There was a passion in Larry.He grew up without friends, was ostracized and bullied by the people around him, and never knew or felt true love. When the Gort system awakened his potential, Larry found peace and joy in the mere fulfillment of its quests.There was a particularly happy face he carried each time as if nothing else mattered. A face that suggested to the entire world, "Yes I am enjoying this. I am fine here."Arnold carried the same face but the difference was that right now, Arnold was fighting to protect his life, to go back to his loved ones. As much as he was very desperate to live in this situation, he held tightly onto that excitement and tapped into the great bond that the system offered.That moment Larry understood what Arnold and the Nexus system had that, he and the Gort system didn't... bond.The dawn was breaking and the disaster had spread, what once stood as a tall warehouse was unrecognizable, Arnold and Larry were in battered shape with the clothes torn a
Arnold glanced around the office of a justice of the peace and smiled widely. The day had finally come for him to marry Vera, his girlfriend, since they were teenagers. He had worked so hard to finally see the day come and he was ecstatic.He noticed that some of her relatives were present at the wedding, and his smile gently faded because none of his had come. He was an orphan and had no relatives that could attend his wedding. However, his co-workers had come, and that made him feel a little better. The court room was packed with people who had come to witness their wedding.“And do you, Arnold Stone, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, as long as you both shall live?” The officiant asked, staring at the couple."Yes, I do." He replied firmly. He glanced at Vera and noticed that she wasn't as excited as he expected. In fact, she looked very unhappy.“And do you, Vera Wang, take this man to be your law
"You have no idea how foolish you have made yourself look," Lucas said, inches away from Arnold. Arnold's eyes widened as he stared at his best friend speaking to him that way. He couldn't believe that someone he trusted with his heart would ever treat him like that. "Why?" He asked Lucas slowly. "Why would you do this to me?"Lucas threw his head back and laughed. "Vera was never yours. Do you know how long I have been sleeping with her? Do you know how long I have been taking care of her and paying her bills? Well, I guess you are too slow to notice things. That's exactly why you think she would settle for you. You wretched low-class trader." Arnold shook his head. Lucas's words pierced his heart like a knife. "Is that why you refused to help me all this time? Is that why you won't help me with money to promote my business? Because you were sleeping with my girlfriend?"Lucas grinned. "Finally, you're beginning to catch on. Well, that was part of the reason. I'm shocked you're not
Arnold stumbled through the dark streets, fully drunk and confused. He had been drinking for hours, trying to drown his sorrow with the alcohol. Right after he left the courtroom, he went to a bar. It was the only place he could go to forget his pain. He had downed several bottles of alcohol and finally left when he was intoxicated. As he walked through the blackened street only illuminated by streetlights and shops displaying the usual open sign, he muttered bitterly. He occasionally stopped and chuckled, which caught the attention of people. Many people stared at him like he had lost his sanity, but he didn't care. He was too lost in his heartbreak to care about the people watching him. He staggered, almost falling to the ground but managed to hold himself back. Then he let out another laugh, this one longer and creepier than the last. "She left me." The words tasted like bile on his lips. He took out his phone and scrolled to the message icon to read his messages with Vera. His
The cool whiff of the evening breeze, whipped past fleetingly, and with a gasp, Arnold’s eyes shot open albeit painstakingly.At the same time, he felt a splitting ache in his skull, and blinking through his blurred vision, he closed his eyes again, and tried to remember where he was.He could hear voices nearby, the faint sounds of ambulance sirens wailing loudly, and he groaned as a wave of nausea swept over him."What was happening to him? Where was he?" He wondered, as he tried to move his stiff body ,but unfortunately, he couldn’t. And then it slammed into him all at once, like a ton of bricks and suddenly everything that’d happened came flooding back to him.The disgraceful wedding scene. Him getting drunk afterward and attacked by a group of vile men who had beaten him to a pulp and robbed him. Then……… the accident.“No…” The words tore out of his lips in a rush, and just as he tried again to get up from the hard bricked floor he heard a voice in his head.‘Of course, Not. Yo
Looking around him, Arnold found himself surrounded by what seemed to be tens of people, most of them looking shocked.Some looked frightened, others looked worried and they were pointing fingers at him.“He’s alive.” Someone close by said.“He doesn’t look hurt. What do you think will happen now?” Another added.He blinked his eyes again, and took in his surroundings.He was in the middle of the road, and from what he could deduce, there were ambulances and sirens everywhere.Everything looked like a nightmare scene out of a movie— where everything had been quiet or peaceful just a moment ago, but now chaos reigned once more.A few feet away from him, Arnold saw what looked like a tumbled over truck, and he could see blood dripping off of it.Not his blood. He noted, because he looked strong and fine.A figure lay prone on the ground, motionless and seemingly lifeless and also covered in white sheet.Probably the driver of the truck- Arnold mused to himself.“Hello there.” A strange
Arnold still couldn't wrap his head around it. Maybe it was the misfortune all his life speaking but it all felt like a dream he would just suddenly wake up from."Ow!" He hissed, and head held high, Arnold began to walk the streets, going straight to his apartment building, and in no time he arrived.Black soot coated the walls of the apartment complex. The once bright red hue was no longer it's original color. Instead it had patches of sickly green all over. It looked like it could pass for a work of art but it wasn't. It was a dumpster all in all. A soft wind blew by and a creak accompanied it. It was late at night and everywhere was eerily quiet, so even the faintest sound reached Arnold's ears. It was his window.The sill was broken and the glass was cracked. The sun's rays bounced off it and Arnold discovered a not so tiny hole.So that's where the rats and geckos were coming in from. Honestly, Arnold couldn't even remember what condition it was when he moved in."What the?" A
Arnold didn't know if it was the chill night air, or the fact that he'd completed his first task successfully that made the car ride enjoyable.All he knew was that the bubbling feeling he felt inside wasn't one he'd felt in a long time. As the taxi zoomed on, his hand slid into his pockets.A groan slid past his lips as he replayed the painful memory of the night’s event in his head. Recollecting the punches he'd gotten, he winced involuntarily even though they no longer hurt. The appearance of high-rise buildings momentarily wowed Arnold. They'd gotten to the more developed urban part of the city and Arnold was speechless. He'd never been to this area because, to be honest, what would the old Arnold possibly be doing here? He definitely didn't fit in with these caliber of people."Are we almost there?" Arnold asked the cab driver, who was happily whistling away to a tune on the radio."At the phone store?”“Yes.” Arnold said and peered onto the road. Far ahead were curves he'd only