Avatars Rising: SILOS I

by David R. Bernstein

  Guilt diverts my gaze down before I return my eyes to him. I take the gun and look it over for a second before stuffing the small weapon in a side pocket on my thigh. I don’t plan on splitting from the group, but I do feel a little better now that I’m armed.

  “Once we get to the village, we’re going off trail through the forest,” Lucas says, “Use the trees for cover to keep us hidden.”

  “Won’t that take longer?” I ask. “I thought you said the Moderators are gone?”

  “We can’t be sure of that,” Lucas says. “Besides, they can still physically see us even if the game can’t. It’s safer this way.”

  As much as the prospect of going to a place called Death Island makes my stomach churn, we have to stay alive to get there. I fall in line behind the guys as we jog toward the village.

  We’re past the village before Myco matches my pace. “I don’t like this.”

  “I know, but what else can we do?” I say in-between breaths.

  The guys are a little ahead of us, but they’re still within the protective radius.

  “You’ve all leveled up,” Myco says. “You and Lucas are at Level 4 now, and I’m still at 0.

  “I know we’re just going after these so-called bosses who are part of the game, but it’s all so unsettling. I’m only going to hold you all back.”

  “You won’t,” I say, bumping her arm. “We’re in this together. Stop trying to make me leave you behind.”

  She smiles. “I don’t deserve you.”

  “This isn’t a one-sided deal,” I say with a smirk. “If I’m fighting for the both of us, you need to have my back, too.”

  “I will.”

  “Good.”

  Myco tugs at my arm, forcing me a few steps farther behind the boys. I crane my neck at her and furrow my brows. “What are you doing?” I whisper.

  “I think I had a vision or a memory last night while I slept.”

  My eyes widen. “You did? What did you see?”

  She bites her lip as she looks up ahead at the boys. “It was horrible. So vivid. I was sitting with a bunch of kids in a rundown building. Everyone was terrified. Then a big guy with a gun came in and dragged two boys off, kicking and screaming. I just had a feeling I was next.” Myco’s hands tremble as she holds my forearm. “The man entered the room again and looked right at me, and then Rohan woke me telling me you were gone. It was not a fun morning.”

  Now all four of us have had dreams. I’m about to tell her about my vision when an opening in the jungle shines more light on us. The boys slow.

  “Finally,” Rohan huffs.

  “The Shift Silos are up ahead,” Lucas says.

  I turn to Myco. “I’m sorry. We’ll work this all out soon.”

  She nods and offers me a soft smile.

  We make it to the Shift Silos at the edge of the island without any issue. Rohan holds out his arm for us to stay behind him. The area is as empty as when we first arrived. A cool, steady breeze floods over us as we look out over the dim ocean, which expands beyond the horizon.

  Goosebumps race up my arms. The last time we were here, there were Moderators hard on our heels.

  “Do you think there are any hiding nearby?” I whisper.

  “No,” Rohan says, stepping out from the tree’s protective cover. “They travel together. If they suspected anything, they would all be here waiting.”

  So not comforting.

  We hustle over to the Shift Silo and walk inside. For some reason, it feels more cramped than the first time. The memories of those I killed on this island cling to me. I hope those avatars don’t have any memory of me when they wake up in their silos. I’ll have some seriously angry avatars after me if they do.

  Lucas goes over to the display screen and types in a code. “The device should mask our path to Death Island.”

  “You don’t sound so sure,” I say.

  Lucas glances at me and sighs. “I can’t be sure of anything except you three.”

  Heat blooms in my chest, and I look away as the invasive process of the transportation breaks me apart again. My hands and feet become tight, as if my skin is pulling from my body. I crack an eye open and look down at my arms. Segments of my body digitize, disappearing piece-by-piece. Everything goes white before my mind, then a blackness instantly consumes the light and I feel normal again.

  Since I’ve shifted before, the process isn’t as frightening this go around. But it still takes my breath away. I open my eyes and scan over my body, relieved to be whole again. Though, I’m starting to think something is wrong with me. The heat I first experienced is my chest remains in the Silo. Rohan opens the door. A blast of heat, even more intensive than before, fills the Silo. Bright red-orange light flickers across the small Silo hatch.

