VIRTUAL REALITY
By Atonia Walpole
PART THREE:
Kath reached back on her desk and fumbled for the wine glass. She needed a drink, perhaps something stronger.
“You like wine,” he observed. “Can I taste it?”
“Um, yeah. Would you like a glass?”
“No, I want to taste yours.” He got up and walked over to her, taking her glass and sticking his tongue into the wine.
Kath found herself leaning back in her chair as far away from him as she could get.
“It’s strange, sweet and bitter.” He handed her back the glass and didn’t move away. “I frighten you. I’m sorry. I said I wouldn’t hurt you. I don’t want to.”
Kath looked up into his face. He appeared to be real. He even had a bit of a five o’clock shadow. “I...I don’t understand what you are, how you can be. The information I read said you were destroyed.”
“Ha!” he laughed, moving back to his chair. “That was the thing developed from the crystal. Did you also read that I have blue blood and can grow body parts from glass? Ha, ha! No…this time I’m better.” He gave her a look that unsettled her.
“How are you different this time?”
“I have a pulse.” Still that same stare.
“Are you saying you’re human?”
“I have no idea. Humans come into the virtual world and go back out again. Chris Smith went in and I came out wearing his clothes, which by the way smell. Do you think you could clean them for me?”
Kath started to drink from her wine glass, thought about his tongue and set it down. “What’s to become of Chris Smith? How will he get out? Are you going back in?” she asked hopefully.
“He is of no consequence. He wanted to be me just like the other dude that got me out the first time. He really wanted to be me. As for me, I’m not going back in. Aren’t you glad?” he tilted his head and smiled.
“I’m not sure. I don’t know what you’re going to do, if you’re going to start killing people again…”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. As for killing…well that’s not my job anymore. There are others who have taken over that and I can’t play anymore."
“What do you mean…others?”
He smiled slightly. “You’d really like to know that, wouldn’t you?”
“The project was shut down. There are no others.”
Sid smiled. “About these clothes...would you clean them for me? I’d like to take a bath and get this Chris smell from my body. You have soap?”
“Ah, yes, I have soap. It’s in the bathroom. I’ll show you.” She got up with him following her to the bathroom. “It’s here, a fresh cake and clean towels. What did you mean about others, Sid?”
“They should have let me play. I didn’t like that.” He took the soap and smelled, closing his eyes for a moment. “It smells clean. I like clean.”
Kath stepped away to the bathroom door.
“Wait a minute, these smelly clothes,” Sid said and began undressing.
“Oh, well, just toss them in the hall,” Kath replied, averting her eyes and backing out of the bathroom. She waited until the clothes were tossed out, took them to the kitchen and started the washer. She could hear water running in the bathroom. Taking the opportunity she sent an IM to Ham. “Please be awake, Ham.”
“You’re kidding, right?” him
“No, he’s taking a shower what to do?” her
“Get out of the house and call police” him
“He knows something, there are others” her
“Get the hell out” him
“Other killers Ham, they won’t let him play” her
“Can u read, get out now” him
“No, I can handle this, something on at the training center” her
“Kath get out of the house he’ll kill you” him
“No he won’t, he likes me” her
“Which one of his psychopaths likes you, Kath?” him
“He’s different this time, Ham he’s like, human” her
“You’re nuts” him
“Yeah I am” her
“He’s dangerous, be careful” him
“I know and I gotta see this thru something going on at TC” her
“He’s a killer, Kath I’m calling the police” him
“NO do not call, I know what I’m doing” her
“You have no idea what you’re doing this is crazy” him
“I know but I got to, Ham, you would” her
“You ain’t me” him
“Water has stopped running, I’m off I’ll keep u posted” her
She shut her mail down and turned to see Sid in the all together standing in her living room. “Um, there’s a robe behind the door, or maybe I got some sweats you can wear,” she gulped, trying not to look.
“I am clean and beautiful,” he stated, smiling.
“Ah, yeah, you sure are, Sid. I’ll get you something to put on.” Kath got up and went to her bedroom digging through her drawers until she found a pair of large cut off sweat pants. There was entirely too much of Sid in her living room.
He held them to his nose and smelled. “They’re clean.”
“Yes, I wouldn’t give you something dirty to wear. Your clothes are in the washer.” She could look at him now that at least part of him was covered. She had to admit he was beautiful, but there was still too much of him.
“I had water,” he said.
“You took a bath…”
“I had water in my mouth.”
“And…”
“I swallowed it. I want more.”
“You’re thirsty then. I’ll get you a glass of water.”
