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John only half listening to Leonard. After hearing one of Leonard's rants you'd heard them all. "Fuck everyone and everything, it's all their fault, if only people were enlightened like me the world would be a better place," that kind of thing.
John was dedicated most of his attention on his AuralDot, the tiny speaker tucked inside his ear. He
listened to a podcast about Eraithism, a belief which had spread amongst new Polynesia. It was a cult
centered around transcendence in the machine. His latest obsession.
"Dude!"
John glanced up. Leonard's lecherous gaze was fixed on Alice Holmes, the goddess of ARC.
Around her were her disciples, twelve men and women who listened to her words like starved followers desperate for her wisdom. Who could blame them? Alice had been all over. She was the first person to sail a category 4 sandstorm for over a week; she'd been part of an expedition which discovered a whole underground society below New Canada that had been there since Roman times; last summer she'd studied a rare species of squid while working with a research group based in the Marianas trench and found that they had a primitive language. And rumor had it that this summer she was going to take a space clipper to Pluto.
She had done and seen things that everyone else could only dream of, and still she hungered for more. And if this was not enough, she was also stunning. Not beautiful in the way of typical beauty. Generic and dull, the kind that you see and think "Wow, they're pretty. They could make a great actress." That was not Alice.
Alice was beautiful in the way that passion is beautiful, the beauty of seeing a dolphin leap into the air time and time again, the kind that was like a dog running through the forest trying to see all they can see and smell all they can smell. The kind of that only reckless adventure and wild pursuit of happiness can bring. That's the kind of beauty that Alice was.
John looked away. Seeing her always made him sad. Whenever he saw her his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. His sadness and his pain always seemed so much worse when Alice was around to contrast it. His eyes stared at his peas and nothing else.
Leonard on the other hand leered openly as she neared, her and her followers on their way to their table, hands holding trays filled with food. Leonard's eyes greedily trying to take in every inch of exposed flesh which her sundress revealed. It was a short dress and as Leonard saw this a light bulb lit in his mind. His hands moved with a lizard like smoothness, slow and meticulous.
John, too distracted by his peas, did not notice as Leonard took John's phone from the table. Leonard opened a new message to himself, opened the camera function, and set a timer. Alice passed their table and he slid the phone with a flick of his wrist. It flew off the table. Alice's dress rustled as the phone passed between her legs with a flash and a scream.
"My phone." John said as he watched it slide across the floor. His mind still coming back from peas to register what was going on.
What happened next was a series of disjointed moments. John did not remember doing anything, only seeing from outside of himself what followed.
Alice's disciples, moving as separate entities all belonging to a hive mind moved towards him. They're the ones that smashed John's phone. They're the ones who comforted and held the shocked Alice. They're the ones who took John in their clutches and hit him until he was crying--crying like an adult; wheezing, sobs, painful, humiliating, snot, broken. They're the ones who dragged him to the office in front of the Head Administrator of ARCS, Principal Kat.
Leonard never looked up from the brand-new message he'd received on his phone. A picture of panties; they were white with floral print.
Vice-Principal Tok was there as well. His eyes hidden by his always present mirror shades. John did not remember the whole conversation. Only snippets of words — "Pervert", "Depraved", and "Disgusting Slug". He woke up in his room holding a letter of expulsion. That was one day ago.
Only four hours remained until his departure time.
He tried to pack, but each time he started to put something away, he found himself back on his bed staring at his phone, scrolling through the posts on ARC's Social Page. For once people were talking about him. None of it was good.
He watched a video of himself being beaten, he didn't remember the part where he'd began crying for his mother, his face so drenched in snot, tears, and blood that even she wouldn't recognize him. By reading some of the posts you'd think that John had held Alice down and tried to have his way with her. There were even some accusations that he belonged to some sex cult that worshipped the devil.
Geo hadn't posted anything. Did she know what had happened? Did she know he was leaving?
He'd had the pills for a while now. He bought them on a bad day from a classmate skilled in chemistry and not skilled in having rich parents. John had never used them, though he'd always said that he would. He'd only planned to take one to make him feel better, but then the thought of feeling better for the rest of his life, no matter how short it was, became more and more appealing.
