The World Keepers_7_A Real World Roblox Suspense Page 5

  I think the fires are the most alarming. There are craters in the ground, massive craters where the street used to be, or where a house used to stand, and these craters are just on fire. Flames SHOOT out of the holes randomly. Some are just completely engulfed in flames, like the gateway to the bad, bad place.

  “Wow, the game makers did some kind of great job making this place look horrible.” I say.

  I am in awe of what programmers are capable of, truly.

  “What game is it?”

  I do love me some destruction, and if Thomas is going to play for a bit, I don’t see why I shouldn’t. After all, we’re here. We’re in the game. We’ll see Adrian and Carina (or anyone else) as soon as they log in.

  “It’s not a new game, Jed.” Thomas says. “It’s Bloxburg.”

  “What!?” I almost choke on my saliva. “What happened to it!?”

  This is awful. It was one of the best worlds to play in. So tame! You could get a job, pay bills, take showers when you’re stinky, use the bathroom when you’re…..in need. There were no monsters, no natural disasters, nothing that would cause this level of chaos!

  “I happened to it.” Thomas says, forlornly, rubbing his temples as though he’s got a headache or something.

  “What do you mean? How could you have possibly had anything to do with this?” I know Thomas, he’s about as peaceful as they come, usually, so if he did this, something terrible had to have been going on.

  “It was when you were lost in Titanic.” he tells me. “Kat needed to see how much I could do in the game before we made a plan to go and find you. This was one of her little tests to make sure I wasn’t selling myself short.”

  Ah, well me being lost in the game definitely would have caused Thomas to do something extreme.

  “She thought you weren’t reaching your potential, so she had you destroy Bloxburg?” I ask.

  “No, she thought I wasn’t reaching my potential, that I wasn’t trying hard enough to put that little action figure back in the game.” He gestures over to his desk at the little plastic dude standing there. Forever frozen riding a scooter while wearing a snake around his neck. “She released the things that did this and tried to get me to stop them. As you can see, I couldn’t, at least not enough, not in time.”

  He continues to walk up the street, heading to the place his house used to be. Unsurprisingly, it’s not there anymore, it’s just a crater of flame, like so many others in the neighborhood.

  “Don’t blame yourself, Thomas. There’s no way you’d have done this if you’d had any other choice.” I mean really, he was trying to save me, so I get it. When it’s your family, you will do just about anything to get them back.

  “Can we fix it?” I ask. “I mean, what did this?”

  “Gigantic, killer cockroaches.” he tells me.

  “Gigantic….roaches?” I clarify, because, what the what?

  “I was able to close the hole Kat opened, but not before a bunch got out and ran into Bloxburg.”

  “How many got out, what are we talking here, 2, 3?” Please let it be 2 or 3.

  “No, more like a hundred.” Thomas says.

  Of course, it couldn’t be 2 or 3.

  He moves his character up the road, heading toward the pizza place where he used to work to make money in the game. The store is still standing. That’s the good news.

  The bad news is that gigantic cockroaches surround it, they’re swarming all over the place, climbing the walls, sitting on the roof. As they move, we catch glimpses of the inside of the store between their segmented bodies. There appear to be hundreds of people trapped inside.

  The worse news is that one of those people staring at us through the huge glass windows appears to be Jake.

  “Fudge crackers.” I say.

  Hey, don’t judge my language, I learned a long time ago that swearing is just not worth it, so I’ve learned to make do.

  “Fudge crackers, indeed.” Thomas says.

  “Why haven’t they logged out?” I ask him. I mean if I was in the game and it was going crazy, I’d log out. If I saw cockroaches running at me from up the street, I might try to fight them. After all, it’s just a game, but if that didn’t work and I kept dying, I’d log out.

  “You’d think Jake wouldn’t have stuck around this long.” I say to Thomas.

  “What, Jake’s here?!” he asks, kind of loudly.

  “Yeah,” I say as I point to the blond haired guy standing at the front of the crowd, “isn’t that him right there?”

