by Jason Segel
“I’m sorry to hear about your friend,” I say. “It sounds like she might have known Alexei.”
“She did. Some Children call him our savior because he shoots his own kind. But killing guests is pointless. They always come back. After we escaped from Moloch, my friend and I went to see Alexei and offer our help. I showed him how I can disable guests, wrapping them up and rendering them harmless. Alexei wasn’t interested. He sent us away. Bounty hunters murdered my friend as we left the swamp. That is why I no longer believe in saviors. Alexei’s just like the other guests—he’s here to kill. He’s simply chosen a different prey.”
“We didn’t come here to kill,” Kat says.
“Then why are you here?” the spider Child responds.
“We want to get rid of the guests,” Kat tells her. “We believe Otherworld should belong to the Children.”
“You may believe what you like, but the guests are immortal. The Creator brought them here himself. They are here to stay.”
“They’re not immortal,” I tell her. “They’re just beings from another world. We can’t kill them here, but we can send them back where they came from. There’s someone here in Otherworld who will help us, but we need to find him. He’s with Fons—”
“You’ve met Fons?” the creature interrupts. “And you survived?”
“Yes,” Kat tells her. “Because we told him what we just told you, and he believed us.” It’s a bit of a stretch. I’m not sure how much faith Fons ever placed in the two of us.
The Child contemplates Kat’s answer. She knows something.
“What do you have to lose?” I ask. “Either we save your kind or things continue as they are. The situation can’t get any worse, can it?”
“This is Otherworld,” the Child says. “Things can always get worse. But if Fons is all you seek, I will help you. He knows how to deal with guests. If your motives are not pure, he will find a way to dispose of you.”
“So you know where he is?” Kat asks.
“A Child arrived at our colony yesterday having escaped from soldiers near Imra. She said she’d heard rumors that Fons was in Karamojo.”
“Karamojo?” Kat looks at me. “Why would Fons take James Ogubu there?”
It makes perfect sense to me. “Because he knows Ogubu would be safe in Karamojo. The guests don’t shoot one another there—they’re too busy killing the Children.”
“But what about Fons?” Kat asks.
“Maybe he’s hiding somewhere in the realm. He knows people will be looking for him out here. Where’s the last place in Otherworld anyone would expect a free Child to go?”
“Karamojo,” Kat answers. She sees the beauty of the plan now.
* * *
—
The tree house looks as lovely as the last time I was here, and Karamojo feels oddly peaceful. The shining sun makes the grass look golden. Beasts have gathered at the watering hole.
“This is really it?” Kat asks skeptically.
The lodge’s white curtains are fluttering in the wind, and we can hear men laughing beyond the open windows. It’s hard to imagine the horrors that will greet us the moment we walk inside.
The ladder is let down for us, and Kat and I climb up to the balcony that surrounds the lodge. The NPC who greets us startles when she sees me. It’s the same woman Elvis and I met the last time we were here. She knows I’m not like the other guests, and she doesn’t know what to expect.
“Welcome back, sir,” she offers timidly. “How can I help you?”
“We’re looking for someone who may be staying here.” I keep my voice low. “A tall, dark avatar in drab clothing who doesn’t seem interested in the hunt.”
The NPC shakes her head. “There are five guests in the lodge at the moment, sir. None of them fit that description.”
“Do you mind if we take a look around?” Kat’s already heading for the lodge. I reach out to stop her, but she’s already stepped inside. I told her what I saw on the wall in there, but I also realize there was no way to prepare her.
“Oh my God!” I hear Kat cry. The chatter inside comes to an abrupt halt. I rush for the entrance and find her standing just across the threshold, a hand clapped over her mouth. Her eyes are glued to the wall of hunting trophies. They’ve added new heads since the last time I was here. Every size, color and texture is represented. I wonder if Kat recognizes any of the faces up there. I try not to look that closely.
