《Virtual Death + Oneshot》 Virtual Death Part 1: Awake "...Nnnnghghh...." A young man stirred awake from his sleep. He sat up from his bed and rubbed his eyes groggily. Where was this place? Where was he? Who was he? Oww...my back! Why does it feel like I was stabbed a couple of times in the back? As he massaged his back, the young man looked around and took in his surroundings. He was in a room, brightly lit by the morning sun shining through the curtain-less windows. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all made from wood painted with a deep mahogany color, giving him the impression that he was in a log cabin or cottage. There was a small table to his right with a vase full of bright-colored flowers. The bed he sat on was a medium-sized bed with both a headrest and a footboard. The mattress was a bit tough not soft like it should be...wait...why does the mattress have to be soft? Could this be related to why he can''t seem to remember anything? The young man stared at the bed, trying to remember even the slightest of bits and pieces. As his eyes wandered along the bed, his gaze fell on the pillow...it was comfortable enough...but it wasn''t soft. This pillow must have been stuffed with straw and not feathers...feathers? Did he used to be a bed and pillow salesman? The young man shook his head to rid himself of that thought. He continued to observe and noticed something by the bed. There was a silver breastplate complete with black metallic boots, golden copper gauntlets, and an engraved crimson helmet. The helmet was shaped like a Spartan helmet but without the headdress...wait...Spartan helmet?...Headdress? What are those? The young man turned around the helmet and stared at it...taking in every detail. This helmet...seemed very familiar...could it be his? Was he a warrior? He gingerly placed the helmet on his head and suddenly...he recalled.... His name was...Ian Dolores. He was...a hero.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ian took off the helmet as bits and pieces of memories flash in his head. He remembered being on a ship with his team of fellow heroes sailing to the eastern lands as a friend of his reported of sightings of demons terrorizing nearby cities. Suddenly...there was an unusual storm...then.... The only thing he could remember was some kind of long object coming towards him at breathtaking speeds. Then...there was darkness. Ugh...a sudden pain throbbed numbingly in his head. As he massaged his temples, the door opened and an elderly woman walked in. She looked to be in her mid 60s with a petite and fragile figure. Her hair was gray and pulled up in a bun. She had a kind smile on her wrinkled face and wore a grayish brown colored outfit with a red shawl. When she saw that he was awake, she immediately called out to her husband. Soon, an elderly man entered and the two elderly couple walked to the young man''s side. "Who are you?" Ian asked as he observed the two elders. "My name is Irwin and this is my wife Celina. We found you and your friends washed ashore in the nearby sea. How are you feeling?" The elderly man introduced. He was also short and his back curved with old age. He had short gray hair and a full blown beard. He had a small limp and walked around with a cane. Like his wife, he too wore a grayish brown outfit. "Nothing''s broken it seems." "That''s good. Do you know who you are?" "Yes. My name is Ian Dolores...a hero. My friends and I had heard about some demon sightings around here and we came to investigate. Where are my friends?" "Ah, your friends are having lunch. They woke a few hours before you did. Come join us." "Okay." Ian agreed as he got up and followed the elderly couple to the living room. Virtual Death Part 2: Departure As Ian approached the living room, a savory scent wafted into his nose and cheerful chatters resounded in his ears. Whatever lunch is...it must be delicious. When the living room came to view, Ian immediately saw his friends wolfing down what seemed to be some sort of chicken and vegetables stew. His friends sat at a medium-sized table with a huge pot in the middle. There was Jarol - a ranger from the kingdom of Aladon - and Sheryl - a priestess of the Temple of Vizion. Jarol was about his height with a slender but fit body. He was a few years older and had blond hair and green eyes. A scar ran vertically on his left eye, which Jarol always boasts that he had gotten it from Rogue Lord he had killed a few years back. Jarol had on leather armor made of Demon Boar hide and carried a long bow made from the wood of the Dryad Oak and the tendons of the Guardian Bear of the Tallahen Forests. Sheryl was a ginger with brown eyes and a cheerful countenance. She was a year younger than Ian but she acted like his older sister. Sheryl wore a robe that was crafted and enchanted by a famous Arcane Tailor and blessed by the Holy Cardinal. She carried a staff made from a branch of the Tree of Life. When they saw Ian come in with the elderly couple, they got up to check on him. "Ian! How are you feeling?" Sheryl asked. "I''m fine. Many thanks to the care of Irwin and Celina." Ian replied as he nodded to the elderly couple. "You''re welcome dear." Celina smiled. "You go sit there while we get you something to eat." Irwin replied as he and his wife headed to the kitchen. "How long have I been unconscious?" Ian asked his friends as the elderly couple left the living room.