I never thought a simple mixed reality headset could ruin my life. But then again, I never thought I’d be running for my life from something that wasn’t even real. Or was it?
It all started on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. My best friend, Jake, and I were hanging out in my basement, bored out of our minds. Jake had just gotten this new MR headset—mixed reality, he called it. It was supposed to blend the real world with digital elements, making it feel like you were living inside a video game.
“Check this out, Alex,” Jake said, tossing me the sleek, black headset. “It’s called Phantom Realms. Supposed to be the most immersive experience ever. Like, it adapts to your fears or something. Crazy, right?”
I rolled my eyes. Jake was always into the latest tech, but this sounded like another one of his overhyped gadgets. Still, I was curious. I slipped the headset on, and the world around me shifted.
At first, it was amazing. The basement walls melted away, replaced by a sprawling, futuristic city. Holographic cars zipped through the air, and neon lights flickered in every direction. I could still see Jake sitting on the couch, but now he was surrounded by digital avatars—floating creatures with glowing eyes and jagged teeth.
“Whoa,” I muttered, turning in circles. “This is insane.”
Jake grinned. “Told you. But wait—it gets better. The game reads your brainwaves or something. It knows what scares you. Watch this.”
Before I could stop him, Jake tapped a button on the headset. The city around me dissolved, replaced by a dark, endless forest. The air grew cold, and the sound of rustling leaves filled my ears. My heart started to pound.
I hate forests. Always have. Ever since I got lost in the woods behind my house when I was six. The memory still gives me nightmares.
“Jake, cut it out,” I said, my voice trembling. “This isn’t funny.”
But Jake wasn’t listening. He was too busy laughing. “Relax, Alex. It’s just a game.”
That’s when I heard it. A low, guttural growl, coming from somewhere behind me. I spun around, but there was nothing there—just shadows and trees. The growl came again, closer this time.
“Jake, turn it off!” I shouted, clawing at the headset. But it wouldn’t budge. It was stuck to my face like it was glued there.
The growl turned into a snarl, and then I saw it—a massive, wolf-like creature with glowing red eyes and dripping fangs. It lunged at me, and I stumbled backward, tripping over the coffee table.
“Jake, help!” I screamed, scrambling to my feet. But Jake was gone. The couch, the basement, everything—it had all vanished. I was alone in the forest, with the creature stalking me.
I ran. Branches clawed at my face, and roots snagged my feet, but I didn’t stop. I could hear the creature behind me, its breath hot on my neck. My heart felt like it was going to explode.
Finally, I burst into a clearing. There was a house there—a creepy, old house with broken windows and a sagging roof. I didn’t think twice. I slammed the door shut behind me and leaned against it, gasping for air.
That’s when I realized something was wrong. The house looked familiar. Too familiar. It was my house. But not the one I lived in now. It was the house from my childhood—the one we moved out of after my dad disappeared.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “This isn’t real. This isn’t real.”
But it felt real. The floorboards creaked under my feet, and the air smelled like dust and decay. I could hear the creature outside, scratching at the door.
Then I heard something else. A voice.
“Alex…”
It was my dad’s voice.
I turned around, and there he was—standing at the top of the stairs, just like I remembered him. But something was wrong. His face was pale, his eyes hollow. He reached out to me, his fingers bony and trembling.
“Alex… help me…”
I wanted to run, but my feet were rooted to the spot. The creature outside was pounding on the door now, and the walls of the house were starting to crack.
“This isn’t real!” I screamed, tearing at the headset again. “Let me out!”
Suddenly, the headset sparked, and the world went black. I yanked it off, my hands shaking. I was back in the basement. Jake was staring at me, his face pale.
“Dude, are you okay?” he asked. “You were screaming like crazy.”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My heart was still racing, and my clothes were soaked with sweat. I looked down at the headset in my hands. The screen was cracked, and the lenses were dark.
“I’m never putting that thing on again,” I said, tossing it onto the couch.
But later that night, as I lay in bed, I heard it again. A low, guttural growl. I sat up, my heart pounding. The headset was on my desk, its lenses glowing faintly in the dark.
And then I realized—the game wasn’t over.
It was just getting started.
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