  Thomas follows my finger, looking where I’m pointing, then he just stands there, holding his breath.

  “Yeah, that’s Jake.” he says. He sounds incredibly sad about this, and I don’t get it. It’s great to see Jake. It’s someone else we can talk to!

  “What’s the problem, then? Why do you sound so bummed to see him?” I ask.

  “Because if Jake’s here, and the bugs are here, that means there’s only one reason he hasn’t left yet.” he tells me.

  “Why? What’s the reason?” Keep a guy in suspense!

  “If he hasn’t logged out, it’s because he can’t log out. If he can’t log out, it’s because there’s a beacon in this game and these bugs have destroyed it so thoroughly that no one in here is going anywhere until we get rid of it.” He turns to look at me, making sure I really understand.

  “So like in the Titanic game, right? We changed it while there was a beacon in it, and that’s why it wouldn’t reset?” I do remember them talking about this while they were trying to get me out of the capsized ship.

  “Yeah, exactly. If there weren’t one in the game, those bugs would have disappeared the next time the game reset itself. Like the next time the pizza shop closed, or the next time the sun sets, something like that.”

  We sit there a moment, looking at his screen, looking at the bugs. I try to stifle a shudder that threatens to run up from my spine, making my hair stand on end.

  It doesn’t work.

  *shudder*

  “How did you stop the bugs when Kat brought them into the game?” I ask him.

  “She had this platform that I needed to press. She wanted me to use the little guy to press it. I was supposed to put him back in the game that way. If I managed to press it, the hole the bugs were coming out of would close, and they’d stop coming.”

  “Well, you said you figured it out, so how’d you do it?”

  “I couldn’t put the guy in. That’s apparently not part of my abilities, so I just stuck my hand in the screen and pressed the pad down with my thumb.”

  I’m about to ask him something else, but he keeps going. “Even if I could reach in there and smash them one by one, which I seriously doubt is possible, given their numbers, it wouldn’t matter to the players because we don’t have the beacon. Until we find it and take it out, the game is going to be stuck like this.”

  “Yeah, it’ll be stuck like this, but those people will at least be able to leave the pizza place, right? If they can leave, then they can help us figure out how to kill the bugs? Otherwise, it seems like we’ll be doing it by ourselves.”

  “Jed, I just said I don’t think I can kill them all by reaching in and smashing them, so what do you want me to do?” He’s getting testy, but I don’t blame him, it’s tough to feel so out of control.

  “You can’t kill them, but you can at least reach in and make them scatter, right? Give the guys in there a chance to get someplace safer, someplace where we can form a plan and come at the bugs? Right now, they’re just sitting ducks. They can’t even leave that place. The second they do, those bugs are going to be on them like white on rice.”

  I have an idea forming.

  What if Thomas could reach in and build a little space for the characters to assemble and be safe for a bit? Like what if he were to dig out a place underground, pluck up a still whole house, put it in the ground, and cover it with dirt? He could stick a finger in the ground to make a tunnel, and the people could go in the tunnel an
d climb in a window or something.

  I tell Thomas this.

  “Jed, how would that be better than where they are now? As soon as they started running out of the building, the bugs that hadn’t scattered would just follow them. Pretty soon we’d all be sitting ducks inside an underground house.”

  Well, when he puts it that way….

  “We’re going to have to create a distraction.” I say. “We’ve got to get the bugs to scatter, and then the people in the building can run out and we can…..do something to kill the bugs. It’s got to better than this.”

  “Okay, but what do we do once the bugs scatter? We’ve got to find that beacon, and until we do, we’re just going to be dodging cannibal cockroaches. If this is anything like the Titanic game, we won’t even be able to respawn in here. Once we die, we’ll just be dead.”

  He looks around the screen, indicating the blocky parts of dead characters scattered all over the street.

  Morbid.

  Now that I think about it, there aren’t as many body parts as I’d think there would be. They’re mainly in places out of view, stuck under the rubble of a house, trapped underneath a car, etc.

