I say. “If this is the only way, then that’s it.”

  Myco cuts a look my way.

  I shrug. “If something better comes up, we can always change our path. But what else can we do?”

  Myco turns away from me. Her death lingers between us. It’s too heavy to tackle at the moment.

  “We should all get some rest,” Lucas says, interrupting my thoughts. “We have another few hours until we need to get out of this place. You two get some sleep. Rohan and I will keep watch a little while longer.”

  I don’t argue with him. I need time to digest all this information. Maybe Myco will feel better about our group decision in the morning.

  Myco and I settle on the ground next to each other. Before I find a comfortable spot, she’s already asleep. I try to stay awake while keeping still. As much as I’m glad to have the guys on our side, I still don’t trust them completely. They were so eager to take the first watch. I wonder if they have another plan they’re not telling us.

  I strain to listen to them, but neither speaks. Soon enough, I give up, allowing myself to relax until it’s time to keep watch.

  As I drift off to sleep, my mind starts to wander to the woman I saw when I was on Myco’s silo island. Hearing about Lucas’ sister makes me think this woman is real. She’s a part of me, I just can’t remember how or why.

  I glance at Myco, still asleep, then roll over and shove the woman from my mind. That conversation is for another day.

  CHAPTER 15

  THE POUNDING OF my hard footfalls vibrates through me. The wind whips through my hair, filling my nose with the swampy scent of the merchant island. My eyes focus on the village ahead of me, and my mission drives me forward.

  Even though my body knows what I’m supposed to do, I don’t remember getting to where I am. Am I dreaming? Where are the others?

  The world seems too real to be a dream.

  I glance behind me. I’m alone. How did I get out of the hut without anyone coming with me?

  Charging through the jungle, the activity of the village comes into view. My head turns side-to-side as if an invisible force moves me against my will.

  “No…”

  The word falls from my lips.

  The Grip must have come while I slept. I should have stayed awake. If I’d stayed conscious of our situation, the Grip might have stayed away, though I’m not sure about that at all.

  Myco’s innocent face flashes through my mind. I left her. Fear floods my core, but it doesn’t slow me.

  I try to fight my Hold, but it’s no use. The Grip is so much stronger than me. I glance down at my hands, open at my sides as I run. Even trying to close them proves difficult. Whoever my Grip is, they have me on a short leash.

  My breathing is even and steady. That feeling of fearless inner strength is with me once again. While that should scare me, a sense of calmness runs through my veins. Now that I know someone really is with me. A battle wages inside me: free myself from this internal prison or emmerse myself in the moment?

  I scan the area, seeing if there’s something—anything—to stop me. Maybe if I steer my body toward a rock that is jutting out of the ground, I’ll be able to trip and knock the Grip out of me?

  But I can barely move my hands, never mind my legs. Instead, I continue to run, passing sparse huts and muddy paths, and avoid all tripping hazards.

  Glancing around for the Moderators, I fear that my Grip will give away my existence. Separation from the device will only destroy me. I hope I can make it back to the hut in one piece before a Moderator spots me.

  I reach the village and scan the area. My gaze stops on each avatar as if I’m searching for one in particular. I stalk through the village, clearly looking for someone who’s player controlled. I don’t care for blank stares; I’m looking for something and won’t stop until I find it.

  As though I’ve been handed an orb, my muscles don’t waver, and my mind is clear. I’m no longer tired. Rather, I’m blood-thirsty. I remember feeling that way when I first fought Myco.

  I’m about to do something I will regret. I feel it. Each time I try to stop myself, the Grip pushes me forward. We’re having a battle inside my mind. It’s easier to hold onto my thoughts this Grip episode, and I wonder if that’s because I’m sentient. I may not have full control over my body, but I’m fighting back. At least a little bit.

  Reaching a small, tattered merchant structure, I find exactly what I’m looking for. Inside there’s a female avatar bartering with a merchant. She’s taller and more muscular than me, but I don’t care. It’s what’s in her hand that I want. The red orb glows as the merchant hands it over to her.

  I grit my teeth, desire for that glowing orb driving me forward. A shred of guilt flows through me for what I’m about to do, but as I step toward the door, the regret disappears.

  I expect her to absorb the orb right away but, stupidly, she goes outside. Causing a fight in the middle of the street would definitely catch a Moderator’s attention.

  She glances around, wary of the others milling about the village. She turns a corner around the shop, and I quickly follow.

  The woman wanders down a darkened corridor between two buildings, and I know this is my only chance. A surge of adrenaline shoots through me and I sprint toward the alley, kicking up mud as I pick up speed. The orb will be mine, no matter what it takes.

  Peering around the corner, I see her standing in the middle of the alley. She holds the orb in her hands, a smile crossing her face.

  Not for long.

  I spring forward and attack. Taking her by surprise, I slam her against the stone wall of the building.

  “What the—” she says right before I drive my fist into her cheek. Blood spurts out of her mouth, and I inhale the scent of the coppery liquid. She twists to the side, dropping the red orb out of her hand. It floats just above the ground in front of me.

