by R. A. Mejia
The conversation with the counselors doesn’t reveal much more than was given by Inspect. Though on the subject of rumors Ash says, “Every summer, a new counselor is hired. Rumor has it that’s because someone goes missing every summer.” He leans in and says conspiratorially, “They say that a psycho comes and steals away an innocent person to sacrifice to his dark god. But they have to be…” He looks around and then whispers, “A virgin.”
I wonder for a moment if this is the first clue to beat this dungeon. But then Patrick starts to giggle and look up to see Ash holding in his own laughter. I realize it is a joke, and I smile at my own gullibility. Carrie, however, looks annoyed at the two of them and Norman says quite seriously, “Does that mean he’s coming to get me?”
The statement is too much for the other guys and they openly laugh. Norman joins in, but you can tell he doesn’t quite get the joke. Carrie is about to say something when a bell rings, which the others tell me signals the first gathering of the counselors and campers. Everyone heads over to Building B, where they gather in the auditorium. On stage, the head counselor makes a speech about how much he is looking forward to getting to know everyone and how all the counselors are there to make sure each camper has a good, educational time with games and activities at the local park, computer programming events, and crafts galore. It wouldn’t be a bad speech if the campers weren’t all bland-looking NPCs and if the counselors in the back of the auditorium weren’t making out.
With everyone gathered in the same space, I try to look around to see if I can spot the other players, but I don’t recognize anyone in the crowd. It’s not until after the speech is done and everyone is pouring out of the auditorium to go to various activities that I spot one face that looks familiar: a brunette girl, about five foot six, who is wearing the same camper outfit as the other teens. She walks towards me with a clear purpose.
“Hello there, Caballero.”
It takes me a second for me to recognize the reference and the young woman. “Nancy? Is that you?”
She smiles and darts in for a hug. As I wrap my arms around her, I recall how she and her two younger brothers trained with me last year in a special zombie survival dungeon. The four of us had to scrounge supplies, build weapons, and eventually help defend a town against waves of zombies. She was a scrawny sixteen-year-old kid when we first met, but she led her brothers like a veteran leader. The three did an amazing job of using the System, and they all showed me a thing or two since it was all still very new to me. We did so well as a group that the A.I. in the dungeon called us the four caballeros, or four knights, since we swooped in and saved them.
As Nancy releases me and takes a step back, I can’t help but notice the changes that a year has made. She’s taller, she’s wearing makeup, and has grown out some.
“What are you doing here, Nancy?”
“Well, I started working for my dad’s company, and this is the first year I was allowed to come to the Halloween party. I saw how that Auden guy was picking on you, and I just couldn’t let you play alone. Dad has told me how much those Arschlochs cheat, and I figured you could use the backup.” She looks up at me and her eyebrows furrow. “Was I wrong to jump in?”
I smile seeing her unsure look. There’s the kid I remember. Even if she isn’t exactly sure of herself, she’ll try to do the right thing.
“No. Thanks, ki--” With an effort, I stop myself from calling her ‘kid’ and continue. “Thanks, it was kind of you to back me up.” There’s a pause, and I add, “My fellow caballero.” The acknowledgment of our shared title makes her laugh.
A notification pops up, disrupting our little reunion.
Notice: 10 minutes remaining until the Monster is introduced.
Nancy and I look at each other, acknowledging that we both got the notification. She looks thoughtful as she says, “Well, that’s not much time left, is it? Have you found any of the other players?”
“No. Have you?”
She shakes her head. “No. I have a pretty good speed stat, and I’ve been exploring the boundaries of the game. The only explorable spaces are the two-brick buildings and the park a couple of blocks away. The rest of the neighborhood is just window dressing, though the park itself is pretty big with a lake in the center and some broken-looking boats at the dock there. Beyond that, the game has artificial walls that can’t be crossed. So, we can’t just run away on foot to escape.”
“Wow. You really ran around and explored all that? That cheerleader class must have a good speed boost.” I gesture down towards my sneakers. “I bought these special shoes just to get my speed up to high, and I don’t think I could have covered that much ground. I only explored the two buildings but didn’t find anything unusual.”
Nancy crosses her arms, tilts her head, and narrows her eyes at me. It’s a look that I’ve unfortunately seen before--from my mom, my sister, and Lillian. It tells me that something is wrong and that I’m likely the cause of it. I smile, pretending innocence. “Huh. Something wrong?”
“What makes you think that I chose to be a cheerleader? Do you see any pom poms on me?”
The question surprises me, and I realize that I did indeed kind of just assume that, as a girl, she had taken the cheerleader class. “Oh, uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to assume. What class did you take?”
Instead of answering me, her gaze shifts to some space in the middle of the air, and she taps some invisible System box I can’t see. The next moment, she’s wearing a two-tone Letterman Jacket over her camper’s outfit. “I chose the Jock.”