  “There must be more people that have died in the game and not re-spawned.” I tell him. “Where are all of the body parts?”

  He looks around, shrugs his shoulders, and goes silent again, no doubt thinking of some grand master plan. I, on the other hand, keep watching the game through his screen. The people in the window at the pizza place are starting to get antsy, enough so that I take notice of them and nudge Thomas to bring it to his attention.

  He toggles his screen, so we are entirely turned back to the pizza place windows, and we can see what’s going on. The characters inside are going nuts. They’re jumping up and down and waving their hands wildly, apparently trying to get our attention.

  “Yes, yes,” Thomas says, “We’re going to help you, just give us some time to think.”

  In a moment of clarity, I shove his hand away from the trackpad and turn his character 180 degrees, so he’s facing back down the street we just walked up.

  “Thomas, they’re not asking for help, they’re trying to warn us.” I say as I tap him on the shoulder, indicating that he should focus on the game again.

  He looks up, and we both immediately understand why the trapped people are so frantic. There is a mob of bugs skittering up the street, coming our way. Thomas mashes his buttons as fast as he can, running, swerving, dodging in and out of the debris in an attempt to lose the monsters on his tail.

  “I’m logging in!” I yell as I jump over the side of his bunk, avoiding the ladder altogether. Luckily, I manage to miss his desk and drum set, but I’m pretty sure I’ll never do that again.

  “No Jed!” Thomas yells at me, leaning over the rail, trying to stop me, but I know he’s got to get away from those bugs. He can’t log out now, he’s in, and the game isn’t resetting. He also can’t get killed, because if he does, he won’t respawn.

  He’s going to need all the help he can get.

  “I’ll create a distraction! You need me, so shut up!” I yell back, fingers flying over my keyboard (I’m super glad for those typing lessons right now) as I input my username and password, then select the game.

  My character spawns right where I logged out last, in my house, which is now just grey blocks and jagged edges. I walk to the spot where the door used to be, and peek outside, slowly dragging my fingers along my trackpad to move the screen incrementally. Trying to see if there are any bugs nearby. The coast seems clear, so I start to make my way up the street, weaving in and out of cars, houses, and the occasional….trampoline? No matter what Thomas says, I am going to that pizza place.

  “Thomas, where are you? Invite me to your group so I can see you on the map.” I tell him.

  A second later, he does invite me to his group. His character is now a small, green dot on a circular map in the upper right-hand corner of my screen. He’s not far from the restaurant, but he’s also not moving around. He must be pinned in by the bugs and staying put, so he doesn’t get eaten.

  “I found a pizza delivery van, so I hid out in there. I don’t know if I can get out, these bugs are all over the place.”

  I wonder if he’s thinking about the fact that HE let them in here. I hope he’s not thinking about that. I mean, he allowed them in here because of me, so really this whole fiasco is my fault.

  “What are you going to do Jed?” he asks. “If you come over to where I am, you’re going to get killed, so stay away!”

  I’m about to reply, but my messenger in-game chimes, and I look down to see a message from Jake:

  AnonymousJake - Jed, come to the pizza place.

  MyNameIsJed - I can’t! That place is crawling with bugs, no pun intended. I can’t even get close!

  AnonymousJake- I know a way in, just come close enough so I can see you through the window. I’ll create a diversion.

  MyNameIsJed - What good will it do for me to come in there? I’ll just be trapped with the rest of you!

  AnonymousJake - The beacon is in here. If you can get to where I can see your character in the game, I can bring your guy to me.

  Oh man, that seals the deal! If the beacon is in there with Jake, and I get in there, Thomas can get ahold of Adrian and Carina, and he can port me out once I’ve got the beacon.

  This will be over in no time!

  “Thomas, I’m heading to the pizza place.” I tell him.

  “What? No! I just told you NOT to do that, the place is infested!” he yells down.

