“We have to go back to the silo islands,” I say to the guys, frantic. “Myco is probably there now. She’ll be worried about us, and if the Moderators find her—”
“She’s not going to be there,” Lucas says, interrupting me. His eyes are wide with concern.
“You can’t know for sure,” I plead as the warble in my voice betrays me. “She can’t be gone for good.”
“She is,” Rohan says. “There’s no coming back from here. I’ve seen it many times before. That’s the risk you take when coming to Death Island.”
“I need to see for myself.” I’ll make it back to the transport silos with or without them.
A light flickers before my eyes and I jump back. Lucas and Rohan stand beside me as a holographic, virtual display bursts with bright blue light above us. Spanning nearly half the arena, the translucent rectangle curves around us in a panoramic view.
We turn to each other, all looking for answers when text flashes in the massive display.
Congratulations on completing Silos 1. You have reached Level 10 and defeated a top-level boss. You have gained access to Silos 2: Salvation. Return to the nearest Shift Silo for immediate access to the immersive Salvation world. You will have access to communicate with other players via the virtual chat system. This map level is exclusive to only the top players in the world.
My heart plummets.
“Salvation is new map level?” Lucas asks. “It can’t be.”
I choke out a laugh. There’s nothing remotely funny about our situation. Myco is dead, and we’re still stuck inside of a game, but I can’t help but laugh as our hope shatters before our eyes.
Everything I’ve been told about my reality is true. I am nothing more than a programmed avatar in a simulation.
Rohan kicks his sword, and it lands several feet away. The energy around the blade shimmers and then fizzles out. “Of course the game would do this. It’s all crap.”
“You knew?” I ask. “What was the point of all this?”
“I didn’t know,” Rohan says. “But the game always manages to win. I hoped for more.”
His gaze meets Lucas’. Lucas shakes his head. “This can’t all be for nothing.”
“Well, it is,” I say, staring at the ground where Myco should be. “It was a foolish plan.”
“We’re different than the rest,” Lucas insists. “Why are the Moderators interested in us if we’re just a part of the game? There has to be more to this—to us—out there.”
“There isn’t,” I say flatly. “We’re just broken code.”
If the Moderators had appeared at that moment, I wouldn’t even put up a fight. Maybe it’s better that way.
Rohan mumbles to himself, stewing as he goes off to retrieve his sword.
Lucas approaches me. I hold up a hand, not wanting him to try and touch me again.
“Esa, you can’t give up this easily. We’ve been up against worse enemies.”
“Yeah, bosses,” I say. “We’re up against the game. A never-ending one. It’s useless.”
“It’s not,” he says. “There has to be more.”
I scoff and look up at Rohan who paces on the other end of the arena. “Why aren’t you giving up? We’ve lost, Lucas. It’s over.”
“I won’t give up, because I…”
“You what?” I ask, frustrated.
Lucas shifts his eyes from me. “I feel something for you, and I can’t explain it.”
A breath catches in my chest. “What?”
He turns back to me. “I . . . I just need you in my life.”
I stare at my boots. I can’t ignore the connection I’ve had with Lucas. Since the start, we’ve been close with each other. Differently than I am—was—with Myco. I didn’t think it was anything more than an affinity for one another because we were sentient avatars.
Lucas swallows hard and steps forward, cautiously, as if I’m a snake about to strike him. “I want to keep you safe, Esa. I can’t explain it. Ever since I first met you, there’s something there. I feel like I need to be here for you. You consume my thoughts. So, if you leave, I don’t know what that would mean.”
The truth settles in my stomach like a boulder.
“Please come with us,” he says. “We need to stick together, now more than ever.”
The lava wall opens again, breaking me from my thoughts.
Rohan rejoins us, his sword at his side. “Are we leaving now?” He didn’t hear our conversation.
