Chapter Text
If she could explain one word to describe her life over the past weeks, it would be turmoil. She couldn't tell what was worse, the fact that she was trapped in a VR headset for weeks, which felt longer, or that she had to figure out an excuse for her disappearance to her family. And that wasn't the easiest to explain. Christine didn't know how to begin explaining her story of how she stumbled into an abandoned building, just because her life wasn't providing satisfaction. Everything was repetitive. Wake up, work the full eight hours, go home, sometimes go to the bar for a swish of beer, repeat.
So Christine did what anyone would do when they get into hobbies. She did urban exploring, and she had her YouTube channel to vlog the whole thing despite not receiving feedback. It didn't matter to her; she didn't expect her hashtagless videos to go on people's algorithm when she didn't bother to advertise her videos. It was a little treat to a monotonous life. It was… enjoyable.
Until that luck decided to bite her in the ass. Or maybe she pushed it. The latter was likely the answer.
When she had discovered the headset in an abandoned company building, she didn't think someone would leave their belonging around. She discovered the place by searching for reviews for places to explore. After scrolling mindlessly until she reached the bottom of the page, there were fewer than three people giving stars. That didn't raise suspicion at the time because she had assumed it wasn't as popular as the other top ratings.
So she picked up the worn-out headset, and there was dust like it hadn't been touched in ages. She swiped her finger on the top and looked at her finger. To no surprise, the buildup of dust on her finger was what Christine had remembered gagging with a small sound and wiping it on her pants.
Christine froze when she heard a tune that came from the headset. It sounded like jingles. At the time, she didn't think too much about where she had heard the familiarity of those sounds. Now she could say they were circus-themed.
She ended up putting on a headset out of curiosity. Well, curiosity killed the cat, and she got trapped somewhere different for weeks. Going on adventures with an advanced AI that was creepy-looking despite the bright graphics. He had always disturbed her, but she learned to keep her mouth closed because in the end of the adventures, he was the one in control. Sleeping wasn't required, yet they felt pain and the sensations of tasting the food.
In the end, her hope dimmed when Caine kept proving to her that she wouldn't be able to escape. The others that she met in there who were in the same fate wouldn't be able to escape.
Until one day—
Christine closed her eyes.
She didn't need to remember any of that now. She was free.
And that was a good enough reason to just move on and forget. Except she couldn't.
Because she worried about the people who were trapped in there. Ragatha, Zooble, Gangle, Kinger, and Jax. They were all prisoners, and they were in there longer than she was. How were they adjusting back to their old lives? Did they all escape? Were they as curious about finding each other? Did the abstracted survive as well… like Kaufmo?
It was weird.
Was she a hostage? A victim? Or was it her fault for trespassing on an area and deciding that putting on a headset was a good idea?
Unfortunately, it was obvious that going to the police meant she would need solid proof and explain without sounding too crazy. Otherwise, they'll list her as some woman who went to Mars and came back in shambles. What could she possibly say? That she got sucked into a game and was forced to see herself and the others go on endless adventures that brought nothing but horror and pain?
Yeah, like the police would believe some story. If she told anyone, she was convinced that nobody would believe her.
Even her own mother, who was frantic at the moment.
"Christine, you haven't called in weeks! I thought something terrible had happened to you! Do you even realize there are missing flyers of you all over the city?!"
Christine pinched the bridge of her nose, inhaling slowly before exhaling in a pattern. Before she checked her phone, she didn't expect waking up to a hundred missed calls, and messages would flood her phone, causing the ringtone to explode until she put it on silent. Most of it was from her mother.
Not that she didn't mind… her mother had every right to question why she hadn't reached back. If she explained about the Digital Circus and how she got sucked into the game, her mother would be quick to discuss the options of an institution.
The irony of being trapped from one thing to another…
"Mom, I'm fine," She assured calmly, hoping that it was enough to ease suspicions. "I just got carried into work, and I wanted to take a break from my device for mental health."