He grabbed a bottle of water from his mini-fridge. He tried sending a message but didn't. He tried writing a letter but didn't. He tried to find the perfect music, eventually settling on some Eraithism chants. He didn't understand it, but he felt it. He sat on the edge of his bed and took a sip of water and readied the pills in his hands.
John raised them to his lips. Bang, Bang, Bang. Three knocks. John swallowed the water, John swallowed only water. The pills still in hand.
He slid the door open. On the other side of the door was the dorm hallway and a package.
The postage marks detailed that it'd been sent via subspace from one of the colonies.
John locked his door and tore the package open. Inside there was a note and two archaic devices. A handheld mp4 player and a record player.
"Press Play," read the note.
John had never seen a device like this, but he knew how to read. He pressed the button and the mp4 blinked on. A white screen with blue bubble letters spelling 'Hello', but when that was gone a pair of eyes appeared.
Eyes the color of John's, brown. But where John's were clear and young, these were old and wild.
"Is it on?" The man stepped back, revealing himself. A man with unkempt hair dressed in white in a room that adorned with lewd paintings.
"My favorite sperm byte." Uncle Raccoon smiled. "It's great to talk to you again."
John nearly said something. Hello, where are you, and I miss you were all questions that rushed to his mouth, but his mouth wouldn't move. John's hands were shaking, and his mouth was dry. He wanted to chug his water, but he didn't want to look away from the screen for a moment. He was afraid if he blinked for too long then it would disappear.
"Now I know I usually bring some sort of present when I see you. Trust me I did this time too. Don't worry. But you'll have to wait for my spiel to be over before you get it."
He brought himself closer to the screen, while his body had looked robust his face seemed tired. He'd aged. "I'm sorry boyo. I really am. I shouldn't have left, but you know...well I guess you don't I...."
Uncle Raccoon walked away from the camera and began to pace. His hands ran through the tangle of hair on his head.
"It's hard to find the words." He chewed, speaking deliberately, "Basically, shit happens, and you deal with it. Sometimes you do it right, sometimes you do it wrong. Whatever happens, happens and you live with your actions, but you regret most of them. That's basically it. Oh..."
He looked at the camera before continuing, "I'm dead. If you're watching this. I'm dead. Unless I'm not and we're watching this together. In which case, Hey future me." He waved.
"But if that's not the case. I'm dead. Sorry sperm byte." He looked down. "I really am."
Chills spread through his body. Ice. Sharp, crystal pains along his clammy skin.
"But don't worry. Don't worry. Cause I have a gift and I give it to you, my beloved sperm-byte. Now, be careful it's a lot more refined and I won't be around to help. Don't be stupid." He smiled a toothy grin. "I love you. I do. Play the record."
The screen went dark.
John's hand moved without thought. It got the record playing and he sat straight waiting. His mind was too jumbled to try and think. The needle slid into the wicked grooves of the record. Scratchy silence followed by a music.
It was the rust of music. Unpleasant and uncomfortable. But John listened. Even though it made him want to vomit, he continued to listen. Grief gripped him and this music felt right for that. It was pain. His ears threatened to leave. John swore he saw the walls begin to peel. John did see the walls begin to peel.
Symbols were carved into the walls all on their own— no, not on their own; it was the music. Etchings in an eight-sided symmetry carved into the walls, his desk, and the floor. Fluff was strewn from his pillow as invisible claws cut into it. And John still did not move.
Each symbol was different, each seemed to have a personality all their own. It hurt to watch them. John wanted to look away, but he was held there. Time became irrelevant. There was only John and the symbols and the music, the horrible music. Only they existed. His world eaten and replaced by the weird. Glowing brighter and bigger. It encompassed his whole vision. Then the screams began.