Sid looked at the glass, turning it in his hand, smiling, remembering glass and then he turned it up and drank the whole glass. “Thank you. It has no taste.”
“Water? No, it's just wet. You’ve never had water?”
“No. In the virtual world I do not need water or food. I am not there anymore.” He circled around her living room picking up things and looking at them. "What is this?”
“It’s a photograph that was taken in Mexico a couple of years ago.”
“Who is this with you?”
“Ah, that’s Ham, Hamilton Crocker. He’s a writer, a journalist, for the same paper I work for.”
“He is your man.”
“He’s a friend, a colleague.”
Sid grinned, “No, he is your man. You have to have a man.”
Kath took the photo and placed it back on a shelf. “He’s just a friend. There’s nothing between us.”
“Good, then I will be your man.” His eyes held that strange glittery look that had so unsettled her before. She wondered what was behind that look.
“Well, um, thanks, Sid, but I really don’t need a man, as you put it. I’m fine on my own.” She backed away from him. “Um, food? You mentioned food. Could I fix you something to eat?”
Sid giggled, “I make you nervous. What does it feel like to be nervous?”
“It’s not pleasant so stop doing it.” Kath retreated to the kitchen, found another glass and poured herself another wine. He followed her.
“If you drink too much of that it will make you dizzy.”
“How do you know, you’ve never had wine?” Kath took a good drink.
“I just know, just like I know other things, like I know I’m going to be your man.”
Part 4:
Kath finally talked Sid into trying some cheese and crackers, anything to get him off of the ‘I’m your man’ thing.
Sitting at her little kitchen table she started probing again. “Sid, who are the others?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because there aren’t supposed to be others, that’s why.”
“They’re gone now. I can sense them but I can’t read them. They moved.”
“Moved where?”
“Somewhere.”
“These others, are they like you?”
“No, they are not like me. They said I was obsolete and I couldn’t play, then they were gone…somewhere.”
“When did all this take place?”
“I don’t know time. There is no time in my world.”
“Do you think Chris knew about the others?”
“Chris is stupid. He wanted to play with me but he was afraid. All he knows is his cock.”
Kath looked at the clock on her stove. “I’ve got to get some sleep. I’ve got a spare room you can use tonight. This is not permanent, Sid.”
“This cheese is good. I’ll sleep with you.”
“No, you won’t, this is my house.” Kath flashed him a look.
Sid sighed and gave her that same glittery stare. “When I’m your man…”
“Don’t start with that again! I’ll go make up your bed.” Kath got up and went to her linen closet. She could hear him giggling in the kitchen.
As she spread clean sheets on the single bed she wondered if maybe Ham had been right. She was crazy for letting this lunatic stay in her house. He could go off in the middle of the night and kill her as she slept. She jumped when he spoke behind her.
“The bed is too small.”
“You’ll have to make do. It’s all I got.”
“Make do, make do,” he mocked.
“Good night, Sid.” Kath brushed by him and went to the kitchen to put his clothes in the dryer. She noticed he had finished off the cheese and threw the wrapper in the trash. She locked the doors and turned off the lights.
“Kath,” Sid called from his narrow bed.
“Yes, Sid?” She stuck her head in his door.
“Good night, sleep tight.”
“Right. You, too.”
Somehow that unnerved her a bit.
She woke sometime in the night and lay still listening. He was moaning. Finding her robe she knocked on his door.
“Sid, are you alright?”
“Oooh, oooh, it hurts!”
Kath opened his door to find him doubled up in the middle of the bed.
“What hurts, Sid?”
“Here,” he indicated his stomach and doubled over again. “Ooh!” He put his hand over his mouth.
“Come with me. I think you’re going to be sick. It was probably all that cheese you ate.”
“Sick, I don’t get sick! Uurp!”
“Come to the bathroom, Sid. You can throw up in the toilet.” Kath led him to the bathroom where he emptied his stomach. She got him a cool glass of water, wiped his face and led him back to bed.
Sid was upset. “What happened to me?”
“You got sick at your stomach. You’re not used to eating so maybe you need to take it easy.”
“I’ve never been sick. I don’t like it.”
“Nobody does. Do you feel better now?”
Sid felt his stomach and looked at her. “It doesn’t hurt.”
“Good, you’ll be okay now. Just lie down and go back to sleep.”
“I’ve never slept before.”
“You’re in my world now, Sid. You eat, sleep, puke and tomorrow you’ll probably shit.” She laughed and closed his door.
