The One Life War

Chapter 12 - Isn't It Just A Game?

Callum slowly opened his eyes. The front of his neck throbbed, and it only hurt more when he let out a whimper in pain. He moved his hand to hold his injured neck.

His mind went back to the events from earlier. He suddenly started to panic. He let his eyes open quickly to see where he was. Interestingly, he was in his own room. He rubbed his eyes gently, and shifted carefully to get a better look at his surroundings. Was it just a dream? If it was, why was he in so much pain? But if it wasn't a dream, why on Earth would Joey fly all the way to England, come and choke him, and then put him back in his own room?

He reached out to get his phone, only to realize it wasn't there. He tried to search around for it with his hands, but he couldn't find it.

The gamer slowly sat up, giving his aching muscles another reason to complain to him. He raised himself up and propped his upper body on the headboard behind him.

Callum looked at himself in the mirror that was on the inside of the closet door. The closet was wide open, as he had been too lazy to close it earlier on in the day. He winced when he saw the hand mark over his neck.

So it was definitely real then, the gamer thought to himself. Why did he live in a world where this was the real part of his life? Why couldn't his dreams about being rich come true?

I need an ice pack, he determined, and probably an advil. He slowly got up off his bed, covering the bruise on his neck protectively. He opened the door of his bedroom, just as someone on the other side tried to open it. Callum stumbled back in surprise, falling over onto the floor. He reached out with both hands to try and catch himself.

When he looked up, he recognized the face of one of his fellow YouTubers and friends, Strawburry17.

"Are you okay?!" The girl exclaimed.

"Oww... Yeah..." Callum whimpered.

"Here, let me help you." Meghan walked over and offered him her hand. Callum nodded and let her help him up. Meghan helped him over to his bed, and let him sit down.

"What are you doing here?" Callum asked.

"Joey. He's going crazy and... I'm not sure what to do. He came here to make sure you can't help Lizzie out any more." The girl shook her head. "I'm really sorry."

Callum considered the girl, then he patted his hand on his bed next to where he was sitting. Meghan slowly sat down next to him.

"I know a lot about best friends going crazy and turning on you." Callum reassured her, giving her a side hug. "I mean, The Crazy Craft War? Oli was trying to be a dictator or something like that." The younger gamer shrugged. "And now with Lizzie. It isn't my first rodeo."

"I never thought that Joey would actually go as far as to hurt people. Like... I know that he can act crazy. He has a whole YouTube Red show where he is basically sacrificing his friends to save himself, but like... I thought there was a line. A difference to him between the real world and a false persona he put on for his videos."

"There is a line. It's just gotten blurred, and he needs help finding it." Callum reassured her. "He wanted to manipulate Lizzie in Minecraft, but it crossed over into the real world, and now that line doesn't seem to exist for him. He needs his friends to help him find it."

"I... I think I know that. I just want to help him. That's why I came, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it." Callum nodded.

"He took all the ways you could communicate... He wants to take you to our hotel."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I don't know any part of his plan. He's hidden it from me just as much as he's hidden it from anyone else involved. Daniel doesn't even know that we're here..."