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    Virtualities: A Collection Of Virtual Reality Science Fiction Stories
    Virtualities: A Collection Of Virtual Reality Science Fiction Stories
    Virtualities: A Collection Of Virtual Reality Science Fiction Stories
    Ebook112 pages1 hour

    Virtualities: A Collection Of Virtual Reality Science Fiction Stories

    By Rik Hunik

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    About this ebook

    Winterland (5850 words) After Bryce's daughter tells him she can't remember last summer, or any summer, he starts to notice discrepancies in the world of his cozy little town. How long has this winter lasted? And why does he feel so cold all the time? (A slightly different version of this story appeared in Wild Violet, Feb. 2013.)
    Vacation Violation (1050 words) Saul had a wonderful life for a twelve-year-old, with a loving family and a comfortable home, and summer vacation was coming, so why was he tormented by a recurring nightmare? (This dark science fiction short short story first appeared in Barbaric Yawp, volume 14, number 3, July 2010.)
    Reality Check (1400 words) How can we tell what is real? We only know reality by what our senses tell us, but what if our senses are being manipulated or bypassed? Ted thought he had it figured, but he was wrong. Or was he? (A slightly different version of this story was first published in Barbaric Yawp, volume 12, number 13, July 2008.)
    Capital Punishment (5100 words) Some crimes are truly despicable, but how much punishment is too much? Who is to judge? A story of unrelenting horror and cruelty. (A slightly different version of this story appeared in Cemetery Moon #11, Sept. 2014.)
    Troubleshooter (2100 words) A science fiction ghost story. Abe Leonard didn't know how he came to be inhabiting his wife's computer but he adapted, though he could never think of her as a widow. He could watch her, but when he started interfering with the commands she entered she went for help. (This story first appeared in The Fifth Di... Sep. 2014.)
    The Spirit Of The Game (4960 words) A Thanksgiving Day dinner with a dysfunctional family: the daughter, who has been away at University; the son that never grew up, who earns a living play-testing video games; the widowed mother, out of shape and out of touch; and, in spirit, the father, dead for thirty years, but it's not a happy reunion. (A slightly different version of this story appeared in Wild Violet Vol. 6 #2, Summer 2007.)
    Levels (10,370 words) A science fiction novelette wherein Detective Frank and his rookie partner are confronted with a headless corpse in a locked motel room. When similar murders occur in other places it seems he will have to accept a supernatural aspect, but nothing is as it seems and he’s in for a wild trip that will take him places he never imagined. (This story originally appeared in Buzzy Mag.com, May 2012.)

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRik Hunik
    Release dateMar 27, 2016
    ISBN9781311825360
    Virtualities: A Collection Of Virtual Reality Science Fiction Stories
    Author

    Rik Hunik

    Rik Hunik was born in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada, in 1957, and has lived his entire life in BC, except for a few summers in Alberta, and a few days in Washington State climbing rocks. He has lived in Ymir, Wells, Quesnel, Prince George, Quesnel, North Vancouver, Quesnel, Burnaby, North Delta, and Quesnel. I live with my wife Jo and a blue-eyed, white cat named Mister. I mostly build houses and shops to earn a living but I'm also a writer, poet, artist, photographer, role playing game designer and independent e-book publisher. I’ve written dozens of stories, including fantasy, horror, sword & sorcery, mystery, humor, erotica, and science fiction, frequently combining genres. Forty have been published in small press magazines and e-zines, from the 200-word "The Hole" in Ascent Aspirations, to the 10,000-word novelette "Levels" in Buzzy Mag, published in May, 2012. Some of them are available now as ebooks at Smashwords. Contact me at: rikhunik@hotmail.com

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      Book preview

      Virtualities - Rik Hunik

      VIRTUALITIES

      A Collection Of Virtual Reality Science Fiction Stories

      by Rik Hunik

      Published by Rik Hunik at Smashwords

      31,000 words

      Copyright 2016 by Rik Hunik

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book is the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

      This book contains the following stories:

      Winterland (5850 words) A slightly different version of this story appeared in Wild Violet, Feb. 2013.

      Vacation Violation (1050 words) This dark science fiction short short story first appeared in Barbaric Yawp, volume 14, number 3, July 2010.

      Reality Check (1400 words)A slightly different version of this story was first published in Barbaric Yawp, volume 12, number 13, July 2008.

      Capital Punishment (5100 words) A slightly different version of this story appeared in Cemetery Moon #11, Sept. 2014.

      Troubleshooter (2100 words) This story first appeared in The Fifth Di... Sep. 2014.

      The Spirit Of The Game (4960 words) A slightly different version of this story appeared in the ezine Wild Violet Vol. 6 #2 Summer 2007.

      Levels (10,370 words) This story originally appeared in Buzzy Mag.com, May 2012.

      WINTERLAND

      (5850 words)

      1

      Daddy, what’s summer?

      You know, when the sun is warm and all the snow is melted, when the trees have leaves, and there’s grass and flowers everywhere. Bryce Frost, down on one knee, tying the laces on his eight-year-old daughter’s figure skates, looked up into her serious, blue eyes.

      Her little nose wrinkled and she tilted her head the way she did when she thought he was pulling her leg.

      You really don’t remember? Surely she was old enough to remember summers.

      The corners of her mouth drooped, she looked down and shook her head. When does summer start?