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "It''s been three days." Jarol answered. "Three days?! Has anything happened while I was out?" "Yea. Apparently the demon sightings were not just demons." "What do you mean?" "The Demon King is also here." "What?!" "Yea, the Demon King is here. Apparently, a few miles from here, we found what seems to be his stronghold." "Then...that means this war will finally be over." "Yes, hopefully we will win against that Demon King." Ian nodded as he pondered about this. This Demon King, unlike any of the previous ones, looked more human-like minus a few demonic features and even proclaimed himself to be of another world. Could it be possible that the Demon King was summoned? There had been legends of otherworldly heroes that were summoned, so why couldn''t the demons summon one for themselves? Anyways, it seemed the Demon King had started stirring up a lot of trouble. Many villages near the borders of the Demon Lands in the east were attacked. The king had placed out an announcement calling all warriors and heroes to help fight back and defeat the evil Demon King and his army. That''s where he and his party came into play. Initially, Ian and his party numbered to twenty members. However, with the cruel and brutal war, Ian had lost many of his friends. Through peaceful times and tough times, Ian and his party hoped to finally reach the ending...the final battle. Once they destroyed the Demon King, the demons will scatter at the loss of their leader and will become easy-pickings from then on out. The three friends quieted down their discussion when the elderly couple came back out from the kitchen. "Here you go." Irwin said as he laid a bowl, a spoon, and a plate of bread on the table near Ian. "Thanks." Ian smiled. After the meal, Ian told Irwin and Celina that he and his friends needed to leave as they had some important business to take care of. The elderly couple nodded with understanding and Celina went into the kitchen and packed a few sandwiches for the party to have during their trip. Thanking them once again, Ian and his party bid farewell as they set out towards the Demon King''s stronghold. Virtual Death Part 3: Arrival "We''re here." Jarol said as he pointed towards the castle on the top of the hill in front of them. "Yea...it''s a bit strange though.... I thought it would take longer...maybe we would meet a few of the Demon King''s lackeys along the way...but nothing...not a single creature in sight." I mused. "You''re right...it was...too quiet." Sheryl agreed quietly. "Maybe the Demon King doesn''t think there would be heroes here so his patrol groups were more laidback." Jarol suggested. "That could be a possibility.... Or maybe the Demon King knew we were coming and had all of his lackeys relocate into the castle." Ian replied. "That makes sense too." Sheryl replied. "Nah, can''t be. I don''t think a Demon King would give up a chance to whittle down our strength if given the chance." Jarol argued. "Well, either way, let''s be a bit more prepared for this. Jarol, you want to lead the way?" Ian replied. "Let me stay at the back. I''ll be able to cover your rear better." Jarol shook his head as he explained his reason. "Hmm, that''s not like you. Well, it''s okay, I''ll lead then. Jarol and Sheryl, you guys stay behind me and cover me." Ian responded after musing some more over his plan. Ian hoisted his shield up and drew out his sword. Cautiously, he approached the castle doors with Jarol and Sheryl close behind. With a kick, the doors blasted open and the trio charged in. With a few slashes of his sword, Ian decimated the first two werewolves that stood in his way. More werewolves and orcs as well as a few ogres, trolls, and goblins charged towards the intruders. But with the party''s stats, these monsters were no match for them. After wiping out the monsters on the first floor, the trio ascended the stairs quickly. They did not want to lose the momentum they had incurred from the battle.