  I reach out, grab it, and twist my arm so the orb is safely out of her reach behind my back.

  “That’s mine!” she says and kicks out, her face filled with life. She’s controlled by her Grip, too.

  I jump back as her heel grazes my thigh, and then kick her right in the gut. Hard. She lets out a wheeze before her body crumples to the ground.

  Without hesitation, I pounce. I grab her throat with my free hand. She kicks her legs out in an attempt to buck me off, but she’s not as strong as me. I drive my knee into her chest and hold her in place. I squeeze my hand tighter around her neck. She claws at my arm, frantically kicking her feet. Her eyes widen with fear.

  I don’t let her feeble attempts deter me. I clutch her throat until her body stops fighting me and her eyes stare blankly at the sky. I squeeze once more to make sure she’s done before I move away from her.

  Drawing in a full breath of air, I bring the orb out in front of me. Checking both ends of the alley, I hold it up over my head. Even though I only remember receiving one red orb, the movement is almost like a reflex.

  The orb absorbs into my body and an insurmountable strength courses through me. I feel a tightness in my muscles as they draw in the energy. The power I drink in is so overwhelming that I momentarily forget I just killed someone.

  I stare at the woman lying on the ground and drop down next to her. The freckles across her nose and cheeks make her seem more real. And I just killed her without a second thought. F
or what? More strength? Was this worth it?

  Each kill rips away a piece of my soul—if my soul even exists. Yet, when the Hold comes over me, there’s no stopping it.

  My hands tremble as the weight of what I did presses down on me. I knew what I was doing the whole time, but I wasn’t strong enough to stop it.

  My heart pounds in my chest. I’m different from this girl. She’s just a controlled program. For some reason, that thought eases my mind. Thinking of her as just a program makes me believe she’ll respawn with no memories of this encounter.

  I barely gave her enough time to react anyhow. Maybe that’s how I’m supposed to level up. It’s sneaky and unfair, but at least I don’t need to drag out anyone’s suffering.

  Wait. How is this possible? I thought orbs could only be obtained through event fights or trade? Just as soon as the thought flits across my mind, the concern disappears.

  I stand up, hoping my Grip leaves after getting what they wanted. But the feeling of someone watching me doesn’t leave my body. My legs start moving again without my permission. The Grip isn’t done hunting yet.

  Knowing I’m unable to stop myself, I give in to the Hold, allowing myself to lose full control. The mission is clear, and I’m going to carry it out whether I want to or not.

  This time, the Grip leads me to another merchant building. Inside, a male avatar punches a merchant in the face and reaches behind the counter, grabbing a red orb. He bursts from the store and sprints toward the center of the village.

  I take off in his direction and quickly catch up. The lingering effects of the previous red orb make this kill much easier. Leaping onto his back, I wrap my legs around his middle and place my hands on either side of his head, twisting.

  His neck snaps and we both fall to the ground. I roll off him before his body drops and grab the red orb, absorbing it quickly. I’m not sure if I’ll feel any different since I’m still experiencing the effects of the other one. But once the energy absorbs into me, I feel as if I’m ten feet tall.

  Charging through the village, not caring if anyone spots me, I stumble across another trade going down. This time, two avatars walk out of a shop, each one holding an orb. As much as I want to take both of them down with my hands, I’m realistic. I can’t risk respawning and losing progress.

  I side-step both avatars as they pass by me, not wanting to draw their attention. In a swift move, I grab a gun from a neighboring avatar, and then quickly jog up to the orb-carrying avatars and take them out with headshots. Before they even know what happened, they fall to the ground.

  Absorbing the red orbs makes me feel invincible. I can take out every single one of these avatars if my Grip wants me to.

  A breath catches in my throat and I fall to the ground. Landing hard on my knees, I try to inhale but I can’t. It’s as if my soul is stripped from my body. Black spots fill my vision for a few seconds before I realize what happened.

  Four orbs were stolen, and my Grip has had enough. Just like that, I have full control of my body again.

  Glancing around at the crowd, no one notices what I’ve done. They don’t care that I’m on the ground next to two dead avatars, either. They all walk around me, focused on their own missions. I shudder. This place is a horrible den of murder and betrayal. This type of devious behavior didn’t happen on the arena island.

  In the few moments I take to gather myself, I watch another attack go down, just as brutal as what I did. I need to get away from here.

  Standing up, I still feel the remnants of the orb’s energy, but that extra bit from the Grip is lost for good.

  Well, at least for now.

  I shove loose strands of hair out of my face while I dart off toward a hidden space between two buildings. My chest squeezes as the memories of my kills launch to the front of my mind.

  What the hell was I thinking? Why didn’t I fight harder to stop? The Grip confuses me to no end. Instead of fighting fair, I ambushed other avatars trading for red orbs. I wonder if those orbs—since they were not earned—even count toward my Level. Rohan would know the answer, but I have a new sense of strength inside me. It almost forces me to stand taller. I must’ve leveled up.

