Free Web NovelChapter 18: Echoes Under the Skin
He didn’t try to follow any of the cultist members of the mysterious Order.
As he walked through the silent streets of the village, he remembered the scent he had perceived during the ritual embraces.
That strange and distinctive smell of damp earth, iron, and that sickly sweetness.
It wasn’t a normal smell. Nor did it belong to common NPCs.
Throughout the entire ceremony, he had carefully observed their movements. None of them acted like improvised fanatics playing a mechanical role. There was discipline, conviction, and purpose.
That was what was truly unsettling. Even so, Gabriel didn’t feel fear. Only a dangerous curiosity settled in his mind.
Pursuing them now would be a mistake. Major events needed time to mature; any suspicious movement could destroy the trust he had managed to build.
He needed to wait. Tomorrow the full moon would arrive.
He would finally obtain the answers he longed for. Or more questions.
Gabriel let out a long sigh as he settled onto the bench under the dim light of the streetlamp.
The village remained quiet.
The few players walking the streets seemed completely unaware of what was happening beneath their feet.
It was strange to think that while some argued about material prices or experience routes, a sectarian organization was preparing to open a door capable of affecting conventional gameplay.
He rested his head against the back of the bench.
And finally logged out.
Darkness enveloped him.
***
The neural helmet retracted automatically with a soft mechanical click.
Gabriel opened his eyes.
His small apartment materialized before him once again.
For a few seconds he remained motionless. The helmet still emitted some heat and felt slightly warm.
He removed it completely and set it on the table.
"It’s already late..." he murmured.
He checked the time; it was much later than he had imagined.
Fatigue slowly began to settle into his muscles. However, he didn’t go straight to sleep.
He stayed seated at the old recycled wooden table, making a loud, steady tapping sound. His index finger drummed against the surface.
Over and over.
His mind kept returning to the iron gate.
To the symbols, the whispers, and the sanity warning.
Was it just a game mechanic?
The big companies loved creating immersive events. But for a second, it had felt far too real.
Finally, he abandoned his thoughts.
He stood up, lazily turned off the light, and dropped onto the bed.
Sleep came almost immediately.
***
And then the dreams began. Similar to psychedelic hallucinations.
First he saw colors. His vision was covered by an extensive horizon of colors.
Tones that didn’t seem to exist within the human spectrum. Shapes appeared and disappeared.
Mountains that breathed rose up, oceans suspended in the sky, and cities built upon gigantic skeletons.
Then he heard voices. Whispering all at once.
And laughter. The laughter was thunderous.
And at some point a door appeared. It seemed infinitely large.
Rising over an impossible horizon, something enormous hammered from the other side. A massive figure that wanted to enter.
Gabriel tried to approach it. And just before touching it... he woke up.
***
He sat up abruptly. His breathing was ragged, and the sheets were soaked. Sweat ran down his neck and back.
For a few seconds he remained seated, trying to regain a normal breathing rhythm.
The room was still there. Nothing had changed.
However, an unpleasant sensation clung to his skin.
He looked at the clock. He had slept much longer than usual.
"What the hell..."
He ran a hand through his hair. He needed to go to the bathroom.
First he had to remove the sheets. They were completely unusable after that night of sleep.
Fortunately, he still had a couple of old synthetic spares. They were slightly torn and not comfortable, but they would do.
Once he had remade the bed, he entered the small shared bathroom connected to his apartment.
He turned on the shower. He needed to clear his mind of the strange thoughts.
While washing his hair, something caught his attention.
Several strands were caught between his fingers. He ran his hand again and found more hair.
He looked at the drain.
It was accumulating a worrying amount. Not enough to cause alarm, but it didn’t seem normal either.
He had to remove some of it manually to prevent the pipe from clogging.
There was also the itching. His skin had been irritating him all morning.
But his body temperature was cold. Abnormally cold.
No matter how much he raised the water temperature, the sensation persisted.
In the end, he decided to ignore it. He had other problems to deal with.
***
The streets of Lower Neo-Atlas were surprisingly quiet.
Gabriel walked between corroded metal structures while observing the usual traffic. After the latest emergency alert, activity seemed to have decreased.
Instead, police drones had multiplied. Small blue lights swept across the polluted skies. They constantly patrolled, scanned, and watched.
Like countless mechanical insects.
Gabriel carried a bag with dirty clothes. His destination was the district’s social laundry, one of the few places where you could still have a normal conversation.
A long time ago, automated service had been rejected and eventually eliminated. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
The attendant looked up when he entered. She was a middle-aged woman with a kind expression.
"Gabriel," she said with a smile.
"Hello, Mrs. Mary."
"It’s been a while since I last saw you."
"I’ve been busy."
"As we all are."
She let out a small laugh.
While putting the clothes into the machines, they began to talk.
The conversation quickly turned to the recent emergency alert.
"My nephew was locked in for almost two days," she commented.
"I heard there were riots."
"They always say the same thing."
Gabriel nodded.
"And they never explain anything."
"Because they probably don’t even know what’s happening."
The woman burst out laughing.
For several minutes they continued talking about everyday matters. Nothing important or transcendental.
But for some reason, that normality felt comforting.
When the clothes were ready, Gabriel said goodbye.
"Take care."
"You too."
He stepped back out into the streets. And then the cold returned, more intense and deeper.
A shiver ran down his spine. For a moment he even felt like trembling.
He looked at the gray sky.
"It must be the weather."
He found no other explanation.
***
When he returned to his apartment, the first thing he saw was the neural helmet.
Gabriel smiled.
He couldn’t help it. That feeling was familiar.
Similar to the same excitement he had felt as a child when he found something new to explore.
A mystery, opportunities, or a secret.
The quest was still there.
But first he needed to eat. He prepared a simple lunch with synthetic protein and lab-grown vegetables. freewёbnoνel.com
The flavor was surprisingly good. It fulfilled its purpose perfectly.
He returned to the table.
He picked up the helmet and put it on.
---
The transition to the virtual world happened instantly.
The interface appeared.
His surroundings seemed normal. Until something caught his attention.
A figure, about fifty meters away, walking through the crowd.
Gabriel froze.
He recognized him immediately. The man with eyes like wells.
His worn clothes, irregular gait, and strange posture.
It was him.
Without thinking twice, he started moving. Then walking faster.
And finally running.
The figure turned a corner. Gabriel accelerated, crossing the street. He dodged players with agility and reached the intersection just a few seconds later.
Empty. It was completely empty.
He stopped, looking both ways. There was nothing and no one.
As if he had never existed.
Gabriel searched the surroundings for several minutes. Looking and asking, but getting no results.
The man had disappeared. Again.
The silence slowly returned.
Gabriel remained motionless in the middle of the street.
An uncomfortable feeling began to grow in his chest.
Everything seemed connected. But he couldn’t see how.
For the first time since he had started this investigation, he felt like he was walking inside a puzzle whose edges he couldn’t even make out.
He looked up at the game’s sky. The moon was slowly beginning its ascent.
And something told him that when he crossed the doors of that abandoned church again, some answers would finally come to light.
Though perhaps they would be answers he would have preferred not to know.
