Alex woke up with a groan, and pushed himself onto his elbows. He blinked through his sleepiness, able to look around and find himself still in the camp they had created.

  A blanket was over his body and a plate of cooked meat, cut into child-friendly strips, sat on the ground next to him. He tore into the meal like a steroid jacked badger beast.

  "Pierce, you're up." Alex turned towards the voice, finding the captain looking over at him from the cock-eyed camp log. Alex slurped up the meat he currently had in his mouth and nodded. "Hall patched you up. She said the wound was big, but not deep. Only worry you need to have is possible infection. We had some antibiotics in the kit though."

  Allie fixed him up? Oh, she was the medic after all, of course she was the one to patch his wound. Alex looked at his right thigh, seeing his trousers were cut open and a bandage now wrapped around his thigh. It looked pretty neatly done too. Professional.

  "I'll have to thank her later," Alex mumbled, he unceremoniously shoveled more food into his mouth quickly after.

  "Sure, sure." Thompson stood up and walked over to Alex who was now kneeling again. The captain dropped down to eye level, giving him a once over. "You okay Pierce? What happened last night? That badger was huge, I’m impressed you took it down." The captain pointed to the meat Alex was eating when he said the last part.

  So they cooked it huh? Alex should have realized, he'd never tasted anything like this before. Given they hadn't found any food yesterday and Alex had practically given it the two-face treatment already, he didn’t blame them.

  "It just came out of nowhere. Kind of had to, kill or be killed situation, you know? Anyway, that doesn't actually matter. I have to tell you guys, captain, I-" Alex stopped, not sure what to say exactly. Was he going to say about the system messages? They wouldn't believe him. Could he tell them he thinks they are in a computer program? That’s insane.

  What the hell can I say and not sound absolutely crazy? He looked at Thompson, and the man stared back at him, just waiting. Ready to listen. Maybe I am crazy though. I'm the only one who saw it right? I could literally be seeing things. Maybe the Ion gear didn't protect me completely, the radiation messed with my mind? I’m going to start seeing yellow brick roads and asking Wizards about ruby slippers next, aren’t I?

  He sighed, shook his head, and dropped the food back on the ground. If he was crazy, then telling everyone wouldn't hurt. They would just think the stress of the situation got to him. The blast, going Hansel and Gretel in the forest, then the badger. All of it. Or they would tie him up and keep him locked in one of the tents for the rest of his life, Allie feeding him tranquilizers like a damn magic baby-doll-Alex, coming to retailers this holiday season.

  If he wasn't crazy though and he didn't tell them, then that could mess up everything. Whatever plan this program had, what they were supposed to do. The more information everyone had, the better. He definitely had to tell them.

  "Listen Pierce, it's okay if you-"

  "We are in a program!" There, he said it, no going back now. Lunatic or not, he was going to tell his team what he saw, and what he thought just in case it could save their lives.

  "What?"

  "I saw a screen. During the blast, before we came here. And then again, right after killing the badger. It was a panel, gold and blue, saying welcome to something or other. The first time at least. The second said 'you have killed a forest badger, plus fifty experience'." Alex sucked in a breath, trying to get through everything before the captain could cut him off. Before he could call for a straight jacket from Allie. "I think its a program message. A message from the computer or whatever. So I think we are like, in a system of some sort. Like that really old movie with the green screens, and the machines. The guy dodged bullets and stuff."

  The captain looked at him blankly but didn't interrupt.

  "I could be crazy." Alex stood up at this point. His right leg stung still, but only enough to cause a slight limp. "I really wish I was crazy, actually. If I am not though, I have to tell you all. If, somehow, we need to all know. To make a plan, figure things out."

  Thompson stood up too. He watched Alex pace back and forth as he talked. Once it was obvious that Alex was done, the captain just nodded slowly.

  "Lets go find Hall, okay."

  Shit. Here comes the baby bottles. Alex sighed but didn't argue.

  ***

  "A program, like a video game?" Garret blurted out over them all, making everyone pause.

  For being such a talker, the man had actually been rather silent the last five minutes as Alex explained everything again to the team. Allie had looked him over, and couldn't find any signs of head trauma. Much to Alex's relief, he didn't want to be crazy after all. Even if that would be simpler. By this time, Garret, Devon, and Henry had returned and everyone had gathered around Alex to hear his mad theory.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  The result was a chaos of voices, as everyone began saying this idea was impossible. Question after question was thrown at Alex. Many he didn't have a clue how to answer.

  "What program is this?"

  "Who made it and why?"

  "Are we real, or just code thinking we are people?"

  "What did the messages say again, exactly?"

  Alex tried to answer everything, but most of the time the only response he could give was, "I don't know."

  It was Garret that seemed to key into something Alex didn't notice right away. "The message said plus fifty experience? Like a video game? You kill things and level up?"

  "Uh yeah..." Alex nodded. It was like a video game, he was right.

