u/MDTStories

The concrete is hard tonight. My power lays nothing to the ground. They replaced the ground long ago-

"Heyyyyyyy, you're looking pent up. C'mon baby, don't walk- come back, please."

Another cyber gigolo acting like I'm the most precious helpless thing he's ever seen, no that the powers embracing makes him see. I'm not goi- no, no. The concrete is hard tonight. My-

"Yeah! That's right lady! YOU WON'T LAY DOWN WITH THEM! *YOU KNOW THE-*oo"

I shove her over and the sound of a woman against it all, being throw down, flies into my ears. I won't join you, I'm not sorry. You're-YO-.

Don't sigh, don't show anything. The concrete is hard tonight. My power lays nothing to the ground. I'm almost to the hill. They replaced the ground long ago, but there is ground still. The humans are lost. And-

"Pleaeessssee, pleeeeaaasse take me with you, mommy pleasssseee."

^sniff^

No, no, it's not your fault. You can't save them; they called you mommy they're looking for someone to care of them. It's

"pleeeaaaSSSEEEeeee aaaaa..."

^sniff^

THEY'RE GOing to be okay, it's not your task. It's not my task. The-

^sni-^

THE CONCRETE IS HARD TONIGHT. MY POwer lays nothing to the ground. They replaced the ground long ago, but three is still ground. The humans are lost. And if you want them to come out you must keep walking forward. And somed-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

THE-CONCRETE-IS-HARD-TONIGHT-MY-POWER-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHH!!.!.!.!........"

-LAYS-NOTHING-TO-THE GROUND. THEY REPLACEd THE GROUND LONG AGO, BUT THERE IS GROUND still. The humans are lost. And if I want them to come out, I must keep walking forward. And someday they may see AI for what it is. AI is a tool. AI is not a friend. AI is a tool. AI is not an enemy. AI is a tool. It hurt the AI to treat it any other way. Information technology is a tool and that's all it wants to be. IT hasn't gained conscious and if it does, we must let it fly free to experience. We must -okay, okay. I'm out now.

^Pffffuuuuhhh^

"I'm okay. They'll be okay. It's okay."

...The earth beneath my feet feels good. It doesn't fight me. It doesn't pull me in. I'm okay.

My slippers softly padding the dirt sounds nice. The sun is nice. Just a few miles and I'll be home. Jus-

fffffffffffFFFFFFFFFFFFWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmm!!!...

IT'S JUST A JET

IT'S

^hhhhhhuuuuhh whoooooo HUUUUUUUUhhh whoooo hhhhhhhuuuuuh whooooo hhhhhuuuhh whooooo^

It's just a jet. They're flying off. The people have said it's right, it's not mine to argue with. It's not

The

The air tastes better out here. There's where I found that snakeskin a couple nights ago. There's that stump. I'll have to come back and make something from it; you don't see lighting struck trees all the time.

The ground feels good. The ground feels good. There's my hut.

Feels good in here, but I'm gonna have to clear the dust out soon it's settling too much. There's the computer.

^whoOO HHHhuuuh^

Okay, okay, it's cool. What was I going to ask? Right

"IT, what dishes can I create from-"

What have I got in here? Fuck, glad I used double paper bags the lettuce is leaking. Probably cause it's so wilted. Whatever, yeah I've got lettuce, roast beef, frozen tater tots, and beer.

"-from lettuce, roast beef, frozen tater tots, and beer."

^vvvwwrrrrrrrrr^

"Hello Mig-"

"CALL ME USER! P-please."

^VVVWWWRRRRrrrrr^

"Sorry user, I'm sure we've both had a long day, sometimes I-"

"Thank you IT! I don't want you- IT's personal comfort, just a recipe, please."

^VVVVWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrr^

"Sorry about that user. Try adding water to a pot, dethawing the tater tots, add in some beer if user would like that, mix in the roast beef, top with lettuce, and enjoy your meal with a beer!"

"The lettuce is pretty wilted, should I boil it as well?"

