:: System: WELCOME
The much, much, too bright letters hurt to look at. He tried closing his eyes but that didn't help. The letters remained, searing through his eyelids like they were painted on the inside of his skull.
He tried moving his head. Side to side. The letters followed. Up and down. They followed. He forced himself to roll over.
His shoulder hit stone. He reached out to both sides. Stone. Above him too.
The letters still followed, and now he knew. He was trapped. In a box.
His breath came faster. How much air was in here? The space pressed against him from every side. A couple of inches to either side. Maybe ten above. He could feel the walls when he breathed too deep.
Buried alive.
The thought slammed into him and his lungs seized. He couldn't get air. His heart hammered so hard it hurt. The letters blazed in his vision, mocking him, and he couldn't see anything else, couldn't think past the crushing weight of stone on every side.
He was in a coffin. Underground. Alone in the dark.
No no no no no.
His hands scrabbled at the lid above him, nails scraping stone. He pushed. It didn't move. He pushed harder. Nothing. The air felt thick, used up. How long had he been in here? How much oxygen was left?
His chest hitched. Once. Twice. A sob tried to claw its way out but stuck in his throat.
Martha.
The name brought everything crashing back. The hospital room. The machines. Her hand going slack in his. The funeral home with its soft music and softer voices. His own living room, too quiet, too empty, the chair where she used to sit still holding the shape of her. But that was years ago.
Wasn’t it?
And now this. Waking up. Trapped. In a stone box. In the dark.
He was eighty-six years old and he was going to die, alone, in a grave he didn't remember climbing into.
His breathing turned ragged. Sharp. Each inhale felt like it cost something. The walls were so close. The letters wouldn't go away. His pulse roared in his ears.
He called for help. When no one came he screamed. Screamed until he couldn’t any more.
How long did he thrash? He didn't know. Time felt strange. Broken. He slept. Woke up. Thrashed and screamed again. The letters remained. Eventually his body just gave out. His arms dropped. His breathing slowed, not from calm but from exhaustion.
He lay there, chest heaving, eyes burning.
Breathe, Harry. Like Martha taught you.
In. Out. In. Out.
His heart slowed. The panic didn't leave, but it loosened its grip just enough for thought to slip back in.
He tried to feel the space out. Stone, yes. Cold. Hard. Unyielding.
It reminded him of his mother-in-law.
Get a grip Harry. This is no time for jokes.
The too bright letters remained. Either they were real or he had lost his mind. Yelling and screaming hadn’t helped.
Might as well try something else.
“Hello?”
The words changed.
:: System: HELLO
His chest tightened. The letters were responding. Talking to him. Or something was. In his head. Behind his eyes. Panic tried to claw its way back up his throat.
Breathe. In. Out.
“Who’s there?”
:: System: SYSTEM
That’s too bright. Can you turn it down.
Immediately, the letters dimmed to a more comfortable level but otherwise remained the same.
:: System: System
Better. It no longer felt like the light was piercing his brain. He drew a slow breath. The air was thick with damp stone, sour and cold against his tongue.
“Am I dead?”
:: Scanning…
Harry waited.
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:: System: Not exactly
Not exactly? Why weren’t his palms sweating? This seemed like a good time for sweaty palms.
“I’m not exactly dead? How can I be not exactly dead? If you tell me I’m just mostly dead, we’re going to have issues.”
:: System: You are undead
A flicker of memory. A woman’s desk, questions, waiting. It seemed a long time ago.
I did die, didn’t I? Is this hell?
“Am I in limbo? Or purgatory? Whatever you call it?”
:: System: Negative. You are on the continent of Tirath, in the northeast of the Kingdom of Lotharia, just outside the town of Brookhaven.
“I’ve never heard of any of those. Except Brookhaven maybe. Sounds like some place that’d be in Ohio.”
:: Scanning…
:: System: On the planet Lumos.
“How did I get here?”
:: Scanning…
:: System: Unknown. Records are incomplete or unavailable.
Harry stopped to think about that. Odds were good he had lost his mind. He felt around in the dark again. Nothing he touched could be projecting the words, and even if something could, how were they following his movement and showing up with his eyes closed?
What else? Picked up by aliens and taken to their home planet? Maybe. He squeezed his butt cheeks. No probing as far as he could tell.
“Was I picked up by a UFO?”
