The Near Escape

Dave was walking down the streets of the New York City. Now it wasn't as he remembered it before the LIVE-1O8. This year's winter came early, the streets were icy, the not fallen leaves covered in fresh snow. The cold winters haven't changed for sure, neither has the sound of birds singing in the early mornings or the sweet smell from the bakery near Dave's apartment. Something, was different though, ever since Dave made the choice to remove his LIVE-1O8 equipment. There was an unsettling feeling of emptiness. He no longer had all his life in little computer panels all over his body. Dave wasn't disrupted by the absence of social media notifications ringing in his earphones, or his favorite TV show on a screen display mounted onto his lenses. All of his life used to be in front of him, literally. His timetable, payment checks, work assignments. The only place he would see his family or friends, was on the screen in his lenses. He used his mind to control all of his activities. He also didn't miss the screen panel on his left wrist, no more counting calories, and he no longer had an electronic voice commanding him to do more exercise. Dave's LIVE-1O8 equipment was very useful, but to him it seemed like he was living a fake life.

However, the one piece of equipment he did miss, were the little microchips embedded throughout his body. They took his blood samples, measured his pulse, and temperature, and automatically injected medication. Without these chips, Dave's health was in his own hands. Since the LIVE-1O8 equipment took over the need for human Doctors. Because of LIVE-1O8 there were no cinemas, museums, or parks. They all were replaced with visual tours. You could never walk through the doors of a library, or feel the cold outside breeze mixing with the smell of old books. You could never feel the weight of a book, or turn its thinly delicate pages.

No, Dave's lack of equipment wasn't what bothered him, actually, it was very freeing seeing the sky for the first time in so many years. As Dave stopped, he got a gut turning feeling. He was alone, not literally, there were hundreds, if not thousands of people flying by. But as Dave stood there, on the Old Street, surrounded by grey and dull skyscrapers...who needed color if no one ever looked up. He felt as if he was standing in an empty room. Everyone was so busy, their work, music, stores, friends, and family, were all on a digital screen. It was as if they didn't exist in this world, but were living on a different planet.

The first thing Dave wanted to do upon removing his equipment was to see his sister Linda in person, to hear her real voice, and to hug her like he used to. Linda was all that Dave had. His parents mysteriously disappeared on the second year of using the LIVE-1O8 equipment, they simply never logged on. Linda lived right across from the now abandoned and forgotten Central Park Zoo. The zoo went bankrupt short after LIVE-1O8 equipment hit the sale racks. Since the animals wouldn't survive in the wild, their pelts were used for clothes and other accessories.

The faces of people passing by were all blank, empty of any expression or emotion. The black screen lenses covered their eyes. Walking was no longer used as a way of transportation, there was nowhere anyone had to go. Everything was online, walking, was now a way of exercising. When Dave got to Linda's apartment, he brushed his hands through his thick brown hair, corrected his winter coat, and waited. Linda was leaving her apartment when he came, she walking in the direction of Dave. She grew up, was almost as tall as Dave, wearing a pair of fitted black pants, a light brown coat, her brown hair tied into a messy bun. Dave started jogging towards his sister, "Linda!" he exclaimed, "Linda, hey..." she walked right by him. He jogged up to her side, keeping up with her brisk pace. "Linda, It's me Dave", no reaction. He touched her shoulder gently, then a little rougher, "Hey, slow down" a moment later "Linda stop", but she didn't. Someone behind Dave pushed him aside to walk through. He lost the sight of Linda.

Dave decided to walk back to his apartment, the vision of Linda's blank face wouldn't leave him. He decided to grab a coffee at the bakery. As David walked through the door of the bakery, the smell of red velvet cake, and fresh bread welcomed him. Inside, there was a young couple, with a little girl. The family was sitting by a window, unmoving, their eyes looking straight forward. Parents probably busy working, and the girl working on her studies. David stopped at the cashier, a black man stood as still, as a statue. "Hello" said David quietly. After a moment of silence he tried again, "Can I have a medium black coffee, with a ham sandwich?" only silence followed. David understood that communication was only possible with the LIVE-1O8 equipment. He left the bakery empty handed.

"Excuse me, sorry" he mumbled to the people he was trying to get by. Later that day Dave tried to get the attention of a couple more people, all ignoring him, their black eyes staring straight ahead. Was I like this? David thought to himself, he wondered if his parents also removed their LIVE-1O8 equipment, and tried to get his attention, just like he tried with Linda. Suddenly sadness overtook Dave, he felt like he was the only human being on Earth. Never in his life has he felt so alone, and he couldn't stand it anymore. Dave walked back to his apartment, he used the stairs since he needed his LIVE-1O8 equipment to take the elevator. He opened the wooden door to his apartment, walked through the narrow hallway, straight into his bedroom. The LIVE-1O8 equipment still lay on his bed. David looked out the window, into the bright sunny day, he tried to take in all the detail, and remember as much as he could. He looked back at his equipment, and began to put it back on.