Virtual Reality : Dystopian Tales Online

013.2 | Hide and Seek

The suffocating atmosphere had become colder. Because of the dull light, nobody could clearly see the surroundings. They could barely see the ragged outline from the little light reflected from the curtains. Yet, nobody has wanted to look at the windows, afraid that the monstrous image will suddenly pop out to frighten them.

The movements of the creature is sluggish. It is about six-feet tall, so the creature is walking in a hunchback. It somehow amplified the disorienting effect of its bony structure that eerily resembled a walking stick. In every move, they will hear its exposed bones clacking like brittle ivories. It is as if one smack is enough to break the monster to pieces.

But this idea is impossible. There’s no way such idea can be easily implemented.

The silent corridor is filled with this brittle bone clacking odd noises accompanied by the shrill cries and wicked laughter. One face is crying its lungs out, crying enthusiastically with full energy, afraid that nobody will hear it. The other face did not want to be stepped over and giggled as if it has been tickled.

Both sounds annoying and scary.

Upon listening more attentively, they noticed its steps were vigorous and seem like dragging something. It must be its crooked arms that were longer than a standing human. It is forced to accommodate the narrow space, so it could explore the establishment.

All the desperate people inside the room are in tenterhooks, aching to escape but were not daring enough to step up. They had never seen something so scary like this! They are terrified that they will die before knowing the cause of their premature death. This terrible thing never happened to them before and never wished to experience it.

Humanity had been comfortable for so long.

They never thought that one day would pray for their survival.

Damian crawled closer to the wall and listened to the creature carefully. A perplexed frown is forming on his ghastly face, matching the inquiring thoughts in his mind. He had seen how fast the creature traversed the area from the gate to the school building in a snap. Why is it walking very slowly right now?

In every second passing, it also becomes slower. It is like a predator grasping its prey. If this pace continues, the creature will come to a stop just right in front of the room’s door.

Is it possible that the creature had known that they were over here?

But it is impossible. This is the third floor. There are other people hiding on the lower floors. Though he isn’t here to jinx other people, he just believed that they should not be targeted by all the people present. Unless it is the case where the creature randomly selects a room to hunt.

Well, if that is the reason, then they really f****d up for choosing this room.

While Damian is nervously trying to assess the perilous situation, Alexander is busy holding onto his terminal. His deft hands were dancing liquidly onto the holographic keyboard with his vigilant eyes focused on the screen. The concentration he maintains is quite impressive.

Xavier is keenly watching beside him and realized that Alexander is promptly setting up a group message. All the people within the building are being contacted. In a thoroughly organized way in the shortest time possible, Alexander was able to meticulously construct a complex diagram amply showing the specific positions of every individual and their situations.

This kind of skill has been exercised on the battlefield many times. Alexander owned the weakest race in the game but he undoubtedly has the best logistics at all. Nothing is better than properly knowing thyself, knowing the enemies and knowing the entire project.

They can’t be rivaled when it comes to reliable information.

It took Alexander a few minutes to polish the idea and messaged Xavier to assist him cover the cameras around the school. They are aware of Xavier’s other talents, so this request is merely superficial. Xavier also has the intention of doing it in the first place.

They worked accordingly - one scouting the enemy while the others collected information. Nobody is doing nothing.

From the eyes of the ordinary people, the three elite students of their school look vastly unfamiliar. They are not cowering or hiding like them, instead, they are thinking strategically of effective ways to accurately track the people inside the building and the position of the monster. Their movements look steadfastly like it has been practiced for a long time.

They never thought that these three people knew each other.

As what Damian suspected, the creature indeed stopped in front of the room door. There were marbles barring the door, so they could not observe the creature well. But they could sense the unspeakable dread emitted from the position where it stood passively. Xavier hastily operated his terminal, even expanding it to progressively increase the number of cameras that he could hack.

The terminals can’t be seen by the public, but one could guess what Xavier is doing. Alexander’s WPM is already fast, but Xavier seems to be faster. They could scarcely see the afterimage of his hand as he started breaking the perverse firewall of the school!

Everyone was astonished. They never thought that Xavier knew to code! They only know that he is outstanding in sculpting, not in science or techy stuff. The other two, too, surprised them. Alexander and Damian are notable students because of their friendliness, but they never thought that they also have this critical working state.

