Cameron inspected the virtual reality game his friend Jarod had asked him to test. Large green letters screamed from the black glossy cover wrapping: ‘GORIEST ZOMBIE GAME EVER!’ and ‘GUARANTEED TO HAUNT YOUR DREAMS!’
He smothered a yawn and reached for his VR helmet. He had spent more time at his job working the kinks out of a data mining programme than he had planned. He should have reviewed the game already but he kept procrastinating because zombie games just weren’t his type of entertainment. They were never as interesting or novel as they purported to be. Now he was hours away from his game review deadline.
He slid the sleek metal cable from the helmet into the connection port at the nape of his neck. There were a series of clicks as the port accepted the cable and locked it into place. He slipped the mini-disc from its casing and placed it in the helmet’s gaming slot. A slow sigh escaped his lips as instructions scrolled onto the screen in the same sickly green font as the packaging.
“Jasmine, open a blank document.”
There was a trill as his computer’s OS came to life.
“Document is open Cameron.”
“Type: Change the goddamn introductory font to something readable. It’s not scary, just annoying as shit.”
“Should I enable language clean-up for this file?”
As tempted as he was to leave the swear words in the file, there were no long-term benefits to upsetting his potentially lucrative client base. If he did this right, Jarod would recommend his services to other software developers and Cameron could finally be able to start his own business.
“Yes.”
He scrolled through the play options using the thought interface and selected ACTIVE PLAY. He couldn’t doze off if his body was in constant motion and his FatShamer app would register it as exercise so…win-win. He flexed his shoulders as the game’s narrator droned on about the setting.
“Type: summarize narration and use a livelier voice for Christ’s sake.”
The narration ceased and Cameron found himself in a bathroom staring at his character’s reflection. Apparently, he was a pale-faced man who didn’t get much sleep.
“Type: diversity. We black men get dark circles under our eyes too.”
He ran his hand over the prickly stubble lining the character’s jawline. There was a knock on the door and Cameron grabbed the large gun sitting on the bathroom counter. He enjoyed the heft of the weapon.
“Type: Nice gun.”
He crept towards the sound, eyes darting from one side of the dour room to the other. He hadn’t been paying as much attention to the opening narrative as he should have. He didn’t know if he was dealing with slow, brain-dead zombies or rapidly evolving, scurrying like rabid wolves zombies. He opened the door but found no one.
He looked up and down the corridor and with a backward glance into the deserted apartment, stepped out. A blast of fetid air enveloped his face. A bloated disembodied green face floated towards him, pus dripping from its blood-encrusted lips. Cameron jumped back, tumbling into the apartment’s open doorway.
“Holy shit!”
He peered through the open door but the spectre was gone.
What the hell was that?
Cameron swallowed and picked himself up from the floor. He grasped the gun firmly though it no longer brought the level of comfort he had felt moments before. He ran from the room and darted down the corridor. An elevator loomed at the end but he veered towards a plain white door marked STAIRWELL. He flung open the door and brought the gun up. The stairwell was well lit but after the shock he’d just had outside the apartment, he knew better than to drop his guard.
He had only taken a few steps when a slender leg came into view on the landing he was headed towards. He stuck his neck out to get a better view of the body. It was a young woman. Shallow breaths sputtered from her mangled throat. He stepped gingerly over the body so he could continue down the steps. If he remembered correctly, the aim of this level was to get to the safe zone for a possible antidote. The rescue mission came later.
Her wet, raspy breathing ceased and Cameron glanced behind him. The young woman’s body evaporated into mist before his widening eyes. He quickened his pace and rammed his body against the building’s exit door. He paused to rest his legs and considered changing from ACTIVE PLAY so he didn’t waste time recuperating.
He heard a growl to his right and swung around, gun at the ready. The growl shifted from one side to the other teasing his ears. Cameron stepped backward into a soft squelch. He heard a sickening sound like the slow opening of a Velcro closure as he pulled away. When he turned around to face the zombie, he saw not one body but many. They had silently materialized around him. A quiet horde with teeth bared in his direction.
Cameron’s heart lurched in his chest. He fired at the zombie directly in front of him to clear a path. The zombie morphed into a wisp of smoke and the bullet lodged into a nearby car. Cameron darted to the left of the crowd and collided with more putrefied flesh.
Where the hell do they keep coming from?
Searing pain interrupted his thoughts as sharp claws gouged flesh from his shoulder. He screamed and exited the game quickly using the thought interface. His hands trembled as he slipped the VR helmet off and disengaged the cable. His shoulder was throbbing but he couldn’t find any breach in his skin.
