Death Masters Six

Charlos woke up after a bad dream - or did he?

Death Masters Six

     There were a lot of comments about the old Brianite Building. No one ever expected it to be opened up for any type of business. But four months ago it was. The building now housed the most popular game on Lacusa. Vantis didn’t believe in the comments that he heard about that place. There were about one million people living in the City of Heelon. And there were almost as many comments about the old building too.

     Whether the comments were true or not business had been very poor for Death Masters Five. Vantis thought for sure his business would survive the comments because of the popularity of the game among Young Teens and Almost Teens. But he was wrong. He had to do something. And he had to do it fast. Or he would lose everything. When Death Masters Six came out a couple of weeks ago he knew how to save both his business.

     Charlos didn’t bother to wait for the Transport to take him home. He ran all the way there as soon as Learning let out. It was only a mile to his place. And Charlos wanted to get home as quick as possible. Charlos got a Message during classes that stated he had a Video Invitation waiting for him when he got home.

     As soon as Charlos got there he went straight to the Home Entertainment Chamber. His mother, Thina, gave him a MicroDisc when he entered. He practically torn it out of her hand as he headed for the Game Monitor. Charlos looked at the disc as he sat down behind the Controls for the Game Monitor. It said ‘Death Masters Six – enter at your own risk.’

     “When did you send for that? We didn’t give you permission to purchase it.” Thina walked toward Charlos.

     “I didn’t send for it. Maybe father did out of guilt for being away on business so much.” Charlos put the disc into the center of the Game Monitor under the large screen.

     “Me and Mulcan discussed it. And he promised no matter how much you begged, pleated, pestered or guilted him he wouldn’t give you that game.” Thina stood right behind thirteen-year old Charlos.

     “I don’t know where it came from. But I’m glad it did.” Charlos pushed the first button under the Game Monitor Disc Slot. Around a minute later the face of Vantis appeared.

     “Welcome to Death Masters Six. I have sent this version to you because I know all the kids your age loved it. After playing for a while on your own come play it for real.” It was as if Vantis could see Thina there. “Don’t worry mother. Your child won’t get hurt, or killed, during the game. We have considered every possibility of that. And have eliminated it.”

     For the next month, twenty-five days, Charlos did almost nothing else but play that game. He ignored his family and friends. Charlos also got behind in his learning and Home Studies too. But it was all worth it. After a month he was ready enter the real game.

<<<<<>>>>>

     Charlos stood out in front of a building that stated in big letters ‘Death Masters Six.’ Then smaller letters underneath it ‘– enter at your own risk.’ With him were his friends Peater and Koarli, twelve and eleven respectively, and Peater’s nine-year-old sister Lindra.

     “Is anyone else ready to enter but me? Are you afraid the comments are true about this place?” All of them were either looking at the sign above the door.

     Suddenly the door creaked open. And a voice from within said, “Welcome Death Masters Six. Enter at your own risk.”

     As Charlos and the others entered they were cloaked in a cloak. Koarli turned to leave. But there was no door to leave through. They were in the middle of a street in Heelon. Buildings in front – and now behind them. “This looks just like our city.”

     “Your right, Peater, it does.” Charlos checked his weapons. “I heard that the real games represented whatever city they were in.”

     “I want to go home.” Lindra grabbed hold of both Peater’s and Koarli’s hands. She was squishing them so hard the dark brown skin was turning white.

     “There is only one way to go home now. And that’s to finish this game – alive.” Charlos smiled.

     “Let’s go. We only have about a thousand of Undead to kill to get out of here.” Koarli shuck her hand free from Lindra. And stood next to Charlos.

     For the next few hours, it seemed like years for Lindra, the four of them used their assortment of weapons on them to dice and slice their way through the Undead coming out to eat them. The only way to kill the Undead was to cut their heads off – at the mouth. If any part of their whole mouth was still intact, even it’s still only the head, it could still eat you.

     Once bitten, numerous times, you became one of the Undead too. All four of them got bitten a lot of times but not enough to turn them. They couldn’t kill them except for the mouth. But they could slow them down by attacking elsewhere on their bodies. That’s what they were concentrating on – slowing them down enough for them to finish the game. And it was working too until one of the Undead bit Charlos on the front part of his heck. The only part of the body that meant instant Undead.

<<<<<>>>>>

     Suddenly Charlos woke up in his Sleeping Chamber. At first he’s a little dazed and confused. Then he looked at the time hanging on one corner of his Sleeper and the date on the other corner. “It’s only been a few hours. It was all a very bad dream.” What Charlos didn’t see was the bloody Hook Axe at the foot of his Sleeper – or his version of Death Masters Six in front of it.