3. Liam
Liam
There's no stress relief like blowing up zombies, which is exactly what I'm doing, after having picked up a new friend during a random pickup game.
"Get wrecked, you undead piece of shit!"
I smirk as her voice crackles over my headset, unleashing a torrent of curses that would make a sailor blush. This girl's got fire. AmYDeadYet is a gem among the trash who play this game.
I drop two zombies shambling up behind her with clean headshots. She whirls, combat knife flashing, and decapitates a third.
"Thanks for the assist."
"Anytime."
Bullets rip through rotting flesh as we carve a path through the horde. Her manic laughter fills my ears, a perfect counterpoint to the gruesome noises of zombie groans and blood splattering when daggers or bullets find their mark.
Back to back, we paint the world with putrid gore. She's a whirlwind of destruction, and I'm just trying to keep her crazy ass alive. She's balls in, every time. Strategy? She has it. But it doesn't mean she cares to use it.
Her aim is dead-on, movements fluid and precise. A real pro, even as she giggles in my ear when she does something she's proud of.
It isn't strange that she never spoke in the previous match. Most girls don't use voice chat. Can't really blame them, with all the toxic crap that gets flung around. That's what happens when you play a game that appeals to a bunch of shit-variety human.
Starting to feel a little guilty that I didn't stand up for her then, but hell, I had no idea she was a girl. Besides, I'm not into white-knighting random strangers.
And apologizing now would make it seem like I have ulterior motives. I don't want her to think I'm one of those guys, in it for a few curvy pixels.
Wait, didn't she say she was streaming? I wonder what she looks like.
No, no. Not gonna be one of those creepers. If I wouldn't look up a guy's stream, I shouldn't look up hers.
"Trickshot, watch your six!"
I spin, narrowly avoiding death by a brainless ghoul. My shotgun roars and what little is left of its humanity splatters across the devastated land.
"Close one. I owe you a beer."
She laughs. "Make it a whiskey and you're on."
We fight in sync, a well-oiled machine leaving carnage in our wake. Asher would love her. Lucky bastard, getting to game with his girl on the regular. Even if it is the candy-sweet BAbr, at least he has good company.
Focus, Liam. No time for jealousy. Survive now, mope later.
"You planning to daydream all day or help me torch this spawn point?" Her snark jolts me back to the moment.
"Yes, ma'am." I prime a grenade. "Frag out!"
The rotten planks erupt in flame as we sprint for the next objective, and I grin like a maniac. Damn, it feels good to cut loose again. No responsibilities, no worries.
Nothing but pure, adrenaline-fueled fun.
Her snarky orders keep me smiling. I wasn't expecting much—just a competent partner. Now, I'm wondering if it would be weird to ask her if she'd play together regularly. It doesn't seem right to ask, though.
I really don't want her to think I'm some sort of simp over a girl who plays games. Hell, my best friend's fiancee plays games. I know they exist.
Fuck. Why is it so hard to make friends with a girl online? It's like every thought I have is another pitfall, ready to label me as a creepy ass motherfucker.
"You have eyes, don't you? Use them!"
"You're the boss, lady boss." I chuckle as we clear another infested block. She gets as fired up as anyone when she's in the middle of a match. Honestly, based on personality alone, I might have looked up a male streamer. So, would it be creepy to check hers out?
I mean, it doesn't matter what she looks like—I'd still want to play. It isn't like I need to find ass online.
"Ugh, really? Lady boss?" Her disdain is palpable.
"You prefer something else? Sarge, lieutenant, major..."
"Lady boss is fine," she sighs. Dramatically.
"Yes, ma'am." I can't help but grin. Her energy is infectious.
We push on. AmYDeadYet's colorful commentary never stops. It's impressive, really, the sheer creativity of her insults.
"Hey, what do your followers think of that mouth?" I ask during a lull. "Seems pretty spicy for a public stream."
Silence. Shit, did I cross a line?
Then she bursts out laughing, borderline hysterical. "Oh man, you have no idea."
She reads off comments and I nearly choke. Damn. And I thought she was wild. "Let's see. 'Yo DeadYet, your tatas are straight fire. I'd motorboat that shit all night.' Though that doesn't reference my swearing. Let's see, what else…
" 'Please step on me, zombie queen!' Guy has issues.
" 'I've got a joystick you can play with any day, baby.' Not the right kind of mouth, but thanks.
" 'Talk to me like that while you ride me. I'll be your cuck any day.' There we go. Ugh, no, thank you.
" 'Shouldn't have to tell him twice. Maybe the next time he doesn't hold his own, he should get a taste of friendly fire.' "
The last one sends her into a fit of laughter so strong that it takes a second to decipher what she's saying. It's kind of adorable. Terrifying, but adorable.