The camera has been hacked. The university firewall that is said to be set up by some distinguished programmer has been cracked by a student in just a few minutes. Xavier did not hide his tracks and purposely laid out his way to allow the federation knows that they had been hacked.

They needed help as soon as possible!

Xavier easily manipulated the angle of the camera and focused it on their position. He also did not forget to send the feed to the other students and professors, so they could see it. Seeing that he was done, Alexander quietly moved beside Damian and wrote a message on his terminal for the cousin to see.

Allen: That’s an undead monster, right? I saw it appearing on the undead world gate.

Damian nodded.

Allen: Then, what can it do?

Damian thought for a moment, then he replied with a message.

Melon: This monster is from one of those yearly events. It includes a mythical history, tacitly assumed to be the likely children of Hecate. Some game story events and the children weren’t born properly. They had become a ghoul with an emaciated body, roaming around, requesting strangers they met to play hide and seek.

Allen: Do you think it is playing hide and seek with us now?

Damian shrugged.

He doesn’t know.

Foremost, Damian is just speculating, since there is a incredibly high resemblance to this monster and the one in the game. Second, isn’t this the real world? How could something from the game suddenly come out? Third, if ever the creature did come from the game, it will be an arduous task to defeat it.

They are humans. They could not become the game characters they were once in the game.

Still, Damian willingly handed out the information.

Melon: I am not quite sure, but there is always a trigger before the game will start. It will not suddenly start chasing and killing people or its essence will be gone.

Allen: Uh... It slaughters people?

Melon: The resentment of not being born caused the conjoined twins to exact revenge. The body they acquired comprise the combination of corpses they hunted in the past. Their favorite hobbies are playing with people and butchering them.

Allen: That event is downright cruel. How could they do it?

Melon: What did you expect? It is the undead race we are talking about. There are many more stuff happening inside our race. Just dying is the first requirement.

Alexander no longer replied and looked furtively at Damian with a helpless shrug. This aspect contradicts the personal virtues of humans when it comes to life and death. It will be good to just stop talking here. Xavier did not mind their interaction and just busied on holding the camera controls in his hands.

"What are we going to do?” Xavier mouthed.

The creature is still standing in front of their door. There’s nothing else to do than to wait.

Allen: You say that there is a trigger to play this game, right?

Damian and Xavier gave Alexander odd looks. Does this guy genuinely want to play the game? Alexander interpreted their gestures and typed quickly.

Allen: Then what else should we do? Should we just wait? What if that guy will not move there for three days?

Melon: Bro, carefully think it for a while. How are you sure that that monster is from the game?

Allen: How sure are you it wasn’t the one from the game?

Damian is silent. He could not quite understand, but he felt that what Alexander was saying was right. This creature must be some deleterious mutation of a creature or something, yet he could feel a familiar sense coming from it. It’s the feeling when he is playing the game.

The surge of adrenaline that coveted him to risk his life.

Xavier: If we are planning to play it, do we tell the others?

Damian bobbed his head.

Melon: The maximum players it can allow to play in the game are ten. Others that were not part of it will be excluded.

Allen: We have three members now. Time to choose the seven players.

The conditions are easy to understand, but they’re apprehensive that no people wanted to play. Alexander scanned the records of people residing the building and pointed some names. Damian recognized the name since some of them were part of the team playing the beta test. Actually, like what the trio are executing, they are also moving like how they do in the game.

Allen: I found two players from my guild who also joined the beta test. I assigned them a task to search for other players. They found three coming from the Thunder Beasts.

Melon: That’s eight players. We need two more.

Alexander released another group message but there were no responses. Some DTO players were aware of Alexander's and Damian’s identity and asked what they are talking about. Alexander completely rejected their messages and proceeded on requesting on who wanted to play a game.

The professors inquired about the game. They were flabbergasted by Alexander’s guts to play games in this situation. But after reading the drafted information about the game and its relationship to the monster, they all shut up. Now, they are wondering if their students hallucinated due to fear.

Melon: It doesn’t look like they believe us.

Allen: I won’t also believe such nonsense if someone sent me the same message.

Melon: ...

In the end, two male professors volunteered to join. Both are teaching PE classes and thought that they are fit enough to play the game. Alexander had warned them about the danger of the game that might cost them their life if they were careless. Xavier, observing Alexander communicate to their professors, felt a sudden pity. He looked at Damian as if inquiring, Is this how he usually talks to people?