      Just a few more months, Bryce responded automatically, trying to count the months in his head as he gave her laces a final tug.

      I’m cold, the girl complained.

      Even with his heavy sweater and a scarf Bryce felt it too, so he sat close beside her on the low bench and put a protective arm around her. Yes, Misty, I know, but you have to practice. The big skating tournament is next month and you have a good chance of winning a medal.

      Misty sighed. I know, I’m just so tired of skating.

      Only a few more weeks, dear, then you can start with indoor soccer. He chucked her under the chin and she managed to smile for him.

      That’ll be so much fun I can hardly wait, but I'm still cold.

      Come on, skating will warm you up. Bryce stood and pulled her to her feet. While his daughter skated away he tried again to count in his head the months till summer but, for some reason he could not pin down a number. Putting his gloved hands into his coat pockets he wondered why the rink didn’t turn the heat up just a couple of degrees.

      # # #

      After skating he took Misty to The Ice Castle for ice cream, and then he let her rent a movie, Cold Fury 3: The Ice Queen, starring Janie Frost, no relation to his family. He dropped her off at home to watch the movie with her mother, then headed for Berg Foods, the biggest grocery store in town, where he worked evenings, unloading reefer trucks.

      An inch of fresh snow made the road slippery, with more snow falling. In order to avoid being stuck in traffic behind the accident that blocked the intersection ahead, Bryce ignored the Do Not Enter sign and made a right turn into the long, narrow alley that ran behind Berg Foods. The trucks had the right of way through here, but he knew their schedule and he was running late. Still, it was with a surge of relief that he saw the next truck already parked along the back of the grocery store, it's trailer in position at the loading dock.

      The truck’s lights went off and Bryce realized he never seen any of these reefer trucks from the outside, and never talked to any of the drivers. As he approached the truck he raised his hand to wave to the driver but his hand dropped back to the steering wheel before he completed the gesture. The driver had no face.

      Bryce slowed the car and looked again, this time through the side window. A rough, stubbled face scowled down at him from under a baseball cap. Startled and embarrassed, he broke eye contact, drove away, parked in the back of the parking lot, and went in to work.

      All through the first half of his shift he wondered, first about that faceless truck driver, then about the layout of the store. Maybe he had imagined the driver being faceless, but he was certain the cap had not been on the man’s head the first time he looked. And why were the cargo doors the only doors in the back of the building?

      On his lunch break he went out the employee’s door on the side and scanned the parking lot. Snow no longer fell. Multiple footprints and tire tracks crisscrossed the parking lot near the front entrance, but he could still see his own tracks leading from his car. He zipped up his coat and walked up the alley, but when he got to the truck he found no footprints leading away from, it, from either door.

      Hello, he said approaching the cab. He knocked on the door, then climbed the chrome steps and tried the door handle. The door swung open. Hello? Still no answer, so he poked his head in and scanned the entire cab without seeing any sign of the driver. As he jumped down a gust of wind blew under his coat, making him shiver, and the chill sank into his bones.

      For the rest of his shift Bryce worked with extra zeal. He and his coworkers emptied the trailer half an hour earlier than usual. Bryce left his coworkers congratulating each other and hurried outside to talk to the driver, but the truck was locked and empty. On a note of stubborn curiosity Bryce decided to stick around. He was pacing the length of the trailer for the second time when the truck started. Bryce whirled around and ran back to the cab. The same scowling visage looked down at him as the truck pulled away.

      The only footprints in the snow were his own.

      2

      More curious than ever, Bryce hurried to his car, wiped snow off the windows with his sleeve and his bare hands, hopped in and raced across the length of the parking lot, making it to the street in time to see the truck turning right onto the street in front of him. Home was in the other direction but he followed the truck, staying a couple of vehicles back.

      At the edge of town the huge cartoon snowman waved good-bye from the billboard but Bryce didn’t even glance at it. He knew the sign read, Leaving Winterland Pop. 10,000, because he saw it every time he visited a friend in the suburbs, or went skiing, just as he knew the next sign read, Glacier Peak Ski Resort 5 km.

      A fat snowflake swirled out of the darkness into his headlights and right at his face, shattering and melting on the windshield. The wipers swept it aside but more flakes came, thicker and faster. By the time he passed the ski resort the wipers could barely keep up. Over an inch of unplowed snow now covered the highway, except for the tracks of the truck ahead. He turned up the heater to full blast to fight the chill.

      The rear end lost traction for an instant and he eased up ever so slightly on the gas pedal. He wanted to stay close while avoiding the turbulence behind the trailer but all he saw now was the red glow of the taillights slowly pulling away. With grim determination he eased down on the gas but the car started to fishtail again, forcing him to slow down.

      The red glow vanished completely behind the trees as the truck went around a long corner. Bryce cursed under his breath but dared not go any faster. By the time his car rounded the corner there was no sign of the truck, not even its tracks in the two inches of fresh snow, which was so flat and featureless he had trouble seeing where the road went. He shifted down a gear.

      Trees loomed in the headlights and he hit the brakes, skidding to a stop on the shoulder. He jumped out of the car to take a closer look, not even bothering to close the door. The road simply ended. Evergreen trees, clothed in white cones of snow, stood tall in every direction except the way he had come. He had no rational explanation.

      He shivered and got back in the car.

      3

      The next morning he got up late, turned the thermostat

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