chapter 8

Gabbie let her anger dissipate and she averted her eyes to Jason "don't apologize In his stead, to me he's still the one at fault" she pouted and mumbled under her breath "douche bag"

Eiden recollected Jason's words 'people might still be after us'. Eiden had thought of a way to prove that they were still in the game but he couldn't bring himself to decide.

Whenever a person, be it a player or an NPC, dies in a game, their bodies disappear, leaving behind colored fragments. If he were to stab a person to death now, will they disappear as such or will they bleed to death?

He wanted to share his thoughts with the others but wasn't it too ridiculous?

"Eiden!" Gabbie called for the fourth time.

His mind snapped back to reality, he looked at them, their faces filled with worry.

"What's the matter?" Jason asked

"Yeah you've been seeming lost lately" Derrick added, the same thing happened minutes ago at the market.

Running his hand through his hair, Eiden sighed "it's just...I don't….think we're in the game right now" he said reluctantly.

He anticipated criticism and lots of questions.

They stared at him, unsure of what to say. Their faces edged with unasked questions. Gabbie was the first to speak "what do you mean Eiden?"

He paused, looked up to the seemingly real sky and then at them again. "Think about it, relate all our encounters here with all that was said about the game back at home. Nothing adds up except the fact that it's still ancient Chinese based".

His statement struck inquisitiveness in the atmosphere.

"But if we're not in the game,where are we?" Derrick asked,

"Wait" Gabbie said, "how did we survive the stampede?" She forgot to ask earlier because of the commotion. She didn't think they would be able to survive it.

"A man saved us" Jason replied

"A player?" She inquired

"He's not"

Though she was still confused she didn't have any more questions.

Eiden's explanation hung in the air like a challenge.

"If we're not in the game, then….where the hell are we!" Derrick repeated, his eyes searching the surroundings as if looking for an answer.

Jason looked at Eiden, his expression thoughtful. "You know, I was kinda feeling the same way but it sounded way too ridiculous to bring up. So far, this isn't like any of the games we've played"

What confused him most was the people who were meant to be NPCs, their interactions and behaviors don't seem like they were programmed at all.

Gabbie's eyes narrowed, "what are you guys talking about, of course we're in the game. Where else could we be?"

Eiden was reluctant, his eyes darted around the alley as if fearful of being overheard. "I don't know, but think about it. We've been in this 'game' for like hours now and not a single gamer in sight, plus everywhere seems overpopulated"

Derrick snorted, "you're saying we're stuck in some kind of ancient Chinese simulation or something?"

Eiden shrugged, "donno what it is but I know this isn't the game we signed up for"

As they sat there, the sounds of the market grew fainter, replaced by an eerie silence. It was as if the alley had become a pocket of stillness, cut off from the rest of the world.

They all had different thoughts on the matter. The silence was suffocating, everyone had questions but to whom do they refer them to?.

"I've got it!" Jason's sudden jerk caused a startle. Their attention was drawn to him so he continued. "I just thought about it now, our systems should have a logout icon".

Eiden's face illuminated, " Jason, you're right!, why didn't I think of that?. If it has a logout icon, even if we aren't in the game right now, we can still get out"

"Right. All we need to do now is test it" said Jason.

Derrick cut in, "okay, okay, hold on, just hold on a minute there", he looked at Jason "You used the keyword 'system'. Why hasn't it appeared yet?" He asked.

Derrick, even though a total jackass with a brazen attitude and a reputation for terrible grades, he was sharp eyed and his ability to notice subtle details never lacked.

Jason just said the word system but nothing happened, it incited his inquisitive side.

"...." Unable to answer why, he threw a look to Eiden.

Gabbie responded instead, "perhaps 'system' was the keyword for activating it for the first time only". She paused before saying "see…, I just said system and nothing happened"

Their weary sighs indicated tiredness, they were hungry, exhausted from all the running, and now faced with uncertainty of whether or not they're still in Wisher's Death game.

Jason's eyes widened as his system suddenly appeared before him, the transparent blue icons and tabs flashing into existence without him saying a word.

The sudden appearance was so unexpected that he leaned back, his eyes fixed on the status screen in shock.

"Ah, you did it!" Derrick exclaimed, his eyes fixed on Jason's system in disbelief.

Eiden's eyes lit up in excitement, "Jason, do you see the stats? Or a logout icon? Are we still in the game?" he asked hastily.

Gabbie narrowed her eyes, her gaze laced with curiosity and uncertainty, "how did you do it Jason?" She asked

Jason was reluctant, she was asking him like he knew how it happened. He merely just thought about the system and it appeared before him. He wasn't sure how it happened.....

"Quit spacing out and tell us how you did it" said Derrick, his voice raw with impatience.

Jason stuttered, "I...I"