abcnovels
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
The second day kinda blended with the previous one since I didn't sleep at all. When the first rays of the sun got inside our hideout, Aisha whispered to me:
- Do you think we will die here?
- I… I hope not. I don't want to die only wearing my underwear.
She chuckled at my joke, and I continued:
- It's too early to think about death. We should focus on figuring out this place, and finding food.
- Yeah, you are right. I'm starving.
- There is grass here, so there is hope...
Bulgarians also woke up, or maybe they were pretending to be asleep all along. We got out of our hideout and started searching around again.
Few hours passed, and I managed to confirm my worst fears. I picked up a few rocks, to check if there were any bugs hiding underneath, but just as I thought, there were none. Grass and small plants that appeared here and there were the only things that made me not lose my hope. But besides that, it was only us waiting to die in this whole empty world.
I didn't tell anybody what I found out, but they probably were coming up with the same conclusions. Slowly despair started to blossom in our minds. Anybody could see it. All of us gradually become more impatient, and angry, to the point when every single move showed the state of our minds. Then it happened. Zdravets yelled on top of his lungs:
- Hey! Hey!
We rushed to him as fast as we could only to discover that we were not alone here. Another group was with him, attempting to talk. Aisha was the first to get to them, and her English breached the walls of language barriers.
Those people were part of an even larger group. They managed to find each other and started looking around for more. It seemed like tens of human beings were scattered all over the city. We allowed them to lead us to what was about to become the civilization.
I had my fears, but the rest seemed to be overjoyed by the thought of other people. In the end, I didn't say anything and just followed. We wandered for about an hour, or maybe two. Aisha talked a lot. Bulgarians also tried, but it was harder for them. Only I kept my silence, and the new people occupied with others didn't ask me anything.
We managed to find out that people were dragged from all around the world to this deserted place. We also confirmed some things, like that there seem to be no animals around to hunt, and also that there are barely any plants.
They managed to find a few trees, probably decorative ones, cause they looked like somebody was taking care of them. No dead branches, or leaves. Everything green and pretty. Totally in opposition to the ruined structures. It was so strange, bizarre, but at that point, we had no idea about the place, nor its purpose.
When we finally arrived there were a lot of new people, and I was not the only one wearing just underwear. Around twelve or even fifteen people were there. I won't write their names, cause I just don't remember a lot of them. Many people died, many were forgotten with time.
We didn't manage to talk much with the others, because a guy named Juan, whose name I found out much later, brought news about a strange object which he stumbled upon. Information spread like wildfire, and everybody followed him to the center of the city – which we also found about later.
At first sight, it reminded me about the old European city markets. Buildings around were bigger, but also in ruins. And in the middle of an empty cobblestone floor, there was a single object levitating above the ground. It was a grayish sphere. It seemed like some kind of liquid, slowly rotating in a perfectly round spherical shape. Like a ball of some kind. And at the same time, it looked like it was not moving at all.
Probably some kind of optic illusion. There were also some strange black geometric shapes on the floor next to it. It looked like they were freshly painted, cause the color was still very intense, and the lines in perfect condition.
Many words were spoken, many theories were made. Some people proposed we should examine it, touch it, try to move it, etc. Others said it's too dangerous and we have no idea what that object might do. The only obvious thing was that there, in front of us, levitated a secret of this place. Maybe even the key to our escape. And then, in the middle of all this idle talking, Juan just touched it. As soon as he did, his hand shot backward, as if he just got burned.
- What happened? - asked many people.
But he didn't answer, just touched it again. A couple of seconds went by as we were holding our breaths, and without any explosion, light, or sound, in the middle of geometric shapes painted on the cobblestone, an apple appeared. Juan looked at the fruit, picked it up, smelled it, and finally took a bite. Then laughed, very hard, like a crazy person.
- What the hell happened? - yelled somebody from the middle of the crowd.
I actually wanted to ask the same question.
- It… it gives food – replied Juan. - When you touch it… In... In your mind… The images appear of anything you think about. Like… like this apple – he showed us fruit in his hand. - You can buy it. There are points… You have points… I can't explain it. But You know about them, they are in your mind…
His hands started to move quickly as the explanation went on.
- And then when you find the thing you want, you can buy it, like in a shop. And… and when I did, the apple just appeared here – he pointed at the paintings on the floor.
- Let me see – somebody rushed to the device to check it.
Soon a lot of food was bought, and many conversations about the strange levitating ball took place. It looked like every single one of us had a hundred points of some kind, and we were able to buy simple things. Like fruits, raw meat, pieces of wood, or rock.
Nothing that required any kind of craftsmanship or technology to make. I didn't get my chance to check the device on my own. At first, I wanted to, but it was stormed by others, and then I realized it might be better to wait. Check what will happen to others.
I was hungry to the point my hand and legs were shaking, but I somehow managed to resist. Nobody was willing to share what they've got. I observed them carefully and waited. Aisha gave me a curious eye when she noticed I didn't buy anything but also didn't say a word about it.
Some decisions were made, to stay in this place and inhabit one of the bigger buildings. To clean them up, and make space for ourselves. Others also gathered when they got the news about the device. I tried to count how many people were there, and I confirmed around a hundred.
