Zombie Boy 2: Level Up (Adventures of Zombie Boy) Read online

  At that moment, Thomas popped his head out of the conference room. He said something to the man in the black suit and they looked over at Liam. The man nodded.

  The little boy's mom saw it, too. She grabbed her son's hand. "I don't know what kind of trouble you've gotten into, but stay away from my son."

  Liam watched the lady drag her son away and disappear into the crowd. His shoulders sagged to the ground as he stood there alone defeated again. He shoved his hands in his pockets. He pulled out Katie's keychain of the game controller and held it tightly in his grip.

  Rhonda patted his shoulder as she approached Liam. "Don't worry. We'll figure out something."

  Then Caleb said, "We could cause a diversion. Ya know, like at the arcade."

  Rhonda glared at Caleb. "Yeah, that went over well."

  She was referring to the instance in which Liam had the genius idea to let a rogue zombie wander into Arcade Dungeon to scare everyone out. All the kids came running out, alright. A little boy got knocked down in the crowd, and Liam and his friends watched as a zombie munched down on him. Fortunately, all that happened within the game world that they were trapped in, and the kid didn't really die.

  Liam still felt responsible for what happened to that little boy. He shook his head hoping to erase it from his memory. "At least there aren't any zombies around this time."

  Caleb continued, "Nah, it doesn't have to be like that. I could just cause a scene across the hall from the security guy over there," he nodded in the direction of the man in the suit. "And when he's distracted, you guys can sneak in."

  Liam looked at Rhonda. She shrugged. "It might work."

  Morgan piped in, "I'll help."

  "No way! You're not risking your job chances for this," said Liam.

  Morgan approached Liam and put his prosthetic hand on Liam's shoulder. "Look, kid. I owe you. Let me do this."

  Liam shook his head, but Morgan continued, "I'll be subtle."

  Caleb jumped up and down like a kid at Christmas. "Yeah, yeah, I'll take the fall here. You'll just be the backup if I need you."

  A knot was growing in Liam's gut. He appreciated his friends wanting to help him, but he was scared of something going terribly wrong.

  "What d'ya say, dude?"

  Rhonda said, "It may be the only way."

  "I just don't want to lose either of you, too."

  Caleb looked like a bouncing idiot who missed out on a job with the circus. His excitement was already drawing looks from passersby. "I'll be careful. Don't worry."

  A few minutes later, Liam and Rhonda were waiting impatiently around the corner from the conference room where the secret event was being held.

  Liam paced.

  "Calm down. You look obvious," said Rhonda.

  "Easy for you to say."

  They didn't know exactly what they were waiting for. Caleb had told them they'd know it when it happened. Putting that much trust into the guy who, until just a short while ago, was a friend of the enemy wasn't the easiest thing for Liam to do.

  "Surely he's not gonna do something stupid like pull the fire alarm."

  Rhonda was casually peering around the corner. She snapped her head back at Liam. "Oh God."

  The knot in Liam's gut squeezed tighter. Waiting for Caleb to happen was like waiting for the moment someone accidentally disturbed a hornet's nest.

  Suddenly, shouting from the direction where Caleb had gone caught their attention.

  Liam's eyes shot open wide. "Here we go." He leaned in close to the wall and peeked around the corner. Black Suit Man was walking away from the door!

  He quickly turned back to Rhonda. "It's working! Come on!"

  Liam couldn't believe it. He and Rhonda casually made their way to the conference room door. The security guard was several feet away from them and did not appear to be worried about his post outside the conference room.

  "I don't know what he did, and I probably don't want to know, but I'll give him a hug if this actually works."

  Liam teased, "Are we interested in Caleb?"

  The disgusted look on her face was all the answer he needed. Or would get. They made it to the door uninterrupted, so Liam quickly opened it and stepped inside.

  The room was dark except for the video playing on the projector screen. Everyone was seated facing toward the front of the room, so Liam could only see their backs. Most of the people in attendance looked older, business age, and wore unoriginal black suits. Even the ladies wore mostly black.

