Garth was feeling restless and had time to kill what with having had enough of the net. That was something new for him. Some terrestrial pursuit, a distraction was what he needed. He made a call.
“Hey. Fido. How’s things?”
“Garth. What’s up. Long time no hear. Things are well. Been busy running my legs off with this courier job. It’s never ending. You finish one drop and the next is there. It’s endless. Still, I suppose I’m getting free exercise.” Fido was in good spirits and it cheered Garth up.
“Well I could use a bit of exercise myself. I’ve gotta unplug from the net. Its sucking me in and soon it‘ll be spitting me out. What about a ride down Bedford after work?”
“Look I’m making my last drop on DeKalb and can meet you at Bedford Nostrand in thirty so we can bike there together. Maybe grab a beer.”
“Sure thing.”
Garth flick his mobile closed. Things were looking up. He went into the dim kitchen and looked around for food, registering his own hunger. All he could find was some cornflakes at the bottom of an old box under some half eaten petrified pizza slices. It would have to do. He brewed up a coffee and ate, using water as there was no milk. It was already the end of the normal working day but his clock was out of sync. He took a shower to feel himself alive, recall the body his cyber self had taken over and now inhabited. He felt that it could be morning and he was getting ready to head out into another world, a second contingent life. The wires in his brain were crossed. He already missed the dark room, the hallucinatory screen, the other worlds he could jack into, the feeling of loosening these bodily ties with the decaying world around him for an electric, bodiless and charged existence.
He swung his bike down off its rack and closed the door. He needed to get out while it felt good. Night was falling and he’d not got any lights. No matter, the station was close. He was looking forward to seeing Fido, that old rascal. They’d taken different paths since college but kept in touch. The city was too big for being all alone. Knowing there was someone out there you could call a friend mattered. He turned into a side street to wait. Then he saw Fido, wheels spinning frantically, gangly frame hung over his racer and his big lopsided grin. Garth smiled. Fido had both arms up, waving in exaggerated and easy joy, clown that he was. And then the smile froze on Garth’s face as he saw a dog run out in front of Fido. It all happened in an instant. The bike went over and then the horrid screech of truck tyres, metal grinding mercilessly against metal. His stomach buckled and twisted as a dragonish wave of horror rose through his chest. Blood busted into his head. He dropped his bike and stumbled into the road. The dog was a mangled truncated mess, the bike was mauled into a shape almost beyond recognition; and he couldn’t see Fido. He felt a black pit open up before him. He turned towards the truck in incomprehension, the twilight road the cars around him losing their substance, falling away, shimmering, prescient like a cyber battle zone.
Garth was feeling restless and had time to kill what with having had enough of the net. That was something new for him. Some terrestrial pursuit, a distraction was what he needed. He made a call.
“Hey. Fido. How’s things?”
“Garth. What’s up. Long time no hear. Things is good. This courier job’s running my legs off. It’s like whizzing in a never ending rabbit run. And you finish one drop and another one comes up. The exercise is free though.” Fido was in good spirits and it cheered Garth up.
“Well I could use a bit of exercise myself. I’ve gotta unplug from the net. Its sucking me in and soon it‘ll be spitting me out. What about a ride down Bedford after work?”
“Look I’m making my last drop on DeKalb and can meet you at Bedford Nostrand in thirty so we can bike there together. Maybe grab a beer.”
“Sure thing.”
Garth flick his mobile closed. Things were looking up. He went into the dim kitchen and looked around for food, registering his own hunger. All he could find was some cornflakes at the bottom of an old box under some half eaten petrified pizza slices. It would have to do. He brewed up a coffee and ate, using water as there was no milk. It was already the end of the normal working day but his clock was out of sync. He took a shower to feel himself alive, recall the body his cyber self had taken over and now inhabited. He felt that it could be morning and he was getting ready to head out into another world, a second contingent life. The wires in his brain were crossed. He already missed the dark room, the hallucinatory screen, the other worlds he could jack into, the feeling of loosening these bodily ties with the decaying world around him for an electric, bodiless and charged existence.
He swung his bike down off its rack and closed the door. He needed to get out while it felt good. Night was falling and he’d not got any lights. No matter, the station was close. He was looking forward to seeing Fido, that old rascal. They’d taken different paths since college but kept in touch. The city was too big for being all alone. Knowing there was someone out there you could call a friend mattered. He turned into a side street to wait.
Then he saw Fido, wheels spinning frantically, a gangly stick insect frame draped over his racer and his big lopsided grin. Garth smiled. Fido saw him and swung both arms up, waving in exaggerated and easy joy, clown that he was. And then the smile froze on Garth’s face as he saw a dog run out in front of Fido. It all happened in an instant. The bike went over and then the horrid screech of truck tyres, metal grinding mercilessly against metal. His stomach buckled and twisted as a dragonish wave of horror rose through his chest. Blood busted into his head. He dropped his bike and stumbled into the road. The dog was a mangled truncated mess, the bike was mauled into a shape almost beyond recognition; and he couldn’t see Fido. He felt a black pit open up before him. He turned towards the truck in incomprehension, the twilight road the cars around him losing their substance, falling away, shimmering, prescient like a cyber battle zone.
Advertisement
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
