He watched the clock move in anticipation; it was three minutes to ten, three minutes left. With every fleeting second, more sweat drenched his body; he was losing them in a bucket load. What could he do?
He looked down at their goggles, the neon green lined on its rims, then he turned back to the clock, his eyes widened as he saw that there were only two minutes left.
I only looked away for a second, he could time fly away like this, he thought. He turned on his phone with his slippery fingers; he couldn't believe it; it was still two minutes to ten.
He looked back at the Googles; there's no time left; I must go back in. He reached for it. His hands were shaking like he was having seizures, he had to get a grip on himself, he knew he had to be there by ten or else…
He grabbed onto the vr Google, and through his sea of fear, a sharp burst of rage filled him; he felt like crushing it in his sweaty hands; you've ruined my life, he thought, and yet a small part of him knew that wasn't true.
The VR wasn't the one that made Lori leave or his business fail; it was me, he thought.
He gasped for air as the fear gripped his throat like a rope for hanging. Images of fangs and claws and the giant jaws of monsters filled his mind, he could smell blood so vividly it made his feet cold.
He knew if he didn't, he'd die.
He had spent so much of his time cooped up in his apartment, playing video games all-day
Three lives left
Two lives
One life
Game over
And over again
But until now, he'd never felt so close to death, not even when he had cancer. Cancer was silent, and he couldn't see it; it scared everyone else more than it did him, but what was behind those goggles was more real to him than his cancer ever was, something he couldn't escape, no procedures, no scans, just blood, claws, and fangs.
There was one minute left, he looked at the
black neon gadget, he felt a bit hesitant, but the nanochip, the chip inside his head, made him think of suicide. He thought about it: if I didn't put it on, they would explode, then it'd be over, no misery, no pain, just game over.
His heart betrayed him. He wanted to live, he wanted to live now more than, more than when he had cancer, more than when Lori left him on the altar.
Forty seconds left
The images of monsters flooded his mind again. I can't go back there, it's a nightmare – Something struck his mind. It was the face of a Co-worker, a girl – no! It's all my fault, she'll die because of me. I wished I just played Mario Kart.
With thirty seconds left, he picked up the VR, and his hands began to shake.
A world of terror awaited him underneath the fancy polish of the vr, it was a state of the art BALcity vintage reality set, complete with the vr suit and everything.
Ten seconds left,
He put the goggles on, and felt a small surge of electricity run through his nape; the chip had been activated just in the nick of time.
He remembered the monster he had faced when he first went in, when he played only for fun, arm with a sharpened jaw bone facing a reptilian monster ten meters tall with claws longer than his hand.
He felt the monster ripping him apart again and shuddered in fear. The neon lights flooded his eyes with varying colors, then it faded to black and silence. He could hear his heartbeat and after three beats The title card of the game appeared in his eyes in big bright letters,
"PRIMAL SYSTEM"
******
"Hey Joji! How much is this packet of nuts"
"It's just four dollars," he said. "You know it if you ask me every day and I say the same thing."
"What? I don't do that." The old man said."
"Man, I never wanna get that old." He heard the door open behind him, he quickly took his hand out of his pocket and placed it on the shopping counter. He heard footsteps behind him as the door shut
"Yo Joji!" it was his manager
"Yeah, what is it, sir"
Joji didn't realize he had a cookie crumb on his finger, but looking for him, his boss was only focusing on his bored and lifeless attitude.
"Joji, could you, I don't know, act more alive, more enthusiastic? He emphasized his final word, putting enough energy to drive it home to joji.
"Huh?" Joji said. "What is that?"
"It's when you act with energy and live and excitement."
"Excited, huh?" Joji looked around and saw the fully stocked shelves and the freshly mopped floor but no reason to get excited. "I don't see what you mean sir," Joji said.
"It's like you with the old man".
"Yeah, what about him," Joji wondered. "You know his senile, right?" the manager said. "He is?" Jojo sounded shocked, but the gloom in his eyes and the bag around him couldn't show his surprise.
"Yes, and You should treat him with more care."
"Really, but he always remembers to check the expiring dates and my name and where this store is and it says four dollars on the shelf. How could he forget that in just ten steps to the counter."
"I don't know Joji, but that's how you are with every other customer, you gotta smile a little more." Joji forced a fake smile on his face but only succeeded in turning himself into a horror movie villain.
"That's a start but try to lessen the; I own a van and offer candy to small children vibe. I love the spirit, keep it up, Joji, and you may just get that raise."
