BRAGR) It Begins Part 1

Three days passed, and my timer had already reached the three-hour mark.

[00:03:01:45]

 “Do we have everything?” I asked as I looked at the list of crossed-off stuff.

“Zoe, you should relax, anything not on the list I already had delivered.” Derrick, Angel’s father, replied.

In the past three days, we had set up a barrier around the entire block that we owned. Each resident that was living here also got many supplies and a gaming headset. They were confused at first, but in the past two days, the number of monster sightings had increased. Some were even spawning in people’s homes. Thousands of people were dying every minute due to monsters appearing in the most random places. Even here on my little block, we had monsters appear, but we quickly dispatched them.

Because of our quick response time, the people here listened to what we had to say, and even now, as we were doing our final check on things, I had gathered all the residents outside in the street to hold a meeting. Young and old stood there staring at us from our make shift stage made of the wood I took from the home improvement stores.

“Zoe, you should start.” Angel pulled on my sleeve. To think there would come a day when I, of all people, a person who could barely speak to others before, would be giving a speech to a few hundred people.

“Alright.” I took a deep breath and turned my attention to the people standing before us. “Everyone. Thank you for coming out during this time when things can go crazy at any minute. To everyone here, I thank you for believing me when I say our world is about to change. My organization, The Fallen of Elysium, will help protect you and help you grow. We could have kicked you all out, but that would not be fair to you. While we did get rid of some people, we did so to make sure our territory would not be disturbed by in-fighting.

“Each one of you has received food and supplies for an entire month based on your family’s needs. A generator, gas, and headset to begin your path in game to level up so you can protect yourselves in the future as well.

“Old can become young, and young can become old, all depending on how you wish to live your life. What race you choose is up to you. You will not be kicked out for becoming a goblin or some other race.

“We only ask that what is given is repaid in the future once you have gained enough levels. Of course, any work done will also be paid for. Loyalty is what we ask for. Just know that anyone who dares to turn against us after we have given so much to you will be dealt with. Death is your only way of redemption.”

I scanned the crowd and saw many faces go pale. I do not wish to kill anyone, but if anyone dares to betray me, they will only have one end. The new world was not a kind place.

“In three hours, the first monster wave will happen. We need everyone who is able to fight, to be on call. Any screams should be answered immediately. Kill any monsters that appear and keep alive as many people as you can. If you can not handle it, call for help. All players have been given a radio to communicate with everyone else. There are only four buildings, eight buildings. We should be able to keep our area clear of monsters.

“But be warned. The first dungeon to appear in the real world will appear right behind me.” As I said this, as if the world was messing with me an explosion was heard as the ground behind the stage suddenly exploded.

We all turned around to see a stone arch rise up from the ground with glowing runic symbols. Within the arch was a bluish, liquid-looking portal. It reminded me of that old show called Stargate.

I took a deep breath and turned back around to face many fear-filled eyes. “As you can see, I am not lying. That is a dungeon. A real-world dungeon. If you go in, you put your life at risk.”

Sadly the past few days, Angel and I got no levels. We were too busy getting everything set up. There was too much work to do and too little time. And now, the apocalypse was only a couple of hours away.

“I will finish with this...” I took a deep breath, “From this moment on, we will be in survival mode. Everyone should hunker down in your homes. Those who are players get into positions and be ready for monster spawns. As for what happens outside our barrier… that is for those outside to care about.”

“Leader Zoe, are you not going to help them?” Someone yelled out. It was a young woman with a bob cut. She looked quite cute, but the concern in her eyes was quite clear. She was someone who seemed to have a big heart.

I looked right at her and said flatly: “No.”