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Floor by floor, the party slaughtered their way effortlessly. Ian felt that something was wrong. This felt...too easy. How could there be so many weak monsters in the Demon King''s stronghold? He turned around to look at his teammates and saw that Sheryl did not seem to notice anything wrong. Even Jarol acted like everything was normal. Was it really normal? Was his gut feeling wrong? Could Jarol be right...that the Demon King did not expect us to be here and was unprepared? Ian had an itchy feeling that something was not right with their current situation. Maybe he was wrong. Ian shook his head to clear his mind as he dodged a stray arrow from one of the skeleton archers. As they continued fighting, Ian''s suspicions grew and grew until they finally reached the fourth floor. When Ian knocked back the doors, what laid inside cleared away his doubts. Ugh! Yep...he was right.... The Demon King knew they were coming after all. The Demon King just placed all of the weak monsters in the first three floors to weaken Ian and his party''s defenses. Then, the Demon King placed all of his strong monsters in the fourth floor. There were dragons, demons, lichs, minotaurs, and a number of other powerful beasts. From the looks of it, this must be the last floor. Ian looked at the closed door at the end of the room. "That must be the final boss''s room! Guys, get ready! Let''s do this!" "Charge!" Jarol roared as he rushed in, bow raised and firing. After what seemed like hours, the trio finally killed off all the monsters on the floor. They had lost a lot of health and stamina so Ian decided that they would take a rest before moving on to the final room. Sheryl raised her staff into the air and cast a Restoration Spell to help heal the party''s wounds and wash away their fatigue. Once they had rested, the party prepared to continue. Ian walked up to the doors of the final room and pushed open. Virtual Death Part 4: Battle "Welcome heroes! You have done well to get this far. But now, you will be unable to go any further. Prepare to die!" A voice boomed as Ian and his party looked up across the room to the source of the voice. There sat a demonic humanoid with pitch black skin and crimson blood eyes. The Demon King had four crimson bat-like wings with three white curved horns. He had large goat-like legs and a strong upper body. In his hands, was a double-bladed great axe. As Ian''s eyes met his, the Demon King stood up and readied himself. The Demon King held up a hand and motioned the heroes to attack. "Presumptuous!" Jarol roared as he shot a few arrows at the Demon King. As Ian rushed forward to meet the Demon King head-on, Sheryl activated a few spells to boost Ian''s strength, defense, and speed. Ian charged into the Demon King''s range and thrust out his sword. The Demon King humphed once before deflecting the attack with the handle of his axe. Then, he raised the axe over his head and speedily brought it down on Ian. Ian quickly shuffled to the side as he moved to the Demon King''s side. His shield was held in his left hand and brought close to his chest. The sword in his right hand held up so that the pointed end aimed towards the Demon King. The enemy stared at his movements but only followed with his head. Seeing this, Ian took the initiative. He lunged forward and thrust his sword forward. The Demon King jumped to his side, barely dodging the thrust and launched a quick counterattack. Ian couldn''t jump backwards because of the momentum of his lunge. So, instead, he brought up his shield and smashed at the Demon King''s axe. A sound smack echoed out as Ian tumbled back. Ian grunted in numbness as he shook his head, stunned and hurt. Ian squinted at the Demon King and lunged forward again. This time, Ian was at a stable position. However, the Demon King dodged and turned to the side letting Ian jump pass him, barely missing his neck. Then, the Demon King smashed his great axe up from under Ian, who barely managed to block the brunt of the attack with his sword, and launched Ian high into the air. Raising the great axe over his head, the Demon King brought it down and cleaved off Ian''s upper body...or so it would have happened if not for a heavy shot from Jarol knocking the axe unstable, causing it to miss Ian entirely. Ian fell heavily to the ground and rolled back to gather some distance. While, he was away, Sheryl healed any of his injuries he had obtained during the bout and increased his defenses with a series of buffs. Seeing his unsuccessful attempt to kill off the warrior, the Demon King opened his mouth and fired a raging fireball at Ian. This unsuspecting attack, though missed, crashed below Ian''s feet and exploded. The impact barreled into Ian and sent him flying. Dazed, Ian laid on his back as he tried to clear his head.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Next, the Demon King turned his head towards the other two heroes. He ignored the priestess and focused on the ranger. He did not view Sheryl as a threat but he thought that if it wasn''t for the ranger''s timely shot, he would have killed off the warrior. The Demon King charged at Jarol and swung the handle of his axe sharply at Jarol''s chin. *THWACK!