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PART ONE
The silence of the streets soaked our minds in dread. Always waiting, and anticipating, only to be met with more silence. We were trapped in our homes with our families. Tensions in my home were always at a boiling point, but we all had our headsets to get away from each other. I spent most of my time creating virtual reality art, from alien landscapes to cities of the future.
There was one time of day where everyone set aside their headsets and joined together over a hot meal. Darci always cooked, even though Dad's better at it. She seemed to have a deep desire for control, which only got worse after her and Dad got married. On this particular night, she prepared shepherds pie.
I scooped a serving from the pan and plopped it onto Olivia's plate. "That's enough," she said. "Thank you."
"You sure?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm not hungry tonight," she said.
Darci scooped her and Dad each a plate of pie and said, "No snacks later if you don't eat your dinner." She shoved a fork full of mashed potatoes and corn into her mouth, then looked over at Olivia and pointed at her. "Elbows off the table," she demanded. Olivia dropped her elbows from the table and began to eat. I slid my elbows up onto the table before taking my first bite. Dad cleared his throat and said, "Shane."
I looked up from my food and said, "Yeah?"
"Are we really going to do this tonight?" he asked with a hot face and arched eyebrows. His pupils flicked to Darci then back to me. Darci's face was like stone, cold with sharp, jagged features. Her eyes were focused at the center of the table and her hands were in her lap.
"Please remove your elbows from the table, Shane," Darci said as sweetly as if she were talking to a baby. She smiled her crooked smile and met my gaze.
I would have stood my ground for longer if the plea in Dad's pathetic eyes hadn't weakened my will. I dropped my elbows in defeat and ate quietly.
Between mouthfuls, Darci asked Dad, "Your friend, Brian, across the street, he has an extra headset, am I right?"
"Yeah, he should. His girlfriend never made it home before lockdown and he hasn't heard from her. Why?" he asked.
Darci sipped her wine then said, "Oh, how sad. Do you think it happened to her?"
"There is no real way of knowing. Not really. If I had to assume, I'd say yes, it happened to her." He took a large swig out of his wine glass then asked, "Why are you asking about a headset?"
"Because mine stopped working this morning. Didn't know if borrowing one from Brian was a possibility," Darci said.
Dad looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "How would you suggest we go about borrowing a headset from Brian?"
"I mean, how risky do you think it really is? We've been locked in here together for 12 weeks. We have no idea how long we'll be here, together. I need a headset. Plus, we don't know of a single person that it's happened to. The media is just trying to scare us into staying inside. And really, it's just across the street."
"So, you're saying that a headset is worth the risk?" Dad asked dryly.
"I'm saying that there is no risk," she responded.
"I'm not going to risk going outside to get you a headset, Darci," said Dad, before taking a bite.
Darci's face turned cold in half a blink. It's like she has to go full on statue when she's trying not to throw a temper tantrum. I could sense a storm raging behind those dull, blue eyes. I couldn't help but smirk on the inside as I watched my stepmother squirm for not getting her way. But, she could only keep the lid on for so long. Dad knew that fact best of anyone. And it didn't please me to watch him squirm, as pathetic as he was.
Dad's false sense of confidence crumbled within seconds of Darci going cold. "I'll shoot Brian a message. Let him know I'm coming by," he said.
"No," I said, "You can't. Not for a fucking headset."
Darci raised her voice, "You watch your filthy little mouth or I'll slap it off your face."
"Just take my headset," I said calmly. "You clearly need it more than I do."
"No, son," Dad said, "That won't be necessary. You're doing so great with your world building, just stay focused on that. Darci and I can share a headset until we all get sent the upgrade here in a few months. We'll just have to be mindful of my work schedule, but I'm sure that won't be a problem." He looked over at Darci, who's eyes were wide in disapproval.
"You want me to share a headset with you for three months?" she asked.
"We do what we can with what we have," he said.
"Well it would be nice if one of us had a pair of balls," Darci said.
PART TWO
The next morning was warm and the air smelled clean, almost sweet. I poured a bowl of cereal as I watched Dad stumble around in the hallway while struggling with his boots. The man hadn't worn boots in three months. "Dad, what are you doing?" I asked.
