I wipe my glasses. I put them down on my desk. I turn off the lights and lie down on my bed. I close my eyes and drift soundly to sleep.

Or so I thought.

I open my eyes. I see an unfamiliar scene. I find myself lying on the ground. It was cold and hard. I get up and notice the entire ground is stone, some sort of cobblestone I think. To my left is also stone, a wall stretching up and up and up. I can’t make out how tall it is, mainly because it’s really dim. The entire place is dark, illuminated only by soft torches lined along the walls.

It all seems medieval-like. That’s probably a bad assumption due to my limited knowledge. The aesthetic of the entire place feels old. A cold draft brushes through me and I shiver slightly.

Where am I?

I look around. I could only see about 50 feet ahead of me, and as far as I can tell it’s all stone.

My head feels hazy but regardless I walk ahead slowly and cautiously. Besides the cracking of fire from the torches and the occasional draft, I couldn’t hear much. For some reason, I couldn’t shake this uncomfortable feeling. I feel an indescribable danger, even though I couldn’t see anything dangerous. The entire ambiance just sent shivers down my spine.

Goosebumps run all over my body.

Looking up, I couldn’t see the extent of the roof, if there was one. I assumed so because I couldn’t see any moon or any other signs of lighting or natural silhouettes. It must extend really high up, probably to level the tops of the high-rising walls. The entire place gives off eerie vibes.

I don’t like it.

I make my way through. I think I’ve been walking for 5 minutes and I don’t see any change in my surroundings. Suddenly, I notice a dip in the ground ahead of me. I walk to check it out.

It was water. A large body of water stretched out ahead, stretching from one wall to the other in width. I can’t tell how deep it is, but I catch sights of plant life on the surface and some deeper shadows within the water. It's like a marsh, as it's blanketed in green. I only realized it was water when I dipped my finger in it and there were faint ripples.

I take one good look around once more.

No doubt about it.

This is a dungeon.

I’ve played many games with dungeons. RPG games are my specialty, so I recognize this scene well.

But why do I have such a bad feeling?

Am I dreaming?

But I’m aware of it.

Is it lucid?

It might be, but I can’t be too sure.

Suddenly, the sound of clattering metal sounds behind me.

I freeze.

It’s slowly getting closer and closer. I slowly turn around-

Slice.

What-

I barely dodge the slash. I can’t believe what I see. My vision shakes and I catch a glimpse at my sudden attacker.

A structure of bones, a hollow face and stiff movements. The figure is wielding a curved blade and wearing a golden crown.

No way. I shake my head and try to blink away my suspicions.

It’s a skeleton.

That’s right, with dungeons come monsters. Fear fills me at the sudden thought. The slash felt like it would actually tear through me and cut me.

No matter how I look it at it doesn’t appear to be a dream. I feel fully…

Conscious.

I quickly resolve myself. The figure rattles and tattles as it charges at me, slashing at me in a stiff and textbook manner. I carefully avoid each slice. It doesn’t seem to be too fast or too dangerous, but I can’t be reckless.

I muster my courage and escape around him, back where I came.

I’m running blindly forward. I take a glimpse behind me and see the skeleton still chasing me, shrouded in the shadows behind me. I charge, pacing myself ahead.

I run for about 5 minutes before I reach a dead end. I don’t know when I passed my initial position when I came to, but that doesn’t matter right now. I take another look behind me but I don’t see the skeleton. I can still faintly hear the rattling of bones and the metallic clinking of the sword dragging across the ground.

It’s coming.

I have to do something. In front of me, at the wall which ended my path, was a double door. I try pulling on it, but no luck. It won’t budge. I notice that the door handles are tied together with sturdy rope in a confusing knot. The width of the room itself is not too big. It’s better to say that it was a hallway rather than a room. I look up, and above the double door was a large inscription carved into the wall. It was a number.

15.

Whatever that could mean doesn’t matter. I need to figure out something. And fast.

What can I do?

No use complaining or worrying. I look at the walls. Still nothing but torches. What if I use one of the torches as a weapon? I try taking a torch off the wall. No luck. It’s stuck there. I probably need some sort of tool to take it off its holder.

The sound’s getting closer and closer. Anytime now the figure will emerge from the shadows.

I need to do something. If this was a dream, I wouldn’t have to worry. I’ll wake up soon enough.

But… I don’t want to die. Whatever the cause is that I’m feeling so awake and aware, nonetheless I don’t want to die.

That’s what I’m feeling right now.

Out of options, I brace myself for what’s to come. I’m not confident in my combat abilities, nor do I think I have what it takes to stand up to such a monster.

But I’ve got no choice. There’s no use wussing out.

The skeleton’s figure is visible now. After a minute it appears in full view, upon seeing me, it abnormally charges forward erratically.

Bring it on!

It slashes vertically towards my right shoulder. I dodge left and duck at a successive slash horizontally for my head.

I back off instinctively.

That was way too close. One misstep and it would’ve had my head.

It comes back at me with a vertical slash at my left shoulder. I dodge to the right and back off as it slashes diagonally from my lower right to my upper left straight after.

I turn my best to avoid it, but I was barely fast enough. It cut off a tip of my bangs.

We continue this exchange for a while. It continued slashing at me, while I dodged carefully.

At first, there were many other close calls. I endured a couple of scratches and cuts and at one instance I stumbled and I thought for sure I was done for. Luckily, I regained my balance and continued evading.

After some time passed I notice some strange things. The skeleton, through my exchanges with it, seems to be moving rather repetitively. Predictably even. It’s just a hunch, but maybe there’s some sort of pattern to his attacks?

