《//:P h o b i a》


 //:A d m i n_n o t_f o u n d

    It was dark inside the shack; considering it was still four thirty in the morning according to many clocks nailed to the decaying wooden walls. The curtains were made of duct tape to make sure to cover the windows well so no rays of sun would invade the preferred dark and murky room. The room was also cluttered with peculiar toys and artifacts. The shelves were made of old pallets to hold up toys, trinkets and books he picks up in the junkyard or at the sewers. The bed was platformed with stacks of old books layered with sacks of duck feathers and cotton stuffing secured with tape and thread to provide support of the body that lay among it.


    He slowly opened his eyes adjusting his eyes to the dark room feeling the adrenaline of life kick in. His body yearns to stretch and expand and to exhale the musky and thick air to give it a kick start. The fourteen-year-old sat up slouching over as he rubbed his eyes from the sand coated in his lashes. The dream he had was of him floating among stars watching gods in an endless battle, armors made of glass, crafted using the stars themselves. The gods assume humanoid forms with demonic characteristics and each acted like a feral animal; There were no sign of humanity left in them. This had been the one recurring dream he had and he cannot explain. He just chugged into the back of his mind to forget and begin his day.


    He got out of bed and clapped his hands to activate the many neon lights and signs in his room to vanquish the darkness. He looked over his unfinished robot holding his alarm clock; Noticing he had thirty minutes to spare before he went to work, he took a book from a bird cage hanging from the ceiling and sat on his lounge chair lined with dirty holographic silver fabric and continued to read where he had left off the night before.


    It had become a ritual ever since he learned to read a few years back. He didn¡¯t have a particular taste but anything to help him learn beyond his comfort zone was a major advantage to the always working boy. This book he currently read was about a man infatuated with a clumsy good-for-nothing girl, and he indoctrinates her into his aggressive and hardcore lifestyle. He found it gross, sex scenes for him were an abomination for him. He knows it was natural, but the thought of it was stupid and gross. He finds the glorified nature of sex to be a priority in many books targeted to women and at times he had to wonder if women were nothing but perverts. This book was graphic, and he regrets reading it but once he starts a book, he had to finish it. He was a few pages away from finishing it and he was glad about it. He usually read a book every Wednesday or Friday. If he didn''t have one, provided by his preferred listed places to find literature, he would visit the local terminal to rent a copy of a fiction he listed to read.


    The clocks on his walls broke into music and chimes alerting him it was five in the morning. He placed his book back where he was currently reading and got up to get ready. He took his fresh and washed yellow jumpsuit and zipped it on. His friends adorned it with other plastic and metallic looking patches to give it personality. He wore his heavy, plastic, transparent socks over his black holographic socks to wear with his favorite clogged sandals. They were a horrible hazard when it came to working in the sewers but he didn¡¯t really gave a flying pig about it. His friends hated his fashion sense, but he also didn¡¯t give a flying pig about it, either. He worked hard to earn what he wanted.


    He grabbed his utility belt to wrap it around his waist before switching off the breaker to avoid any fire accidents like last time. After eating his cereal he collected his garbage from his small kitchen, which was a simple stove with a mini fridge beside it, and tossed it in the dumpster next to his house. Something was off to the boy; the old man that lived in the dumpster was missing. ¡°Aindrea!¡± the teen shouted looking for the hobo. He pulled out his yellow flashlight to find him in the dark corners of his home. He doesn¡¯t remember exactly when the hobo arrived and stayed living with him but he got used to him and his rancid smell. It came with the job.


    ¡°Aindrea!¡± he called again. He sniffed the air following the scent and, surely enough, he found him sleeping on the grass clutching to a small box. He grinned and chuckled. He crouched down and shook him lightly. ¡°Aindrea, you¡¯re going to catch a cold,¡± he said softly. Aindrea quietly wheeze and held his hands over his dirty face dropping the box as well.


    ¡°Aindrea, come on.¡± Ulysses helped the old man stand on his weak legs and guided him on his makeshift fort. ¡°Did you eat, Aindrea?¡± he asked to the poor and sick hobo as he helped him lay on the plush pillows and blankets. Aindrea whined and wheeze trying to get up but the boy pushed and pinned him back. ¡°No, sit here. I¡¯ll get your box, but you have to stay,¡± he demanded and ran back to get the box. It was made of cardboard and bended like if it was mistreated on its journey. He trotted back to find the old man trying to stand up. ¡°Aindrea, stay still!¡± Something about the old man just hurt his chest, he acted like a child and he couldn¡¯t even speak. He had tried to bathe him and feed him but the hobo refused any sort of help. Despite how he felt he didn''t want any pity or charity.


    The old man saw the box in his hands and he calmed down, laying back on the comfort of the fort. He checks the box with the flashlight seeing Greek letters across with a black marker barely legible. ¡°Ulysses...¡± he read out loud softly a smile dancing on his lips. ¡°What did you get for me this time, Aindrea?¡± He grabbed his multi tool and cut the box open to pull out multiple trinkets: a pack of nuts and bolts, a motherboard (probably from a computer), and a small box of jelly beans. Ulysses, smiling giddily at his gift, he looked at Aindrea, ¡°it¡¯s my birthday already?¡± He asked running his fingers through the tangles of Aindrea¡¯s rats nest.


    Aindrea kept a firm gaze at Ulysses, he wheezed and attempted to speak, ¡°O-Oc¡­ t¡­ber...twent- thr-¡­ ee...¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you Aindrea. It was real cool of you.¡± Ulysses opened the front door again and allowed the old man inside. He prepared him something simple to eat, reheated mushroom soup they ate last night. Maybe on such a special occasion the old man would finally comply and eat. Aindrea was a vegan and any sort of meat can make him sick. Oddly enough, he could drink battery acid and nothing happened.


    ¡°Why don''t you want to sleep inside? You know you are welcome with open arms,¡± he spoke to the old man as he served him his soup. The old man only stared at Ulysses with a faint smile. It was amazing how he hasn''t lost a single tooth, yet they are all stained beyond recovery. The old man carefully slurped his breakfast as Ulysses served him a lemonade drink. ¡°Do you want to jam later today when I get home? I feel like I lost my muse and you tend to call her back.¡± Ulysses chuckled, leaning against the sink.


    The old man had many disabilities, but he was a prodigy in music. He taught Ulysses how to sing from a very young age. Instead of learning his first word Ulysses learned his first key sound. Later on, as Ulysses grew, so did his instrument collection. He had to store them in his garage for safe keeping. His number one favorite instrument is the loud and obnoxious, drum kit. The kit took forever to build because of the lack in parts and pieces. The old man finishes his meal and dug his ear into Ulysses¡¯ neck and purred softly. Ulysses giggled and hugged the old man tightly. ¡°Thank you for your gift, Aindrea.¡± Ulysses gently pulled away and made his way to the door.


    ¡°If you are hungry, the kitchen is yours, and if you¡¯re cold you can sleep on my bed,¡± Ulysses said turning towards the door, a hand grabbed his arm. He looked back at the old man in question. ¡°Sa-¡­ngh¡­po-...¡± he grunted before letting go. Ulysses smirked and responded, ¡°I love you, too. I¡¯ll get you something nice when I get back.¡± He winked and walked off to work.


    Ulysses walked through the Red-Light District on his way to the Pipes. The whole place crawled with low-lives, thieves, and of course, honest to god workers. The ages ranged from zero to thirty five, and all of them have the rap sheet the size of Babel¡¯s Tower. The population counter is useless at this point, it will drop each day but it never reaches zero. Prism helps spike the population with refugees. The current state of the world is a constant entropic chaos between Earth and External Sources, or rather, Prism versus the entire universe. No one is entirely sure how and when did the war even start, but Ulysses is sure that this was started by Prism and he is waiting for them to blow up.


    He noticed Prism soldiers walking about the streets while their robotic entities roam the skies in patrol. They had an elegant poise, ¡°like sticks up their asses¡­¡± Ulysses uttered under his breath. He doesn¡¯t like them too much considering how much damage they cause instead of mending a problem. There are conspiracies of Prism benefiting from the deaths but Ulysses personally doesn¡¯t think so.


    He heard the hand bell chimes rung but the nun outside the Church of the Knightess. She was asking donations again. Her name was Sister Mary Lazarus; she was one of the many nuns to reside in this waste land, and one of the sweetest. She wore a simple grayish almost dull purple habit with a vial, it looked more like armor than a simple habit. Her eyes were yellow and her face can tell you stories of terror and faith. She wasn¡¯t afraid of anything, unlike many of the nuns who were afraid of demons, she was fine with the dark arts. She had encouraged him to continue learning from every book he finds and thus he is comfortable with her. She was, in a way, his mother. Ulysses walked over to her smiling. ¡°Good morning, Sister Mary Lazarus. How are you doing?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Ulysses¡­¡± Her smile was broad and bright as she spoke. She crossed him with her scarred and small hand. ¡°I am joyous today, grandiose of days. Wait here.¡± She left her post and ran back in the chapel. After a while she ran back holding a box with a translucent wrapping and a pink bow. ¡°Happy birthday, Ulysses,¡± she said handing him the box.


    Ulysses smiled as big as the box he was holding, ¡°Oh sister Lazarus you shouldn¡¯t have!¡± He ripped off the wrapper excited to open what was inside. He pulled out blue jeans with belts on the thigh area, a brown Hawaiian dress shirt, a pair of red clog sandals and holographic goggles. ¡°Oh wow! Neat! I was looking for new clothes as of late!¡± He was excited to try the set on but he would have to wait till he had a day off. ¡°But wait¡­ Where did you get this¡­?¡± he asked now realizing the church is a Non-profit Organization.


    ¡°The shirt and pants are handcrafted by me. The goggles and the shoes I restored them,¡± she explained with pride swelling in her chest.


    ¡°You are so sweet, Sister¡­¡± he threw his arms around her tightly. Mary Lazarus held him just as tight and whispered quietly, ¡°Please join the Sabbath after your shift, sweet prince.¡± She pulled away smiling brightly. ¡°Gee, I hope you baked me a cake,¡± he said in a sing song tone. He smirked at her playfully. ¡°Perhaps,¡± she said chuckling. ¡°Please, have a wonderful birthday.¡±


    ¡°Blessed be. Thank you again Lazarus.¡± He stored the clothes in the box and made a mad dash to the pipes since he was almost late for work.


    The plant was abnormally big, it covered forty percent of the district and operated by one thousand men each shift. As soon as he clocked in, he hid his belonging in the lockers and proceeded to tie his hair and put on his goggles before jumping in the sewers. ¡°Hey! Happy birthday, little dude!¡± another plumber shouted and slapped Ulysses¡¯ back with joy and celebration. Ulysses looked back and laughed, ¡°Thank you, PohWaters!¡± Nathaniel PohWaters is a twenty-year-old plumber with greasy brown hair and blue eyes. He is specializes in cleaning and detoxing the water supply tanks. His name was earned during a routine accident, he literally slipped and fell in the dirty waters of the sewers and came out the color brown. Many of the plumbers earned their last names in their work area and as they change carriers, they have to earn their new last names. Ulysses¡¯ last name was earned being the best there is in his area. He is in charge of maintenance and repairs. He has other talents that work for his job, many even partitioned to change his last name to Handyman.


    ¡°Are we heading out to party!?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m going to church today and after that I am going home. I got a new motherboard to play with.¡±


    ¡°You? Going to church? That is very unlike you.¡±


    ¡°I study faith.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem like the type to be a theist.¡±


    ¡°I believe in the power of Kiora,¡± Ulysses said as he adjusted his goggles so it won¡¯t yank his hair. ¡°We are his children.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Ulysses, let¡¯s be real, if he exists then he would step into the cluster fuck we have of a war and fix it.¡±


    ¡°Well, first of all, Kiora died centuries ago, and second, he is still among us, just in the form of atoms.¡± PohWaters cringed at the statement. Ulysses that is the dumbest shit I have ever heard.¡±


    ¡°What is so farfetched about a god who just sings?¡±


    ¡°It is useless! No offence.¡±


    ¡°His gospels can move nations and lulls demons to sleep. A non-violent god is just what we need to have faith in.¡±


    ¡°That is fucking insane. Wait, no it is not. The weirdest thing out of your mouth is you hating that idol chick.¡±


    ¡°Fuck that underage cunt and her success¡­¡± Ulysses spat each syllable with poison. To emphasize his hatred for her, he slammed his locker close.


    ¡°Why do you hate her? She''s really cute.¡±


    ¡°I just hate her guts. She is a miserable little twat engineered by perverts to compose mind numbing music.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ you make mind numbing music¡­¡± The confused plumber stared at Ulysses as he walked past him. ¡°Yeah well, I don¡¯t get to profit from it. Besides, singing will get me nowhere but eternal hell.¡±


    ¡°Gee, Ulysses, you¡¯re pretty boring.¡±


    ¡°I am a careful man. That''s why my last name isn''t PohWaters.¡± Ulysses laughed as he went down the pipes through the ladder.


    ¡°Very funny!¡± He heard him laugh.


    <hr>


    Ulysses job was fairly simple: He has to walk back and forth finding any abnormalities in the sewers. He loved walking around the sewers, granted he had a reason to: everything cool that he finds he gets to keep. He has found toys, mechanical parts, drugs, food, bodies, and the works. He is more interested in toys and mechanical parts more than anything else. He once found a screw driver that was flushed down the toilet. He treasured it in his utility belt after disinfecting it thoroughly. Any screws or bolts he finds loose he tightens them up, any leaks he spots he fills in the cracks, and any secret door he would stare at it in confusion¡ªUlysses found an iron door a few weeks ago. It doesn¡¯t open and his map indicates that this door doesn¡¯t exist. Perhaps it was installed by the night crew but if that were the case there would be a word of it. He tried to rip open the hinges but nothing.


    Ulysses banged the door with his rather large ratchet before sighing and giving up. He then heard something from behind the door, a whimper, followed by a groan. As Ulysses laid his ear against the door, he heard a scream which startled him sending him running far away from the door. He never heard something that violent before in his entire life nor did he want to ever hear it again. But he knows there are weird things lurking in those pipes. The number of coworkers has depleted, and he knows many newcomers never want to set foot inside the pipes. He was familiar with fighting a strange thing or two but he wasn''t armed to battle.