  Thomas and Katie stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of black polyester. Liam was careful to quickly make his way to the back wall to stay out of sight. Liam wondered if Thomas sensed his presence for at that time, he slid his arm around Katie's shoulders.

  The knot in Liam's gut tugged a little tighter.

  The video presentation showed graphs of profits and losses over the past year, all boring grown-up stuff. But when the narrator mentioned virtual reality, Liam perked up.

  Virtual reality, or VR, was the major component of the game Liam and his friends played that landed them in the alternate reality game world. Morgan had programmed it into the game as a test feature, not knowing that someone at his former company had actually implemented it.

  Hearing VR mentioned gave Liam the chills.

  The video went on to state that VR would soon be a reality for all their games. Images of different traditional game-world settings like lava and ice flashed onscreen. Liam and Rhonda shared an uncomfortable look. When he turned back toward the presentation, he noticed that Katie had placed her head on Thomas' shoulder.

  He had to hold back the urge to blow chunks all over the fancy carpet.

  "Let's get out of here," urged Liam.

  "We just got here."

  "I've seen enough."

  3

  It was a beautiful afternoon in Draxon Hollow, and Liam and Rhonda were spending it at the local park. They were seated on a bench near the basketball court. Rhonda's gaze was focused intensely on the court.

  "Which one is he?"

  "Blue shorts," she never took her eyes away.

  Michael raised the basketball over his head and released. Nothing but net. He had an athletic build and wavy dark hair that bounced as he ran the court. He was once Rhonda's boyfriend until he, too, succumbed to digital death. Now, he was a stranger.

  "Have you spoken to him?"

  Rhonda didn't need to answer. Liam knew that solemn look all too well.

  "How did he die?" Liam wondered if she would even tell him. But before she even had a chance, Caleb slapped the back of the bench.

  "Dudes!"

  Liam almost jumped out of his skin. "Don't do that, man!"

  Caleb was in an even more chipper mood than usual. "So? Ya gonna tell me what happened or do I have to beat it out of ya?" He played like he was about to hit Liam in the arm.

  "Nothing, really," Liam shrugged. "They were showing some video."

  Rhonda said, "Thanks for causing the distraction. Hope you didn't get into too much trouble."

  "Yeah, where you been? We were afraid you were in convention jail or something."

  "Aw, it was nothing. They kicked me out of the convention. Mom grounded me for the weekend, but I got out early on good behavior."

  Liam joked, "Somehow I doubt that."

  Caleb slapped the bench again causing Liam to flinch. "Come on! Tell me all about it! Did you talk to her?"

  Liam thought back to seeing Katie's head on Thomas' shoulder. "No."

  The enthusiasm went out of Caleb's posture as his shoulders dropped. "Oh. Well, did you at least get to play the secret new game?"

  Liam didn't know what he was talking about. "We left before the video ended."

  "Whaaaaat?" He pressed against his temples with his hands in frustration. "I heard they handed out a sequel to Zombie Game at the end of the event. You didn't get one?"

  Liam and Rhonda shook their heads.

  "What was the video about?"

  "Vir-." A
lightbulb went on. Liam turned to Rhonda. "You don't think...?"

  "The game is another VR test? They wouldn't really do that, would they?"

  Why would a company make a sequel to the game that zapped anyone who played it into an alternate world against their will?

  Liam didn't like the sound of things. "If someone jacked with the code enough, it could happen again."

  "Do you think someone would do that?"

  Liam thought back to something Thomas said outside the conference room the day before. Something about world domination. "Yeah, I know someone that I bet would do it."

  Rhonda said, "Then we need to get our hands on that game."

  "Do you think every copy that was handed out is corrupt? There's no way we could track down every copy."

  Caleb said, "Knowing Thomas, he planned it so either he or Katie would get the bad one."

  "How would we know if she has played it?" asked Liam.

  "From what little research I've gathered," Rhonda shifted her eyes back to the basketball court. It was like she didn't want to take her eyes off Michael in fear of losing him again. "If a person disappears, there's a good chance they've traveled over to the game world."

