The Danger Zone - A Short Story
- Zara-Evana Mitchen
- 2 hours ago
- 15 min read
In all his time on the island, Kieran had seen many things, but the girl stepping off of the boat at the coast scared him most of all.
Kieran stared at the girl: half incensed, half astonished. She must have been young, no more than 11 or 12, with two black pigtails billowing in the ocean wind. Her little feet wrestled against the sand, almost sinking under the weight of the boat as she heaved it up the shore. Kieran’s heart plummeted to his stomach. She wasn’t supposed to be here.
“Hey!” He waved, jumping out from behind the trees. “What do you think you’re doing?”
The girl didn’t hear him, or perhaps she just ignored him. Kieran tumbled down the beach. He was running before he had the chance to figure out what he planned to do. Miscalculating the distance between the girl’s small frame and the wide-stretching sand between them, he crashed into her at full speed. They both staggered forward, the girl with her arms outstretched and Kieran with his arms flailing like a faulty wind turbine.
“Careful!” the girl yelled. Kieran tumbled past her, colliding face-first with the sand. He groaned.
“No, no, no!” the girl cried.
He looked up just in time to see the girl sprint into the waves. The boat was gliding away, bobbing above the rocky coast. She shouted - her arms thrust out to grab the wood - but it was too late. Moments later, both the islander and the intruder stared as the shrinking vessel drifted helm-first into the horizon.
A familiar anxiety spread through his chest, seeping into his heart like thick tendrils of smoke under a closed door. This was his island. His place. He took a steadying breath.
“Who are you?” he shouted, shoving himself off the ground and ploughing towards the girl. “And how did you find my island?”
When he reached her, he could see that he had been right - she was young. She wore a black t-shirt dress, the same shade as her hair. Her angular eyes surveyed the empty space where the boat had been. Alarm bells rang in his head. A moment ago, this strange creature had run into the waves in pure desperation, and now, she seemed oddly peaceful. What was her motive?
“Do you have a boat?” the girl asked, her voice high-pitched and sugary sweet. When he didn’t reply, she looked up to him with a smile.
“No,” Kieran snapped, feeling his ears redden. He’d never been very good at lying.
“You do, don’t you?” She watched him closely with narrowed eyes. “That’s good - we’ll need it to get out of here.”
“We? What do you mean we?” Kieran felt like he was falling through quicksand. The more he clawed his way out of it, the further he fell.
“You haven’t answered me,” he added. “How did you get here? No one makes it past the danger zone – that’s the whole point!”
For the first time, the girl looked uneasy.
“It’s good to see you,” she said quickly, her eyes darting to his face and away again. “I just mean, I’ve been travelling to find you for a long time. I had to warn you before it was too late.”
Kieran blinked slowly. His fingers tingled; soon the tingling spread all the way up to his neck. “Warn me?” His voice was barely audible over the crashing waves.
“Your island. It’s going to disappear. I was sent by the game developers to get you out of here.” Her eyes softened. “There's a safe place we can go, but we don’t have much time. You must come with me and be brave. If you don’t, this world as you know it will perish.”
“Disappear?” Kieran was deep underwater; every word the girl uttered sounded distorted and strange.
“This place will be nothing but darkness. Lost to the void. I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
Kieran nodded, barely aware of the girl reaching out to touch him and collapsed onto the sand.
Kieran could hear his mother’s voice as he lay flat, facing the sky. He was 12 years old again, and the first design of the game simulation that would later rock the world was crumpled in his hands. She had unfurled it slowly; an amateur drawing of his island unravelled before them.
Your fear is like all the trees in that forest, Kieran. To see how talented you are, you need to look above them. Don’t mistake the forest for the trees. There’s a wider world of your potential just waiting to be discovered!
Later, he’d say that it was his experiences with anxiety that had inspired him to design the futuristic game simulation, Immersive-Mind. The simulation allowed users to create their own virtual world - not only that, but they could live it, breathe it, even taste it. If you dreamed of the stars, you could be transported to endless galaxies, feel the space-dust beneath your fingertips. Mountains, planets, and heavens could be accessed if you chose to plug in to the life-like immersive experience. For someone who had never felt brave, he’d explain, the simulation was a way of allowing users to get the chance to.
Truthfully, it was his mother’s belief in him that was the inspiration for all his successes. Kieran couldn’t bottle belief, so he’d captured it the best way he knew how. He drew. First on paper, then by the time he was 20, thousands of expansive, virtual worlds in a 3-dimensional space. One of those was his island.
Now, four years later, Kieran and a strange girl were in that very place as she told him that his perfectly constructed oasis was going to be destroyed.
“Who are you, really?” Kieran asked.
