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Authors: David M. Henley
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thing away, sending it to oblivion in a million pieces.
Zach looked around him. He should have sent a broadcast alarm, but what did it matter now? Dungeon could do it all over again and it would not matter.
The street was empty save for himself. He was in a geographical representation. A place with low flat buildings set in straight lines. It was odd to see an empty space on the Weave, he wasn’t really sure what it meant.
He walked forward, checking every intersection and finding no one. No streams had passed through here for months. Perhaps it was abandoned. Zach checked the info and saw he was in one of the STOC relocation towns, Sector 261 of Omskya. From the passive data sent by the omnipoles, transport, medical, education and administration, all functions were normal, indicating the town was populated and working at peak efficiency.
So where is everybody?
Before he could answer the question he began to fade as he began to demerse, returning to his body. He could smell vomit, and taste blood and bitterness in his mouth.
Zach blinked and saw Tom’s concerned face frowning over him. ‘Zach, are you okay?’
‘I’m okay. What happened? Why didn’t anyone wake me earlier?’
‘Well, when Bronwyn was ejected she leapt up and banged her head. She knocked herself out and only just came to.’
‘Oh ...’
‘I found her on the floor when I came to check on you. What happened in there, Zach?’
‘It’s my fault, Tom. It’s all my fault. I touched something I shouldn’t have. A hakka came for me.’
‘And you couldn’t eject?’
‘They stopped me.’
‘I didn’t know they could do that. You seem okay though, right? Mister Lizney is coming right away, he’ll be here any minute.’
‘I’m fine, Tom.’
‘Let’s get you cleaned up at least.’ Zach looked down and saw where the smell of vomit was coming from.
‘Is Bron okay?’
‘She’ll be fine. But you owe her an apology.’
‘Yes. I’m sorry, Tom. I’m so sorry.’ He couldn’t keep the tears from forming.
~ * ~
Zach lay in bed unable to sleep. He wasn’t used to sleeping when it was light outside. More than that, he couldn’t stop the images of his recent experience repeating in his head. When he closed his eyes he saw them more clearly and even when he felt like sleeping he snapped awake as a scene of black and blood came back to him.
He didn’t notice when one of the older boys from the orphanage tiptoed in and knelt by his bed, until he asked, ‘Hey, Zach, are you sleeping?’
‘No.’
‘Mister Lizney is here to see you.’
‘He is?’ Zach had never known his teacher to go outside of his unit.
‘Yeah. Strange guy for a teacher, Zach. Totally cryppy. Should I say you’re awake?’
‘Yeah. Thanks, Garth.’
‘You want him to come in here, or can you get up?’ Garth asked him.
‘I ...’ Zach tried to rise, but his body felt like glass and his head turned against him.
‘Okay. Wipe your eyes.’ Zach didn’t realise he had still been crying, even though both his cheeks were wet and cooling. He hadn’t noticed. When he blinked, horrors were behind his eyelids. He tried to shake them off, but they wouldn’t move.
A hand patted him and he turned. Mister Lizney was sitting by him on the bed. Before he knew it, he had flung himself at his teacher and didn’t bother to hold back the tears. ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’
Lizney wasn’t used to such contact and the attack of affection caught him unprepared. But he’d seen what other people did and he put his arms around the boy and patted him.
Zach repeated he was sorry and begged for it to stop. ‘Please. I won’t do it again. Please.’
Miles patted and shushed him. There would be plenty of time later to ask for the boy’s account, so while he was waiting for the emotional outpouring to end he tried to find out what
Zach looked around him. He should have sent a broadcast alarm, but what did it matter now? Dungeon could do it all over again and it would not matter.
The street was empty save for himself. He was in a geographical representation. A place with low flat buildings set in straight lines. It was odd to see an empty space on the Weave, he wasn’t really sure what it meant.
He walked forward, checking every intersection and finding no one. No streams had passed through here for months. Perhaps it was abandoned. Zach checked the info and saw he was in one of the STOC relocation towns, Sector 261 of Omskya. From the passive data sent by the omnipoles, transport, medical, education and administration, all functions were normal, indicating the town was populated and working at peak efficiency.
So where is everybody?
Before he could answer the question he began to fade as he began to demerse, returning to his body. He could smell vomit, and taste blood and bitterness in his mouth.
Zach blinked and saw Tom’s concerned face frowning over him. ‘Zach, are you okay?’
‘I’m okay. What happened? Why didn’t anyone wake me earlier?’
‘Well, when Bronwyn was ejected she leapt up and banged her head. She knocked herself out and only just came to.’
‘Oh ...’
‘I found her on the floor when I came to check on you. What happened in there, Zach?’
‘It’s my fault, Tom. It’s all my fault. I touched something I shouldn’t have. A hakka came for me.’
‘And you couldn’t eject?’
‘They stopped me.’
‘I didn’t know they could do that. You seem okay though, right? Mister Lizney is coming right away, he’ll be here any minute.’
‘I’m fine, Tom.’
‘Let’s get you cleaned up at least.’ Zach looked down and saw where the smell of vomit was coming from.
‘Is Bron okay?’
‘She’ll be fine. But you owe her an apology.’
‘Yes. I’m sorry, Tom. I’m so sorry.’ He couldn’t keep the tears from forming.
~ * ~
Zach lay in bed unable to sleep. He wasn’t used to sleeping when it was light outside. More than that, he couldn’t stop the images of his recent experience repeating in his head. When he closed his eyes he saw them more clearly and even when he felt like sleeping he snapped awake as a scene of black and blood came back to him.
He didn’t notice when one of the older boys from the orphanage tiptoed in and knelt by his bed, until he asked, ‘Hey, Zach, are you sleeping?’
‘No.’
‘Mister Lizney is here to see you.’
‘He is?’ Zach had never known his teacher to go outside of his unit.
‘Yeah. Strange guy for a teacher, Zach. Totally cryppy. Should I say you’re awake?’
‘Yeah. Thanks, Garth.’
‘You want him to come in here, or can you get up?’ Garth asked him.
‘I ...’ Zach tried to rise, but his body felt like glass and his head turned against him.
‘Okay. Wipe your eyes.’ Zach didn’t realise he had still been crying, even though both his cheeks were wet and cooling. He hadn’t noticed. When he blinked, horrors were behind his eyelids. He tried to shake them off, but they wouldn’t move.
A hand patted him and he turned. Mister Lizney was sitting by him on the bed. Before he knew it, he had flung himself at his teacher and didn’t bother to hold back the tears. ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’
Lizney wasn’t used to such contact and the attack of affection caught him unprepared. But he’d seen what other people did and he put his arms around the boy and patted him.
Zach repeated he was sorry and begged for it to stop. ‘Please. I won’t do it again. Please.’
Miles patted and shushed him. There would be plenty of time later to ask for the boy’s account, so while he was waiting for the emotional outpouring to end he tried to find out what
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