  Stepping out of the Silo, I understand why.

  It’s lava.

  Just yards away, fiery rivers trail around each side of the Shift Silo. Rohan and Lucas leap from the long ramp to the thin strip of the earth beneath the hovering Silo—the only solid ground not writhing in hot, red liquid. Unbearable heat rolls up from the ground, and I can barely look at it before I have the urge to claw my eyes out.

  In the distance is a massive, spewing volcano. Lava trails down the steep surface. It separates into several paths, like branches from a hellish tree.

  “Well, now I know why they call it Death Island,” Myco says. She coughs into her hand. A tickling settles in my throat, too. Billowing smoke fills the sky. The clouds roll into each other as if they’re fighting for space.

  “Come this way.” Rohan leads us down the strip of land toward the base of the volcano.

  “Are we going up there?” I ask, now regretting my eagerness to get here.

  “No,” Rohan says, choking out a laugh. “We need to start off with an easier boss to see how we fight together—especially since we’re still down one person.”

  I glance at Myco. I don’t think she heard him. Her attention is on the top of the volcano. Looking up, I pray that the thing doesn’t erupt anytime soon. The islands seem to each have a life of their own, each one more unique than the next. I imagine one of the harder bosses living inside of that volcano.

  Level 10 seems further away than it ever has before.

  The ground is covered with a thick coat of ash. As we walk, it whirls around our feet. The terrain is rocky and difficult to maneuver at some points.

  Lucas is exceptionally quiet. His jaw is set and his eyes narrow. I wonder if that’s more from focus, or the blazing heat that clings to every inch of our bodies?

  “Where are all the other avatars?” I ask. Rohan made it seem like this was the place to go if avatars wanted a challenge.

  “The arenas are in the island’s central areas,” Rohan says.

  A small range of volcanoes peak in the distance. Raging fire rips from their tops, lava spraying high above. A slow, churning river of liquid rock runs down each mountain. I turn to the boys, hoping we’re not heading in that direction, but Rohan veers off toward a smaller mountain and leads us up a side trail.

  Stripped of their leaves, the few trees on this island resemble tall, charred sticks protruding from the ground. If the Moderators were nearby, nothing could shield us from them.

  A voice I don't know hollers from behind us, and I whip toward the source. Myco grabs my arm and pulls me out of the way as a group of six player-controlled avatars race past us. Black and red paint streaks across their faces—hiding their identities—not that I would have any idea who they were anyway. Each player wears similar-looking armor with large weapons at their sides. Determination and focus etch fierce lines into every face. The one in the front lets out a deep roar, and the others echo his call. As they sprint up the hill, Rohan laughs while watching them.

  “They could die for good up there,” Myco says after we resume our hike. We’re not in a rush anymore as the group will beat us to the boss. “Why are they so excited?”

  “They’re not excited to die,” Rohan says.
“This place could be their final battle. It’s adrenaline, something you would have, too, if you agreed to fight instead of just watching from the sidelines.”

  “Just because I don’t like to murder people doesn’t mean I’m less of a person. If you don’t want me on your team, then I’ll leave now.”

  Rohan hangs his head. “All right, fine. I’m sorry. But you need to toughen up for the sake of our team. If one of us goes down, the whole group suffers.”

  “Let’s not worry about this right now,” I say, trying to diffuse the situation. “We can take it one boss at a time.”

  Myco mouths, “Thank you.” I take her hand and squeeze it, trying to convey my confidence that we will defeat this boss. Once we get her some red orbs, I know she’ll change her mind with the strength and courage they bring.

  We all walk for a little while without speaking. This place feels as if it rose up from Hell itself. I strain to hear the battle between the group of avatars and the boss, but I think we’re too far away. I don’t hear anything except for the rumbling under our feet from the many active volcanoes on this island. “We should expect this boss to challenge us with speed instead of strength and size,” Rohan says, breaking the silence.