“The developers sent me to take you to a safe place. They’re shutting down higher-design regions like this one so that the low-budget areas will be the only ones left. It all happened so quickly. The financial crisis, the system’s collapse - nobody could have expected it…” She trailed off. “Does it matter who I am?”
“Are you AI?”
Virtual systems like this one were always crawling with bots. It was almost impossible to tell if other users were really people, or just code designed by game techs to move things along.
The girl shrugged, revealing nothing.
“The place we need to get to is past the danger zone, so let’s move quickly. My boat -” she pointed to the wide ocean “- it’s already disappeared. You see the horizon? I’m worried they’ll shut it down while we’re still here.”
Kieran watched her for a few more moments; she was difficult to decipher, her expression betrayed nothing. Slowly, he turned to where she had pointed. He didn’t notice it at first, but when he did, it was impossible to unsee. The subtle mismatch of blue where sky met sea. Kieran squinted to get a better look.
Pixels. Pixels dotted the skyline like patches of uneven fabric. Kieran felt sweat trickle down his spine.
Somewhere beyond that was the danger zone. A grey wreckage of hazardous wasteland; a virtual no-man’s land. No one should have been able to get past it. And yet here she was, telling him they would have to journey through.
“There is… another way,” the girl murmured.
Be brave, Kieran. Be brave. His mother’s voice echoed in his mind. Kieran knew what she was going to say before she spoke. Still, dread twisted his insides.
“You could unplug. The island’s only a simulation. If you stay, you’ll remain here in darkness. But if you unplug from the experience-"
“No.” Kieran rose abruptly. “I can’t.”
In truth, he didn’t want to cross the danger zone. He feared it as much as he needed it to keep people away. Still, there was one thing he feared more: the real world. If he unplugged from his design, what would be left for him there?
“Let’s go,” he said. He wasn’t going to lose it all now. “If the island is disappearing, we won't have much time to get to the boat,” he said. “It’s in the centre of the island, follow me.”
The sun beamed high in the sky, scorching their backs as they made headway towards the boat. The design of the island was simple: sun-kissed sand stretched in a giant ring around a sprawling jungle. The simulation was constructed to mimic reality as closely as possible. Usually, Kieran enjoyed the arduous travel across the landscape. But now, he felt nothing but desperation as they inched closer to the end of everything.
There was no escaping this reality. He would have to face it head-on.
“Your island - it’s beautiful!” The girl’s voice beside him was startling in the serene forestry. They’d been travelling for almost an hour now. The centre - their destination - was the highest point of the island; Kieran could feel a headache forming at the mental exertion of climbing the virtual incline. The girl, on the other hand, seemed wilfully unfazed.
“What inspired you to make it?”
“My mum.” It slipped out before he could stop it.
“Really? How?” Kieran didn’t know how to answer. Talking to her was like getting used to a blaring alarm, only to remember that the warning bells were still ringing. He’d grown so used to the isolation that he’d forgotten what it was like to have someone to speak to.
“When I was young, my dad wasn’t… the best,” he started, slowly. Sneering and disappointment were the expressions he remembered most from his father. He had a laugh, a horrible, raspy sound like scratching sandpaper and would stare at his son as though he had no idea where his life had gone so horribly wrong.
“She used to hold my hands when I got scared at night. I'd have panic episodes. They got worse after my dad left, so she’d swirl patterns on my hands, squeeze them tight, and tell me to dream of a safe place. It was… I still do it when I get scared.”
“And this was the place you would dream of?” The girl's voice was contemplative, surprisingly subdued.
“Yes. This island means a lot to me,” his voice was unsteady as he continued. “And now it's disappearing.”
Leaves and shrubs blended into a green blur as Kieran slashed a path for them through the dense jungle. Reluctantly, he found himself looking back to assess their progress through the jungle’s mouth. They had made significant headway. Still, the journey back wouldn’t be long enough.
“So, why are you here alone? I mean, surely you have people you’d want to share this with?”
“I like being alone.”
“And that’s why you created that grey wasteland,” the girl shuddered, “to keep people out?”
“Yes,” Kieran replied.
She threw up her arms in apparent exasperation.
“Have you travelled through it? It was a nightmare, like something out of a horror movie! If you wanted to warn people off, you certainly did a good job. I almost turned back myself!" The girl screwed up her face, upturning her nose like the memory was enough to induce a horrible smell. Kieran smiled, despite himself. He got the sense that this dramatic performance was more for his benefit than hers.
“It wasn't always there. People would wash up here by accident or ignore the signs in the game’s system that this was private property. Adding the danger zone was more for… dramatic effect than anything.”
“Still, you didn’t have to make it so harrowing,” The girl shuddered again.
“No, I guess not.” He laughed. “The darkness just felt fitting.”