John didn't realize that the world had fallen away, replaced by sights that belonged in an abstract painting of pain and beauty. There were bodies tangled in ways that were hybrids of sex and mutilation. There were sharp edges and metallic sounds resonating in the air in such a way that their sounds shook Johns very bones, literally shook them in his flesh. A choir of screams, screams that were horrifying in their beauty like a songbird. John was a part of this choir. And there was the smell, a spiked smell that tore through your nose like anger. There were things that John found no description for and to try and understand them only made his screams worse.
The last thing he saw were words. English that tangled into itself and squirmed through the air like maggots squirmed through meat. They found their way to John, crawling on his skin, overtaking every inch of him, finding their way into his ears, his mouth, his nose, and his eyes. He felt their inky touch, but it wasn't just ink. Their meaning, he felt their meaning crawling over him. All over him.
They squirmed their way under his skin. He tried to scream, but they only crawled deeper into his throat. He tried to bat them away, but they stayed. Some were rough like they were covered in sand, some were covered by a burning slime, some had teeth and bit bits of his flesh off. All tried to crawl into him.
There was darkness. Then there was silence.
Stop(WeirdTrack_BadDay(B_Side));
Start(WeirdTrack_BadDay(Postlude));
— — Scrap Logged In
Scrap: Hey
ZaiHo: Yo! How's it go lil rocker. Where have you be? You missed the game today.
Scrap: It's been a rough day
MetalReX: We got creamed.
MetalReX: We would've wiped the board with those noob maggots if you were there.
MetalReX: You really screwed your team ScrapHead.
MetalReX: ...are you okay?
Scrap: Yea. A little shaken, but still got all my nuts and bolts.
ZaiHo: Aha!
ZaiHo: We finally got the confirmation we needed.
ZaiHo: Scrap is actually an android. Confirmed.
Scrap: Figure of speech.
Scrap: Sorry about ditching. I had to take care of something which left me MIA.
— — CryingAvocado Logged In
CryingAvocado: What's cracking my ice cubes.
ZaiHo: *Crickets*
MetalReX: *Stares in both shock and shame*
Scrap: Hey
CryingAvocado: ;p
CryingAvocado: Hey @Scrap!
CryingAvocado: Guess who got a teacup giraffe today??
ZaiHo: No way! XD PICS!
MetalReX: I think genetic mod is unethical and will only cause more problems for society.
Scrap: No one cares Rex. Pics!
CryingAvocado: [tinyGiraffe.jpeg]
ZaiHo: I'm dead. That is the best thing anyone has ever made.
Scrap: I wish I could have one. =( I can't even keep a cactus alive.
MetalReX: It's a freak of nature.
CryingAvocado: ^You're a freak of nature.
ZaiHo: Yeah! And like, who cares. It's not like there are any out in the wild anymore.
Scrap: I think africa is mostly leftover gen modded things anyways.
MetalReX: =\ Don't worry about me. I'm just trying to respect the beauty of nature over
here.
ZaiHo: Don't worry Rexxy. I get you. I mean I respect the beauty of your mom every night.
;p
Scrap: Burn.
MetalReX: Meh. <:(
CryingAvocado: Has anyone heard from @FlippinFunFerret?
CryingAvocado: I haven't seen him on today.
MetalReX: Last time he was on was yesterday. Noon GMT.
ZaiHo: ^Stalker. 0.0
ZaiHo: you all be stressing too much.
ZaiHo: Maybe he's balls deep in a new game. 'Starry Knight' just came out.
MetalReX: @FlippinFunFerret never deviates from his standard. Most of don't. He's on for
like four hours a day.
Scrap: It's kinda creepy.
ZaiHo: Said so. @MetalReX = Stalker. Beware!
Scrap: Not you my favourite chrome dino. No.
Scrap: What's creepy is what if for example @FlippinFunFerret needed our help. We'd
never know.
Scrap: What if he was kicking it in the afterlife. We wouldn't know. He'd just never log in.
ZaiHo: Shite! That's not funny.
MetalReX: She's right. We might have guesses about where the person is and theories, but
we'd never really know.
ZaiHo: Or if they joined the chat under a diff name.
Scrap: IP would be the same.
— — SlayPrincess Logged In.
SlayPrincess: u.u
MetalReX: So, we'd be able to figure it out, but only cause of techies.
