I didn't know what happened at first. And it had been in a flash...
A few punching sounds came, and then a sound of someone jamming a bone into something. Then a gurgle.
The hand on my shoulders by the guard was gone, and I turned around, my binded hands a bit getting in the way. What was happening?
I turned around to face air-and on the floor were the guards, foam at his mouth, cold. June had eyes the size of of a walnut. Suddenly, my hands were jerked, and my shackles were freed. I stared at the chains in disbelief. Jake yelped and I turned to him-he was also staring at his free hands, the shackles at the floor, rubbing the sore parts.
I knew something was going on.
"Who are you?" I said to the air in front of me-it sounded silly, no, was supposed to be-but didn't seem straneg at all for now.
No response. June's eyes darted around nervously-she really looked like a teen, biting her lips.
The voice suddenly came.
"Jesus! Finally!" It crowed out from nowhere, sounding dull and low, but clear.
The real world.
"You're the first to know that the world is fake, dudes," It was female and the sandy-type. The African American type. "Sorry I came late-I had to kill or faint all those guards. You need to hurry. Eric, huh?" I nodded to the air, dumb-founded. "You are a genius for finding it out yourself. Go to the Shack, you can exit the virtual world by-"
Then nothing, her sentence cut.
"What the fuck?" Jake said, eyes squeezed, confused. June and I had apparently got it, so I quickly explained it to Jake. "a person from the real world-we gotta hurry, and get to the Shack-maybe it's ready to accept us now," Jake broke a smile then. "That's the greatest new I've ever heard here," He said.
June was much more in a hurry. "Rick, we gotta go to your shack. We have little time," She pleaded. "Of course-wait, June, you can't be coming with us, you belong here-" "They're gonna kill me, Rick," She said. And I found myself nodding, hating the fact that she'd be killed.
"Fine. Let's race," I said.
We all took off running along the hall, not knowing the way to the exit. The hall was surprisingly one-way with no splitting-up paths, so shortly, a thick metal door came into sight.
Since we were already from the inside, the door slid open, and we raced out to fresh air. We were all surprised when we ended up on the street-everyone were strolling, talking on phones so comfortably. But that thing was, they had time-and we didn't.
June took off faster, and I followed. Jake fumbled right behind me. I was very relived of no SSC in sight and pushed pass the people just like the morning when I encountered the police 2 days ago. They parted for us again.
"Rick, where's the Shack?!" June asked as her feet flew across the pavement. "I know the way," I said, my own feet flying. I ran a bit ahead of her and ran till Starbucks came into view. We were lucky to be close to the street I was familiar to. I led her and Jake around the bend, then saw the hotel-the Shack had to be a few minutes away. I saw the people flitting away in my view, and the stores, their neon lights starting to get rare-great, we were at the edge of town. We arrived at a red light-teh cross walk where I had passed with Jake days ago. "Across there!" Jake said frantically, pointing across the road. Wow, the Shack stood firm where he pointed, still concrete and standing and looking to be unchanged. June looked at it, not looking familiar to it. "You sure you want it?" I panted to her. "Yes," She looked at me firmly. I just wanted to reach out and hold her hand-she was just so brave, and a coincidence with me-nightmares like me. I had never thought the dreams would be a sign of connection between us. "You're gonna turn young, I promise," I grinned, and she grinned back.
The green light illuminated her soft skin, and Jake was running like hell a bit in front of me and June. This time, eager to get back to town. We followed, feeling more bonded.
Our feet touched the other side at the same time, and we ran like hell after Jake. We reached the fence and Jake was leaping over it when I saw them...
"Jake! Stop!" I yelled, reaching out to grab him and pull him out of the way...
Their eyes glimmered with anger and frustration as if it was their last straw from across the street.
I watched, hands busy to get Jake over the fence and duck, mouth screaming words that were silent. everything looked liek slow-motion.
The silver bullet skimmed across the air perfectly and buried itself in Jake's chest. His eyes were frozen, then grimaced. Blood dripped from his wound, then started to flow mad like from a cracked glass of water. His body fell, taking his shoulder which I had grasped beneath. His head hit the white fence with a light thud, and I felt my legs automatically bending to reach through the bottom gaps of the fence to check on him. His eyes wandered here and there, though seeing nothing, I knew. My best friend... his eyes finally focused on something-my own eyes. His hand struggled to rise an inch and failed. He managed to stare at me and his struggling mouth formed the correct mouth shapes to pronounce the words that would be etched into my memory in this world forever.
"I hope you're right, Rick,"
He managed the faintest of his fabulous grins, which I had liked for en entire 2 years, then he was gone.
Gone.
Dead.
His eyes were meaningless, body solid and heartbeat gone forever. I squeezed his hand, which was still warm. I felt my while body numb, and my eyes let tears flow down, while a lump formed itself in my chest and throat.
Jacob Liasson, my best friend.
I felt tugging at my shoulder, then warm arms wrapping themselves softly around my waist. "Rick, he's not gone, at least in this world," June said softly into my ear when my legs remained stuck to each other. "He can't be dead in reality-you're gonna see him for real, trust me," With that , I let my legs move a tiny bit, and she helped me up. I looked immediately from her face to across the street. I saw the SSC quickly hurrying across the street, under red light. No cars for now in the streets.
I turned back to her and Jake's body. Then put a hand on June's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Jacob," I whispered, and after that, we hopped over the fence. I crashed the steel door open with my shoulder and let Jake's cold body be the last sight in San Francisco, 2042.

I turned my glance from the now-shut door to the room. June stood, mouth agape.
"I somehow knew this," She muttered, and I knew that the African American voice had been right.
The Window.
"Just feel your hands around the square pieces," I explained, voice still strained, hoarse, and very fast. I touched the edges of the Window. I now realized that I had been right from the start-it looked like some screen when a computer glitch had occurred-and it was.  The Shack and the Window had to be a wrong fault in the computer program.
"Don't be surprised at your appearance, and in case, let's run into town, I'll lead you," I said. I was met with silence. "June?" I turned to her slender form now, worried. "What's wrong?" I asked-she was biting her lips. "I guess we were meant to end up like this," She finally said, eyes on the Window, then turning to me. "Me too. It couldn't have been merely a coincidence," She nodded. She stepped closer to me, then held out her hand a bit.
"Together?"
"Together," I assured her, and put my hand on hers. It felt cool and strangely, comforting. I really had craved her touch. The feeling wasn't like between friends, since we didnt' shake-we already knew we were exactly on the same page, bonded with coincidences. We just grasped each other, then stepped to the Window.
She nodded.
"Here goes, June," I said, and we both held out our other hands into the Window.
And let ourselves be sucked-into New York-2035.
I was going back home.