Lucas looks to me for the answer. I don’t want to travel alone to look for Myco, and there is something inside of me that feels like there’s more I need to do. I feel something for Lucas, too, but this could all just be a trick, or code. Maybe I can see how Salvation plays out and still come back for Myco later.
“Yes,” I say.
Lucas embraces me, and I don’t pull away. “Thank you.”
When we pull apart, Rohan is already heading off toward the exit.
“Rohan!” Lucas calls out to him. “Wait for us.”
He ignores us and moves out of sight, around the corner.
As we retrace our steps down the path curving around the mountain, Myco fills my thoughts. Staying with the guys seems like the smart choice, but my heart is torn. What if Myco wakes up in the respawning silo and tries to come back to Death Island to find us and we aren’t here? How does Rohan really know that no one comes back from Death Island?
I’m not sure if I can live with myself if I find out we left her alone in this level.
My mind wanders, and we make it back to the Shift Silos quicker than I thought. Farther down the path, Rohan halts in his tracks. A group of Moderators block our way to the Shift Silos.
“Run!” Lucas calls to Rohan as he latches onto my wrist to pull me away.
“No,” I command, pulling my arm from him. “I’m done running.”
CHAPTER 22
FROM ATOP THE hill that sits in front of the Shift Silos, the Moderators seem small, yet I know the power they wield and the danger before us. Five men and two women stand ready to take us down.
“Esa.” Lucas stands in front of me, blocking the wall of Moderators. “We can’t win against them.”
“What do you suggest, Lucas?” I ask. “We don’t have the device anymore. Even if we run, they’re going to find us eventually. We might as well go down fighting.”
A vision of Myco’s innocent face enters my thoughts, strengthening my determination.
Lucas hangs his head. “There must be another way.”
“There isn’t,” Rohan says, coming up beside us.
The Moderators haven’t moved from their spots, their eyes locked on us. There’s no way we can outrun them now. The only thing we can do is fight.
“Level 10 might help us take them down,” Rohan ventures, but there’s no confidence in his voice. Going up against high-level bosses is nothing compared to the horrific death the Moderators have planned for us.
“It’s everyone against me once again,” Lucas says with a small smile. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I guess if we’re going to do this, we might as well stick together.”
Rohan pats a hand on his friend’s back. “I’ve had a hell of a time fighting with you. Now it’s time for a real challenge.”
Lucas doesn’t take his eyes off me, but I don’t allow myself to look away from our enemy. Seeing them again is more than unnerving. They’re far too still—not much life moves through them outside of the game code.
The lead Moderator breaks from the group, once again showing his authority over the other clones. Their stiff, dark coats blend into the ash-covered terrain.
“The game is over for you,” he calls. “We will not allow sentient avatars through to Salvation.”
The other Moderators all nod at the same time, as if they’re strung together like puppets.
I step forward, and Rohan and Lucas don’t miss a beat. They’re beside me, showing the Moderators that we’re a united front, too.
“If tod
ay is my last day to live, at least you can tell me who we truly are,” I plead to the Moderator. The Moderator couldn’t look any more menacing. The way his eyebrows pull together sends a shiver down my spine. “You are nothing more than a defective interface that will be purged here, or outside the game if necessary.”
“Outside the game?” Rohan whispers.
My heart skips a beat.
“Push them further,” Lucas says to me.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” I say to the leader as I stall the inevitable. As long as the Moderators stay put, so will we.
“Why are we a threat to you?” Rohan asks.
“You are no threat to us. You simply are not allowed to continue existing,” the Moderator says, then waves his hand in the air.
The others step forward. There are seven Moderators in total and, in the palms of their hands, they each carry the small device used to delete avatars.
My throat clenches. This is it. Recalling what happened to Lucas, I can’t help but recoil. If we’re going to die, it’s not going to be painless. We’re in over our heads, yet there’s nothing else we can do. Treating them like another boss fight may be the only way to give us a sliver of a chance to win.
The lead Moderator stretches his lips into what appears to be a smile, but there’s no happiness behind his eyes. Only victory.