And my suspicions were confirmed. I paid attention to its slashes and its body movement and tried anticipating its next movements. It was a daring move, but it was worth a shot. As I thought, the skeleton followed a predictable move pattern. Its repertoire wasn’t very expansive. It was either:

A vertical slash at the right shoulder, then a horizontal cut to the head. If I back off, it resets, but if I turn, it proceeds with a diagonal slash. A vertical slash at the left shoulder, then a diagonal slash right after. If I turn, it resets, and if I back off, it charges with a horizontal slash at my head.

Every now and then, it will mix in a forward strike, but I quickly noticed it starts with an exaggerated movement, so they’re not too hard to predict.

It’s just like a game.

I’m pretty sure it’s not really like a game, but it sure does resemble it. It doesn’t matter, just the fact that I can read the enemy is a huge advantage.

I have a plan.

I watch the skeleton closely. It continues its mindless slashing at me. I carefully avoid each one with ease and continue focusing on the skeleton’s movements.

The skeleton then prepares to make a forward strike. It pulls back with large movements and charges in my direction!

Gotcha! I moved back and baited him into following me, then I swiftly turned and spun around the slash.

Suddenly, I was right beside him, his body exposed to me, his figure vulnerable from his charged strike. I pull all my strength into my fist and punch it in the head while gripping its sword hand!

Ah! It hurts...

My fist felt sore at the knuckles. It felt like punching a rock. The head popped off, the crown flying off, and amidst the confusion, I try disarming the skeleton.

“I’ve got you now!” I yell.

I try pulling the sword out of its hand, but the grip was strong. It wouldn’t let go.

Huh? Did I not punch the head strong enough?

Slice!

“Gah!” I pulled back.

The skeleton - it sliced at me! I forgot - it’s an undead monster, it doesn’t necessarily need its head to function. I knew that in the back of my mind, but I hoped it wasn’t the case. I assumed it was like most other monsters, where the head is the weak spot. In games anyway, if you remove the head of an undead, they’re pretty much disabled.

If not for the fact I already knew its movement patterns, I wouldn’t have been able to dodge.

It spares no time following up. The skeleton slices at my right shoulder then follows up with a horizontal slash. I dodge with practiced ease.

My fist throbbed. Tch. I might have become too confident. I’m not sure how long I can keep this up. I may have been lucky so far. I don’t even know if the skeleton’s got anything else up its sleeve. It could. It could not.

I wash away those thoughts. For now, I need to focus on the battle. It slices, I dodge - this continues.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, it slashes at my ankle! I was momentarily careless and as a result, I was hit. My ankle throbbed with intense pain, blood seeping out of it, collecting into a pool.

I fall down. The skeleton, seemingly noticing my dire state, creeps up on me, preparing an overhead slash - one that I haven't seen yet. It’s probably its finishing move.

Worse, the skeleton seemed to have picked up on my habits. During the last couple exchanges, I thought it was my imagination, but the sword seemed to be inching closer and closer, the moves deviating every slightly with each slice away from the textbook form.

I back up into the wall, my fist and ankle aches.

Am… am I finished?

Is this it?

I remember the door and the rope on the handles. I think of something. I’m not sure if it will amount to anything, but I’ve got no other choice.

The skeleton brings the sword down and I time myself to dodge, rolling to the left. I rush towards the door. The skeleton follows, slicing down unsuccessfully at my shadow. The skeleton seems to have picked up on my idea too, as it starts to mix up the intervals at which it slices and it starts slicing at an optimal angle. The sword continues to follow dangerously close. It’s only a matter of time before it connects.

I finally reach the door. Right before it sliced, I lured it into striking the handles above me, therefore the rope, before rolling away. I couldn’t precisely control my momentum rolling, partly due to my injuries, mostly accredited to my hastiness, and I impact into the wall with a thud.

The rope fell apart and the door creaked open.

I rushed into the door past the skeleton without a second thought. I survey the surroundings. It seemed identical to the last room beside the road splitting into two directions up ahead. The same stone, the same torches - everything.

There has to be something here! It was a gamble. I bet on the chance of this other room for something to help me, at the same time risking the chance of possible enemies, or worse…

I notice a sparkle at the corner of my eyes.

A dagger!

I run to pick it up and quickly turn around and form a stance.

“This is my last stand. Bring. It. On!”

It charges at me. I’m not sure if it understood me or not, but it seemed to have charged with everything it got, letting out a chilling howl. I ready my knife and concentrate as if my life depended on it.

A charge? Or maybe a shoulder slash? No, it’s a shoulder slash alright! But which one? Left? Or right?

I gamble and dodge left. My right eye shuts in fear. I placed my life on this dodge.

Was I right?

Will I be met with a strike?

Luckily, I was right! I dodge the strike to my left shoulder, and smoothly dodge the diagonal slash with extra adjustments, making sure I over-compensate for the skeleton’s possible adjustments. I find an opening and charge!

I slash at the skeleton’s wielding hand, making full use of its vulnerability.

Clang! The sword hits the ground, leaving the skeleton weapon-less.

I pick up the sword with my other hand and clench my fists.

“Die!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice!

I spare no efforts in cutting the skeleton up, dismembering its body to the point where it’s just a pile of bones - even though technically, it already consisted of a pile of bone. Of course, I didn’t cut the bones directly, but the points where the bones connected is where I aimed. Now for sure the skeleton was defeated.

After making sure the skeleton was gone for sure, I finally relax and fall down with a sigh.

