The day Owen’s life changed started like any other. He woke up early in the morning, made and ate breakfast, and started the drive to school. The school day played out as usual. His professors talked and he yawned and tried not to fall asleep. But as the day came to a close he grew more and more excited. He and his friend Thomas had finally save enough to buy capsules for Royal Road!

  He got to their meeting spot well ahead of time, but didn't have to wait long before he heard Thomas cry out.

  “Hey you slacker!”

  Owen was lifted up into a huge bear hug from his childhood friend. He burst out into a big smile.

  “Put me down ya giant bastard!”

  He yelled, laughing the whole time. Thomas dropped him suddenly and jumped onto a bench,

  “Duuude!” “We are finally gonna be able to have the adventures we dreamed about!”

  Owen looked up at Thomas who had begun acting out an epic sword fight on the park bench, including loud swishing sword noises.

  “Well come on then” Owen said

  “Let’s go get them so you can swing a sword for real instead of scaring all the people in the park.”

  Thomas let out a huge grin and hopped down off the bench.

  “Ha!” “This is gonna be great.”

  By the time they got to the game store there was a large crowd gathering, full of people excited to purchase the new capsules for Royal Road. Thomas nudged Owen’s shoulder with a grin.

  “Guess I gotta thank ya for badgering me about the preorder.”

  Owen laughed and aimed a smug smile at Thomas.

  “Come on let’s get in line, the store opens soon.”

  Time passed slowly in line and it was made ever more apparent when what they wanted was so close. Owen and Thomas passed the time making fun of the OTW (One True World) group trying to convince the “heathens” that VR is a sin and they were all going to perish for ignoring dogma that VR is ruining our world. They’d been doing this since Royal Road came out so no one in the crowd really paid any attention to them.

  They should have.

  Owen’s eyes snapped open and he looked around him in confusion.

  --What happened?—

  The last thing he could remember was hanging out with Thomas in line.

  --Thomas! Where’s Thomas!?—

  He got up to look around him when a searing pain ripped through his side. He collapsed onto his knees and bit back a cry of pain. As he pressed a hand to his side he felt a sickening wetness, and his hand came away damp with his blood. He struggled back to his feet, hand pressed tightly to his side. He gathered his breath and called out for Thomas.

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  “THOMAS!!”

  There was no reply. He took another deep breath and erupted into a coughing fit as the dust choked air filled his lungs.

  “Thomas!”

  He called again but still no reply. He started to panic and called out again.

  “TOMMY YOU BASTARD! ANSWER ME!”

  Once again silence, but as he was about to shout again he heard a voice behind him softly speak.

  “Shut up asshole, some of us need our beauty sleep”

  Owen spun around with a smile that quickly fell as he saw the state of his friend. Thomas was pinned against a wall by a large piece of concrete. The wall behind him broken and cracked. Several pieces of rebar showing themselves, piercing Thomas’s shoulder and side.

  “Oh, Shit”

  Owen blurted out as he saw Thomas. Thomas let out a weak smile.

  “That bad huh?”

  Owen looked at Thomas sadly and replied

  “Nah…you can walk it off”

  Thomas chuckled and grimaced in pain.

  “Ahh! You asshole, don’t make me laugh”

  Owen walked over to where Thomas lay trapped and collapsed to the ground next to him. Thomas looked over to his friend at his side.

  “I’m glad you’re okay little buddy”

  Owen glanced at Thomas and scowled.

  “Told you not to call me that”

  “Yeah well you called me Tommy earlier, we’re even”

  Owen chuckled softly

  “Hah, you asshole”

  Several minutes passed where all you heard was the sound of their breathing and of rock and concrete settling. But finally through the debris filled air, flashing red and blue lights and the shouts of people could be heard. Owen got his feet under him and called out.

  “Over Here!” “Please Help!”

  Owen looked down excited only to see an unconscious Thomas.

  “Thomas!”

  He knelt and tried to waken his incapacitated friend. The shouts grew closer and closer. He called out again.

  “Please! Over Here!”

  Paramedics appeared out of the cloudy air, running towards them. The relief Owen felt was indescribable. He lost consciousness, falling to the ground as the paramedics closed in.

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