“We can’t go anywhere near the devices.” Lucas’ voice shakes a little.
“They all have them,” I say.
“We have weapons, too,” Rohan reminds me.
Gripping my daggers, I squeeze them in my hands as if they’re a lifeline. I focus on the Moderator closest to me and throw one at her head. My aim is off, but the dagger knocks the device out of her hand. That works, too.
Her head whips in the direction of the lead Moderator, the corners of her lips tugging downward.
I pull my dagger back to me, and the device comes with it. Removing the blade from the device, I realize there’s no way that it’s usable now.
“Well, that’s promising,” Rohan says with a smirk.
Lucas readies his rifle and Rohan pulls his sword from its sheath.
“Take down the devices first. Then we have a chance,” Rohan says.
The lead Moderator cocks his head and calls for the others to attack. I lunge forward, but Lucas grabs my arm, forcing me to stop.
“Make sure you keep your distance. Those devices seem to have a short range.”
“We should split up,” Rohan urges.
Lucas nods and turns to face the approaching Moderators.
Rohan steps forward. “Let’s mo—”
Before he can finish his words, I take off to the right. In a beat, Rohan catches up and runs straight for the middle of the pack while Lucas goes to the left. The seven Moderators split off as well. We’ve successfully culled the herd.
The shots from Lucas’ rifle pulse and two devices shatter in their Moderators’ hands.
Rohan flies by a different Moderator, slashing at her hand before she can react. The Moderator hits the ground, grabbing at her wrist. The device slides several yards back. Rohan pierces the device with the tip of his sword, breaking it in half. Without a second glance, he goes for another Moderator.
An isolated Moderator throws his fist out at me, holding a device in his hand. He’s about to activate it, but I bend backward, kicking the device into the air. Snapping back into a standing position, I look around, wondering where the heck that move came from.
The Moderator runs for the device, but I kick him in the shin and he tumbles to the ground. His cheek skids across the charred ground. I smash the device with my foot just as he reaches for it.
“Fall back!” the lead Moderator yells.
The disarmed Moderator leaps up and rushes back to his leader. The seven of them huddle in a group and Lucas and Rohan come to my side.
“I took out three devices,” Lucas says, drawing in deep breaths. “Did you guys get the rest?”
“Yup,” Rohan says. “We’ve leveled the playing field a bit.”
Hopefully the Moderators will stand down now that they can’t delete us. We’re the only ones with weapons.
The lead Moderator rolls his neck and narrows his eyes at us. “Well, it appears you have all leveled up since our last encounter. Without our deletion devices, we will eliminate you by hand.”
“Over my dead body,” Rohan snarls.
“Exactly,” the Moderator replies. He snaps his fingers and the other six charge us.
With no device to fall back on, they move like lightning. I blink once, and one of them is in front of me. I don’t have time to throw a dagger before his fist connects with my jaw. A joint cracks in my neck at the impact. For a moment, all the air is taken out of my lungs, but I find the strength to block his next blow. He goes for my stomach, but his fist only grazes my side as I twist away.
Sounds of fists and feet against other bodies fill the air as I try to ward off this Moderator. I taste blood as it pools in my mouth. Lucas and Rohan groan and grunt, and I know they aren’t any better off than me. We’re outnumbered, and the game always wins.
Rohan’s battle cry rips from up ahead. Blocking another punch from the Moderator, I glance at the guys and see Rohan take one of them down with a severe kick to the midsection.
Something perks up inside of me, and I recall what Rohan had said earlier. We’re Level 10 now. The voice said Level 10 would lead us to Salvation. Would it also lead us to the Moderators’ defeat?
A Moderator wraps his arms around Lucas’ mid-section, attempting to take him down. Lucas slams his elbow into the attacker’s head. The female Moderator falls and struggles to get up from the ground.
