As she walked downstairs, she contemplated everthing that just happenned. She remembered how she lost her family and fiancé in a car accident. The car was completely wrecked by a truck driver who fell asleep and crashed into them. Everyone involved died at the scene but she somehow survived. She was in a coma for 3 weeks and when she woke up she found out she lost everything important in her life. She was unable to go back to school for some time while she learned how to walk and talk again which resulted in losing her scholarship.
As she thought about that tragic day, Murmayd remembered the last conversation she had with her family in the car.
---
They were discussing wedding plans and when Murmayd asked her fiancé about his opinion for wedding venues he said "Choose whichever you want my love. I just want you to do whatever will make you happy. Today, tomorrow and forever."
Her mother and father agreed and added " not just for the wedding dear, but for everything you do in life. And you two as well!" They said as they pointed to her siblings sitting in the back of the van.
"I hereby vow to forever be happy!" Muraya said as she laughed and everyone else did too.
As Muraya leaned in to kiss her fiancé, bright headlights blinded everyone in the car. That would be the last laugh Muraya shared with her family and the final kiss she ever gave her fiancé.
---
Muraya walked down the stairs with a renewed sense on life. He first near-death experience left her depressed, alone and craving death to come for her. Today's near-death experience, even though it was her own doing, had a different effect. She realized she needed a new outlook on life if she was going to keep her promise to her loved ones.
She marched down the stairs, grabbed her belongings and walked right out of the office. On Monday when no one received their paychecks, and John tried to bully her, she was ready. She no longer feared death, which meant she feared John even less. His presence paled in comparison to the extremes she had lived and she needed to remember that she was stronger than she thought. This new Muraya will not be walked all over and taken advantage of anymore. One does not need to be a pushover to be considered kind.
She called Yanet as she left the building. "Hey Yanet. Do you mind if I swing by and pick up 'Accrued Online'? I'm on my way home now."
Yanet answered, "oh I'm so glad you were able to finish on time! Yes of course come by."
Muraya didn't want to give Yanet details about her experience and preferred to move on, but she did briefly mention having a change of heart. "I didn't finish it, but I decided I will no longer take any shit from John. I realized that I am the only person responsible for my happiness and that place does not make me happy at all. The only good thing about that place was meeting a friend like you. I'll deal with the consequences later."
"What?! You're crazy. I know no one in the office will be upset with you but I hope you are prepared to deal with 'John the Overlord' on Monday. Ha! You know I will support you whatever happens. Anyway, just knock when you get here and I'll hand you the game."
"Ok see you soon. I'm sending you the money now." Muraya hung up and walked over to Yanet's house feeling like a different person. She knocked on the door and Yanet handed her the game. She thanked her and they made plans to play later tonight. Yanet' husband peeked his head out the door and invited Muraya to come inside for dinner.
"No thank you, maybe some other time. I have a ton of stuff to do when I get home before I can play, and I don't want to keep Yanet waiting for me any longer." Muraya told him.
He told her she was welcome to come by whenever and said goodbye before heading back inside. Yanet told Muraya that she would login after putting Abi to bed then text her where she was and wait for her. They said their goodbyes and Yanet waved to Muraya as she closed the door.
On her way home, she looked around at the trees and the sky, wondering why she never noticed how green and vibrant all the colors were. In the setting sun, they glowed shades of green and orange and danced in the wind similar to the forests in her games. As she approached the pungent smells surrounding her neighborhood, she picked up her pace. She was excited about life again, but was still aware of the dangers of walking around the slums she lived in.
After making her way up to her apartment and locking the door, she looked around her dingy home. She grabbed her mop, a bucket, and some cleaning supplies and got to work scrubbing every inch if her home. Luckily her space was small, and it didn't take long before it was all sparkling clean. She took out some old gifts from her closet and rearranged them around the house. She had several Christmas gifts still in their boxes that she received from her coworkers last year. She set up a small table lamp, some random decorations that didn't quite match but definitely livened up her home. When she was done, she realized she still had a few minutes before she had to get online to meet with Yanet. She took a hot shower and replayed her day in her head. She was determined to turn over a new leaf and would make sure to constantly remind herself of her promise to her family and the lesson she learned from her mental breakdown.
She received a text from Yanet that read, 'Hey! Apparently everyone starts in the same area and then chooses where to go from there. Ill wait for you in the 'Weapons shop.'
Muraya replied, 'Great! Ill login in 15 minutes and head over to you.'
She got out of the shower and got dressed. She grabbed a post-it and scribbled some words on it before slapping it onto the wall next to her bed. It read "Keep your promise."
She switched the disk that was in her Cerebral Console with the copy of AO that Yanet got for her and got ready to play.
As she turned on the console and waited for the content to download, she stared at the mirror in front of her where a beautiful young woman stood. She was tall with her head held high and emanated a commanding, proud aura. She barely recognized herself, but she loved the person she saw in the mirror, and she knew her family would too. This was a renewed Muraya who would always remember that she wanted to be someone her family could be proud of when it was time to join them. When the download was complete, she logged in and was pulled into a brand-new world.
The words "Welcome to Accrued Online" shone brightly in the empty space in front of her.
"Please enter the character selection area to your left."