    He had collided into another co-worker, ¡°Whoa! Ulysses what¡¯s the rush?¡± It was Big Boy Benny, and he does not look happy. He was a really big buff man with dark skin and teal cornrows on his head. He was a very serious worker and one of the oldest members in the district: twenty nine. His tattoos were lime lights studded into his skin. His tongue was tattooed bright purple, almost luminescent and eyes were as blue as his hair. ¡°Did you break a pipe down there?¡±


    ¡°Dude! What the hell is down there?!¡± He was panicking and hyperventilating. He felt a rush of adrenaline and an itch to pound the soles of his sandals against the slippery ground.


    ¡°Other than the shit people flush down their drains, nothing. Get yo¡¯ shit together, dude!¡±


    Ulysses stomped his sandal foot on the ground. ¡°Argh! Dude! There is something down there!¡± He gestured the hole with his hand firmly.


    ¡°That¡¯s the stupid Ratzilla mumbo jumbo you¡¯re spewing sometimes to get a rise out of the other workers!¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s not!¡± Ulysses shouted firmly. ¡°You know damn well there really is something down there!¡± He pointed at the dark entrance of the sewers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a boi pussy! Get your ass down there or I will feed you to the crocodiles!¡±


    ¡°I will show you if you just come with me!¡±


    ¡°Are you nuts? I ain¡¯t setting foot there! I got bigger things to deal with up here!¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me, dude?!¡±


    ¡°No! Get your ass back to work!¡±


    ¡°Are you really this big of an asshole!? At least send me some back up!¡±


    Both Ulysses and Benny¡¯s blood ran cold at the sound of a rush flow of water followed by a scream. Ulysses and Benny gave each other a look and then at the pitch black hole bellow.


    ¡°Flush it¡­¡± Benny said.


    ¡°B-but we have to go check¡ª ¡°


    ¡°I said flush it!¡±


    ¡°I have an idea, I go down there and check out what the hell is going on and you back me up?¡± Ulysses didn¡¯t want to go down there alone, and not on his birthday.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said with a gruff tone.


    Ulysses went down the stairs and his heart accelerated when he heard Baby Boy Benny, speak, ¡°Sorry, dude,¡± Ulysses looked up at him, ready to close the hinge. ¡°if something is down there, I can¡¯t risk the rest of the staff. I¡¯ll open the hatch after I flush the pipes!¡±


    ¡°Youmother fucking--!¡± The hinge was slammed shut. Now Ulysses was stuck in the sewers alone till his shift was over in the next six hours with god knows what was down there.


    Ulysses was mostly afraid of the unknown. He walked down these sewers many times and knows them up and down, left and right and mirrored but this is the first time he found something creepy down there. He can¡¯t help but hear a constant droning with a high pitch sound which frightened the living daylights out of him. He shined through with his flashlight, keeping quiet and retracing his steps. He felt nervous and every little thing made him jump, a rat rushing by, a drop of water landing on his shoulder, glowing eyes around the corner, ¡°AH!¡± Ulysses screamed and the eyes vanished. The light in his hand shook because Ulysses could barely containthe rush of adrenaline. He didn¡¯t know what it could be, but he knows it could be two possible options, Mega Ratzilla, or he was seeing things. He checked the map in his digital pad. The map never says anything about the door he found but he made haste to find it with his selective memory and there it was.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The computer in his wrist displayed a hologram of a boy around his age with digital eyes and metal cat ears, Ghost. His hair was a lime green with neon light extensions hidden the layers.


    Ghost is a teenage boy dedicated to computer science. His nickname was earned since most of the time they see him through holograms. He claims to have social anxiety disorder according to the internet but they will never know till he actually sets foot in a hospital. He is slowly transforming his body into a computer to be ready for the singularity, Ulysses doesn¡¯t get it either but he has bigger issues than a talking brain.


    ¡°Ulysses. Happy birthday! Hey you don¡¯t look so cool. Did you eat too much cake?¡±


    ¡°Ghost, shut up for a second, I am on the job and-¡±


    ¡°Ah! Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ulysses hissed, ¡°Can you listen-¡±


    ¡°Come on! Show me! Oh, by the way, I got you a surprise. I got you the-¡±


    ¡°Dud-ah! Shut up!¡± Ulysses gripped his short hair, fantasizing about duct taping Ghost¡¯s mouth for eternity.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to shout, dude, what happened?¡±


    ¡°I need you to tell me where I am standing.¡±


    Ghost did a few clicks on his digital keyboard and sent a charted map of the sewers to the computer in Ulysses hands.


    ¡°You are currently standing near section nineteen.¡± Ulysses was staring at the door but he couldn''t find it anywhere in the map.


    ¡°This is so weird¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡¯


    ¡°There is a door here, and it¡¯s not showing in the map.¡±


    ¡°Really? Maybe it was installed not too long ago?¡±


    ¡°I thought the same, but this is something everyone in the business needs to know about before anything gets started.¡±


    ¡°That is strange, can you open it?¡±


    Ulysses tried to open it again, but it was locked tight. ¡°I did, and it¡¯s like if it''s glued shut.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ That is pretty spooky, there has to be a way to open it.¡±


    ¡°I left the C-four in the tool shed and I can''t go back because I am locked down here.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?? You can blow up the entire thing!¡±


    ¡°That was the plan, I heard screaming and moaning.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was a couple with a kink?¡±


    ¡°My God, Ghost, for someone who always has a conspiracy in mind you sure try to debunk everything¡­¡± Ulysses clenched his teeth and tightened his fists to hold in the fury.


    ¡°Well what do you want me to tell you? That yes there is something down there?¡±


    ¡°YES,¡± Ulysses was losing his patience. They suddenly hear a scream from the distance.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Ghost asked with a shaky voice.


    ¡°That is what I heard!¡± Ulysses shouted, unnerved about how loud it was.


    ¡°Stay put I will find another¡ª wait a second¡­ what is this¡­?¡±


    ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡°I found another map. One from in the early 2000s. When overlaying it on the current map¡­ I can see you standing in front of a door.¡±


    ¡°What? How did you even find that? Wait- there is no security cameras right?¡± Ulysses looked around with his flashlight, finding any trace if recording tools.


    ¡°You¡¯re not low key telling me you are going in, are you?¡±


    ¡°Ghost, just tell me so I can finish this quest faster¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ There are. These are installed years before the sewers were operational. They are hidden in the walls, one is near the door. It¡¯s an eye scanner. This door needs to be open with an eye registered in the system.¡±


    ¡°So much for getting in¡­¡± Ulysses stared at the door and found an opening where the wall should be and sure enough the wall hiding the door was tucked in the opening on the floor. ¡°I never knew we had secret passages, much less functional ones. How do these doors even work?¡±


    ¡°I thought it could be motion sensors but I think these open from the inside. Stand in front of the scope, Maybe I can hack through and open it.¡±


    ¡°Ghost, sometimes you freak me out but I am glad your fetish is of good use.¡± Ulysses chuckled and searched for what he assumed was whatever Ghost spoke of. He spotted a small camera lenses on a panel beside the door and he closed in. ¡°Hold still,¡± Ghost said. He clicked his fingers through his glowing keys and he registered his eye in the mother computer that surprisingly is still operational. They both heard a static and a glitchy voice, ¡°WELCOME¡ª TO¡­ 5, 3, 3, 1¡­¡± followed by a loud lock and a creek noise. The door slowly opened revealing a hallway with lights flickering in the dark revealing white and clean walls.


    ¡°What the hell is this¡­?¡± Ulysses asked.


    ¡°It¡­ Looks like a facility¡­ The last recorded data was fifteen years ago. Holy CRAP!¡±


    ¡°What? What??¡±


    ¡°Dude! They experiment on people here! I think the screaming you''re hearing is someone begging to get out!¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Ulysses made a mad dash inside, whatever was there, it was begging to escape whatever they were doing to it.


    ¡°Ghost, can you trace any life in the area?¡±


    ¡°Are you insane?! You need to turn back!¡±


    ¡°Just do it already! Send whatever you find to my gear.¡±


    ¡°Ulysses, what if it¡¯s a monster?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hit it with my wrench till it dies.¡±


    ¡°But what if it doesn¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°It is YOUR job to secure me a route to safely escape, I have an old man to take care of back home. I refuse to die.¡± Ulysses was determined to find out what were those screams. He got an update of the map with colored dots and tags of locations. His location was pinned with a yellow light, the rest of the map had hundreds of gray dots.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the gray dots?¡±


    ¡°This is still under development, so don¡¯t expect it to be one hundred percent accurate. I was able to create a tracer that way you can find your way back out.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Ghost. Keep me updated if you find anything.¡±


    ¡°You got it.¡± Ghost signed off. Ulysses made it deeper into the facility finding nothing but debris and wreckage. He checked the map, and the tag said ¡®Cleansing Unit 17¡¯. He noticed evidence of this, there were pods and strange lockers attached to the walls. Ulysses approached one of the pods to see if they were fully functional but he didn¡¯t know how they worked. He did noticed the shower head was leaking clean water. ¡°Running water?¡±


    This facility, by the looks of it, could be restored and used properly. Now that he thought about it, the dimensions were similar to the ones he worked in the sewers, which means the sewers were part of the facility.


    ¡°What the fuck is this place¡­?¡± Ulysses walked over to the next door to continue his investigation. The halls were stained with some type of black thick goop that glimmers and smelled repugnant. He thought he smelled every odor in the universe. ¡°God that smells like shit¡­¡± He covered his nose, cringing at how badly he misses his gas mask. Ironically for his line of work he had forgotten such an important piece of equipment. He was unprepared for this task and he can¡¯t wait for his shift to end because he will give Big Boy Ben an ear full and a wrench down his throat.


    He heard a hard bang on metal and a sharp scream, he looked back and ran towards the noise and continued till he made it to a room where a boy around his age with light teal hair stood in the room watching a screen. Ulysses was scared to death by what he saw in the screen. It was inhuman, a man was being subjected to injections and strapped down on a slab. He had black long hair and his skin was so damaged it was patched with different skins diseases and erosions. He had wings on his head, both dangle helplessly as if they were broken. He was crying and screaming for help, the irony of this is his voice was so beautiful and alluring. He found himself purring lightly in desperation. He feels as though he could understand his screams but it was just babbling screams.


    He could hear the voices in the screen, ¡°¡­his age is approximately sixty years old. He has tan skin, green eyes and black long hair. He measures around 6¡±5¡¯ and he has a medium build, weighing 190 Lb.¡­¡±


    ¡°Ulysses, I got information for you.¡± Ghost popped out through the screen. Ulysses panicked and hid behind the door. The boy watching the film turned his target black and white eyes to the source of the noise. Ulysses only had a glimpse of this strange boy but it was more than enough to create a carbon copy image to etch into his mind. The diamond peeking out of his forehead like a clean cut jewel was the most bizarre thing he noticed of the boy. His lower lashes were too long, and he had long pointed ears. He turned back at the screen to feed from the information provided. Ghost understood the signal and switched to his ear piece.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Ghost asked. Ulysses was scared to speak and the noises he heard didn¡¯t help him at all. He looked at Ghost and mouthed the words: ¡°I am not alone in this place and I think it is still operational.¡± Ghost couldn''t read lips but his software could do it for him creating subtitles for him to read. ¡°That is fucked up dude¡­¡± Ghost attacked his keyboard and updated the map, converting the old labels into the digital map. Ulysses was currently in the data collection room. ¡°From what I gathered,¡± Ghost narrated as he hacked through the computer¡¯s servers, ¡°this wasn¡¯t the only facility to stand. This is directly linked to Prism.¡±


    ¡°Prism¡­?¡± Ulysses mouthed a bit louder above a whisper. Noticing his mistake, he covered his lips with his hand but it seems the boy was too entranced to the video. He looked back at his own screen showing an overview of the entire map. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Ulysses whispered, ¡°this is like a fucking onion with all these layers.¡± He muted his voice, ¡°how deep does this even go?¡±


    ¡°Dude, this is small compared to the base on Jupiter; Rose Gold.¡±


    ¡°...? Why was it called that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I have to verify it. But this database is so dense with texts and other files it will take a while for my brain to sort out. I am just here to update the map for you.¡±


    ¡°Good thing¡­ I think we might have a Prism soldier in the same room with me¡­¡± Ulysses, dare sneak a peak to confirm his suspicions but what he didn¡¯t expect was the boy to stand on his knees holding his chest as the very man was ripped apart. The boy screamed, ¡°Make it stop! I had enough!¡± His voice cracked the glass and screen. Ulysses covered his ears from the painful pitch. The connection of the call was breaking because of the sound wave. ¡°What the actual fuck¡­?¡± Ulysses cringed at the agonizing pitch.


    ¡°ARE YOU SCARED?¡± a younger female synthesizer voice played through the speakers. ¡°P-please¡­! Forgive me!¡± the boy pleated, and he forced himself away from the images.


    ¡°NO AMOUNT OF FORGIVENESS CAN HELP YOU NOW,¡± the computer said cynically.


    ¡°I WARNED YOU,¡± it said. ¡°A MISTAKE LIKE YOU IS TOO USELESS AND PATHETIC TO UNDERSTAND ANY OF THE SUBJECTS,¡± it added. ¡°YOUR KIND IS NOT WELCOMED HERE, AND SHALL BE ERADICATED AND DISPOSE OFF.¡± A monster broke through the glass and tackled the young boy to the metal ground. Sirens wailed in every direction, this queued Ulysses to run the other way with his heart about to burst through his throat.


    ¡°Ulysses what is happening?! What are you doing??!¡±


    ¡°What I should have done this morning, STAYED HOME!¡± This was indeed a facility, and it is still being used. ¡°Just what the hell is the government thinking?!¡± Ulysses shouted.


    ¡°Ulysses, look out!!¡± Ghost shouted.


    Ulysses stopped dead in his tracts. The exit was wide open and there it stood, a humanoid spider with two heads and no eyes standing on the ceiling on its eight legs. It was crawling through and escaping through the darkness screeching. Ulysses could hear the beeping in his ears when he feels tension. ¡°What is that!?¡± Ghost was freaking out, too. It turned over and launched itself at Ulysses and Ulysses slapped him with his oversized wrench knocking it unconscious. Ulysses was hyperventilating, the stress of the morning was too much for his teen heart. ¡°Ulysses, Make a run for it! Now is your chance!¡± Ghost shouted.


    The boy from before rushed over staring at the limp monster on the ground. ¡°A civilian apprehended a hunter¡­¡± His tone was very soft and neutral. He sounded like he was hesitating. What frightened him was his uniform, it confirmed his worries once he saw the Prism badge over his breast pocket along with other badges. Prism soldiers aren¡¯t necessarily bad, but the neighboring cities claim that Prism was responsible for what had led them to their disordered and chaotic world.