"That isn't like you at all, Christine," Her mother said, sounding skeptical. "You never did that before, and you were supposed to come visit us. Your brother is even asking about you; he thinks you got kidnapped into some conspiracy nonsense he mentioned about."
She rolled her eyes, knowing that her mother was being dramatic about her brother's concern over her. They weren't even close, and he was the least to show worry over her well-being. Last time, he had requested twenty dollars for a subscription that he wanted to subscribe to. Not even a check-in about her whereabouts, her new job, nothing.
"I'm sure Owen was creative with his ideas." She imagined all the bullshit he spewed to their mother, like being taken by aliens or some wacked-out theory.
Her mother, of course, thought otherwise.
"You know he's worried about you." The older woman sighed, a deep breath escaping from the phone's speaker, "Never mind that, when are you coming down to visit?"
That's… right. She needed to make an appearance and visit them soon.
Christine walked over to where her calendar was, and to her, no surprise, she didn't have much going on in October.
Because she was missing making any plans in October. Whoops.
She pretended to hum because she couldn't explain that her daughter wasn't being social and instead was a recluse. "I can come down this weekend."
Her mother sounded happier than previously, "That's good news, honey! I'll let your father know, and we'll make plans."
"Great." She mumbled.
"And Christine? Please don't scare us like that. I was worried sick."
The tone of her voice made Christine's chest tingling. She felt guilty for not telling her anything, but she was confident that it would sound baffling to hear the stories she encountered in something surreal.
All she could respond was a reassurance and a goodbye.
Once they were done, Christine didn't realize the exhaustion that crept in slowly. There wasn't a moment of silence that was filled with peace. Instead, it felt eerie to sit in a studio with no noise, and it was strange. Because she used to like the silence in her place. It was the only reason she had looked forward to when she moved out of her parents, and where she didn't have to listen to her brother yell at the game constantly.
Now she stood there, not enjoying how the silence in the air could create such an empty feeling. A feeling that she couldn't begin to describe because she shouldn't feel… relief?
Because she destroyed the headset and she managed to be freed.
It wasn't hard to destroy it. After waking up, she immediately grabbed gasoline from a nearby convenience store, bought matches, and set the fucker on fire. Christine wondered if Caine was calling out to her or if he sensed the danger the headset was getting in.
She stood there for a while and watched the flames burn into crisp from the VR headset. Until satisfied, she left the scene.
It was unredeemable to use.
Caine or any of those involved with helping the game wouldn't be able to harm anyone else again.
It should've been enough, but she felt unsatisfied because the question remained branded in her head.
What happened to the others?
…
It took her the next morning to recover from her existential crisis. Eventually, Christine would need to get back into routine; otherwise, the bills and the silence of her studio weren't going to go away themselves. She needed her paychecks and a distraction. That was enough motivation for now.
Christine grabbed her phone off her nightstand and went through her messages. She found her boss's contact before messaging the man and giving him a formal apology. For disappearing and all, of course.
He was the manager at the supermarket where she was working a few weeks back. The man was friendly and chatty, enough to she at least felt comfortable explaining her situation. Not everything, but enough to where he should get the hint of not asking anything further.
A few minutes later, he had responded, to her surprise, he was giving her the green light to return to work as soon as possible. Yes! That was good news to her relief. She ended up requesting to come in on the same day. Waiting until tomorrow seemed to be slow, and she would rather get back on her feet immediately.
To the fortunate news, he agreed. She presently got ready and hoped that this would be the start of having some sort of refreshed life.
Entering the supermarket, she had forgotten how little she appreciated her surroundings. The cool air breezed through her when the doors opened, causing her lengthy brunette hair to move with the wind. The bright lights weren't overly bright compared to what she was staring at consistently for the past weeks. The whole setting felt natural and less artificial. It made her breathe with small relief that this wasn't another adven—
"Christine!"
Her boss walked over with a warm smile on his face and placed his hand on her shoulder, which was thought to be a friendly gesture. Christine's skin crawled with chills. "I was worried that you disappeared and out of this place, glad to see you're in one piece."
