“What are you doing, Josh? Playing games again?”
“Hey Mike. Check this out – it’s basically a virtual world that I created – this guy here is one I created, and I am now sending him to college.”
“What’s all the fun if the game’s exactly same as the real world, Josh? I don’t know if this is that much fun…”
“Well, this isn’t same as the real world, friend. This is far better…Oh shit! What’s happening here?”
Maybe it was because I was wearing wrong socks – I looked down, and no, they were right pairs. Perhaps the law changed overnight and we weren’t supposed to walk around in jean anymore. Or is it my hair? Being stared at by hundreds of eyes in subway isn’t pleasing at all, especially when the sense of hostility from the strangers silently fills the air and I still have 13 stations to go. ‘Perhaps I should just get off at the next station and ride taxi.’
I thought about calling up someone for comfort, but they would call me ‘sissy’ or think that I got too drunk last night and still is not sober. I decided to simply ignore everything and go on. Then a man bumped into me. He murmured something about hair and hurriedly walked away.”
“What was wrong with these people?”
Now they were beginning to edge away. A circle, with me at the center, formed. There was something definitely wrong with me. Only I couldn’t make out what it was. I wasn’t wearing any strange clothes. I wasn’t doing anything awkward, either.
“Maybe you got virus or something, Josh. I guess you gotta turn it off and turn it on again.”
“Oh God. I was working so hard on this one! I gotta destroy this guy, though. I downloaded his body parts from torrent and I guess that’s where the virus came from.”
That was when I heard a little clicking noise from back. I turned around sharply, but there was nothing there. The clicking noise came again – again from my back. Perplexed, I turned around again. Again, nothing. Feeling dumb, I was about to simply walk on, when the noise came again – again from the back. Was somebody making fun of me? I turned around again, and at that precise moment felt a sharp stab on my back.
The noise wasn’t only coming from my back. It was ON my back! Completely freaked out, I started running around like a madman. The stab came again. The crowd scattered, away from me. Then I felt some kind of liquid being injected through my spine…
“WTF? What’s going on?” I thought. Then I saw a dark figure standing over me. He called himself Morpheus. By then, I was really pissed. “What is this, the Matrix?” I thought.
“Now what’s happening? Is the character gone?”
“Gosh, I dunno. It’s supposed to disappear since I pushed the delete button but I am not sure – wasn’t there a black guy or something?”
“I think I saw him… but I am not sure. Maybe it’s another virus?”
“What’s with the F***ing liquid injection?” I yelled. The only response he gave me was that I was safe now. I was going back to the real world.
The “real world”, or so they would call it, was nothing like the one I was living in before. The buildings were damp and clingy, with a weird smell in the air. Something…something like blood.
“Hey, make yourself comfortable.”
I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Morpheus called her Trinity – like the trinity of Holy Spirit, father, and son. What a strange name, I thought.
“It would take a lot more than a couch to feel comfortable here.”
It was true. The skeletal frames exposed from age and walls covered in slime were definitely not a good place to sit down, let alone feel relaxed. Trinity smiled a knowing smile. I had a feeling that these people hadn’t abducted me to the “real world” just for fun. My left thigh twitched as if it was worried it was going to get shot.
“Well, Josh, just turn off the com. Let’s just get out and buy some fresh air. I heard that they got this air from Rocky Mountain that has more Oxygen in them – I will get your protection suit.”
Trinity pointed to the screen. I was shocked – there I was, trying to get myself into a stupid looking suit. I yelled, and Trinity smiled.
“Well Josh, what do you think of this new simulator of the world? This stuff is much better than the one you were in.” I went close to the computer, and then I frowned.
“There’s no need for any more simulator.”
Josh turned off the computer. The screen blacked out. Josh was gone.
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