Kieran felt his smile slip.
“Ironic, isn’t it? Even in my wildest fantasies, I’m still surrounded by things that scare me,” he grimaced.
Kieran hadn’t intended for this place to go so wrong. The island was meant to represent hope, and he'd surrounded it in a veil of grey mist, like some villainous monster in his gilded lair.
“Is that why you don’t bring anyone here? You’re scared?”
“More like terrified.”
It was his only truth. Fear was normal for him. A second skin that permanently stuck to his own. He knew that when people looked at him, that was what they saw first.
He started to explain the story of how it all came to be. The success had come fast, he explained. Kieran had drawn his whole life, and this was the first time it had ever meant something to someone else. His people rallied behind him, and it was like he could finally give back all the belief and love they had bestowed upon him. Finally, he was worth it. He didn't understand the specifics when his team told him the market had suddenly changed. But he saw the effects. The colossal sum they had put into the project wasn’t turning a profit. His game lost support, and key investors dropped out.
“It wasn’t the lack of success that was the problem. It was me.” Kieran paused, struggling to find the words to express what had happened. “I felt like a fraud, and I was sure they could see it. I pushed them away in the worst ways. I thought, if I did, they wouldn’t see the failure underneath.”
He couldn’t forget the looks of hurt and anger on their faces. His friends, his mum, his girlfriend. The things he had said. Preying on their insecurities, when it was his that were screaming out.
“I isolated myself, because that’s what I do. I sabotage things, and then I run away. I can’t seem to have a good thing without ruining it.” Kieran raised his arms - gesturing at the terrain, as if including his island on that list.
“So that’s it, you never spoke to them again?”
“That was a year ago. I lost contact, so I don’t know how they’re doing,” Kieran’s voice cracked. “I didn’t even ask.”
They were approaching the top of the woods now. The trees had grown sparse, opening up to a winding rocky trail that spiralled above them towards the island's peak. They stopped. Kieran leaned against a tree facing the girl, who watched him with eyes like flash-lights, searching for something inside of him he didn’t know how to give. A sudden sense of familiarity washed over him, but he dispelled it.
“So you see. They wouldn’t want to be here.”
“Why not? Maybe it’s not about whether you can fix everything all at once. You just do the first brave thing you can, then the next until it gets easier.”
He knew what she meant. She thought that when they crossed the danger zone, that would be the first step. After that, reaching out would be easier. The second skin that was painted over him would slowly peel away.
“It’s that easy? Getting rid of fear is just one brave decision away?”
Kieran waited. As the seconds ticked on, he realised he was embarrassingly desperate to hear what she had to say. She said nothing. The insects chirped around them. He looked away.
“What’s the state of the world, anyway?” He was sure her AI statistics could offer him something appropriately dramatic to distract him.
She shrugged, “I’m sure it's more of the same.”
“The same?” Was there some unspoken code that everyone apart from him knew about? Why did people refer to ‘the same’ like it was some tangible thing they were all holding on to? If it was something he could reach, he didn’t have a clue where to find it.
“I just mean the same as here. A little bit lost, a little bit lonely. Over there, everyone’s on their own island too. They’re just waiting for someone to be the first person to sail in.”
Is that what Kieran had done - made a physical manifestation of the loneliness in his head? He thought of his friends. Were they trapped on their own islands, waiting for him to reach out to them?
It was too late, surely.
“I’m here.”
“Huh?” It took Kieran a moment to realise he had spoken out loud.
“Most people have unplugged, but the game-developers sent me here to save you. Doesn’t that mean that at least one person cares?”
Kieran hadn’t thought about that before.
“They’re just doing their jobs.”
“Maybe. Or maybe in all the chaos of life, someone’s still out there, thinking of you.”
They reached the top of the peak. Approaching the summit’s edge, the view was beautiful and horrible all at once. The pixels had spread out across half of the skyline. Sharp lines of blurry, blue squares glared at them from the distance. It wouldn’t be long before they claimed the island.
Kieran clenched his jaw and stalked towards the upturned boat further along the rocky ground. It was the boat he used when he first made the journey to the island. It was the boat he would use to leave it. He pressed his hand onto the smooth wood and watched as the boat vanished from view. A message flashed across his retinas. The item was now stored in his inventory. They would retrieve it when they got to the water.
“I’m dreading it, I think. Part of me doesn’t want to cross the danger zone again,” the girl said. She stood beside him.
“Me neither,” he admitted, turning to the pixels. He hadn’t answered her question before. He had never once crossed it. He was good at that, building glowering, impenetrable towers all around him and never being courageous enough to break them down.
“But we must all face our fears at some point.” His words surprised him. Even more when he realised he meant them.
