Virtual Reality: Dark Days

Calm Before The Storm

Scott had been in his car for nearly half a day watching the Mallarme's eat dinner with Alex. He couldn't believe how quickly they adjusted to him being in their house. Giving asylum to a person like Alex, a murderer, caused Scott to see Mallarme's just the same way. It was sickening to Scott. He was seeing someone have fun, while the ones Alex killed could not. Soon, the young fugitive would pay. Due to the phone call Scott made to Jason Callahan, Alex would soon be brought to justice. There would be no way for him to run this time. Scott found himself smiling over this. He couldn't wait for it all to come crashing down upon Alex.

A knock at the passenger-side window of Scott's car nearly made him jump from his seat. He was under the impression that he'd been caught by a local, but, he was wrong. The person trying to get his attention was not an Algerian. His skin was pale. As a matter of fact, it was too pale for such a sun-blazed country. The small, lengthy man gestured for Scott to roll down his window and so Scott did.

"You're free to go." The man said. "We'll take it from here."

"Um..." Scott tried gathering his words. "Who are you?"

"A friend of Callahan's," the man said.

"Oh." Scott thought he'd be able to do more here, but unfortunately, he'd be of no use. "Okay."

Scott took off from the grassy hill top he sat upon, leaving the man alone. The tall, slender man that had relieved Scott was none other than the assassin Jason had hired to kill Alex. His name was Ban Millard and he had gotten all the information about who he was to kill from Jason before arriving. Since he was too far away to even get a good look at the target, he removed the duffle bag that hung from his shoulder. Opening it, he gathered all the pieces he needed to assemble his weapon. Ban's preferred weapon of choice during moments like this was a Barrett M82 sniper rifle. The weapon was able to hold up to ten rounds, which meant he didn't have to reload so often. While Ban was a near perfect shooter, there were moments when he'd have to pull the trigger more than once.

Ban had positioned himself on his belly, staring into the scope of his now assembled sniper. He leveled it exactly at the dining room window where he could get a good look at what was going on inside the home of the Mallarme's. They all looked so at peace with one another. Everyone was completely unaware of what was about to happen to them. The target needed to be in a safe mindset or else the mission could go in the worst way for Ban.

"I'm in position." Ban spoke into the earpiece he had. "On my mark, make your move."

Ban pulled the trigger on his gun. A single bullet had shot out and went flying through the window of the Mallarme's home, blasting through a plate and into the dining table.

In the kitchen of the Mallarme's home, Raafi was helping to cook dinner with Sanvi. Alex and Jabirah sat silently at the dining room table. Alex was mostly keeping to himself but Jabirah, on the other hand, was thinking about Alex. Every now and then, she'd peek at him, trying to figure him out without asking. She watched a lot of American movies and TV shows that had many different portrayals of criminals or murderers. Out of all the ones she'd ever seen before, Alex didn't match up with any of them. Alex had the look of a regular man who wouldn't hurt a fly. It puzzled her so much that she forgot to look away from Alex at one moment. It was at that same moment that Alex turned to look at her. At that point, she knew she had to come clean.

"Sorry." Jabirah had no idea what else to say. "I just can't-."

"Can't believe I'm a criminal?" Alex had already guessed it before Jabirah could say it.

"Yeah..." Jabirah said. "I gotta know... did you mean to kill all those people? Or was that just a lie?"

"I did." Alex was suddenly facing all the lives he had taken through memory. "I had to."

"Why?" Jabirah had never known a situation that required such an act. "What did they do?"

"They took something from me." Alex simplified it, not wanting to go into greater detail. "Something that I had to work hard to get back. None of them were going to let me live. So I had to make a choice. Them or me."

"What did they take?" Jabirah became intrigued by it all. The answer she was looking for would have to come later as her grandfather and mother entered the room. Raafi and Sanvi carried with them couscous, harira and two loafs of baguette. Alex had never seen a spread like this before. His stomach grumbled just smelling it. His dinners have mainly consisted of burgers and pizza since living in the country. This type of dinner spread was all brand new to him and he couldn't wait to dig in.

"I see your eyes." Raafi teased Alex. "Bet you never had this back in your country. Potato chips and donuts. Yuck. Here! You get real! Authentic! Algerian food!"

"Calm down." Sanvi said to her father as she served a plate of food to Alex. "Here. Eat as much as you'd like."