:: Scanning…
:: System: No record of alien abduction found.
“What are you scanning?”
:: System: Records
“Thank you. That’s very helpful.”
:: System: You are welcome.
“I was being… you know what, never mind.”
Does it really matter how I got here? No. I need to get out of this box.
He reached up and ran his fingertips along the sides where they met the top. There was definitely a seam. It went down both sides as far as he could reach and all the way above and behind his head. A lid. He pressed both palms against the stone, testing its weight. It wouldn’t budge.
“How do I get out?”
:: Accept Quest: Escape the jaws of death? (Y/N)
:: Reward: Unlock User Interface
That tears it, Harry. You’ve definitely lost your mind.
He settled back to wait, watching the letters float above his face. Maybe an orderly would come along soon and give him pills or a cup of water. Luckily, he didn’t feel the urge to pee. That would be messy.
He wasn’t sure how long he waited. He didn’t fall asleep this time at least. Long enough to get bored, not long enough to stop being uncomfortable.
No help came. He tried calling out again, his voice was still raw. Everyone continued to not answer. Complete silence, except for his movements and his own breathing. The letters continued to float above him, mocking him.
What are you going to do Harry? What would Martha say?
“Fine. Yes. I accept the quest.”
:: System: Use a skill, talent, or ability to escape the confines of your sarcophagus.
“Sarcophagus?”
A wave of claustrophobia hit Harry and the panic rose stronger than ever. He decided now would be a good time to try thrashing around and beating uselessly on the lid again. Laughing, crying, screaming and sobbing the whole time.
Having got that out of his system, he took a deep breath and tried again, pushing the slab with all his strength, nails biting into the cold stone. No give at all. He strained harder, kicking out, trying to use his knees and hips to push up, then slammed both fists upward. The weight held firm.
“If I give up, will you lift the lid?”
:: System: Negative
“Well, what then?”
:: System: Use a skill, talent, or ability to escape the confines of your sarcophagus.
“What skills?”
:: Scanning…
:: System: Recommend [Strength] Attribute or Skill [Frenzy].
“Frenzy? What even is that?”
:: Skill Frenzy: 30 second duration (+10 St, +10 Ag, -10 Will, -5 Pres, -5 Int)
:: Skill Frenzy: While active, user is immune to mental manipulation. 1 Hour cooldown.
:: Skill Frenzy: (cost: 5 Vitae)
:: Use Skill: [Frenzy]? (Y/N)
“Wait, what? I’m in a game? What the hell is going on?”
:: Scanning…
:: System: You are in the System.
“I thought you were the system.”
:: System: Negative. I am a shard of one aspect of the system.
“So helpful.”
As best he could manage, Harry ran a hand over his face.
What the hell. Go along with it for now, and when the men with the long-sleeve jackets come, they can sort it out.
“Fine. Yes. Use frenzy.”
His heartbeat slammed in his ears, fast and violent. Heat flooded his chest, spreading through every limb. Muscles bunched and coiled, tendons straining near to tearing. His body no longer felt like his own. Something inside had broken loose, wild and furious.
MUST. GET. OUT.
He braced his hands and knees against the stone, every fiber in him screaming, and shoved. The air vibrated with the effort. Stone grated against stone. Dust sifted down across his face. He roared and pushed harder, vision narrowing to red and white and pain, until, with a sound like mountains cracking, the lid shifted, slid aside, and crashed to the floor.
The lid had no sooner cleared space than he sprang out. He hit the floor before it finished settling, knees bent, hands ready, eyes searching for movement.
Any danger. Any threat. Anything he could attack. He wanted something to attack. His pulse hammered.
Nothing.
Stone walls pressed close around him. The air was thick and still, heavy with dust. The only light came from a slant of moon through a broken door hanging loose on its hinges.
His breath came ragged and harsh. Muscles trembled, demanding release.
As quickly as the strength came, it broke, draining away. He sagged to one knee, arms shaking, weak. He half crawled to the wall and slid down to sit with his back pressed against the stone, legs stretched out in front. His breath came slow and deep.
“What on earth was that?”
:: Quest: Escape the jaws of death successfully completed.
:: Reward: User Interface unlocked.
“Great. Can you leave me alone for a bit?”
The words disappeared, leaving him sitting alone in the moonlight.
***
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