“That… was intense,” I grin tersely.

I don’t know where my satisfaction comes from. Furthermore, I don’t see how I’m so calm. I just fought to the death with a monster. At the same time, it felt so unreal I'm having a hard time accepting it.

I lie face-up on the floor trying to catch my breath. I look up at the dark, empty sky - or roof. I wonder what I’m going to have for dinner or if there's going to be a pop quiz in math like the rumors mentioned – stuff like that. It's funny. I just battled a skeleton in a dungeon and here I am thinking about such unrelated, unimportant matters.

Abruptly, I hear the sound of metal clattering.

I get up cautiously, and ready my weapons. Another skeleton? In that case, bring it on!

“Ely? Is… is that you?” A familiar voice approaches me.

“Huh?” I stop with confusion.

A girl appears from the shadows. She’s wearing cat pajamas, in her right hand was a skeleton blade. Her long dark hair was tied up in a ponytail.

“Cheryl? What… what are you doing here?” I ask wide-eyed.

“I knew it! It is you, Ely! Say, where are we?” Cheryl asked.

I stand there dumbfounded. Why is my classmate here?

Did I dream her? But this is all too strange. I don’t know her too well, so why would I dream her so vividly?

She walks up to me. It's then that I notice her arms, her hand, and part of her face.

She's drenched in blood.

***

“Are you okay?”

Cheryl nudges closer towards me. She glances at my hands and ankle, then frowns unhappily.

“You seem injured. Here, let me help you.” Cheryl took off her cat sweater, revealing a white undershirt. She tore a part of it off with the blade in her hand and began wrapping the cloth around my ankle and hand.

“Ack…” I writhe.

“Make sure you stay still. Otherwise, I can’t treat your injuries,” she says.

I take a close look at her. The smell of iron permeates from her body. I look at her with suspicion.

“Hey, umm, Cheryl… what, no, why are you-“

“Covered with blood?” she interrupts. “You should know as well, there are monsters in this place. Well, maybe you don't - I might've just imagined you here now. Regardless, I think it’s safe to assume that’s how you concurred those injuries, correct? Still, this sure is one vivid dream. I never imagined I’d be killing rat monsters in my sleep. Actually, I’m more surprised to find you here. Brains are strange things…”

Cheryl wanders in her thoughts while she continues patching me up. She expertly wraps the cloth around my shoulder and ankle, stopping the bleeding.

Wait… rat monsters?

“There you go.” Cheryl stands up and pats her clothes. “Even if it’s a dream, I can’t ignore an injured classmate. Make sure you be careful, or else it’ll reopen and you’ll get an infection. Wait, I don’t think any of that matters - this is a dream.”

“Hey… Cheryl?” I ask.

“Hmm?” she answers.

“Doesn’t this seem strange? I’m starting to doubt whether this is a dream.”

“If it’s not a dream, what is it then?”

“I…”

Well, I’m not sure.

“Actually, more importantly,” I continue, “you… you said you killed rat monsters? On your own? Just like that?”

“Yep, just like that. My father works a job in security, so as a child, I was forced to learn self-defense techniques. You can imagine how my Christmases went. Also, I’m quite athletic. They don’t call me the ace of the track-and-field club for nothing!” she proudly said.

I was a bit taken aback from what she said. She took on rat monsters on her own and killed them? Also, her father works in security and forced her to learn self-defense? That doesn’t sound very pleasant.

But, if this was a dream, why would I know that? Is my mind making things up? The more and more I think about it, the less likely this feels to be an actual dream.

I shake my head.

“Hey Cheryl, there’s another thing I’m wondering. You were talking about a dream right? As in your dream?”

“Yes, precisely. Is there something wrong?”

“From my perspective, you’re in my dream. I’m the one dreaming right now, so I’m wondering why I would dream of you?”

“Hmm. I don’t really know what to say, but it’s clear one of us is dreaming. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say one of us is being dreamt up to believe these things. It’s unclear, but I don’t think it matters much.”

Does it really? I have a feeling it does.

“Ely, can you stand?” Cheryl asks.

“Hmm? Oh yeah, I feel a lot better. I think I can move. Thanks a lot for the help by the way.”

“No problem! Since this is a dream, let’s explore this place! I don’t think I’ve ever had a dream so realistic before. Better make the most of it!” Cheryl smiles.

“Eh?”

Before I knew it, she grabs my hand, lifts me up, and runs ahead, further into the dungeon room. I was barely able to keep up. She powers energetically through the corridor. Nothing less from the track team ace, I have to say.

Suddenly, she stops and glares at the ground.

“Huh? What are you doing?” As I was saying that I was about to step one foot ahead of her when she suddenly grabs me and jerks me back.

“Wha-? Hey!” I yell.

“Stop yelling! Look carefully at the ground. Sheesh, you almost got yourself killed!” she says.

“Huh?”

I look at the ground but can't discern anything peculiar.

“Look closer, isn’t there something wrong with the color?” Cheryl points at a spot on the ground.

Right where she pointed, the color between the wall and the ground was slightly different. Indeed, it looks unnatural. Also, there was a peculiar thin line on the ground stretching from one wall to the other, blending with the ground, indicating a…

“Trap. It’s a trap. You see it now right? Most likely a trap door leading to a pitfall. That’s just my assumptions, but it’s clearly something dangerous.” Cheryl states. “Here, check this out.”

Cheryl grabs a sizable piece of rubble nearby, most likely chipped off from the wall, and throws it on the trap. A second later, the floor opens like a hinge and the rock falls, drowning in the darkness below, out of our sight.