    ¡°Ulysses--¡± Ulysses shut the computer off for now to get a grip on the situation. ¡°Who are you? What are you doing to these people?!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it¡­ This was a hazard residue from a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Liar! What the hell is a Prism junkie even doing around these parts besides causing terror.¡±


    The boy sighed, holding his left arm avoiding eye contact. ¡°I can''t blame you if you do not believe me¡­ To be honest¡­ I came here to understand where I came from¡­¡± He stood to face Ulysses, his skin was so pale and, weirdly, it was tainted with a soft blue hue. ¡°What the hell are you¡­? Wait, are you a monster too?!¡± Ulysses stood back and held his hammer in a defensive stance. ¡°Stand back! I have another tool in my belt and I am a skilled marksman!¡±


    ¡°...I really don¡¯t know what I am but I don¡¯t expect you of all people to understand my situation¡­ My name is Sodium Chloride¡­¡±


    ¡°...Your name¡­ is Table Salt?¡± Ulysses didn¡¯t really understand the new age of names but this was just ridiculous. The individual was blushing, to his understanding. His cheeks turned a darker blue. He looked away and spoke, ¡°Y-yes that is my name¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, Salt, can you tell me what the hell is going on? My Intel tells me about a testing facility. What the fuck?¡±


    ¡°He is correct. They were testing humans and souls to explain the phenomena of the afterlife. As you can see, it was an utter failure¡­ The horrors of this place¡­ Somehow¡­ I feel as if I too were a result of that.¡±


    ¡°You speak pretty normal considering¡­¡±


    ¡°You must go¡­¡± the Prism soldier advised. ¡°I rather not risk a civilian to this.¡±


    ¡°And what are you gonna do?¡±


    ¡°I will get rid of this before it re-spawns¡­¡±


    ¡°That thing can come back to life!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is an undead and unholy. I will make sure it is properly disposed of.¡±


    ¡°Then let me help. The reason why I came down was to dispose of¡­ whatever that is.¡±


    ¡°If you insist.¡± Salt closed the door and Ulysses dragged the beast with Salt across the facility where Salt instructed where the furnace would be. ¡°Do they always get rid of the beast this way¡­?¡± Ulysses asked.


    ¡°Sometimes they die slowly with mercury and sulfuric acid infusions,¡± Salt explained and Ulysses cringed. He remembered the scene he witnessed, the man being poked at with needles, ¡°was he being infused with it too?¡± Ulysses wondered.


    ¡°I never got your name¡­¡± Salt said as he prepared the furnace.


    ¡°Ulysses, Ulysses Iron Pipes.¡±


    ¡°Under better circumstances, I would have had the pleasure to be acquainted with you.¡± He forced a tiny little smile and pushed his hair behind his left ear.


    ¡°A tube junkie, happy to see me, yeah that¡¯s original.¡± Ulysses crossed his arms staring at Salt judgingly. The boy in question felt in his intimidation and struggled under his gaze. The boy looked away clutching his sleeves for grounding and security. ¡°I am sorry¡­ if they did anything to you¡­¡± he whispered hesitantly.


    Ulysses felt guilty and toned down his aggressive approach. Salt grabbed the body and tossed it into the furnace. ¡°I was looking for my parents,¡± the boy said after a long silence. ¡°The only thing proving their existence is the documentation of their ghastly torcher and sadistic production.¡± Ulysses wasn¡¯t surprised he was an orphan, more than half the young population was left without a parent and were taken care of in a survival camp. Ulysses mostly remembers the brutal exercises, the training, teaching him to cook, clean and straight up kill if he had to. He mostly played with Aindrea when he was healthy back in the day.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Prism treat you like a priority and give you any sort of foster parent?¡± He asked the pitiful soldier.¡°No--¡±


    Ghost popped through the personal computer screaming at Ulysses, ¡°Ulysses we got a major problem!¡±


    ¡°We got several of those, what is it now?¡± He was used to peril by now, nothing phased him. The connection died and the lights of the facility flickered. The boys both felt a heavy rumbling soon after. Dread filled the pit of Ulysses'' heart once they heard the distant sirens from above ground alerting that there were to be a mass disaster, ¡°Earthquake¡­!¡± Ulysses grabbed Sodium¡¯s hand and ran out of the building but the exit collapsed.


    ¡°Goddamnit! We need to find another way out!¡± Ulysses shouted at Salt. ¡°There is another exit but there is an off chance there are monsters blocking the way.¡±


    ¡°Fuck it!¡± Ulysses pulled Salt again by his thin, almost frail as paper wrist and ran. The heavy magnitude was too much for them to walk straight so they leaned on the walls for support but being fairly careful of their surroundings. They heard the synthesizer again, ¡°WARNING, WARNING: AN EARTHQUAKE OF MAGNITUDE 8.8 HAS BEEN DETECTED AND IS THREATENING TO DESTROY US ALL. PLEASE, PROCEED WITH CAUTION.¡± Ulysses checked his map, but it projected empty halls devoid of any information. ¡°Goddamnit! The map Ghost was feeding me was live! The internet is disconnected.¡±


    ¡°At the rate this is going we will die under a collapsed wall, or be eaten by anything in the dark--¡± The lights shut down as the earthquake calmed down. Both boys held each other''s hands as they heard the computer warning again. ¡°WARNING, WARNING: SYSTEM CONTROL ARE DAMAGED. DUE TO EXTREME TECTONIC SHIFTS THE POWER GENERATORS AND EVERY OTHER UTILITY IS SHUTTING DOWN FOR SAFETY PURPOSES. SISTEM RESTORATION IN: T -5.¡±


    All they could hear was each other breath. ¡°How could I have been so foolish¡­?¡± the boy whimpered. Ulysses turned finding the red emergency light unflattering to his palette. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Ulysses asked.


    ¡°Because of my foolish and useless feelings I amsurely going to die¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, dude, don¡¯t start accepting doom just yet. We will get out just as long as you follow my lead.¡± The boy nodded after catching his breath. Ulysses checked his map again and activated the emergency GHOST NETWORK. A private WIFI created by the master hacker, Ghost.


    <//WELCOME: TO THE GHOST NETWORK, SIGN IN.>


    <//ADMIN:_GHOST.>


    <//CO-ADMIN:ULYSSES.>


    <//PASSWORD?:********.>(ACCESS GRANTED.)


    <//REBOOTING:_MAP DATA.>


    <//UPLOADING:_LAST SAFE FILES.>


    <//LOADING¡­>


    <//LOADING¡­>


    <//LOADING¡­>


    While he waited for the map to reload they heard the computerized voice once more, ¡°WARNING, WARNING: ALL SUBJECTS HAVE ESCAPED.¡±


    <//MAP DATA?:_UP TO DATE.>


    The map on his display had a burst of many red dots slowly approaching the area. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Ulysses now started to confirm Salt¡¯s fears, ¡°THEY ARE DANGEROUS. PLEASE, PROCEED TO DIE.¡± Ulysses set a course with the safest route out of the facility. Smaller earthquakes shook their path, it was a dreadful aftermath of the last quake they felt. As they ran, they found monsters drowning in puddles of slimy and ghastly tar, a depiction straight from the fiery pits of hell.


    The past heavy magnitude and the smaller shakes caused the building to cave in. Ulysses used his hammer to nail the monsters in his way to the walls and floors to clear his path. Their unusually thick and colorful blood resembled slime rather than red iron. ¡°I see a door!¡± Ulysses shouted. They made it out but they manage to be in a deeper part of the sewers as they were collapsing internally. ¡°Come on!¡± Ulysses urgedSalt to comply as he navigated through the sewers, here he didn¡¯t need a map. ¡°Are you sure you know where you are going?¡± Salt questioned his competence. ¡°I am supposed to know this place better than I know myself! Trust me!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you work in this disgusting place!¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah I do!¡± Ulysses made a dash to the exit, but it was still sealed shut. ¡°Damn it! We need to find another way out!!¡± Ulysses was panicking, he needed to make sure this boy was safe. ¡°Are you certain you know this place well¡­¡±


    ¡°I got it! We can escape through the waste pipes!¡± Ulysses instructed and Salt followed suit.


    The rumbling never ceased, and it leads him to believe this will be the end. Finally, they reached the end of the waste pipe but they were too far up and the surface tension will surely kill them.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± They both heard a screech and when they turn back, they saw another one of those monsters. This one was different, it was a pile of torsos and legs, like a centipede. Ulysses tossed his hammer at it but it just swallowed it through its skin. Ulysses¡¯ color drained from his skin as he had no weapon to draw. He glanced back over the edge of the waste pipe and then looked at Salt. ¡°We need to jump!¡± Ulysses said and Salt nodded. ¡°Take my hand!¡± Salt compiled and Ulysses held him as they jumped a hundred feet in the air. They were free falling with the monster in suit, Ulysses wrapped his arms around Salt to dear life and closed his eyes and waited for his end.


    Ulysses heard a splash when he opens his eyes he found himself floating in midair surrounded by a glowing warm light. Salt had glowing bright eyes and his aura was pure and white. Salt struggled to form words, he was stuttering, but it sounded too intentional, almost as if he sung. Ulysses was baffled because he was singing a gospel of his faith Ulysses sung with him:


    "Nujm, leima, kamnjai rei,


    Seik akj, sunei, narei naumkee.


    Sakumnlau uhmnaai, Merxill, tongenei."


    The boy faltered when Ulysses continued his song, the surrounding aura was stable and they were securely pinned in place in the fabric of gravity. The noise of the crumbling sewers overpowering Ulysses¡¯ hearing snapped him back to reality, and he ceased singing.


    After some time they landed on the ground, Ulysses didn¡¯t know what to ask first. Salt stared at Ulysses unable to understand himself what he heard or felt, ¡°I must go, I thank you for your heroism¡­¡± he said before he rushed out of the scene and disappearing before his very eyes.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Ulysses didn¡¯t know what was happening but perhaps he was delirious due to high exposure of toxic waste but he is sure as hell this was all too real. Now he completely understands why his name was NaCL, though, his lips were coated in grains and it tastes of salt.

 //:D i r t y_n e e d l e s

    Ulysses was still in shock when he rested in the hospital along with the many, many people wounded by the earthquake. He only had minor bruises and scratches but he was in the isolation wing due to the high levels of radiation in his body. He really did not get it, he worked in that toxic sewers for two years and now is when the staff really cared about safety.


    For some strange reason, he never felt so isolated in his life, every few minutes a staff member would come in to drain his blood for testing and he would feel woozy and disoriented till he fell asleep due to the lack of blood. He didn''t like the idea of being injected every now and then with unknown fluids. He had this nagging feeling to purposely stop any fluids from going into his body, but he was so weak he couldn''t stand. He doesn''t understand why he feels so tired, when he thought about it he didn''t really seem as active during that escape as a normal twelve hour shift in the sewers.


    When Ulysses woke up Big Boy Ben was standing across the room with his arms crossed. His left eye was bruised caused by Ulysses the moment he had the chance. Ulysses, although small and thin, he had muscle mass and a temper to compensate. ¡°What happened down there?¡± Benny asked, again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I hacked into a secret door and I found this weird facility inactive but it was well preserved.¡±


    ¡°A facility? What do you mean?¡± Ben was baffled, apparently he too didn''t know about it.


    ¡°Ghost was able to hack the terminal, he found many documents encrypted with data research. To make things weirder, there were monsters down there, too.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be right¡­ It¡¯s been years since the Purge, unless the war is not going as smoothly as we were told.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, you missed a spot,¡± Ulysses remarked. ¡°By the way, thanks for literally tossing me in the pit of wolves; Very responsible.¡± Ulysses comfortably adjusted in his bed and pushed off his blanket to feel the cold air.


    ¡°It was irresponsible of me but I mostly did it to get a rise out of you.¡±


    ¡°Did you know what was down there this whole time?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I heard rumors of an adjoined and vacant lot was hidden in the very sewers but nothing was found. Not even with thermal scopes.¡±


    ¡°What is going to happen? Is Prism going to be involved?¡±


    ¡°I am not really sure if they will be interested in a relic, but that earthquake was no accident¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that Prism caused that thing that nearly destroyed us!?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t have to be Prism,¡± Ben said as he lit up a cigarette. ¡°If you catch my drift.¡±


    ¡°How is the district even standing?¡±


    ¡°The only stable building is the church, however, many things fell apart and it will only get worse from here on out.¡±


    A nurse burst in the room quickly silencing them with his thundering low voice. ¡°Would you mind smoking that garbage another time? There are other people in this hospital who need to rest, I suggest you should shut up and rest too.¡± The nurse slammed the door shut when he left. Ben put out the cigarette with the base of his heavy boot and tossed the cigarette in the biohazard pail. Ulysses doesn''t mind the idea of smoking, their sky was green with the toxicity of the miasma contaminating their air, so smoking was the least of his problems. The normal day cigarette that is trending was fabricated by Lazarus. She created herbal and medicinal blends to purify the body. She herself doesn''t smoke it because she rather bathe in herbs, but for hard workers exposed to the miasma everyday they provided a therapeutic alternative. They stayed there in silence thinking about all the work they have to do. After the awkward silence, Ben spoke, ¡°¡­ anyway. About the monster thing, we have to be extremely careful next time.¡±


    ¡°Are there still monsters in the city?¡±


    ¡°No, at this time. But we must work on exterminating them first before we start to pick up the rubble.¡±


    ¡°I''ll help,¡± Ulysses said getting out of the bed.


    ¡°No. You have a temporary leave of two weeks and then you have to come back to fix the pipes. Surprisingly a fourteen year old kid is better at it than anyone else.¡±


    ¡°It is my job, I do like my job as a handyman. My question is how long will the district be without water?¡±


    ¡°Our backup supply is pretty full enough for two months.¡±


    ¡°Right, as soon as I detox I will be ready to head back to work.¡±


    ¡°Good, we need the Iron Pipes master hands and wit. Try and rest up.¡± Ben headed to the door, ¡°Oh and, happy birthday.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­ Thanks.¡± Ulysses watched him leave and sighed. He dealt with his little computer and thanks to Ghost we were able to get a perfect shot of Salt¡¯s face using the security cameras of the facility. ¡°What the hell are you¡­?¡± Ulysses asked the image. He didn¡¯t expect to be so attached to the enemy so quickly.