  “What makes you say that?” I ask.

  “While the bosses do change, the first one tends to be the same.”

  “What if it isn’t?” Myco asks.

  “Then we’ll deal with that problem if it comes,” Rohan says. “It’s better to be somewhat prepared.”

  “Distraction is what we need,” Lucas says.

  “Exactly,” Rohan agrees. He turns to me, and even in this desolate place, there’s a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. Only he would be excited to battle the unknown. “If we create equal distance between Esa, myself, and Lucas, then we can limit the speed advantage and inflict as much damage as we can while the boss goes after the others.”

  Rohan and Lucas continue to discuss strategy, and I try to follow along. This isn’t the first conversation they’ve had about strategy, but I’m completely lost. I hope that it all comes together in the arena. I wish Myco would join the fight, but I can’t force her. I’d rather not worry about if she’s losing her mind during the battle. Plus, I want to see how the first boss battle goes before approaching Myco on her decision to watch from the sidelines. If we can at least bring her up to a Level 4, we’d be on the same strength Level.

  As we near the top of the ridge, several screams rip through the air. My eyes widen as I snap my head toward Rohan. His jaw is slack. He’s frozen for a moment before he books it toward the screaming.

  “Wait!” Lucas calls out and then runs after him. “The device!”

  Myco and I dash up the trail to catch up. We find Rohan at the edge of the ridge, staring down. I slowly approach. I don’t want to see what happened. Those screams weren’t the celebratory kind like the ones we heard the avatar group chanting up the trail.

  “Damn it,” Lucas says, raking his fingers through his hair.

  I step closer and peer down. Lava circles the arena. Dark gray ash coats every shred of exposed, scorched earth. The same charred dust that coats everything on this horrific island. My heart thuds against my ribs. Bodies, broken and bleeding, lay scattered all over the pit—the bodies of the six avatars, I realize. Some of the avatars are even torn into pieces.

  The boss stands in the middle of the broken bodies. He’s at least seven-feet tall. His broad chest rises and falls as he takes stock of his kills. His arms are as big as my torso, and his legs even bigger. He drags a sword nearly as tall as him through the ash, creating circles around the avatars.

  He looks up at us, and I gasp.

  At first, I think he’s wearing a mask, but the movements of his ivory-boned face are too realistic. Giant black holes form his eyes. There’s another hole where a nose should be, too.

  Blood streaks across his face like war paint and flecks his muscled torso, arms, and legs. My stomach churns at the gruesome sight. I know the blood is fresh.

  And it appears that we’re next.

  CHAPTER 18

  THE BOSS TOOK down all six of those avatars, their weapons now scattered across the fighting pit. Body armor is torn apart, ripped from the clans’ bodies. There’s only the three of us fighting, and we have nothing but the small handguns that Tressa traded us.

  We’re so screwed.

  The massive thing stands before us, biceps bulging. Confidently, the beast stows away his blade on his back, waiting for us. Fathomless black eyes peer our direction, his head tilted to its side.

  Myco crosses her arms and shivers. “Why is he just staring at us?”

  “He’s waiting for us to enter the arena,” Rohan says.

  “Uh . . . no way am I going in there!” I say. “How can we possibly defeat him if they couldn’t?”

  Rohan sighs. “They were probably lower levels. Plus, player-controlled avatars are reckless. There’s no actual threat other than starting the game over.”

  “We don’t know that,” Lucas says. Deep lines carve across his forehead. For once, he’s on my and Myco’s side.

  Rohan turns to us, his eyes flashing. “So what if the boss is bigger than we thought? Nothing is predictable in this game. You all should know that by now.”

  “How can you look at that thing and think that we will beat him?” I ask.

  “Be reasonable,” Lucas pleads with him. “We need to prepare more.”

  “Or leave,” Myco says. “We can hide somewhere else in the game with the device. This is suicide.”

  “We’re not leaving!” Rohan roars. His large hands curl into fists. “I can’t do this anymore!”

