by P. J. Hoover
“Now!” I shout, and we take off, covering the final distance from the last barrier to the edge of the field of lightning. Forms begin to take shape beyond. Columns and buildings that look like something from ancient Greek and Roman days. I focus on the nearest one, making it my goal.
When my feet finally leave the blue glass, stepping onto ground that looks like white marble, I keep running, not stopping until I reach a white building with columns that stretch up to hold a massive ceiling of stone. There is no sign of the other group that made it here before us. I turn back to the storm, watching it crackle and chase whoever else happens to be on it. We’re only about twenty feet away, but the storm stays contained. And for the moment we are safe.
Zachary sinks to the stone steps outside the building and runs his hands through his messy hair. “We seriously could have died out there. Seriously.”
I cock my head at him as I try to understand what he’s going through. It’s obvious that he’s scared as hell. But when it comes right down to it, he’s as responsible for this entire mess as Chaos is. He’s been behind the game of the gods as much as Iva or Raven or any of the other minor gods. And the fact that he would be upset that now he’s the one inside . . . it’s too much.
“We can still die,” I say, hearing my voice rise. My heart pounds as I try to get the adrenaline back under control. “Don’t you get it? This is what we’ve been going through from the second you shoved us into the simulation?”
Taylor looks like she’s ready to punch him, but instead she slams her fist into one of the white marble columns. A crack forms, running upward and downward away from her fist. “I hate this!” she shouts. “I hate everything about this. Now where’s that key?”
I blow out a long breath and look away from Zachary, because I’m pretty sure I’m going to punch him otherwise. I’m ready to drop. I sink to the ground. Sweat pours off me. My gray tank top is soaked through. Unlike the field of lightning, white light shines above, coming from a sun hidden behind the glare of brightness. It makes the marble ground glow, so smooth and even it’s like a rolling pin was used to level it. I press my hands against it, but then stop as my right hand rubs against something.
“Look.” I scoot to the side so Taylor and Zachary can see. Carved into the white marble is a letter: H.
“Hudson,” Taylor says without hesitation. “He’s leaving us a trail.”
God, I hope she’s right. It would great to know that something is going our way. If Hudson’s been here, then maybe that means he’s not that far ahead. If only he’d killed Owen by now that would be the best.
The thought is there before I can stop it. And yes, Owen has done so much to deserve to die. But for me to just think it, so casually . . . it’s not like me.
Unless this is the new me.
My heads-up display comes to life. The silhouette of Chaos appears. “You have entered Zone Alpha. Proceed ahead for your challenge. Only those who complete the challenge will be allowed to locate the key and pass into the next zone.”
It’s a reminder I don’t need.
“Thanks a lot,” Taylor says. “You’d think since my heads-up display got jacked, I wouldn’t have to listen to his nonsense.”
“So it works again?” I ask.
She points to her right eye. “Only on this side.”
If Chaos has fixed her heads-up display for the simulation, then that may mean he knows she has the Oculus. And with its abilities, I am almost certain it’s something he would want to get his hands on.
Zachary finally stands up, but he’s keeping his distance. I know I should feel bad for yelling at him, but everything is too much of a mess.
“Look, Edie,” he finally says, taking a step closer to me and Taylor. “I never really thought about it.”
Taylor whips around to face him. “Never thought about what? People dying because of the shit you made up? You know my brother died, right? You know that?”
He nods and swallows. “I know. I’m sorry.” He glances around, looking out at where we need to go. “But I think—”
Taylor gets right in his face. “You think what, god boy? And be really careful what you say here, okay?”
To Zachary’s credit, he doesn’t back down from Taylor and her wrath. “I think that . . . Okay, the storage banks . . . I think that if we can get to Main Control Room Alpha, we’ll be able to access them.”
“And what?” Taylor says. “Will that bring Adam back? Because as far as I remember, he died in the simulation.”
Zachary licks his lips before speaking. “He may have died, but if I’m right, he’s still stored there. You all probably are.”
I’m not sure either of them blink.
Then Taylor says, “What are you saying, god boy?”
Another swallow. “I’m saying, that if we can actually get access to the storage, and if his memory bank wasn’t one of the ones that was destroyed, then we can bring him back.”
Bring him back. The words hang there in the air like real things. If there is really a chance that Adam could be brought back . . .
I try not to move. This is not the time to draw attention to myself. The muscles in Taylor’s face contort as she tries to come to terms with what Zachary is saying. I get it. She doesn’t want to believe him, not if it means she’ll lose Adam all over again if what Zachary is saying is a lie.
“Why are you telling me this now?” Taylor says. “How come you didn’t mention this before, back when we were inside the storage area?”
He points to his eyes. “The heads-up display. I guess I got one, too. And during that whole intro to the simulation thing, I tried to poke around a bit behind the scenes of the simulation.”
Of course he did. Zachary may be a god, but he’s also a programmer.
“What did you find?” I ask. Unlike Taylor, I am willing to step out on the bridge of hope.
