1

With the last traces of light receding from the sky, they got to work quickly. Olivia provided them with a few paring knives and they skinned and prepared the fish, most of which were salmon. Ethan, Zack, Jordan, and Emma traveled to the outskirts of the orchard to gather firewood and kindling. The family had a stack of their own, but Ethan insisted on not depleting their supply.

Ten minutes later, they were back at the eating grounds with the firewood. Zack was also carrying three medium-sized stones. He winked at Brett. “We can bang out those holes now,” he said, referring to the perforations in the orc’s plate armor.

The male nurse smiled wanly.

Zack handed a stone to Damon and Ethan. As the orcs started reshaping their armor, Jordan and Emma arranged the kindling in the fire pit. With clanging sounds reverberating throughout the village, Mike, the youngest villager, stepped back and lit the wood with a blast of Fire Scorch.

“I guess that answers that,” Harper whispered to Miguel. The two mages had wondered if the family members’ spells were disabled in line with their physical deformity. They mentioned it, and the three family members confirmed all their spells were still intact.

Ryan told Harper they’d entered the game as a human race. Mike and Olivia had chosen the mage class while he went in as a warrior.

“Do you mind turning your telepathy functions back on,” Harper asked delicately, “because of your difficulty in speaking?” She grimaced, fearing she might offend them, but the family members thought it was a great idea. Still, the family tended to converse with them audibly, from sheer habit.

Olivia asked Zack and Damon to guard the north side of the fire pit, explaining that the smells usually brought unwanted visitors. Ethan and Ryan skewered the fish, perching them above the fire on long sticks. Within minutes, the scent of cooked fish wafted throughout the village. Zack glanced back from his guard position, enticed by the smell. “Oh, man. My mouth is watering,” he said to Damon.

But Olivia had been right. He could see eyes peering at them from the woods north of the village. They glowed like red embers in the darkness, reflecting the fire’s light. Still, the creatures didn’t advance.

As they sat staring at the fire, Ethan asked Ryan how he was able to catch the fish with his deformity. The old man told him he used the spear, and it generally took most of the morning. Every day, he’d shamble out to the shore alone and wade into the frigid waters. “I own feeb a bing,” he told them, gesturing to his legs. “Cam’t feeb amybing bebow my waib.”

“Why do you go out there alone?” Harper asked.

“Mike brobek Obivia,” he answered. “Me, I bake my bambes.”

Sorry, Ryan, I don’t understand you. Can you say that telepathically? Harper asked.

I said Mike protects Olivia, he replied. Me, I take my chances.

“You must have accumulated a lot of points catching all that fish. What level are you guys at?” Harper asked.

Ryan shook his head. I got as high as level 73 and Olivia and Mike were in their thirties before our stats started appearing as gibberish, he telepathed. It happened the same time as our deformities. Our base stats got very high, especially my strength stat. He looked dejectedly at the group. Then, after the mutation, I can tell I became weaker. I think our stats are reversing or going back to level 1. Ryan pulled up his stats. Here. Have a look yourself.

Harper connected telepathically and saw what he meant.

*%_n J/.^in{#

RACE: ~/+ha.:;-# _r!

CLASS: !a`~![] (`!~!

STATUS: ^.!%__!;

HP: ##

HPR: #.##

MP: ##

MPR: #.##

STRENGTH: ##

CONSTITUTION: ##

DEXTERITY: ##

INTELLIGENCE: ##

WISDOM: ##

ENDURANCE: ##

XP: ###

ATTRIBUTE POINTS: #

2

The fire blazed as Olivia retrieved four wooden plates from the side of the well. She asked the members to place the fish onto the plates and added apologetically that they would have to share the plates.

“Don’t forget us,” Damon and Zack called out, almost in unison. They stood on the peripheries of the firelight. The sun was gone, and the land was shrouded in darkness except for the red eyes that observed them from the woods.

“Oh, dude! This is the best fish I’ve ever eaten,” Brett yelled gratifyingly.

Despite their disfigurement, Ryan and Olivia glanced at each other incredulously. Who says “dude” anymore? they telepathed. The thought registered with the teammates who had left their telepathy on. As a result, Jordan, Miguel, Harper, Angie, and Ethan snickered discreetly.

“Yeah, this is just amazing,” Harper said, and thanked the family for their hospitality.

Ryan spoke to the team telepathically for the next discussion. No one thought of asking Emma, Janna, Brett, Zack, and Damon to turn their telepathy back on, so they missed out on the conversation. I have to tell you this story by thought, Ryan started, because I’ll lose my mind trying to vocalize it to you.

The five members glanced at Ryan.

There wasn’t a body of water northeast of us when all this began… I mean, when we got stranded. The water started flowing in from god-knows-where when those black voids started appearing on the land and in the sky. At first, it was small, but gradually the tear in the border grew larger and it brought in the sand and fish with it.