"Oh just going to the front porch. Brian's about to send that headset over," he said.
I met him by the front door as he opened it and said, "What do you mean 'send it over'?"
"Look." He pointed across the street. Brian stood on his front porch in a wife beater and Hawaiian shirt. He held something black in his hands. A remote controlled car dove off of Brian's porch, down three steps, and barely landed on all fours. On top of the little car sat a headset, duct taped to the roof. Dad clapped and hollered with genuine enthusiasm. The car jolted toward the street, faster than I thought was possible. It sped down the concrete walkway before it launched off the curb and slammed into the pavement, nose first. It tumbled through the air then landed wheels up. Dad and Brian dropped to their knees, the headset stranded in the middle of the street.
Dad stood, turned towards me, then placed his hands on my shoulders. "It'll be fine," he tried to assure me as he nodded. "Nothing bad will happen, you'll see."
"Dad, no. Just leave it," I pleaded. I grabbed his arms and tried to hold on.
"This is all just a show, son. There is no real threat. Let me show you," he said as he peeled me off. He turned to look at the headset before crouching into a running stance. He looked back at me and said, "The headset may not be worth the risk, but keeping her happy is." He leaped forward in full sprint.
"Dad no!" I yelled, but he didn't listen. He sprinted into the middle of the street and picked up the remote controlled car. He looked back at me and hollered, "See! I'm fine!" He jogged back, but slowed once he got to our walkway and said, "Shane, I don't feel right." His limbs stiffened and swelled, and his face began to turn red, almost purple, as it grew twice in size. He wheezed, "Go inside son, you don't need to see this." Blood spilled from his lips as he spoke his last word. He folded to his hands and knees, then blood squirted from his ears as his eyeballs bulged with blood before they popped. As his body filled with fluid, his clothes split at the seams.
Dad screamed, a wet, pathetic scream as he crawled toward me. The skin on his forehead began to split just before his entire body popped into a sticky pink mist. Even his bones vaporized into nothing. Brian slammed his door as he ran inside. The headset was about a foot from the bottom step, not that we needed it.
© A. Silva
The silence of the streets soaked our minds in dread. Always waiting, and anticipating, only to be met with more silence. We were trapped in our homes with our families. Tensions in my home were always at a boiling point, but we all had our headsets to get away from each other. I spent most of my time creating virtual reality art, from alien landscapes to cities of the future.
There was one time of day where everyone set aside their headsets and joined together over a hot meal. Darci always cooked, even though Dad's better at it. She seemed to have a deep desire for control, which only got worse after her and Dad got married. On this particular night, she prepared shepherds pie.
I scooped a serving from the pan and plopped it onto Olivia's plate. "That's enough," she said. "Thank you."
"You sure?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm not hungry tonight," she said.
Darci scooped her and Dad each a plate of pie and said, "No snacks later if you don't eat your dinner." She shoved a fork full of mashed potatoes and corn into her mouth, then looked over at Olivia and pointed at her. "Elbows off the table," she demanded. Olivia dropped her elbows from the table and began to eat. I slid my elbows up onto the table before taking my first bite. Dad cleared his throat and said, "Shane."
I looked up from my food and said, "Yeah?"
"Are we really going to do this tonight?" he asked with a hot face and arched eyebrows. His pupils flicked to Darci then back to me. Darci's face was like stone, cold with sharp, jagged features. Her eyes were focused at the center of the table and her hands were in her lap.
"Please remove your elbows from the table, Shane," Darci said as sweetly as if she were talking to a baby. She smiled her crooked smile and met my gaze.
I would have stood my ground for longer if the plea in Dad's pathetic eyes hadn't weakened my will. I dropped my elbows in defeat and ate quietly.
Between mouthfuls, Darci asked Dad, "Your friend, Brian, across the street, he has an extra headset, am I right?"
"Yeah, he should. His girlfriend never made it home before lockdown and he hasn't heard from her. Why?" he asked.
Darci sipped her wine then said, "Oh, how sad. Do you think it happened to her?"
"There is no real way of knowing. Not really. If I had to assume, I'd say yes, it happened to her." He took a large swig out of his wine glass then asked, "Why are you asking about a headset?"
