I opened my eyes, finding myself; with the rest of the players in some sort of desert. The sun shone from the horizon, making me shield my eyes for its orange ray.
This desert was bizarre—completely unnatural. Instead of the blistering heat you'd expect, the air was unnervingly cold. Before us stretched an immense field of sand, endless and ominous.
"Tell me we're really meant to walk across this whole valley?" Pashina muttered under her breath.
"LISTEN CAREFULLY PLAYERS, THIS IS YOUR FIRST QUEST. THIS DESERT ALSO KNOWN AS THE VALLEY OF TRENCH," The voice began to explain.
"Valley of the trench. Ha! What a joke," someone said sarcastically; the instructions proceed.
"YOUR MISSION IS TO CROSS OVER TO THE GREEN AREA, WHERE THE EXIT IS. BE CONSCIOUS OF THE LIMITED TIME, EVERY SECOND COUNTS. FAILURE TO MAKE IT TO THE OTHER SIDE BEFORE TIME RUNS OUT WILL LEAD TO THE PLAYER'S IMMEDIATE TERMINATION!" Thevoicepremonished. "BRACE YOURSELF, AS THE GAME COMMENCE IN3, 2, 1." The countdown ended when a timer appeared in everyone's views which counted backwards. We have just 20 minutes to complete the mission and the field was large and the sand would be a set back.
We each took a few cautious steps forward before a shimmering, impenetrable barrier shot up behind us, cutting off any chance of retreat.
"It is now or never," I murmured and proceeded to match forward with others with our total alert.
Everything seemed to be going fine for the first few moments; we were still conscious of the time though, when the unexpected happened taking everyone by surprise. One of the players, in a rapid surging motion, ran on the field when all of a sudden tipped off some sand monstruosité and commenced to crawl out beneath the sand, moving slowly on hands and knees, dragging their bodies along the ground. One of the monster; like a giant mantis its body covered in hard, scaled armor, clutching the player that snitched them and gorge the player ravenously, splat his blood hard on the sand.
The grotesque display sent a cold chill through all of us. The monsters shrieked—a high-pitched, inhuman wail.
"OH F\*\*K. EVERYBODY RUN!!!" I heard someone screeching and chaos erupted. Every player took to their heels and so the battle for survival began against the creatures as the time counted down.
____
Habib made a low, guttural sound uttered in frustration as his call entered the voicemail for the hundredth time. All his possible ways to reach Steven were in vain when Steven failed to show up at work that day.
"If you're getting these messages—which I've been leaving over and over—I don't know why you didn't show up at the office, or why you're not answering your damn phone. If you're still alive… just call me." He dropped the message and entered the bathroom to freshen up.
MEANWHILE…
The situation had descended into pure carnage and bloodbath. Blood soaked the sand, and the air was filled with screams. We hadn't realized just how many monsters were lurking beneath the surface. The further we ran, the more emerged—more claws, more fangs, more death. Time kept ticking, our survival window shrinking.
I'd made it halfway across the field. So had my tovarich—Pashina, Reece, and Reecer. I heard bloodcurdling screams, the sounds of flesh being torn, and the agonizing cries of those being slaughtered. But I'd made it this far—and I was determined to survive no matter the cost. I have to survive!
Suddenly, a creature lunged in front of me. Covered in a disgusting mixture of blood and sand, its claws glinted like blades, ready to shred me apart. The creep saw me as a prey it could devour with ease. It locked eyes with me— I was scared. It lunged, tackling me hard to the ground. I struggled, grappling with the monster as my gun slipped from my grip. I pounded it with my fists, but its armored body didn't even flinch. Its rancid breath was suffocating.
With no choice left, in the battle of survival. I raised my arm shield to block its snapping jaws and activated my visor. A pulse of orange energy burst forth, slicing the creature into charred pieces. I gasped in relief seeing it dead and scrambled to my feet, charging forward once again.
Pashina was carving through enemies with ease, his path strewn with fallen beasts—and the occasional unfortunate player caught in his rampage. It took a little while to get to my destination and the time almost ran down.
I looked to my side, seeing Pashina smashing the creatures on his path with ease; some unfortunate players include those who were accidentally caught in his path.
"This is fun!" He exclaimed exhilarated like he was living his best moment in chaos.
While moving forward, I witnessed another player being torn apart. I aimed and shot the creature attacking him right in the skull.
"Die, f\*\*ker," I muttered coldly. I checked the timer—less than two minutes left. I let out a battle cry, shooting furiously while picking up the pace. I was going for a maximum kill streak now. I couldn't afford to die—not after making it this far.
Another of the creatures tried acting tough, but I blasted its brain with a laser shot and blew a hole through its chest. I surged forward, nearing the safe zone as the timer continued its countdown.
10… 9…
I leapt into the air, dodging another attack and hovering with my boots, firing down on the monsters from above.
8… 7… 6…
I could still make it—I kept repeating that in my head. I saw players ahead who had already crossed; the monsters couldn't follow them beyond the barrier.
5… 4…
I stopped attacking, conserving energy, dodging instead.
3…
And at the last moment, one of them came out of nowhere which I didn't see coming but I was able to avoid being grabbed by it.
2...
I leapt as high as I could toward the safe zone. That was the moment one of the creatures stretched its hand aiming for my feet. The timer was about to count…
1…
When something interfered, the creature's hand was butchered off by some sort of invisible blade. I thought that's what was keeping them at bars never to go beyond the safe zone.
Reecer's tentacles shot out, grabbing me mid-air and yanking me inside the safe zone just in time, completing the mission.
From where I collapsed on my knees, I could see the remaining players who hadn't made it… being torn apart. Their screams were unbearable. At that moment, something snapped inside me. I felt a surge of fury boiling within me.
I wish I could have whoever was behind all of these subversions and make them pain in thousands of what they are causing. But in the end, I was just as lost as everyone else—just another puppet dancing on the strings of invisible hands in the shadows.