Jesus…he thought, whoever wrote the tactile sense interaction code must be a god.
“Type: reduce pain from injuries. This shit hurts worse than real life.”
Cameron eyed the helmet once more but decided against re-entering the game. Maybe he would have better results in the morning when he was rested.
“Jasmine…save as Zombie Game Review dash Jarod and close document.”
#
Cameron’s alarm went off a mere three hours later and massaging his eyes didn’t make them feel any less gravelly and swollen. His head was throbbing but he needed to get to work and at least show his team members his interest in finishing the DM app. A hot shower and two cups of strong coffee later he felt well enough to go to the office.
While working, he kept his office dark with the computer monitor the only illumination in the room. He trudged through the task for a few hours before his supervisor came to check on him. For a moment, Cameron saw a disembodied head surrounded by bright light and froze in his seat.
“Are you alright Cameron? You’ve had your lights off for a while now.”
“Yeah. I might be coming down with something. I’m almost done with the DM app though. Can I take the rest of the day off?”
“Sure. Go take care of yourself.”
Once home, the dull ache in his head had grown into full-blown mini implosions. The searing heat coursing through his body culminated at his connection port. He ran his hand downwards from the end of his hairline and swollen itchy flesh squished beneath his fingertips. With a hiss, he pressed harder on the area surrounding the port and warm viscous liquid gushed out. The stench of pus permeated the air and he gagged.
He rushed to the bathroom and bent over the sink. His stomach clenched jutting hot acrid liquid into the sink. There were still bits in his mouth so Cameron reached in to remove them. To his horror, the bits wriggled between his fingertips. Cameron spat and a thick wad of maggots splattered against the porcelain. His phone chirped and he slipped it from his back pants pocket. It was Jarod.
“Hey, Jarod…look I can’t talk right now. I’ll get the review to you by tomorrow. I should have finished the demo by then.”
“Hey…you didn’t finish?”
“No. It was a late night and…”
“Cameron, go finish the game.”
“What? No, I can’t. I don’t even know what’s going on with me right now.”
“It’s the game’s failsafe. The coder added a little something so we’d have an edge over the competition. I didn’t get the details but it’s supposed to encourage continued gameplay through some subtle nudging in the player’s subconscious. It’s uncomfortable but the effects will wear off once you finish the level.”
“What the hell do you mean subtle? This thing is killing me!”
“Is it?”
The line clicked and Cameron stared at his face in the mirror. His eyes were sunken while cracks riddled his dry lips. As he looked, more maggots crawled from the corners of his mouth and fell onto his clothing. A writhing mass scratched his throat and he hawked it into the sink. A blood-smeared ball of flies simmered in sickly green bile. As he watched, they pulled away from each other to fly around the room.
He splashed hot water on his face and focused on the reflection in the mirror. His face fizzled between normal and an ashen version of himself.
“Jesus…” he muttered and left the bathroom.
He took a deep breath and settled into his small living room couch with the VR helmet. He inserted the cable as if on autopilot, the hiss and click of the connection taking him by surprise. He opted for passive play to reduce his distractions. The game picked up where he had fled. The excruciating pain in his shoulder returned and his attacker grinned at him with cracked, stained teeth. The creature wrapped his festering tongue around a finger covered in Cameron’s blood.
Cameron feinted to the left and then sprinted in the direction of the car that still housed the bullet he had discharged the day before. He slammed the door shut and thrashed around in search of anything lurking in the back seat. On the outside, balls of black mist slammed into the windshield and bonnet. Jagged cracks formed in the windshield as Cameron hurried to hotwire the car. The engine roared to life and he sped away.
He racked his brain for the name of his destination from the game narration and could only recall that it started with San. A rusty sign swung in the distance which offered the option of San Tavine City. He took the turn. A heavily fortified building emerged as he drove closer. Cameron stopped a short distance from the seemingly deserted parking lot. He pressed repeatedly on the horn hoping to get the attention of the persons inside.
Without warning, unseen attackers thumped against the sides of the car, rocking it back and forth. Cameron tapped frantically on the horn, muttering,
“Come on…come on!”
The small door in the barricade creaked open slowly and he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. The door rushed towards him and he turned lengthwise at the last moment, dashing out of the car and through the door. Arms yanked at him dragging Cameron inside. He was unceremoniously dumped on the ground when his rescuers noticed his blood-slicked shoulder. In his race towards the antidote, the adrenaline had dulled the pain. He rushed to assure the men keeping a wide berth from him.