There are five men sitting around a table, all dressed like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator, with olive-green tactical vests worn over bare chests to show off their muscular avatars. The lack of imagination never ceases to amaze me. You’d think one of the two thousand would show a little flair.
“You see?” I exclaim with as much fake enthusiasm as I can muster. “I told you this is the realm we’ve been looking for!”
“It’s perfect!” Kat squeals, throwing her arms around me. Her face is pressed against my chest, and I feel her wiping away a telltale tear with my robe.
“Fucking girl,” mutters one of the men.
Kat pushes me back and takes a quick step to the side. I don’t even see her hands reach for her bow. The next thing I know, an arrow has lodged itself in a narrow sliver of chair between the avatar’s thighs.
“That’s Ms. Fucking Girl to you,” she says, a second arrow already strung on the bow. “Show some respect or the next one’s going straight through your balls.”
There’s a pause and then the four other men break out in raucous laughter, just as an NPC dressed in white linen appears in the doorway.
“Gentlemen,” she calls out. “And lady,” she adds with a touch of surprise when she spots Kat. “Are you ready to choose your quarry? The last party has returned to the lodge. Your hunt will soon be underway.”
The men rise from their chairs and follow the NPC outside. It’s the perfect opportunity to do some snooping, but Kat nudges me forward. She wants us to go with the others. The NPC leads the group across a swinging rope bridge to another tree house situated behind the lodge. There are no servants here, and the building itself has a single entrance and no windows.
Our guide unlocks the door. “Choose one each,” she says as she ushers us inside. “And please keep a safe distance. Remember, these are the most dangerous and intelligent creatures in Otherworld.”
Inside is a giant room that’s divided into two parts by metal prison bars. Kat and I enter a narrow viewing area with the other guests. Behind the bars, dozens of Children are huddled together.
I’ve seen terrible things in Otherworld, but aside from the wall in the tree house, this is the worst. The Children may look like mythological creatures, but every one of them is as real as I am. On one side of the room is a trough where their captors must dump the food that keeps the Children alive until they’re chosen for the hunt. On the other side of the room is a large bucket that reeks like an outhouse. Some of the Children are bloody, and all are filthy. A few don’t appear to be strong enough to stand, and one may already be dead. I’ve never seen such suffering firsthand. Anyone who can tolerate it has no right to call himself human.
“Oh ho ho!” shouts one of the guests in a New Zealand accent. “ ’Dyou see that bastard try to get me with his tail? That one’s gonna be mine!”
I honestly don’t know what makes me walk over to see the Child in question. Whoever it is will be dead within hours. But something compels me to go look, and I suddenly find myself standing face-to-face with Fons.
He appears to have been badly beaten. His navy blue uniform has been ripped in multiple places, and his chalky skin is covered in brilliant blue patches, which I take to be bruises. Maybe this is all part of a plan.
“Go to hell,” Fons sneers when he sees me. He’s ashamed. I can see it. He isn’t here on purpose.
“You two know each other?”
the avatar who’s chosen Fons asks with a nasty smirk. He’s another Schwarzenegger clone.
“What will you take for this Child?” I ask as casually as I can. “Diamonds?”
The guest laughs. “I have all the diamonds I could want in the real world.” He gestures toward the prisoners. “This is why I’m in Otherworld. I’ve killed every kind of animal roaming the Earth. A man needs new challenges to avoid going soft. Name’s Arnie, by the way.”
Of course it is.
“Simon,” I say, not offering a hand. “You know, Arnie, if a challenge is what you’re after, you’re in the wrong place. They say the Children in Karamojo are the ones that were easily caught.” The words make me sick. I almost gag as I force them out. “The real trophies are elsewhere.”
“Oh, yeah? And where is that?” He thinks I’m full of shit, but he’s listening.
“The wastelands,” I tell him. “That’s where they’re hiding. Let me have this one, and I’ll show you where to find the others.”
Fons’s tentacle slips through the bars and goes straight for my gut. I was expecting as much, so I manage to dodge it in time.
