Michael Robertson - New Reality - Truth

Scowling at the tower, Tom’s sneer was visible regardless of the scarf covering half of his face. “I don’t think it’ll be that long before things start to change. Once all the gamers die, those arseholes will scuttle out of the towers and remake the world in their own image. It’ll be paradise with so few people left, but it’ll be built on the bones of humanity.”

Jake shrugged and looked at the onyx phallus on the horizon. “Maybe. Or maybe there’s no one in there other than a few operators. Either way, at some point, nature will fight back. I know it.” Smiling at his friend, he dipped a nod at him. “Until then, it would be an honor to see my best friend reunited with his son.”

“Best friend?”

“Come on, Tom. We’ve spent so long together now.” The words stuck in his throat, but it wasn’t because he didn’t mean them. This could be their last few days together, and Tom needed to know how he felt. “I love you like a brother. You’ve kept me going, man.”

“If you love me like a brother, then why don’t you tell me about your past? About your family?”

Just thinking about his family weighed Jake down. “There’s nothing to say about them, Tom. I’m closer to you than I ever was to them.”

Tom looked away, his flimsy frame rocking in the wind. There was so little meat on his bones he looked like he’d snap if he fell hard enough. How close were they to his birthday? How was he going to die?

Clearing his throat, Jake’s voice cracked. “You’ve been a rock for me, Tom. I wouldn’t have found the strength to continue over the past few years if it wasn’t for you and your family. Your desire has become my desire. I want to help you find Rory and get him out of New Reality.”

Seeing his friend’s eyes glaze, Jake continued, “You’re a good man. You’re kind, strong, compassionate. You’re the best friend anyone could ask for.”

After kicking a stone on the floor, Jake continued, “I know you won’t talk about the things following us because of how scary they are. I get that. I know you want to protect me. I’ve heard you screaming at night, and I know you’re trying to keep me from having the same nightmares.”

Regarding his friend with his grey eyes, Tom then glanced behind them, scanning the wasteland like he had done since their encounter with the creatures. “You’re right, you don’t need to know.”

“I love you, Tom.”

Tom looked away and cleared his throat. “Right, you soppy bastard, let’s keep going.”

As the next few hours passed, the pair trudged on. Jake’s confession of his platonic love for Tom had created an atmosphere. Although Tom was a loyal friend, and incredibly caring, discussing his emotions was a step too far for him. Walking a few paces ahead, he glanced behind frequently but avoided eye contact with Jake.

When Jake heard shifting rubble behind him, he spun around. With his mouth turning from dry to arid, he searched the thick dust clouds, his upper body tense. It was impossible to see anything.

Refusing to turn back again, Jake stood still and strained his ears over the howling wind.

Nothing.

No more shifting ground.

No line of raised rubble.

Any sniff of them being followed, and he was confessing everything to Tom about the night before.

It seemed that Tom was oblivious to the sound behind, the gap between the two having increased for Jake’s momentary pause. Quickening his pace, Jake caught up with his friend. Desperate to break the tension between them, he tapped Tom on the back, still unsure as to what he’d say to him.

Tom spun around with a deep frown on his face.

Trying to catch his breath, Jake said, “Um … do you think Rixon control the air we breathe?”

Just the mention of their corporate overlord was enough to wind Tom tight. “I think they control everything. I think they could turn us off like a light in an instant.”

“Then why haven’t they? Surely if they control the air, all they’d need to do is shut it off, and we wouldn’t be a problem to them anymore.”

The frown remained on Tom’s face. “Maybe we’re not a problem. Maybe we’re entertainment. Besides, if they shut the air off, it would also kill the gamers.”

“And they give a fuck about them?”

“How many times do you want to have this conversation, Jake? I don’t think they want to murder them.”

Jake shook his head. “I don’t think they control everything.” Looking around, he opened his arms wide. “What if we just happen to be in the armpit of the world?”

“Birmingham’s always been the armpit of the world. What’s your point?”

Checking behind again, Jake said, “I bet there are trees and forests somewhere. I like to think the rainforests are still intact. The waterfalls are still falling. The glaciers still splitting and shifting.”

Tom scoffed.

“But what if I’m right? What if they don’t have a grip on everything? What if it’s just Birmingham?”

Throwing his hands up, Tom shrugged. “Well, if you are right, I hope you find them after we’ve found Rory.”

Jake raised his eyebrows. “Me? Don’t you mean us? All of us will find them.”

“If Rory’s as fucked as all of the other gamers, which I’m sure he is, then I’ll need to stay with him until he’s better.”

A pain tore through Jake’s heart as he felt his dream slipping from his grasp. What an idiot. Of course Rory would need rehabilitation. Why didn’t he think about that sooner?

The panic passed. If the headstone was anything to go by, then Tom wasn’t long for this earth, so there was no point in getting het up about a future that probably wouldn’t exist. Time and dates meant very little now, but if he were to guess, Jake was pretty sure Tom’s birthday wasn’t far away. They’d be lucky to have found Rory by then. “You’re right, Tom. It will be quite a rehabilitation.” It felt like an empty promise, but he made it anyway. “I’ll stay with you guys and do everything I can to help.”

A watery glaze covered Tom’s eyes as he searched Jake’s face. “Are you sure?”

The image of the headstone filled Jake’s mind’s eye again. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he nodded.

Reaching out, Tom rested his hand on Jake’s shoulder. After glancing behind, he looked into Jake’s eyes again, a hint of the brilliant blue of his irises returning. “Thank you.”

It would be appropriate to feel sorry for Tom, but she didn’t. As she watched him, she suddenly became aware of her twisting face. The sight in front of her left a bad taste in her mouth. Clinging onto Jake, Tom clearly hoped he’d stay with him on his pointless mission.

Whether Tom found his son or not was not her concern. It was Jake that mattered. Regardless of how much Tom distracted Jake, she wasn’t going to fall into that same trap. To see Tom as anything other than an obstruction was foolish. After all, if she had to end Jake’s life, it would be because of Tom holding him back. Compassion wasn’t an emotion she could afford to give to the tall man. It wasn’t one that Jake could afford to give either.

With his head spinning and stars swimming before his eyes, Jake looked up to where they were heading. “Not far to go, Tom. I can actually see the top of this bloody hill at last.”

Looking behind, he saw he had his friend’s attention, but the red-faced man didn’t look like he had a reply in him.

The floor was littered with bones. It wasn’t the first time they’d come to areas like this. “More bones, Tom.” Laughing, and then fighting to catch his breath, Jake said, “I didn’t realize climbing this hill was so hard.”