"San–... Santos... SANTOS!–"
"Where is that voice coming from?..." Maximus spaces out, the blood pooling into his open hands as he slumps against the tree he was violently thrown and beaten into.
"Santos. I need that report. We're behind schedule and if you can't give me the report by 11:59:59 pm. Don't be a failure or I'm letting you go." A familiar voice echoes through Maximus's head. The world grew quieter as his health dropped further and further.
"Let go..." The pain was absurd for an illusion as his vision began to blur and his soul began to almost drift from his body. The dirt stained his shirt and the bark scraped his arms. It was hopeless, failure, and ultimately death, never felt so close before.
"Failure..." As hopelessness ensues, Jan is left only to confront the voice that occupied his mind...
[5 years ago....]
"The last day of high school." Jan stares blankly. To him, nothing felt more surreal than the afternoon sky, laying against the trunk of the old maple tree as he imagined picking each little cloud out of the sky. It was the only time of the day where he could lay back and really allow himself to relax.
[Jan POV]
Home was never "home". Home was not a dirty yellow carpet littered with half-empty glass bottles, no, it was the brisk summer air flowing through young green leaves. No people...
"What do you think life after high school is like?..."
Except her...
Her name was Rika. With a K. She was born in Japan to her foreign parents who thought it'd be nice to give her a name that suited the culture. I've known her since early childhood, we met on a swing set in 2nd grade, and have been hanging out ever since.
I paused. "It can't be anything like the adults described it, right? Taxes and all that– Life definitely has some sort of meaning for everyone. Some sort of adventure for every single person.". "I like the way you think, Jan. It's not going to be easy not being able to see you everyday, with me moving and all–..."
She turned to face the clouds "–I just really hope you find that meaning to live. You've always been so glum, chum." She giggled, tears glittering as they welled up in her sapphire eyes at the thought of leaving behind someone who cherished her presence more than anyone on campus.
When she moved away, I still went to the same tree, just... minus another person. I missed her everyday after she moved. She promised to write... and she did, but as the months went on, our lives changed, the number of texts became few. I never resented her for it, I just thought she finally realized I had no true path in life.
She died in a bus accident a couple years after graduation. She was 20 years old and barely had time to see the world. Her ear to ear smile would never be seen in person again. She'd never gaze into the clouds under the maple tree again.
I miss her everyday, so I picked my butt off the floor, and went and got a job I didn't know I'd hate. I know she'd want me to not get so hung up on her and live a life I can appreciate, but I just wish I said more to her face. I wish I could've looked her more in the eyes instead of in the clouds. I wish she was here. I did genuinely like her.
She was a ray of sunshine that shone through any cloud in the sky... Life wasn't dirtied yellow carpets and half empty cans of beer. Life was supposed to be an adventure.
[In the present]
The voice only got louder. "Why am I reflecting now?... Is the game trying to punish me? remind me of what I have to come home to when I die in this world?.." He sits up, the surrounding grass now painted red.
The pigman only rushed closer, but to him, in slow motion. "What do I have to lose?... A dead end job and a lousy paycheck that may or may not be the sole reason I survive today." He mumbles, the loss of blood making him delirious...
...
...
"This is the end, this reality was unlike anything I've ever seen. But all dreams end eventually..."
...
...
He blacks out, his body weightless, and his mouth ajar as he slumps back down, awaiting his fate of returning to the cruel world he truly lives in.
"Sir!..."
.
.
.
"Who said that?..."
.
.
.
"We need assistance! Injured civilian! In his 20's and bleeding out fast. Where is that damn cle r i c?!"
All the noise gradually fell into a buzz of chaos and white noise... So this is what dying is like in this virtual world. This was...
The death screen...