Gamers - Amazon (16 page)

Gabby tore into one, remembering how hungry she was. It did taste like a stick, but she was so hungry she didn't care.

"Where'd you get these again?"

"Mouse and I wandered into the cavern a little ways. We found a camp of small pointy noised creatures and slaughtered them," said Stephan.

"Sporting of you," Avony muttered between bites.

Stephan rolled his eyes and continued. "We took their food and drink and got a few bed rolls out of it. Only four though, but since you two are becoming so chummy, maybe you can share one."

asked Avony.

Gabby nearly spit out her water, forgetting about the OOC program.

She wiped the water that had dribbled on her chin, avoiding making eye contact with Stephan. Avony hid her smile behind her water pouch.

"Next time could you kill some errant chefs or something? I'm hungry and all, but this jerky is awful. I think I'd almost prefer a stick to it," said Gabby.

"We were thinking of staying here tonight. We're all pretty tired and we're hoping we put enough distance between us and the wraiths," explained Stephan.

The girls agreed and they set up a rotating watch. Avony took the first one and while Gabby was rolling around on her bedroll, she decided to ask a question.

she said.

Avony paused, clearly conflicted.

she asked.

Avony crossed her arms.

Gabby sat up and feigned at rubbing her calf in case the others were watching.

said Avony.

Gabby implored Avony with small hand gestures.

responded Avony.

Gabby debated bringing up the Frags and how they could join them and work from the outside. They could use someone like Avony. People flocked to her and even teachers loved her.

Rolling onto her side only brought Gabby more worries about the LifeGame system. Gabby couldn't imagine leaving her family and escaping to the mountains with the Frags, but she also didn't know if she could support a system that did horrible things to its citizens, even if she didn't know what those horrible things were.

She didn't fall asleep until well into Unthar's shift, which was after Avony's. Then it only seemed she had barely closed her eyes when a heavy hand was shaking her awake.

Gabby crawled onto the rock shelf, huddling into a blanket they'd gotten from the creatures. She missed Zaela and wondered how her team was faring.

Zaela's TPS scores were probably average like Avony, Gabby realized. But like Avony, Zaela had other skills.

The abstract spatial paintings that her friend made in the empty spaces behind their house always amazed Gabby. She never understood them, but they were always beautiful. To her, anyway.

Gabby remembered the first time Zaela had tried to show a teacher her art, soon after she'd arrived at the school. Zaela had come from a northern community on the edge of the GSA. She'd only just joined LifeGame.

The teacher had lectured the poor girl about the necessity of usefulness. That learning to make digital artifacts for LifeGame was important to help their world breathe and grow, but making unrecognizable objects that did nothing more than take up space was a tragedy.

Gabby knew right then and there that she was going to help Zaela. Even before she saw the tears in Zaela's eyes. She thought Avony would want her too, but when she declined to let her into the group, Gabby set out on her own, making her little tribe with Zaela and Dario.

She wished she was on a team with them. While her companions were highly skilled, their teamwork was pitiful. When ever they fought, it was like five individuals trying to do an elaborate dance in an elevator.

Her side was probably bruised from some of the elbows thrown her way from Unthar. She didn’t trust the big Brute. Didn’t trust any of them, not even Avony with their temporary truce. Even Mouse worried her.

Mr. Johnson had warned her that she wouldn't be able to trust her team and he was right. She wondered if one of them was a spy for the Coder. She could probably rule out Avony, but any of the others were likely traitors.

She'd have to think of a way to lure the traitor out before the end. Otherwise, the traitor would ruin them all.

The lumpy shelf made her butt sore, so she leaned to one side to massage out the muscles. The real shelf was probably a flat desk, but her sense-web made it feel like an uneven surface.

Faint movement in the tunnel caught her attention. Gabby rubbed her eyes, wondering if it were just exhaustion and peered in that direction.

The dim light that permeated everything made seeing beyond the immediate range difficult. The gloom absorbed the details.

Then Gabby saw it floating near the ceiling. A wraith had found them. Tiny sparkles where its eyes were, like chips of glass, gave away its location.

It had to be a scout for the horde. She needed to kill it so it couldn't report their location.

Gabby feigned stretching and wandered around the camp, avoiding the wraith's location at first. Then when she thought she'd sufficiently built up her ruse, she yanked her blades free and sliced the wraith still hovering near the ceiling.

She killed the shadowy creature easily, but as she was putting away her blades, she noticed another wraith disappearing down the tunnel.

Gabby woke up the team. They griped about the lack of sleep as they readied to move again. Only Mouse seemed strangely awake.

They ran for a few hours, groggy and sore from the previous day's run. Gabby found herself zoning out on Avony's white dress.

Once again, Stephan led them, picking the direction as they came to splits. They killed a few more wraiths along the way, which made them nervous about stopping for any longer than a few minutes, not knowing how far behind the horde lurked.

Gabby ate another jerky rod as they ran, sipping her water and wishing she had more. The blandness of the landscape numbed her tired mind.

When they hadn't seen a wraith for twenty minutes, they camped and rested, rubbing sore muscles and stretching.

"Where are we?" Mouse asked quietly, nibbling on her jerky.

"That's a vague question if I've ever heard one," said Avony.