Cheryl puts her head closer to the ground, pointing her ears toward the pit. After a few seconds, she cocks her head up abruptly.

“I was just listening for the rock to see how long it would take to hit the ground. I’d say the pit was at least a 30 or so feet deep. Yep, definitely a pitfall.”

I stand there shocked. Cheryl’s really amazing. She was able to perceive a trap door, despite running so carelessly into the unknown and she was able to determine the depth of the hole.

I feel both reassured and frightened by how perceptive and capable she is.

Cheryl stands up, backed up a couple tens of feet, prepares a running stance and leaps over the hole with grace. She turns around and waves at me.

“Hey, let’s go! Jump over the hole so we can continue progressing. The adventure’s only beginning! Hurry up or I’ll leave you behind!”

I look at her with shock at how daring she was. Then, I resign myself.

Oh well. Guess I’ll just follow her lead.

I jump over the hole less gracefully and follow her.

We end up progressing through three more rooms: 16, 17, and 18. The rooms varied in structure and contents vastly. One was maze-like, another one a huge pentagonal room, and another a single corridor like 15. We didn’t see any water like 14, where I was in, or any other notable terrestrial features. Also, some rooms had multiple doors branching out. One had stairs too. We encountered more traps along the way, which included but wasn’t limited to hidden spikes, wrecking balls, lava pits, and more pitfalls. On more than one occasion, I thought for sure I’d die, but Cheryl ended up saving me each time. How pitiful. This isn’t the time to be so unmanly!

We also encountered more monsters. I looked at her, afraid she might’ve been afraid, but my worries were worthless. She seemed more ready than ever to fight, which scared me more than it should. I’ve been mentioning how scared I’ve been recently, but honestly, I wasn’t as scared as you think. Shock might be the better term. I didn’t feel fear or the like as much as I’d expected. Battling monsters and avoiding traps - it couldn’t get any more dangerous than that. Of course, we didn’t fight all of them - just some of the ones in our way. We fled when we needed to. Thankfully, Cheryl’s not suicidal.

But maybe it was because I was with Cheryl. The entire time she was perky and raring to go. She was filled with what I would describe as childlike excitement. I think it rubbed off on me because adventuring with her, I couldn’t help but laugh at how relaxed and excited she was compared to the dangerous reality. Or maybe it isn’t reality, but who knows.

Did I dream Cheryl to be like this? I wonder. Nonetheless, it’s a very comforting personality, albeit dangerous. I welcome it nonetheless.

On the topic of her fighting, I was utterly impressed. We faced a variety of dungeon mobs in the different rooms. 15 had more rat men, which were scarier than you think. For one, they were extraordinarily large. Just imagine the litter critters with their sniffling noses all sniffly-like, except they weren’t little – they were HUGE. The largest one was 9 feet tall. I provided support, the rearguard if you will, while Cheryl was the vanguard. She splendidly took care of all of them with her blade, all while simultaneously yelling “LEVEL UP” after each kill. You’d never think she was a simple high school girl with those movements. I chuckled.

“Hey Cheryl,” I asked while we were resting after defeating the wave of scorpions. They were more annoying than dangerous. They were small and they came in hordes. I was afraid their pincers might’ve contained poison, but in actuality, they were just sharp. Again, Cheryl did most of the work, while I provided support. “Do you play games? You yell ‘LEVEL UP’ quite a lot.”

“Oh, umm, now that you say it out loud, it does seem kind of embarrassing.” Cheryl tilted her head and flashed an embarrassing smile.

My heart. I want to protect this smile with my life.

“Actually,” she continued, “I do. I play a lot of RPGs. Not many people in school know that, so don’t tell anybody, ‘kay? Well, not like you will, this is a dream after all.”

Cheryl breathed in and looked up nostalgically.

“Have you heard of the ‘Phantasm’ series? It’s my favorite RPG series. I played the original games on the classic systems way back and I’m a diehard fan. I guess it’s why I’m enjoying this so much, haha.”

“’Phantasm’? I love that series! I thought I recognized that ‘LEVEL UP’ phrase, it’s from the guide fairy Ellie from the 4th game right? I played every game in that series too, so I’m all too familiar. I bought a PS4 just so I can play the newer games! Right now, I’m playing ‘Raising Knights’, and it’s a blast.” I couldn’t help but control my excitement. I don’t have many friends that play games since my tastes are a bit abstract. Traditional JRPGs aren’t the most popular in my school.

“I’m playing that too! And yes, it’s from the 4th game, I’m surprised you know! That’s an obscure title. Hey hey, how far are you in ‘Raising Knights’? You see, I…”

And we continued to talk about games for an hour or two. In all honesty, I lost track of time. Even if this is a dream, it still feels good to talk about your interests with others. If Cheryl was actually like this in real life, that’d be too good to be true.

So, we passed the time this way. We progressed through the rooms, talked about games and avoided death in all fashions. During the time, Cheryl suddenly stops again and notices something.

I thought at first it was another trap, but I was wrong.

“What is it this time,” I ask nonchalantly. “I put my bets on the pitfall - it’s always the pitfall!”

“No… it’s not…” Cheryl pauses. “It’s not a trap this time. It’s…”

Cheryl turns to the wall and stares at it suspiciously.

“Is there something on the wall?” I ask.

Cheryl extends her hand out and pushes on a block in the wall. Suddenly, it shifts in and the wall begins to part ways.