He gazed at the team members.

And that’s the other thing. Those black voids are growing. I’m afraid soon we won’t even have this god-forsaken place to live in. Our world is shrinking and those voids are getting bigger. What the hell are those things, anyway?

Miguel raised his hand. I think they’re breakdowns in the quantum structure, what keeps this world together.

Ryan scowled and snatched a piece of fish with his hooked hand. He tilted his L-shaped arms and brought the salmon to his mouth. Fish oil trickled down the side of his face. That fucking company, they stranded us here! How could they do that to so many people? How could they get away with it? The old man threw the rest of his fish into the fire. A cloud of sparks burst up from the flames.

Emma looked at him, alarmed. “Is everything alright?” she asked, unaware of the ongoing conversation.

Ryan nodded and waved her off.

Do you have families back home? Harper asked. Why aren’t they looking for you?

We do have family, Olivia answered, and they should be looking for us. Asking questions. She sighed. All I know is that you’re the first contact we’ve had with the outside world since the day that portal disappeared.

Harper glanced at Miguel.

She had assumed the stories about people stranded on Epiphany were nothing more than urban myths passed down by the overimaginative subculture that followed the banned game world.

So why are you guys here, anyway? Mike asked. Damon glanced back from his guard position, interested in the conversation.

A VIP got smuggled into here about a week ago, Angie answered. They sent us in to get him out… or at least, find his remains.

Ryan’s distorted face lit up. Can you get us out of here? he asked urgently.

Angie shrugged. I don’t know. Our portal will be there when we get back. That will, at least, get you into the transfer room. We can ask Walker if their—

Walker!? Ryan asked. Paul Walker? You know Paul Walker?

Uh, yeah, Angie answered hesitantly, he’s the one who sent us here. How do you know him?

Under the misshapen mask that hid Ryan’s face, anger burned white-hot. He’s the fuck who made us sign the liability waiver!

3

The team learned that Walker had been a low-level employee when Ryan’s family entered the Cloud Nine building for the transfer to Epiphany. Walker had been in charge of the legal arrangements at the point of transfer, and he’d sprung the waiver on them at the last minute.

People walked out of the building upon seeing the legal documents, but sadly, we weren’t part of that group. Ryan telepathed. He looked at the five team members. Why have we become so deformed?

Miguel glanced at Harper, looking for assurance. She nodded quietly. It’s part of the structural breakdown I referred to earlier, he telepathed carefully. It destroys what binds your cells. I think it’s something called cytoplasm. That’s why they shut Epiphany down. It not only mutates the cells on this side, but the people they brought back after prolonged stays on Epiphany… well…

He hesitated for a moment. They look just like you.

Ryan’s body sagged. A long silence hovered over them. Eventually, Ryan looked up at them. “Emyway, I am habby ooo are here,” he said with finality. He stood up, shuffled over to Damon, and muttered something quietly to him. The two men walked away from the fire pit, into the dark night.

A few minutes later, they returned. Damon was lugging the fallen rafter from the barn on his shoulder. “Scoot back everyone,” he groaned. “This might make a spark.”

Everyone backed up.

Damon dropped the wooden beam into the fire. It crashed against the logs and embers, sending up a wave of flickering sparks. Ryan, who’d suggested burning the rafter beam, hooted excitedly at the display of fireworks. His droopy smile was back, and he raised his hooked arms toward the sparks. His new visitors applauded and warmly cheered him on.

4

The dry wood caught right away and, before too long, a steady fire rose into the sky like the flame from a blowtorch. The members rested in small groups away from the fire; Ryan with his family, Harper with Miguel, Emma with Jordan, Angie with Damon and Janna with Zack.

Miguel filled in Emma, Janna, Brett, Zack, and Damon on the discussion they’d missed with the Jennings. “I always wondered why they didn’t tear down the servers,” Emma said. “Why would they leave it lying around like that?” She exhaled. “Now we know the answer. They couldn’t trash the servers because they left people behind in it.”

Ethan and Brett relieved the other two orcs of their guard duty. A serene calm settled within the group as they stared at the hypnotic flames of the bonfire. Harper leaned against Miguel, and he gave her a gentle squeeze. She gazed up at him affectionately.

He noticed, once again, the diamond-shaped scar below her collarbone. With the fire’s orange light dappling on her skin, Miguel thought Harper was breathtaking. He kissed her on the forehead, then returned his attention to the group. “Uh-hum. Damon and Janna, you both have attribute points that need to be designated before the clock strikes midnight. Harper’s asked me to do the honors. Could you turn your telepathy on and pull up your stats?”

Miguel divided Damon’s 40 attribute points equally into his dexterity, wisdom, intelligence, and endurance stats. He apportioned Janna’s 16 points into strength and dexterity. Finally, he dropped his own 20 points into strength, constitution, dexterity, and endurance.

