The laboratory around me slowly transformed, metal walls dissolving into a dense forest canopy. The transition was seamless—too seamless for something that shouldn't exist at all.
"Welcome to Level Two," the mechanical voice announced. "Survivors will face increased environmental hazards and hostile NPCs."
I stumbled forward, my Luna instincts screaming that none of this was real—and yet it felt terrifyingly solid. My fingers brushed against rough bark as I steadied myself against a tree trunk.
"This can't be happening," I whispered, but the familiar layout of the forest level told me otherwise. Every detail matched my original designs—the twisted oak trees with hollow trunks that concealed secret passages, the subtle purple glow of the poisonous mushrooms lining the forest floor.
A scream pierced the air to my left. I turned just in time to see a woman frantically running toward me, her face streaked with tears.
"They're after me!" she cried, pointing behind her where two wolf-like creatures emerged from the shadows. "Please help!"
Without thinking, I stepped forward, positioning myself between her and the approaching predators. My Luna authority surged through me, even here in this digital prison.
"I am Luna Julia Armstrong of Moonstone Pack," I commanded, my voice carrying the weight of my position despite being in unfamiliar territory. "Stand down."
To my surprise, the creatures hesitated, their programmed recognition of authority temporarily halting their advance.
The woman collapsed at my feet, gasping for breath. "Thank you," she sobbed. "I'm Ryan Mitchell. I was just playing the game when everything went wrong."
"Ryan," I said softly, helping her to her feet. "What do you mean 'playing'?"
"This is 'Project Luna,'" she explained, wiping her tears. "The most realistic VR game ever created. I bought it the day it launched, but then everything glitched and—"
"Project Luna," I repeated, the name hitting me like a physical blow. That was my working title for the game I'd designed in secret—the one Emma had supposedly deleted from my system years ago.
More survivors emerged from the trees, their expressions ranging from terror to determination. I recognized some faces—members of other packs who must have been playing when the game was weaponized.
"Luna Julia?" A tall man with silver-streaked hair approached cautiously. "I thought you were—"
"Trapped in here with the rest of you," I finished for him, my mind racing. "What's your name?"
"Jared Long," he replied, his eyes studying me with unsettling intensity. "Former Silverfang Pack, now game director."
My breath caught. "Game director? Of this... nightmare?"
He nodded grimly. "Someone took your original code and turned it into this death trap. I've been trying to shut it down from inside, but—"
"My code?" I stepped closer, searching his face. "How did you know it was mine?"
"Because I was working with you on it," Jared said quietly. "Before everything went wrong."
A memory surfaced—late nights in a secret lab, working with a brilliant but troubled programmer who'd wanted to create something that would give wolves a second chance at life after pack trauma.
"You're the one who—" I began, but he cut me off with a sharp gesture.
"Later," he whispered. "We need to get these people somewhere safe."
Before I could respond, my wrist communicator buzzed with an incoming message. Emma's name flashed on the screen.
"Julia," her voice came through, dripping with false concern. "I've sent you the walkthrough guides for the first three levels. Follow them exactly and you should be able to reach the extraction point."
I glanced at Jared, whose expression darkened as he read the message over my shoulder.
"Don't trust it," he warned quietly.
"Why would she—" I started, but another scream cut through our conversation.
One of the survivors who had ventured ahead was frantically backpedaling, his face contorted in horror. "The path was booby-trapped! Three of us just—we're gone!"
Ice flooded my veins as I stared at Emma's message again. The coordinates she'd provided were for a section of the forest I'd designed as an inescapable maze—a trap for the game's final boss battle.
"She's trying to kill us," I whispered, the realization burning through me like acid.
Jared's hand gripped my arm. "Not just you," he said grimly. "Everyone who might be loyal to you."
More screams echoed through the forest as another group followed Emma's "guidance" into what I knew was a lake of virtual acid.
"Julia," Ryan clutched at my arm, her eyes wide with terror. "We need to find a way out before more people die."
I looked around at the frightened faces of the survivors, then back at the message still glowing on my wrist.
"Emma," I whispered, my voice hardening with resolve. "If you want to play games, then let's play."