“Sweet!” Cheryl exclaims. “A secret room, haha, yes! Maybe there’ll be special loot? I’m getting tired of skeleton blades and rat fur anyway. Let’s go!”

I follow Cheryl in the narrower path leading to the secret room. There is yet another familiar door, with the number “52.5” above it. I have a bad feeling.

That was my first mistake.

“Hey, Cheryl, do you think we should go in?” I ask cautiously. “I know it’s a secret room and all, but the label is ‘52.5’. Thinking about the current flow of the structure, wouldn’t this be really dangerous? I mean, it’s room 52.5 - way bigger than the previous rooms. It’s most likely way more dangerous. We should stay clear for now.”

“But but! This may be my only chance to challenge this room. I don’t know if I’ll dream the same dream again. I can’t let this pass!” She persists.

“But, considering how real things are, it’s still very dangerous. I mean, you and I can feel pain, right? In that case, it’s better not to pursue. We’re already pushing it as it is,” I reason.

But then again, why do we feel pain? If this is a dream, shouldn't intense pain already be enough to wake us up? I won’t deny it’s impossible, but…

“Humph… okay, I’ll listen to you. Fine, let’s back away. Why don’t we rest for a while? We’ve been at it for a while anyway. You can go ahead, I just need to umm…” Cheryl stammers a bit nervously.

That’s odd, Cheryl suggested we should rest? Until now, I’ve been the one suggesting we should take breaks. Never would I have thought she would take the initiative, considering how high-energy she’s been.

“Hmm? What do you need to do?” I ask innocently.

“Do I have to say it? Umm, I need to take care of some business, so can you please leave me alone for a bit? Oh, and, err, don’t come back to check on me! Please wait until I, umm, return…” She blushes.

Business?

“Oh! Umm, sorry, I’ll, I’ll leave you to that.” I blush.

That was my second mistake.

I coolly stroll out and leave her alone. I rest against the wall. A monster corpse lay nearby. From its remains, you would’ve never thought it was a rabid monkey-esque monster. To be honest, I'm not even certain if it is a something of the like. It just resembles a monkey.

I wait outside for a good 15 minutes. I sit there, staring at the wall, at my hand, and at my ankle. The throbbing ceases and I feel a lot better, thanks to Cheryl’s treatment. I think about a lot of things: ‘Phantasm’, the dungeon, Cheryl, the monsters. I even think about my family and my school. I thought about this bizarre dream, but brush it off, with the rest of my fleeting thoughts. In the very back of my mind, I think about how weird it was for Cheryl to need to use the restroom despite this being a dream.

That was my third mistake.

I start getting suspicious. Cheryl’s been away for a while. She hasn’t come back after 20 minutes now. I don’t know how long girls take, but they sure do take long. I decide to ignore it and wait obediently.

That was my fourth mistake.

After 30 minutes, I start getting nervous. After 40 minutes, I was worried. I already resorted to pacing about, thinking thoughts. After 45 minutes, I reach a dead-end.

That dead-end was produced by my wicked realization.

That girl!

I run and run and run. I run as fast as I can, back to the hidden path to the hidden door entrance. Cheryl's nowhere to be found. I see the door slightly open as if someone already entered.

No way, she didn’t.

But she did.

Cheryl entered the door.

Fear floods me. I don’t know why, but I have a terrible feeling. A terrible foreshadow. I grip by blades and charged in.

The scene I see was awe-inspiring.

But also utterly, utterly-

Terrifying.

It's a huge room. One big room bigger than all the previous rooms combined. In it, huge torches line the walls like usual, burning a wicked blue flame.

But that wasn’t the most notable thing. In the center was a huge monster. A giant mythical beast, with huge horns, flared eyes, four muscular arms, and a tough, defined abdomen. It stands on two legs and roars a hollowing roar. Steam puffs out its nostrils and its eyes are bloodshot red.

In front of that beast is Cheryl.

She's torn, bloodied, and beaten. Cuts covered her body. She was staggering as she held her skeleton blade in her hands. With a fierce expression, she stares at the beast.

“CHERYL!” I yell helplessly.

“Ely?” She notices me and turns around. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. I could instantly tell she was in a lot of pain.

At that moment, the door closes behind me. I turn around and try pulling on the handles.

No luck.

It's locked.

It's hopelessly locked. I look back at Cheryl and the beast. The beast stands tall, about 30-40 feet and in contrast to the almost 6 foot Cheryl, it lacks any injury. It roars once more and sends a fist Cheryl’s way.

“CHERYL WATCH OUT!” I yell once more.

Cheryl rolls away and dodges the crush, but the monster follows up with a second fist, pummeling down with an intense force. Cheryl barely manages to dodge that too, running out of harm’s way.

No way, no way, no way.

The Cheryl that so effortlessly took out monsters is being swept away so easily?

What is this monster?

I knew.

I knew what it was and I knew Cheryl knew it too.

It's a boss monster.

More specifically a hidden boss, since it was in a hidden room. In games, you usually encounter these enemies during side-quests or if you’re as perceptive as Cheryl and you reach it by chance early. Usually, these places are event-locked and require the player to reach a certain part of the story before they can approach them.

But this isn’t a game - at least I don’t think so.

What am I standing around here for? I need to hurry up and help Cheryl!

I quickly charge to Cheryl’s aid. Even if this is a dream, I can’t leave her be and let her die! Before I can get to her, the beast performs a feint and sneakily charges an attack with his elbow when he made it seem like it was an attack from his fist. Cheryl catches on to it, but she wasn’t fast enough. She's hit by the full force and is launched back.

“Cheryl!” I call out to her, yet again.