    ¡°I was just gonna tell ya!¡± Ghost randomly popped in the screen. Ulysses shrieked, ¡°dude! What the Fuck! Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡±


    ¡°I thought you would be used to it by now.¡±


    ¡°Never mind that, what is it?¡±


    ¡°About that Salt guy, I noticed he had a mark like all the subjects.¡±


    ¡°What mark? He was covered head to toe.¡± Ulysses doesn¡¯t remember anything specific like a brand, perhaps his looks were distracting. Most Prism soldiers look like him but there was perhaps something nostalgic about him that makes him stand out from the sea of copies.


    Images of subject¡¯s mugshots and brief information showed on the screen along with barcode identification on the back of their neck, nothing he was able to understand due to the heavy jargon it used to avoid anyone from stealing information. There were hundreds of them, each treated no less than mere trash. One was of a red head that did nothing but eat anything that approach him. He had several kins, many documented to die before the age of maturity. Another was a trained catalyst that was a successful breed for the medical field, his profile reads he is currently missing in action. One was a parasitic type that was breaded from alien DNA. This one literally drank the nutrients of his victim to survive. One was of a girl with amputated legs. What threw him off was her face, tired and devoid of life, unlike her physical counterpart, Sister Mary Lazarus. This one-- according to her profile, she was eight months pregnant at the time of the last entry when her labor was induced.


    ¡°Say¡¯s here that there were many subjects varying from human to animal to demon to angel to inanimate. This facility in particular studied the soul, like, what is it exactly. Apparently the findings indicate that the concept of ¡°soul¡± is nothing but energy from a greater being.¡± More images of humanoids appeared on the screen. Ironically, most of the subjects look soulless. ¡°It seems there needs to be a collaboration with the brain and the soul, it''s like tuna and mayonnaise, totally and completely useless without the other.¡±


    ¡°What does this all mean¡­?¡± Ulysses asked as he stared at these abhorrent images.


    ¡°That some nihilistic crazy person is literally trying to understand how we function. There had been documentation of soul switching in a different facility connected to Prism.¡±


    ¡°There is more than one facility?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Eight of them were on earth, one on Jupiter, and one on Mars.¡±


    ¡°Mars? What the heck is that?¡± Ulysses asked sarcastically.


    ¡°One of the planets that got destroyed during the war--¡±


    ¡°I know that, you ding bag!!¡± Ulysses wished he wasn¡¯t a hermit so he could slap his itchy hand on his metal face.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Ghost looked foolish and laughed.


    ¡°Whatever, how does that soul thing work?¡±


    ¡°Okay, for example, the soul from Subject A is in Subject B¡¯s body and Subject B has memories or flashbacks or even feels like their body is not right.¡±


    ¡°That could explain that body dysphoria trend back then¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly! I was thinking that! But it gets even more fucked up. There were subjects with tiny fragments of souls. The bodies were even modified to suit the soul, like bone structures with gemstone properties. Look, see here.¡± Ghost showed more documents and pictures of subjects. This was a compilation of subjects. Many barely resemble human. The images of abnormal skin color and strange bone structures were really disturbing. ¡°This says that they at first experimented to create a type of human that was able to regenerate after death and their soul will stay attached to their body or core. There is a specific documentation of vampire type called Parasites-- Original-- but this one was lost and never recovered. This one was literally immortal, nothing could kill it, not even mercury infusions.¡±


    ¡°How on earth do they farm so many gems for so many subjects? The most recent log is at the thousands.¡±


    ¡°They farm it.¡± Images of subjects overwhelmed with clusters sticking out of their bodies displayed. He instantly remember Salt¡¯s forehead, the only worry plaguing his mind now was he was probably nothing but a farming hazard. Now he worries that he and his family were always destined to be nothing but temporary treasures till their value is anything but trash. ¡°They look pretty neat if it were not for the fact they actually suffer in intense pain. They even dehumanize these subjects and they have no idea how to even talk. They are nothing but organic rock farms. No emotions, no heart, no soul.¡± One thing he will agree with Ghost, it did look somewhat lovely. He wondered if the facility provided accessory type soldiers to cater those with fine taste and in need of absolute protection and a little something extra.


    ¡°Th-...¡± Ulysses was literally speechless, he couldn''t believe it something like this was happening down there and it was totally hidden till now.


    ¡°I also found so many video logs of hundreds of subjects. This one''s pretty fucked up. This one is about kids,¡± Ghost said sending him files.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see that¡­¡± Ulysses was pretty squeamish when it came to gore and children. The young plumber rather indulge in a happy child no matter how much of a little shit it was.


    The video was shown dispite his wishes. There were hundreds of infants on tables connected with many wires and shots. All of them looked similar to each other. There were two-- assuming-- doctors standing by.


    ¡®...We will proceed to dowse the candidates with Mercury and Sulfuric Acid.¡¯


    It was horrifying to watch. All of the infants were screaming. Some of their skins turn blue and to others their skin melted off. All the children died except for one. The camera filter changed and the aura around the sole survivor faded faintly ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± Ulysses was, understandibly, disturbed and couldn''t bare to watch anymore of it.


    ¡°I know¡­ This is really bad¡­ makes you wonder¡­¡± Ghost closed the video, he seemed like he had seen a few disturbing clips and this one was by far the most tamed to present. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°That was sick. Sometimes certain things shouldn''t be tampered with¡­¡± Ulysses simply said, unable to find the words to properly articulate what he tried to convey. ¡°What kind of creeps me out it just kind of stopped. What happened?¡± he asked Ghost hoping he could answer him.


    ¡°I am not sure entirely, but, I think the subjects went haywire. I found a surveillance tape of the last day. But it will take me days to clean it.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I honestly don¡¯t want to see it. Shit like that just makes my skin crawl. Doesn¡¯t help I¡¯m in a hospital.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Anyway, how long are you going to be at the hospital?¡± Ghost changed the subject to break the tension.


    ¡°For a while, but I really need to get home¡­¡±


    ¡°I see, I¡¯ll stop by after I finish updating this entire entry log into my terabyte flash drive.¡± Ghost pointed the open slot on his forehead where a cable connected the center brain to the super computer. ¡°You want me to bring you something in particular?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, bring me a book or something to kill time. Preferably Mary had a little lamb. After that I need something cutesie.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Catch you later,¡± Ghost logged off.


    Ulysses sighed and laid back on his bed. That Salt character was invading his mind. He remembers his taste of pure salt on his skin, his weird face, his skin color, his sweet timid song, his magic. He could use magic. They were floating because of him, he saved his life.


    Magic was a norm but it was very hard for Ulysses to cast. He preferred to tank his way out of a scenario. He doesn¡¯t think of himself as a human but he knows well enough he isn''t a monster like the ones he saw inside the facility and through the gathered Intel.


    ¡°¡­I really don¡¯t know what I am¡­¡±


    He sounded so sad when he spoke about it, like if he risked his life to find out. He looked pained and miserable; Ulysses felt too identified with him.


    He remembers when he was younger and many of the kids would isolate him because he was afraid of his voice, He had a talent to mimic a voice to create scary monster sound to scare the others when he wanted something to himself. Many kids really thought he was a monster and refuse to play with him.


    ¡°He kind of¡­ He looks like an alien,¡± Ulysses thought out loud. ¡°Maybe he is an Alien¡­¡± he concluded, judging by the evidence he gathered through the Intel. ¡°No¡­ he is a Prism Soldier,¡± he confirmed. His uniform and the terminology he used made Ulysses sure about it. But the way he spoke was so strange and different it made himself doubt. The soldiers are emotionless and take course of action when needed to, this boy was too frightened to even raise his voice. He was scared. It was obvious with what he witnessed and perhaps he is still in training due to his unlikely characteristics. One thing is certain for Ulysses, that boy has literally invaded his mind and now everywhere he sets his eyes he finds it relatable to the boy. Perhaps it was because of pity.


    He heard the door click and open slowly, he assumed it was a nurse but the smell of dry fish hit him square in the face, unmistakable. Aindrea walked in wearing his big heavy backpack. ¡°Aindrea, What are you doing here? Are you okay?¡± Ulysses asked but he just quietly grunted and approached Ulysses to hold his hand. ¡°Aindrea, you shouldn''t be here. I am getting a radiation detox,¡± Ulysses warned but the old man didn¡¯t move away. He grunted and removed his food bag needles and every wire in his body.


    ¡°Aindrea! What are you doing???¡± Aindrea was acting stranger than usual. He let go of his hand and dug his hands in his bag. Aindrea was a hoarder of the rare and aesthetically pleasing and refuse to share it with anyone but Ulysses or Mary Lazarus. Aindrea held a small angel harp in perfect condition and handed it over to Ulysses. It had a red bow attached to it and a card tagged it. Ulysses read the card and it was a beautiful cursive, probably Mary Lazarus wrote it: ¡°Happy Birthday, Ulysses. -Love, Aindrea.¡±


    Ulysses¡¯ face flushed a deep shade of pink. ¡°Aindrea, you spoil me,¡± he chuckled and strummed a few string gracefully. ¡°Thank you, again for the gifts you gifted me today.¡± He remembered the rest of his gifts are at the lockers and lost forever after the disaster. He felt terrible. His locker was apparently shock and waterproof but he doubted the lockers survive such a devastating magnitude.


    ¡°Ss-...aah¡­¡± Aindrea tried to speak, the old man had a terrible speech impediment but Ulysses could understand his voice and body language perfectly. They both could communicate with that and it felt natural.


    Aindrea produced his own harp, it was made of copper and crusted with gems. He sat on the floor with a loud thump and he gently plucked the strings and making melodic sounds with his voice. Ulysses followed his lead free styling and occasionally changing leads. The beeping of his heart monitor was the base beat, he suddenly got inspired. He stopped for a second to record the session with his wrist computer.


    ¡°I stood in the darkness,


    Hearing droplets and lost fragments.


    There you stood in sterile white.


    Your piercing eyes became my plight.


    Warning, warning,


    My sky is falling


    Fuck you siren


    Your presence rocked my world--¡±


    Ulysses stopped playing when a nurse walked in, he was the same nurse of earlier. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stop playing--¡± Ulysses tried to say.


    ¡°What is that old man doing here?!¡± the nurse said pointing at Aindrea and the old man dropped his harp to cover his ears.


    ¡°Shh! It¡¯s okay, Aindrea. Just breath.¡± Ulysses scrambled out of his bed to soothe and comfort him.


    ¡°Iron Pipes, this man needs medical attention, let me check him for wounds.¡± The nurse approached them slowly. He found several dozen bruises and cuts in his hands. ¡°Uhg¡­ He smells of saltwater and infection.¡± The nurse prepared a syringe to inject him out knocking the nurse out  causing Aindrea to panic and lash at the nurse with the heavy harp to the head.


    ¡°AH. Aindrea!¡± Ulysses involuntarily shouted and tried to control him. ¡°Aindrea! He is only trying to help!¡±


    The door burst open again this time more nurses along with familiar faces entered the room. ¡°Aindrea!¡± Mary Lazarus rushed to subdue him. The nurses called security to hold him down. A blond boy pulled Ulysses away from them. ¡°Are you alright? What happened?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like needles.¡± Ulysses watched desperate and helplessly. He rarely goes into a panic attack but when he does it is very dangerous and often deadly.


    ¡°No wait! That''s--!¡± Mary Lazarus said and the old man threw both men off and knocking them out with the harp. ¡°Code ten; bring a tranquilizer and medical staff, we got three unconscious staff members¡­¡± A nurse spoke to a radio. Mary Lazarus just held him whispering softly in his ear and he slowly calmed down.


    Mary Lazarus had a natural glow, she had the grace of a princess and the patience of a saint. She was kind and loving to everyone and she, unlike many, practices what she preaches. No one was too scary or too gross or too sick for her to turn away. Aindrea went limp in her arms. ¡°Help me take him to my church¡­¡±


    ¡°He needs medical attention¡­¡± the nurse protested.


    ¡°I refuse. I am also taking Ulysses with me¡­¡±


    ¡°What? But he has toxic levels of radiation he shouldn¡¯t--¡±


    ¡°Under the law, Ulysses is old enough to refuse medical care, and under the same law Aindrea is under my care and I act in his best interest,¡± she said with a calm voice hinting with sternness. ¡°Lin-Kitte, help Ulysses with his things,¡± she instructed as she carried the old man in her arms.


    Ulysses rode the ambulance with Aindrea, Mary Lazarus and his friend, Link, back to the church. Through the small window he could see the aftermath of the devastating quake, bodies upon bodies lying with the rubble of the buildings that once stood tall. ¡°Forgive me,¡± Ulysses heard the nun speak and turned to her. ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡±


    ¡°I sometimes am forceful with the concept of protection.¡± The nun caressed the old man''s face fondly and caringly.


    ¡°Hey, no worries!¡± Ulysses laughed. ¡°I rather have a mom feed me soup than have a stranger poke at me till I am dead!¡± The nun smiled and chuckled at the silly comment.


    Ulysses and Link helped Lazarus with Aindrea to his room. it was ironic how that old man had more refuge than one would imagine but he rather sleep out in the open. ¡°Boys, stay here till the crisis is averted, I will tend to the other sick patients,¡± the nun said once she close the door of the room the old man rested in.


    ¡°Do you need help?¡± Ulysses asked.


    ¡°No, Ulysses, you need to rest too. Please, make yourselves at home and indulge in the cake I have baked for you.¡± She smiled and walked down the hall to help other nuns of the faith.


    ¡°I am guessing you are having a rocking birthday?¡± the farmer boy asked as he counted how many cigarrettes he had left in the pack.


    ¡°Well¡­ I am not dead. So¡­ Yeah. How are you? Where were you when the earthquake stuck?¡±


    ¡°I was at my house, I was getting ready for work when it happened.¡± He smiled and punched Ulysses arm. ¡°But like you said, at least we''re alive, no?¡± Lin-Kitte Horseshoe works at the farm, he was around the age of Ulysses and they grew up together. Whatever banter Ulysses would do, Link followed suit and vice versa. Link was the only boy who wasn''t afraid of him back in the camp.


    ¡°I wonder why Lazarus pulled me out of the hospital so abruptly.¡± Ulysses and Link walked down to the first floor into the kitchen to fix themselves a simple bite to eat.


    ¡°Do you think the rumors of the kidnappings are true?¡± Link asked as he made a bologna, mustard and pickle sandwich.