“Next up are the sleeping arrangements,” he said, grinning at Angie, “and I’ll leave that to Mommy Dearest.”

“Oh, no, no, no,” she countered. “I’m not doing that again. You’re all adults. You can figure it out.”

Under his shoulder, Harper said, “Miguel and I are taking a cabin.” Miguel looked down at her, slightly stunned. He wondered if this would be the night. The thought left him with a delicious excitement.

Harper stood up and pointed at the first cabin across from the barn. “And with that, ladies and gentlemen, I’m shoving off,” she announced and started walking toward the cabin.

Miguel sprinted after her and they strolled side by side. Harper cast Firefly to light their way through the darkness. “I’ll finish up with them and come join you,” Miguel said eagerly, but she waved him off.

“Nah. Take your time. I’ve had a long day.”

They entered the cabin. Harper went to one twin-sized bed. She didn’t bother removing her armor, despite the warmth in the room. She lay on the bed, feeling the rough canvas rub against her cheek. She wrinkled her nose against the musty odor of the bedding. She looked up at Miguel. “The Hilton, my ass!”

He chuckled and grabbed a canvas blanket from the corner of the room to spread it over her, but she pushed it aside.

“It’s too warm, #39,” she declared.

He laughed again. Harper shooed him away, telling him to finish with the team, but he stayed a moment longer, staring at her. She withdrew her Firefly spell, leaving them in complete darkness. He knelt and kissed her on the cheek while she curled into the bed. “See you soon, sweetheart,” he whispered.

She smiled in the gloom. He could just see a hint of it. “See ya soon, sweetheart,” she repeated.

He walked outside and dragged the heavy wooden door across the opening. He looked up at the blue moon hovering in the sky. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he returned to the fire pit, leaving the only woman he’d ever love sound asleep in her makeshift bed.

5

As he walked to the fire pit, Damon was just returning from the other side. “Is everything alright?” Miguel asked.

“Yeah. I walked the Jennings to their cabin,” he answered.

“The Jennings?”

Damon nodded. “Yeah, that’s their last name. We finally figured it out telepathically.”

Miguel thought of the family members’ attempts at pronouncing their own name. “The Bebbings,” he reflected. “Poor guys.”

Damon nodded as they squatted at the fire with the rest of the team. “Yeah, Angie told me their story. We’re going to bring them once we’ve finished the realm. Make Walker take ‘em back.” Damon said with certainty.

Emma and Brett shifted uncomfortably with unspoken reservations. She knew about the reports of the deformity worsening once people were transferred back to the real world. Brett’s concerns were of a different nature; taking the Jennings with them was going to slow them down. He couldn’t imagine how long it would take to get through the orchard, forest, and swamp with those troglodytes in tow.

Damon filled Miguel in on a couple of conversations he’d missed while he was with Harper. The team had decided on the sleeping arrangements. Jordan would take a cabin with Ethan, Janna would bunk with Emma, and Angie was with Damon. Brett got stuck with Zack, a prospect the male nurse was not looking forward to.

Damon told Miguel that Ryan had asked the team if they had seen their other horse. It had gone missing. They didn’t have the heart to tell him about the dead horse they’d found near the snake pit. Finally, he informed the group about the outhouse. “Olivia said it’s over there.” Damon pointed at a shack close to the boarded-up barn.

Emma sighed with relief. “Good. I’m tired of doing it in the woods.”

They sat, mesmerized by the lingering flames and thinking about the end of the day. “You know, there’s one more thing we’ve learned from the Jennings,” Miguel said. He glanced around at the team. “We age inside these realms. Mike was sixteen when he entered the realm. I don’t know how old he is now, but he isn’t a teenager anymore.”

The group considered that in silence.

Miguel gazed at the fire. He thought of Harper and the life they would have together. He heard a familiar sound under the crackling embers but wasn’t able to distinguish it. He listened intently but didn’t hear the sound again. Feeling exhausted from the long day and needing to be with Harper, he stood. “I’m done, guys,” he said. He walked toward the cabin he shared with Harper. The team watched him vanish into the darkness.

“Man, that guy has fallen hook, line, and sinker,” Zack commented.

Emma and Janna smiled. The rest of them remained silent. Ethan looked up at the tower, which was barely visible in the moonlight. “I guess tomorrow, we’ll be up there.”

Damon grunted his agreement.

They discussed their plans for the next day and agreed to wake up early, hoping to get a good head start in the tower. “It’s been a long day,” Damon sighed. “I’m ready for bed.”

The teammates slowly rose. Ethan grabbed the bucket of water from the well and doused the flames. The embers still radiated their orange light, but the fire would eventually sputter out. They split off into pairs and wandered to their adjacent cabins. As Jordan gazed at Emma, she winked at him. He raised his eyebrows, but she only smiled back secretively.

“Well, we made it through another day,” Damon said as they entered their cabins and pushed the heavy doors across the entrances.