20 Seconds To Obliteration

Chapter 8: Back From The Dead

John

Time seemed to be flying by, as I finally managed to log on. I was drained from being up for so long and would only have a bit of time to play, since it was already midnight. However this wasn't the ideal situation since Sean would be with me like he was every weekend. He had never been in the virtual world, because I didn't think he could handle it. Then there was also the fact that he was still really young and I didn't need him getting addicted.

None of that mattered now though. He was out cold and this was my time. Wandering to our usual meeting spot, I found myself keeping my head down. Lost in my own thoughts, it was like I was completely alone. Looking ahead I could see how large the firewall had gotten over the last few hours. It had consumed so much as the remnants of what appeared to be a mushroom cloud was slowly disappearing. Another world was gone, and I could only wonder which one it was.

I arrived at the little restaurant to look for the others. The height of my model made it easier to see over the crowd, and I spotted Matt and Clarke almost immediately. I walked closer to them and realized they weren't their joyous selves. Clarke sat with an empty drink in front of her, something that I had never seen before and Matt was playing with some fires on a plate, again something totally out of the ordinary. The whole feeling of the virtual world was weird. Is this the effect of the firewall? I thought to myself as I approached the two of them.

"Hey guy's how's it going?" I called out hoping that it would get there attention.

A second passed as if they were hesitating and then Matt finally turned to look at me his character in tears as he pretended to wipe his eyes. Clarke turned right after and she seemed to be in the same mental state as him. Something had happened and that's when I looked back at the bar counter and I started putting the pieces together. Clarke pretending to drink meant something had scarred her, she wasn't just doing it because she could, and the plate of fries that both of them were neglecting and with no Rose around I could only assume the worst. Then Matt spoke.

"Hey John. We...we have some bad news." Matt confessed and it was as bad as I thought, but I yet I played dumb.

"What is it? is it-"

"Rose is gone." He blurted out before I could even say anything.

It was as bad as I had thought. Except I wasn't satisfied with just knowing that she was gone there had to be a reason. However it did catch me off guard as I sat down and looked at the two of them. Matt's head was now bowed in front of me and Clarke was looking back at her empty drink, and tapped the glass on the table.

"How? Just tell me how?" I broke the silence as Matt kept his head down and Clarke was the next to turn and address me.

"It's my fault. I screwed up," Clarke quietly confessed as her sadness turned into rage and she whipped the glass across the room causing it to smash against the wall, getting the attention of some of the other users. "I let her die, I should have been there to save her, if only I had followed her."

"What are you talking about?" I asked again still confused.

"She wanted to go to the haunted house, and then we got scared and ran from the demon's and she went one way, and I went the other. Then while we were separated I found the wall. The firewall. It was consuming the world and I yelled and hoped that she heard me. Except she never showed up, then the world ended and...and-"

"Her name appeared on this new list function that show's us all of the deactivated users. Her name was on it, after the haunted house was deleted." Matt cut in and showed me the list of names and sure enough there was Rose's. She was actually gone.