((Excuse Me by Fire From The Gods))
They all looked so clean. So tidy. Like they had just gotten out of their baths, whereas he was still filthy despite the dried blood having wiped off with a wet cloth and the change of clothes. Even the rips on their pants looked intentional. The stripes of the shirt on the guy furthest from him were glowing as they were lit up. That was interesting how they called him pretty while they were the pretty ones with those fancy stuff on and their styled hair.
He had lost his interest, though. He was not sure what motivated him to punch the guy anymore. Maybe it was the feigned submissiveness that had finally erupted. Maybe it was the real him.
As the rest three were peering at him after the moment of surprise, he turned his back on them.
H
((One by Metallica)) Finally, their guide left, let them wander on their own, to everyone’s relief. Except the said guide, the woman at the entrance, and a few others they had encountered on the way, the staff were all robots and AIs. And they were not in their prime conditions; their movements went rigid from time to time and their expressions were out of place. Every few seconds, Haleigh would give him a nervous glance that seemed to question, ‘should they leave now?’ And, he would look back at her with an expression, ‘that was up to her.’ Apparently, she did not catch that, given how she would return with a blank look. When she finally seemed to decide to ask him out loud, their feet had taken them to the dining hall and their stomachs reminded them of how they were empty. ((The Bandit by Kings Of Leon))“Let’s get out of here,” Blaise muttered, swallowing his anger, eyes still set on the man.Instead of moving, the old lady stared at him. His voice must have been too quiet. He turned around to see her face, which was overwhelmed by confusion and another emotion—fear again.“Alright,” she whispered, as though trying to calm something wild. It dawned on him what she feared was him. Why should she? If anything, she should be scared of those twisted villains or this man at his feet despite his pitiful looks.Nonetheless, Haleigh followed his suggestion and left the room, not forgetting her big backpack. They walked through the bunk beds and uncertain-looking people whose attentions were on him instead of heSubject 0025 Chapter 26: Aerial-crossing Prohibited
((I Still Burn By Fozzy))Through his neuro-transmitter, Police Corporal Isaac Lowe communicated to his partner, ‘stop. I think I heard voices.’ And Jason stopped. They were on the ground floor again after going up for not having found a sign of the suspect. He was not sure another one was whether her victim or her partner in crime. The intel about her last victim was vague enough: an underage schizophrenic patient, and that was it. Neither age nor gender was involved, let alone personal information such as the name.All they needed to know was if they received reports about the radioactive city, it was either the suspect’s attempt to mislead the law enforcement and the media or the imagination of the poor kid. While he had been in the force for merely a decade, it was not unusual to hide the identity of victims to protect them.At times, even suspects’ identities were hidden as
((Killpop by Slipknot))Even though they had agreed on their destination, they were not sure where or when they should get down from this topmost layer of the stratosphere which was both safe and dangerous for them. For some time, their vehicle hovered above The Ground, costing them nearly all gas.Fortunately, on the map, Blaise found a gas station a dozen kilometers down below. They had to take the risk unless they wanted their vehicle to crash. Haleigh complained that flying in this topmost layer wasted more gas than she had ever imagined.They took a detour to the gas station that was built on what looked like a circular disc—which was lifted by a sloping pillar that went down to somewhere else below. In their favor, it was empty, with no other customer. They could do nothing about the cameras since they were invisible.On the screens, various channels were presenting the current manhunt of PCDP. A prime suspect of heinous crimes, a deranged wom
((The Sky Is A Neighborhood by Foo Fighters))When Blaise went into the town, the sun was still up despite it being hidden by clouds. It had been a gloomy day, especially now as the light was receding fast. The looming darkness was all over the broken vehicles lying around in various positions all over the dusty field.The humming sound of police cars above him lasted forever in his mind when it was mere seconds. As they disappeared, he exited the hiding spot to continue his race to the now ghastly structure for the twilight.He was going against the cold wind. The dried grass, dirt, and smashed pieces of unknown materials stuck to his shoes. He wished these sneakers could fly straight into the upper floors of the building, but they did not function that way. These shoes were only to hover in the air whe
---23:05, December 28, 3026---“They thought she was the one. Dumb fucks! They think everything is over. Didn’t I tell you? These people are so stupid,” a low baritone voice bellowed. Guffaws and loud agreements followed suit.The room was unlit; the only lights that existed in this dark space were from the moving figures in the air: tiny men and women formally dressed with different backgrounds and sceneries—newsrooms, conference halls, and the offices. Occasionally, bodies lying in different positions replaced the scenes.“Stupid people,” a high-pitched voice agreed, laughing.“They think an old bitch like her would have accomplished all these things,” another pitched in.The dim but colorful lights revealed the silhouettes and glimpses of half a dozen people standing and sitting, all gathering the holographic display in the center. But more people were hidden in the darker parts of the room, as mere shadows.The atmosphere was thick with red and grey smoke, which frequently entered
The round bumper was totally smashed in. The engine and the accelerator, among other parts, were lying about, leaving what remained of the shiny red hovercar. Dust, cement, and broken pixalates of the walls filled the hall. He breathed in the toxic, dirty air mixed with the smell of the gas as he stood right before the smashed vehicle he had robbed merely hours ago. He could not believe what he was seeing. It was another day in hell.*** Half a day earlier ***It was late in the morning, and the rooftop he had slept on for three nights straight was probably quite far away. Amidst thin clouds, he had been driving aimlessly. A loud honk got him out of his daze as a hovercar flew past. He had opened the roof at some point without him realizing it. His eyes jumped to the holographic map. Still in The Ground as he had been flying in circles. He stepped on the brake, causing the vehicle to stop mid air abruptly. “Mortherfucker!” somebody cursed loudly, and a hovercar flew past. He zoo
He had been sitting here since sunrise. Opposite stood a group of towers. Glazed in dark blue, with pointed tops, and replicas of one another, they seemed to be housing corporations and offices. The entire time, ads and programs were playing all over their walls. Through the 3-D function of the VW helmet, he could not only see three-dimensional shapes but also hear the audio clearly if he would channel it.Most ordinary-looking videos and recordings in the city were like this as far as he could see.Abruptly, a sullen face flashed across the walls, taking over a repetitive commercial. Thick eyebrows, dark eyes, and dark straight hair which was combed too neatly; it was a video clip of his face. He narrowed his eyes wondering when this was recorded. ‘A missing teenager. Mentally ill and had been abducted recently. The kidnapper was dead, but he was yet to be found,’ the texts read. ‘Have you seen Jayson?’They were calling him Jayson now. Through the helmet, Blaise continued to stare