A/N: Oof, I've been kinda busy with writing other stuff for other stories in the background, I forgot all about this story. Kinda either got serious writer's block or I've lost some motivation to write this story, or a bit of both. I've written ideas for three or four more chapters, but kinda unsure where to go with this atm... Though, it's been nice to work on this story once in awhile since it's an entirely different universe from my other works, it's quite refreshing coming back to this story. I'm gonna try to post my other works soon, hopefully, cuz I'm really proud of how they've turned out so far! Hope you've enjoyed this as well, and hopefully I finish this story instead of it falling flat...
I looked into the first room, finding it to be a child's bedroom, so I moved on. A kid wouldn't have anything helpful in his room, at the best there might be a fake gun that shoots foam darts or water. Next was the bathroom, then - ah, the master bedroom, it looked like. Here's something... the room over is another bedroom, looks like...
Ugh, what am I doing? Stealing from people when they're not home, that's what. Going through and taking their personal belongings just so I might live for an extra few hours. For my own personal survival, I am taking from innocent people. I have almost no choice. I have to do this. I don't like it, but I have to. At least I can leave an apology note or something... then again I doubt the sickos watching would like that very much. But you knkw what? Fuck the sickoes watching. I feel bad, so I'm apologizing. Oh, and there's a pen and pile of sticky notes right on the nightstand in the master bedroom. Perfect. I walked right over to the notes, and the drone flew over closer to me to see I was writing, "Sorry for stealing, we had no choice."
I put down the pen, glancing at the camera briefly before opening the drawer. Looking through the nightstands and through the other drawers under the bed, I found nothing of use. I found what must have been the husband's shaving and fur trimming razors, but that's about it. I sighed, looking around the room once more, trying to ignore the drone monitoring my every move. A painting of a landscape caught my eye, suspiciously placed on the wall beside the closet. If I remembered how my house was built, they put the closets beside each other in the same wall. And right where that painting was, there could be a space between the closets. Perfect spot for a secret compartment.
I went up to the painting, examining one edge and running my fingers along the other side. I couldn't see or feel any hinges, but that's not to say they couldn't lift the painting off the wall. So I did just that, grabbing both edges, I went to lift up the painting... and it wouldn't budge. It wasn't that big of a painting, why would it be so heavy, or why would they secure it to the wall so tightly?
"David!" Dan called, coming up the stairs, "Found anything?"
"Not yet..." I looked underneath the painting and, ah-ha, a tiny, hidden latch. I flipped the latch, "But there is a latch on this painting."
Turns out, the hinges were on the top of the painting, and so I swung up the painting as Dan walked in with a backpack of stuff over his shoulder.
"Woah, nice find," Dan walked over.
There were two guns and some ammo, as well as some money and a black box of some sort. I'm no gun enthusiast, but they were both pistols, I knew that at least. I think one was a dessert eagle, the other I had no clue. Dan took the desert eagle and small ammo box while I grabbed the other gun and the money, as well as the other black box in the corner. It was like, cartridges for something...
"What the heck is this gun?" I held out the strange gun. It didn't look like any regular pistol I'd ever seen before. I knew enough about pistols to know that you reload a clip by taking it out from the handle, but this one didn't seem to have a button or lever anywhere on the handle, just the trigger. And on the sides of the barrel were these thin, wavy blue stripes. It had no... safety latch on the top above the handle? That's what that is right? Hell I dunno, I was just holding a weird black and blue thing that looked like a gun.
"That..." Dan looked perplexed, "Lemme see that, I think I know what it is."
I handed it to him, and he twisted it around. He clearly knew more about guns than I did, as he... is the term 'cocked'? He readied the gun, I think, and aimed it at the bed. He pulled the trigger, and the blue lines on the gun began to glow. He let go of the trigger, and a blue bolt of... hell it looked like an energy blast from an old sci-fi movie, shot out of the gun, blasting a hole straight through the mattress.
"Shit," I said, as the both of us stared at the hole that had burnt nearly all the way through the bed. I quickly said, "That's a fricken laser gun."
"Yeah," Dan smiled, looking over the gun, "I call dibs."
"Hey, I found it!"
"And you have zero experience with guns, let alone laser guns," he looked at the deagle in his other hand, "Though I can't say you can handle a deagle as your first gun either..."
"Well this is all we got other than your throwing knives and my swiss army knife," I looked around, "Or the guy's razors over there."
Dan sighed, handing the laser gun to me, "Be very fuckin careful with this thing, David."
I carefully took the laser gun from Dan, looking over at the bed, "I will be, but did you really have to do that?"
"Their bed was shitty anyway, they can get a new one," Dan snorted, "Come on, let's going, I found a spare set of keys to something, there could be a car in the garage."
"Oh, whoopee," I said sarcastically, carefully sticking the laser gun in my back pocket, "Let's go steal their car as well."
"If you want to get to the city faster, then yes, let's," Dan strolled out of the room, his cloaked drone following him out. I sighed, following him and looking over to my drone.
My earpiece beeped, "Congratulations on your first completed daily task: Acquiring food and weapons."
"Great," I mumbled. I glanced to my right, seeing the other room, and so I said, "Wait a sec, we haven't checked this room."
I heard Dan sigh, but he followed me into the room. It looked like a girls room, the pale pink walls gave that away, along with the wallpaper of roses that went around the room halfway up each wall. I immediately went over to the desk, picking up a... pink laptop... great.
Dan chuckled, "Nice laptop buddy."
"Shut up, it'll help," I grumbled. Oh god there's even rose designs on the lid... Well, like I said, it'll help us out.
...Still, why pink... and roses?