“I saw the control room,” Zachary says. “There are all sorts of data signatures pouring off the place. Code scrolling around. Data storage statistics. Outer world simulations. It’s all in there. And—”
“We get in there, we get control to everything,” I say. “Not just control of our world, but of everything.”
Zachary nods. “Everything. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Chaos is too weak to control most of it, allowing things like the Creators to destroy chunks of the simulations. Only power of the gods can stop them. Can access the storage banks. Power like you two have. You get there. You get control. Anything is possible.”
Taylor finally blinks, maybe the first time she has since Zachary mentioned it. Then she says, “Truce.”
The word hangs there. The meaning of it is strong, filled with hope. Full of success if the truce holds.
“Truce,” Zachary says. “We get to the end of this simulation. We get into Main Control Room Alpha. And we bring your brother back.”
Hope fills my chest. Hope is what we need. It’s the only thing that will hold us together and get us to the end.
I put my hand forward, palm down. Zachary places his hand on top of mine. Taylor only hesitates a second before placing her hand there, too.
“Truce,” I say. “It can’t be broken.”
“It won’t be,” Taylor says. This is everything to her. This is what she needs. I only hope that it works out like Zachary thinks it will, because I don’t want to see Taylor lose everything all over again.
Shouts come from behind us, stirring us from the moment. The group of three that was behind us are getting close. Without knowing who they are or if we can trust them, it’s better to leave before they get here. We exit the temple and set out across the white marble. The landscape starts with a sparse building here or there, but it begins to fill in with each step we take. Soon a road appears, constructed of black glass inset into the white. Buildings line the sides, built from steel and stone, but constructed
to again look like something out of ancient Greece. At first there are no other people around, but soon, they, too, begin to fill in. They sit on balconies and watch as we walk by. They sip drinks and eat from platters of food. They cheer for us. Throw flowers at our feet. They’re NPCs, no doubt, created for the simulation, but the whole thing gives me a really bad feeling. The only good thing is that the road leads in one direction. We aren’t at risk of picking the wrong way. There’s still no sign of anyone in front of us. And if the group behind us made it off the field of lightning, they’re not visible either.
Overhead the sun doesn’t move in the sky. It’s permanently noon. More people and buildings begin to fill in. Statues and obelisks line the streets also, and soon, human heads hanging from poles.
We stop walking at the sign of the first head.
“That’s gross,” Zachary says. “I never put anything like that into my simulations.”
“Wait, didn’t you create the doll simulation?” Taylor says.
Zachary twists his lips up in thought. “Maybe. Why? Did you like it?”
She puts her face in his. “Hell no, I didn’t like it. Those dolls were psychopathic murderers. Do you have any idea what they did to people?” She motions up at the head. It swings gently, as if there’s a breeze.
“Kind of,” Zachary says. “But I had to. It was my job. What? Did you think they should just escort you through? You think that would help figure out who should win?”
“No,” Taylor says. “I think your entire simulation is stupid. Everything about this place is stupid. I think the gods are stupid.”
The zone around us seems to freeze. The people on the balconies stop chatting and cheering. The breeze stops blowing. The nearest head stops swaying. Then it falls to the ground, landing at Taylor’s feet, splattering everywhere.
Her eyes are wide as she gazes at it. Zachary looks like he wants to pee his pants.
“Look, Taylor,” I whisper. “Chaos is here. He’s listening.” He has to be. There’s no other explanation for what just happened.
“So what?” Taylor says. “Let him listen.”
Fear twists in my belly, but I try to ignore it. We’ve snuck into this simulation. The last thing we need to do is draw attention to ourselves.
“So maybe you should—”
“Don’t tell me what to do, Edie,” Taylor says. “If Chaos is watching, and I hope he is, then he better prepare. Because when I get to him, he will be sorry for every single thing he’s ever done.” She looks upward, face to the sun. “Get ready, Chaos.”
And without another word, she kicks the remains of the head aside and continues down the road.
“Is she always like this?” Zachary whispers.
I nod but don’t say a word. Taylor has been against the gods from the start. But this is worse than before. Her anger is getting to her. Pushing her. And if we don’t find a way through this simulation quickly, it may be her end. The only good thing is that she and Zachary are now on the same side.
The chatter picks up once more, and the people return to their drinks and cheering. As we round the corner, people begin to line the sides of the black glass road. They throw flowers at our feet. I crunch one under the sole of my heavy boot. It cuts through the sole.
“Ow!” My knee almost buckles as whatever it’s made of cuts into the bottom of my foot.
Zachary bends down and picks one up. It’s bright green and red and looks like a flower, but it’s made of sharp metal. “Don’t step on any more,” he says, holding it out to me.
My foot throbs, but I don’t see any blood. I don’t think it cut through the skin. The petals of the flower are sharp enough to slice off a finger. I’d keep one if I didn’t think it would cut through my clothes.
The road angles upward, and we begin the long hike. All I can see over the top of the hill is the incessant sun. But when we finally crest it, something else comes into view. The road leads directly to a giant colosseum.