  “Jake messaged me, he said he knows a way in, and he says the beacon is in there. If I can get in, I can get the beacon. Then you can call Adrian, have him port me in so I can hold onto the beacon, and then have him port me out.”

  This will work, I want him to agree to it, but I know I’ll do it whether he agrees or not.

  “I don’t know, Jed, I mean if you get killed, you won’t respawn, and I can’t take the beacon out, so we’ll just be stuck.”

  “Do you have a better idea?” I ask.

  “No, but there has to be some other way, this just seems like a bad idea, you going in there alone.”

  “I won’t be alone, Jake is there, he wants to help!”

  My messenger pings again:

  AnonymousJake - Hurry, Jed. Kat sent me a message. She needs you to get this beacon, you have to have enough for everyone.

  MyNameIsJed - Enough for everyone? What are you talking about?

  AnonymousJake - I’ll explain once you get here, but hurry. I don’t know how much longer this building is going to be standing. If the bugs get to the beacon before you do, I have no idea what will happen.

  “Thomas, Jake says Kat sent him a message. He says she told him we need this beacon because we need to have enough for everyone.”

  “Enough for everyone?” he replies.

  “I don’t know any more than that.” I tell him. “Jake says he’ll explain when I get there.”

  “Where are you right now?” Thomas asks.

  “I’m not far from you, maybe half a block from the pizza place, I’m hiding right inside the library.”

  I’ve been steadily making my way up the street, pausing to take cover when a building is intact enough to let me do that, but it’s been SLOW going. The library isn’t that far from the restaurant. Nothing is far from anything else. The game is designed so you can easily walk to work or wherever you need to go. It’ll be like less than 15 seconds from the library to the window where Jake can see me and help me get inside.

  “Okay, wait, I have an idea.” he says. “The van I’m in might still work, so let me see if it’ll start. If it does, I’m going to come pick you up and drive you there. I know it’s not far, but even this little bit of protection is better than walking the streets.”

  I sit there a minute while Thomas fiddles around on his keyboard. Even from below his bunk, I can hear the rev of an in-game engine.

  “It started!” he s
ays, triumphant.

  “Great, come get me!” I reply, and I sit my character down against the wall of rubble to wait.

  It doesn’t take long for Thomas to show up in the truck, but I could have walked there faster, that’s for sure.

  “You are a terrible driver, dude.” I yell up to him. “Seriously, it’s a good thing I’m not ported in because I’d almost rather take my chances with the bugs!”

  “Shut it, Jed, I’m just out of practice!” he yells back.

  “Okay, calm down, princess, I’m just messing with you.” He’s so easy to bait. It’s awesome.

  I hear him huff, but he slows the van in front of the library and comes to a complete stop. At least he doesn’t expect me to jump in while it’s running. That’s something.

  “Alright, I’m ready,” he says, “run straight to the van, don’t stop. I’m going to get into the cargo hold and open the door once you get close enough.”

  The van is about 50 feet from the library entrance. The building itself is set far back from the road, allowing the grounds in front to be used as a courtyard/playground of sorts.

  I look at the path I’ll need to take, eyeing it carefully. I don’t see any bugs around, but that doesn’t mean my way will be quick or easy. Eight steps lead from the sidewalk to the library door. 40 feet of concrete walkway point to the curb, and then it’s just a quick leap into the van, provided Thomas has the door open.

  “Alright, I’m ready, are you ready?” I ask him.

  “I’m ready, let’s count down, and then you start running.” he replies.

  “3…..2…...1”, we both say in unison, and I take off.

  I make it down the library steps with no problem, taking two steps at a time in exaggerated hops. My shoes smack against the concrete, and I use the steps as a countdown, bringing me closer and closer to that van.

  At first, there’s not much debris, so I’m able to pick a straight line and go, go, go. Once I hit the concrete walkway, things change a bit, the rubble and trash strewn all over gets thicker. I have to dodge shattered glass, piles of jagged bricks, and huge splintered pieces of lumber. There are even a few body parts and a fire hydrant.