    ¡°The one about people being sold to the black market once they check out?¡± Ulysses asked back. He was not hungry enough to eat bread so instead he ate ham and cheese rolls with mushrooms.


    ¡°Yeah, she was worried when Ghost told me you were at the hospital,¡± Link answered.


    ¡°It is very silly and unnerving to think about,¡± the young brunett thought out loud.


    ¡°I know. It''s why I hate hospitals. I rather die than get treated by a specialist,¡± Link said smiling.


    ¡°Do you think it''s true?¡± Ulysses asked.


    ¡°The hospital rumor? Oh yeah, totally,¡± the blonde farmer answered after he swallowed his last bite.


    ¡°What evidence do you have can support it?¡± Ulysses asked skeptically.


    ¡°Well, remember the parasite epidemic? From eating raw meats and unclean cuts?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the parasites made people eat ten times more and we were on a massive food shortage. You told me to never eat anything from your farm or any farm for that matter. Even Mary Lazarus forced me to be vegan.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I remember that there were many wanted posters and digital campaigns to find the missing people that were last seen at the hospital. One day I saw a group of women were brought to the farm and were forced to do heavy labor. Many of those women were indeed the missing people from the hospitals.¡±


    ¡°How did you find out?¡±


    ¡°Because someone was looking for their loved one at the farm. The next day the workers disappeared without a trace. Sometimes I couldn''t help but wonder, why my stake full of fat?¡±


    ¡°...Link, are you saying your farm sells human meat?¡±


    ¡°I can''t prove it, but remembered when Prism showed up because we kept finding human bodies eaten alive?¡±


    ¡°There was a heavy investigation, everyone had to go on a pill diet¡­¡± Ulysses said.


    ¡°Hence the population drop due to constipation. But after some time the district was back to normal food distribution but the population just keeps dropping randomly.¡±


    ¡°It all goes back to Prism¡­¡±


    ¡°Prism is a fucked up Military that brings order to our catastrophic lifestyle.¡± Link said as he stretched his arms over his blonde head. The farmer was correct, Prism is a scary force to meddle with but he doubts everyone in it was evil. ¡°Can they all be fucked up¡­?¡± Ulysses asked quietly.


    ¡°Well, they could be but I don''t casually speak to them. Why? What makes you tick?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Today-- I don''t know if Ghost filled you in--¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah!" Link perked his head. "The encounter in some secret pocket of the sewers. Who was he?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ was sad,¡± Ulysses said, fidgeting in his spot.


    ¡°Ahh¡­" The farmer smiled before he added. "It doesn''t surprise me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Ulysses asked Link.


    ¡°Prism has a one emotion per unit protocol.¡± Ulysses knows the basics of Prism, a military base city one hundred miles away. They deal with some disasters and help the neighboring areas but many locals disapprove of their methods. Ulysses doesn''t mind it till it becomes his problem. Salt-- or Sodium Chloride-- was his problem even if he barely knew him. ¡°One emotion policy? That''s the dumbest thing I ever heard.¡±


    ¡°Well they are created to fight demons and gods. They are our frontline in this frightening war out in space.¡±


    ¡°You surely know much about them.¡±


    ¡°Know thy enemy, Ulysses,¡± Link quoted and smiled softly. His teeth were surprisingly clean and white with all the cigarettes he smokes hourly. Now that he thought about it, the blonde hadn''t touched a single cigarrette in a while. Perhaps he tried quitting again, but he knows how aggitated the farmer can be.


    ¡°YO! Ulysses!¡± They both heard Ghost¡¯s voice from Ulysses¡¯ gear. The hacker looked scared and disheveled. ¡°Please tell me you''re not at the hospital!¡±


    ¡°I am not, I was discharged a moment ago. I am at church--¡± Several loud pops resonated from a far rumbling the ground as it did. The panic roars came from every direction. Ulysses and Link lost balance and hit the ground. They stood up the moment the earth stood still, ¡°What the hell was that!?¡± Link asked in panic.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Ulysses, it was a terrorist attack! Be on your guard!¡± Ghost advised, ¡°I¡¯ll rush there as soon as I can!¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is happening?!¡± Ulysses was close to tearing his hair out from his skull with the District''s bullshit and pandemonium.

 //:M o t e l_69.

    <hr>


    //: P h o b i a:


    >>//:Motel_69.


    <hr>


    Why?!¡± Ulysses kneeled shouting to the gods above the green sky for his answer. His humble home, which took months to build, filled with the treasures he scouted in his line of work was nothing but a pile of junk. It was always a pile of junk, but it was a pile of junk with a roof over its head. Link stood over him also sulking, he too contributed in the construction. ¡°I-it''s ok! It can be rebuilt!¡± he said trying to look at the bright side.


    ¡°It will take forever!¡± Ulysses pounded the ground as he sang his song of despair. ¡°All of my cool stuff is gone! My tools, my neons, my books¡ª Oh dear lord- my miniature robots! Kiora, why thou de- de-...¡± The teen plumbler struggled to pronounce the words, so he said instead, ¡°abandoned me?!¡±


    ¡°W-wait, we can fix it! let¡¯s sort out the heep and see what''s salvageable,¡± Link suggested. ¡°I¡¯ll get my truck so we can temporarily store it in my home. Cheer up! I can help you construct your home again!¡± Link sat on his knee and rubbed his back tenderly.


    ¡°Do you really think you can handle this horrible trek again?¡± the brunette glanced up with fake tears at the angel beside him.


    ¡°Of course! I have leftover cement and other materials from the farm after it was set on fire! I¡¯ll go get them while you design a plane.¡± Ulysses clung to the farmer¡¯s leg, sobbing grossly for dramatic effect. ¡°I love you so much Link! If I weren''t sexually repressed, I would marry you!¡± Link just laughed.


    After rummaging through the pile of debris, the boys realized most of Ulysses¡¯ things were indeed preserved. The same could not be said about some of his neons and little robots. ¡°So much effort for this¡­ At least Aindrea is safe,¡± the brunette said dejectedly.


    ¡°I know you will make something better from the scraps. How about we clear this all up and we start fresh in the morning?¡± Link asked.


    ¡°Where am I going to sleep?¡± Ulysses had to ask. His options were limited.


    ¡°Well you can spend the night at the farm,¡± Link offered with a wide grin. ¡°It would be like those sleepovers we like to do!¡±


    ¡°After what you told me? No,¡± the creeped out plumber instantly shut down the idea.


    ¡°Then what do you suggest?¡± Link asked as he plucked a cigarette that was pinched between his ear and his head.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be in the church when it will be a refuge for the many that lost their homes¡­¡± Ulysses thought about it but he really didn¡¯t want to impose.


    ¡°I am positive Sister Lazarus will welcome you with open arms,¡± said Link with a smile.


    ¡°Still, she has enough to deal with. I will find something. For now let¡¯s get my trash stored and clear the field.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Let me park the truck closer.¡± With enthusiasm, Link ran to get his truck and materials to start with the base of the home.


    Meanwhile Ulysses contacted Ghost through his wrist computer. ¡°¡®Sup ¡®Lysses?¡± said the pearlescent teen as he materialized through the projection lense.


    ¡°Do me a favor.¡± Ulysses pointed the camera of the computer towards the disaster area for Ghost to see. ¡°My house crumbled--¡±


    ¡°Holy shit! Dude! Are you Alright!? Was anyone inside!?¡± Ghost bursted with questions, almost breaking through the lasers.


    ¡°Dude chill, and no, no one was inside. I need you to get me a few plane ideas to build my house,¡± Ulysses said, and swatted at the projection.


    ¡°Oh, Alright at least,: Ghost sighed as he relaxed into his chair. ¡°Sorry dude, you had one hell of a birthday.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯m still alive. Anyway, I need you to do me ¡®nother solid, I need a temporary home that is near my job.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just stay with Link--¡±


    ¡°Too far.¡±


    ¡°M¡¯kay,¡± The binary lasers said before clacking at the glowing keyboard. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to be there personally because of the landslide in my city, but I can give you everything digitally.¡± Ulysses received several zipped files, and they automatically downloaded to the internal memory of the arm brace.


    ¡°I imagine. Thanks anyway.¡± Ulysses sat down and removed his brace to prop it on the ground to continue sorting. ¡°Any news about the Terrorist attack?¡± he asked.


    ¡°To be honest¡­ No one knows the five ¡®W¡¯s¡¯ to the answers,¡± Ghost asked watching Ulysses go through the metal scraps and coloured cables.


    ¡°How the hell did you even know it was gonna happen?¡± the brunette asked.


    ¡°My associate from the Block of Green Ice shared a warning in the radio stations about The Red-Light District being a target for a terrorist attack, the main target being the hospitals. He says some strange extremist group is trying to make a point at Silicon Valley.¡±


    ¡°That is oddly specific¡­¡± Ulysses responded sarcastically.


    ¡°Dude you don¡¯t know the half of it. They are theactivist of human trafficking and baby designing. It¡¯s really stupid. I can let you in on the mess another time.¡± The data transfer was completed. Ulysses grinned and opened the many many files. ¡°I am honestly happy you are a techno-hermit,¡± he said with glee.


    ¡°Haha! That''s rich coming from you! Anyway, I gotta go offline for now. Later.¡± Ghost logged off.


    In record time, Link drove back to Ulysses¡¯ property to get started. ¡°You got a plane?¡± Link asked as he got out of the truck and began to unload the new materials and loaded it with Ulysses¡¯s belongings.


    ¡°Yep. I''m gonna add extra rooms and reinforce the house with more pillars and walls. Also I think I want a tool shed.¡± Ulysses took inspiration of many planes to build a custom home.


    Link chuckled. The blonde produced a box of cigarettes and shoved one in his mouth. ¡°Then let¡¯s start with the basement,¡± he said.


    The boys dug a massive hole and followed the plane instructions to make the house perfect. Ulysses planned the electrical circuits and Link prepared the cement to create the base. Once they distribute the cement to the ground, they kept an eye for cracking and smoothed it with planks of wood. Then, after the base of the basement dried properly, they lined the walls with rivets and stone blocks sealing them with cement.


    <hr>


    The worked on the clock, none stop till the early morning. Link sighed as he shook his fourth empty box of cigarettes hoping one would magically appear. The bummed out farmer looked over to Ulysses as he lined the cement blocks of the living room. ¡°Ulysses, we need a break,¡± Link said. ¡°Wanna go eat breakfast?¡±


    Ulysses sighed and dropped the last block. ¡°Sure, let''s eat.¡± Ulysses was also fatigued and welcomed the idea of food. They cleaned up and drove off to the district to find their favorite diner, Bunny and Clyde. Ulysses liked it because they serve good food and Link loved it because it was a reference to a famous couple. However, due to the lack of water sources they had a limited menu and the prices skyrocket, that didn¡¯t stop them from eating. It was the same everywhere in the district.


    Ulysses sat at his booth in front of Link eating a broccoli, lettuce and tomato sandwich, and Link ate a grilled cheese.


    ¡°Are you working today?¡± Link asked.


    ¡°No. I am too tired. I will go tomorrow though,¡± Ulysses answered. He took a bite and spoke with his mouth full. ¡°Vwhajt avoutj jhew?¡±


    ¡°I have to work. I got a triple shift,¡± the blond teen said and slowly enjoyed his sandwich. Ulysses felt guilty, he swallowed and said, ¡°Link, you can''t work this tired¡­¡±


    ¡°Triple shifts mean three packs of cigarettes per shift.¡± Link smiled. ¡°Anyway. We must discuss your living arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I am sure the rooms are full at the church and you live too far.¡±


    Link hummed and looked out the window noticing a sign for a motel near the outskirts of the city. ¡°Hey, look. Why not spend a few nights at a motel? it¡¯s cheaper.¡±


    ¡°Motel, huh?¡± Ulysses thought about it, it was enticing. He traced the motel with the GPS and it met the requirements.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess Motel six--...sixty nine... Jesus fucking christ--¡±


    ¡°I think it''s pronounced Cancer,¡± Link interrupted Ulysses.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The brunette dumbfounded, cocked his head questioning his best friend.


    ¡°That''s the zodiac of June, Cancer, a sixty-nine. The hotel was named after the zodiac, its grand opening was on June twenty first,¡± Link said as he propped his chin over his hands.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Ulysses said with a shrugged.


    ¡°For any other person who is looking for a quick romp, sixty-nine is also a nice draw in symbol.¡± Link chuckled and Ulysses rolled his eyes. The plumber finished his gross sandwich and left seventy dollars on the table. ¡°Well, let''s go check it out after this,¡± he said. ¡°Your shift doesn¡¯t start yet right?¡±


    ¡°No, I have time,¡± Link answered. He left his payment of ninety-six dollars on the table before walking out with Ulysses.


    <hr>


    When they arrive to the Motel, they felt an eerie sensation devoid of hope. This Motel was a clear sign that it was indeed hell¡¯s pit stop. It was decaying on the outside, but it stood its ground when the earthquakes hit. Ulysses didn¡¯t expect it to be so small either, it was only three stories high.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to spend the night here¡­?¡± Link asked. His voice hinted with intimidation and insecurity.


    ¡°Yeah, I am sure.¡± Ulysses had no option. He did, but he didn¡¯t want to be an asshole about it.


    Walking in, the corners of the room were lined with neon lights of lime greens and pinks. Ulysses hated the set up, specially with the mirror floor and ceiling. It was an illusion of an endless dimension.


    What made the experience worse, was the annoying music of the number one hit diva, Holo-GLAM.


    The clerk reclined on his chair as he slept. He was covered in piercings, limelight tattoos, and bad decisions. ¡°Excuse me,¡± Ulysses called but he resumes to sleep. Both boys were impressed the mess of loops playing on the speakers didn¡¯t wake him. ¡°HEY!¡± Ulysses shouted as he slammed the desk.


    The clerk opened his neon white eyes and a creepy smile spread on his black stained lips. He pushed his purple hair to the side and sat up straight. ¡°How can I help you gentlemen?¡± He reached for the can of rancid meat on the desk. A neon pink roach crawled out with maggots.


    ¡°I¡¯d like a room,¡± Ulysses said slightly grossed out.


    ¡°How many nights?¡± The clerk looked in his drawer for a spoon, he resorted to eating with his pocket knife.


    ¡°Give or take a month.¡±


    ¡°So many nights for a romantic get away?¡± The clerk laughed. Ulysses scowled and gritted his teeth. ¡°Just give me the key¡­¡± he threatened.