Christine chuckled awkwardly and moved away from his hand. His hand fell back naturally to his side. It was a relief that she could be subtle in not making it obvious by deflecting because she didn't want to make a big deal about being touch-averse.
"Yeah, it was family problems and all." She winced at how awkward she sounded. She wasn't the best at socializing, but there were times she did well. This wasn't one of them.
It didn't seem to be an issue for him because the following after he laughed in response. She smiled in an attempt, but there was no convincing that it probably looked strained.
"Don't we all."
God, this is awkward.
"I'm sorry about disappearing off, by the way." Christine added, "It was unprofessional of me and—"
"Don't worry about that," He interjected and waved his hand dismissively, "We had a temporary accountant here for a while because I wasn't sure if you called it quits or decided on your own that you need a break."
"He's," Her boss leaned in closer and muttered, "A bit boring if you ask me."
She didn't know why she needed to know that.
"I see," Christine said with little anticipation than intended. "Well… I'm glad I'm back then?"
Either her boss had gotten the hint that she wasn't remotely interested in the conversation, or he had realized how boring she was at conversing; she couldn't tell what the better option.
He still kept the grin, so maybe he found her amusing.
"I'll let you do your little accounting stuff that accountants do. I need to teach the new hires how to properly mop the floors, if you know what I mean." He winked.
She, in fact, had no idea what he meant by that or why he winked.
This gave her reassurance that maybe they both were awkward. It had been a while since she last saw her boss, and though they didn't interact much, he was never this enthusiastic. It was strange how things can change quickly in a span of weeks.
Christine nodded, "Sounds good, I guess." Turning her head near the exit, there was a hallway that she recognized that led to the back of their offices. "I'll get going now."
"Okay, also Christine, if you need any help or questions, please talk to me."
She had been an accountant for over two years; she was confident enough to know she wouldn't be asking for help, and she was polite enough to avoid conflict, so she gave a quick nod again and headed quickly back to the office.
Her so-called quiet haven.
She stared at the medium-sized room. The desk was in the middle, where the chair waited for her. Christine walked over and sat before letting out a long breath and dropping her head onto the desk.
This was her life now.
…
She counted the bags of rice that were on the top shelves and jotted down the numbers on her clipboard. FIFO. She noticed the older rice bags were pushed more into the back, something that was a common mistake. It was another loss that was waiting, so she grabbed the rice bags and pushed them forward.
She sighed.
It was a few hours in, and already she could feel the excitement of working die down a bit. It was expected… maybe she should get back into urban exploring once the confidence starts to grow a bit and the recovery from what happened lessens each day.
"Yo."
Christine flinched, surprised by a deep voice before turning her head.
Oh, it wasn't a customer.
She gazed at him. He was tall in ways that she called lanky. Either she was too short, or he was too tall, she couldn't tell. He had dark brown uneven layers hanging from the sides of his face, like he hadn't bothered to prep himself. When she had squinted to get a closer look, she saw that he had slight stubble hair that was connected.
She tilted her head, noticing the ravioli cans he was carrying in both of his arms. They were stacked, making an impressive balance. Was this one of the new hires that her boss had mentioned?
The lanky man scowled.
Oh, he didn't like her staring, she thought.
"You just going to stare, or do I need to shove you aside to do my job?"
She blinked, surprised at his direct attitude. Either she was missing for too long, and now it's a new approach, or the guy was a straight-up asshole.
Looking down at his name tag, there was a bold print that read, 'Felix'.
Ah, that's his name. Felix.
She placed her clipboard down.
"Is that any way to talk to another co-worker, Felix?"
He sighed, a short breath escaped from his mouth, "I don't get paid enough to act friendly and jolly, so to your question, yes." Then he lazily waved his hand, motioning her to move, "Now move so I can put these stupid cans of ravioli on the shelf that you're blocking."
Mutely, she moved to the side while she watched him grunt as he kneeled to stack them into their section. His annoyed look stayed glued to his face, never changing it even when looking away.