  "Look, this is crazy, none of us have seen these messages. If we were all program codes, and not really people, one of us would have seen things or noticed something in the decades we've been alive." Devon was actually Alex's biggest opponent in this, surprisingly.

  "Not our entire lives just-" Alex was cut off in the middle of his thought by Devon.

  "Besides, we have all been blasted by a nuke. Trapped in a forest. And you JUST had a life and death fight with a god damn mutant badger the size of a boar, Alex, come on." Devon said.

  "No, I'm serious. If it was stress, I'd say something, but I'm not stressed. I'm being honest here-" He was cut off again.

  "Maybe you just don't realize how much this has gotten to you?" Thompson put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, obviously trying to give comfort. Alex pulled away immediately with a scowl.

  He looked at the captain, seeing the man's eyes were filled with concern. Not understanding, but concern. Devon was shaking his head still. Allie was going through her medical bag and she didn't meet his eyes. Garret looked simply confused more than anything else. Henry hadn't said anything yet, just listening. Looking now though, Alex could see doubt on the man's face. None of them believed him.

  Alex scoffed, a little hurt that not a single one of his teammates took him seriously. He understood their responses, he too worried he was insane at first. The fact that no one believed him though, he had to admit it actually hurt.

  "So that's how it is?" Alex asked.

  "Alex come on-"

  "No, fine. You all think I'm insane. But I don't. I think this is serious. If we want to survive, we need to lean into this and do it now. So if you all won't believe me... " Alex moved to the tent he was using last night, picking up his pack. He spotted his sewing kit and personal first aid kit, tossing them in his bag. He saw one more item too, and though he felt guilty about it, he grabbed it as well.

  "Pierce, what are you doing?" Thompson stepped forward now.

  "Leaving. I'll survive on my own." Alex tried to step past him, but Thompson cut off his path by placing himself in front of Alex.

  "The hell you are, soldier. You're staying with the squad, that's an order."

  "Order? Really?" Alex laughed. He could feel the heat building in his body again. The same adrenaline he felt when fighting the badger last night. It was like a fire inside him, kindling to life. "Look around you, Eric."

  The captain pulled back a step upon hearing Alex use his first name. Not captain, not Thompson. He was Eric. That's what everyone was now, just people, scared, tired and worried people. Alex wasn't under the orders of some government anymore, because he was certain that government didn't even exist here. Not now.

  "We are not in the same situation Eric. This is survival, in an unknown world, with unknown rules. I'm trying to tell you that, and you don't seem to get it." The adrenaline was really building, Alex could feel the heat moving through his limbs, the ache in his thigh dying.

  "No, absolutely not Pierce. Go lay down, you need rest, you're not acting your usual-" The captain stopped talking the moment Alex pulled out the last item he packed in his bag. The knife.

  It's metal gleamed even under the faint light filtered through the canopy above them. Alex held it up and pointed it at Thompson who stepped back even further.

  "What I need is for you to move out of my way." Alex felt the pang of guilt rising up about what he was doing. He knew Thompson cared, and really wanted to do right by everyone. He was a decent guy and didn’t deserve this. Alex shoved down that thought though, covering up the guilt with the rage that had started alighting in his mind. "I'm going to figure out what is happening here, and it's obvious no one is going to help me. So move out of my way."

  "Okay, okay, just relax." The captain stepped to the side, his hands raised.

  Alex stepped past him, refusing to lower the knife in his hand. He looked at everyone, and the shock on everyone's faces. This really wasn't like Alex, he had to admit that. Desperate times though.

  "I'm sorry." It was all he said before turning and running from his team. He sprinted into the trees, choosing a specific direction at first, the direction he went yesterday when gathering firewood. Alex could hear the shouts of Garret and Devon behind him at first, but eventually, they faded away as he got further and further.

  Alex must have sprinted for half a mile before the adrenaline died down, the heat giving out in his mind. He didn't stop even then, and started jogging instead. Thirty minutes later he couldn't do even that and just walked. Walked until it felt like he was traveling for a couple of hours.

  Great, now what?

  He looked around, seeing only trees, more trees, and bushes, and yet even more trees. The dense blanket of leaves above him never let up the entire time he traveled. He thought about climbing up one of the trees to their peak, just to find out what the sky looked like now.

  Does this system have a climb skill? He thought wryly. Wait, does it though? Garret said it sounded like a game.

  Alex had played many video games as a kid. Lots of those were RPG's, with killing monsters, quests, experience, and so on. It sort of did seem like what happened after he had killed the badger fit those games. You idiot Garret, you might have been the only one actually thinking back there.

  So, if he was in a program that was set up like a game, what sorts of things would be present? Experience points, sure. Monster killing, check. Stats and leveling up? Unknown currently.

  So what if?

  Alex looked around, knowing what he was about to do was going to look completely insane. More crazy than he seemed he was to everyone else on his team. One hundred and ten percent loco. He sighed, then stared off at a nonexistent spot in the air in front of his face. He took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

  "Show character sheet?"

  Alex's vision flashed and changed.

  "Holy fuck..."