    ¡°That depends¡­ would you like one bed or two?¡±


    ¡°Can you just give me a fucking room?!¡± Ulysses doesn¡¯t understand why he was so irritated but he could guess it was how unnerving the man seemed compared to the building he ran.


    ¡°Alright, alright¡± the clerk tossed the can over his shoulder and licked his fingers to savor the taste of blood before he painstakingly looked for a key.. Link whispered to Ulysses, ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is a good idea¡­ We can find another location.¡±


    ¡°Link, it¡¯s fine. I know I can manage alone and it¡¯s temporary.¡±


    ¡°Here you go,¡± the clerk turned back with a dirty key with a key chain of the room number five, three, three, seven. ¡°I rounded up for the month, it will be a total of nine hundred, a thousand and sixty-seven dollars.¡±


    ¡°¡®Kay.¡± Ulysses wasn¡¯t made of money but he knew how to manage it. He took the money from his wallet and handed it over with no hesitation. ¡°Please, enjoy your stay.¡± The clerk beamed as he counted the bills.


    Ulysses and Link walked up the stairs, they prefer that than to be stuck in an elevator if another tectonic shift hit. The halls were dark and gloomy. They didn¡¯t hear anything, like if the residents were trying to hear them.


    They stood in front of the room five, three, three, seven. ¡°Well, this is it.¡± Ulysses unlocked the door the boys were greeted with a small room containing a bed and a bathroom. ¡°I don¡¯t like this...¡± Link admitted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it either but I have to.¡± Ulysses stared at his bed and then at the window which was protected with security bars.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t wanna sleep with me? I can lend you the truck.¡± Link asked him yet again.


    ¡°You need the truck more than I do. It¡¯s fine, Link. Go home you need rest. Thanks for your hard work today.¡± Ulysses smiled.


    ¡°No worries. Night Ulysses. Please call me if anything were to occur.¡± The moment Link walked out and shut the door, he regretted his offer. Ulysses was very close to running back to Link and beg him to sleep with him, but he had pride and Link needed to rest. If he did go with him, Link will be devoted to his guest like he usually was. His best friend was too nice for his own good. He knows Link would never hurt a fly.


    Ulysses needed a bath after a long day. He set up a timer so he wouldn''t waste water. The plumber walked to the bathroom expecting to find roaches or any rodents, as he pulled the white plastic curtain, he found a man around the age of twenty, curled up in the shower. At first glance, with all the foam and blood in his nose, he looked dead. Ulysses couldn''t help himself, he just screamed, but it sounded more like a yelp, a very tired yelp.


    The man in his tub woke to see Ulysses. He was obviously disoriented. ¡°What time is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Time for you to get your ass out of my room!¡± Ulysses shouted. He aimed his slingshot at him to threaten him.


    ¡°Oh¡­ They rented out the room.¡± He rubbed his nose from the blood as he sniffed. ¡°I¡¯ll break into another room.¡± He had hoars and slow laugh as he agonizingly climbed out of the tub and stumbled out to the door. ¡°Oh...¡± He turned to Ulysses and asked, ¡°what is your name?¡±


    ¡°Ulysses, Ulysses Iron Pipes,¡± the teen doesn¡¯t know why he gave his name to a meth addict but he hopes he was always this passive.


    ¡°My name is Nicco... You may find it weird coming from my mouth but... Never leave your room or come home at two thirty in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°If Candy sees you Candy will kill you¡­¡±


    ¡°Candy?¡± He lowered his slingshot, seeing as the man was no longer a threat ad instead offered information. Granted, it could be just a wild story, but Ulysses¡¯ life is in itself a wild story. He couldn''t judge.


    ¡°Yeah... a thrill seeker,¡± Nicco said bitterly. ¡°Candy killed my girlfriend after she was forced to play Candy¡¯s game. I never came back from the high after her fiery funeral.¡±


    ¡°R-right...¡± Ulysses didn¡¯t know what to think, but he really wanted him to leave. Nicco sniffed harder and wiped his nose with his arm. ¡°It was a pleasure...¡± he said before walking out the room.


    After that chiller encounter, Ulysses locked every entrance he could find to avoid any similar encounters again.


    It wasn¡¯t long till he heard moaning in the floor above him, gunshots in the floor below him, and worse of all, he could hear the hot trending underage diva¡¯s music remixed with stronger Dubstep in the room next to his. ¡°Link, I think I am willing to take that offer...¡± Ulysses finally broke and dialed Link''s number on his wrist computer. To his horror he was living in a literal dead zone, no call could go in or out. He sobbed as he fell sideways onto his moldy pillow.


    <hr>


    He woke up at five as he usually did. The building was quiet, ¡®cept for a couple having sex down the hall. ¡°Geeses, they had been going for hours...¡± Ulysses remarked.


    Ulysses wished he could magically finish his home but he can¡¯t. He is not made of magic. He inspected the shower before he jumped in. The plumber screamed once the frigid cold water hit his face. He washed the essentials and trembled out the tub. The brunette didn¡¯t even bother to dry himself he just threw on his uniform. He made sure his tools and belongings were accounted for and left his room locked.


    Once Ulysses reached the lobby, he froze when he witnessed the clerk shooting heroin into his black tongue. Ulysses cringed and exit the premises quickly.


    The pipes were a disaster. Triple B was blowing steam, ¡°are you all Idiots!? Get your fat ass back to work!¡± Big Boy Ben noticed Ulysses clocking in the while he was indeed on temporary leave, Ben was thankful Ulysses was stubborn and a hard worker. The boss shouted, ¡°Ulysses, Thank God!! fix the fucking disgrace these assholes left behind!¡±


    ¡°On it!¡±


    It was a heavy day. moving broken pipes, clearing waste paths, and get rid of the monster that was stuck in a pocket. This monster was rather big from the ones he faced. This monster was easy to kill thanks to Ulysses¡¯ hobby invention: The Megaton Wrench, capable of leaving the target either dead or brainless. ¡°Never underestimate the power of a child''s imagination ages three and up.¡± Ulysses chuckled and strapped the wrench against his back to help dispose of the monster: setting it on fire.


    It was a long shift but the moment he resurfaced Link was waiting outside the plant holding lattes and a cigarette danced around his grin. To his surprise Ghost had joined him for the fun. He also saw Aindrea climbing down the back of the truck and running towards him excitedly. ¡°Hey!¡± Ulysses shouted with joy seeing he was surrounded by friends and family. The teen was gone for a day and he didn¡¯t realize how much he missed them, specially Aindrea. Ulysses hugged him tightly. ¡°You look so much better!¡± And he did. The old man smelled really good, like the ocean. ¡°Did they took care of you?¡± Ulysses asked and Aindrea answered with a happy grunt.


    ¡°Get in, Dude, We got so much work to do!¡± Ghost shouted from the back of the truck.


    ¡°Where are going?¡± Ulysses asked.


    ¡°I gathered enough manpower to help build your house faster.¡± Link said, and he handed a latte to Ulysses.


    ¡°Dude, did you even sleep?¡± Ulysses had to ask.


    ¡°Nope!¡± Link laughed.


    They rode back to continue construction. They shared little words in the car, mostly planning how the house will look.


    They made it back to the field and Ulysses saw that Ghost brought his giant robot home, Jack//Knife, to do heavy lifting. They set up the ground floor and walls with beams and cement blocks. Ulysses and Ghost worked on the electrical wiring while link and Aindrea did the heavy lifting with Jack//Knife.


    ¡°So, how is living at a motel?¡± Ghost asked.


    ¡°Well¡­ One would expect the clich¨¦ of it being a run down building with junkies and whores¡­ So, I am thinking about living with Link till I finish my home.¡±


    ¡°That bad huh?¡± Ghost couldn¡¯t imagine himself in that predicament.


    ¡°Very... I met one of the neighbors. He was sleeping in my tub. I will make sure this house doesn¡¯t fall apart,¡±


    ¡°I am sure we will finish under a month. I have the time calculated,¡± the hacker assured with a digital wink.


    ¡°Oh yeah. Remind me to set an alarm. I have to be home by twelve,¡± Ulysses said as he dealt with the circuit breaker of the house.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I got work tomorrow.¡± Ulysses didn¡¯t really wanna get in on the details of his situation just in case it was just a junky fantasy. Why was he returning was a fucking mystery to him.


    ¡°Right, setting your alarm to eleven forty five.¡± Ghost clacked at some keys at his wristwatch and Ulysses¡¯ wrist computer vibrate with the notification. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get done as much as we can,¡± the hacker proposed.


    Because of the man power the team had, along with the heavy lifting of the magnificent Jack//Knife, they were able to finish the shell of the house, set up the wires and pipes up and running. They drove back to the district to eat at the diner Bunny and Clyde. This time they were limited to raw sandwiches. They made conversation, a few jokes and planned the finishing touches of the house, ¡°...I am sure that by tomorrow evening the windows will be installed,¡±


    Ulysses said thinking out loud.


    ¡°I am pretty sure I can drive back home and bring them,¡± Link suggested.


    ¡°Nah, let¡¯s rest today.¡± Ulysses was grateful his friends wanted to help him finish but he couldn¡¯t over work them.


    ¡°Hey did you guys hear the radio show I sent you last night?¡± Ghost asked.


    ¡°Oh yeah that was insane!¡± Link said.


    ¡°I never got anything, my room is a dead zone. What happened?¡± Ulysses was curious with the new development.


    ¡°No wonder you didn''t answer. Anyway, long story short, the population in The Red-Light District plummeted from ten thousand to six thousand after the terrorist attack.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Ulysses was baffled as how many people died because of the terrorist attack and not the earthquake.


    ¡°And it''s still going down with all the murders and monster sightings. Things are getting bad as of late,¡± said Ghost.


    ¡°And with that activist group Pareidolia--¡±


    ¡°You mean terrorist group,¡± Ghost corrected Link.


    ¡°You can''t think it was them who are bombing our resources,¡± Link asked.


    "Yes they are, look." Ghost retracted his keyboard and extended it on the table and a screen projected in front of them with a mug shot of a man with white hair and pale eyes along with many other images of him working with the terrorist group. Aindrea couldn¡¯t help himself and placed his hand through the hologram, Ulysses suppressed a chuckle. "One of the members is sound physicist Dr. Ian Soundwave, he is a suspect behind the earthquakes using strange sound technology," Ghost explained.


    ¡°Kinda like the ones Tesla used to use back in the nineteenth century,¡± Link added.


    ¡°So what is the point to all this?¡± Ulysses was skeptical.


    ¡°They wanna get rid of the synthetic and start a new,¡± Ghost answered.


    ¡°Well, good-luck with that,¡± Ulysses scoffed.


    ¡°Come on! what¡¯s so weird about the sound thing?¡± Ghost asked.


    ¡°It is proven you can move a mountain with sound-waves,¡± Ulysses commented. ¡°Proven or not, it is a ridiculous thing to think about... Please, start a new? I doubt it. there is no such thing as a clean slate.¡± Ulysses waved the subject off and started a new one, ¡°On top of that the war is going strong. We currently secured Mercury and Pluto, from what I heard.¡±


    ¡°That was a month ago,¡± Ghost said and showed him an article of the Prism Troops on planet Jupiter. ¡°We secured Jupiter and managed to force back the enemy fleets,¡± Ghost summed up the article.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°To think Earth is actually threatened by demon gods...¡± Link said in awe. ¡°Our troops won''t be back for another year right?¡± Link asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Ghost answered.


    ¡°I mean what¡¯s coming back to?¡± Ulysses asked. They all turned to him to listen. ¡°Earth is a doughnut and there is always a disaster each day. The ones left behind are kids doing the adult work. If I had to choose, I would go ahead and shoot myself but I am a coward and I am afraid of what is waiting for me in the sky.¡±


    ¡°Ulysses...¡± Link said softly watching him stare out into the green sky. ¡°You do know that killing yourself is never an answer.¡±


    Ulysses glanced at Link and Ghost and then to Aindrea unsure what to say. ¡°Maybe a mercury bullet will disintegrate my soul...¡± That was key to knowing he was kidding. Aindrea continued to stare at him. It was a judging stare, and it made the teen feel guilty for even saying it.


    ¡°Anyway, I gotta go rest. I got work tomorrow, and this is really wearing me out,¡± Ulysses said.


    ¡°Oh, Alright, you want me to drop you off?¡± Link asked.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s cool.¡± Ulysses was about to stand from his booth but Aindrea pulls at his arm. Ulysses stared at him as Aindrea cooed in the crook of his neck and Ulysses answered with a low hum and purr, ¡°I¡¯ll be Alright, Aindrea...¡±


    ¡°What is he saying?¡± Ghost asked.


    ¡°He is worried about me,¡± Ulysses chuckled and pulled away. ¡°This old man thinks I am his biological kid. Not that I mind¡­ "


    ¡°Dude, what if he understands what is happening?¡± Ghost presented a possibility of the old man''s ability to grasp. Ulysses scowled at his ignorance. ¡°He does understand, he just can¡¯t communicate like us,¡± Ulysses corrected.


    ¡°What I hopefully think Ghost is trying to say,¡± Link said shooting a warning glance at the silly hacker. ¡°You are literally the only one who understands his melews and growls.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, he and I was going at it since I was younger so It kinda stuck on me as a second language.


    ¡°Yeah but... you and I have been together around him and I never learned,¡± Link answered. It was mind boggling when he thought about it, but Ulysses did practice it more than Link ever did. ¡°Oh well, that¡¯s a shame. Anyway, I got to go. I want to rent out a book to kill time in the night.¡± The plumber left his cash at the table and left the dinner, ¡°g¡¯night.¡±


    <hr>


    It was almost eight when he found the library. Librarian Lora was ready to close up and head home herself. ¡°Wait, wait! I need a book!¡± She sighed and turned to Ulysses, who was breathing heavily, holding his wallet. ¡°It won¡¯t take long I swear!¡± Ulysses plastered his pretty smile to convince her. She stared at him unimpressed. ¡°Make it quick.¡±


    After a few minutes of browsing, he found a new book of his era, Screen Name Not Found by Ink Prosa Maga. He was captivated by the drawing in the cover and decided he should check it out.


    He ran out to the motel and quietly took the elevator and found a girl holding a shovel with strange white target eyes, like¡ª ¡°...My name is Sodium Chloride...¡± Ulysses remembered how sad the boy sounded. ¡°I haven''t forgotten you... Salt...¡± He thought to himself.


