Fury stood watching events unfold, agents dying left and right on the monitors. The creature slaughtered them left and right with its giant blade. The dead agents couldn’t log back into the game thanks to some kind of penalty. It took all but ten minutes for the creature to kill every agent. The creature was thorough, making sure to end every life near it.

Fury noticed the creature was seemingly muttering something. “I want a lip reader translating what this thing is saying here now!” Fury yelled and Coulson quickly appeared.

He started reading the creature’s lips “Timothy, Timothy where are you Timothy”. 

“Coulson when this penalty is over I want our best agents figuring out who or what the hell Timothy is and what that monster wants with her or him.” Coulson nodded and silently left, Fury watched on as Widow and Hawkeye tried to bring down the monster. They did try their best but Window was caught by a surprise uppercut from the monster. The blow quite literally knocked Widow’s block off as the creature used it as a ranged weapon to knock down Hawkeye. Hawkeye looked up in horror as the creature smushed his head into the pavement with her foot.

His brain matter squelched on its foot as it proceeded its genocidal rampage. Fury waited a few moments and Widow and Hawkeye approached him “find anything interesting out about our monster”.

“Well she’s one tough bitch I’ll give the developer that, shrugged off most of what we did to her with little to no effort.” Black Widow said as she rubbed her chin “and she punches hard as well the game would be unplayable if the pain was on proper scaling.”

“She also doesn’t wear underwear underneath that outfit of hers” Hawkeye said with a slight hint of shame.

“That information is helpful Hawkeye” Fury said much to the surprise of everyone.

“It is?” Black Widow said with both amazement and confusion.

“Yes it might lead to explaining the game and who made it” Nick pulled out a small picture and handed it to Natasha. Natasha gasped slightly and handed the picture to Clint. 

“Is this picture real?” Natasha asked with sincerity.

“Yes it is the girl in that picture is the monster known as Annabelle, and the man next to her is a man by the name of James Antonio a former Marine, he makes regular contact with the creature and it doesn’t attack him I want to know why”

————————————————————————

David sipped a cola through the long black tongue straw that came from his hand mouth. After enjoying the show of Betsey absolutely levelling the Agent players base he decided to let them off lightly. He typed a few commands into the console and Betsey exited her berserk state and began to rapidly heal. She stormed off muttering to herself as she dragged her weapon on the ground behind her. 

David watched several of the Agent players log back in. This didn’t interest him, what did was how they were acting. They immediately began rebuilding the fortifications of the fortress. ‘Even after seeing Betsey absolutely butcher them, they aren’t even fazed, crazy bastards’ David shook his giant eye head. “Now where was I?” David said as he began typing in some more code. “Ah yes the reward system” David had learned from his system that players could purchase items themselves at a heavily discounted price. It would cost him five hundred fear to summon a Watcher, a player could summon it for the cost of one hundred fear. 

David looked surprised as this was the first time his system had actually even given him a mission. ‘The reward is good but what does it mean expansion”.

————————————————————————

Several hours later

Becky approached the armoured door to the Grand Central Station base. She parted her long brown hair so she could get a better view of her surroundings. Her blue eyes peered into the foggy area trying to distinguish if anything was hiding just beyond the mist. She had just looted several stores and was coming back with nine backpacks filled to the brim with loot. This made her slower and less stealthy but because some idiots pissed off Betsey most of the twisted were in hiding. She had actually seen a small pack of Hopeless Twisted run into an abandoned store and barricaded themselves in.

Becky made sure to note the fact that most Twisted hid when Betsey was in the berserk state. She knocked on the door to the base several times and quietly whispered. “Hey Justin I’m back with supplies” the door quickly opened.

“Quickly get in Betsey’s pissed off” Justin dragged Becky into the base before quickly bolting and barricading the door. Becky looked around, usually there would be traders near the entrance but now there was no one.

“Where is everyone?” Becky asked.

“Everyone is on the lower levels hiding” Becky nodded. “So what did you manage to salvage?” Justin asked gazing at the nine backpacks.

