Monica shivered slightly as the pack of rats passed her and Christa, if rats they could be called. The damned creatures were well over the size a normal rat should be, they were the size of small dogs, and worse yet they had these terrifying milky white eyes that stared at the world with a dead luster, and its mouth, gods its bottom jaw split in two , each moving independently like some mandible on a massive insect.

And that was to say nothing of the spikes.

If spikes they were, they protruded out of it in patches, the fur covering the protrusions they looked like spikes of bone splitting the creature's skin. And it would seem that they traveled in packs.

“I think, I think they are passed.” Monica said, running a hand through her sweat soaked hair, and it was not sweaty from the heat, but rather from the fear she had gone through in the past few hours. “Let's go,” she said, starting forward but found herself alone, she looked back, and found Christa still crouched down behind the pile of rubble they had hidden in. “Come on,” she whispered and reached for her friend's hand. Christa jerked her hand back as though Monica’s touch burned.

“No,” she said, her nostrils flared in the way they normally did when she felt unnerved, or ill at ease.

“It's only three more blocks,” Monica whispered, “We will make it, we are almost there.” she said this with much more confidence than she actually felt. With much more confidence than she felt.

“Nope, I'm done!” Christa shook her head, her black hair flopping around her head with a frantic stormy mood that seemed to perfectly portray what was going on in her mind.

“Come on it's only three more blocks.” Monica coaxed.

“We have been at this for over an hour,” Christa said and Monica opened her mouth up to protest but before she could Christa continued. “We only had four blocks to start with, it took us an hour to get here, for god's sake what do you want to do, be at this for another three or more hours?”

“We should move faster-” Monica started again.

“Move faster? LIsten,” Christa sighed in exasperation, “I understand you want to get closer to him and all. But girl we just went through hell, literal hell.” she gestured around her at the falling buildings, the dessicated streets and they general dystopian world around her. “We just went around half a block, half a fucking block to avid rats, damned rats that are the size of fucking dogs, and they had spikes and split jaws oh and fucking spikes.” she made a frantic gesture to her hair and face, “There is fucking blood in my hair,” she shuddered, and Monica decided it was not the best time to mention that it was also smeared down her face and neck. “This is fucking hell, plain and simple.”

“Come on, it's just three more blocks,” Monica pleaded, she didn't want to be here alone, she grabbed the other woman’s hand and tried to drag her forward but Christa planted her feet and resisted with a good deal more force than Monica had thought possible, stopping both of them in there tracks.

“No, No, I love you girl but I can't, I am not forcing myself to go through this.” she pulled her hand out of Monica’s now terrified grip. Christa started to strip off her clothes, pulling the light dirty shirt over her head she revealed twin breasts, this game had full nudity? Wow that was rare… Monica was distracted with thoughts like this for a brief second, but was soon snapped out of it when a bundle of clothing was shoved into her hands by a now completely naked Christa. “Take this, here take them.” she shoved the bundle of clothing into Monica’s hands.

“Wa?” Monica started, but Christa cut her off again.

“Take these, I'm out, you will need them more than I, you can go on looking for your crazy red headed boyfriend by yourself.” and before Monica could protest she vanished from the world. Monica stood there, shaking slightly a deep fear sinking into her gut, far off she heard the howl of some creature, it caused her to jump, but not as much as when she turned around and saw that face looking at her.

It was the face of death, and she was worried she would die of fright, she squealed and froze the piles of clothing falling out of her hands.

“I am sorry I didn't mean to scare you.” the twisted skull said, or rather the woman under the mask of the twisted skull said, as she lifted her mask and smiled kindly at Monica. Monica took a deep breath, inhaling deeply, trying to re-catch her breath and nerve. “Hello I am Risa.”

“Monica,” Monica was able to wheeze out.

“Nice to meet you Monica, ” Risa smiled, her long blond curls bouncing in the breeze. Monica looked her up and down again, she wore some strange armor, It consisted of a grey suit of armor that completely protected her upper torso, and a dress that split on both sides, revealing both of her bare thighs from the upper area down to the knee. Monica was no stranger to Mmo womens armor, which often meant less was more. Also commonly known as the more scanty the armor the more it protected. She didn't really care for this, but if she wanted to play a VRmmo she had to have gotten use to it.