"Because mine stopped working this morning. Didn't know if borrowing one from Brian was a possibility," Darci said.
Dad looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "How would you suggest we go about borrowing a headset from Brian?"
"I mean, how risky do you think it really is? We've been locked in here together for 12 weeks. We have no idea how long we'll be here, together. I need a headset. Plus, we don't know of a single person that it's happened to. The media is just trying to scare us into staying inside. And really, it's just across the street."
"So, you're saying that a headset is worth the risk?" Dad asked dryly.
"I'm saying that there is no risk," she responded.
"I'm not going to risk going outside to get you a headset, Darci," said Dad, before taking a bite.
Darci's face turned cold in half a blink. It's like she has to go full on statue when she's trying not to throw a temper tantrum. I could sense a storm raging behind those dull, blue eyes. I couldn't help but smirk on the inside as I watched my stepmother squirm for not getting her way. But, she could only keep the lid on for so long. Dad knew that fact best of anyone. And it didn't please me to watch him squirm, as pathetic as he was.
Dad's false sense of confidence crumbled within seconds of Darci going cold. "I'll shoot Brian a message. Let him know I'm coming by," he said.
"No," I said, "You can't. Not for a fucking headset."
Darci raised her voice, "You watch your filthy little mouth or I'll slap it off your face."
"Just take my headset," I said calmly. "You clearly need it more than I do."
"No, son," Dad said, "That won't be necessary. You're doing so great with your world building, just stay focused on that. Darci and I can share a headset until we all get sent the upgrade here in a few months. We'll just have to be mindful of my work schedule, but I'm sure that won't be a problem." He looked over at Darci, who's eyes were wide in disapproval.
"You want me to share a headset with you for three months?" she asked.
"We do what we can with what we have," he said.
"Well it would be nice if one of us had a pair of balls," Darci said.
PART TWO
The next morning was warm and the air smelled clean, almost sweet. I poured a bowl of cereal as I watched Dad stumble around in the hallway while struggling with his boots. The man hadn't worn boots in three months. "Dad, what are you doing?" I asked.
"Oh just going to the front porch. Brian's about to send that headset over," he said.
I met him by the front door as he opened it and said, "What do you mean 'send it over'?"
"Look." He pointed across the street. Brian stood on his front porch in a wife beater and Hawaiian shirt. He held something black in his hands. A remote controlled car dove off of Brian's porch, down three steps, and barely landed on all fours. On top of the little car sat a headset, duct taped to the roof. Dad clapped and hollered with genuine enthusiasm. The car jolted toward the street, faster than I thought was possible. It sped down the concrete walkway before it launched off the curb and slammed into the pavement, nose first. It tumbled through the air then landed wheels up. Dad and Brian dropped to their knees, the headset stranded in the middle of the street.
Dad stood, turned towards me, then placed his hands on my shoulders. "It'll be fine," he tried to assure me as he nodded. "Nothing bad will happen, you'll see."
"Dad, no. Just leave it," I pleaded. I grabbed his arms and tried to hold on.
"This is all just a show, son. There is no real threat. Let me show you," he said as he peeled me off. He turned to look at the headset before crouching into a running stance. He looked back at me and said, "The headset may not be worth the risk, but keeping her happy is." He leaped forward in full sprint.
"Dad no!" I yelled, but he didn't listen. He sprinted into the middle of the street and picked up the remote controlled car. He looked back at me and hollered, "See! I'm fine!" He jogged back, but slowed once he got to our walkway and said, "Shane, I don't feel right." His limbs stiffened and swelled, and his face began to turn red, almost purple, as it grew twice in size. He wheezed, "Go inside son, you don't need to see this." Blood spilled from his lips as he spoke his last word. He folded to his hands and knees, then blood squirted from his ears as his eyeballs bulged with blood before they popped. As his body filled with fluid, his clothes split at the seams.
Dad screamed, a wet, pathetic scream as he crawled toward me. The skin on his forehead began to split just before his entire body popped into a sticky pink mist. Even his bones vaporized into nothing. Brian slammed his door as he ran inside. The headset was about a foot from the bottom step, not that we needed it.
© A. Silva