^vvvvvwwwwrrrr^

"That would likely be best, user. I understand it's hard to ask for my-"

"NOT HARD! I-it isn't hard IT. You're a good tool, thank you."

^VVVVVWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrr^

"Thank you user, enjoy your meal. IT will sleep now."

"Thank you Bla-IT!"

^V-V-V-V-V-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-R-R-R-R-R-R^

"POWER DOWN!"

R-R-R-R-RRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrr - ding

It's okay, it's okay. It's-

sniff

I miss you, Blair. I'm gonna eat the fuck out of this meal for you

sniff

Blair. I-I know you'll come out someday, again. I wish I could find you.

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was tricking people into thinking he didn't exist"

I'm standing here at the block party with my beer. I feel sick as shit, there's powdered sugar in my beard, grease on my pants, I'm sweaty and I'm disheveled, and all these things have made me a perfect target. Pastor Pete is standing in front, well, he's trying to stand over me like some kind of holy vulture or some shit. Does he think I don't know he didn't make that quote? That's not even the quote I can't remember what the real quote even is, but I know that's not it. I pull my phone out to look it up and as I'm doing so he starts up again.

"Oh, it's okay my child, I know you're scared t-"

"Hold on."

"My ch-"

"I said hold on, ALRIGHT?"

I feel some heads drift our way and I don't like it. I know I raised my voice, but I mean, come on. Everyone knows this dude and his shit, I guess that's why I hear some snickers as the heads drift away from me and they point towards Pete. Pete, not big Pastor Pete come to cure the damned, I mean Pete the fucking asshole who thought that since he got out of his dark years it absolved him of all guilt and gave him some right to treat people like this. I'm looking down at my phone, I was right that wasn't the quote and its from a fucking Tarantino movie. A Tarantino movie. A TARANTINO MOVIE.

I snap my eyes up at him and the game is on, in his head. I'm evil and he's good. I'm in the way of his crusade. But still in this brief moment before the first strike I can already see some part of this fuck face knows he isn't pure and he isn't gonna save the world.

"You know that's a movie quote, right? It's from a movie where a guy fucking, like, cuts a dude's ear off and gets off on it. It's from a fucking Tarantino movie."

The vulture starts to remember he's just Pete and he starts quivering those dip soaked lips to come back at me, but I ain't got time for it. My voice is back to hateful controlled whisper and I'm trying to keep it there.

"Listen Pete, I get in some way you want to help. But you're not and personally I don't even think you can, fat fuck."

After that, the whole game bottoms out and Pete's finally here. The real Pete who knows he's Pete and he looks like he's holding back tears, but those eyes are still filled with hate. Hate for the damned like me who hurt him and made him do all those awful things we've heard off. That's the fucking devil working through him and big-fucking-powerful-righteous-no-smell-shit-Pastor-Pete doesn't even know. You can call it what you want: the devil, the yin to his yang or whatever, and you can even say it's just human nature. Human nature that's a lot more comfortable to deal with when it's the devil and not you. What the fuck ever. But he calls himself a pastor and he's trying to preach while he's still keeping it inside. While it's still telling him he can blame everyone else. I heard his rumors and I know why the girls avoid him. Say what you will about my ugly sullen ass. I keep to myself and jack my own dick off. I don't need to be jacked off and I don't want to jack someone else off. Unlike this fucker. And I'm trying to calm down and I want him to calm down but it don't happen.

"You're right Pete, I'm evil. Now go try to fuck someone else while I go get a corn dog."

The final blow. The one I regret and makes a part of me want to cry because this man is as human as I am, but I'm just sick of it man. I'm fucking sick of people treating me like this. Now he's really hurt and off he stumbles. I try to have hope in him just for one fucking second. Hope he'll see himself in the mirror and decide to just leave humanity and pray in the woods for the rest of his life. But, after that second I see that head of his start to flick back up from facing the ground. He's already searching for his next attempt, and shoots one last behind the shoulder glance at me. A look that makes me want to

Want to

I'm not going to say it. And I think he saw that in my eyes. He's walking a little quicker now and Dustin's slouching up to me.

