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CHAPTER 5: EVERYTHING CHANGES
After the android, a week passes before Nigel contacts me again.
xxxEndOfAnEraxxx: I have a huge thing today. You up for it?
LightEnvelopingDark: Sure. What is it?
xxxEndOfAnEraxxx: I’ll tell you when you get here. It’s big.
LightEnvelopingDark: Okay
I honestly… kind of don’t want to see Nigel? After I got maimed by a ghost skull and got a bad high from his brownies… Like, it can’t be just me, but does it feel like things go to shit when I hang out with Nigel? Has it always been like this or have I just had a few bad days with him?
But then again, what else am I going to do? If I stay at my flat alone, I will spiral back into depression. I’ve been there once already and I don’t want to go back.
And to add to that, Nigel is kind of my only distraction at this point. I really need to get something better to do.
Off to Nigel’s I go then, I guess. I sigh heavily and wrench myself out of bed. I don't bother showering. I'll just get sweaty again the moment when I step outside. I get on the bus and let my feet lead me to Nigel's.
Just this once. I'll meet up with Nigel just this one time. After this, I'll… I don't fucking know, look up healthy coping mechanisms?? I should talk to Jahid, he can probably suggest something.
I arrive at Nigel’s and ring the doorbell. The door opens almost immediately. Behind it, I see the android.
“Hello, Valo,” it says.
I nod and wave at it as it lets me in. Nigel is waiting for me in the hallway.
“Don’t get too comfortable, we’re going right out,” he says.
“Oh. Okay,” I say, “What are we doing?”
“I’ll tell you when we get there,” Nigel just says.
Right…
We (including the android??) walk to a bus stop and ride. We get to a… restless part of the town. We get off the bus and Nigel leads us to an apartment building that has seen better days. There are rust stains trailing down on every window and the door looks like it doesn't close all the way. Nigel marches to the door and yanks it. After a clank and a groan, it gives and opens. I'm not even surprised that it does. We get in.
Jesus, this place is rank. It smells of piss in here and the air is thick like soup. I can feel my pores clogging.
Nigel, the android and I walk past a passed-out bum sleeping on the stairs. We climb to the third floor, where Nigel makes a beeline to one of the doors. He rings the doorbell, which makes an ugly, dissonant rattle.
The door opens just a crack. I hear the safety chain jingle.
“It’s me, luv,” Nigel says.
“Hi, Nigel,” a young woman’s voice replies. The door closes, the chain jingles again, and the door opens again.
The three of us step into the small flat. The air is even thicker here (but thankfully less pores-clogging) and smells of… some kind of herb? Smoky. Incency.
The owner is a young woman. She can’t be older than in her late teens. Her greasy hair is dyed black and it hangs on her face. She would have looked like that ghost girl from The Ring, if it wasn’t for her faded magenta pyjama pants and thick-rimmed glasses. And because she’s white, of course.
“So is this the guy?” she asks. Her voice is soft, almost inaudible.
I blink in surprise. What?
“…What?” I ask.
Nigel laughs in a forced way and wraps an arm around her shoulders. Her cheeks light up a little.
Yikes.
“This is Anna. She’s super into witchcraft and shit. She’s shown me some incredible stuff.” Nigel grins. “I would have gotten into the occult ages ago if I had known her earlier.”
Anna smiles bashfully and pushes her glasses up.
“Anna, this is Valo,” Nigel goes on and claps my shoulder, releasing Anna in the process. "And also the android I built."
“Hi.”
"Hello," the android says.
“Nice to meet you,” Anna says, still in English.
Nigel claps his hands. “Did you get the preparations done?”
Anna beams. “Yes! All we need is the s-”
Nigel claps again, drowning her out. “Awesome! Shall we get started?”
Anna’s smile shrinks a little. “Uh… Yeah. Right this way…”
We follow her into the space that serves as a living room in the one-room apartment. Nigel and Anna walk confidently further, but I freeze in place when I see what's on the floor. The windows are carefully covered with blackout curtains, and the only source of light is the candles around the circle, so it takes me a few moments to make it out.
A circle…? Is that a summoning circle? Drawn in… God, I hope that's red paint.
The air is thick with the scent of incense.
"What is this?" I ask, in shock. I cradle my maimed hand to my chest.
Nigel chuckles as he steps to the edge of the circle. "This beauty here," he motions towards it, "is what will bring a new age."
I stare at him, baffled. "What?"
"You know, thousands of years ago, the age of myths and shit. We think that people back then justified everything they didn't' understand with magic. Are you with me?"
Yeah, I guess I'm following. I nod.
"Okay. Consider this. What if magic did really exist, back then? But as humanity got savvier with tools and technology, it slowly disappeared."
I've heard that crackpot theory too.
Nigel moves on. "Times moves in cycles. Have you noticed that? After summer, it's autumn. After that, winter, then spring. Then summer again. History repeats itself. Old fashions come back every so often. Have you noticed?"
I don't see how that relates here, but I have noticed. I nod.
Nigel huffs a laugh, lifting his palms up. "Okay, I know this might sound a little insane, but stay with me. The change in the air we've been feeling? The thick jelly-air? It's time itself changing. It's the sign of a new era coming. It's magic coming back."
In any other situation, I would have laughed at him. But now, between his expression and the… summoning circle? I'm… kind of too intimidated to. Also now, on second thought, it is not that difficult to not believe him after the skull incident. Especially when the scars from it on my hand are still fresh and barely started healing…
"Now, okay, you don't believe me. That's fair," Nigel continues, "I get that. But you haven't seen the proof I have." He motions towards Anna. "Anna, tell them."