She lands behind me and I quickly run to her.

The injuries are a lot worse than I thought. She's bruised all over and I see that her right leg's broken too – it wouldn’t respond. I clench her hand. Tears well up in my eyes and I stare at her in horror.

“It… it hurts. I’m sorry Ely,” Cheryl whimpers, “Please… please help me… it hurts.”

“Yeah yeah, don’t say any more.” I take off my shirt and cut it into pieces, imitating her movements on me earlier. I glance at the beast while performing my duties. He didn’t react much at all. I suppose he’s letting us recover? Or does he only attack when provoked? Either way, I better make use of this opportunity.

After I finish tending to her wounds I stand up and grip my swords. Cheryl tugs on my shirt while I was standing.

“Hey… what are you going to do?” she asks me.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to fight that thing. If I’m correct, we can only leave when the boss is defeated. This is a locked room right?”

“Yes, you are… right.”

She pauses for a second and looks at me determinedly.

“Okay. I won’t stop you. As you can see, I’m… disabled. But you can still fight. There are a few things to watch for when fighting this guy. Be careful for…”

Cheryl begins explaining to me the movement patterns and behavior of the beast. The beast is a very aggressive boss monster, she explains. She also tells me the weak spots and other vulnerable areas in the monster.

“You see that gem on his neck,” Cheryl explains, “that’s X-marks-the-spot. He was defending that spot the most carefully. That’s where you want to aim. Good luck and be careful.”

“Yeah…” I affirm.

I pick up my weapon and drag it across the floor, towards the boss enemy. It finally reacts, fixing itself into its battle stance, awaiting my first move. I crack my neck and stare it down with cold-blooded anger.

“It’s you and me. You hurt my party member and I can’t let that slide. This is it. I’m taking you down!”

I yell at the top of my lungs a battle-cry and charged ahead. I don’t know if it’s because if it’s due to the previous spars with other monsters, but I feel strangely calm and resolved. Moreso, I'm furious. The monster put his fists down on me and I narrowly dodge the first strike. I try slashing at his right leg, where Cheryl made good progress, but I was only able to leave a negligible cut. It turns and swipes at me, but I already backed off enough to evade it.

Snap, even though Cheryl gave me its movement patterns and general behavior, it’s still tough to deal with it. It’s a lot stronger and faster up close. I’m surprised Cheryl was able to last so long on her own.

I continue baiting the monster to charge, while nimbly evading and dealing steady cuts to its legs. The strategy's working well. I plan to draw it out, relying on the bleeding, and its possible weariness in dealing with Cheryl earlier, to my advantage.

Yes, I plan to outlast it.

But my plan is ruined immediately. The monster, seemingly fed up, makes a peculiar sound. Next thing I know, skeletons rise up from the ground, and a masked, cloaked monster with a sword appears from behind the beast.

It was an army of skeleton knights, more than I’ve ever seen before.

Plus a new monster that I’ve never seen before.

This is really bad. A whole skeleton army, plus the boss beast, and a new masked swords-monster. This is more than I can handle.

I’m not confident I’ll be able to deal with this.

Before I could think any longer, the beast swipes at me again. I carefully dodge, immediately after, two skeleton knights slash at me. I parry the first one and destroy the second one. I was about to slash at the first skeleton when the masked monster swiftly struck at me. I wasn’t able to dodge it completely, and it cuts at my forearm.

Ahhggh..! The pain... My arm..!

The beast spares no time. He again charges a smash towards me. I haphazardly dodge it. The fists smash into a group of skeletons, scattering and crushing their bones. I receive a glimpse and what I could’ve become.

Just add flesh.

I’m in a terrible position. There's way too many skeleton monsters plus the addition of the masked monster that's really nimble and quick. While I’m distracted by something, it always creeps on me unsuspectingly like an assassin. Not only that, the beast becomes more aggressive every second. Its movements are now almost unrecognizable – it’s practically relying on its physical strength, throwing random attacks. It’s unpredictable and extremely dangerous.

I suddenly remember Cheryl. Skeleton knights must’ve surrounded her!

“Cheryl!” I yell her name. I look over to her.

“It’s… argh… okay! I’m fine! Focus on your battle! Even in my injured state, I can handle them! Don’t worry about… ah… me!”

Cheryl is dealing with the skeletons on her own. Even though she’s injured and she’s having trouble, she’s fighting with all she’s got.

I need to do the same.

I look back at the beast, who looks back at me. I don’t think I can last longer than a minute or two. There are way too many enemies. I’m not even close to an adept fighter anyway - I’m just relying on my brain. But that’s not enough.

That’s not enough to survive this. I need to wrap this up quickly,

or else I’ll die.

And Cheryl will too.

There’s no choice, I have to do something extremely risky. It’s all or nothing!

That’s it! I can use that!

My eyes flicker. I focus every fiber of my being on dodging the next attack. The beast pulls his hands over his head and clamps them down simultaneously. I evade it while dealing with some skeletons.

Now!

I jump on its hand. As I thought, it’s left a little paralyzed with the last attack. The more strength it uses, the longer it’ll be left vulnerable - just like the skeleton knight’s charge. I make use of the beast’s aggro to perform this. It's a gamble, yet again. I’m lucky the beast didn’t follow up with a kick, or that I was destroyed before I had the chance.

I quickly rush up the arms. I ready my double blades and jump.

Right in front of the horned beast’s face!

Suspended in midair, I slash at the eyes.

