“For the birthday girl,” he said.
“Bless you,” she said, snatching it from his hand and bringing it to her lips.
“Oh, I’ve gotta get one of those,” Pierre said, moving off toward the kitchen.
“Also,” Claudia continued, “I just don’t really think it’s that original. I mean why all the secrecy if your product is just another glorified rip-off of System Shock 2?”
“What’s everyone talking about?” Lewis asked, glancing between them.
Jenna lowered her glass, having drained half of it already. “This new sci-fi horror game beta.”
“But it’s not your typical beta,” Claudia added. “They’re calling it ‘Select Access.’ Only people with some degree of prominence in the gaming world have been given it. I guess they gave it to me because I’m a developer, and they obviously sent it to Jenna because she’s, well, her.” Claudia smiled and gestured as if she was introducing a member of a royal family.
Jenna finished the last of the G&T and wiped her mouth. “Aww, thank you.” She looked at the empty glass. “I don’t think there’s enough liquor in the world to make me enjoy an evening with my parents. Be right back.” She headed toward the bar.
“Go easy!” Claudia called after her to no reply. She chuckled and shook her head.
“So what is this game, again?” Lewis asked.
“It’s called Rogue Horizon. Basically, it’s in the future, and they’ve lost contact with this exploratory ship in another solar system. Then, they get there and find it all banged up and drifting into a black hole.”
“Damn, I hate when that happens.”
“So, they send your character to board the ship, and basically the crew has been infected with some alien parasite and it’s all gone to shit. It’s basically every sci-fi horror game since the late 90s, but they definitely try to play up the black hole element – and the VR.”
“I’ve never played a horror game in VR,” Lewis noted. “Is it really that much scarier?”
Claudia nodded. “It is at first, but just like with anything, after a while you start to get used to it. This one’s way gorier than most, but gore doesn’t equal scares in my book. It’s just more disturbing than anything else.”
“What is?” Charlie said, walking over to them nursing a half-empty vodka-cran.
“Rogue Horizon.” She turned to Lewis. “Charlie’s been playing it too.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, a lot of it actually. I thought it was kind of dumb at first, just a cheap blood-fest, but I don’t know… there’s something about it that I just started finding really compelling. I’ve almost finished it now.”
“So for this secret beta, do you have to send feedback or…?”
Charlie nodded. “Yeah, they ask you a survey at the end of the game. They’re planning a big public reveal sometime soon, but they didn’t specify when.”
“Who’s the publisher?” Lewis asked.
“Some indie company, I forget the name,” Claudia said.
Jenna came back over, downing the rest of her second drink as she did so. “Still talking about the game?”
Claudia nodded. “Des says he’s never played a horror game in VR before.”
Jenna’s eyes widened as she turned to her boyfriend. “Really? Then you have to play this one.”
“I’m sure there are better ones to start with,” Claudia objected.
Jenna dismissed her with a wave of the hand. “Nah, he can handle it. Right, Des?” She playfully punched him in the arm.
“I don’t know.” He took another sip, then winked at her. “It might be too scary for me.”
Two hours and several drinks later, Lewis and Jenna bade Ricky and Claudia goodnight and closed the front door behind them. Pierre and Charlie had left earlier.
“That was great,” she said, putting her arm around his shoulder and giving him a peck on the cheek. “But you can’t keep surprises for shit.”
“What gave it away?”
“When you asked for my keys earlier today and wouldn’t tell me why. Also, I saw a to-do list on your desk last time I was at your place.”
He put a hand to his forehead. “Ah, shit.”
Jenna laughed. “Don’t sweat it, I had a really good time. It made up for dinner.” She wobbled slightly and nearly toppled over, but he caught her arm. She laughed again.
“You should probably drink some water and go to bed,” he suggested.
She chuckled and shook her head. “Not until you play the game!”
He glanced at his watch. “Babe, it’s after 1AM. That’s a terrible time to play a horror game.”
“It’s the best time to play a horror game.” She was drunker than he realized. “I haven’t been playing it as much because I’ve been focusing on FPSes for the championship, but I’ve wanted to play it. It’s really, really compelling. There’s something about it…” She put a hand to her head.
“Here,” he said, walking to the kitchen. “Let’s get some water.” He retrieved a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the refrigerator, then handed it to her.
“Thanks,” she said, drinking it. “But I’m not going to bed until you play it.”
“I’ve got to go to work tomorrow.”
She put her arm around him and gave him a mischievous grin. “You really are afraid, aren’t you? Besides, it’s my birthday. I command you.” She kissed him.
Lewis sighed. Had he been even slightly soberer, perhaps he would’ve told her he’d play it tomorrow evening. Lewis let her lead him to the office, which she had set up as her gaming station. It was also where she recorded videos for her YouTube channel. There was a PS4 hooked up to a 40-inch 4K TV and her Alienware 17 laptop sat on the desk, complete with its glowing keyboard. An Oculus Rift headset was plugged into it, two Touch controllers resting a few inches away.
Jenna sat him down in her plush leather chair, which was designed to make long gaming sessions comfortable, and pressed the power button.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked.
She gave another playful smile. “Only one way to find out.”
Then she helped him slide the VR gear over his head.
03
Stars. Everywhere.
Up, down, left, right. No matter where he turned, he found himself suspended in a twinkling void. Then, as he lifted his head back up again, he saw a logo fade in from the blackness. ROGUE HORIZON it read in giant, silvery sci-fi font letters. An eerie soundtrack began playing in the background. Then the phrase “Press Any Button to Continue” materialized below the title.
“Let me guess: you’re still stuck at the main menu, aren’t you?” he heard her voice say from right beside him. It was weird knowing she was right there even though his eyes saw nothing but vast, dark space where she stood.
“No, no, I got it,” he said, hitting the B button on one of the Touch controllers. He held one in each hand.
Suddenly, the logo disappeared and he was engulfed in total darkness. The star field began to fade in once more, a swell of chilling orchestral music growing louder. Ahead of him lay an enormous black hole, its circular rim glowing red as nearby stars, planets, and even light itself were swirled into its inescapable vortex.
He drifted closer and closer, but the gaping maw of the gravitational singularity barely grew larger. Then he realized he was rapidly approaching a lone object, stranded in the abyss. No, not an object – a ship. A big one. It was roughly rectangular in shape and appeared to be several hundred feet long. The closer he got, the clearer the damage to its exterior became. It was battered with large dents along the side; several compartments were torn open and leaking cargo into space.