The reveal only surprises me slightly. The Jock class was the first to go while I was still trying to figure out what was going on. It makes sense that someone decisive like Nancy would have grabbed it right away. I nod my head and smile in begrudging respect that someone two years younger than me made a better choice of class.
“The jacket looks good on you, Nancy.” Strangely, her cheeks redden at the compliment. “Can you tell me what your class can do? Mine seems to be about running around and talking to people. Though, I haven’t learned much yet.”
She looks down for a moment and fiddles with the cuffs of her jacket before answering. “Sure. I maxed out my speed and physical stats to very high and also purchased this.” With a small flash of light, a long wooden stick with a webbed basket on the end appears in her hands. “It’s a lacrosse stick, and it has the special ability to summon a ball in its net.” I have no idea what the heck a lacrosse stick is or what it does. She must see the confusion on my face because she touches something on the stick. There’s a flash of green light, and a softball-sized ball appears in the basket. Nancy flashes me a smile then pivots on her feet, using the motion to swing the lacrosse stick in an over-handed swing that has a surprising amount of force. The ball goes hurtling out of the basket part and hits one of the other campers, who drops to the ground cradling his head.
I look at Nancy, who has a chagrined look on her face. No one else seems to have acknowledged the attack, but I can only imagine how it would feel to get hit by one of those balls. “So, that’s your weapon?”
She nods. “I can only summon a new ball every 10 seconds, so I can’t rapid fire or anything.”
“Well, it’s better than what I’ve got.” I pat the ring of keys at my waist. “I don’t think I’ll be attacking with these anytime soon.”
I get a little chuckle from Nancy, who looks pretty badass holding that lacrosse stick. I’m starting to wonder exactly what the point of the game is. Are we supposed to kill the monster? Save everyone? Enact some weird ritual where we lure the monster into the dream world and trap him there? There is so much horror movie lore the game could be using. Then the next notification tells me that my time to speculate has ended.
Notice: Preparation time for players is now over. We hope you have used your time wisely.
Monster entering in 3…2…1
Chapter 18
When the timer hits zero, the game world around us shifts. The building bec
omes almost translucent, everything seems to speed up, and staff and campers speed by, going about their activities. Scenes of normal everyday camp life play out before us: campers participating in games, taking lessons, computer classes, eating at the cafeteria, and doing art projects. Additionally, more salacious scenes play out with counselors sneaking off into the woods in pairs or kissing in rooms at night, and shadows play across window shades, indicating intimacy. Nothing is shown, only inferred, but I feel like I should be covering Nancy’s eyes. It’s nighttime when the world slows down, and Nancy and I find ourselves standing just outside the male campers’ dorm on the third floor of Building A.
There’s a tension in the air as I scan the room and look back out into the hallway outside the room looking for threats. But all is quiet. The loudest noise is the snoring coming from some of the sleeping campers. I’m confused. I mean, I thought that we’d be fighting the monster or something after the countdown. I’m about to ask Nancy what she thinks we should be doing when a new notification pops up.
The Monster has been randomly spawned on the map. He will kill and destroy, and in so doing, will grow in power over time. You, as a Player, have multiple options to win:
Kill the monster - This option becomes increasingly difficult as the game progresses due to the Monster gaining health, higher defense, and special powers as its levels.
Escape - Find a way to escape. Escape on foot is impossible, but using some other mode of transportation may lead you to safety.
Survive - Survive till dawn, and you will be declared a winner. Be warned that the Monster may choose special powers that can be used to track Players.
Good luck, Players. You will need it.
After reading the notification, I mutter, “Well, while that last line isn’t encouraging, at least we know what our goals are now.”
Nancy has a thoughtful look on her face as she responds, “It looks like the game is giving us a little breathing room by spawning the Monster somewhere else.”
“I think you’re wrong. Notice how it said ‘it becomes increasingly difficult’ to kill the monster? That implies that the easiest time to kill him would be early in the game. It’s probably designed to spawn him away from us so that Players don’t kill him right off the bat. I mean, I could absolutely see Players waiting to ambush the Monster if they knew where he would spawn.”
“So, if this is our best chance to kill the Monster, shouldn't we be looking for it?”
“It is as good a plan as any. But I should tell you that I’m less than useless in a fight. I improved my Social attribute at the cost of dropping Physical to very low.”
“Well, do what you can.” She waves the lacrosse stick in her hands. “I know that I’m going to go monster hunting while I can.”
She moves to leave the room, but a sound catches my attention, and I motion for her to stop. It’s hard to make out, but when I close my eyes, I can tell that it is coming from outside. I walk past the rows of bunk beds and the sleeping campers toward the windows that face the park and the other building. The sound gets louder as I approach, and by the time I reach the windows, I recognize the sound of someone screaming. I look out of the north-facing windows, searching into the dark, but it’s Nancy who finds the source.
