Chapter 1

Micheal and I were caving. He and I were bored on a Saturday morning, so we went out spelunking with some camping supplies. It was a day like any other, ordinary and sleepy. Caving gave our day a jolt of excitement though.

The dark, dank tunnels led to pools of water clear as glass. Weird yet fascinating creatures swam in those pools. Creepy critters squirmed on the walls. The air was humid and heavy. The hard stone gave us a firm footing as we climbed down, deeper into its depths.

We had been caving for over an hour when we stopped for an early lunch. It was basic trail mix with some water and jerky. Pretty bland, but not terrible. On that average and ordinary day, something bizarre occurred. In a surreal moment, a tiny blue screen popped up in front of my face. 

Schema Initializing. One minute until completion.

I squinted my eyes before turning towards Micheal. He glanced at me and said, 

"What in the hell is this?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. Looks like a screen from some game."

Micheal moved his hands in the air. I followed suit. My hand never blocked the screen, even if my hand was over it. It was like the screen existed on a different layer of a real life than my hand. Either that or it couldn't be blocked from sight. Hard to tell.

The message changed.

Schema Initializing. 30 seconds.

I frowned, "Alright, there's no way that Kelsey followed us and is setting up some prank. There's just no way."

Michael's eyes narrowed, "You're right. That's impossible."

Micheal and I cupped our chins as we said in unison, "Unless...."

I grimaced, "I mean, I wouldn't put it past her entirely."

Micheal nodded, "And she's done worse. Remember that time she put a handful of cockroaches into your toilet?"

I shivered, "Gah, that was the worst. I was only six, and she said they were trying to crawl up my ass and eat me. Gave me nightmares for months."

He and I squirmed as the message changed again. 

10 seconds left. Commencing countdown.

I gritted my teeth, "Get ready for the worst. This may be her best prank yet,"

Schema processing...5 seconds remaining.

Michael shook his hands, "Oh fuck, oh fuck."

Initialization complete. Welcome to the New World.

As I read the message, the world quaked and the air writhed. It had come. Kelsey had really nailed us this time.