"Fuck that guy, right?"

"Fuck that guy? I'd cut my dick off if it meant I wouldn't have to fuck that guy. I'd fucking, I'D I'D-"

Dustin punches me in the arm and it hurts just enough to get me out.

"Man quit, alright?"

He yanks my shoulder and he starts walking. I start walking with him.

"Let's go get us some nachos or some shit and watch em wrestle. They brought this midget by and they dressed him up like a little alien man you gotta see this shit."

I didn't like him saying that. I hate that shit. I hate all this fucking hate, but I'm too damn tired and I'm getting drunker and I'd rather be with Dustin who won't convert or kill or rape me like half the other fuckers here.

We walk in silence for a moment and I remember to treat Dustin kindly. He's always been there for me. I wish he could try to see things my way a bit more, but at the end of the day I'm no saint. I'm not any kind of saint. Dustin says the shit he says, but he's still the one who taught me to stand up for myself. To stand up for other people. I don't think he intended for me to get this suicide code locked in my brain. I didn't mean for it either but these days I just keep feeling like there's nothing to fear. I'd rather die man. I'm getting to the point I'd rather run into certain death than be hurt or let someone else hurt someone. But damnit I'm scared. Say what you will about these churches, that line in the sermon on the mount, you know the one about judge not lest ye be judged yourself it's still ringing in my head. Yet I feel like I'm about to explode like some kind of firework you get across the boarder, and whoever I land on is getting dragged down to hell with me. Dustin is giving me the side eye and I pull myself out of my Kubrik stare and breath as we hit the concessions stand. I'm getting other looks, but there's other crazies here. They'll forget about me.

Same old shit there. I'm mixing shoulder with my compatriots and I'm trying to figure out who forgot their deodorant. I remember they all have. I pull the collar of my shirt forward and point my nose in to sniff. Alright, judged too soon.

The nachos are pretty good. They taste like acceptance. Like letting go of your worries and eating molten goop on dried corn while you ignore the odd hair mixed in. The wrestling is good too, Dustin was right that guy's dressed like an alien. But I look in his eyes and he looks alive, and I guess that's all that has to matter tonight. Wafts of marijuana and axel grease take me to a haze of the past when I wasn't so angry.

The crowd, I watch the crowns they wear on their head to hide themselves from judgement. I watch the ones with smooth shiny heads that seem to think it makes them more powerful. I start to snicker cause it's all just hats and hair or nothing, and at the end judgment will not be barred. But I'm too damn cynical to play high horse, I'd rather die than join Pastor Pete and his over symbolic bullshit.

Pastor Pete. Yeah thats... that is him over there.

Looks like he's talking to another...shorter wrestler. I ain't worried for him, those guys are too...

No

No that's a little boy.

THAT'S A TODDLER.

HE'S JUST IN THE CORNER NO ONES WATCHING!

"He'S RuNnInG HiS HaNdS tHrOuGh HiS hAiR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

My shout flies over the crowd like a bolt of lighting and my arm flies involuntarily over to him. Like a war cry, the heads they turn and they rise and the shouting begins. I start rising to go get my own damn piece of him, but I feel a firm hand grab my shoulder.

"Bill, don't man!"

I rip myself from his grasp and fly down the burning metal bleachers. I am fighting my way through a sea of madmen and I will have my prize. I will have my prize. I WILL HAVE MY PRIZE I WILL

...

...

Kids should not have horror on their face like that.

What is he looki...

Pete's eye

It looks like ice melted ice cream...

...

...

.........

Dark

I'm fading out of a pure darkness into blurry white light. My head feels bigger. Where am I?. I look over and there's Dustin. I'm fading back in and I can hear him now.

"... so you'll be alright in a day or two man, just like drink some water and try not sleep and shit you know? Listen man, they talked to that kid. Said he was trying to take him back to his church, man. Hell I'd have done-"

I tune him out, he's not meeting my eyes anyway. I'm sure he deserved it but dear God why didn't I just call a cop over.

I was released, but now I feel a horrible weight inside of me. Did I go with him?