Game Over

"Keep moving, kid. We gotta get there by sundown." Mystic shouted, looking over his shoulder at Andy, who's feet had begun to drag and arms hang at his sides.
They had set out on their journey back to the dungeons early that morning, when the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon. It was one of the most beautiful sights Andy had seen, and if they weren't pressed for time, he would have loved to just sit and watch. The way the fading night sky could blend with that of the sunlight looked magical, the stars and moon disappearing gradually.
Now, at this point, the sun was up high in the sky. There was no way of time-telling in this world, so Andy could only assume it was noon or sometime after. It sure felt like it, the way the sun beat down on them.

Andy stopped walking and looked up, reaching up a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring ball of light. Right now, all he wanted to do was lay down in some shade and rest, but neither of those were an option at the moment.
"It's so fucking hot out. Is there ever rain here?" Andy whined, lowering his hand and jogging to catch up with the group.
Mourner chuckled. "Oh, yeah, all the time. We have all you can eat pizza buffets, too!" He drawled sarcastically. "We're set in the desert. No rain. Just murderous heat and a few clouds here and there."
"I don't know why you're complaining. You're a video game avatar."
"True, we don't really suffer from the heat here since we're kinda programmed to survive in it. You on the other hand..." Mourner snickered.
Andy rolled his eyes and walked up next to Destroyer, who was walking off to the side of the group, looking at him. "You've been quiet. You okay?"
Destroyer gave him a side glance and shrugged. "Deviant's my best friend." He exhaled. "I'm just a bit rattled by the situation."
Andy nodded and pushed his one leather jacket sleeve up. "I wish I could cut this damn sleeve off. What kind of leather jacket only has one sleeve?" He looked at Destroyers simple, worn vest with various patches decorating it.
"It's stylish." Destroyer shrugged again. Andy smiled a bit, tugging up in the corner of his lips.
"Yeah. I guess. But not ideal for the weather..." He shook his head.
Destroyer snickered quietly and looked back ahead. Andy glared.
"It's not funny." He muttered and looked ahead as well.

Walking.
Walking.
More walking.
They walked for hours on end, and took no time to rest. Andy was so close to passing out that Destroyer had taken a moment to carry him on his back.
Andy was beyond thankful for his companions being practically immune to heat stroke and got to have majority of their water supply to himself, sipping on it to keep hydrated. He gave the canteen back to Mystic, who put it back into his bag slung over his shoulder, and rested his head on Destroyer's shoulder.

He took advantage of his time being carried and closed his eyes, giving in to the exhaustion. He relaxed, falling asleep in a matter of minutes. It probably made it easier for Destroyer to carry him, being that now he wasn't fidgeting every 5 seconds.
Despite the little bumps from Destroyer's walking and pausing to readjust how Andy was sitting against his back, Andy slept peacefully. The peace was soon disrupted when Andy roughly hit the ground, tumbling. His eyes snapped open, trying to assess the situation as quickly as he could. First thing he saw were large, black cloaked figures, with just as large, threatening staffs in their hands. Their headdresses and masks hid their faces from view entirely.
The next thing he saw was Destroyer, laying on his back, a hand reaching up to his head as he groaned low in pain. It wasn't just Destroyer. Mystic and Mourner looked as if they had been carelessly tossed to the ground.
"What happened?" Andy sat up, dusting himself off.
"F.E.A.R." Mystic coughed. "Surprise attack... They knew we were coming."
"It means we're close though." Mourner stood up, facing the line of figures that blocked their path.
Andy looked at them. "They're not armed, unless they think they're gonna hit us with staffs." He rolled his eyes and began to approach.
"Prophet, no!"
Andy didn't listen, continuing to walk slowly and calmly. "See? They're not doing shit." He snorted. He came up face to face to one. "Thought so."
Mystic, Mourner, and Destroyer all watched, stunned as Andy side stepped through the man-made barrier that kept him from entering the large structure that held his key to escape the odd game world.
"That's not... What? It's almost like they're guarding this place, then. But why hadn't they shown up before now?" Mystic muttered, beginning to follow suit. "Unless... Shit, Prophet, get back here." The guards sudden slammed their staffs down, driving them into the ground with such force. Mystic flinched back.
Andy turned. "Why?" He frowned, the door opening behind him as he was about to enter. He took a few steps over to the group that stood on the other side and watched as one of the figures turned slowly, standing to face him head on as he raised his staff in the air. His eyes widened, realizing what was about to happen and ran for the opening. Andy jumped into the air, diving for the entrance just as the staff hit the ground and sent off a forceful wave of energy that knocked all but the building and the other guards to the ground. Andy went in head first, at such force that he was flung far inside and against the wall.
Andy pulled himself to his feet and rubbed his head, the door having slid shut and made the room dark once again. He didn't bother to let his eyes adjust and took a step, his foot meeting nothing but empty space and tumbling forward over himself into a deep, black pit.
"Ah- Shit. Fuck, shit." He hissed, grabbing his ankle quickly.

"Are you okay...?" A small voice asked from the dark.
Andy's eyes shot open, the icy orbs searching for the source. "H-Hello? Who's down here? Where.. Where is 'down here'?" He stood and leaned on the wall to alleviate pressure on his leg.
Once his eyes adjusted he saw a pair of eyes, gazing at him tiredly.
"This is the deepest part of the dungeon. It's where the rebels go." The voice answered. "Are you okay?"
Andy looked down at himself. "I think so... A few scratches and- Ah, I think I fucked up my left leg but I should be fine..."
He saw the silhouette nod and shift positions. "Why are you here?"
"To.. uh. To rescue you. All of you."
The eyes lit up a bit. "Really?"
"Yeah. I need to keep moving though. Before I get caught. Sh." He raised a finger to his lips and hobbled through the eerily dark dungeon corridor, pursing his lips tightly together to refrain from gasping in pain with each step.
He stopped, suddenly, as a light flickered in the very last cell. He furrowed his brow. "It can't be..." He limped over and pushed open the rusted cell door. "Why is this one empty?" He looked around.
Andy investigated the tiny cell, looking and observing each stone that was built into the wall until he noticed that one in particular was loose. "Cliche, much?" he snorted and removed it, seeing the small switch that strategically blended in with the dark stones. He flipped it and took a step back, frowning suddenly.
"Wait. No, no no-" he rushed back over and tried to switch it back, but despite his effort, the ground still shook, and the darkness still began to close in as the game went into full reset mode.
Something wasn't right.
That was too easy. Way too easy.

Notes