When they reached the coast, the sun was already setting. The sky was a blurry collage of orange and pink squares; a dystopian portrait of the end of times.
They glided the boat over the rocks. When the girl stepped in, Kieran steadied the ledge with his hands. His mouth felt dry. He wasn’t ready. She sat in the boat, the wind whipping around her in urgent, frenzied gusts. She waited, but he couldn't move. It couldn’t be over yet. This couldn’t be it.
“Come on in. I’m anxious to start the journey,” she said.
“I-I can’t.”
The girl's mouth opened and closed again. She rose slowly and grabbed his fingers on the edge of the boat. It was only when he looked down that he noticed they had been slipping.
“What do you mean you can’t?”
“Go on ahead without me. You can do it; crossing the zone won’t be as hard on the flip side.” He spoke with more confidence than he felt.
Her face clouded. A million plans and thoughts whizzed across her face, but she didn’t look afraid. He frowned, confusion bubbling inside of him, then sudden, bursting realisation. He stared at her like her face was morphing before his eyes. How had he not noticed before? A tide of emotion rose in his chest. It had all been so clear, right in front of him.
“Please. Come with me. Be brave, Kieran. Be brave. You can’t stay here alone. You’re worth so much more than you realise. Let me prove it to you - beyond the danger zone.”
He smiled. For the first time today, he felt calm. A still contentment amidst the storm. It was also the first time the girl had said his name. It was nice. Someone beyond the forest and the sand knew who he was.
“I’ll be alright. I promise. I’m just not ready to let it go yet.”
They stared at each other. The weight of everything they had shared passed back and forth between them. This was not how he wanted to leave things. He wanted to show her he could be brave. He wanted her to be proud. But perhaps the first step to bravery was one he had to make for himself.
When he eventually let go, the girl did not resist and neither did the current. It carried her away until she was a small dot under a patchwork of sky.
Eventually, he rested his head on the sand. Soon, it would be pitch black, and he wasn’t afraid for once. He tucked his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, waiting for the darkness to come. Someone had come for him. He didn’t know what he would do or if he’d have the courage to do the next brave thing. But for now, knowing someone was waiting for him when he was ready was enough.
***
Kieran’s mother was always moving. Her life was a movie in motion; she looked forward, never back, always doing something new. But today was different. She sat still, her hands clasped around her son’s as he lay unmoving on his bed. Praying he would wake up.
She was so proud of her boy, sometimes so proud she could burst. Building the simulation had been an epic display of his many talents, but she had always known he was capable of that and so much more - even if he struggled to believe it himself. A few months ago, when her son hadn‘t replied to her calls and avoided her visits, she knew that something was wrong. Kieran’s friends and the developers of his game had all reached out to her, just as concerned about her son. They hadn’t spoken in a year, and when they had tried to visit, he was locked up in his room - hooked to his simulation day and night. It was a scary thing to realise how far she had allowed her son to drift from her. But she would commandeer the wind and fly right back to him every time. So, she arranged to meet with his people. Maybe together they could find a way to bring her son back, and eventually they had a plan. The developers couldn't stop the simulation shutting down, but they could send someone in before it did. And that was how she found herself entering his island.
Now, in the low flicker of candlelight, Kieran’s mother turned her son’s hand so his palm lay flat in hers, tracing lines onto the back of it like she did when he was little. Her heart clenched. Had the darkness reached him yet? She couldn’t help her questions. Was it the right call, leaving him there alone? Was he lonely? Seeing him on his island today had been like magic in a bottle. He was so confident and bold, just as much a part of the island as the wind and the waves. She had marvelled at his deft, unquestioning movements - just as much the brave and beautiful boy she had always known that he was. Several times as they journeyed across the island, she wanted to reach out and tell him that it was her; his mother had come for him. But she resisted. Just as he had guided her through the terrain, she could only guide him to the light.
So, she waited by his side. She would wait until the light beside her flickered out and then long after that. Sometimes, you couldn’t drag someone out of their darkness. You only had to sit with them in that dark, sail onto their Island, and be still. When he opened his eyes, they would step into life’s danger zone together.
Author's Note: This story represents what it is like to feel isolated, even surrounded by family and friends who love you. As a young person navigating life, Kieran's experience of feeling trapped by the weight of external pressure and the need to perform is a very relatable experience, especially for young people like me. I wanted to reflect what anxiety can look like when you feel stuck on your own island. The good news is, as I found to be true, there are probably more people rooting for you than you think! If you want to help someone who might be going through something like this, sometimes the best thing you can do is let them know you’re there for them -and still be there when they're ready to talk.
This article has been sponsored by the Psychiatry Research Trust, who are dedicated to supporting young scientists in their groundbreaking research efforts within the field of mental health. If you wish to support their work, please consider donating.