“My freak doesn’t like the sound of that, so you must be onto something,” Arnie laughs. “But if all the good action is in the wastelands, why are you here in Karamojo?”
“I’ve been looking for him.” I point at Fons. “He and I have a score to settle.”
“Ah. Then what would you say to a wager?” Arnie asks. “We both go after him. You kill him, you have your revenge. But if I take him down, you tell me where to find the others.”
“Deal,” I say. What in the hell am I getting myself into?
Arnie looks around me and winks at Kat, who’s been quietly watching the exchange. “I’ll let you have him outright if you arrange for me to enjoy an evening with your friend,” he adds, clapping me on the back. “She’s a girl in real life, isn’t she? No, wait, don’t answer that. This is Otherworld. I couldn’t care less what she is in real life.”
I’d love to punch the bastard, but for once I manage to keep myself under control. “I have a better idea. Why don’t you go back to setup and give yourself an extra set of genitals? That way you can screw yourself,” I say.
He laughs heartily and claps me on the back. “I like you, peasant,” he says.
* * *
—
A starter pistol fires below us. We watch from the lodge as five Children run for their lives across the savannah. All of them, including Fons, head straight for the jungle. It’s the only part of the realm that offers much in the way of cover. As soon as they reach the tree line, NPCs appear on the lodge’s balcony and begin lowering the ladders.
“The hunt has begun,” a male NPC announces. The others rush for the ladders. I give Kat a kiss as I wait for my turn to descend.
“If you get a chance, make sure to murder that Kiwi bastard,” she whispers into my ear.
“It would be my pleasure,” I tell her. In fact, I’m almost tempted to hunt him down in real life.
* * *
—
The golden grass of the savannah has grown chest-high. The other guests move through it quickly, but I take my time. There are bound to be beasts here. I hear a roar nearby, and my suspicions are confirmed. I freeze in my tracks. Up ahead, one of the other avatars shrieks and disappears. I can’t see what’s happening, but there’s no mistaking the sounds of a man seeing himself being mauled.
I reach the jungle, but the relief I feel doesn’t last for long. The vegetation here is so dense that it’s impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. I push through the leaves and swat away vines. Guns fire in the distance. Assuming the guest who was attacked by a lion didn’t survive, there are now three other avatars with me in the jungle. They’re out for blood, and I’m sure they won’t mind at all if some of it ends up being mine. I have to let them stay ahead of me—a fact I didn’t anticipate. The avatar who claimed Fons has a big head start. Odds are, he’ll get to Fons before I do.
I’m starting to worry when I push past a Jurassic-size fern and find Fons standing directly in front of me. Before I can utter a word, he whips his tentacle in my direction. I jump back to avoid it, but the tip still slashes across my torso.
I have to grit my teeth. A cry of pain would bring the other guests running. “What the hell are you doing?” I growl when I’m able.
“Shoot me,” he orders, gesturing at the rifle I took from the lodge. “Go ahead and do it. You’re just like Alexei. You think Children exist for your amusement. You pretend to be heroes, but you’re the worst of the guests. The others kill us, but men like you and Alexei are the ones who destroy us. I’d rather be dead than live this way.”
“Are you insane?” I ask. “I’m not here to shoot you or destroy your damn hope, dumbass. I’m looking for James Ogubu!” To prove my point, I push my rifle back so it hangs between my shoulder blades.
Fons is taken aback. “The guest with the virus?” he asks.
“Yes! The guy you took from the ice cave! I need to find him if we’re going to set the virus loose.”
The confusion on Fons’s face is slowly replaced by comprehension.
“I haven’t been back to the ice cave,” Fons tells me. “I was captured by soldiers outside Nemi.”
“Then who took—” I stop when I realize I don’t need to ask. There’s only one person who could have taken Ogubu. Marlow Holm. I suddenly remember the two of us standing on the porch outside Alexei’s shack. Fons had just thrown his gun down and slammed Alexei against the wall. I never touched the weapon and I doubt Alexei did either. Marlow must have taken Fons’s gun after we were gone.
