Drake waited in front of Mike's house, waiting for him to come out of the house. He could see Chad walking across the street to get in the car. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder, his archery equipment affixed to the side. In one hand, he held a tumbler of coffee.
Mike's front door opened, and he came out as Chad was getting in the car.
Chad waited for Mike to get in the car before he spoke. "So, did you play that game last night?"
Disappointment washed over Drake's features. "No," he grumbled. "I got everything set up and went to the portal to start playing, but once in, I couldn't get my character to move. All three of them looked around and at each other as if they didn't know what to do. I tried everything. They won't move."
Mike's brow raised. "All THREE of them? Why would you have three characters?"
Drake sighed as he pulled out onto the street. "This game was weird to set up. You have your character, then you have to create two or more cohort characters. I created the minimum." Drake started to chuckle. "I created us."
For some reason, this caught Chad's attention. He leaned forward in his seat. "Us?"
"Yeah. The character options are all humans. You can change hair color, body build. You can even choose clothes. I created all three of us. When you look at the screen, it looks like we're all in the game."
Chad sat back in his seat. "I think I would like to come to your house to see it for myself. That sounds weird but kind of cool."
Mike nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's one of those things that you have to see for yourself."
Drake kept driving. He couldn't help but smile at the fact that, for once, his friends were showing real interest in his games. Normally, they would ask questions for his benefit rather than theirs. It seemed that for once, they really were interested.
With his mind occupied with his friend's interest, Drake didn't see the cat on the side of the road until it was too late. It dashed in front of his car. When he saw it in front of him, he tensed up and yanked the wheel, trying to avoid hitting the cat.
The car went flying over the shoulder of the road, slamming into the ditch, then bouncing up. He was a new driver, so he didn't think to start trying to slow down. The car flew out of the ditch and into the field.
The field was full of wheat ready to be harvested. The stalks flew by like golden waves. Drake slammed on the brakes, but nothing happened. The car kept going.
Chad had his bow held tightly in one hand, and the other was pressed against the seat. It appeared he was more interested in protecting his bow than himself.
Mike had his arms stretched out, trying to prevent as much movement as possible.
The car kept going. It was only luck that the wheat field was so large. They wouldn't hurt anyone as they plowed their way through the wheat.
Drake kept slamming his foot on the brake over and over again, trying to get the brakes to work. The car was starting to slow down, but not by much. The brakes weren't working. It was the tall wheat in the field that was slowing the car down.
"Stop. Damn it!" Drake yelled. "Fucking Stop!"
As the car slowed bit by bit, the clear sky above began to cloud over. Dark gray clouds swiftly blanketed the sky. A bolt of lightning shot in front of them. The sky roared in anger as the thunder rolled across the sky. Fat water began to fall, sheets of rain so thick that it was difficult to see through, making it even harder to see out the windshield.
The car parted the wheat like waves, slowly slowing down. It was in small increments. The youths could only hope that they would come to a stop before they reached the other end of the field.
Lightning shot from the sky. The thunder roared as the rain washed over them. Drake fought the wheel, trying to have some measure of control over the car. It was working, but only a little.
Another flash of lightning shot in front of them. A sudden flash of light followed, spreading out, forming a long disk. The car was slower, but not slow enough. It resembled the dimensional portal in Drake's new game. He tried to swerve to avoid it. The wheel wouldn't turn. The car was determined to go through it.
The car shot through the disk of light. The swirling energy suddenly faded after the body of the car was completely through. Drake's foot was still pressed to the brakes. The brakes suddenly worked, forcing the car to skid to a stop. The boys froze. All three of them were breathing hard from panic at what had just happened.
Silence washed over them. They were all in shock.
Lifting his head, Drake peered out the window. They were in a clearing with forest all around them. It was familiar. "What the fuck!" he gasped out loud.
Mike looked over at him. "What happened? Where are we?"
Chad's face was pale. He didn't say anything.
Drake looked back at Mike. "This…This is where the portal brought us to," he said in shock. "It's the same. We're in the same place."
"What do you mean?" Mike asked, not following.
Drake opened the car door, grabbed his backpack off the seat, and stepped out. His friends followed. Chad was still holding his bow and quiver. It was his security blanket.
"What do you mean?" Mike repeated.
"Bring your backpacks…Just in case." Drake advised. Then studied their clothes. "It's…It's the same."
"What do you fucking mean!?" Mike growled.
Drake turned and looked at his friends. "The game. My character walked through a portal, and this," he said, sweeping his hand around him, indicating their surroundings were the start of the game. "Our clothes…The ones our characters are wearing in the game. It's the same as what clothes we are wearing now. I think I understand the back of the box now. The game was the key to getting us here."
Chad looked over in Drake's direction, still holding his bow tightly. What exactly did the back of the box say?"
Drake recited what he could remember. It wasn't hard. There wasn't much to remember. "Dimension Master, your key to an open world where you will fight magical beasts, collect loot, and grow your cohort's power. Find the hidden quests for real-world rewards."
Mike paced a few times before stopping and looking at Drake. "I still don't understand. You're the smart one. What does it mean?"
Drake sucked in a breath. "It means that the game 'Dimension Master' was not a game. It was a key to get to this dimension. I think that the reason I couldn't move my characters was that they were the key to getting ourselves in." Drake paused for a moment, thinking before he continued with his interpretation. "In this world, we will need to fight magical beasts. I think, like in a game, they will drop loot. I'm not sure about that yet. According to the box. We need to figure out the hidden quests and since it references the real world. I think we can find our way out of here. I also think, but I'm not sure, that the loot and anything else we gain, we can take back with us. The downside is that since we are physically here. I think we can die here. Unlike a game, there's no reset button."
Chad remained quiet, taking in everything Drake said. Mike emptied his backpack of all his school items, leaving his lunch inside. "I think we need to prepare to stay here a while. We need to make room for whatever we find that will help us survive."
Chad nodded, then both he and Drake did the same. Chad didn't take any chances and kept his hand firmly on his bow. The part about fighting magical beasts scared the shit out of him. Drake opened the trunk of the car and filled his school bag with water. The others split the rest between their own packs. They didn't want to run out. Drake kept bottled water in the trunk of his car. The boys were able to store all the water that was in the car.
The Trio stepped away from the car and looked toward the forest. Drake pointed ahead of them, in the same direction the car was facing. "This is the direction our avatars were facing in the game. I think that means that's the direction we need to go."
They took several steps in that direction. They scanned the wooded area, trying to decide the best course of action. Turning to give the car one last look… They were shocked to find that it was no longer there.