Page 27 (2/2)

But he couldn’t ht Listen” He took a step back, held his hands up like he was trying to calive it so nutty You wanna jump, I’ll let you jump But at least talk to me Tell me why”

Tears lined her cheeks; her eyes had gone red and puffy “Just go away Please” Her voice had taken on the softness of defeat “I’ around here I’m done with this—all of this!”

“Done? Okay, that’s fine to be done But you don’t have to screw it up for ured a it as her reason to end it—to check out of the Virtual-Flesh-and-Bones Hotel and never come back “Seriously Walk back to the Portal with aetyou ever heard of?”

“I hate you,” she spat Literally A spray of misty saliva “I don’t even know you and I hate you This has nothing to do with Lifeblood!”

“Then tellto keep his coive me a few minutes Talk to me, Tanya”

She buried her head in the crook of her right arm “I just can’t do it any Michael worry about her grip again “I can’t”

Soh he wasn’t stupid enough to say it

Lifeblood was by far the o off to soons with a ic sword, fly spaceships, explore the freaky love shacks But that stuff got old quick In the end, nothing was et- And there were some, like Tanya, who obviously couldn’t handle it Michael sure could He’d risen up its ranks alamer Gunner Skale

“Come on, Tanya,” he said “How can it hurt to talk toto quit, ould you want to end your last ga yourself so violently?”

Her head snapped up and she looked at hiain

“Kaine’s haunted me for the last time,” she said “He can’t just trap me here and use onna rip my Core out”

Those last words changed everything Michael watched in horror as Tanya tightened her grip on the pole with one hand, then reached up with the other and started digging into her own flesh

2

Michael forgot the ga to actual life-and-death In all his years of playing, he’d never seen so the barrier device within the Coffin that kept the virtual world and the real world separate in their mind