Chapter 2 - Beginning Of The End (2) [ Axel - First Person ]

The day started off with bright sunshine, but I realized with slight discomfort that clouds were starting to gather in the horizon and I had forgotten my umbrella. Just perfect, my day was off to a horrible start.

I had no trouble finding the VIP client my boss had directed me to, her apartment was the biggest in the entire neighborhood, smack right in the middle of the city. It was at least 15 storeys high and had more glass than concrete. I went to the lady at reception and showed her my appointment card. She glanced at my card and gestured towards the elevator, " 12th floor", I mentioned a quick thanks and started towards the elevator.

To be honest I was quiet uncomfortable riding in an elevator. It was nothing but a closed, metal coffin filled with people breathing the same air for some claustrophobic minutes and probably never ever meeting again. I reached the 12th floor and pushed my way out of that metal box.

I found her room and rang the doorbell. A pretty lady in her 20s opened the door and realization dawned on her face the same time it did on mine.

" Oh fuck", I muttered under my breath. My boss had a wrapped sense of humour, he had sent me to my ex-girlfriend's apartment, that old piece of shit.

"Hey... Axel, wha...what are doing here?", She enquired with a questioning and searching glance. Don't get me wrong I held no grudges against her after all I was the one who cheated on her ( long story ) but this was a truly awkward situation, the last time I met her she was crying and I was kissing another women, so yeah, I was sort of a jerk, but truth be told Maria was one of the hottest girls I had ever dated with her blonde hair and stormy grey eyes which gave her a soft and a hard look at the same time. She was kind and compassionate as well, and also filthy rich, her dad was the city's richest person.

" So sorry to intrude on you Maria ", I held up my files, " but I had an appointment with you", I tried to justify my presence there, I didn't know why I acted like that because I was there because of a legitimate reason and yet I felt like I shouldn't be there.

"Oh right, yes that was today, come on in ", she opened the door wider to let me in.

She showed me to her living room, this was the first time I had come to her new apartment and truth be told it was much better than her old one so I guessed she made up with her father. She sat down next to me and I spent the next hour explaining the various aspects of the plan she had chosen. It was nice sitting with her again and talking with her.

" How's Max? ", I asked her after we wrapped up our meeting, Max was her younger brother and we had grown fond of each other while I was dating Maria.

" He is fine but he misses you terribly ", she said with a sad smile on her face.

I nodded my head and we sat in silence for a while then I said in a low voice, " I am sorry Maria, I hurt you so bad and I regret it every single day "

She remained silent for a little while, then spoke, " You had your own reasons for doing so Axel, I don't know what they were but I am not going to be the one to judge you and honestly you were fun and wild and all but I think Michael is a more stable choice." I raised my eyebrows at her last words.

" He is my new boyfriend ", she explained. Of course a beautiful girl like Maria would not remain single for long.

I thought about it, if I had not chosen the path I had, would we have remained a couple till now? I decided it was time to go back, I stood up and shook her hand, " Well, I wish you all the best in your life Maria ", she again smiled that sad smile of hers.

I was about to show myself out of her house but I never reached the doorknob because at that moment my life was turned upside down both literally and symbolically.

The floor started shaking and I fell to the floor unable to maintain my balance, somewhere to my right I heard Maria yelp, the sky had turned pitch black, I looked out of the window and my eyes nearly popped out.

An eerie red light had filled the entire city, giving an impression that the city was covered in blood and a huge whirlpool of lighting had opened up in the sky.

"ATTENTION DEAR PEOPLE OF SYSTEM - 7072!" A voice pierced through my head, it was like somebody had poked my ears with a burning piece of metal.

I clambered to the balcony and looked down to the city square, I saw a black hooded figure standing there, he was at least 10 feet tall and was well built. A crowd was standing around him, transfixed in horror as they looked at the menacing figure before them.

" I AM THE GAME MASTER " , He spoke, " AND TODAY IS YOUR TURN TO FINALLY PARTICIPATE IN THE RAGNAROK!" Ragnarok? Wasn't that the doomsday, I wondered, an uneasy feeling had crept up to me and I am sure the people standing down there felt it too. They shuffled uncomfortably, looking at each other unsure whether it was somebody's idea of a sick joke.

"What if we don't?" Someone yelled. I looked at him, it was a 30 year old man. From the look of him he looked like a corporate employee, but he wore a truly ugly pair of glasses, it was so bad I could see it from 12 floors away.

The hooded figure figure snickered and said, " OH YOU WILL " He snapped his fingers and I watched as Mr. Glasses' head blew off in a pool of blood, it splattered on the lady standing next to him, she looked at horror at her bloodstained clothes and instinctively let out a scream, but she was not able to complete it as her head was blown off as well, at this point I averted my eyes from the nightmare unfolding before me.

" I HOPE NOW YOU WILL BE MORE FLEXIBLE TO COOPERATE WITH ME ", The Game Master said. He waved his hand hand and a blue screen erupted in front of everyone. It was like the menu screen in an action - RPG game.

It read:

STAGE 1 - RAGNAROK

WELCOME TO THE GAME

" NOW LET US BEGIN THE FUN " , The Game Master cackled as he disappeared in a flash of red

TASK -1 read the window

KILL A MEMBER OF YOUR OWN SPECIES BEFORE DUSK

REWARD UPON COMLETITION : 1st SKILL AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NEXT STAGE OF RAGNAROK

PENALTY UPON FAILURE : INSTANT DEATH

I stared in horror at the task window as my reality slowly crumbled...