“Mostly food and water, but I did get this” Becky pulled out a chocolate bar and Justin’s eyes lit up.

“Be careful who you show this to, Chocolate is one of the most precious resources here” Justin whispered before making her hide the sweet treat.

“Why isn’t it just chocolate?” Justin clamped his only hand on her mouth.

“Chocolate can completely restore someone’s sanity, it’s why chocolate is so desired and most people won’t think twice about robbing those who have it” knowing this Becky immediately hid it. The pair began to descend into the lower levels of Grand Central Station. 

“I’m going to get some shuteye Justin, make sure the supplies go to who needs them” Justin nodded and took eight of the backpacks. Becky head towards a sleeping mat and as so as her head touched it a notification popped up.

[Leave Game Y/N]

She clicked Y and her vision went black, she was back to the real world. She took off the VR headset and got up from her chair. She lived in a small flat in New York City, she took a gaze out of her window down to the street below. “What a stark contrast, I normally hate the view here but after seeing New York in that game I’m happy”. She shook her head and got herself a drink from her fridge. The drink’s red can had Coca-cola written in white on the side. Her computer received a notification with a slight beep.

[A Horrifying World Store is now Open, special opening sale 30% off]

Becky instinctively went to see this shop, she had a soft spot for game merchandise. She had previously bought a limited edition Call of Duty poster. The poster had Captain America on it charging forward with his majestic shield covering him from bullets. Call of Duty was a game where you played as Captain America fighting through World War Two.

[ Here’s Betsey Teeshirt: Cost: $15 $10.50 ]

[ Betsey Limited Edition Collectible Figure 1000/1000 Remaining: Cost: $100 $70 ]

[ A Horrifying World Poster: Cost: $10 $7 ]

[ Super Gift Box: Cost: $1,000 $700 ]

[ …21 more ]

Becky clicked on the Super Gift Box to see the item description. The box came with a whole lot of goodies including a Limited Edition Betsey Collectible Figure, several items that weren’t in the shop, Teeshirt’s posters and other figures. The main highlight was a special pass that would give a ten percent discount on any future purchase and early access to new content for the game.

Beck immediately ordered the Super Gift Box and set the sizes to the clothes and imputed her Paypal details. 

[ Thank you for your purchase, your items will be delivered in 1-3 working days ]

————————————————————————

David watched the money flow as people bought items from his shop. He had worked on it before but thanks to the system making merchandise was easy and practically free. A hundred teeshirts cost him one Fear and he was selling those teeshirts for fifteen dollars a piece. Only a few players had bought the more expensive items but that was understandable.

David would smile if he could instead he just mentally began to evil laugh as he extracted the Fear converted from the money. But David knew he had to get back to coding the stupid reward system for the mission. He wondered how far the Watcher he summoned had gotten.

————————————————————————

A small meaty sphere floated aimlessly around the abandoned streets of New York. It was hopelessly lost as this place confused it. The sphere was the Watcher and it thought it would be easy for it to navigate an area it thought it knew well. The layout was the same but not getting spotted by the humans that were its prey was difficult. ‘They have no fear of being out in such a number’ it grumbled to itself. Its meat tendrils dragged on the floor as it made a right. “Please I don’t have any money” cried a female who was pined to the wall by a man’s arm.

“Well that isn’t going to do is it” the man jeered waving a small knife in front of her eyes. ‘At least the humans seem to behave the same’ the Watcher thought as it felt a hunger growing. ‘It said I couldn’t hurt humans but I’m sure it would be alright if I get a snack before leaving’. The Watcher floated higher into the air and floated silently above the man with the knife. The woman’s mouth was covered but she saw the Watcher floating above her assailant. She tried to scream out but her assailant hand was firm and didn’t allow her voice to escape. “Quiet bitch before I decided to slit that pretty neck of yours” the man laughed but felt something on his shoulder.

He gaze at the thing that was touching his shoulder and looked up just in time for four tendrils to wrap around the arm with the knife, his neck and cover his mouth. The woman was no safer as tendrils sealed her mouth shut and wrapped around her.