Mouse glared at Avony, who didn't notice because she was bent over doing leg stretches, much to the delight of Stephan.

"In the giant," finished Mouse.

"That's right," said Gabby. "If we're in the giant, then where are we in its body?"

Stephan stopped staring at Avony's bent form so he could interject. "I don't think we agreed we're in the giant's body."

"Well, I do," said Gabby.

"Me, too," added Mouse.

Avony shrugged, barely moving her shoulders as if she didn't care enough to think about it. "I'm not sure."

They looked to Unthar, but he was busy sharpening his sword, an act that was purely for show in this augmented world.

"I think where Mouse is going with that," Gabby said. "Is if we're in the body and we can figure out where, maybe we can make some fragging progress."

"We're making progress," Stephan snapped.

"Then where are we, exactly?" Gabby asked.

"I know where I'm going." Stephan puffed his chest up like a scolded five-year-old and the three girls broke out in laughter.

Their good time was cut short when Unthar sprung to the middle of them and brought his sword around in a deadly arc. The shimmering runes on the blade pulsed with crimson vigor as the edge made for her head.

Had the attack been meant for them, they would have all perished, but he swung high, hitting the three wraiths that had snuck into the room along the ceiling.

While the wraith dust floated to the floor, the others shared glances. They thought Unthar had meant to kill them.

"At least one of us is paying attention," he said and strode into the tunnel.

They grabbed their gear and followed, running for a couple of more hours, stopping occasionally to rest, but not long enough for any wraiths to find them. They killed a few that they came upon while running, unsure if they were ones they had killed before.

Gabby's eyes wanted to close on her since they didn't have enough time to sleep when they stopped. As Gabby was shaking her head awake, a mind-text came from Avony.

Gabby ran a few paces before answering.

Avony chuckled.

Gabby answered.

The two girls, that had been running side by side, glanced at each other, mouths open, realizing then why Stephan was taking the lead.

They sent their mind-text at the same time.

"Everyone stop," said Avony.

"We need to talk," added Gabby.

Unthar ran on for a few strides and then when he saw the others had stopped, came back.

"No time for talking. Must keep moving," said Unthar.

The two girls shook their head at the same time. Gabby was glad that Zaela hadn't been there to see that.

"You have some insider information on our route, don't you?" Avony poked her finger at Stephan as she asked the question.

Stephan smiled, revealing a mouth full of perfect white teeth. Gabby swore she saw one sparkle.

"No way," he said. "I have a sense for these things. I'm sure we'll get out of here soon."

"Explain it or we figure out our own way through." Avony looked ready to kick his butt if he didn't agree, leaning into a ready stance.

"We're not trusting you unless you reveal your source," said Gabby.

Stephan spread his hands, shrugging incredulously and beaming a smile at them. "Source? I don't know what you're talking about."

Avony sent.

Gabby asked.

Avony answered.

A timid squeak came from the corner. They all looked to find Mouse with her hand raised.

"Again with the hand raising," said Stephan, forgetting to keep his blinding smile up. "Get on with it."

"I think I know which way we should go," said Mouse.

"Shut up, Stephan," said Gabby and Avony at the same time.

Zaela would really kill her if she'd heard that. Avony looked as embarrassed as Gabby felt, though the others didn't pick up on their emotional states, since Mouse was new and the boys had their own battles.

"Go on...," Gabby hesitated, not wanting to call her Mouse. "What is your name?"

"Song," she answered. "Song Ling."

"Sorry we forgot to ask. In my head I've been calling you Mouse and I forgot we hadn't learned your name," said Gabby.

"It's okay. I like Mouse, too."

"So explain how you know which way to go," demanded Avony with a touch of impatience.

Mouse pushed her hair out of her face and smiled timidly, proud though embarrassed. "I've been tracing our path and we've been through and around the same region for the last five hours."

"And how did you figure this out?" asked Gabby.

"I've been notching the splits in the tunnel to mark how many times we've gone one way or another. We've taken the last fork six times so far," said Mouse, glancing at nervously at Stephan. "I also have a good sense for direction."

The blue robed Stephan threw up his hands. "Fine, believe her. When you're bored with her act, let me know and I'll find the way again."

Pretty quickly, Gabby sensed they were in new tunnels once Mouse took the lead. Back in the other section, she'd assumed the game designers hadn't bothered to create new tunnels and had just regurgitated the same sections.

When the black rock turned gray, speckled with crystals, the two girls raised their eyebrows at Stephan.

Avony began.

Gabby withheld the rude comment she would have normally spit out though it pained her.

Avony asked.

Gabby pinched herself for not realizing that before. She wasn't going to stand a chance if she didn't start paying attention.

said Gabby.

Avony smirked.

Any rebuttal was cut short by a sudden change in the elevation. The section of floor they were strolling across broke from the walls with a dreadful snap and slid down a shaft. Their ride was brief as they landed moments later in a vast chamber full of intricate contraptions. The impact sent up a plume of dust which set them to sneezing.

As the dust cleared, multiple sets of glowing eyes peered from the darkness. The kiss of steel being pulled from sheathes echoed around the chamber.

"See," said Stephan. "I told you guys you should have followed me."

Chapter Twenty

Unthar reached for his blade with a slow, steady movement.