Hell's Glitch (LitRPG): Into a Dark Adventure Read Free Page B

safety and the safety of
our medical staff.  A small percentage of people’s bodies may react to what
they’re seeing in the game world.  It’s usually quick, sporadic hand and leg
movements.  It’s very unpredictable and our medical attendants are always
patrolling, so it’s best to restrain those limbs to avoid potential injuries. 
Now I’d like you all to go ahead and pick a seat and we will begin.”
    Sam and Robert hurried down the aisle and grabbed two chairs
across from one another.
    “For those of you who can’t find chairs, follow me to the
next room,” Anna yelled, over the commotion.
    Anna left the room with a huge group of people in tow. 
Alanna issued orders to those who remained in this room.
    “Alright you all, sit back.  The attendants will stop by
each of your Dream Chairs and secure you with your restraints and hook you up
to the heart, body, and blood pressure monitors.  While you are playing, we
will be diligently monitoring you.  If any of you have any negative reactions,
we’ll know immediately and we’ll stop the game.  Remember also that you can log
out of the game if you feel any sort of deleterious health effects.  You’ll
receive further instructions once you are inside the virtual world.  If any of
you have to use the restroom, I suggest doing it now.”
    If not for all the buzzing around him and his own perpetual excitement,
Sam would have easily been able to fall straight asleep in the Dream Chair.  He
and Robert were soon strapped to their chairs via restraints on their wrists
and ankles.  The restraints were rather loose, giving Sam as comfortable a
range of movement as he could get while still being restrained.  They also
weren’t as abrasive as he thought they’d be.
    Soon after that, they hooked him and Robert up to a tiny device
that monitored their heart rates, blood pressure, and other data from their
bodies.  The device was much more sophisticated than the one they sold in
stores and was completely wireless.  The devices were set directly against
their chests, under their shirts.  Then the headgear was brought out and it
looked as cutting edge as Anna had said and was sort of intimidating, all black
and glossy and maybe too small to fit his head.  There was a large opening at
the front where Sam guessed his mouth and nose would go.  It reminded him of
the over-the-top classic movie Robocop.  Inside the mask was a network of
gadgets, mostly concentrated around the ears, eyes, temples, and top of the
head.
    The young woman smiled as she approached and stretched the
headgear out to fit Sam’s head.  It was definitely snug, uncomfortable even,
and seemed to tighten a bit when she snapped it on.  Sam could hear electronic
buzzing and clicking inside the headgear as several mechanisms shifted around. 
He couldn’t see much inside of the dark headgear, but he did see some kind of
visor or screen shift down in front of his eyes.
    He was now at his wits end waiting for the darn thing to
boot up.  He squeezed his fingers and felt his fleshy limbs squirming
impatiently against the Velcro restraints.  Worse than that, he felt the sweat
pooling and dripping all over his rotund body from his head all the way down
his pits then to his toes.  His excitement was building.  He hadn’t gotten to
alpha test any VR games in a long while and never had he tested a fantasy
simulation.  He had no clue what to expect.  He could hear the animated
whispers and excited whimpers of all the other lucky alpha testers around him
who were also strapped up in comfortable recliners and unable to see.  Sam
yelled out to Robert, who he had quickly forgotten was across the aisle from
him.
    “You ready buddy?  It’s about to get real.”
    “Dude, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop shaking until they
start it,” Robert yelled back.
    Sam could hear Robert nervously laughing and he laughed as
well.
    There was a sudden whirring in the headset and all the
talking in the room