    ¡°So...¡± He heard her speak. ¡°You are the newcomer? I was expecting some degenerate but I guess you''re alright...¡± He glanced at her with the corner of his eyes. If he didn¡¯t look he would have mistaken her for an android. Her throat must have been replaced with an electronic one, perhaps her throat gave in to cancer or she just wanted it that way. She wore pastels of pink and purple along with black details.


    ¡°Oh, well, I am a temporary resident. Hopefully I will leave by tomorrow. What¡¯s your name?¡± Ulysses asked her.


    ¡°Katya. And you must be Ulysses?¡± Ulysses stopped breathing for a few seconds. ¡°Uh... yeah, How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Mars told me, the clerk downstairs?¡± Katya explained. Bit that didn¡¯t seem right, why would he tell her anything, it would make more sense if Nicco told her, then it got him thinking perhaps Nicco and the clerk are the same. Obviously, he was wrong.


    ¡°I see you like to read.¡± He looked at her again and she was staring at the book in his hands. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ulysses answered, he was stuck with her in the elevator so he had be nice just in case she struck him with her bat.


    ¡°Do you have a girlfriend, Ulysses?¡±


    ¡°Nah. I¡¯m not interested in relationships. I¡¯m kinda sexually constipated, you hear what I am saying?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you sound like a siren.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± Ulysses scrunched up his nose at the comment.


    ¡°Just that you sound like a siren. You sound really good,¡± she explained and turned her head with a sultry look in her eyes. ¡°I bet you sound delicious when you scream in agony, Ulysses.¡±


    ¡°Thank... you?¡± She was too close for his comfort. He was happy the elevator stopped but horrified when she followed him to his room. ¡°Ah, so your neighbors with Nicco.¡±


    ¡°What about him?¡± Ulysses looked for his keys while keeping an eye on her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t trust him, he has a nasty habit of living in la-la land. Dirty hobo.¡± That shattered his theory entirely. ¡°Yeah, well, g¡¯night.¡± Ulysses wasn¡¯t one to be rude, however, due to the circumstances, he needed to shut the door in her face and refuse to continue the conversation. He sat down on his bed and removed his gear and got ready to eat the boo he rented.


    After a while of reading, he heard someone scream down the hall, a woman, and then he heard sounds of violence and a man shouting at her. Ulysses was dying to go help her, but the clock warned him it was almost two thirty in the morning.


    ¡°Oh fuck it.¡± The brave plumber got out of his bed burst through the door witnessing the clerk wearing tight leather beating a girl to a corner with his bare fists. ¡°Hey! pick on someone your own size!¡± Ulysses aimed his slingshot with a wrench and shot it at the guy, knocking him out cold.


    Ulysses ran over to the girl and asked her, ¡°Are you hurt? Can you walk?¡± as he checked her wounds. The girl looked so strange she resembled a little Frankenstein. Her skin was patched together with different hydes and fabrics. Her eyes were droopy and mismatched, and her pink wild hair had the texture of dolls.


    Ulysses stood away in horror when he saw what she was holding, a vulva. All she did was stare at Ulysses. ¡°C-Candy...?¡± he whispered. He glanced at the clerk in leather thinking he might have fucked up. From the other side he felt another presence. The presence of death itself. He turned his head and saw a punk boy holding a scythe. He had a skull mask hiding his face and medium length black hair.


    ¡°Thank- you!¡± He heard the girl say standing on her long legs towering over him and handing him his wrench. Ulysses took it and watched her skip happily to the boy to go down the elevator.


    Ulysses heard the clerk groan in pain as he woke up from his concussion. Ulysses wanted no part of this madness and ran back to his room locking the door tight. He tried to read, but he found himself reading the same line over and over again. He tried to call someone, but the signal was abhorrent. He even tried to sleep but he couldn¡¯t do so, he could only count the seconds.


    The plumber heard footsteps walking down the hall. He heard a knock, then a second, a third. He held himself to control his shivering body. He heard another knock, then a second, finally a third. It was louder than the first set. He debated if he should open the door but as soon as he decided to do so he heard the footsteps go down the hall.


    Ulysses snuck out the motel the moment his clock struck morning. He didn''t want to be seen, luckily the clerk wasn¡¯t at the desk. The events of last night haunted him and he really didn¡¯t know what fungi fumes he inhaled in that musty motel room but he was sure as hell he won¡¯t be able to sleep another night there. He knows that today will be the day his house would be complete.


    He received a text the second he left the premises, Link wrote to him: ¡°Sorry, today I have a triple shift at work. We will finish the house tomorrow, I promise.¡± Ulysses wanted to die, figuratively not literally.


    He ran to work, and he hoped he had a triple shift too. He only had one shift sadly. At least there were no monsters to worry about. He wasn¡¯t sure his performance was in top shape after the night he had.


    At the end of his shift he decided to work on the painting of the house. He picked a light yellow for the walls, dark blue shingles and dark blue doors.


    He was getting excited the second he set foot near his future home. Once inside the skeleton of his home he explored. It had a living room wide enough for guests and sleepovers, a small kitchen, the bathroom had an industrial shower installed, and his bedroom had a skylight he was dying to use. The next room was a smaller living space with its own door leading outside and windows, perfectly designed for Aindrea to stay over instead of living in a fort or in the garbage.


    Ulysses sighed with joy as he walked out of the house with paint cans and brushes. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw Katya standing outside with her shovel. ¡°So, this is where you, ¡®live¡¯,¡± she said with air quotes.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Was the only thing Ulysses could ask her. Katya ignored the boy and continue to gawk at the property. ¡°This is a nice house, do you live here with someone?¡± she asked.


    "Did I fucking stutter?" Ulysses snapped at her. "I asked what are you doing here?"


    ¡°So demanding, I am here to help.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need help. Get out of my property or--¡±


    ¡°Or what?¡± Katya interrupted him. ¡°Are you going to shoot me with that stupid sling shot you made?¡±


    Ulysses froze in his spot, ¡°who the hell is this girl?¡± his mind wondered. The plumber was ready to attack, he reached into his utility belt but his slingshot was missing.


    ¡°Looking for this?¡± Katya said as the slingshot slid down her long sleeve hoodie into her hand. It had dried blood on it.


    ¡°Give it back, Katya.¡± His tone was commanding and scary with a hint of fear. A few seconds of soaking in tension she finally tossed the slingshot and Ulysses caught it.


    ¡°Anyway, you won''t be able to finish today,¡± she said cynically.


    ¡°And why is that?¡± he asked. Katya pointed at the sky slowly turning darker and darker dense with electricity and water.


    ¡°You can¡¯t work under bad weather,¡± she said before strolling away. Ulysses didn¡¯t wait a single second and made a dash to the one refuge he knows he was always safe in, church. He walked in quietly during a sermon and took a seat in the back waiting for it to finish to speak to Mary Lazarus. He spotted Aindrea in the corner hidden in the shadows. He could hear him singing or muttering to the choir. Ulysses approached and crouched beside him. ¡°Hey,¡± the teen whispered quietly. Aindrea took notice of him and handed him a score to sing with him.


    Aindrea¡¯s hair was in the way. He must have accidentally lost the hair tie that held his hair together. ¡°Aindrea, do you want me to untangle your hair?¡± Ulysses asked. The old man didn¡¯t answer, but he didn¡¯t seem against the idea. Ulysses found a small stool and sat on it behind the old man, beginning the Odyssey his fingers occasionally experienced.


    Little by little Ulysses untangled every single tress of black hair. He found strange things in the nests and knots, wrappers, twigs, food, bubble gum, a broken wing¡ª Ulysses cringed when he held the rotting wing. He tossed it aside and continued.


    Ulysses heard him struggling to pronounce certain words so he would pronounce a word slowly for Aindrea to repeat. ¡°Mehhrccsilll...¡±


    ¡°M-me... Merxill¡­¡± The old man repeated.


    ¡°Uuumnaaaiii...¡± Ulysses said slowly.


    ¡°U-U...Uu...Umnaii¡­¡± Aindrea pronounced.


    ¡°Good!¡± Ulysses cheered quietly. He braided his hair and held with a spare elastic for his slingshot. ¡°There.¡± The plumber wiped the sweat of his brow and stood up to see his face. It was such a shame. Aindrea, despite his smelly perfume and wild tresses, he was a handsome man with stunning green eyes and a lovely skin color. He was covered in marks and bruises but it was normal for a wanderer. Maybe he will dedicate more time to taking care of him now that his home will better accommodate the elder man.


    ¡°He is beautiful isn''t he?¡± Mary Lazarus said holding her holy book smiling brightly. Aindrea grinned and nuzzled on her neck cooing at her. The nun chuckled and leaned in to the touch. Ulysses flushed at the scene. ¡°Yeah, he is,¡± he agreed and smiled sheepishly.


    ¡°I heard about your home, I am so sorry,¡±


    ¡°Ah! Don¡¯t worry about it. Link, Ghost and even Aindrea are helping me build a better home. You are welcome to visit us sometime!¡±


    The nun laughed. ¡°You are so sweet, Ulysses.¡±


    Ulysses grinned softly and rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Are you hungry? I was just about to start lunch,¡± Lazarus offered.


    ¡°I could eat.¡±


    <hr>


    Ulysses and Aindrea were eating a bowl of mushroom soup. Both have a strange obsession with mushrooms, and when Lazarus cooked them, they can¡¯t get enough of it.


    ¡°Thank you for the meal, Lazarus,¡± said the teen plumber.


    ¡°I am glad you enjoy my humble meal,¡± the humble nun said.


    ¡°How are you able to manage the water crisis?¡± Ulysses asked.


    ¡°It is a challenge but the staff of the church had been filling up jugs from the river and bringing them back here.¡± She giggled and sat at the table with the boys. ¡°So, how is work?¡±


    ¡°It''s pretty rough, we found a monster the other day.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, is it dead?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we set that shit¡ª uh.. Thing on fire.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sweetheart, I wish you would just pick a different job¡­¡± The nun looked down at Ulysses with concern and placed a gentle hand over the boy''s shoulder.


    ¡°Oh come on it''s fine! I love my job! Besides your church always calls for clogged pipes, gives me more of an excuse to come over and visit!¡± the teen laughed.


    ¡°Still¡­ I can¡¯t help it when I feel you''re in danger.¡± She touched her cheek and looked frightened.


    ¡°You should have more faith in me, I was raised by many and I am no wuss.¡±


    ¡°Alright...¡± She smiled softly. ¡°Where are you living in the meantime?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Motel Sixty Nine,¡± Ulysses felt the nun tense up quietly. ¡°One more night and my home will be finished.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to stay here with me?¡± For a moment Ulysses thought about it, but he needed to be less dependant of her and he needed to prove he was strong.


    ¡°Nah, It¡¯s just for a night.¡±


    ¡°If you want to spend the night here, the church is always a sanctuary no matter the time of the day.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mary Lazarus,¡± he smiled brightly at the nun.


    ¡°Before you go...¡± The worried nun stood from her chair and gathered a small pin in shape of an angel with a tear shape gem encrusted. She pinned it on the child¡¯s shirt and crossed him. Ulysses felt a warmth sensation the moment she pressed her lips on his forehead. ¡°This is the tear of innocence. This will offer some protection.¡±


    Ulysses smiled. ¡°Thank you...¡±


    <hr>


    On his way to the motel he got caught in the rain. He quickly made it inside the motel lobby and he noticed Nicco was standing by the counter waiting. He was shaking and his breaths were uneven. ¡°It will be a cold night...¡± he heard Nicco


    say, ¡°it will be a very long, cold night¡­ Melissa... Melissa... Will you wait for me in the furnace...?¡± he kept mumbling. Ulysses examined him as he quietly walked to the elevator. He stops as the door opened, he took into consideration if the lights fail he will be stuck in the elevator.


    He decided to take the stairs instead. As he went up, he heard a lightning strike, and the power went out. He groaned and ran up faster to the floor of his room. The first thing to punch him was the foul stench roaming the air, like skin burning, maybe a rat was set on fire but at the moment he didn¡¯t wanna think the worst.


    He dug into his pocket and he couldn¡¯t find the key. ¡°Goddamnit...¡± looked around his utility belt to find a lock pick kit and as soon as he dug the tools in the lock the door creaked open. There stood Katya, he assumed it was Katya, the counter lit figure was holding a shovel over their shoulder. ¡°Ah, you''re back early,¡± her voice confirmed it was indeed Katya. ¡°Seems like the entire city is going through a blackout. Rain, black out, night time, perfect weather for hide and seek, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t play kids games.¡±


    ¡°You do, you have childish hobbies, like... building tiny Japanese model robots. Am I correct. Not only that, you love to play pretend, or at least you used to...¡± She grinned. Ulysses didn¡¯t believe what he heard. It was the last straw. ¡°Alright, Katya,¡± Ulysses walked over to her and dragged her out the room, ¡°Get the hell out.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be afraid of me, I am not a killer.¡±


    ¡°You could be the messiah for all I care! I said get the fuck out!¡± He threw her out the room and locked the door. He sighed and walked to his bed, tripping over something, and fell face first to the floor.


    He reached for his flashlight to light up his path and saw an arm sticking out from underneath the bed.


    Ulysses reached a shaky hand out to grab the arm and tugged to pull a dead decapitated body of a boy. The farming uniform was too familiar and his stomach drowned with dread and paranoia. He looked for anything in the pockets and he found cigarettes along with a wallet with Link¡¯s identification drive.


    Ulysses dropped the wallet and went into the bathroom, hyperventilating. He felt a hand wrapped with a rag with a strong scent hold his mouth close, and an arm snaked around his torso holding him in place.


    ¡°Let¡¯s play Hide and Seek,¡± a male voice purred into his ear. Ulysses was falling asleep in seconds and there was no chance to react. He never wanted to scream so hard in his life. He had exposed Link to this because he was such a stubborn jerk.


    He can¡¯t believe how low he sunken.


    He wanted nothing but to go home.


    Ulysses woke up in a room lit by a flashlight, his flashlight. He felt disoriented and in seconds he had flashbacks of previous events. The frightened brunette felt the rush of adrenaline as he picked up the flashlight and lit up his surroundings. He found a note taped to a locked door,


    ¡°You will hide and we will seek, you have till dawn to escape, and if we find you, you will die. Keep in mind, it is dark and all the windows and doors are locked. If you wanna escape, seek the keys. Happy hunting!


    Love, Candy~X?X?¡±


    ¡°I am screwed¡­¡± Ulysses shuffled nervously. He scrambled around the room to find the key to the door. He searched every drawer, the bathroom, under the bed everywhere. He was starting to feel the heat and deprived of oxygen.