"Thank you." Alex took the plate from Sanvi and immediately began chowing down. Jabirah nearly laughed watching the young fugitive go to town on the dish. By the time Alex had realized what he was doing, everyone else had stopped to stare at him. Alex hadn't even set the plate down to eat before going all in on the dish. He simply couldn't help himself from keeping his starving belly at bay. "Sorry. I'm really hungry."

Raafi burst out into laughter over Alex's actions. He knew the young fugitive was hungry, but he didn't know he was starving. Raafi aggressively patted Alex on the back. "It's alright, American. Eat your heart out."

Alex did just that, but in a more pleasant manner. Sanvi had begun to prepare food for her daughter when she thought it was a good time to ask Alex some questions. "So, what made you come to Algiers?"

"It seemed safe." Alex wiped the area around his mouth. "I didn't want to travel to some place nearby. So I avoided places like Canada or Mexico."

"I wouldn't have." Jabirah butted in.

"Jabirah!" Sanvi shouted.

"What?" Jabirah protested. "You're telling me you'd come here and not Canada?"

"No," Sanvi said. "This is my home. I wouldn't trade it for anything on this planet."

"Okay." Raafi tried calming Sanvi down. "We've lived here for quite some time and we've had our fair share of troubles here."

"You mean terrorist attacks." Jabirah butted in again.

"Terrorist attacks?" Alex finally stopped eating. "What kind of attacks?"

"Suicide bombings." Raafi kept it short. "Nothing you Americans haven't seen."

"Is that why you moved out here?" Alex asked.

"Yes," Raafi said. "We nearly got killed years ago. I promised to never let my family get into trouble like that again. I've protected them no matter what."

Sanvi smiled at her father, remembering all the hard times they had. Tears even began to build up just visualing the pain she'd seen her father in during the worst of times. She knew now wasn't the time to cry and switched the tone before darker stories were told.

"Alright, well, I'm ready to eat." Sanvi said. "So let's dig in."

"You mean more?" Jabirah asked. "Alex is already ready for a second plate."

Alex couldn't help but smile graciously at an empty plate in front of him. Sanvi laughed and shook her head. She reached out for Alex's plate and just before she could grab it, a bullet was shot through the plate and into the table. Everyone jumped. Sanvi let out a scream before they rushed to take cover. Fear had struck their hearts. Jabirah had believed that it was more terrorists coming to threaten their home, but Alex knew. The coincidence of terrorists attacking out of the blue right when he arrived at the Mallarme's didn't sound right to him. He peeked his head over the kitchen countertop, hoping to get a good look outside. Alex had tried searching for the attacker through the bullet hole in the window. From the trajectory that it came in from, there was no doubt that the shooter was up on the hill top far from them.

"You have any guns?" Alex asked Raafi. Raafi nodded his head and began to lead him out of the kitchen, avoiding any shots being sent at him. He looked at his daughter and granddaughter before leaving and could see how terrified they looked. Raafi had been reminded of a day he thought would never come again. "Hey! Where are the guns?"

Raafi shook the thoughts away. They were getting to him and he needed to focus on protecting his family. Raafi led Alex to a gunroom within the basement of his home. There, Alex saw an abundance of weapons. Enough weapons to supply an army. There were guns from collections Alex never knew of. Raafi walked over to his own personal gun: the M16. He turned to Alex, who had picked up a FN SCAR.

"Should I even ask where you got all of these from?" Alex asked Raafi, but Raafi didn't have time to talk. His focus was now on preparing the gun for battle. "I'm sorry."

Raafi stopped what he was doing and turned to Alex. He didn't understand what he was apologizing for until just now. He hadn't even considered the thought of the sniper being sent to kill Alex. He couldn't focus on that now. There was now a chance to save his family and atone for the mistake he made of letting Alex enter his home. "Let's go."

Raafi and Alex exited the basement and sneaked around the house. There, Alex was able to point in the direction of where the bullet came from. Raafi peered at the hilltop and could see the sun glare off the sniper rifle scope. The attacker had the advantage. Any move they would tried to make on him would be noticed in an instant.

"We'll have to run," Raafi admitted. "They'll pick us off if we attempt to make a move on them. They're smart."

"But don't you have a gun that we can use on him from here?" Alex asked.

