The Sphere

Chapter 8

John was standing there, at the edge of the platform where Kelly had just kicked him off. His head was down again and his arms behind his back. It was as if nothing ever happened to him. His clothes weren't burned, his skin completely intact and most of all he wasn't... well, dead.

"That doesn't even make any sense! I kicked you off! You fell to a freaking river of acid and you just magically reappear? I knew you hacked the game." Kelly said angrily. All feelings of guilt had been replaced with pure anger as she glared at John who slowly picked his head up.

"I don't know what you're talking about Kelly." John said with a smile.

"I'll show you what I'm talking about." Kelly took a step but Billy pulled her back and ran toward John.

"John! I'm so happy you're alive!" Billy went to give John a hug but he quickly sidestepped and kicked Billy in the side without even glancing in his direction. Billy fell to the ground in pain and began groaning and crying.

"Wh-?" Kelly stood shocked. She watched as Billy layed there gripping his side and shouting. "What did you do that for?!"

"Woah woah Kelly, one question at a time." John pushed his glasses up onto his face with one hand and replaced it behind his back. "Now I'm sure you want to know how I got back here completely unharmed without hacking the game. Right?" John chuckled and pulled from behind his back the sphere. The light shined even brighter in the dimly lit game and John was grinning over it. "You see, when you and Billy so cold heartedly left me in the limo alone. I got to thinking, why should I be so worried about them if they don't worry about me? My curiosity turned to anger, my anger turned into- well, this."

Kelly's breath caught in her throat when she saw the sphere. She wanted to just yank it out of his hand and kick him back over the edge but she was now afraid of what he might do with that piece of alien technology he held. But she still didn't want to seem wimpy. So instead of standing there and trembling, or making a move she casually put her hands into her pockets and stared John down.

"Playing the tough card, eh? Okay Kelly, lets see how well that works for you." John said as he opened up the sphere. He began typing and Kelly's heart began pounding rapidly in her chest. She was so afraid of what he was planning. Would he open up the floor under her sending her to the acid below? Make her head explode? Make Billy's head explode? She wasn't sure what to think, but she kept her hands in her pockets and the stern look on her face.

John closed the sphere and stared back at her, then in a couple of moments a small dwarf-like creature came stumbling onto the bridge with a knife in it's hand. As he stood next to John he seemed to be only up to John's kneecap. He was a blue creature with acne like a sad teenager, It's nose took up most of it's face, and it's eyes sat on either side like a newborn baby looking out at the new world. It pulled back it's lips to show horrid yellow teeth that seemed to be missing a few. The dwarf let out a high pitched wail and charged at Kelly.

"What the what?" She screamed and retook her fighting stance for the third time. She was utterly terrified of this little being but excited she finally got to hit something. The dwarf started swinging the knife back and forth as it came closer to Kelly who raised her foot. She brung it down kicking the dwarf in the wrist and knocking the knife out of it's hand. She then hit her toe into the dwarf's neck hitting a pressure point which made it pass out. "Are you freaking kidding me John? Too scared to come after me yourself?" She shouted as she nudged the creature off the edge of the bridge and listened to it splash and make nasty bubbly, popping noises as the body melted apart.

"Of course not sweet sweet Kelly. Looks like your taijutsu classes skills haven't withered away one bit. Sadly for you, I always come prepared." John chuckled and two more dwarves came stumbling out of the shadows and off toward Kelly. These two were different colors now, one red, and the other one blue just like the one before. They were like twins but different colors. Still resembling the dwarf from before.

The red dwarf swung it's little knife at Kelly who yelped and jumped to the side. The blue dwarf then charged around her and cut her leg and she gasped shocked then fell to the ground. As the blood began trickling down her leg a rush of adrenaline surged through her. The dwarves surrounded her and she quickly scrambled to her feet and hopped on her good leg. She swung her bleeding leg at the blue dwarf and knocked her foot upside his head. He stumbled over into the red dwarf who pushed him. The blue dwarf then pushed him back and they began having a fight. The blue dwarf swung overhead and the red one ducked under quickly jabbing his knife into the blue dwarf's belly. They then exchanged looks of fear and sorrow as the blue dwarf stumbled backward and fell to it's knees.

The creatures began making noises, and appeared to be communicating with one another in some unknown language, they sounded like the monsters that are usually roaming around the levels in this game. The red dwarf was knelt beside the blue one who was obviously dying and it seemed as if they were sharing a sad moment in a very heartwarming movie. Kelly spectated and looked back at John who was watching on, a devious smile spread across his face.

"You think this is funny?" Kelly shouted at him

"Obviously Kelly, you can be so oblivious sometimes you know that?" he calmly said back.

"Oh really? How can that be funny? Why would you even give them feelings? So you can watch a creature over here cry? What, do you just want people to hate you?"

"I don't know... Maybe, I just can't help myself Kelly. Maybe I'm just not worth anyone's time, not worth the effort to look in my direction. But if I keep on this path people will be forced to look my way. See, I'm only still in this game because you two who took on the main character roles have not perished yet. So I must do away with you two and exit the game to begin getting the recognition I so rightfully deserve." As John explained this Kelly stared at him with a sort of 'Are you serious right now?' look on her face.

"Oh John what are you going to do? Take over the world? Make everybody and their mother your personal slave? Eat at every restaurant for free? Make yourself stronger so girls can't beat you up anymore? You sound like a typical villain in a typical comic book." She starts speaking in a mocking voice "Oh look at me. I'm John and I made my friends mad at me so I'm going to go take over the world. I'm so hurt that no one notices me, I can't get a girlfriend because I'm a disgrace to the male species." She stops speaking and stares at him after the last comment she made. John was now looking at her completely furious. The sphere was clenched tight in his hands and he opened it up and began to type rapidly. When he finally stopped the bridge widened and closed the gap over the walls and the acid. The crying dwarves behind Kelly suddenly disappeared. Then lights suddenly came up and the level was no longer dark and gloomy. Billy was now finally walking, knocked out of his painful daze he stood next to Kelly with his arm wrapped around his core and he glared at John.

"I hope you're proud of yourself Kelly, because now you went and killed yourself and poor Billy here." John said. He then began to step back and behind him was an army of rainbow colored dwarves. They all were staring straight ahead with completely black eyes that looked like if you stared straight into them you were staring straight into the pit of their souls. "Fellas take care of my lovely friends please." John said and the army suddenly came alive. They came charging at Billy and Kelly who stood there stunned.

"Kelly maybe we should run."

"Oh yeah Billy run to the nothingness behind us right?"

"Well it was just a suggestion. There's always the dungeon door."

"Back outside the level?!"

"Yeah! I mean, it's worth a try right?"

"Fine! Go!" Kelly shouted and started bolting for the door. Her running was funny due to the injury in her leg but she still pushed on determined to get to the door.

Billy however didn't begin running. He knelt down, and picked up a rock from the level floor which he chucked at Kelly's injured leg. It hit right on the cut and a sharp pain shot up her leg. She collapsed and screamed out in pain clutching her leg, It felt cold at first and then she couldn't feel it at all. Billy then bolted for the door, but upon passing Kelly he looked down and winked then glanced back at the advancing rainbow crowd.

"Bye bye Kelly."