  The next day at school dragged on forever, like waiting for an epic role playing game to load the next area. Liam could barely focus on his early classes. He eagerly awaited the last period of the day. That was the one class that he shared with Katie.

  He tried to catch up to her between classes, but she was nowhere to be found. Her prissy girlfriends were gathered near the lockers giggling and whispering as if what they had to say was some life-altering secret. Liam swallowed and approached them. He had to force a smile. He didn't like the girls any more than they liked him. They were fake and thought too highly of themselves.

  "I need to speak to Katie. Have you seen her?" A direct approach would work best. Get in, get out.

  The girls collectively raised their eyebrows like they were amused that a level one player would be speaking to their highnesses. After a shared giggle, one of the girls, the one with the teased hair spoke. "Sorry. Can't help you."

  He thought about pressing but got the feeling that was all he would get from the Snob Squad. In an effort to appear cooler than he was, Liam curled his lip in disgust at the girls and then walked away. As he walked down the hall away from them, he smirked. Not that he was even a blip on their radar, but it made him fell better knowing he had the upper hand.

  Liam sat at his desk as the other students piled in. He bobbed and weaved his head around hoping to spot Katie. The teacher stood at the head of the class waiting for all the students to be seated. When they finally did, there was one empty seat. Liam's heart sank.

  He had waited all day to see her. All day to disprove his fears. That she, thanks to Thomas, he was sure of, had been exposed to another alternate reality video game.

  Liam knocked on the door. He had done it a thousand times before yet never before had he felt that many butterflies. The door opened and Katie's mom appeared.

  "Hi, Mrs. Baldwin."

  Mrs. Baldwin was always happy to see Liam and welcomed him and his friends inside.

  "Make yourselves at home. I'll get some tea," and she disappeared into the kitchen. "I don't know what's taking Katie so long."

  Was Mrs. Baldwin aware that Katie was missing? How could they explain it, if she didn't?

  Liam shared a confused look with his friends. They silently agreed it was best not to disrupt anything. No one understood how the alternate reality thing really worked. Liam had wondered if time stood in some sort of alternate state of suspension, but now he wasn't so sure.

  Mrs. Baldwin returned with a tray of glasses and a pitcher of tea. "Was she expecting you?"

  "Uh..., no ma'am. I think she stayed after to help a teacher with a project."

  "That's my Katie. Always helping others." Then her expression turned sad. "Although, here lately she has been a little different. I don't know why she's suddenly giving you the cold shoulder."

  Liam lowered his head.

  "But I'm sure she'll come around. Probably just growing pains." She patted Liam on his knee. "Well, what can I do for you kids?"

  "Um... Katie said I could borrow a game. She meant to bring it to school today, but she didn't make, er, she forgot. Would you mind if I see if it's in her room?"

  "Why, sure! Help yourselves." She stood up and held out her arm. "You know the way."

  Liam quickly made his way to Katie's room. He stopped at the door. The last time he was in her room her deceased body lay on her bed. The thought that it might still be there made him hesitate.

  "It's okay," Rhonda whispered. "I'll go in first."

  "No, I got it." He straightened his shoulders and stepped inside. As much as he tried not to, his eyes immediately drifted to the bed. A small relief washed over him to find it made with the bedding neatly tucked in place. Things were mostly as he remembered. New Katie hadn't redecorated.

  Curiosity got the best of him. Liam padded across the room to her dresser. The picture of the two of them was nowhere in sight. He didn't really expect it to be there, but he had hoped.

  Caleb held up a game disc. "This is it!"

  Liam and his friends gathered around his HoriZon game console. Caleb sat on the bed while Rhonda relaxed in Liam's gaming chair. Liam sat on the floor petting his dog, Shadow's head while he rested peacefully in Liam's lap.

  He stared at the black case that contained the game disc. "How do we know she even played it? Maybe she just skipped school."

  "You've seen how she acts around those other girls. They're inseparable," reminded Rhonda.