Does she deal with messages like that on a daily basis?
"You should see the DMs." She snorts. "Bunch of pathetic little boys who can't handle a real woman. Yes, I really said that. You heard me. I'll say it again, too, you perverted fuckers. Ah, damn, I'm gonna get banned for that one."
"Yeah, I bet." I whistle. "Sounds like a real treat."
"Just another day in the life, buddy. Just another day in the life. Fuck, are your weapons for decoration? Shoot the fucking zombies, Trick!"
The light of morning greets the end to my gaming. At some point during the night, AmY quit streaming, but we didn't stop playing.
For hours.
And hours.
And now, I need to be up in about thirty minutes. There's no point in sleeping, so I hop into a quick shower and refresh myself into professionalism, hoping my eyes don't look too bloodshot.
Asher's call connects at 6:30 a.m., which is way too early for any civilized human to be calling another.
"The fuck you want?" is, obviously, the only acceptable greeting to a phone call at this time of morning.
"Who shit in your Cheerios?"
"You."
"Fair. Did you get the text from Miriam?"
I check my phone. Nada. Throwing him onto speakerphone, I grab a tie at random from my closet. I never worry about matching; all my ties are crazy. My favorite has hamburgers with eyeballs on them.
Today, it's pineapples and squirrels. Not sure what the fuck they have to do with each other, but weird ties are my thing.
Every time I get a present, it's a tie.
"Nope. What's up?"
"We're set to push the launch. We've already been all over the ads, and we're going to have you on a few podcasts. Still, it's the streaming that we're focusing on… and Sam's been really pushing her best friend as a good partner for you."
"Yeah?"
"She can grab the gamer girls, you can grab the rest of them. Says you'd be an aesthetic fit for promo videos, too. She wanted her in last year, but we chose you instead. Now, we're thinking it's better with the both of you. You'd be going through the game together, meeting as new friends. It's a little last minute, but are you up for it?"
"You know I am. This is my baby, too." A year ago, Asher had finalized his dreams as a gaming mogul. Once his company, HELIOS Gaming, had acquired the up-and-coming mobile game designers of HypeGaming, this day has been in the works.
We're all shooter fans, and that's what we do, day in and day out. Shoot shit. Compete with other people who shoot shit. Throw grenades and sometimes take a night to bond with a new friend and kill zombies for eight hours straight.
We played professionally. We played hard. We rejoiced in slaughter.
We didn't play cozy little RPGs with a storyline about saving the world.
And yet we sure as fuck built a company from the ground up to make one and market it to everyone we know.
It's completely mobile, friendly enough for beginners—ever since Asher met Sam, he's been really into the idea of tapping into the gamer girl market—and doesn't have a pay-to-win scheme that will cause players to drop out early into the game's lifespan.
There've been a few setbacks—we'd hoped to have it launched six months ago—but it's finally here.
It has all the social aspects of an MMO, but with the ability to go through most of the game solo. With a powerful story, fully animated and voiced, and a main story quest that gets you to endgame, we're hoping to take the market by storm.
It has potential.
A lot of it.
At least, that's what everyone says. Again, it's not really my genre. Still, I've invested a lot.
"Let's do this. Who's the streamer?"
"You've probably never heard of her, but she's pretty popular. The real problem is that she's a bit of a wild card. Has gotten in trouble a few times for her attitude and, uh, sass."
Sass is a polite term for… Well, derogatory words that we don't use.
"Shouldn't really be a problem, as long as she's resonating with who we want her to resonate with."
I can tell Asher's relieved that I agree. "She does, but the Board would be happier if we went with someone a little more family friendly."
"Tell them to fuck off."
Asher's scoff is a little crackly through the speaker. "It's not that simple, Liam."
"Why not? She's got a following. That's what we want."
"The Board wants safe. Inoffensive. Bland."
I tighten my tie, frowning at my reflection. "Bland doesn't sell games."
"You know that, and I know that. But they're old school. They want the pretty face without the mouth."
"Then maybe it's time they retired. They shouldn't have a say in this, anyway."
Asher's laugh is bitter. "If only. It's all because we had to push our deadline back for half a year. They're anxious as fuck with a new company, thinking their money's down the shitter."
I check my watch. Shit. I'm going to be late. "Look, I've got to go. We'll talk about this more at the meeting, okay?"
"I'll be there."
I end the call and shove my phone into my pocket. Grabbing my keys, I head for the door.
This streamer, whoever she is, could really help get everything off the ground. A good launch is key.
We need someone who can reach the demographics we're after. Someone with a voice. With fire.
Someone with real game.
Not some plastic Barbie doll who smiles prettily and says all the right things.