XIX
Taylor, who's currently leading us, stops and stares. “I’ve seen something like this before.”
“Rome,” I say. “They have one like it in Rome.” I’ve never been to Rome, but I’ve seen plenty of pictures. Aside from the color, the colosseum in front of us is nearly identical.
It’s a giant arena with archways circling around it at four different levels. In Rome, the Colosseum is fashioned of white stone, maybe limestone. I’m not an expert. This one here, in the simulation, is blue, like the glass ground we crossed to reach this place. It shines in the brilliant sun making me wonder if it’s also made of glass.
“People used to fight to the death in the Colosseum,” I say. A heavy ball forms in the pit of my stomach. Whatever is ahead of us can’t be good.
“It’s like before,” Zachary says.
“What’s like before?” Taylor demands.
He points to the massive blue structure. “During the last war of the gods, the new gods created some of the games. This was one.”
It fits together in my mind. “And Chaos was one of the new gods back then.”
He nods. “But he’s still creating the simulation however he wants. And if that means a fight to the death in a giant arena, then that’s what we have to look forward to.”
Taylor eyes Zachary, sizing him up. “How are your fighting skills?”
He brushes his hands off on his pants like he’s removing invisible dirt. “Not the best. Which is why I’m thinking . . .”
“What?” I ask.
“Maybe we can find a way around it,” he says.
As nice as the thought is, I highly doubt it will be an option. Around us, the people still cheer. I’m certain I hear my name. Edie. Edie. Whether they cheer for me or against me, I don’t know.
“I’m not a coward,” Taylor says. “And as far as I’m concerned, we might as well get this over with. All we’re doing now is wasting time.”
“But what if—” Zachary starts.
“No what it,” I say, taking a step forward. “This is how every simulation has been. Every zone. We have to face it. We can’t avoid it. It’s like in your stupid doll simulation. We had to face those psychotic dolls. We had to fight them. Or that spider girl. She killed people. She nearly killed me. This is how the game works. We face whatever is down there waiting. We deal with it. Then we find the key and move on.”
Zachary doesn’t say a word. I glance around. The people watch us. They wait for us to continue on with the simulation. It’s what they’re programmed for.
“I got your back,” Taylor says, and she starts forward, down the hill.
“Come on,” I say to Zachary, and I grab his arm and link mine through it, half to steady myself and half to encourage him.
Once we begin moving again, the people begin to fall in behind us. They pop up umbrellas decorated with fringe and glitter to keep the sun off their heads. They wear gowns that brush against the black road as they walk. And they keep their distance, as if they don’t want to be caught up with us.
The colosseum seems to grow in size the closer we get. Slowly it blocks out the sun, and we fall in its shadow. I clench my hands into fists. The black road ends at a large archway. Most of the people filter through the other openings, off to the sides. But we’re different. Special. We walk through the archway and immediately come to a set of stairs leading down. Over the stairs hangs a sign.
Only the Strong Will Survive.
“We got this,” Taylor says, and she starts down the stairs. I don’t know if she sees our victory with the Oculus or if she’s just being optimistic. Both, I hope. I’ll take anything that will give us an advantage.
I don’t think Zachary has said a word since we’ve started walking again. I finally turn to him.
“Look, it’s not like I want to do this either,” I say. “But we have to.”
He shak
es his head. “I know. It’s just that being here, inside the simulation . . . it’s different.”
“Yeah,” I say with a small laugh. “Because we’re the ones who might die.”
He nods but doesn’t respond.
“Can you fight?” I whisper so Taylor doesn’t overhear.
He shrugs. “I hope we don’t have to find out.”
I hope the exact same thing. But I’m used to my hopes being shattered. I grab Zachary’s hand and lead him down the stairs.
The stairs fill in behind us as we walk, sealing away the sun. We’re being pushed forward, given no other choice. They lead downward, at least thirty of them, and dump us into a dark gray room, the same color as our tank tops. When I turn back, there is no sign of where we came from.
“So what do we—” Taylor starts, but something slams into the ceiling, shaking the entire room.
“What was that?” Zachary asks.
Whatever it was, the force it creates makes my teeth knock together. The faint taste of blood slips through my mouth, as if I’ve bitten my tongue.
“Greetings, contestants!” Chaos’s voice echoes through the small room. “Worry not. Relax. In just a short amount of time it will be your turn for glory.”
Our turn. This must mean that whatever is going on in the arena, the group before us is up there, facing it.
“Relax,” Taylor says with a laugh void of humor. “And how are we supposed to do that?”
The room is empty except for the three of us. No food. No seats. I sink to the ground because whatever is up there, I’m going to need my strength for it. Zachary sinks down next to me, but Taylor stays standing.
“Can you see anything?” I ask her. The ceiling above us thuds again, something slamming into it.
Taylor glances upward, then in all directions. “One of them is going to die,” she says.
If this is true, then their group will be down two overall since they already lost someone in the lightning.