Joji let out a deep exhale as the manager left, then he stopped as he opened the door and said into the door in his office.
"And Joji, try not to eat on the job." Joji looked at his hand and saw the brown cookie crumbs, he felt so stupid as he heard the door shut.
Why am I working at a shop where the manager is just behind me? Oh shit, it's eleven, thank god.
The back door, by his far left, opens, and out comes a scruffy-looking man about his age, Joji was in his earliest twenties and had quit school to pursue his dream of making comic books but after rejection and rejection and after being disowned by his parents, got a job here to pay his medical debts off and stay alive.
"hey Joji, how did it go"
"What?"
"The interview?"
"Oh, I didn't go,"
"What come on! I wanted that gig, you told me you wanted it more, it was my dream to sell furniture bro"
Really
"Nah I'm just playing, but seriously dude what up you look more Joji than usual"
"What?"
"Yeah, that's our new word for depressed around here; even the boss man started using it. It's catching on, Joe; soon, the neighborhood kids will get in on it, too."
"Hey, it's my break, so I'm going outside."
"What are you gonna do there?"
"I don't know Bass, Smoke something"
Bass looked around making sure no one was looking, then he pulled out something white. Joji chucked, "what's this one?" Joji said.
"The boys are calling it the VR; one hit of this shit, and you're in the dream world, man, Asta LaVista, baby."
"Put that away Bass, Were still working the boss might see you"
"How about me and you hit it later."
"I don't know I got real VR business later"
"You talking about that new primal game?"
"Yeah primal system, my little bro won't shut up about it"
"It is the game of the year already and it is not even out yet"
"wouldn't that cost a lot, aye Joji?"
"Yeah I'm using all my savings to buy it"
"Don't you got rent, and how about your comic book? thought you were saving it for that?" Joji sighed and Bass could tell what that meant. "Still haven't picked up a pen yet; what it's been three months now, you killing me, men, thought you loved comic books."
"I don't know anymore, Bass, I'm going out"
Joji walked out the door and shut it behind him. "Hey Joji watch out for the cute girl, don't touch her she's mine"
He walked out of the store and to a bench for customers. He sat down and took out a cigarette; he lit it, brought out his phone, and began scrolling. Then he got a notification that said, "Order your copy of Primal System now"
"Hey joji! *
He looked up from his phone, and a fair sparkling blonde was waving at him; she'd always caught his eye, but he didn't have the heart to talk to her; luckily for him, she talked to him, even asked for his number. She ran up to him.
"Hey Amy," he said, holding back a puff of smoke.
"What are you up to joji," she leaned in to look at his phone.
"What's the primal system? "
"It's nothing, just a new video game"
"Video games, oh I love those"
"Really!" Joji said, really surprised. Finally something in common with her! He thought.
"Yeah, my last boyfriend, all he did was play video games… "
Boyfriend? Kill me now, Joji thought.
"… didn't have time for me, so I had to learn a couple to get his attention; we broke up after that." she leaned in even more and spoke in a lower tone like she was telling him a secret.
"Just between you and me, he couldn't stand me kicking his ass in street brawlers."
Joji laughed, though he felt a bit shy as she leaned in, it had been over two years since Lori, two years since he had been close to any woman.
"Are you going to buy it?" she said.
"Yeah, I will"
"Is it any good"
"The graphics and play look awesome, and it is already the game of the year, I'll tell you that much." stop trying to sound cool, dumbass, Joji thought.
"Really?" She said,
"Yeah, you should get one too, maybe we could go on missions together."
"Are you sure about that, i won't be any good,"
Men, she's so pretty right now, Joji thought. "Sure," he said. "It's no big deal, I can teach you" Joji felt a little like he was overstepping his boundaries. He let out a fake cough but let out a bit of smoke instead, and then he said, "That's if you'd be open to it?"
"I would love that," she said. Her bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle for a second and Joji relished that second.
"You would?" he said in a fit of excitement.
"Yeah, I'll order mine later, now I've gotta get back to work, talk to you later Joji"
"Yeah see you"
She turned around and ran off into the store.
Joji let out a puff of smoke, and without giving it much thought, he tapped the button to order, then he shut the phone, turned around, and stared into traffic.
…..
When he got back to his apartment, he saw a black box waiting for him at his door. When he opened it, it was the VR set for Primal.
Millions were already logging in now; it was getting old, There was no way I'd let anyone spoil this for me; primal, here we come.