  The thought of returning to the zombie-infested game world was not high on Liam's things to do. Despite losing his best friend while there, the zombies stunk worse than rotten eggs and splattered goo everywhere whenever they were smacked in the head with his trusty baseball bat. Sure, they were able to escape the game world the first time. How did they know the rules hadn't changed?

  "No, it's too risky. There's no guarantee we can get out again." Liam tossed the game on the floor as he sat back against his chair. He could wait it out. See if she showed up. But the longer he waited, the more game time passed.

  "All the more reason to go. Thomas could try to keep Katie trapped there forever," said Caleb.

  "And..." Rhonda started to say something but stopped. "Never mind."

  "No, what is it?"

  She hesitated, but then said, "What if she died again while in the game world?"

  The look on Rhonda's face made Liam uneasy. He knew there was more to her thought. "Yeah?"

  She squirmed in her chair. "We know someone can survive digital zombie death once..." She couldn't finish her thought.

  That was a risk Liam wasn't willing to take. It was bad enough living with the thought of never having Katie as his best friend again, but the thought of losing her forever was unfathomable. He sat up straight and grabbed the game disc. "I have to do it. I'll understand if you guys don't want to."

  "No way, dude! If you're going, then I'm going."

  "Yep, me, too. Three heads are better than one."

  Caleb rubbed his head. "Uh, let's not talk about our heads and zombies in the same conversation."

  It was amazing to Liam that in such a short amount of time, he had made such good friends. The ironic thing is that Zombie Game and its alternate reality game world gained him two new friends yet lost him the best one he thought he'd ever have.

  When he opened the game case he got a surprise. It was a note with familiar handwriting. "It's from Katie!" He quickly skimmed the message. "Oh my god."

  "What's it say?"

  Liam repeated the words, "Liam, if you find this, please help me."

  He closed his eyes and said a silent vow to himself. 'I'll find you, Katie.'

  Then, he inserted the disc and sat back against his chair with controller in hand.

  4

  Playing the game had worked. Everything was o
nce again pixelated. Liam stumbled to the kitchen for breakfast. When he opened the sliding glass patio door, Shadow darted past him out into the backyard. "No! Shadow! Get back here!" But it was useless. Shadow's canine sense kicked into full gear as he lunged into the chest of a zombie.

  "Move!" Liam pushed past Caleb as he took off for his bedroom. Seconds later, he returned with his nail bat. Caleb made each of them combo weapons when they were in the game world the first time, and Liam had made sure to hang on to his.

  As Liam ran into the backyard toward Shadow and the zombie, he yelled, "Most games ease you into this sort of thing!" That was true, but Liam also hated the games that insisted on lengthy tutorials. He figured, if the mechanics weren't intuitive enough to learn by doing, it wasn't worth his time.

  He brought the bat behind his shoulder and then swung as hard as he could into the zombie. WHACK! The nail bat made contact with the zombie's head, and just like before, goo splattered all over the front of Liam. Some even got on Shadow.

  But the zombie was down for the count. Liam nudged its torso with his foot. Just to be sure. Didn't want any surprises.

  "Aw, man." Liam brushed Shadow's fur with his hand. "You'll have to get a bath, boy."

  Shadow ducked his head down at the familiar word.

  "Look out!" Caleb yelled from the back porch.

  A zombie had made its way around the shed and grabbed Liam from behind. Liam wrestled against his grip hoping he could wiggle enough to avoid any teeth.

  "I got this!" Rhonda came running out of the house with her bat, too. She yelled as she ran around the backside of the zombie and swung her bat. When the saw blades on the end of the bat made contact with flesh, it wasn't pretty. Zombie gunk spewed from the punctures.

  Caleb joined them. He was still barefooted and half-dressed. He and Rhonda had spent the night with Liam. Since they all agreed to play the game together, they figured they may as well stick together at all times.

  Caleb made a disgusted expression at Rhonda. "Now who's the stinky one?"

  In turn, she wiped a glob of reddish brown zombie goo from her arm and acted like she was going to sling it on the ground, but instead flung it on Caleb's stark white shirt.