"No," Raafi said. "And I don't want to fight. Not like this."

"Stop!" Alex shouted. "You can't just leave! This is your home! Remember?!"

Raafi paused. He thought about Alex's words. Raafi knew there was no way of attacking the sniper right now. Making a run for it would give them the chance of surviving and possibly even returning home someday. He continued along inside his home to prepare his family for travel.

Ban had continued to scope out the area after sending a bullet into the home. He never intended to kill anyone. The killing part would come later. For now, he wanted to scare the family into doing what he wanted. Ban had done his research on them and knew that one of them would likely take action instead of running. This would then allow the fighter and the target to branch off and attempt to make a move on him.

Ban caught a glimpse of Alex and Raafi peeking at him from beside the house. He knew that now was the chance to make his next move.

"They're outside." Ban spoke to the earpiece. "Execute."

Sanvi had watched her father leave them alone and began to pray for their safety. Throughout all of this, she hadn't realized that her only child was curled up into a ball against the wall crying. Sanvi felt so selfish for not having considered her daughter's pain. She crawled over to her and held Jabirah in her arms. This was all Sanvi had to protect now. Until her father got back, she couldn't let any harm come to Jabirah.

"Where did he go?" Jabirah asked her mother.

"Don't worry." Sanvi kissed her head. "Everything will be alright."

Right as Sanvi spoke those words, the side door to the house was kicked open. A man of great physicality entered the house with a smile on his face. He looked around trying to find his targets, but caught no sight of them.

"Where are they?" The second assassin Jason hired named Jack Smith said to the earpiece. He had been connected with Ban and was waiting for his moment to strike. Ban told him that they should still be in the kitchen and that's when Jack made his way toward them. Sanvi heard Jack coming and grabbed the nearest knife. As Jack entered the kitchen, she attempted to stab his chest. Jack had been a martial artist for many years and, with his time being an assassin, he'd gotten a lot of experience with those more skilled than Sanvi. Her attack, while sudden, was avoidable for Jack. He managed to dodge the blade and grab her arm. "There you are!"

Jack sent his palm right into Sanvi's stomach, sending her against the wall and to the floor. She was down. Jabirah had watched her mom get attacked and believed that they were going to die. She looked up at Jack, who waved at her. His calm demeanor didn't make her feel any better. He bent down in front of her with the hopes of calming her down.

"I'm not here to kill you." Jack said as he tapped one of her pressure points. "I'm just here to take you both in."

Ban had continued to watch the house. He wasn't going to move until Jack gave him a signal to go. Everything had gone according to their plan so far. Separate the fighters from the family and kidnap the others. The moment Jack stepped outside with a thumbs up, Ban got on his feet and headed to his car. He tossed the duffle bag and gun in the back to make a quick drive to the Mallarme's house.

Jack had Jabirah and Sanvi in the doorway. Ban remained in the driver's seat with the car still running. He couldn't be too sure of something going wrong.

"Think you can help a brother out?" Jack was nearly out of breath just getting Sanvi into the car.

"No." Ban said bluntly, still keeping an eye out for Alex or Raafi.

"Cunt." Jack said to himself while putting Jabirah into the car. He straightened his back out, feeling the pain of using it so much to pick up the two girls. Jack hopped onto the passenger seat beside Ban. "Hit it!"

Ban pulled off from the house, taking the only family Raafi had left.

Raafi and Alex made it back into the kitchen where they noticed something was wrong. Raafi looked around for his Sanvi and Jabirah. As soon as he stepped into view of the window, Alex grabbed his arm to stop him. But that's when he noticed something. Raafi was still alive. The shooter hadn't shot him. Raafi soon realized this as well and knew something was off. He called out to his family only to receive no response. He searched the entire house before noticing the side door was wide open. The tire tracks on the ground spelled it out for him. This was all a game and they played right into it. Raafi pounded his fist into the ground and shouted up into the skies.

Alex had watched the man act out and couldn't help but feel as if this was all his fault. Whoever had kidnapped Sanvi and Jabirah were smarter and more cunning than he had faced before.

Ban and Jack pulled up to a club called Havana. There, they'd stay for the time being. Ban had looked into places they could use to hold the two and Havana was the best spot. With it being a club, there was a cellar underground where they kept most of their alcohol. The only problem was that they'd be using it for reasons that would likely get them arrested. Ban had prepared for this by bringing lots of money to bribe the owner. He handed the cash to Jack.