The beast roars a chilling roar, and steam flushes out of the nose like a locomotive. The beast writhes in pain as it shakes its head. The beast tries swiping at me, but I had grabbed at the fur around its chest to keep myself attached. I notice a figure in the corner of my eye ready to attack.

Now!

I climb right in front of the neck gem, now vulnerable. It’s a shining jewel, diamond shaped, and light reflecting off it flutters in a mesmerizing manner.

I keep myself affixed in front of its neck. I stare at the ground attentively, waiting for the right moment…

The right moment…

The right moment…

Here it is! I quickly leap off the beast, right in front of me a blade cuts through the air and...

It hits the gem! Of course, it wasn’t my blade. It was the masked monster's blade! I knew for sure I wouldn’t be able to destroy the beast, so I lead the masked assassin to do it for me! I bet my chances on its strength and precision.

And it paid off.

I tumble down, rolling upon impact on the ground. I think I broke several bones. I try softening the impact. In itself, it was miraculous I didn’t die, falling from such a frightening height.

Amidst my pain, I remember Cheryl. I painfully get up and make my way to help her. She’s still warding off skeleton knights, but she’s about to be overwhelmed. Normally, she’d have no problem, but in her state she’s helpless.

With the beast’s final, deathly hollows sounding behind me, I trudge in her direction. I grab my sword and ward off skeletons in my way. I slash very recklessly, but I don't care. I'm too injured to care and too desperate to reach Cheryl’s aid.

I beat the beast, or rather, outsmarted it. Adrenaline pumps through me and I feel invincible, despite being half-dead.

Cheryl's half-dead too. I finally reach her side. She looks up at me with relief and pride. I can tell she’s proud of me for defeating the monster. I’m proud of myself too.

“Heh, sorry I kept you waiting.” I try to sound as cool as I can, but being injured as I was it's hard just to make words out.

“Welcome back.” Cheryl smiles at me, then glares at the skeleton she's currently battling.

I help her out, clearing some of the surrounding skeletons, then I grab her hand.

“Let’s go. As much as I’d hate to leave unfinished business, we gotta scram.” Geez, what am I saying?

“Okie Dokie,” Cheryl winks.

We’re both obviously in no condition to fight and we hastily make our retreat. I lead the way clearing obstacles ahead of us, while Cheryl takes care of the rear.

I didn’t think this is how I’d play the vanguard position. Technically, though, I’m still in the rear.

We're already close to the door, just 10 feet away. The skeletons are blocking the view, but when we cleared most of them, the path became clear.

“Here it is! We’re almost there! I can see the door,” I say with relief.

“Yep yep. Just a little mor-“

While we were making our escape, I kept my eyes focused on the door and the enemies. I never did look back - at Cheryl or the monsters she was facing. I was too preoccupied with leaving, with my injuries, and the door.

That was my fifth mistake and final mistake.

Suddenly, I feel the grip on my hand release. I was holding her hand, pulling her, as we were walking. I realize the release of contact mid-sentence.

I turn around.

I hear a piercing sound. The sound seems to drown out the rest of the world, the dungeon. In front of me, all I see is Cheryl, injured and wrapped up, with a deranged expression. That, and the blade piercing out of her stomach. Blood splattered on me. Behind her, 20 feet away, is a cloaked, masked silhouette.

Cheryl had let go and was stabbed.

By the masked monster.

It all happened so fast. A second at least, an infinity at most. I stand there, frozen, more frozen than I’ve ever been in my life. I scream on the inside, but no words come out - not immediately. My jaw drops, my eyes water and I feel instant pain.

More pain than I’ve ever had in my life.

Yes, pain worse than my injuries. Worse than being half-dead.

Worse than being dead.

“Cheryl…?” I whisper.

It's futile.

The masked monster makes a strange noise, much different than the horned beast. All the eyes of the skeleton knights light up with a red, evil color. As if called, every skeleton knight rushes towards us - their blades readied, their bones hitting against bone.

Not to me, actually.

They were aiming for Cheryl.

They all collapse onto Cheryl. The last thing I see is skeletons slashing, cutting, slicing, scathing, chopping, slivering Cheryl’s horrified body. More and more and more and more and more and more and more skeletons appear, so much that I was forced out of the room, through the door.

The door shuts and I'm left there. I lay down, my injuries seemingly faded away.

They didn’t fade.

I only have one thing on my mind.

“CHERYL!!!!!!!!!”

Finally, my mouth makes an audible sound. I rush up to the door and madly try opening it. It wouldn’t budge, possibly from a number of skeletons blocking the door. I keep calling her name, tears flowing in mass while pounding on the door.

“LET ME IN! LET ME IN!”

I yell to no avail. After a while, I finally give up. I could still hear the slashing, the cutting, the slicing- all of it. I couldn’t run. I couldn’t move, I'm glued to the door. I cannot help but imagine what’s being done to Cheryl. Will she be unrecognizable by the time they’re finished?

Why am I so sad? Isn’t this a-

***

I wake up.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar scene.

“I… I’m back?”

I feel around my surroundings and sense my blanket beside me, as well as the railing behind my head lining the outline of the bed. I get up, sweat sliding down my face, my heartbeat beating at a quickened space. I check my ankle, my hand, my chest, my entire body. No injuries.

“A dream? Was that a…”

No, that felt too real to be a dream. The sight, the smell, the touch, and the fear. It all felt too real to be a dream. I can’t imagine much else. I slowly get up off my bed and heads downstairs towards my kitchen. My house is a small two-story house. I live with my parents, who both work, and my little sister. As I make my way downstairs I felt dizzy, ready to collapse at any time. My strength felt sapped and I at many instances temporarily lost my balance at times. I make my way to the fridge and take out a cold bottle of water and quickly down it.

