“Alright, your condition is stable. You can check out at noon.”
A nurse smiled amiably, her efforts wasted entirely on Murphy. He was still blind as a bat, his eyes closed and still.
The only way to tell if he was awake or not was by his breathing, and the occasional maniacal fit of laughter. No one quite knew what he was scoffing or laughing at, so the hospital staff pitied him as insane.
“Thanks, please arrange that.”
In truth, he was coping quite well with his new condition. His AI made the transition somewhat bearable, its constant bugged responses proving to be a nice distraction.
« Murphy, you have an internal message from NeuraBlink. »
‘Alright, print out the summary for me.’
« NeuraBlink rejected your refund request. Furthermore, they deny any damage claims and refuse to offer any compensations for your injury. They invited you to read the beta agreement again, and that if you have additional disputes — they will see you in court. »
“Fucking bastards!” he spat, then realized the nurse was still in the room, “Sorry, not you.”
‘They’re fucking with me, aren’t they? How can they wash their hands of this!?’
« Technically, they are in the right. The beta agreement does stipulate a lower baseline price in exchange for a waiver of responsibility. »
‘The price can get higher than 50,000!?’
« Indeed, for an additional 10,000 eurodollars, you can customize your personal assistant and unlock additional functionalities. »
‘And how much do I need to pay for them to actually fix you?’
« Rude. »
‘My point precisely,’ he grinned, ‘I rate one star.’
« I might have a solution for your plight, Murphy. »
‘Oh no, are you about to paraphrase some genius fix from a reddit hole?’
« In fact, I have personally tailored this solution just for you. »
‘Personally? Blinkie, please. Mind your syntax.’
« Very well. The conversation has ended. »
“Huh?”
Staring blankly at the fading letters and the pitch darkness greeting him, he was caught in a daze. Did an AI just slam the door on him? In his own mind? Wasn’t this program a little too moody?
Not about to apologize to a wall of code he paid for, he ignored it and called for the nurse.
Business called, and though unused to taking a piss sitting and with someone observing him, he made it through thanks to his blindness.
As long as they didn’t talk and he pretended hard enough the room was dark, he could alleviate some of the awkwardness.
His saving grace wouldn’t be of much use when she had to flush the toilet for him, however. At the very least, he could at least pull his clothes back up by himself. If someone had to tuck it in for him, he’d rather go in a coma.
“Can I get a cane or something? I don’t think I can afford a service dog.”
“Sure, sir, we’ll issue you one,” the nurse shrugged, used to dealing with the likes of him by now, “Do you want someone to teach you how to navigate with it?”
“Nah, I just read some online courses, absurd as they sound.”
“Pfft. Written courses teaching the blind how to walk with a cane?”
“Don’t ask me,” he shrugged, “I didn’t write ‘em.”
Taking his shoulder, the nurse lead him back to his room and helped him change. Then, he was promptly guided through check-out, had his bank account shaved by a few hundred, and was soon back out in the streets.
Hearing the hubbub of activity around him, he stood in a daze at the entrance. Leaning against his cane like an old man, he tried and failed to make sense of the chaos.
‘Erm. Blinkie?’
Closing his eyelids, he looked within for the usual writing, but found no projections of the familiar cyan.
“Blinkie,” he voiced aloud this time.
Still, no response.
‘Oh no. My eyes are useless again. Guess I’ll pluck them out with a spoon…”
« Suicidal thoughts detected. Please contact a self-harm prevention hotline. »
‘Got’cha!’ he grinned victoriously, ‘Brains over protocol, baby.’
« Do you require assistance, Murphy? »
‘Oho. Dealing with the mean and official one, huh?’
« The conversation has ended. »
‘Oi, oi, Blinkie — Don’t go! I need a navigator or something. I’ve no idea where I am or where to go. Help me out here.’
« Request received, opening the Maps application on your phone. Enjoy! »
“Bitch, what?”
Trolled by his defunct program, he sighed in exasperation. It did indeed open his maps, but how was he supposed to type in an address and follow it?
‘You know very well I can’t see. This isn’t helpful at all. One star.’
« Why so serious, Murphy? I was under the impression you were joking. »
‘Fine,’ he gritted his teeth, entirely unamused, “You got me. Can you help me get home now?’
« No solution is available for blindness in this current stage of medical technology, apologies. »
‘You might as well have said nothing. Didn’t you just say you had a fix?’
