Pandora's Box

Chapter 12: August

The Sealing

***

August was not having a very good time so far. Clara hadn't mentioned anything about the kickoff event being the reason there wasn't an easily accessible log out button. He also wasn't a fan of the news articles that popped up during the event, as it made the situation feel a little too surreal. And now he was back in the streets of the town, watching players panic left and right.

August had teleported back near the edge of the town, and he could now look over a hillside that neighbored it. It reminded him of the one from home, except this field was littered with more than just brightly colored flowers. Giant sheep the size of hippopotamuses roamed around in the field, seemingly unbothered by the chaos ensuing in the town. He could vaguely remember reading a greek myth about giant sheep, but he couldn't place where he knew them from.

Turning his attention back to the town, August began to question the validity of what the voice had said. His first instinct was to not believe what he had heard, as this was a story-driven video game after all, but the inability to find a log out button was providing a little too much credence to the situation for his taste. And despite his own doubts regarding the current situation, it was clear that a majority of panicking players believed that they were trapped.

August opened up his HUD to try to message one of his game development friends to ask about the kickoff event but found the messaging option to be missing. He could feel himself beginning to panic; his anxiety bubbled in his stomach and tightened his chest into knots. August crouched and cradled his legs to his chest, closing his eyes to take deep breaths.

If he really was stuck, then the first thing he needed to do was find his friends. Not only would they be able to maybe provide a bit more context to the situation, but they also had a lot more knowledge of this game world, which was going to be extremely necessary if they were going to be stuck here going forward. Getting back up, August once again scanned his surroundings.

To his right, the giant sheep continued to graze. Unable to tell whether or not they were friendly, August decided to focus on moving towards his left instead. The bustling chaos of the town didn't look all that inviting either though. As August contemplated whether trying to get back into the town was worth the effort, a voice appeared from above him.

"Hey dude, need a hand?" The disembodied voice called. Confused, August looked up to see a guy who looked to be a couple years older than him. The guy was leaning over the side of the roofing of the house next to him. He had a crooked grin, and August couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive at the hand reaching towards him.

Not getting a response, the guy sighed dramatically. "Look, I get the whole stranger danger thing, but do you really want to take your chances shoving through people inside that town?" he asked, gesturing at the chaos. "Let me help you up here. It's a lot easier to traverse across the rooftops, I promise."

Not seeing any better options, August gave in and took the guys hand. After a bit of strained effort on both ends, the guy was able to drag August on top of the roof with him. Both of them stood up, and August was able to get a better look at his helper.

The guy looked to be about 20, and he was still sporting the crooked grin from before. He had short green hair that was neatly kept, but that was the most noticeable feature about him. He stood a couple inches taller than August, and his dark brown eyes seemed to be looking him up and down.