* Jarol flew back, his jaws obviously broken, and crashed into a wall where his body fell crumpled to the floor. Next, the Demon King fired a dark-colored spell at Sheryl in order to prevent her from healing Jarol. The spell surrounded Sheryl causing her to feel dizzy. This...this spell was a Vertigo Spell! Sheryl''s head started spinning fiercely as she tried to regain her senses. However, the dizziness was too powerful. In a matter of seconds, Sheryl collapsed onto the floor motionless...even the slightest movement would cause her head to throb and her stomach to flip. Seeing the two incapacitated, the Demon King nodded his head in satisfaction and turned towards where Ian laid...that is...where he was supposed to be. The warrior was gone! The Demon King looked left and right trying to find the warrior. Only when he sensed some danger below him did he looked down. The first thing he saw as he looked down was a metallic plate-like object flying up and into his face. The Demon King reeled back while grabbing his face in pain. Ian had kept low and quickly snuck below the Demon King''s line of sight. Just when the Demon King looked down, Ian brought his shield up and bashed the demon in the face. As the Demon King staggered back, Ian sent a ferocious kick, called Dragon''s Tail, flying straight for his left knee. With a wrenching tear, Ian kicked the Demon King''s knee right off its socket. The Demon King roared in pain as he staggered with the loss of balance and his body applied weight onto the injured knee causing the bone to pierce through. With one leg unusable, the Demon King collapsed onto the ground. Ian, showing no hesitation, use a technique called Dragon''s Stomp and stomped his boot onto the Demon King''s right wrist. This move was decisively used to prevent the demon from picking up and swinging around his great axe. Ian approached the Demon King who wore a bitter and grim smile on his face. He knew he had lost and his end was drawing near. Ian looked at the severely wounded Demon King. He raised his sword high in the air and prepared for the fatal slash. He knew that he must act quickly or the demon might regenerate. Ian swung his sword and the watched as the sword came falling down. Right before the sword reached the Demon King''s neck, something happened. Everything went black...just for a second...it went by so fast that Ian felt he was just seeing things. Maybe he blinked a little too long or something. Anyways, Ian held the sword high in the air and prepared to slash it down...wait...didn''t this happen already? Deja vu? Ian shook his head and focused on his target. He did not want the Demon King to regenerate. As the sword headed straight for the Demon King''s head, a shout sounded out. "Ian! Watch out!" Ian turned his head to look...and saw Jarol, who was supposedly incapacitated, standing behind him...a knife in his hands. With a quick stab, Jarol plunged the dagger into his upper back. Virtual Death Part 5: Betrayal "Kuaahhh!" Ian winced in pain as the sharp burning sensation spread throughout his upper body. Ian spun around his body just as Jarol pulled out the knife. Ian gazed at Jarol, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief. Why did Jarol stab him in the back? Jarol was one of his earliest companions...as well as his most trusted friend who had always got his back no matter what occurred. So why...WHY?! As if reading his mind, Jarol answered his question. "You were winning. We can''t let that happen." Jarol replied with a smile. Ian peered at Jarol, taking note of that weird smile he had shown. Something was strange...this behavior...it wasn''t like Jarol. "Who are you? Are you a demon? Where''s the real Jarol?" "Haha! I''m surprised you were able to deduce this much. But you''re wrong on one thing. I am the real Jarol...or should I say...this body is the real Jarol." "Body? You!...When?!" "That''s right. It was during that storm when we were on that ship. Didn''t you blacked out?" "Why are you doing this? If not to help the demons...then what? What grudge do you have against me!?"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "I don''t have a grudge towards you. However, I cannot let you leave either. You must stay in here forever." "Stay...in here? What do you mean by that?" "Don''t you remember? Player Ian Page?" "Player Ian Page? My name is Ian Dolores, why did you call me Ian Pag-!" Ian asked suspiciously when all of a sudden, many pictures flashed in his head...memories one could call it. What is this? In the pictures, Ian could see himself...but in some weird clothing. He could see himself interacting with other people...his friends?...his family?.... Ian saw a world different from the world he was in...there were large buildings that reach the skies, metal objects flying in the air, horseless carriages moving on its own, and the most conspicuous fact...no demons. Ian saw himself spend a large amount of money to buy a box. Inside the box was