Edmersion

Mr. Shen droned on, "The Black Death was one of the most deadly epidemics."

He sighed, flipping on the students' Edmersions- World Crisis for Academics

Bodies calm, minds immersed.

"HELP!" Maria burst;

"My arm! Rats are chewing my arm!" she shrieked.

"Frickin' Aye," laughed Brantley from his seat.

"Maria, I told you to keep it on beginner view!" Mr. Shen shook his head.

Kateslyn snorted, "Dude, it's not like you're actually dead."

The lights ran through them like neon veins,

feeding historical facts through their brains.

Each plague at the turn of a page,

thanks to Edmersion, now put on stage.

Mr. Shen monitored their notes as their eyes flittered through different realities

as their pens recorded: dates, symptoms, countries, & casualties.

He tried not to pry, but he caught glimpses

of Daryl coughing blood and Chad losing senses.

Hmm, he must be on Covid Mr. Shen peeked in.

Just then, Maria shrieked yet again.

"Edmersion, drop level down to three," Mr. Shen directed.

Just like that, Maria became a little less infected.

"It's ok," Mr. Shen whispered, as Maria took a breather

"I can't handle every pandemic either."

Mr. Shen announced, "Edmersion, end game."

Yet everything seemed to remain the same.

"Edmersion, shut down...Edmersion cancel...Edmersion die!"

Mr. Shen yelled, but could still see the blue that filled their eyes.

Slapping his knees, he grasped the main cord and yanked it from the stall.

Students gasped for air, some sputtered or gagged, while others hit the wall.

"BRO!" Brantley threw up his hands,

storming out, halfway in a trance.

The next morning, everyone seemed drained.

"It's so hot in here!" Kateslyn complained.

"Let's just focus on the task," Mr. Shen pleaded

when Maria screamed again before being seated.

"Maria, please.." Mr Shen started to begin

until he saw the bubbling boils on her skin.

"I'm burning up," Kateslyn gasped.

"Help-" Daryl whispered- then collapsed

"W-What the hell?!" Mr. Shen stuttered

"Rats," Maria muttered..

"What?" Mr. Shen questioned.

"The same rats from the session!"

"What rats?!" Mr. Shen shook the young girl

as students began to scratch and hurl.

"It's what we saw yesterday," Kateslyn wailed

Tears in her eyes as blood caked her nails.

A realization hit. "It's because of how I turned it off..."

Brantley ducked down, "Shit, I'm back in the trough!"

"Stop! You're here, Brantley, you're here at Tregs Academy!"

Brantley wept, "Get it out of me, GET IT OUT OF ME!"

"I don't see anything!" Mr Shen yelled, looking for symptoms of the dead.

"It's PTSD!" Brantley cried, towering down... "I went ahead!"

Mr. Shen looked around him in a panic. In a nightmare.

The blue Edmersion lines buzzed throughout the air.

In the nightmare, knowing that he had sealed

brains into interpreting deadly lessons as all too real.