Page 114 of Tapeworld Induction

BOOM.

A blast shook the room.

Everything went dark.

Talia screamed, until she suddenly stopped.

“Jewel! Get us out of here!” Astrid shouted.

Dylan stood up and groped around in the dark. She found Talia, the Sleeper now mounted on her head. “No. No!” She lifted her, pulling Talia’s arm over her shoulder and around her back, her muscles doing the work they were trained to do.

As she made her way towards the door, bony, large-knuckled fingers grabbed at her arm, the skin cold.

“Let me go!” Dylan shouted, one hand pushing Astrid off of her, the other holding on to Talia. “Come on!”

There was a commotion and then the room was still. She lost track of where Astrid and Jewel were. “Fuck…” Dylan pulled out her phone and used it as a torch. The other women were nowhere to be seen.

She tried to make sense of the device on Talia’s head, looking for a button or lever to pull to set Tal free. Come on, come on.

But there was nothing obvious. The device was firmly locked on, and continuing to pull at it would only hurt her.

40

Sleepers

Isaak

As Isaak inspected the room, he heard a tape-tube materialise behind him.

Talia tumbled out of it, wearing her dress for the Night of Entertainment.

“Talia!” He rushed to her side, helping her stand up.

“It’s Astrid. She and that woman, they’ve got Dylan. And me.”

“Can you tape out?”

She fingered her temples, grasping for any bit of tape, but there was nothing. “She put the Sleeper on me. I can’t get out!” Her breathing was fast, and she was walking backwards away from him. “Goddess, save me. Do something!”

“I’m trying,” Isaak said. “This place is hers, and I think there’s a version IRL somewhere. She’s doing something to these people.”

Talia took in all the beds, and the view to the city.

“Do you recognise any of it?” he asked.

“I… I don’t know. Somewhere near the river?” Her eyes widened. “Look out!”

He narrowly dodged a fist aimed at his face, the shape materialising halfway through its attack. It looked at him, the grey sludgy skin too close for comfort. He swung the Gunkatana at it. It dodged, exposing a black-translucent glowing cable emanating from its back.

“It’s connected to one of the people on the beds!” Talia shouted, following the transparent flow.

Isaak fought off the shape’s attacks. It was posing more of a challenge than the previous ones. He aimed the Gunkatana at its head, finger poised on the trigger.

“Wait! I recognise him.” Talia stared at the sleeping person connected to the shape. “The shape is him. It’s Nicholas from the demo! Don’t attack him!”

The volunteer at the Night of Entertainment, IRL. Isaak released the trigger and sheathed the Gunkatana.

The Nicholas-shape paused for a moment, as if it understood them. But then it resumed its attack, fists dealing a barrage of strikes. Some hit Isaak, some he avoided. A gut-punch took the wind out of him.