a helmet much like the one he was wearing with a glass-like visor. Ian saw himself putting on the helmet as well as what happened afterwards. "This...this world...it''s not real! It''s...virtual reality!" Ian muttered. "Correct! It seems you have remembered." Jarol replied. "Who are you? Why are you stopping me? Isn''t beating this game the point?" "It is...but I don''t want you to leave. As for who I am...well, you can call me BUG." "Bug? A...a glitch! No!" "Yes." Jarol grinned before ramming into Ian. "No!" Ian cried out as he fell to the ground. He tried to roll away, but Jarol jumped on top of Ian''s back. Ian cried out once more before Jarol stabbed down once again...and again...and again. Ian''s health decreased quickly. His eyes started to blur until finally...blackness.... Virtual Death Part 6: Checkpoint "...Nnnnghghh...." A young man stirred awake from his sleep. He sat up from his bed and rubbed his eyes groggily. Where was this place? Where was he? Who was he? Ah...yes, I remember now...I''m Ian Dolores. Oww...my back! Why does it feel like I was stabbed a couple of times? As he massaged his back, Ian looked around and took in his surroundings. Strange...the room looked vaguely familiar...but where had he seen it before? Maybe it looked like a room he had resided in some time ago. The young man shook his head to rid himself of that thought. He continued to observe and noticed something by the bed. There was a Mithril breastplate complete with Black Steel boots, Orichalum gauntlets, and an engraved Divine Blood helmet. Ah...his equipment...after all, he was a warrior. He scratched his head a bit as he tried to remember what had happened. He remembered being on a ship with his team of fellow heroes sailing to the eastern lands as a friend of his reported of sightings of demons terrorizing nearby cities. Then...there was a storm...and then blackness.... As he massaged his temples, the door opened and an elderly woman walked in. She looked to be in her mid 60s with a petite and fragile figure. Her hair was gray and pulled up in a bun. She had a kind smile on her wrinkled face. She wore a grayish brown colored outfit with a red shawl. When she saw that he was awake, she immediately called out to her husband. Soon, an elderly man entered and the two elderly couple walked to the young man''s side. They looked strangely familiar as if Ian had met them before. "Irwin...Celina?" Ian asked as he observed the two elders. "Eh? Have we met before? How did you know our names?" "Ugh...I don''t know...maybe a lucky guess." "I see...well, that''s fine. Anyways, we found you and your friends washed ashore in the nearby sea. How are you feeling?" The elderly man replied. He was also short and his back curved with old age. He had short gray hair and a full blown beard. He had a small limp and walked around with a cane. Like his wife, he too wore a grayish brown outfit.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Nothing''s broken it seems." "That''s good. Do you know who you are?" "Yes. My name is Ian Dolores...a hero. My friends and I had heard about some demon sightings around here and we came to investigate. Where are my friends?" "Ah, your friends are having lunch. Come join us." "Okay." Ian agreed as he got up and followed the elderly couple to the living room. He was starving and strangely in a mood for some chicken and vegetables stew. As Ian approached the living room, a savory scent wafted into his nose and cheerful chatters resounded in his ears. Whatever lunch is...it must be delicious. When the living room came to view, Ian immediately saw his friends wolfing down what seemed to be some sort of chicken and vegetables stew. What? Wasn''t this what he wanted? Strange.... His friends sat at a medium-sized table with a huge pot in the middle. There was Jarol - a ranger from the kingdom of Aladon - and Sheryl - a priestess of the Temple of Vizion. When they saw Ian come in with the elderly couple, they got up to check on him. "Ian! How are you feeling?" Sheryl asked. "I''m fine. Many thanks to the care of Irwin and Celina." Ian replied as he nodded to the elderly couple. "You''re welcome dear." Celina smiled. "You go sit there while we get you something to eat." Irwin replied as he and his wife headed to the kitchen. "How long have I been unconscious?" Ian asked his friends as the elderly couple left the living room. "It''s been three days." Jarol answered. "Three days?! Has anything happened while I was out?" "Yea. Apparently the demon sightings were not just demons." "What do you mean?" "The Demon King is also here." "What?!" "Yea, the Demon King is here. Apparently, a few miles from here, we found what seems to be his stronghold." "Then...that means this war will finally be over." "Yes, hopefully we will win against that Demon King." The three friends continued their conversation until the elderly couple came back out from the