“Wait! It’s a scratch, not a bite. Please I’m fine. Just help me!”
He looked from one man to the other but none made a move towards him. The man guarding the gate shook his head and Cameron jumped up with his hands outstretched in supplication.
“No, wait! Please!”
The guard opened fire and bullets tore through Cameron’s body. Blood spurted onto the ground bringing him to his knees. In the apartment, a blood-curdling scream tore from Cameron’s throat as he waited for the game to end. Despite the pain racking his body, he was terrified to end the game before the level was complete. In the game, he struggled to breathe as his blood soaked the surrounding earth. Black nothingness tickled the edges of his vision. Finally, the words LEVEL FAILED – TRY AGAIN crawled across the screen.
Cameron removed the VR cable and helmet slowly. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt…normal. He retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialled. Jarod answered on the first ring.
“Finished the level?”
“Yeah, but I died.”
“Ouch.”
“Seriously Jarod what the hell was that?”
“Like I said we just wanted to stand out in the field. So what did you think?”
“I think I need to talk to your coder.”
Jarod chuckled, “Yeah, OK.”
#
Cameron stared at the bespectacled young girl sitting across from him in the living room. Her curly black hair was styled in intricate cornrows. She was the coding god and his potential godsend.
“So about the game…” he began.
“It’s something isn’t it?”
“It’s something alright. I thought I was going to die for real in there! How did you do that?”
She shrugged, “Oh you know, a little bit of this and that…”
As her voice trailed off, thin wisps of gleaming yellow light swirled from her fingertips. She continued, “It was supposed to be more subtle but this was my first foray into merging sorcery and tech so my apologies for the trauma.”
Cameron’s eyes widened. Did she just say…?
“Sorcery? Yes. Humanity may have forgotten about us but I assure you Cameron Dane, witches haven’t forgotten about humanity. We’ve just had to become more elaborate in our interactions. In order for us to peacefully coexist, our sorcery must pervade the intricacies of this world.”
“Does Jarod know?”
She shrugged.
“Your friend is more of a big-picture kind of guy. He knows the game is different but doesn’t care how.”
“So why reveal yourself to me?”
“Oh, I sense you’re not the skittish kind Cameron Dane.”
Cameron peered closely at her. Her hazel eyes radiated a wizened knowledge that said she knew more about the world than she had time to reveal. As he looked closer, he thought he saw a brilliantly blue sky reflected in her eyes. His breathing slowed and a sense of calm settled over him. She snapped her fingers and the bright yellow lights became dark wisps of smoke diffused into his apartment. He cleared his throat before speaking.
“So there are plans to adjust the sensory?”
“But of course. How else would things work out if my magically enhanced games aren’t played?”
Cameron stroked his chin, “Do another demo and I guess we’ll see. So about all the white people…did the virus wipe out anyone with a hint of colour?”
She chuckled and shook her head, “I know right? Unfortunately, that part of the game isn’t up to me. You know us people of colour like to represent our own.”
“How would you like to do something that was up to you?”
“What did you have in mind?”
Cameron smiled and launched into his proposal.
#
Cameron’s supervisor burst through his office door, a bright smile spread across his face. Cameron looked up at the man whose face was shiny with sweat as he gasped for breath. If it weren’t for the smile, Cameron would have thought the man was having a heart attack.
“Is everything alright Mr. Michaels?”
“They’re better than alright Cameron! Have you seen the latest numbers for InfoGrab?”
“Well no, once the glitch in the data mining programme was fixed, I started working on a new app for another client.”
“I don’t know what you did with InfoGrab Cameron but I’ve got other clients knocking down my door for the same treatment. The clients using InfoGrab report a marked increase in customer loyalty. Their customers seem to be accessing their online services at record levels! Pass that app you’re working on to someone else because your roster is going to be full for the foreseeable future.”
Cameron kept his expression calm and replied “Yes sir”.
When his supervisor left, a broad smile played at Cameron’s lips. The bonus from these apps would certainly be enough to fund a new business. He took out his mobile phone and dialled a number he had committed to memory even before the first time they had met.
“Ann, the app worked great. Our clients can’t get enough. Those magic fingers of yours have more work to do.”
Ann’s signature cackle crackled through the phone’s receiver.
“Oh, you have no idea Cameron Dane.”
END
Image courtesy of Pixabay.