MetalReX: That we are. *
MetalReX: *That we are techies.
MetalReX: Syrr
MetalReX: *Sorry
MetalReX: I'm really syrr guys.
CryingAvocado: Metal, if you correct yourself again, I'm shoving that star up your ass.
CryingAvocado: Still. I'm worried about FunFerret.
SlayPrincess: Heeyy
— — WonderRad Logged In
WonderRad: Fuuuuuuuuck.
WonderRad: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
WonderRad: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
MetalReX: What's wrong.
WonderRad: Long day.
SlayPrincess: Cryptic. Mmmm.
ZaiHo: Slayer! When'd you get here.
SlayPrincess: Earlier. Pay better attention dweepy.
ZaiHo: How was your day?
WonderRad: It was an entire fuck me fest today. Worst day of a anyone atARC.
— — CrowYo! Logged In
— — JWizzle Logged In
ZaiHo: I was askingSlayMeister. 0.o
JWizzle: What's hanging my hairless apes?
SlayPrincess: It's been great, just got new dress. I'm a downright snack in it.
SlayPrincess: Heey Jwiz! Hey Miss Crow.
ZaiHo: Slaymaster, PICS!
SlayPrincess: In your dreams, cause that's what I am. A fucking dream.
CrowYo!: Evening. =)
CrowYo!: How's everyone's heart beating tonight.
WonderRad: Day's been shit, but at least my hearts beating.
WonderRad: I've felt like shit since yesterday.
WonderRad: I need to breathe. Do something wild.
JWizzle: At least you aren't a pervo.
JWizzle: At my school there was this kid who was taking upskirts and they caught him
yesterday. I bet his life really sucks right now!
CryingAvocado: That's screwy. Something like that happened here too.
ZaiHo: JWiz and CryingA go to the same school confirmed!
JWizzle: Doubt it. There's plenty of schools, I'm 90% sure they all have pervs.
MetalReX: All men are trash, never give them the benefit of the doubt. Trash
CrowYo!: You're generalizing Metal.
CrowYo!: Judge the individual, not the whole. :\
CrowYo!: Trust me, not all guys are trash, I've met my fair share of good ones. — >o ;)
— — HoHiHey Logged In
HoHiHey: Hello.
HoHiHey: I found a bird today. Its wing was hurt.
ZaiHo: Hey triple H.
ZaiHo: So, we know for sure your planet side then. ;)
WonderRad: Several stations have modded wildlife. Virtui-SoBo for instance.
ZaiHo: Seriously!? Shootle, I need to leave my room more. I didn't even know.
MetalReX: You realize we now know you're aboard Virtui-SoBo.
MetalReX: So much for anonymous.
ZaiHo: Doh~
HoHiHey: It's a pretty one. It's glows in the dark and has really pretty feathers.
SlayPrincess: That sounds adorbs. I really wanna see it.
ZaiHo: ^Same~
CrowYo!: Please share this lovely little creature with us.
Scrap: Yesss, I need more cute animal pics after today. 8) Upload!
HoHiHey: [picture13.jpeg]
Scrap: That's awesome!
SlayPrincess: It even has a wittle bandage for its wittle wing.
CrowYo!: That is adorable @HoHiHey. But I don't think it'll be able to fly.
CrowYo!: That wing looks too damaged.
MetalReX: 3H I commend you. Taking care of animals is commendable.
WonderRad:/whisper@HoHiHey Where did you find that.
HoHiHey: At the park.
WonderRad. /whisper@HoHiHey >:( whisper!
Scrap: That's not how you whisper.
JWizzle: Yeah, we all see you wondie-dear.
WonderRad: Oh. 0.0
CrowYo!: I believe wonder has some wondrous secrets.
CrowYo!: ^ was that funny.
MetalReX: No crow.
MetalReX: But nice try.
JWizzle: Maybe Wondie is trying to steal her own pretty bird.
SlayPrincess: I want to steal a pretty bird. ;)
WonderRad: No! I was just curious.
Scrap: Hmm, stealing is bad wondie.