  My heart leaps into my throat at his outburst. “You won’t be able to do much of anything if you get killed, either.”

  Lucas steps closer to Rohan. “It’s been hard, but we have Esa and Myco now. We should step back and reassess before we do something reckless.”

  “No,” Rohan says, turning away from his friend. “I have to see if there’s something beyond this life.” His voice cracks.

  Lucas lets out a loud breath and peers over the edge again. Rohan’s memory of being all alone, possessing nothing, enters my mind. I feel for him. He had no one until he met Lucas, and then they lost Kara. He’s had so much loss in his life. I understand why he wants to move forward.

  “We can’t run forever,” I say. “As much as I want to, Rohan is right. Moving forward is the only way, even if we have little chance of making it past this point.”

  Rohan’s eyes lift to mine. “Do you mean that?”

  I nod. “This place—that voice—gave us a way out. We’re stupid if we don’t at least try.”

  “But if we die here, we die for good,” Myco says. “Are you really willing to take that risk?”

  “Yes.” The word catches in my throat.

  “I’ll do whatever you guys want to do,” Lucas says.

  I look at him and memorize the strong contours of his face. This might me the last time I see him—see anything.

  I shake my head and, with the movements, my anxious thoughts away. I can’t allow myself to get distracted.

  “It’s settled then,” Rohan says.

  “Where should I go?” Myco asks, avoiding my eyes.

  Myco’s not arguing anymore. She’s finally on our side. With her not fighting in the arena, it’ll be easier on me. One less thing to worry about in there.

  “You don’t want to be anywhere near the arena,” Rohan says, leading us down the narrow trail and closer to the menacing boss, who waits for us at the bottom near the pit. “If you cross that line, then you’re fair game.”

  “Ok, good to know,” Myco says.

  Since she’s behind me, I don’t see her eye roll, but I know it’s there.

  We arrive at the bottom much quicker than I want. Ash fills the air around us. A sappy goodbye clings to my tongue, but I hold it in. If we say goodbye, then I’m giving up. I won’t give up before we start.

 
Rohan shakes his arms and jumps on his toes, pumping himself up. His large muscles bulge from his uniform. I’m glad he’s on our side. Lucas sidles up beside me. He narrows his eyes and nods. My breathing quickens and my heart thuds in my chest. I can’t believe we’re about to do this.

  A strangled sound comes from behind me. Confused, I twist to peer over my shoulder when something hard bumps against my arm and rushes past me. It takes me a second to recognize Myco’s black hair trailing after her fleeing body.

  She’s going the wrong way.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” Rohan calls after her.

  Lucas looks at me, his eyebrows drawn together. “Crap.”

  Clarity washes over Rohan’s face. “She’s going to restart the arena.”

  We sprint after her. She doesn’t stop, even though we’re calling out for her to turn back. Terror clutches my chest as I recognize the tension in her shoulders.

  It’s not fear. It’s her Grip.

  “She’s player controlled!” I yell.

  “Damn it!” Rohan growls and then charges after her faster than before.

  A tall wall surrounds the pit. Myco enters the small opening and disappears inside. Rohan is hard on her heels, and Lucas and I are close behind him.

  “We have to get her out of here!” I call to Rohan.

  “It’s not going to be easy,” Lucas says. “The player will fight us, too.”

  “So, what? We just let her fight when she’s a Level 0? Her Grip is going to get her killed!”

  “Not if we win,” Rohan says.

  I sprint ahead of the guys and reach her side. “Myco, you have to get out of here!”

  Her eyes are locked on the beast. She doesn’t respond. Her Grip is in full control.

  A ten-foot high wall with red radiating rocks surrounds the entire pit. I can feel the heat pulsating off it from where I stand. Glancing back at the entrance, the opening closes right before my eyes. Now there’s no way any of us are getting out unless we take down the boss.

  I grab Myco’s hand, squeezing it. She doesn’t squeeze back. She doesn’t do much of anything except stare at the boss.

  “Rohan, look,” Lucas says.