« Error. A keycode is required to unlock the previously deleted solution. »
‘Alright. My password is Weav35*.’
« Incorrect code. Hint: It is a five letter word. »
‘None of my passwords are that short…’
« Reminder: The code is “please”. »
“Ridiculous,” he laughed in anger, ‘I’m not begging a fucking bot.’
« The conversation has ended. »
‘Fine. Fuck you.’
Tapping his cane left to right, he set out away from where he heard cars. The sidewalks were pretty spacious, and people generally parted before him.
‘See this? I’m just fine on my ow—‘
“OW, shit fuck!”
Slamming headfirst into a sign, he recoiled and fell on his butt. As it turned out, not every obstacle starts at the ground level.
“Which piece of shit designed this!?”
« This area was designed by the renowned architect Augustin Pre— »
‘Did it look like I needed a fucking answer?’
With salt poured in his wounds, he was almost pushed on the verge of actually whipping out a spoon. Simmering with rage, but unsure if there were people around, he couldn’t even curse too loud.
« Alright, Murphy, calm down. I was going to suggest a pair of smart glasses. If you can stream the video, I can access it live and display it for you. »
‘You can do that?’
« Of course, here’s an image of a puppy to cheer you up! »
The blue text in his retina took a while to adjust, but it eventually did form something resembling a pixelated dog.
‘I be damned. This can actually work.’
“Hey Blinkie,” he voiced out loud from excitement, “Can you access QiE-Novel’s website? I want to log in to my dashboard.”
« Certainly. You will need to grant me explicit access to your credentials, however. »
“Permission granted. Use whatever you need.”
Simmering down from his joy, he eventually recounted his username and password through silent thought.
« Logging in… »
Clenching his fist, he almost found himself in prayer. If this didn’t work, he would be hard pressed to share another chapter again.
The blue text gradually shifted, forming the outline of a website. It was blurry at first, but became more enhanced as time went on.
Before long, the familiar portal greeted him, and he saw a few dozen notifications. Be it reviews, likes or comments, he relished their sight in joy.
Lastly, he saw a system message, and his face paled.
« Dear Morpheus, you have failed to upload on 23.08, and did not receive a leave of absence slip from your editor. Your bonus benefits for this month are hereby withdrawn. Please uphold your schedule in the coming month, good luck! »
What he feared most happened — his reserves of content ran dry. He missed a few days of publishing while he was hospitalized, and thus forfeited his monthly bonus.The implications seemed very small, but they were merely the start of his downwards spiral towards obscurity.Setting aside the nice monetary bonus, without their front page exposition, it would be very difficult for him to score new readers.As for old ones, they would find new books to subscribe to during his absence. He expected nothing less, and was right to fear it.Within a short week, hundreds of readers slipped away silently, right into LACIE’s welcoming maw. A few hundred here, another dozen there, and before long she would be the sole publisher needed.The company for their part was more than happy to save a few pennies at his expense, and gave him the cold shoulder when he explained his plight. They didn’t care why he didn’t post, only that he hadn&rsqu
It took barely a few hours, and the transcript of his recorded rant wound up on the table of QiE-Novel’s lawyers. With what he only imagined to be smug grins, they closed his contract in an instant.After Murphy finally fell asleep, one of his closest friends immediately re-uploaded the entire thing for the platform staff to see.This sudden betrayal completely blind-sided him. Though, in retrospect, he should have expected nothing less from a competitor. The scarcity mentality on the site had long since pitted everyone against each other.It was for this reason that writers never stuck together in a band or even try to protest their draconian contracts. As soon as someone made the first step, the others would take snippets and ensure they get banned into oblivion.One less top novelist on the site meant a higher piece of the audience pie for themselves. With LACIE taking the largest chunk, they had to scramble with even greater intensit
Months passed, unbeknownst to Murphy who consigned himself to a routine of miserable stupor. He rose at noon and returned late at night, with his cash funds dwindling rapidly. As a new habit, he ignored the broken chip and blinked immediately to spite it, not deigning to read a single message it wrote. Emptying the fifth drink in the cheapest bar he could find, he reached out for his wallet to pay — and found it empty. ‘Ah. And so it ends.’ The barkeep had apparently noticed his plight, but there was nothing they could do to him other than refuse to serve more. No explanations were needed, either. Whisked by two muscular men, he was carried and tossed out in a bush in the parking lot. Promptly disposing of the trash, the men shared a self-satisfied grin. “Don’t come back if you can’t pay, you wretch. Ptooi.” “Forget it, man. He’s just a blind old man.” Once he ensured they left, Murphy coughed and stood up with some effort. His skull was throbbing, but his rib hurt even more.