Joji put on the sensor suit, put a food hose in his mouth, and then counted down from three. On one he slipped the goggles over his eyes.
"PRIMAL GAMES"
The intro was all standard affair, putting in your name and time card, except for the little detail with putting in your bank details.
Damn, all these characters are ugly, Joji thought. Well, they are cavemen, after all.
Character creation complete.
His game eyes opened, when spawned nestled behind trees, hiding from something very dangerous. The in-game assistant sent repeated messages telling him to tread carefully.
He felt everything like it was real, he felt the slimy red mud underneath his bare feet, the mosquito biting him, he even felt the hot air against his back.
Now, this is a triple-A game, he thought.
The tree swayed overhead; he looked up and saw legions of Pteranodons flying overhead; the game assistant cautioned him to stay still.
Woah, The graphics are even better than in the thriller.
Then he said something crackle and snap; he turned back and peeped from the bushes and saw a blue raptor; it growled, relieving its dagger-like teeth, and then it turned its head around and began sniffing.
It all looked so real but even more, than that, this simple prehistoric creature felt different than any boss he'd ever faced in a video game, it felt real, in a much deeper way that made his stomach churn, it was like he was face to face with a real live predator but that only made him love the game even more, he could face his fears here and even if he fails he could just try again.
The game assistant told him to summon your weapon and tap on your left chest; Joji did so; before his eyes was a large square-shaped two-dimensional board that displayed his stats, abilities, and weapons.
He had no stats, very little ability, and just one weapon: a saber tooth jaw bone.
So armed with the jaw bone he leaped out of bushes and after the raptor. The blue raptor screeched and ran after him with great speed.
His legs felt so light; he had done this before in several games; jumping into the fray was how he handled things, at least in video games. He knew whether scary or not just aim for the jugular
I'm gonna slip left, put out my arm, make it go for that, and when it stretches out its neck, I'll stab it in the throat.
He did as he planned, but he didn't anticipate its quick reflexes, it did go for his arm but faster than he could react to draw it back on time. It felt like his arm had burst into flames; as the daggers dug into it, he knew the pain wasn't real, and he said it to himself.
He saw its jugular pump, he smiled and stabbed it with the saber tooth, the beast thrashed around almost taking off his arm, he repeatedly stabbed it over and over, and the raptor sunk its razor-sharp claws into his body tearing through his flesh like paper and Joji laughed through it all, despite the pain it was all just a game.
The raptor died in his arms, he was on his knees, and he was having fun; he laughed and laughed, and he looked at his almost severed arm and torn belly.
Then a tremor cut through; he felt it underneath his knees; the prehistoric trees swayed left to right, in rhythm with the tremors, and some fell; something huge was coming.
Joji began to shiver; he couldn't tell why; it was just a game, he thought, but why does it feel like I'm at gunpoint? Why does it feel like I'm gonna die? He knew it could only be one thing.
He raised his head and saw an adult t rex larger than his apartment complex, in a flash he was engulfed in the darkness of its jaws.
He felt the large fangs cut through his body and severed him in two; he screamed and closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he had respawned; the assistant showed him his stats, and only four lives left.
******
"It felt so real I'm telling you, Bass," Joji said, "you gotta try it, it's awesome"
"Yeah I got one, my brother, he'll let me take a hit at it, I'm sure of it but if it's as hard as you say, I'll be pie for me"
"Believe me, I spent the whole night getting traumatized, but a T rex, see, look at this! My hands are shaking just talking about it"
Bass laughed, "They are; if you're so scared, why are you still playing?"
"I'm trying to see how far I can go on that without meeting that trex again."Bass laughed.
"I feel alive Bass, it such a great game"
"Sounds a bit pathetic to me, Joe, it's just a great game."
What?
"I'm going outside, I'm gonna light this up," he shows Joji the paper from yesterday
"Alright"
He leaves and Joji takes a seat by the counter, he looks around the store and they were very few people around shopping, then he turns to the TV on the wall and reads the headlines
"Sixty thousand dead from video games, Primal"
Joji laughed, at least I'm not the only one, he thought, then the images on the TV changed, he saw an old woman crying, it seemed very odd, he looked around. The store and back at the TV.
Then he saw a lifeless body being hauled off with a neon goggle on its head. Pick up the remote and changed the channel but it was all the same new, over and over again, dead bodies with neon goggles over their eyes,
"What's going on," then he remembered,
No, Amy!