Refreshing.

I make my way back upstairs and head to my bathroom. In exchange for a room with a bathroom, I was left with the smaller room, while my sister took the larger one. When we moved into this house, we had argued for a whole week before deciding who’s staying where. I wasn’t completely satisfied, but I have to do what I have to do. I never win any arguments with my sister. The added incentive of a bathroom wasn’t very attractive considering she can use it anyway, and it’s only a couple steps away. I’m left with the responsibility of cleaning it. Silly, right?

I turn on the lights and look at myself in the mirror. Disheveled, messy black hair, and bags under my eyes, a simple tee and shorts – very comfortable for sleeping. The same shirt I tore off for… My head throbbed. I notice how tired and worn I looked. I splash water on my face a few times and return to my room.

My phone sits on the edge of my desk, beside my glasses and in front of my computer monitor. I wear my glasses and pick up the phone. I spend most of my time on the computer, playing PC games and browsing the internet. Besides that watching videos takes up most of my time, that and studying. Studying and playing games is pretty much all I do.

I remember Cheryl. Memories flood me. Her horrified face as she was mercilessly stabbed by that masked monster, and her body viciously torn to pieces by skeletons before I was abruptly forced out. I suddenly grow sick at the thought and shut my eyes. It felt real.

As if it were real. It was too real as if it was real. What type of dream was that? Why would I dream such a thing? Why did I dream of such a dungeon? Why do I feel so sick?

They say you forget your dreams when you wake up, but I remember it all too vividly. Especially the smell of blood. I wince at the thought.

I was suddenly overcome with a feeling of anxiety, worried for her. I might be overreacting, and I probably am, but I just need to make sure.

Yeah, just to make sure.

I nervously call Cheryl’s number. We exchanged numbers on the first day of school. She was very friendly and during first day introductions, she went around to each person individually to make greetings. Including me. I’m not much for these type of social situations, nor am I a very approachable person, yet she approached me and we ended up exchanging numbers. She was a great person, one of those people you just feel at ease talking to. I didn’t know her that well in real life, but she was always diligent in class. Smart, beautiful, kind – she’s the complete package.

She was also my first love. First and only.

No one answered. I check the time at it was 5:00 a.m. Of course, she’s probably asleep right now. Ugh, she’s probably going to think I’m a creep because I called her out of the blue late at night.

Nonetheless, I still feel worried. I text her asking if she’s alright, and decide to leave it at that.

20 minutes later, I suddenly get a phone call. I immediately pick it up.

It’s from Cheryl.

“Oh, umm, sorry for calling you so suddenly. I was just checking to see if you’re okay. This is pretty weird, but I was just wondering. Oh! I’m sorry you must be really sleepy, sorry for interrupting your sleep, it was nothing important-“

“Who is this?!”

A loud, angry, manly voice thundered from the other side of the call. Panic was evidently present with how breathless and worried the speaker sounded.

“Umm, is this Cheryl’s father? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you-“

“What’s your relationship with my daughter?!” The voice again yelled.

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked unknowingly. “I’m just a friend, err, no a classmate actually-“

“What did you do to my daughter?!”

He again interrupted me for the third time. I stood there perplexed.

“Answer me! You fucker, answer me!” Cheryl’s father raised his voice.

“Do what? I honestly did nothing, and why are you yelling?”

“What do you mean? You know. Oh God, why, why! Did you drug my daughter?! There are no signs of anything else… Answer me!”

“What? What are you talking about? What’s happened to her?”

I stood there shocked now. What’s… what’s going on?

“Don’t play dumb! Cheryl’s dead! She’s fucking dead! You killed her, didn’t you?”

I dropped my jaw. My eyes widened in surprise.

Cheryl’s dead? No. No no no no no. No way, why? Why?

“I…,” Cheryl’s dad continued, his voice trembling. “I just came in to check on her, like I usually do before I leave to work. Today I have to arrive early at work because I was going on a business trip. I was just going to check on her before I left only to find her unresponsive… I...” His voice violently shaking, spasms of breath mixed in. “I just came to check on her like I usually do before leaving. She didn’t respond. I went over to her and tapped her. No response. I shook her. No response. I began shaking her violently, yelling her name. No response and then I checked her pulse, her pulse! Nothing! Nothing at all! Nothing at all… It doesn’t make sense. There are no external injuries, her health’s always been good, yet…”

He stopped speaking as if he was choking on his words.

“You,” he finally spoke. “It was you wasn’t it? I saw it, on her phone. You tried calling her. You even texted her asking if she was ‘alright’, didn’t you? You said it yourself. You’re only her friend, no, her classmate right? Then why would you send her such a suspicious text and try to call her so early in the morning? And furthermore before she-”

“P-please calm down,” I pleaded.

“-before she d…died… She’s dead and it’s your fault. When I find you I will fucking kill you, you hear me? I will kill you! I will-“

I dropped my phone. I was in even greater shock. I stood there, shaking. Several chills ran through my spine and all I could feel was the cold. The dead cold.

This can’t be real. This can’t be real. No way… No…

I fall back onto my bad and lay there, silently, staring at the ceiling. I clench my teeth. My alarm rang: 5:30 a.m. I always woke up early to provide me time to prepare. School doesn’t start until 8:00.

I didn’t turn it off. I wrapped myself in blankets and tried desperately to forget about everything.

That night was the unfortunate beginning of my survival game.