"Here," Ban said. "Go inside and ask to speak with the manager."

"What for?" Jack asked.

"Tell him that we're going to rent his cellar for 4 days," Ban said.

"What if he doesn't want this?" Jack asked.

"There's more," Ban said. "Lots more."

Jack stepped out of the vehicle, feeling like this would end badly for him, and entered the club. After being checked by security, he was allowed inside. From there, the bouncer showed him to the manager's office somewhere far from the dance floor.

One knock and the manager allowed the bouncer to enter. The bouncer introduced Jack to the manager and left the two to themselves while he stood outside. Jack took it upon himself to shake the manager's hand, but the manager had no interest in doing that. This then left Jack standing there like a fool with his hand out. He pulled his hand back and took a seat, feeling the embarrassment of the situation.

"What do you want?" The manager asked.

"The name is Jack Smith." Jack introduced himself. "I'd like to rent your cellar for a few days."

"Excuse me?" The manager asked.

"I know." Jack laughed. "It's weird. But we need it and I've got a lot of money."

"I don't care." The manager said. "This is my place. I store drinks in that cellar. If you use it, there's no telling how much money I'll lose if you knock something over. No! Take your money and leave."

"Mate." Jack leaned forward. "I'm not asking."

Jack had managed to hide a knife within his clothes so well that the bouncer hadn't even noticed. When he noticed the manager not taking his words very well, Jack reached for the blade. Without fail, Jack tossed the blade right into the manager's shoulder. The manager screamed loudly, giving notice to the bouncer standing outside. As soon as Jack heard the knob being twisted, he leaped from the chair and sent his leg at the door. Right as the bouncer peaked his head in, Jack kicked the door, crushing the bouncer's head against the wall.

The manager soon realized that he wasn't messing with an average man. Jack was a being of extraordinary skills and the manager was not ready to feel his wrath.

"So..." Jack rubbed his hands together. "How about that deal?"

Jack walked out of Havana with the money now in the hands of the manager and the cellar open to them. He was so happy with his work he couldn't help but show it. Ban, on the otherhand, didn't like how happy Jack looked. Jack bent down to Ban in the car.

" A deal has been made," Jack said with a smile. "The cellar is ours."

"Good," Ban said. "Let's get in. I'm going to park."

Jack got back in his seat and was taken off to a spot Ban deemed suitable to keep the car hidden. While he didn't care about it, Ban wanted to make sure that no eyes would be on them as they transferred the bodies from the car into the cellar.

The Manager allowed them inside and nearly shut the door when he saw what Ban and Jack were bringing. He only stopped himself from shutting the door because of how threatening Ban looked. The Manager could practically feel his death lurking towards him with Ban close by. Things now began to feel uneasy for the club owner. He felt himself losing his mind at every second. There was no way he could call the police on them. But allowing these two to do whatever they wanted would put his club-owning career in the gutter. It was a no-win situation for the Manager and he knew it.

Ban and Jack both placed the bodies in the corner of the cellar while Jack took it upon himself to admire the alcohol in the cellar. Some of the drinks there were really expensive.

"Mate." Jack gasped. "You didn't tell me this was a classy club!"

"Put that down." Ban said as he began to open his duffle bag. "We're not here to drink."

"f*****g shame." Jack put the bottle back, but also took the time to notice what Ban was doing. "What you got going on there?"

Ban had removed a Virtual Reality headset from the duffle bag, causing Jack to question the plan now. "Oi! What's that there?"

"It's a headset," Ban said.

"Since when did that become part of the plan?" Jack asked.

"Since we got hired," Ban said. "Do you mind?"

"I sure f*****g do!" Jack said. "I don't like being kept in the dark!"

"Sorry." Ban sounded very unapologetic. "Would you like to know the plan?"

"Maybe." Jack pretended to sound disinterested.

"I'm going to hook these two and myself into the game," Ban said. "From there, I'll be able to do whatever I want in there without getting dirty. I'll lure the kid into the game and kill him."

"He created the f*****g game." Jack said. "What makes you think he won't know how to play it?"

"Because I've been playing it too," Ban revealed. "Everyday I'm not on a mission. It's fun."