“Look, Anthony!” I turn and see her pointing past the west-facing window, toward the other building. I follow her pointing finger and can just see the other building’s rooms. They’re mostly dark, but several of the counselors’ rooms on the fourth floor have their lights on and the shades drawn. One, though, has the shades wide open, and a woman wearing only a man’s long-sleeved shirt is screaming and frantically trying to open the window. The sound of her screams are muffled by the distance, and I’m frozen, watching her struggle while knowing that something is in the room with her. Just as she manages to open the window a crack, her expression goes slack, and there’s a splash of crimson across the window pane. An indistinct figure in dark clothing is silhouetted as the body of the woman falls away. I see it stand there for a moment. Then the figure flips us off before the lights in the room go out.
I hear a growl of frustration and realize that it is coming from me. “Auden is already killing NPCs and growing stronger. We have to get over there before he levels up too much.”
A glance at Nancy reveals she has a tight grip on her lacrosse stick and a determined look on her face. The two of us race out of the room and take the stairs down, two and sometimes three steps at a time. We make pretty good time since we both have invested in the Speed attribute, but she is a bit faster than me and ends up taking the lead. We make it to the first floor and charge right out past an older woman sitting at the front desk, who tries to tell us that it is past curfew and that we should be asleep like everyone else.
Out on the street, we make a right and run toward the other building. We toss the doors open and another woman, almost identical to the first, again tries to chastise us for being out so late. Her threats of reporting us are ignored as I lead Nancy to the stairs. The building is oddly quiet as we race up the stairs past the second floor, but as we approach the third floor, sounds of panic and confusion reach our ears. The dorm rooms for the girl campers are quiet, and I realize that the screams are coming from the fourth floor, where the female counselors’ rooms are. There, the female counselors are all standing around in their underwear, looking and pointing at the body of the woman we saw from the window. Her body is hanging from the lighting fixture on the ceiling suspended by her own intestines. Carved into her flesh are the words, “You’re next.”
I hear a retching sound and turn to see several women vomiting. I spectacle of the body is disturbing to me. I mean, I always knew Auden was a bit of a psycho, but I’d never expected him to do something like this.
Fear Level 10%
The notification distracts me and I look down from body. “Fear level? I don’t understand what that means.” The System must take my mutter as a question, because it drops another notification.
Fear is the greatest tool for the Monster in the game. Not only does it enhance the XP the monster gets for creative kills, but creating fear in the remaining NPCs gives a damage bonus to the Monster. As the Fear Level increases so does that bonus.
Well, that explains it. Auden is using his natural creep factor to become more powerful.
Another scream and the sound of a revving chainsaw pierces the air. Nancy and I run down the hallway towards the source of the noise. My mind fills with images of every monster and murderer that has ever wielded a chainsaw like the terrifying Leatherface. Turning a corner reveals the source of the screaming. I’m surprised to see a tall figure draped in black flowing robes is struggling with a dark-skinned man wearing long yellow billowing pants and a sleeveless white vest. The young athletic-looking man is standing between the Monster and the cowering form of one of the female counselors I’d met earlier, Sandra D. Then a new figure comes charging out of one of the rooms. I recognize him as the counselor named Ash. He yells as he swings a chainsaw, but the Monster casually grabs the NPC with both hands and contemptuously rips the chainsaw from his hands. He then throws Ash through the window behind him. I know poor Ash has met his end when I hear a loud thud. The Monster knows it too. A stream of red bubbles flows back toward it from outside, and Monster glows slightly as it absorbs them.
The man in the yellow parachute-pants grabs the dropped chainsaw, revs it, and then swings at the Monster. The unknown man strikes the Monster, but rather than shredding through the Monster’s black robes and flesh as expected, a red health bar appears above the Monster’s head, and twenty percent of it seems to drop off.
The Monster cries out in a familiar and whiny tone. “Hey, no cheating! You shouldn’t be able to use that chainsaw! It’s an NPC prop!”
“Well, it works for me, Arschloch. Now, come on, and let’s finish this so that I can beat your sorry butt and get back to my date.” The man lunges forward with the chainsaw, but the Monster brings his arms up to guard, and t
he whirling blades skitter across the shadowy robes, which turn to smoke that then billow outward.
“Ha! That last kill improved my HP and defense while guarding. You won’t get me that easily, Ray. You never beat me in high school, and you won’t now.”
The two men argue as they fight, and I look around to see if there is some way I can help. Ray tries to score another hit with the chainsaw that’s starting to sound like it’s running out of gas, and Auden tries to defend and strike back. If we can kill Auden now, we win. Nancy, who is on my left, cries out, and a glowing white ball leaves her lacrosse stick as she hurls it toward the two combatants. Nancy’s aim is true, the ball slips through a gap in the Monsters defense, and the glowing red bar above the Monster’s head drops by a tenth.
Both men seem surprised by the attack and look back towards us. Auden sees us and cries out, “No fair! You shouldn’t be able to gang up on me! I’m the Monster! I’m supposed to kill all of you!”