Damian nodded. Alexander won’t attain his position if he is fearful.

Managing things in this set-up, Xavier announced the plan to the other individuals. Once the game has started, they have to leave the building as quick as possible. The students hiding on the upper floors need to use the back door, while the ones in the studio will escape using the windows.

The concerned students are skeptical about the plan, some voicing out their concerns, but Alexander is firm in his decision. He’s not quite sure if it’s because of his Humanoid class, but the gut feeling that he had right now is forewarning him to risk it. As a weak race, aside from intelligence, their intuitions are also their most vital asset.

Everything had been decided. The VR players are already drilled to carry out dangerous jobs, so they don’t display any fear in their eyes but the obstinate determination to survive. It is the two adult professors whom they are more worried about. They are troubled that this event will leave a psychological trauma to them.

Ah, just let it, ba. To survive is the main agenda.

Damian assumed the position of the lead. He abruptly stood up while straightening his disordered clothes. The silence of the room amplified the claps of his shoes that almost matched the rhythm of a clicking clock. He stood in the middle of the room while facing the door. He exhaled sharply, then yelled in his loudest volume.

It is night, let’s play a game

The one I point is the IT

And IT will say

Hide in the darkest corner

Hide under the bed

Hide until there’s no tomorrow

Because the IT is here to play!

The loud crying and laughing halted. Damian stood in his position, sweat tucking his head. He waited tensely for a few seconds, then a more creepy song chimed it. Just by hearing the ghostly song inadvertently made his hair stand up.

I am the IT, so hide very please

I will knock on the door

So please let me in

You will hide, and I will seek

The game will start at one...

Alexander and Xavier did not hesitate and opened the curtains and swiftly removed the marbles blocking the floor. Damian unlocked the cabinets and overturned the tables, gathering the hidden students out. Alexander pulled the door open and is confronted with the two bloodied face of the monster.

As of now, both eyes of the faces are closed and still creepily singing the numbers. According to Damian, the monster will count up to one hundred. One number is equivalent to one second. It means that they scarcely have at least one minute and a half to hide.

Alexander did not dawdle around and forced the students to come out of the room. Some are frozen from terrible fear while the others started crying uncontrollably. Alexander started scolding them, saying that if they will stay here any longer, they will be slaughtered. His threatening words awoken the students that quickly escaped through the exits.

The same thing is happening on the other floors. Thundering sounds of steps resounded from the metal stairs, yet the song of the monster is still louder in their ears. Xavier continuously ordered the students to hurry since they still don’t know the range of the monster’s game.

“Don’t worry,” Damian called feebly. “It could not go to wider spaces. If my assumptions are right, only the players left in this building will be counted. So they should hurry or else the monster will randomly nominate the ten players.”

The two are not talking silently since they had their voices connected to the speakers. Upon overhearing it, the students become more frantic, doing their best to run as fast as they can. Luckily, they are only around fifty students, excluding a few professors. Before the one minute timer is up, only the ten chosen players are the only ones left in the building.

Now, it is their turn to hide.

“We have to spread out,” Alexander suggested. “Hide in places where you can easily escape. Once concealed, don’t make a sound and mark your position on the given map.”

He solemnly handed out a portable map that does not need any internet connection to activate. It utilizes the GPS system. It is an outdated technology and only used by mountain hikers. Xavier inquired why they needed to acquire this.

“I’m afraid that once the game starts, we won’t be able to communicate with each other,” Alexander candidly said.

Xavier nodded. “That’s a possibility. Then, let’s be careful.”

The trio dispersed and went to various places. The ten players find the most inconspicuous place they could reclaim and forcefully fit themselves. The players from the thunder beast’s guild had the best hiding tactic, as they easily found their places. The professors, however, are still opening doors and rooms searching for an area to hide.

28... 29... 30... 31...

The monster had counted past the half minute time. There are only ten seconds left. The people outside the building could still hear the counting. Some are barely subconsciously following it. They are not quite sure if the people they abandoned had completely hidden. But all of them prayed they found a suitable spot.

A spot so good that not even their ancestors could discover them.

The sun that has been shining very brightly is suddenly shrouded by heavy clouds, evoking a gloomy atmosphere.

It looked like a storm was brewing.