"Fun?" Jack asked. "You wouldn't know fun if you slithered up your ass. Oi, wait a minute, what about me?"

"You are going to stay out here," Ban revealed. "I need you to watch our bodies in case someone tries to pull a fast one on us."

"I don't believe this." Jack shook his head. "A world-class assassin is now a babysitter. What a f*****g job."

"Make sure we don't get killed." Ban said as he walked over to Sanvi and Jabirah. He began to place the headsets over them and connected the cords to the Virtual Reality console. The moment he switched the headset on, their minds had already been transferred into the game. "Here. Take my phone and capture a photo of us and send it to a contact named Raafi."

"Raafi?" Jack asked as he took Ban's phone. "Isn't that the cunt we left with the boy?"

"Yes." Ban began to put the headset on himself now. "Tell him to send the kid into the game. Tell him that he'll never find us and that the only way he will is if he bests me."

"Throwing in the towel just like that?" Jack asked. "I thought you had more respect for yourself."

"If he actually does kill me, then he'll come here and face you." Ban said. "You're a better fighter than me. Don't let him win."

"f**k me." Jack sighed. "Talk about pressure."

Without a word, Ban turned on the Virtual Reality headset and let his mind transfer into the game. The only person left conscious was Jack, who looked down at the phone and remembered what Ban had wanted him to do. He turned on the camera app and snapped a picture of Ban, Sanvi, and Jabirah sitting in a corner that had no details on it whatsoever. It was at that moment that Jack realized why Ban had picked a cellar for a hiding place. No one was going to suspect them of being there. The only person that knew of their location was the Manager and he seemed like the type never to spill this information. "You cheeky bastard."

Raafi was on his knees in the dirt, believing that he had failed his family. He took them away from the troubles of this country only to bring it right to their doorstep. He felt so stupid to believe that Alex would be a safe option. He even realized that letting Scott approach him that day would probably be for the best. Now, his heroic nature got the best of him and his family. When Raafi's cell phone began to ring, he considered ignoring it. There was nothing he wanted more right now than his family. Then he thought of the fact that maybe it was the kidnappers calling from Sanvi or Jabirah's phone. Raafi quickly took out his phone and saw that it was an unknown number. Not caring a single bit, he ignored the call and continued to sulk. The call ended and a message was sent to his phone. Raafi checked the message out of curiosity and saw something that shook him to his core. It was a picture of both Jabirah, Sanvi and Ban sitting in a corner with Virtual Reality headsets on. A second message was sent from this unknown number telling Raafi to pick up the phone the next time it rings. Seconds after the message was sent, the same number called again. He didn't waste a second. Raafi answered the phone.

"Well, well, well," Jack spoke on the phone. "You really do care for your family."

"Who are you?" Raafi yelled, getting the attention of Alex from within the kitchen. "What have you done with my family?"

"I haven't done anything," Jack admitted. "But my mate over there has them within the game world. He'll keep them company."

"What do you people want?" Raafi asked.

"The boy," Jack said. "Nothing other than that. You want your family back? All he's gotta do is hook himself up into the game and meet my friend there. If the boy wins, he gets our location. If he wins against me... which he won't... but if he does, then he gets your family back. You understand?"

"Yes." Raafi said, turning to look at the only option to save his family right now. "I do."

"Good," Jack said. "Be seeing you."

The call ended and Raafi could only stare down at the picture Jack sent him. Alex had walked over, knowing what type of phone call Raafi just had.

"What did they want?" Alex asked.

"They want you." Raafi tried to speak. "They want you to enter that damn game."

Alex sighed. He did not want to go back into that game. It only brought back bad memories. There was also the fact that he hadn't played the game in months. Whatever trap they had laid out for him would end in their favor. But Alex had made the mistake of connecting with someone when he should have just fled the country. This was his mistake now and he had to make sure Sanvi and Jabirah came back to their father alive.

"Alright," Alex said. "I'll go buy a console and head in."

Alex turned away to prepare to make the trip to a game store. Before he could get very far, Raafi stopped him. He wanted to leave Alex alone but, he was going to need all the help he could get.

"I'll take you." Raafi said, finally standing up. "But you gotta promise me something."

"What?" Alex turned to Raafi.

"Save my girls." Raafi tried holding back his tears. "Do whatever you have to. Just please save my girls!"