Aim to Engage --2019 Collection of Short Stories

Prologue to Virtual

  I closed the door, effectively shutting out my parent's yelling. I took a deep breath switching on my VR googles, and slipped them over my head. It was pitch dark outside and nothing was in sight. My parents lock the door behind me. I know they are secretly praying for my safe return.

  I walk down the sidewalk with my laser gun tight in my arms in case something or someone decides to jump out at us.

  The crewfew to lock your doors is at 8pm and to get in stay in your house from ten pm to ten am. Aunt Ligosky had taken Jure on to a birthday party across town and hadn't made it home yet. It was ten minutes past ten so I was going to take matters into my own hands. I had the equipment and knew when this day would come. I had thought they'd enter our house not I, alone entering the fields.

 My parents believed Aunt Ligoksy had stayed the night at someone's house, however I know better that no one let's anyone stay at their house. Too many crimes happen inside the home and before one knows it, those things that linger in the dark lurk into and dwell in your home. 

  A black figure emerges ahead of me. I take of my googles to see a homeless women lying dead on the floor.  I put back on my googles looking at the black figure. They must be feeding nearby or have already left. I switch off the light on my laser gun and googles and continue to stroll down the empty street.

  From this street leads an open road to the city. If I stay on this path I may meet up with Aunt Ligosky and Jure or I may run into trouble.  If I go into the fields, they may be something hiding in the hay or homeless beings sleeping or attempting to sleep during the night.

  A scratching noise stings my ears. I quickly grab dig through my fanny pack that is set on my hip and look for the walkie talkie.

  "Jure!" I whisper into the black rusted phone.

  "Almy!"

  "Where are you?"

  "I don't know but there's a lot of them."

  "Stay quiet and to the ground, I'm coming for you."

  There was a heavy breathing into the walkie talkie. "Is Ligosky there?" More heavy breathing occurred before I lost reception. 

  I shove it back into my pocket thinking about where he could possibly be and if I could get there fast enough. As I continue to pick up my past I notice an alien like figure walk from the field into the streets. I pull up my googles and look where I seen the thing. Nothing was there. I put back on the googles when I realized the thing was heading straight toward me at the speed of lightning. 

  I bit down on my lip hard causing blood to drip as I fled.