Though she stayed away from certain mmos.

The armor didn't really bother her, she had shown off that much leg in public before, hmm, she wondered how Matt would feel about that, some men got mighty jealous of others looking there women over. Was he one of them? And if he was how did that make her feel and, and , and…

She pushed the thoughts out of her head and looked back up at the other woman, who seemed to have said something but Monica had not heard her, or else didn't understand. “I am sorry what did you say?”

“I um,” the other girl, what was her name again? Lisa? Not what was it, Risa? Yeah that seemed more like what she had said. “I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard some of you and your friend's conversation.” she shuffled around a little. “Are you by chance looking for a man with red hair and beard and blue eyes?” she laughed, “One with a penchant for raiding?”

Monica’s eyes opened up wide, but she nodded. “Ye-yes why?” she asked tentatively, the explanation for the games full loot pvp echoed in her mind, ‘anyone can kill anyone else at any point in time and take all of their loot.’ this was hard enough as is, she really didn’t want to make this any harder, and having no gear would certainly make this harder.

“I know the way, I can get you there,” Risa said with a small smile. Monica looked at her with some suspicion, but then again if this lady was going to shoot her well then she had ample opportunities from even before this conversation.

“Sure, please I think I could use all the help I could get...” Monica answered. Risa lead the way into a building.

“Its best to stay off of street level around here unless you are armed sufficiently, there are too many mobs on the ground level, and it makes you an easy target for players.” she looked over at Monica. “Its how I spotted you two.”

“Oh, how do you get around then?” Monica asked.

“There are paths through the buildings, keeping you off of the ground.”

“That can't really work for the entire game world right?” Monica asked, as they walked at a leisurely pace through the building, and up the set of stairs. “No, out in the dunes and plains there are next to no buildings, we call it the wastes, it's a place where there are only player built towns and fortresses.”

“Ah,” Monica said, and she walked out onto the ledge of a building, carefully following behind Risa as she passed over the precipice and walked across a thin ledge made out of plywood and other materials like sheet metal. She tried desperately to not look down, and quickly hurried to the other side before asking the question that burned in her mind. “So, uh how do you know Matt?”

“Matt? Is that his name?” Monica sighed a little in relief when the other woman said this, if she didn't know his name then she probably didn't know much else about him, or of him. The thought flashed across her mind, and made her pause, when had she become the clingy girlfriend? She had always disliked it when men had thought of her like there property, watching her like some dog or other pet. Wasn't that hypocritical however? Seeing as she now no longer wanted him to be out of her sight? She sighed, putting out of her mind.

She had to admit, when she was not hiding for her life from the killer dog sized rats there was some sort of morbid fascination she felt as she treaded through the broken down buildings, as they lay there dessicated and abandoned.

“Let us just say I have a working relationship with him.” Risa laughed, it was a black sort of laugh that had a sort of malice to it that startled Monica, the sound didn't seem like it should be capable of coming out of such a pretty throat. But there it was, dark and only vaguely humorous. Monica was just about to ask her what sort of work when Risa pointed out the side of a building.

They were about three stories up, but even then Risa didn't have to point out Matt’s apartment, though partially destroyed it was hard to miss the red brick facade. “There you go, I will leave the rest to you.” Monica turned to thank her, but as she did she realised she was now standing alone. Who the hell was this woman? The woman that appeared like a ghost and then disappeared in just as uncanny a way. Monica was once again alone.

The only difference this time was she was now only across the street, not three blocks away. Slowly she made her way down the building’s interior, she even slid down one section that had caved in due to the stairwell being blocked with rubble and debris. It took alot longer than she wanted, but once she had made it down, she looked both ways on the street, but it was not to see if there was cars, but rather people or monsters coming.

Seeing neither she passed across the street…

***

Matt and Willow heard the sound of someone scrambling over debris in the building across the street, they even heard the muffled curse that echoed, Matt frowned, that voice, it sounded familiar, but who had it?