Christine couldn't help but feel confused. His attitude was really sour, and she understood people have different reasons and situations, but this seemed… like he was having a bad day.
"Are you the new hire?"
Felix looked up and stared.
Now that he was closer, she could see the slight visible eye bags under his eyes. His downturned mouth creased some deep lines.
"I didn't think it was required to talk all day." He said, dryly, then went back to stocking the left of his cans.
"It's not," Christine agreed, absently, before checking her watch. At least she was close to her shift ending; all she needed was to go back into her office and check to see any payroll edits for coworkers.
But when she looked up, Christine had noticed that Felix was carelessly putting the cans on the shelf without looking at the expiration date. It didn't bug her, honestly, yet she knew their boss was picky and a small mistake made by a co-worker wouldn't go missed. Despite the overly chatty nature, she remembered seeing him be brash to others.
What could she call it? Favoritism?
"You have to check the expiration date of the cans because of the…" She paused when his head turned again, a glare headed in her direction. "… FIFO method."
He huffed, then stood up tall.
"You a manager or something?"
"Accountant," She corrected quietly.
"So," He drawled, with hands on his hips, "not my manager then."
"You don't need to be so rude," Christine frowned. "I just wanted to let you know because the manager here is strict with these types of things."
And if he were a new hire, she was sure Vance, their boss, would definitely grab a limb from them if there was a small mistake he noticed.
However, Felix didn't look bothered by the fact. He leaned against the shelf, his nose wrinkling in what appear like he was offended.
"I don't need your help, sweetheart." He gestured lazily at where the cans are, "Besides, they'll last long anyway, what does that matter?"
That was completely untrue, and his comment was concerning, considering that it was a food-safety risk. What was wrong with this guy?
"That's not true."
His eyebrow lifted, unamused.
"You the health inspector now?" His eyes narrowed at where her tag was on her shirt, "Christine? You do look like a Christine. I can't say I'm surprised."
What the hell does that mean?
"Excuse me?" she said, confused, not understanding if that was an insult or incoherent gibberish.
He shrugged and then walked away as if they weren't in the middle of a conversation.
That was…
Christine decided to ignore the weird behavior and focused on the invoice stocks.
It didn't take long to clock out. After the weird encounter with… Felix. She had no idea what to think of it and decided to drop it. There were bigger things to worry like researching the Digital Circus and seeing if the others were searching like how she was searching for them.
When she got home, she shut her car door and walked up the small steps.
She heard a noise.
It caused her to look down, confused when the noise of what sounded like a meow persisted. The black cat that stood there purred against her leg. Where was their owner?
Christine looked around, but to no avail; she didn't see anyone nearby. The cat didn't have a collar despite looking well-fed. Strange, how the black cat didn't seem scared either. Maybe their homeowner was around, she thought.
Opening the door, she ignored the cat watching her intently.
When she had closed the door, she grabbed her laptop that was on the table. Her mind had raced with curiosity about her friends that she had been searching for them. However, as the few days passed, she realized it wasn't as easy as she thought it would be.
First off, she had no clue about their social media. She wasn't sure if they even posted anywhere on some website like Reddit and announced publicly about searching for other members who were stuck in a headset.
She sighed.
'Digital circus video game'
Nothing loaded.
She typed more.
'Caine AI'
Nothing.
'I was trapped in a VR headset.'
Nope.
She groaned.
Of fucking course it was going to be difficult. How else was she supposed to trace them? Were they wondering the same thing about her?
She closed the laptop, hoping that they at least reached out for support and therapy. They all needed it after enduring that.
The silence in her apartment felt unbearable. In her mind, she thought the silence was going to make her go insane. Christine grabbed the remote to search on YouTube for some type of white noise; whether she needed to search up cooking videos or opera, she didn't care. She needed background noise for her sanity.
She stared at the TV, not really paying attention to the guy on the screen explaining something about his spices or mixes.
This was her life.
She was real.
She was here.
So why did she feel empty?