kitchen. "Here you go." Irwin said as he laid a bowl, a spoon, and a plate of bread on the table near Ian. "Thanks." Ian smiled. "It''s a good thing we were able to find a safe point here." Sheryl replied. "Yea, you''re right. This is a good checkpoint...untouched by demons." Jarol responded. Ian jerked his head up at his two friends, "C-Checkpoint?" Virtual Death Final Part: Reality "It has been thirty days since the renowned single-player game known as WorldQuest had suffered from a unknown glitch-like virus that caused all of the players who were logged on at the time to lose connection with the real world and become trapped in the world of WorldQuest." A reporter replied. She continued in detail about the game as well as what the government was doing in order to stop and fix the glitch in order to free the players. A man held up a remote towards the reporter and pressed the power button. The reporter disappeared...it seemed that everything was a hologram. The man looked at another monitor, which displayed a live footage of all of the players who were trapped within WorldQuest. The players all wore the Virtual Reality helmets and laid on beds that they were moved to. The location was a first-class hospital that the man owned. As the man looked at the screen, he rubbed his temples. Closing his eyes, he replied. "Status."If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. A woman appeared before him and said, "So far, we have found the source of the glitch, however, we do not have the necessary power to fix it. The status of the players are currently stable as they are able to absorb nutrients through a special mixture in their IV drips. While searching for a prevention, we found that if the helmets were to be forcibly removed, an electric shock strong enough to kill an elephant would be released into the wearers'' heads." "Tell me some good news." The man sighed. "We found one plausible way of freeing the players...but it would require some work." "Work?" "We managed to find a singularity...a loophole in the glitch that let''s us send a program into the game." "What program?" "The program will take over the final boss and act as the Demon King. If the player can defeat the Demon King, then the game would finish. And when the game finishes, the player will automatically be sent to the Main Menu where he or she can freely log out." "Really? That''s good news indeed. Hopefully, the virus won''t find out about this singularity." "Even if it does, it won''t be able to do anything about it." "Let''s hope that''s the case." Boo! "BOO!" I jumped out from the shadows in my ghostly costume. "UWAAHAHAH!" My friend Jenny screamed as she stamped her foot on the ground, grinding that spot a few times. "Dammit! That scared me!" "Hahaha." My other friend Kyle and I both laughed. "Aren''t you too jumpy these days?" Kyle teased. "I can''t help it. It''s close to Halloween...plus I binge-watched too many horror classics last night." Jenny grimaced in regret. "So did you figure out what you will be wearing for Halloween?" I asked Jenny as I wrapped my arm over her shoulder, but she seemed to have ignored me...maybe because she was still angry at me for scaring her. "So what costume you gonna wear for the party?" Kyle asked as he stared towards me and Jenny with a grin on his face. Kyle''s probably asking Jenny since anyone can tell that I''m in a ghost costume. "I''ll be dressing up as a werewolf." Jenny replied as she massaged her shoulders. "Gosh, must be tired from working on my costume all week long...my shoulders are sore and heavy." "That''s great--" Kyle replied. "What about you, Kyle? What will you dress up as?" I interjected. "I''ll be going as a mummy. Easy and simple to make." "Haha." Jenny and I both laughed. "Typical Kyle." Jenny smirked. "Agreed." I nodded. "Anyways, let''s go. We also need to get to that other place before we go to the party." Kyle urged. At the mention of the ''other place'', Jenny immediately fell silent. Kyle also grimaced as if he had said something that he shouldn''t have said. I wondered about what this ''other place'' was and kept bugging them, but they just kept quiet and continued on their way. Must have been something serious...how come I don''t remember anything like that? With no answers, I resignedly followed them. Finally, we arrived at a cemetery. Is this the place? Wow! Spooky...not, is this why they were being so serious a moment ago? They trying to frighten me with a cheap scare like going through a cemetery? Ha! Child''s play. "Here we are. Let''s get this over with." Jenny sighed. "Hey, hey, no need to sigh about this. You''re just trying to force me to go with you guys on this test of courage right? Being so serious ain''t the right direction to go. You gotta set the mood." I exclaimed. At this time, I was getting a bit annoyed. "Just past those tombstones Jenny...and then we''ll be there. Just one quick look and we''ll be out of here in no time." Kyle reassured. "Hooh...over there eh? I''ll go ahead and see what you have in store for me. Haha, I''ll bet you''ll try to scare me by putting up a tombstone of me, haha." I smirked as I went ahead. They didn''t seem to stop me, so I guess they already realize that the cat''s out of the bag and they''re just trying to keep the game in play. Hmmph, useless. Can''t scare me.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I walked up to the place that they indicated and lo-and-behold, I was right. There was a tombstone with my name on it. They must have put in a lot of effort, I''ll give them that. The tombstone read:
