Page 148 of Tapeworld Induction

A wild look of pleasure painted Astrid’s face.

The skyscrapers in the distance began to crumble.

52

Breath

Dylan

Dylan screamed as Isaak fell through the red portal, disappearing as the portal closed and dematerialised.

“No!”

Jewel turned towards her. She grunted, her body even more muscular than in the real world. “You peasant!” The henchwoman’s voice dominated the room.

Dylan tried to stay calm. Talia and Isaak needed her help. She had to get through this.

As Jewel approached, Dylan noticed the dark trail of translucent material hanging behind her, the connection between a sleptigrade and its sleeping human body. It wound up and down and across the warehouse, through the other somnambulists incapable of freeing themselves. Jewel’s body was somewhere in that room, Dylan realised.

“Stay put, peasant, and I’ll crush you to bits.” Jewel pushed gurneys out of the way, toppling the sleeping people to the floor, where they landed reactionless and inert.

Dylan took a deep breath and shifted on her feet. Sweat slicked her hands. She tightened her fists.

“Why are you doing this? Because of Astrid?” Dylan said with a swallow, fighting her fear. “Look at these people. They’ve all been enslaved by your power-hungry bitch of a boss. Did she force the Sleeper on you too?”

The lumbering mass paused in place. “Force?” She let out a laugh, a contorted face of disgust. “ChainMail, I fucking begged her to put it on me. Lady Fern-Lock is doing us all a favour. What greater gift than the Sleeper, to live out a life in this simulation, where everything is possible?”

Dylan recoiled. She sounded like a true believer in whatever trash religion Astrid was peddling. The concept tempted Dylan, she couldn’t deny it. To ignore the real world’s problems and be safe in this other world… But she already knew that wasn’t possible.

“You can still die in here! We killed some of these sleptigrades, because you left us no choice!” She tried to take a confident stance, digging her feet in. “The Sleeper is a trap!”

Jewel scoffed, darting towards her.

Okay… Trying to appeal to her humanity failed. Now what?

“I’m not trapped! You’ll see. Once we lock you in, like your pretty friend… You’ll be singing Astrid’s praises too.” Jewel was getting dangerously close. She talked a big game, but Dylan sensed that initial blind belief wavering. It was as if she was saying things she’d rehearsed, but couldn’t sell anymore.

“You really think Astrid wouldn’t let you die just like these guys? Whatever she’s promised you, she promised them too. And now look at them.”

Jewel stopped in her tracks and looked around the room. “No. She… Of course, I… Stop fucking with me!”

Jewel was resisting. But Astrid had programmed her brain, just like she was trying to do to her and Isaak.

The translucent column trailing behind Jewel. If Dylan followed it…

She climbed onto one of the hospital beds. “Sorry! I’m sorry, guys!” She jumped from one gurney to the next, narrowly avoiding stepping on the sleeping victims.

Jewel lunged at her, knocking one of the hospital beds over. Its occupant clattered to the floor, their head trapped in the techno-vice, the thud of plastic and flesh hitting the ground. “Stop!”

Dylan only had to cross a few more beds to make it to Jewel’s body, which she’d spotted lying in the same gym-tuxedo she’d been wearing at the mansion. She was nearly there.

But a kick to the face shut Dylan’s efforts down, toppling her onto an empty cot.

Hot blood trickled from her nose.

“Insolent vegan!” Jewel roared. “You’ll soon learn to love meat!”

Prone on the bed, Dylan was easy pickings for Astrid’s henchwoman to grab her by the leg. This isn’t going well. Her pulse accelerating, she fought off the woman’s fists.