  The world tilts on its axis as I think of Rohan. My friend’s faces fill my mind. I left them in the hut. I have no memory of escaping. Did any of them try to stop me?

  I clutch the sides of my head and close my eyes, trying to remember anything after I fell asleep.

  I groan. It’s no use. I went to sleep, and then I was running in the forest. Who knows what I did to escape the hut. There were boxes above the hatch. How was I able to move them without alerting the others? Thinking of them hurt—or worse—because of my Grip makes my stomach flip-flop.

  I tear off toward the woods, hoping and praying that they’re okay. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself if they aren’t.

  CHAPTER 16

  THE VILLAGE IS a straight shot from the hut we hid in. But, I’m disorientated by the very real fear that I killed the only people who knew anything about my situation. A thudding in my chest echoes through me. If I’ve killed my friends, then there’s no reason for my leveling up. I’d be alone again, taken out in no time when the game and Moderators flag my code.

  I tear through the village, not caring when I slam into two other avatars. I split through them as they fly back against the surrounding vegetation. Just like before, no one stops me or even cares to yell at me. They aimlessly wander about, going through the motions before the Hold will take them next.

  Soulless code.

  The path to the hut comes into view. It’s nothing more than a faint trail that would be consumed by this dense jungle in days. I pull from the strength the orbs gave me and run faster than I ever have before. The trees and huts around me blur into a mass of dark shadows. My breaths come out in short bursts as I pump my arms. Myco’s face flashes before my mind.

  Please let her be alive.

  Something fast shoots out of the forest next to me. I barely have a second to turn before it careens into me, slamming into my shoulder. I fall back. The momentum from running forces my legs to give out from under me.

  “What the hell?” Rohan growls.

  I jump up from the ground, coming face to face with him. “You’re alive!” I say, grabbing onto his arm to make sure he’s real.

  He pulls away from me, rubbing his arm as if I hurt him. “Of course. Where the hell were you?”

  I barely register the pain in my shoulder. I guess I have the orbs to thank for that. “In the village.”

  “Without us?” he asks. “Are you nuts? You could have been spotted by a Moderator. I can’t believe you did that. We’ve been looking for you all over the forest for the last couple of hours.”

  “Hours?” My time in the village seemed like minutes.

  “You disappeared before any of us woke up. We had to split up to find you. Now come on. We need to get back inside the masking device’s vicinity.”

  He trudges off in the direction of the hut, leaving me behind. I catch up to him within a few steps.

  “You were running pretty fast,” he says, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

  I bite back a smile. His eyes narrow. The seriousness of what I’ve done weighs on my shoulders, clearing the grin from my face.

  “I think I just participated in an event,” I whisper.

  Rohan stops in his tracks and turns to me. “You what?”

  “I’m sorry I left, but I have no memory of it,” I say. “That’s why I was running back to the hut. I wanted to make sure you were all safe. That I didn’t—” I can’t even form the words.

  “Your Grip took Hold of you?” Rohan asks.

  “Yes,” I say. “None of you woke up when I left?”

  He shook his head. “Lucas didn’t want to wake you two up, so he and I sat down at our posts and we must have passed out. I don’t even know how long I was asleep.” His eyes snap to mine. “What happened in the village?”

&
nbsp; I swallow down a lump in my throat. “I killed—I killed a lot of people. They were trading for orbs, and I just took them down. I had no control over anything. What’s worse is that the more orbs I absorbed, the less I cared.”

  Rohan’s eyes widen, and a sly smile crosses his lips. “You upgraded quickly, then? I didn’t even think that was possible.”

  “This isn’t something Grips do?” I ask.

  “I’ve never been in the Hold here on this particular island.” He shrugs. “Maybe it is. It feels like a cheat, but if you were able to get the orbs and reap their energy, then I don’t think the game knows the difference between an actual battle and stealing. This could be great news.”

  “You seem way too excited about this,” I say.

  His eyebrows mash together. “Don’t you see what this means? We have the capability of leveling up right here on this island, and quicker than I ever imagined. This might be the best route to achieve ‘Salvation’.”

  “I don’t know,” I say. “It doesn’t seem fair.”

  “Nothing about this is fair,” he snaps.

  “You remember what it’s like to have the Grip take over. It’s horrible. I just want it to stop. Forever.”

  “It’s not that easy. It takes time. You and Myco have been sentient for only a little while.”

  For a second, it almost feels like he’s trying to ease my mind. Rohan’s expression softens as his prickly exterior thaws a little. I wonder how much I can pry out of him when he’s like this?

  We’re close to the hut, and I don’t see Myco or Lucas anywhere. Rohan sticks his fingers in his mouth and lets out two sharp whistles. Hopefully they’re close.

  “Tell me about how you disconnected your Grip.” I lead him around one of the thicker trees nearby to shield us from any incoming Moderators.

  “Like Lucas said, we’re still not sure if we’re rid of them for good. When I first became sentient, I was in the forested silo area.”