Locking eyes with the Moderator next to me, I swing around, sending my foot into the air. The crunch of bone against my boot rings in my head like the sweetest bell. The same feeling I had in the merchant village fuels me. The Grip isn’t with me, but the strength and energy are.
Avoiding another punch, I shove a dagger into the Moderator’s mid-section. His eyes flash wide as shock fills his face. I pull the dagger from him, and a second later he explodes into white hot particles until he’s nothing.
Energy rips through my every muscle. I feel invincible. The power that Level 10 has given us is exhilarating. Turning, I see Lucas with his boot planted onto a Moderator’s back, pinning the enemy down. He points the plasma weapon at the Moderator’s head and fires. The damaged body fractures into intense light before fading away.
Just a few yards behind Lucas, Rohan pulls his sword from the back of another Moderator. He shields his eyes as his attacker explodes.
Lucas is closer to the Shift Silo. He stands above the lead Moderator, who scurries back on the ground, fear now filling his gaze.
I run to Lucas and Rohan follows closely behind me until we flank our friend on each side.
The Moderator drags his leg as he slides back. What looks like blood percolates from an open wound on his thigh. He can’t stand up.
“Blood is a nice touch,” I scoff. “Odd for a program like yours, but I guess nothing about this place makes sense.”
“This is not over,” he says, even though “game over” is clear for him. “You cannot enter Salvation. The system will not let you live. We are everywhere.”
I kick him in the face, and he goes down. “That’s for Myco. Oh, and Kara, too.”
His eyes close for a moment before they flutter open again.
“We’re done playing this stupid game,” I say through gritted teeth. “It’s time to take the system down.”
Gripping my dagger, I crash to the ground and dig the blade into his chest, his body giving little resistance as I plunge the weapon deeper into him.
His head snaps back and he wails. A burst of light breaks through his chest, and I shield my eyes as his entire body trembles. He sputters and coughs before he begins to implode like the others.
His screams cut off as he disappears into the air, immediately replaced by t
he rumblings of active volcanic mountains.
I draw in a deep breath and exhale. “Is it over?”
“I don’t know . . . I think so,” Lucas says, looking around. Nothing is keeping us from the Shift Silos, yet none of us move.
“I guess Level 10 is no joke,” Rohan says, looking over his hands and arms.
I’m not sure why, but I laugh, letting out a huge breath as I step back on wobbly legs. Lucas grabs my hand to steady me and, for once, I’m able to match his smile.
Rohan claps a hand on Lucas’ back, then pulls us in for a group hug. Our breathing hasn’t slowed, but an unexpected release of tension eases my mind and body. We reached Level 10 and defeated the Moderators. There isn’t anything else to do except to move onto Salvation.
“Let’s get off this hell hole,” Rohan says, dropping his arms over our shoulders.
He’s heavier than he looks, yet I wrap my arm around his waist to keep myself upright. “I could really use an orb right about now.”
“Maybe we won’t need one where we’re going,” Lucas says. “It might be another level, but it has to lead us to something more. It has to.”
“I don’t know,” I say, stepping forward. “Anything is better than this island.”
Entering the Shift Silo, we find the display is already lit up. Lucas traces the symbol on the screen with his finger. “It’s an infinity symbol.”
“It looks familiar,” I say, tilting my head to the side. I’ve seen it before, but I can’t recall where.
“The tattoo,” Rohan says. “This is where Kara was leading us. It wasn’t a key, it was a confirmation for where we need to go.”
Lucas continues running his finger over the display, following the contours of the shape. “The symbol on my body had a break in the loop. This one is complete. I wonder what that means.”
Lucas and Rohan share a look, and I cross my arms. It feels like all the answers we get just lead to new questions.
Text lights up the screen above the symbol. “Salvation” reads across the smooth panel. It makes everything we went through even more real.
“Kara pointed us in this direction,” Lucas says
“The only thing we have left to do is get there,” I say.
Avatars Rising: SILOS I Page 16
