Cyber Mortality

Chapter 43:

"Please tell me you have tea," Jez pleads, leaning over the bar counter.

"We have green tea," the barkeep nods and pours a cup of hot water for her. He holds out a packet of tea leaves and she greedily takes it.

"Do you have stew?" Rocky inquires and holds out some money.

"Yes," the man nods. "Stew for everyone?"

"Please," Rocky hands him the money and gestures for us to find a table to sit at.

We pick one toward the back of the bar and wait for a server to bring the stew over. A few minutes later a petite girl with her hair in braids brings out piping hot bowls of stew. Rocky hands her a gold coin and her eyes light up with glee.

I gaze down into the stew, spying carrots, potatoes, and what looks like chunks of beef.

"Oh my god," Jez groans as she shovels a spoonful into her mouth. "This tastes so much better than granola bars."

"Ain't that the truth," DeNyle grins after eating a spoonful. "I'm starving."

Once everyone has eaten their fill, Rocky starts to move about the tavern. He inquires if anyone has any news about the dungeon but everyone shakes their heads.

"No luck?" I ask as he returns to us.

"None," he sighs in disappointment. "It seems like these people have decided to just live their lives here rather than trying to find the dungeon."

"I think everyone has handled the news in different ways," Jez suggests then takes a sip of her tea. Her eyes flash a brilliant green as the hot liquid touches her tongue. "I hate being cold."

"You were asking about the dungeon?" a raspy voice pipes up from beside us. The cloaked figure coughs a few times before continuing.

"We were," Rocky nods, taking in the cloak clad figure.

"I heard there's a group of warriors looking in the northern forest for it," the person replies. "Someone found a stone tablet in the woods and they think it's a clue."

"Thank you for the information," Rocky hands them a gold coin and then they disappear.

"Well that was creepy," Jez mutters and finishes her tea. "But we have a lead now. Can we please stay here tonight? I want a hot bath."

"Fine," Rocky concedes even though he obviously wants to head north as fast as he can. "Yay!" she hops up and rushes toward the bartender. She gestures toward us and he nods. Jez waves us over and we follow the man up the stairs.

"We rent out four rooms," the barkeep says and holds out two keys. "Take your pick."

Jez takes hold of one and starts into a room. "You're coming, right?" she peaks her head out, looking at me.

"Are you talking to me?" I question and look at the guys in confusion.

"Yah," she rolls her eyes in annoyance. "Come on."

I shrug and follow Jez into the room.

Two twin size beds are pressed against either wall and a small door leading to what I presume is a small bathroom is against one of the walls.

"I want this bed," she plops down on the one next to the window.

"So why did you want to share a room with me?" I question. "You'd normally want to share with Rocky."

"Eh, I think I misjudged you, May." She shrugs. "I'm sorry for always being a bitch to you."

"Oh, uh, that's alright," I pull off my wet cloak and hang it on the back of the door.

"I was just afraid that you would steal Flint from me," she sighs. "But I see that's not your goal. Cause you love Nyle, right?"

"Well I don't know about love, yet," I cast my eyes anywhere in the room except toward her.

"So have you two..?" she purses her red lips and wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"Have we what?"

"You know..?" she pouts her lips more and wiggles her shoulders.

"No," I shake my head quickly. "I'm not that type of girl."

"You're not a girl," Jez drawls out the 'L'. "You're a woman."

"So are you saying you've done it?" I raise an eyebrow skeptically.

"Well," she shrugs. "I think a lot of people think that I do it all the time. I can't help being who I am." She grabs a handful of her hair and starts to French braid it.

"A seductive scandalous seductress?" I snort and she pauses in her braiding.

"Pretty," she shrugs before continuing on.

"You're a lot more than pretty," I scoff. "I'm pretty sure everyone looks at you when you walk in a room."

"Not the one person I want to look," she sighs and ties off her braid.

"Maybe you're trying too hard," I suggest and tug off my combat boots.

"Now you sound like Nyle," she grins sadly. "You're probably right. I've tried everything to get him to like me, but he doesn't look at me the way he looks at you."

"I don't know what you are talking about," I equip my pajamas and slip under the covers of the bed. "He's always been a jerk to me."

"He's a jerk to every girl he likes," Jez groans and tugs the covers up to her chin. "That's how he was with Fletcher at least. She finally got fed up with it and broke up with him. She said he was too moody. I think she just didn't appreciate him for who he is."

"I wouldn't know," I mutter and close my eyes.

"Are you just going to ignore me?" Jez scowls and rolls onto her side to look at me.

"I don't want to think about stuff like this right now," I reply and open my eyes to look at her. "We could die in this game. My mom could die in the real world."

"Then what do you have to lose? You only live once, right?"

"Right," I sigh and close my eyes. "What do you think will happen to our bodies in the real world? They warn to not play for more than a day or two because your body couldn't sustain that, but it's been over two weeks."

"I'm guessing something in the outside world is sustaining us," Jez mutters softly into her pillow. "Otherwise we would have died by now."