Back in her bed she wondered just what she was going to do with him. She drifted off thinking of that big cavernous building and something struck her. Inside, at least the part she’d seen, didn’t take up that much space.
The next morning she got up and gathering her things headed for the bathroom to find the door locked.
“Sid, are you going to be long? I have to take a shower and get ready for work.”
“I’m taking a shower now,” he replied.
Kath left him, went to the kitchen made a pot of coffee, then sat down at her computer to check her mail. Ham had been there before her.
“Good morning, sleep well?” her
“You know damn well I didn’t, are you ok?” him
“I’m fine, no problems. I’m going to bring my friend to see you today.” her
“Bring him on.” him
“See ya bout 10ish” her
“Good morning,” she said to her visitor. “What’s up with you?” He didn’t look too happy.
“It’s disgusting! I had to take a shower.”
Kath grinned, “Just think of it as spent fuel. Want some breakfast?”
“No food, no more food.”
“You have to eat. Try some toast and a cup of coffee.”
“You’re trying to kill me.”
“I am not. You just have to get used to all our human ways. If you don’t eat you get weak and lightheaded. I put your clothes on top of the dryer. Do you want to come to work with me today?”
He brightened up. “Can I…I’ll be good.”
“You’d better be!” Kath got up and went to take her shower.
“I have to get my hat. It goes with my clothes.” Sid ran across the street and retrieved the brown hat pulling it down over his eyes.
Kath backed her car out and waited for him. “You stole a vehicle?”
“It belonged to Chris Smith. He doesn’t need it now,” he replied, strapping himself in the passenger seat.
Sid followed Kath to the cubicle she shared with Ham at the newspaper. He was polite, smiling as he passed the people, on his best behavior.
“I see you found an insider,” commented Barney, leaning over the cubby.
“Yes, as matter of fact I did. He’s, ah, helping with the story. This is, um, Chris Smith.”
“Nice to meet you ,Chris. I’m Barney.”
“Barney,” Sid smiled.
“Davis is working the financial side. Thinks he’s got a lead.”
“Good. I’m going to see Ham in a bit and see what he wants me to do about the center.”
“Am I going to meet Ham?” Sid asked.
Kath turned around. “Yes, you are. He’s got a few questions.”
“Good.” he replied, staring at Barney.
Barney felt a little uncomfortable under that gaze. “Tell Ham to call me,” he said, waddling off.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing, I did nothing,” Sid smiled.
“So…leave him alone. He’s a good man.”
“Don’t touch anything,” Kath admonished as they passed the nurse’s station going to Ham’s room.
“It smells here.” He was sniffing the air.
“It smells like a hospital. Here we are. Hi, Ham, brought you a visitor.”
Ham sat up as straight as he could in the bed. “I see you have. Sid.”
“Hello, how nice to meet you.” Sid said.
Kath cocked a brow.
“How the hell did you get out?” Ham wanted to know.
“It was easy. I was the one who told Chris Smith how to rearrange the headsets. He’s stupid, you know. I figured it out all by myself and instructed him. I knew he would want to use them someday, so I waited.”
“Where is he now?”
“In the virtual world. He took my place.” Sid had a self-satisfied smile on his face.
“Kath seems to think there’s something goin on out there, that the operation hasn’t shut down.”
“Kath is a smart woman. You should be proud to be her man.”
Ham looked at Kath, who shrugged. “So what’s going on?”
“Virtual reality.” Sid walked around the room touching things. “They won’t let me in on it. I’m obsolete.”
“Who the hell are ‘they’?”
“Warriors, virtual warriors. They’re not like me. I killed for fun; it was a game, but I don’t get to play anymore.”
“They’re not playing games?”
“No fun…not having fun. It’s boring anyway.”
“Does this take place in the arena, Sid?” Kath asked.
“The arena…no. Somewhere.” He picked up a rubber glove from a container on the wall.
“It’s got to be in the building somewhere, Ham. It's huge and I was thinking last night I only saw a part of it. I want to go back.”
Sid made a balloon out of the glove and thumped it toward the bed.
“I would agree if I were going with you, Kath,” Ham replied, watching the balloon land on his leg.
“I could take Sid.”
“Yes, take Sid. Where are we going?” Sid asked.
“You feel safe with him, Kath? Watch your back.” Ham looked her in the eye.
“Yeah, heh, so far no problems. I’ll take some pictures. Turner should go for that.”
Ham looked at Sid. “Will you go with Kath to the training center again…and look after her?”
Sid smiled, “Of course I will look after her. Nothing is going to happen to Kath.”
ON TO PART 5
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