Chapter Text
Downtown Cyber City was misty - whether it was filled with claustrophobic levels of humidity, or just too low quality air to be called a livable place, it wasn’t a matter for me to debate. All I knew is that I could barely see past the spotlights that worked their damn hardest all night to make sure all of us Darkners couldn’t sleep for even a moment.
Feeling a familiar vibration, I pulled my phone out of my pocket while taking a drawn-out drag. Breathing in the smog for the past few minutes almost had me breaking into a coughing fit, but I persevered, desperate to feel that nicotine hit in ungodly hours of the morning. After all, what else could motivate me to get out of bed just as much?
While checking my messages, I noticed one that I had been dreading to open for several days now…seeing the sun lethargically poking through the skyscrapers, I felt like now was the time to deal with this mess.
“Hey Spamton,
Glad I caught you earlier. It’s been a while!”
Was he glad? Really? I took another puff of the stuff, my eyes lazily floating upwards, more than ready to be tucked into my eyelids and rest. Alas, I read on.
“I know you’re not too happy about…the others kicking you out…but trust me, this is in your best interests!”
“Pfft!!!”, I condescendingly spat down my balcony into the hazy morning hours. Had it not been too early, this would have elicited a guffaw ready to wake the entire downtown. This motherfucker and his ilk dare say this was in my best fucking interests?
The email unfortunately continued.
“Just try your best to hold on. I promise I’ll try to get you out.
I do think they were being kind of harsh on you. They’ve been picking on you since we formed the team all those years ago…I guess old habits die hard, huh!”
Feeling my grip tighten on the mobile, I was feeling like this was the last straw. I was about to punt the phone across at the nearest block across the street - just imagining the hole that would make in their shitty plasterboard was giving me catharsis. Oh, imagining their landlord having the time of their life trying to fix it - this creative exercise was already restoring my heart rate to its above-average normal, held high by the constant flirtatious pull that nicotine was enchanting my mind with. One more inhale, exhale - and I was ready to continue reading with renewed vigor.
“Either way, not to worry. We hope you enjoy the TV we left you as a commemorative gift - as per Addison tradition! We love a free parting gift :)”
Rolling my eyes, I huffed with contempt, and turned around towards my hazy room to confirm.
And fair enough, there it was. The fucking TV they left me. Exactly where I put it.
Resting imposingly on a veeeery tiny glass table was a hefty cathode-ray television. Despite having laid there since Blue left it at my doorstep and me hoisting it in, it had remained surprisingly dust-free.
Its frames were the colour of wine-mother mauve, and its antennae were perfectly straight with little orbs at the end, dangling in a way so carefree, it almost brought me to tears sometimes. It also had a few discreet fans down the side - albeit, as it was not plugged in, they stayed lifeless. Its screen was dull, layered in endless black, exhibiting a sort of aura one might assign to a haunted museum exhibit.
Staring at it filled me with a certain unease. A strangling feeling.
Like one hand around my throat, and another reaching into my pockets sensually to steal a cigarette.
A knife, gently pressing on my major artery, cutting off microscopic layers of skin until a hole was bored.
It was a sensation I had to let go of, lest I ejected my guts.
Fearful and filled with a sense of profound dread, I turned back around and continued reading the message off of my mobile, wary of the glowing star slowly showering downtown with a coat of gold.
“We all wish you good luck with your future endeavors, Spamton. Remember, you still have one 50% off coupon for Addison’s Ads services!
>>CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE<<
Yours,
Blue & the Addisons”
Hands itching to crush my phone once and for all but having zero energy left to do so, I instead slumped against the bars of my tiny balcony in defeat. Closing my eyes, I began engaging in breathing exercises that Blue once told me about. Inhaling deeply, I pushed my phone against my chest with such force that my ribs had been creaking in terror.
But I felt nothing.
Suddenly, in earshot, I started hearing hurried steps. Cars starting up. Children chatting.
Shit. It’s morning already!
Immediately getting up on my feet, I hurried into my flat and closed the balcony door behind me.
I wasn’t shocked to discover that, now, given the outside had been locked out, it was just me. Me, by myself, in a tiny, stuffy studio. The walls suddenly seemed way too tall, my living room feeling much too big and the furniture too tiny to feel comfortable with. A sort of fish-eye lens effect had enraptured my vision, culling my senses from a lack of sleep.
And of course, there was the fucking TV. Smugly resting upon the table. Not a care in the world!
“Y-You!” - I furiously pointed at it. Zero reaction.
I hurled more insults at it. Nothing.
“Motherfucker! ” - I screamed and threw my phone at it. It bounced off of the TV’s hard shell and hit the floor with its back. Thankfully, it didn't break - but the TV did not seem to be dented either.
Backing up against the curtained balcony door in fear, my eyes darted around its exterior. Looking for anything to catch onto. Nothing. Maybe I just missed it? I eyed it again, this time slower. Scaled it up and down, up and down. But it was uncannily pristine. The impact had accomplished nothing.
But now I heard plenty of quiet whirring coming from…somewhere.
“Look, Blue, you can come out now” - I took another deep drag of the cigarette, sweating bullets, deeply desperate to steady myself while giggling nervously - “gahah, very funny prank!”
Nothing.
While the smoke played tricks on me, I absentmindedly fumbled with my pocket knife, not feeling it cut deep into my skin. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my left pocket alarmingly becoming more and more crimson by the minute. My heart was racing.
My eyes darted to the TV. It almost looked like it was shaking, quivering, jittering. Staring straight at me.
The exhaustion was overbearing. I felt my muscles give way and fell with a thud to the floor.