I doubt he would have used it to threaten Busara’s dad. Somehow he must have convinced Ogubu to leave. Marlow probably dropped the gun at the ice cave to let us know who had been there. If he and Ogubu are both alive, I will never underestimate Marlow again.
“You’re free now,” I tell Fons, impatient to leave. Suddenly there’s another person I have to find. “Can you reach the border on your own?”
I’ve barely got the words out when I’m slammed to the ground by Fons’s tentacle. With the wind knocked out of me, it’s impossible to speak or think clearly. Then I hear Fons scream in pain, and I roll over to see that a bullet has ripped through one of his legs. He knocked me out of the way to save me, but I can do nothing for him. I’m forced to watch helplessly as he falls to the ground.
My rival avatar saunters out of the jungle. “Two birds, one stone,” Arnie quips.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I sneer. “Help me up, damn it. You won the bet.” As soon as I’m up, I’ll rip him apart.
“I’ve won a lot more than the bet,” he informs me. “I’ve been hunting both of you. Moloch put a bounty on your heads ages ago. As soon as you’re dead, I’ll go back to the lodge and have another look at your girlfriend. I figure I might hand you over to Moloch and hang on to her for a few more days.”
That last part sends me over the edge. I roll and send my dagger flying in his direction. The avatar flashes when my knife hits his mark, but it doesn’t stop Arnie. Instead, he wrenches it out of his neck. “Thanks,” he says. “This is just what I needed. Guns are great, but sometimes I prefer to kill my game up close and personal.”
I assume he’s coming for me first, but he merely kicks me in the head as he passes.
Though my vision is blurry, I see him drop to one knee next to Fons and take the Child by the hair. He’s about to slit Fons’s throat when I hear a short cry and the sound of my dagger hitting the ground. Then my ears are assaulted by a bloodcurdling noise. I turn to see Arnie’s head pulled back at an impossible angle. His mouth is stretched open, and something large is crawling inside. I watch a giant bulge move down the avatar’s throat. When it reaches the guest’s stomach, it suddenly expands. The avatar explodes, splattering gore in
every direction. My own face drips with it for a moment before it all disappears. There’s something horrible left where the avatar was just standing: two monsters unlike anything I’ve seen before. Their backs are hunched and the tips of their hands brush the ground. Neither has a face—just a hole in the center of what I assume is the head. Unlike the other creatures of Otherworld, which are rendered in detail, these resemble shadows or smudges of ink.
One immediately disappears into the jungle. The other ignores Fons and moves toward me. The monster’s footsteps are heavy and its breathing sounds moist. I keep my face turned away as it leans toward me and sucks in air. The hole in its head seems to function as some kind of nose. A few seconds pass, then it stomps away.
“What were those things?” Fons asks. He’s sitting up now. My dagger is lying on the ground where the avatar who was attacking him disappeared.
“You don’t know?” I ask. I couldn’t even begin to guess what they might have been.
“Simon!” a voice cries out. Kat is sprinting toward us. As I throw my arms around her, I swear to myself that we’ll never get separated in this hellhole again.
“You won’t believe the things we just saw,” I tell her. “They looked like some sort of alien life-form.”
“I’ve seen them. I watched one kill a guest back at the lodge. It crawled into the guest’s mouth and exploded out of its stomach. There were two monsters left behind when the guest was gone.”
“It multiplies when it kills. What the hell is it?” I ask.
“I think it’s the virus,” Kat says. “Ogubu must have set it free.”
An enormous black cloud has risen over the realm. Something big is happening in Karamojo. I’ve taken off my cloak and bandaged Fons’s wounded leg. He has an arm wrapped around each of our shoulders while Kat and I trudge back toward the lodge. It’s impossible to move quickly, and I’m worried that whatever’s going on will have finished by the time we get there. But when we step out of the jungle and onto the grass of the savannah, it’s clear that we haven’t arrived too late for the party.