I jolted awake, stumbling toward the bathroom through a maze of scattered clothes and dirty dishes. In the dim pre-morning light, shadows spun as fragments of a nightmare clawed at my consciousness. Something had chased me through a forest, my efforts meaningless against encroaching doom.
Different from my usual dreams of high school isolation - eating alone while whispers spread. Goth. Child of the night. By senior year I'd accepted the names, but school stayed miserable. Four friends in total, each misfits in their own way.
The mirror showed a stranger: angular face dark with stubble, midnight black hair brushing my shoulders, hazy blue eyes flecked with green. Dark circles made my cheekbones too sharp. Cool granite drew my attention from the wreck staring back at me.
I had to get ready for lunch with Dan. The lunch. Shit.
My phone lay dead on the bed, unplugged. Three percent battery - enough to check messages. Dan had agreed to meet at the deli down the street. Still a few hours left.
After plugging in the phone, I decided to nap. Five hours' sleep wasn't enough when nothing urgent needed doing.
As my eyes closed, the room seemed to darken beyond what was possible with lights already off. Like someone standing over me, though that shouldn't matter with closed eyes in darkness.
Fear gripped me as consciousness faded. Iron filled my nostrils. Panic rose, but sleep had already claimed me.
I snapped awake drenched in cold sweat, fragments of vision tearing at my mind. The smell of blood and death made me gag.
Just a dream.
Standing made me notice the puddle of cold sweat I'd left behind.
Just a dream.
My racing heart slowed as reality reasserted itself. Time to get ready.
Unlocking my phone showed I was running late. Dan would be at the deli in an hour and I was a mess. I grabbed clean clothes and started a bath while tackling my unshaven face.
As I lowered myself into the tub, blood dripped down my leg.
What the hell?
Two tiny punctures marked my inner thigh, fresh ones. Must have been a spider. I sank into the warm water, letting my muscles unlock.
Ten minutes later, I checked the mirror again. My skin looked oddly pale.
Must have slept worse than I thought.
Dark circles under my eyes had deepened, shadowing an otherwise healthy face. A touch of body spray, dressed, and out the door before I was late.
Early. Or Dan was late. Either way, I sat alone outside the café with the state's best pasta, starving. Between getting ready and rushing here, I'd forgotten breakfast because of those damn dreams.
The memories lingered - a wooded glen smelling of pine and fresh grass. The starless night. Biting wind. Overwhelming fear, an instinct to flee. Sharp iron scent and sudden pain.
Where was Dan? He used to be punctual. I could eat a horse.
Checking my phone, I realized I was early. Dan would arrive soon. I browsed the Infinity Online forum again while waiting.
One account described a player unable to log back in, but without the symptoms the news reported. Interestingly, Egregore Digital hadn't issued any statement about the allegations. Their silence spoke volumes.
A soft bell chimed. A shorter-than-average man approached - Dan, my age, with a caramel buzz-cut and thick horn-rimmed glasses. Clean-shaven but slightly rumpled in a white tee and jeans. Not that I could judge in my black tee and jeans. As he waved, I noticed a new tattoo above his wrist - the number 8. Dan had never mentioned wanting tattoos.
"Hey Jace, long time no see," he grinned.
No one had called me that in ages.
Thanks, Dan. I needed that.
***
I've always hated my name. Eight Jasons in my grade alone. So being precocious, I'd insisted on Jace. Naturally, that made everyone double down on Jason. Small towns never let go. Only people who knew my gamertag -
"Hey Dan. Thanks for meeting up. One more entitled guest complaining about water temperature and I might've lost it," I said.
"No problem. Been meaning to reach out anyway. Want you to meet some people."
"People? Finally got a girlfriend?" I shoved his shoulder lightly.
He laughed. "No, no. My guild! Four of us locals, we stick together in every new game."
"You know my situation, Dan. Love to meet them, but gaming's not in my budget anymore." I paused. "That's partly why I wanted to meet. You playing Infinity Online?"
Dan tensed at the name. Odd. Usually he'd be gushing about any new game.
"How's work?" he deflected.
"Same shit. You know how retail goes."
"You need to get out of there." He frowned. "You look rough. I'm worried about you."
"Can't leave. Tried college, couldn't focus past ten minutes."
"You're wasting your potential, Jace."
"Thanks, Mom. Real cool." I rubbed my neck, knowing he was right. Change was hard when life was tolerable. A risky move could destroy everything. "So, Infinity? Playing?"
"Yeah..." He rubbed the tattoo, leaning forward like a cornered animal.
"Dan, what's wrong? Something happen with the game? Those rumors true?"
Dan was never our reckless one. When teenage impulse pushed us toward stupid decisions, he kept us grounded. Daring Danny Darlington walked the line between responsibility and rebellion.
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me around the corner into a service hallway. Dark, dreary, years of neglect showing. A restroom sign pointed left.
"What the hell?" I pushed back. He'd wrenched my wrist hard enough to strain it. "It's just a game. No need for drama."
"Just shut up and look." He turned his wrist toward me. Looking closer, I realized it wasn't an 8 - it was an infinity symbol. Something was very wrong.
Had Dan gotten caught in Egregore's mess? Was the tattoo some cult initiation?
Damn Josh for putting conspiracies in my head.
Dan pressed the tattoo, wincing like it hurt. A black-and-white screen materialized above it, like a computer display. One line of text blazed in fiery green: Ideal of Obligation.