    He then thought about his tools. His belt was gone. Ulysses had nothing. ¡°Goddamnit!¡± The scared teen lashed at a desk beside him and he heard a chime against the concrete. He froze.


    He shone the light around the room and found a key. He quickly took it and jab it at the lock of the door but it didn¡¯t open. ¡°Argh, you¡¯re such a cuck!¡± Ulysses stored the key away just in case and found another way to get down.


    He heard stomping from far away, his heart dropped when someone or something was trying to break through the door. Ulysses looked around the room and decided to resort to his flashlight as a weapon. He stood against the wall near the door waiting for the inevitable as he shut off the light. The door burst open, and a figure ran though throwing a weapon around. Ulysses quietly stepped towards the door and the second he was out he waited for thunder to light up the halls and he saw the stairs and made a mad dash to them. He prayed with every fiber of his being that his feet would carry him and not drop him midway.


    The frightened teen made it to the next floor and the instant he did the smell of chlorine overwhelmed his nostrils. He shone the light to find a clue, but the smell was killing him. Ulysses couldn''t proceed without finding a solution to the obstacle. He went up the stairs but his feet slowed down when he heard hard boots on concrete.


    His light shone on a man wearing a gas mask holding an axe. Ulysses realized that keys to doors were a metaphor and if he wanted to get out alive, he had to fight bolt and wrench. The guy lifted his axe to strike at Ulysses and the brunette shut the light.


    The man hit the ground after a loud thud. Ulysses was behind him holding a bleeding flashlight. Without thinking it twice he grabbed the axe, and he dug it in the back of the man over and over again.


    Normally, wouldn¡¯t kill people but the circumstances were unique.


    He dropped the axe once he figured he was dead enough and flipped the body over. He took the gas mask from the guy, revealing his decaying, jawless face. He found another key in the man''s pocket with a note attached to it.


    ¡°CANDY LOVES A FIGHTER. KEEP IT UP IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE. YOU HAVE TWO MORE FLOORS BEFORE YOU CAN WIN THE GAME. WE HOPE YOU ARE NOT A GERMAPHOBE~


    LOVE, CANDY~X?X?¡±


    The clue crumbled in his fist and he said between gritted teeth, ¡°I will give you a piece of my goddamn mind...¡±


    Blood splattered across the tight corridor and himself. The smell of chlorine, blood and burnt skin was dizzying him. He took the mask and secured it on his face despite how slimy and gross it felt over his skin. He had worse things crawl his face, this was nothing. He took the axe walked down the corridor.


    Ulysses ventured the second floor again this time calmly searching for his way out. He checked each door with the spare keys he found and managed to get one door open and a girl was eating from a heap of bodies. She turned to the scent of Ulysses, she had a long jaw filled with sharp yellow teeth with braces. She also had a bulging belly and four legs. She crawled to Ulysses and opened her mouth wide to take a bite. The plumber wanted none of that and slammed the door shut in her face making a run for it.


    From the elevator shaft another girl came out, she was fused with another girl, one had pink hair and the other had black hair. He doesn¡¯t understand how they could breathe in that atmosphere but he had other troubling thoughts plaguing him. The door where the first girl was broke down and she ran down the hall to eat Ulysses.


    Ulysses didn¡¯t know where to swing first, so he spun holding the axe and hit both targets and incapacitated them. He chopped at one target and before the other had a chance to stand Ulysses slashed them till they couldn¡¯t move anymore.


    ¡°...They can come back to life...¡± He remembered what Salt said that day and took precautions before he investigated the next floor, Ulysses chopped them into pieces. When he cracked one of the skulls, he noticed a spiked collar with a key hanging from it, along with another clue.


    ¡°Oh, how wicked! He escaped the jaws of death! HAHAH! But can he escape the sound of our queen and goddess?


    Love, Candy ~X?X?¡±


    He sighed and walked over the elevator, the door was open and the shaft was halfway down. The stairway was sealed with cement, his only way down was through elevator shaft. He needed to escape, so elevator shaft it was.


    He climbed down the cable to the next floor and nothing, absolutely nothing attacked him. The next floor was filled with music, a synthetic voice was heard with an electronic beat, he instantly recognized it, he just scoffed at how stupid and silly the remix sounded. It really disappointed him how far people would for to sound like the diva.


    The music was getting louder, soon Ulysses glanced inside an open room seeing a large mannequin made of metal like a cyborg. He really wanted to avoid her so he continues to walk down the hall to the next flight of stairs. What he didn''t expect was her sensitive hearing picking on him stepping on broken glass. The mannequin turned its head, the head was human. She had long braided, purple pigtails and a mouth similar to a cockroach. Her scream was a sort of Dubstep song.


    Ulysses ran and shut the light so she would lose track of him. He made it inside a room, sliding under a bed and staying stiffly still and mute. The teen held the axe tightly in his hands and waited for her to go away.


    A long arm reached out and took a hold on his neck and dragged him out. Her feelers touched and creeped on his face and body. She was so close the music almost blasted off his ears. ¡°Shut! Up!¡± Ulysses swung the axe cutting her head clean off. Her body went limp, both the body and Ulysses hit the floor.


    A swarm of roaches and other insects crawled out from her neck opening looking for a new refuge. Ulysses scrambled away from the room, he no longer wanted to play this psychotic game.


    Once he felt safe, the plumber gasped for air, he took off the gas mask feeling ironically suffocated. One more floor to go, the lobby. Ulysses put on the mask and ran down the hall to the next flight of stairs into the lobby. The neons and lights were dead still, and no one was at the desk. ¡°Hello! Is somebody here?!¡± Ulysses shouted for anyone to hear. Since he got no answer, he quickly ran to the front door and tried to pull it open but the door was also locked. Ulysses kicked the door and screamed in frustration. He jammed every single key he had but none undid the lock. He hit the metal door with the axe and didn¡¯t even make a dent on the door. That didn¡¯t stop him from lashing out at the door. ¡°God fucking dammit!!¡±


    Ulysses gasped for air once his arms grew tired. He looked back and shone the flashlight at the desk to find another key but the key holder was empty. The possibility of the missing key being up in the next floor really pissed him off.


    So the irritated teen dragged the axe with him up the corridor and down the hall to find the key. He searched every room, every corner but he couldn¡¯t find it. Then a thought went through his mind as the head of the roach monster stood alone near his boot. The collection of hairs on his spine stood up as a chill went down. ¡°Where¡¯s the body¡­?¡± Ulysses breathed quietly.


    A female roach flew to his face and attempted to crawl inside his lips. He swatted it away and stomped it. He looked around and he jammed his lips close but his eyes blew wide. The headless roach monster was standing in the ceiling upside down surrounded by the swarm. A key hung from the neck cavity. ¡°Oh, fuck me...¡± Ulysses cursed internally. He needed a plan to get that key. The best-case scenario is to let it die after a month, but he knew he didn''t have a month and this roach monster possessed the best quality of a roach just to spite him. He shouted and threw his axe at it. Surprisingly it knocked the monster from the ceiling and it landed on its back.


    Ulysses grabbed the axe and chopped the monster and to his building frustration the body had a metal shell. Then he got an idea, he kicked the monster and ran up the corridor to the elevator and climb up the next floor.


    The monster crawled on the walls of the shaft and with its long legs it tried to tumble Ulysses from the cable. The fumes of the next room were already hitting him hard, but he pressed on and jumped on the ledge of the room where the monster followed. The second the little roaches touched the floor they slowed down and eventually stopped moving. The same was for the roach monster. Ulysses covered his nose and mouth with his arm and waited.


    The monster was persistent but so was the teen. Since the monster was very slow, Ulysses reached his other hand and dug it in the disgusting cavity and pulled out the key. ¡°Sorry, but nothing can best the original¡­¡± he said with a cocky grin and secured the key in his pocket.


    Ulysses stumbled down the corridor again after long exposure to the toxic fumes. His vision blurred and an intense headache pounded his brain. The brunette reached one of the sevelar cables his mind created and fell down the shaft.


    ¡ª ¡°AHHHH!¡± Ulysses screamed as he fell. He hit the ground floor hard. His lungs were compressed and heavy, choking on his breath constantly. The poor teen could barely move, he was sure the pain was of broken bones. He was going to die in a couple of minutes. The last breaths he drew were choked sobs before he spat his own blood.


    <hr>


    When his eyes opened the color orange was all he could see, the blur became more clear revealing a dimly lit room with a furnace. He was in constant pain but he was able to move again. He lifted his head and was greeted him was the clerk holding a gun to his head.


    ¡°My, you made it down here in record time,¡± Mars said, smiling brightly.


    ¡°Uhgg!¡± Ulysses groaned and laid his head back. ¡°Just kill me already!¡± he begged. The madman laughed and cocked his gun. ¡°What¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Mars asked as he ingested some colorful pills and powders.


    ¡°Can you at least tell me why are you doing this?!¡±


    ¡°Why tell you when I am done playing games?¡± And just like that, the hair on his neck stood and with a soft whisper Ulysses uttered his fears, ¡°Candy¡­¡±


    ¡°Wrong. However, It is a pleasure. I will give you credit, you did almost knocked the life out of my body. You got one hell of a throw.¡± Somehow Ulysses felt cheated. He knew he could have easily killed that man out of context but he still survived all because he was the antagonist of his story. ¡°Son of a bitch... Just what are you?¡±


    ¡°I am a simple thrill junkie. This was by far the best rush I ever felt, no white dust could compare.¡± He caressed the boy¡¯s face with the gun and he chuckled. ¡°I am saddened you killed my girlfriends, but If you want to live, you can stay here as a thrill seeker.¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking insane?! Wait¡ª don¡¯t answer that! Of course you fucking are! Mother fucker, just kill me! I want no part of this!¡± The desperation was obvious in the pitch of his song.


    ¡°Suit yourself, Ulysses.¡± Mars cocked his gun and aimed, Ulysses for a moment felt one of his teeth come off loose from his gums. He had a crazy idea but if it worked, he could escape. He spat the tooth and hit the man¡¯s eye. The psychotic clerk dropped the gun and held his eye with his hands. ¡°Jesus fucking christ!¡± He shouted and stomped the ground. Ulysses took this opportunity and took the gun, as heavy as it was, and he shot Candy in the head. That was all left to chance and Ulysses might as well be Lady Luck herself because he knew that was impossible, even for his world¡¯s standards. Ulysses dropped the gun and, despite how badly his body hurt, ran around the room for an exit.


    ¡°You fucking rat!¡± Mars shouted when he recovered his gun and shot at Ulysses. The terrified plumber just ran around the room to avoid the bullets. Once Mars'' gun was empty, he cocked the gun, and it shifted to a light saber. ¡°I will cut you in half!¡± Ulysses panicked, he found another axe hidden behind a heap of crates. Lifting the axe prove to be a challenge with his aching bones. Ulysses charged the wood of the axe to protect it from the radiating heat of the saber as they collide.


    Ulysses and Mars struck at each other with great brutal force to push each other to the furnace. Ulysses managed to keep him close enough, he found an opening and wedged the axe in Candy¡¯s chest. He didn¡¯t shout, he didn¡¯t wince, he just stood there with glowing rage. Ulysses backed away slowly holding his hands up shakily. He was doomed, nothing could kill this man and his body was close to giving under the stress.


    From the fiery hell flames of the furnace, a severely burned man wrapped his arms around Mars and pulled him in with him. ¡°Ah! let go of me!¡± the clerk protested.


    ¡°Y-You ki- killed M-M-Melissa... J-j-... Join us in Hell...¡± the man hissed and burned with the psychotic man in tow. The screams bounced off the concrete and into Ulysses¡¯ ears.


    The furnace died down and became nothing but glowing embers. A hand slowly creeped out from the opening, holding a red hot key.


    Ulysses stood there shedding a few tears due to shock. He looked around for any form of gloves to protect his hands from the red burning key. All he found were fabric based and waiting for it to cool down would take a while. When he looked again, the key was still red hot, he took his chance with the fabric and it was frigid cold. He took the key and unlocked the door of the basement and the Lobby, it was a master key and Ulysses was very lucky it came from nowhere.


    Ulysses didn¡¯t stop running to his little sanctuary, it was never wise to run in the dark while it rained but he didn¡¯t care. He clutched the pin in his chest and thanked every fiber in his brain for being so quick witted. He was breathing roughly and at times dry heaved. He was going through a bunch of emotions but he was slowly coming to his senses. He had lost his friend in that hell hole and he was such a coward he left him behind. He never did found his head. He had, also, lost his phone, his book, his tools and almost his life in that motel. However her reached the end of it.


    Or so he thought.


    His eyes widened at the sound of a light giggle. The brunette raised his flashlight and carefully looked around the house for the culprit. Ulysses was tackled down. His assailant¡¯s eyes piercing as she held a sharp machete knife.


    ¡°Get off me!¡± Ulysses shouted trying to hold her unusually strong grip on the machete. ¡°Give me your voice, Ulysses! I need your beautiful voice!!!¡±


    After a loud pang, her eyes rolled back, and she fell limp over Ulysses. The frantic brunette kicked her off and crawled away as the mystery assailant grabbed her by the hair holding her in the air. ¡°I will make sure you don¡¯t steal from me again...¡± He dropped the girl and cut her hands with the shovel. She screamed, Ulysses almost felt sorry for her. He couldn¡¯t stomach the scene.


    Then, the mystery hero cracked her skull with the shovel, over, and over, and over again till her screams were nothing but a gargled mess. He stabbed the shovel through her neck and kicked it to decapitate her with a sickening squish and crack like a skilled butcher.


    The lightning made him more frightening, his eyes were hollow and his face stern. His long blond hair wet and stuck on his skin. Link stared at Ulysses but didn¡¯t speak. He can¡¯t get over the fact Link was indeed alive and much less capable of murder.


    ¡°Oh my god...¡± Ulysses whispered, dumbfounded. ¡°Am I losing my goddamn mind?¡±


    ¡°I guess it''s a good thing I came back to get my things,¡± the farmer chuckled.


    He quietly handed Ulysses a shovel and he, for a moment, was dubious of his actions, but with their silent understanding they dragged the girl outside and dug a grave deep enough to bury the nightmare. ¡°You¡¯re full of surprises...¡± said Ulysses breaking the silence. Link chuckled warmly and kicked the body of the girl in the hole, covering it with wet dirt.


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