I didn't go to sleep that night either. In the middle of the night, when it looked like nobody was around, I made my way to the ball to finally examine it. Nothing happened to the people who bought and ate food from it, so I decided to try.
It will be hard to explain what exactly I experienced, but I'll try my best. I touched the object, but my hand was pushed slightly back just before the skin on my palm would make contact with whatever it was. I closed my eyes, like others, however, nothing appeared in my mind at first.
Then I thought about something to drink, like bottled water, but nothing showed up. I confirmed that only basic things can be bought. And a bit later I found out that actually, I could get water, but only without a container, as a raw material. Which was obviously pointless.
I browsed through many things trying to remember how much worth was every single item that seemed to be helpful but did not buy a single thing yet. It was hard to stop myself, because of hunger and thirst, but my willpower was strong.
When I was finally done I stepped back to do some calculation, and after I bought two big apples, which I ate a moment later, sitting under a wall of one of the closest buildings. Those were probably the best apples I ever had in my entire life. Probably because of hunger.
I ate them all, wasting nothing. Then started to think again. Normally I would for sure be very tired, but this discovery just kept my mind going. I wanted to figure out how that strange device was working, and its limitations. What else could we buy? What was its purpose? And the most important thing, how does one get more points?
Did we have to kill or use each other to obtain more? Or the hundred was all we got? I knew very soon others will have the same thoughts, and some of those people will start acting on them. It was not safe here. I stood up and approached the device again. Touched it and thought about things, objects, but there was not much more I found while doing it.
Then an idea came to me. I started thinking about how it all works, and how I can figure out its limitations. Something showed up. A manual. It looked like a book, but I knew it was not. It was just data that would force itself into my brain the very moment I would buy it. How did I know that? Well, I just did, and you will find out later. I looked at the price. 10 000 001. Yes, ten million and one point.
Ridiculous – I thought.
How can I get this many points?
Manual appeared again. It was obvious it held all the answers, but there was no way I could buy it.
Do we have to kill each other to get this many points?
It appeared again.
Damn it. Was this some kind of twisted game? A battle royale of some kind, that we just didn't realize yet?
Nothing.
What else can I buy?
Manual appeared again.
Fuck you!
Nothing.
I stepped back and walked again to the spot I was sitting on. To think. This thing could clearly respond to my thoughts, which was incredibly useful to gain information. It just knew what I wanted and showed me if it was possible to obtain. Then what about things I couldn't obtain? Could I buy a property, like a house or a piece of land? There was only one way to find out. I rushed to the device yet again.
Can I buy a house?
And it showed me the whole city. Like I was a bird flying aboveground. I could move and check things. Every building I looked at showed a price. A price I couldn't pay. They costed thousands of points. But that wasn't all there was to buy. I could also get a piece of the whole city. Price depended on the size of the land.
How do I get more damn points? There has to be a way since this stuff costs more than a hundred!
Manual appeared again.
I was so angry I wanted to punch this stupid thing. But fortunately, I didn't give in to the emotions.
Is there a way to buy things that are not available?
Two things showed up. One of them was that fucking manual, but the other was something entirely different. Like the concept of something, making the device better, an upgrade. And the price was 100000 points.
I pulled my hand back. There clearly was a way to obtain more points. We just didn't know how, and the answer was in that fucking manual we couldn't buy.
Was there another way to find out? Maybe I should tell others about this. No, they will get to the same conclusion I did and the slaughter will begin. Now at least I have some time to figure out things and hide. That was my line of thinking. I stood just one step from the device for several minutes, thinking of what to do. Then yet again I touched it.
What is the purpose of this place?
Nothing
Was there no purpose to this thing? There was no way it was true. This thing clearly had its purpose. I just couldn't accept that.
Who lived here before us?
Nothing
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What is the purpose of the device?
Nothing again.
Clearly, this thing knew nothing about the history of this place or its purpose. I was asking the wrong questions. Then what questions were the right ones? This thing allowed us to exchange points for things. Objects, but not only that. I could buy that fucking manual, but it was not an object. It was data. I also could buy an upgrade to the device, which was an entirely different thing. Images flashed in my mind as I was thinking. The device tried to show me the items I was thinking of. Then can I buy things that are not physical?
Manual.
I want to be smarter.
And a possibility to make myself smarter appeared. It costed only 30 points. Which was a lot of food, so I didn't buy it, but I also didn't give up on that idea.
What can I upgrade about myself?
Manual. Fucking manual again.
I want to upgrade myself.
And several options showed up. I could change my appearance, but more importantly, I could buy more strength, agility, constitution, intelligence, get wiser, or become more charismatic. Just like in an RPG game.
Every statistic upgrade was for 30 points. Also, it was not the end of what the device showed me. There was an option to change my physicality, and even fix what was wrong with my body. In that case, it showed me my eyes, because my sight was bad.
This was groundbreaking. I stood a chance with my short and relatively weak body. I stepped back and took a walk to find a place to sleep. I didn't want to be with others.. I've hidden in some ruined building and lied down to think, but instead I passed out from exhaustion.