After checking around the room a little more, Dan and I walked out after putting the laptop in an extra bag Dan had. I slug that bag over my shoulder, and checked the time on my watch. Shit, it was already noon? Wow, time flies... I think my sister has her lunch period now, so... I wonder how she's faring... Does she know about me? Has anyone told her that her brother is in the Game? I hope not...
"Hey Dan?" I called.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we could stop somewhere before going to the city?"
I reached the bottom of the stairs to see Dan looking at me from what I assumed was the door to the garage, "Stop where, exactly?"
"...My sister's school."
Dan gave me an exasperated expression, "Maybe, but, honestly, what good will that do? You'll probably make her cry, David."
"It's better than my parents telling her I'm dead or something," I clenched my jaw almost into a snarl, "They disowned me when I got home. Daisy is the only person I care about right now, and she needs to hear it from me as soon as possible, before I fucking die."
"Oh..." Dan looked at me grimly, "Dude, I'm sorry, I-"
"Are we going to make that stop or not?" I snapped.
"...Yeah, sure, come on." Dan was holding into his earpiece, as if he was listening to something. He held open the door for me, and I walked into the garage. I thought I heard Dan say, "Wait... It might not be a great idea."
"What!?" I spun around fiercly.
Dan looked up at me, "...The police are looking for you."
"...What?"
"They just told me police presence in the neighborhood increased since you went missing, and also because of those other players we saw. The Game hasn't aired in the area yet because there's something up with the cables and Wi-Fi. Almost nobody in the neighborhood knows the Game is happening."
"Really?" I replied, confused, "But Brenda, this old poodle I know, said she saw me on the Game channel and gave me my knife and some money."
"I know Brenda as well, she's almost always out of town unless she forgets something at home. She might be the only person who lives in the area that knows you and I are players in the Game... Anyway, the point I'm making is that people will be looking for you. If you're seen that could cause a whole big scene and possibly attract the unwanted attention of other players."
"Fine... but why would they be looking for me? Nobody knows I was-" I cut myself off as I remembered. My dad knows I was kidnapped, and he might care enough to report me as missing, he said he was going to go to the police station... "Well... maybe my dad reported me missing to the police, but..."
"Yeah, that's probably right... and... It's your mom that's the... um..."
"Crazy bitch and sorry excuse of a mother?" I immediately said.
Dan frowned, "...I was going to say, you said your dad was more chill, right?"
"Look, I don't want to talk about this, we're wasting time."
I went into the garage at that point, ignoring the stupid modern car in here and opening the garage door. Once that was done, I opened the passenger door of the car, sat inside, and slammed it shut. Dan quietly got in the driver's seat and put the key in the ignition, but stopped.
Dan sighed slightly, asking me, "You okay?"
"Just drive," I stiffly replied.
Dan gripped the steering wheel and the keys hard, then let go of them. He opened the door and got out, and I was about to ask him when he said to the uncloaked drone, "Can we get the uncloaked drone in the car?"
The response was immediate, "If drones are damaged or destroyed, the player responsible will be terminated."
Dan sighed and got back in the car, grumbling, "Should have just grabbed it like you did..." He started the car, and began driving.
* * *
Down at the police station, David's father Bruce was speaking with an officer. The rottweiler officer shook his head, "Sir, we have much more pressing matters-"
"There is no single officer available to look for my son!" Bruce barked, "He's been gone for days!"
"Sir, I'm sorry about your son, but right now we're dealing with multiple break-ins, stolen vehicles firing at each other and racing down the streets, and a couple murders as well. We can't waste our manpower on a single missing person at a time like this."
"There isn't anything you can do?" Bruce growled.
"...Write down your phone number and son's name," The officer pulled out a notepad and pen from their chest pocket, "When things calm down, I swear I'll get a team working on finding your son. I, personally, will give you a call once that happens, alright?"
Bruce reluctantly took the notepad and wrote down his number and David's full name, "...There."
"Thank you," The officer patted Bruce on the shoulder, "You have my word, we will find your son, there's just a lot for us to deal with right now."
"Thank you, officer..." Bruce clenched his fists as he walked out of the police station. He went up to his car, getting in the driver's side. His wife Primrose was waiting in the passenger seat.
"That didn't take long," She snorted.
"They are busy with a lot of crime right now," Bruce said, gripping the steering wheel tight, "They have my number, and will call when they sort out the murders and gunmen racing around on stolen vehicles."
"Right, right..."
There was a slight moment of silence, Bruce saying afterwards, "...Do you even care about our son?"
"Of course I do-"
"Then why am I doing everything I can while you sit there and do nothing?"
"I'm here, aren't I?"
"Well maybe you didn't know, but you sitting there is not trying to find our son!" Bruce barked.
Primrose glared at her husband, "Then you tell me what I should do. Wander the streets calling out for him while there are car chases and robbers and muggers about? Not happening."
He growled lightly, "Damnit Prim, why does everything have to be about you? We're looking for our son! Why can't you call someone, ask around, just do something so I know you care!"
There was a moment of silence between them, during which Bruce started the car, and drove out of the station.
"...For your information, Bruce," Primrose growled, "I do care about our son."
"Then why don't I see you trying to help?"
"...You're not the one he hates."
"Prim," Bruce sighed, "David doesn't hate you. I'm sure he loves you, deep down."
"...You didn't see his face, or hear what I said, the day he left."
"Well..." Bruce paused, "How about one last, careful drive around the neighborhood?"
".. I need time to think."
"Prim-"
"I need to think!" she snapped.
"...I'll drop you off at home then. But next time you're-"
"I know." Primrose sharply interrupted.
Bruce sighed, and continued driving.