I slide behind a pine tree as bullets chase me in a dangerous dance of life or death. Sweet, minty sap fills my nose while I press close to the bark. Barrages of shots pummel the trunk; wood flies as clips chisel the tree. Every smash shocks my body. I sneak to peek around the branches, but a bullet slices my cheek. Warm, maroon rivulets dribble down my neck, staining my oversized black vest. I reload my M4, then leap out from behind the tree. Blindly spraying in every direction, I hear a howl from my right, but I don’t stop. Soon, retaliation shots fire back. One pierces my shoulder blade, one hits my thigh, another slices my knee, and now I’m down, face-first into the white snow, staining it a useless, ugly red. OPERATION DAWN HAS FAILED. YOU HAVE DIED. PAY 5 D-CHIPS TO PLAY AGAIN. Behind these bold words of defeat, a pleasant sunrise is poking its head above the virtual horizon, its golden brilliance illuminating the battlefield and evaporating the lost souls floating above the grass.

I yank off my virtual reality headset and slap it against my bed. With it dangles some of my long dirty, tangled blond hair, but at this point, I don’t care. 

“Hey, Darcy!” an old, muffled voice yells. “Help me out here, darlin’! I can’t figure out how to work this TV.” 

“Ugh, for the 3rd time today?” I groan under my breath. 

I stumble out of bed and wobble through the narrow metal labyrinth that is our home. Walking into the living room, I notice grandma in her regular position: crouched over the broken TV, scratching her balding head. 

“Hey grandma, why don’t you just use Virtual Vision?” I asked her, “I can’t believe you still use a flat-screen 2D TV.” 

Grandma shakes her head, her remaining wispy locks drooping from side to side. “Back when I was a little girl, we didn’t need all this tech.” She spits the last word out from behind a pair of worn dentures. “My whole world was green. Green plants, green grass, and green forest layered the earth, yet in all this green, there were precious animals and people that thrived,” Grandma frowns, staring into my green eyes. “No one needed a VR headset. Or even a flat-screen TV. All this tech is killing us. Mark my words.” 

“Grandma, please.” I roll my eyes. “There’s no outside world.” 

“Well, there used to be before the scoundrels at Dawn Corporation deceived everyone sayin’ that Earth has become a livin’ hell!” Grandma fumes. She stands and swings her fists in the air, but her knees give out, and she collapses back into her seat. 

“Grandma, relax, I fixed the TV. You forgot to plug it in again.” I sigh. “I wish I could see this Earth.” 

Suddenly, Grandma’s tone falls serious. “I have something special for you.” From under the sofa, she pulls out a silver box brimming with dust. My eyes dilate and my mouth puckers. I sit down and scoot closer to her. 

Inside, the tiny box is lined with gold velvet, and nestled in the center is a beautiful emerald pendant. 

Placed in front of the light, it shows a little oak sapling trapped in the alluring green stone.

“Hey youngin’, see the seed in this necklace. I want you to bury that on Earth when I die.” 

*** 

Grandma died the week after. I guess it was only a matter of time. But still, her words grew like a seed within my mind. 

“Hey, Virtual Vision, search up ‘lotus flower.’” 

A red flashing screen popped up. SEARCH BLOCKED. An annoying ping blasted my ears. 

“TURN OFF!!!” 

It disappeared, and my vision turned black again. 

Weird. 

What was that all about? 

Unconsciously, I rested my hand around the radiant emerald pendant. 

*** 

At midnight, I slipped away from the pods, hoping to come across some exit. After 2 hours of nothing, I took off my virtual reality headset. In the corner of my eyes, I spotted a tunnel with its rectangular mouth stretching into a swallowing abyss. I put my Virtual Vision back on: it fades back into a normal wall. Goosebumps appear on my skin. What else has been fake? I have to check this out. 

Making as little sound as possible, I slowly tiptoe into the tunnel. The only sound I hear is my deep breathing echoing back to me. ZEE. Alarms splinter the silence in the hole. Metal scratches and cracks behind me. I cover my ears and run for my life. 

The laughing never stops, but the emerald pendant keeps me safe. 

*** 

Cracked, yellow posters of Dawn Corporation fill line the wall of the tunnel stating, KEEP OUT. TURN BACK, BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE. Snickering to myself, I move further until I reach an old, rusted elevator with a dangling warning sign. I slam my fist into the down button. It produces a sound like a gunshot as its mouth groans open. I tap the elevator floor, and it creaks back to me. Holding my breath, I jump into the elevator. Fifty buttons are plastered across the wall. “Ground” catches my eye; I smack it. 

Gliding downwards, I sit scrunched up in the corner, clutching the emerald pendant and Virtual Vision. 

Finally, my butt slams into the ground as I land. The elevator door slowly slides open and in front of me, there is life. Green leaves cover the trees, and green grass cover the soft ground. Beautiful butterflies glide around the lotus blossoms, along with frolicking ferrets swaying with the wind. But as I take a step outside, bright light blinds my vision. My skin starts to sizzle. My mind starts to spin in a circle. I retreat back into the elevator. But remembering my promise, I sprint out to shove the pendant as deep into the ground as I can and stumble back to the elevator. I press floor 50.