They sat at one of the tables in the empty bar. When they weren’t talking, it was deathly quiet. Unnaturally quiet. Even Silver wasn’t outside waiting for them. They glanced around, waiting for someone to show up. Or for some sound to break the silence. But nothing.


    The bar, Phil, Violeta—nobody was there.


    “What do you think, Jas?”


    “Something happened last night. I told you it was too quiet.”


    “Forget the locals—I mean, the robots. But none of our people are here either.”


    “Ours sleep in late. And maybe they’re at their houses. I heard not everyone sleeps here.”


    “Not everyone? I thought they were all upstairs?”


    “Nah, bro. They’ve figured out how to move around. Like that guy, your man—”


    “He’s not my man.”


    “Right, whatever. That Sam guy’s in a house.” Jasper pointed out the window.


    “How do you know?” Daniel sounded surprised.


    “Bro, these ears of mine aren’t just thick—they pick up a lot. I overhear stuff, even when I don’t mean to.”


    “So there’s a chance it’s just the locals who’ve gone somewhere?”


    “Well, unless you wanna check for yourself, you could pop into Ava’s room.” Jasper winked at him. “That’s her name, right? Your new sweetheart?”


    “Why don’t you go in there?”


    “I’d love to, but she’s got her eye on you. I don’t mess with that.” Jasper grinned. Daniel didn’t find it particularly funny. “Look, bro,” Jasper said, calming down, “maybe they’re recharging their batteries or something, I don’t know.”


    “If they’re recharging every four or five days, that doesn’t make sense. And if they do it, it’d be at night, not in the morning. It kills the realism. Plus, it wastes our time waiting around for them.”


    “You’re right, but I can’t tell you what’s up. Only thing I can suggest is we take a walk outside. Maybe head to the sheriff’s place. Sheriff Jake might know something.”


    Footsteps echoed down the upstairs hallway—soft, small steps. They stood out sharply against the silence. Daniel and Jasper exchanged a look and fell quiet. In such stillness, even those tiny steps sounded like an elephant stomping through.


    One of the stairs creaked, and soon a pair of nice, feminine legs appeared descending the steps.


    “Well, there’s your other half,” Jasper said.


    Ava glanced around, just like they had. She clearly had the same questions they did.


    “Why’s there no one here?”


    “That’s what we’re wondering too,” Jasper took the lead.


    Ava pulled up a chair and sat with them. She didn’t pay Daniel any mind, speaking only to Jasper. Was it bothering him?


    “How long have you guys been here? Where’s Violet? The bartender?”


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    “We were just talking about that. It’s empty outside too. Feels like the world’s ended—if you can even call this a world,” Jasper said.


    Ava glanced back again, her eyes sweeping the bar as if she’d heard something. Her gaze went everywhere except to Daniel.


    “No, this is pretty creepy. How long have you been here?”


    “We came down a little while ago,” Jasper said, rubbing his stomach. “And I’m starving. Even the ready-made food’s gone.”


    “That’s weird,” Ava said, still not looking at Daniel. He stayed quiet too.


    “Where’s your guy?” Jasper tried to poke at her now.


    “My guy? I don’t have a guy.”


    “That skinny weirdo. The oddball.”


    “My boss? I don’t care where he is. Why are you so worried about him?”


    “You and him…?”


    “Are you starting this too?” Ava finally turned to Daniel, but only to show she’d had this conversation with him before. “He’s my boss, and he’s got a wife. We’re here for work. I know how it looks from the outside, but I’m not doing this argument again. Seriously.”


    She was annoyed.


    “Okay, okay,” Jasper raised a hand to calm her. “So when’s the last time he was in the bar?”


    “The first night. Actually, he was here that first night, said he didn’t like sleeping in dives like this, and found a way to move to the house across the street. No idea how. He’s totally different here—nothing like he is in the real world.”


    “We’re all like that. Take Daniel, for example,” Jasper pointed at him. Daniel had a bad feeling Jasper was about to say something he shouldn’t. “He’s got a wife back in the real world who can’t stand him. But he sticks with her.”


    He was right—not about Emma, but about saying something dumb.


    Ava perked up and gave Daniel a squinting, amused look.


    “Jasper?”


    “What, bro? Am I lying?”


    “Yes.”


    “Fine, fine, I’ll stop. But just so you know,” Jasper turned to Ava, “you’re cooler than his girlfriend. She’s…”


    Daniel drummed his fingers on the table.


    “Jasper, stop.”


    Jasper stopped, but the smirk lingered on his face.


    “Look,” Ava cut in, “I don’t care about your little dramas. I’m more worried about where everyone’s gone.”


    “Us too, even if it doesn’t look like it,” Jasper said. “But I’m guessing it’s another one of the creators’ games.”


    “Isn’t it getting a bit much, Jas?” Daniel said. “And it’s not realistic for everyone to vanish all at once.”


    “It happens in movies sometimes.”


    “In reality, though?”


    “Depends where you are. If you walk into a bar, get wasted, and wake up on some old, booze-soaked chair, there’s a good chance no one’s around.”


    Ava laughed. Daniel couldn’t tell if she genuinely found it funny or was just humoring Jasper, but the comparison was pretty lame.


    “Let’s get out of here and check the town,” Daniel said. “Maybe we’ll see something.”


    “I’m in,” Jasper agreed. “We’ve got business at the sheriff’s anyway.”


    A noise came from the bar. All three of them turned toward it at once.


    Little Phil, the bartender, shuffled in and started wiping down the counter with a rag. His black gloves were gone, and his hands looked perfectly normal. His sleeves were rolled up. He grabbed a glass, put it in the sink, then gathered a few more.


    “Phil?”


    The bartender flinched, nearly dropping a glass.


    “Where’s Violet, Phil? Where’s everyone? Why’s it empty?”


    He looked around like he didn’t want to be there. His eyes darted over the three of them, one by one. He tried to speak but stammered, stepping back as if he weren’t facing three people but the devil himself.


    “You’re not supposed to be here.”


    “Well, we are,” Jasper shot back. “Got anything to eat?”


    “Last night, they pulled everyone out. They found a bug in the robots and had to recall them. Well, actually, a bug in us. In us. Most of them are gone now.”


    “He’s not a robot,” Ava pointed at him and laughed. “I didn’t see that coming. You played it so well, Phil.” She got up and walked toward him, mouth agape. “You’re amazing!”


    Phil hid his hands behind his back and took another step away.


    He didn’t say anything else.