"Huh?" Anna blinks, like she isn't prepared being addressed so suddenly. "Oh! Right, yeah! I uh… I've noticed that magic… I mean spells? Are easier to do these days."
Nigel's shoulders shudder with chuckles. My heart starts beating faster, but not because of excitement.
The air is thick, so thick. It's pressing against my face.
"Magic?" I ask, the TTS sounding more confident than I feel. "Is that what we're doing?"
Nigel grins at me, all teeth and gleaming eyes. He's very excited, I can tell. "Yes! But it's not just magic. We're making history here today, Valo. We're going to bring humanity to a new age. Right here and now."
I stare at him, speechless.
"These days, we're too… restrained. I want to remove those inhibitions from people and bring us back to a simpler and purer mindset."
I'm almost afraid to ask. "What inhibitions?"
"You know, in the good old days, people were just allowed to challenge each other to duels. Two pistols at dawn. Forty steps, all that. Disagreements were settled so simply. These days, it's all complicated bureaucracy. Those are just unnecessary obstacles we could do away with, you know?"
"And how are you planning to do that?"
"I'm glad you asked! Anna and I cooked up this little thing… What would you call it, Anna? A spell? Curse?"
Anna blinks again. "O-oh. Uh… Let's go with spell."
"Of course, yes," Nigel agrees, "Curse sounds just so… negative. Anyway, Anna and I cooked up this spell that is going to help us all."
I nod slowly, waiting for him to continue.
"Now, what it does is that it makes the host more aggressive and eager to violence, and it's designed to spread from people to people. But how does it do that?" Nigel pauses because he's chuckling too much to speak. "Okay, how it spreads, this is the good part. It spreads when a host brutalises a non-host in a way that doesn't kill them."
I stare at him in slowly dawning horror. What the fuck?!
Nigel's grin widens at my expression. "You don't believe me. Or don't understand. That's okay. You don't have to do either. All you have to do is to help me- us test it." He pauses. "We do need a sacrifice."
My blood freezes.
Nigel steps towards me and I immediately step back. I take another two steps backwards, but my back hits something solid. Nigel's android firmly grips my arms.
"Nice one, bot. Now be a dear and bring them to the circle."
The android tugs me.
| > Resist the android | > Talk Nigel out of this |
| I struggle and trash. | My fingers feel numb all of a sudden. Typing is hard. |
| "Oh, you think you have a choice in this," Nigel says, actually sounding surprised and irritated, "Sorry mate, this isn't really something you can have a word in. It's the price of progress." | "Nigel, are you sure about this? This could backfire really badly." |
| I manage to pull myself free. I take only two steps before the android grabs my arm and slams me to the floor. I hear a dull snap. Pain flares in my arm. My phone slips from my hands. | Nigel shrugs. "I'm prepared for some setbacks, obviously. The industrial revolution meant that lower-class children had to work in factories. Just like my revolution means a little violence. Change is never easy. It's just growing pains." |
| I hear screaming. It's my own voice. | He's insane. |
| "Come on, Valo. Let's not make this difficult," Nigel chides. | "Now, Valo, please. Get in the circle," Nigel says. |
| I try to struggle. Pain in my arm makes me weak. The android drags me to the circle and drops me in the middle. The movement jostles my broken arm. I whimper. I feel tears on my cheeks. | "Nigel, please. Think about this!" |
| "Alright, let's get to it," Nigel says. | "Oh, you think you have a choice in this," Nigel says, actually sounding surprised and irritated, "Sorry mate, this isn't really something you can have a word in. It's the price of progress." |
| Anna begins to chant. I don't understand what she's saying. She spreads her arms and the circle on the floor starts glowing faintly. Her voice grows louder and more booming. | I manage to pull myself free. I take only two steps before the android grabs my arm and slams me to the floor. I hear a dull snap. Pain flares in my arm. My phone slips from my hands. |
| The air feels more and more condensed. It concentrates until I can see small tendrils of light. Rising up from the paint from the circle. Reaching up and towards me. | I hear screaming. It's my own voice. |
| I look at Nigel, silently begging him to stop this. But he doesn't hear me. He just watches as the light sinks into my skin. Like tiny icepicks sinking into my flesh. | "Come on, Valo. Let's not make this difficult," Nigel chides. |
| I try to struggle. Pain in my arm makes me weak. The android drags me to the circle and drops me in the middle. The movement jostles my broken arm. I whimper. I feel tears on my cheeks. |
There's an ugly, dissonant rattle. The doorbell.
"What the fuck…" Nigel mutters, "Are you expecting someone?"
Anna shakes her head, looking like a deer in the headlights again.
Nigel narrows his eyes. Turns to stare at the door.
Another rattle from the doorbell. Loud knocking.
The android lets go of me. Walks past Nigel to the door.
"Wh- What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Nigel yelps.
"Getting the door is my task," the android simply says. Opens the door.
"Merry Christmas!!" I hear someone shout. Metallic clang and a meek "ow".
"Nana…?" Nigel whispers.
"Please come in," I hear the android say.
"Don't fucking invi-" Nigel says, before he's cut off. A surge of light bursting from towards the door. It hits him square in the chest. Knocks him against the wall.
"Nigel!" Anna squeaks.
My vision is fading out.
"Valo? Are you okay?"
I feel someone pat my cheek before I pass out.