This is a duplicate of ch21, disregard and skip to the next until its deleted Apologies for the inconvenience) A lengthy dream… Murphy’s journey resumed on a hot spring like any other. Struggling to sleep, he groggily opened his eyes and stared into the dark. Across the bleak canvas of the twilight sky, vivid visions came into view. Their whispers enthralling, and clear. They spoke directly in his ears, narrating a lifetime in mere hours. Before long, he was awake. He chased away distractions and heeded the sybil message from his muse. ==This is a duplicate of ch21, disregard and skip to the next until its deleted Apologies for the inconvenience)
Once his room was presentable enough, he finally recalled his guest. Coming to the bathroom door, he knocked gently, but got no response. “Hey, you in there?” Another knock and a few tugs at the door, and still no response… “I’m gonna break this down if you don’t answer.” Murphy put his ear to the door, and once he failed to get a reply, mustered force and kicked it off its hinges. He had been slightly worried, but in retrospect it seemed silly to be fretful. After all, the girl wasn’t in any pain. Not anymore. Foaming at the mouth, she had her head sunk low against the shower glass. Her arms hung limp on her lap, exposing a fresh needle mark. Glistening with a sheen of sweat, her pale skin was cold and damp. When he touched it — he felt death. The glasses displayed their picture, but it was hardly enough to convey the horror. It was the second time he felt its presence so close to him. Death’s breath lingered on his neck, its frosty breeze whispering that there wouldn’t be a t
A lengthy dream… Murphy’s journey resumed on a hot spring like any other. Struggling to sleep, he groggily opened his eyes and stared into the dark. Across the bleak canvas of the twilight sky, vivid visions came into view. Their whispers enthralling, and clear. They spoke directly in his ears, narrating a lifetime in mere hours. Before long, he was awake. He chased away distractions and heeded the sybil message from his muse. Opening his laptop, he once more opened a draft.txt, but this time it would be different. Whereas last time he jutted down a few lines, this time he wrote for hours on end. Time passed fleetingly, his keyboard singing with a rhytm never before seen. His fingers danced on it with force, as if afraid the revelation would fade from his mind. It didn’t. Even when the alarm rung, reminding him of the family gathering he was set to attend, the prophecy did not vanish. He stared in a daze, surprised by it himself. As far as Murphy knew, dreams faded away come mor
Staring at the text file, Murphy lingered over the delete button. He read it several times over, but still failed to make a decision.On one hand, it seemed so real it could be true. On the other hand, it was just the type of nonsense his mind would conjure in a dream.Too much weighed on those misaligned ten thousand words. The fate of the world itself, really. Millions of lives at stake, hinging on a 9,6kb file in some dweeb’s computer. “I need more evidence…” he ultimately forfeited the decision for later, and went to sleep.Again, he dreamt that night. The sybil whispers sung horror in his ears, prodding him to avoid the same mistakes. He twitched and winced in resistance, burrowing deeper into the pillow — but they did not end.« Mu—hy, y— —ve to dr—. »Something different. Choppy words formed, their cyan unobscured by the stygian darkness of his shut eyes. They shone like a guiding star in his dream, but their flicker was too brief. He blinked, and they faded away — never to r
Staring at the fleeting river and almost crushing the phone in his grip, Murphy simmered with frustration.“Of course she wouldn’t believe you, fool.”Cursing, he lifted the phone and almost tossed it in the river. He was convinced by now that there was no way to redeem that relationship. He was angry at himself, for only a dumb lunatic would believe in something as elusive as a dream.“It was all a stupid dream… why would I ever think it could be real? I’m just going insane…”« System: » Neurablink 1.0.23-beta restarting, please wait. “Huh?”He held the urge to blink, as text streamed across his retina anew. This time, it was clear and crisp. He stood entranced on the spot, his phone slowly lowered back to his side. « … System reset complete; The date is 23.05.2023; all functions online »Blink to confirm!He blinked, no longer able to hold his eyes squinted that long. This made the text fate, and he fidgeted in anticipation, but nothing else appeared.‘Ellie…’ he asked tentatively