Double Edge | WATTYS 2023 SHORTLIST + AMBYS 2023 WINNER

Chapter 08

I disconnected the call. Without the phone static or the background noise from Kimi's office, I listened; I focused. The shadows inside the house crept in from the hallway. Dismal streams of sunlight broke through dirty windows and sliced the darkness.

My mechanical eye switched, and the infrared sight took over. I searched for actual movement, not the mice scurrying the walls. Unless the rats dropped something. Part of me thought it could be; the rats in the city were big enough. But I knew a person did that; who?

I stepped out into the thin beam of sunlight and stretched my fingers. My bones expanded; metal creaked in my ear. "Mark?" I called out. No response. Rolling my head around my shoulders, I took another step. And another. "You home, man?"

Connected to the living room was a bedroom. Just as empty as the living room with a single mattress in the center of it. Whoever stayed in the house had the bare minimum; a place to sit and sleep. But the dirt and grime couldn't be Mark. Had his life gone this far off track? I would've never said he had a promising future ahead, not with the shit we'd done, but I couldn't have imagined this. A run-down house on our old block? A dirty mattress with no pillows or blankets? Looking back down the hall, I saw the kitchen. No, Mark, this can't be you.

The deeper I got into the house, the more I caught on to the smell. Human waste. Rotted food. Gagging, I covered my nose. Cybernetic enhancements couldn't block my senses; I felt like puking.

"Mark?" The kitchen was incomplete. There was an exposed pipe on the wall, no running water, a gas tube without fumes, without a stove. I zoomed in on it, running diagnostics on the house. City records pulled up before my eyes; the light bill hadn't been in years. The water had been cut months ago. It wasn't the lack of necessities that hurt me; the name listed on "past due" and "terminated" bills broke my heart. Mark Sanchez. Bro, what happened to you?

I pressed my hand against the broken tiled wall as I looked around. The backdoor was nailed shut from the inside. The pantry had empty shelves with layers and layers of dust. When I looked to the left, I saw a door; partially open. I focused again. Slight movement disrupted my infrared rays of light.

"Stabilizing environment. Activating heat sensors."

I blinked, and my vision changed. That was someone's leg. Through the wall, I saw most of a body in hues of red and orange. Quietly, I pushed off the wall. "Mark, let's talk."

The body shifted away from the door—a small grunt carried in the air. I slid my tongue over my teeth. "Come on." My hands loosened. The last thing I wanted was to see my friend with my hands balled into fists. I cleared my throat. "Look, man," I sighed, "I wanted to come by and talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you!" a voice shouted, but it wasn't Mark. Mark's voice was lighter, higher. We had nicknamed him Mickey Mouse for two reasons; his voice wasn't deep, and he was the leader of our crew. But this voice—I knew who this was. The person I couldn't stand. He was the reason my entire revenge changed; my friends were innocent and didn't deserve the pain; not entirely. I remembered his need for power and control. He's the monster, not me.

"Oh...." I clenched my fists, nails dug into my palms, and I stopped moving.

"Silent command initiated. Adrenaline at max capacity. Muscles at fifty percent."

"Tommy?" I called out. I didn't want to scare him. Not yet. I composed myself. If I let the rage take over, like it'd done with Ruben, Tommy would run. I found the 'boss' in this game. I didn't use a cheat code to get here; this was pure luck. At this rate, I could pick up my mom's eggs and grab Maggie in time for a late dinner.