In Loving Memory Of Benjamin Kingsley Friend & Family 1992-2008 May He Rest In Peace
"Real funny guys. I already expected that you would do something like this...guys?" I replied as I saw them head over as well. They walked up to the tombstone and Jenny suddenly burst in tears. Huh? What''s wrong? I was just about to ask when Kyle told Jenny that she shouldn''t cry so much. That Ben wouldn''t want her to feel that way. After all, his death wasn''t her fault. "Wait! What? My death? Guys, that''s not funny anymore. Quit it." I said as I approach the two friends of mine and reached out to grab them. What happened next shocked me...my hand reached out to grab Kyle...but it went through him! What?! What''s going on?! I tried to steady myself as I looked around frantically. My body faded out for a bit before coming back. Was this a hidden cam? Special effects? Ugh! My head suddenly started hurting. I reached out and held my head in pain when suddenly, memories flashed in my mind. It was that Halloween in 2008, I was teasing Kyle and Jenny as usual...saying stuff like how Kyle''s costume makes him look different that what he had intended and Jenny looked ultra lame in her costume. We were near the road when Jenny got angry and ran off. As she tried to cross the road, a truck came speeding forward. Upon seeing the truck, Jenny froze in place. She was so frightened that her legs couldn''t move. Seeing Jenny''s predicament, I lunged forward and pushed her out of the way. The truck...it crashed into me!...No...the pain...I...I-I died.... Then.... .......... Flashback.... .......... A spider came crawling towards Jenny. Jenny just so happened to see it near her leg. Usually, Jenny wasn''t scared of spiders, but because she saw the Terror of the Mutant Spiders last night, she was unusually scared of them. "UWAAHAHAH!" Jenny screamed in terror as she stomped on the spider, grinding her foot a couple of times to make sure it was dead. "Dammit! That scared me!" "Hahaha." Kyle laughed as he teased Jenny. "Aren''t you too jumpy these days?" "I can''t help it. It''s close to Halloween...plus I binge-watched too many horror classics last night." Jenny grimaced in regret. "So what costume you gonna wear for the party?" Kyle asked as he stared towards Jenny with a grin on his face. "I''ll be dressing up as a werewolf." Jenny replied as she massaged her shoulders. "Gosh, must be tired from working on my costume all week long...my shoulders are sore and heavy." "That''s great...I''ll be going as a mummy. Easy and simple to make." Kyle replied. "Haha, typical Kyle." Jenny smirked. "Anyways, let''s go. We also need to get to that other place before we go to the party." Kyle urged. At the mention of the ''other place'', Jenny immediately fell silent. Kyle also grimaced as if he had said something that he shouldn''t have said. It was a serious matter, and it just ruined the cheerful mood between the two friends. They just kept quiet and continued on their way. The two finally arrived at their destination - a cemetery. "Here we are. Let''s get this over with." Jenny sighed. "Just past those tombstones Jenny...and then we''ll be there. Just one quick look and we''ll be out of here in no time." Kyle reassured. As they approached the tombstone, Jenny suddenly burst in tears. Kyle immediately comforted Jenny and told her that she shouldn''t cry so much. That Ben wouldn''t want her to feel that way. After all, his death wasn''t her fault. .......... Present time.... .......... "It''s okay Jenny. It''s okay." Kyle replied as he hugged Jenny and patted her head. "But...." Jenny replied. "It''s been a year since Ben died. I''m sure he has moved on by now. You should try to move on as well." Kyle reassured. "O-okay. You''re right." "Come, wipe those tears, we got a party to attend and some candy to eat." After a few more minutes of silent sobbing, the two got up and left. I stared off in the distance, my mind dazed and my eyes blurred. I...I''m dead...it''s over a year.... So...why haven''t I moved on? What am I regretting? Could it be...I have not forgiven Jenny? I stared off into the distance to where Kyle and Jenny was and a grin appeared on my face. I think I know what I should do...it sure is lonely being a ghost.