Willow on the other hand knew exactly where she had heard that voice. Casting a glance at Matt she faced a dilemma, she really didn't want that tramp interfering on the only truly alone time she and Matt had.

She could simply shoot her.

But then Matt would be mad at her…

But she couldn't allow him and her to get lose here, that was not fair, she had dominion out there, and now this whore was going to cut into her time with Matt. no, even if it made Matt mad she needed to keep this woman away. Statistically speaking after the first death something like 22% of new starts stop playing the game, they simply can't deal with the harcore nature of the game. With luck this woman would be one of those 22%.

Willow took up her rifle and aimed it, Matt did the same, aiming it out of the second story window, but for some reason he kept glancing out the corner of his eye at her. They saw a flash of blue and blonde, and sighting the woman she started pulling the trigger, she had the trigger half depressed when he recognized the woman, Willow had know it this whole time. Matt flung himself sideways, barreling his arm into her own, driving the shot carefully aimed at her center of mass right, embedding itself instead into the woman’s arm.

Monica’s eyes opened wide as she flopped flat on her back, the force of the bullet pushing her down into the hot ground. Matt shouted something in surprise, and instead of using the walkway he threw himself out of the window, dropping down on a balcony of an unused apartment, and then across to another and then another till he could safely drop to the ground.

“Damnit all to hell, it was a clean shot.” Willow spat, admonishing herself. If Matt hadn't hit her it would have been a clean kill shot. Slower than Matt she made her way down, and watched with annoyance as he pulled out a vial of Nonoitite, and apply it to her wound propping her up.

“Hi Matt,” she said with a laugh, resting her head on his chest.

“Monica, how, what are you doing here?” he asked, looking down at the wound and frowning and then looking back up at Willow, who just shrugged, he looked her over with narrowed eyes, thinking to himself.

“I wanted to surprise you, is it so bad that I want to spend time with you?” she asked looking up into his eyes, and Willow watched with dismay and disgust as he melted in her eyes.

It didn't take long but soon he stood up and stood her up as well. “Lets go, can't sit out he-” before he could finish his sentence a gunshot rung out, passing through Monica’s back, and then through Matt’s chest, seeming like he hadn't noticed the shot he threw himself right, dragging Monica to the barricade of rubble with him. Willow followed moving almost in sync with his dive also arriving behind the rubble with the two of them. Matt seemingly not noticing his own gunshot looked her over, it was bad she was not going to make it. Willow placed down suppressing fire, but over the din and drone of bullets a voice called out, one that made the shocked Monica look up.

“Sorry love, I guess I forgot to mention the relationship involves killing him did I? Thanks for being a dear and drawing him out like that!” Monica’s face flushed when she heard that. Matt looked over at Monica and shook his head.

“Listen you're bleeding too much, you are going to respawn, just stay there ok? After I handle this I will come get you ok?” he asked, she just looked at him, and he asked again, this time getting a nodd in consent. With that he flopped over to the side, and looked over at Willow, “If you’d please.” he said, and she crawled over and pressed the gun up against his chest and looked down at him.

Wait what were they doing?

What was Willow doing?

No Wait!

Willow squeezed the trigger, and Monica’s opened in horror as she watched the woman push a piece of hot led into Matt’s chest. His back arched with the kinetic energy that passed through him and he fell limply her hands still holding him down, one on the shoulder the other pressing the gun into his chest. His head flopped to the side and she looked into those blue eyes, already glassing over. and -

And-

And-

Something ran down her face, she lifted a hand up and rubbed it away and found her fingers coated in a sticky red something.

Blood?

His or hers?

Her attention was taken away from this disturbing thought as she noticed the barrel of the same gun that killed Matt pointed at her.

“You might have an advantage in that world, but here-” Willow made a gesture all around herself, “This, this is my world.” she levels the gun with Monica’s head and smiled. “God I am going to cherish this memory,” she laughed darkly, and pulled the trigger, sending Monica back to the point she had begun, completely clothless and weaponless.