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Chapter 21
I looked at the white ceiling in a daze. It was bright, and I felt funny.
“God, Alan. Are you okay?” It was Cynthia’s voice, she was holding my head and patting me with a wet towel. “Shit, Alan. Don’t fucking scare us like that. Jesus. Galileo phoned an ambulance and they’re on their way. Just don’t get up okay.” She seemed concerned. I’d fainted? I didn’t remember.
“She was.. right next to me” I started to remember what I had been doing.
“Yes, she was. It’s okay, now. It’s not real, remember that.” Cynthia looked genuinely concerned, a maternal instinct she tried to hide most of the day always came out in accidents but this seemed a little more than usual. “God, you’re almost as bad as Callum when he ran into the wall and knocked himself out. Honestly, I’m just happy they put in the padding so you didn’t crack your head.” She looked down warmly at me. She was remarkedly beautiful with the light behind her, then I saw it. The slow inevitable tick of the black leg edging over her shoulder.
“Can you at least tell them to turn her off now?” I asked looking away as a silhouette began to form behind Cynthia’s head.
“It is off” said Galileo, I hadn’t noticed him sat down near my legs. “I turned it off the moment you passed out. Are you okay?” He asked.
“Of course, he’s fucking not you idiot, you just scared him half to death.” Cynthia’s scowl drove Leo’s eyes to the ground. I started to feel a bit self-conscious now, I went to try and get up, but Cynthia shook her head and put my hand on my chest. She looked at Galileo who was just blankly looking back, I could see him resisting every urge in his nature to shrug and walk off. He didn’t have any patience for what he thought of as minor illnesses.
“I’m okay, I think I just turned too quickly, or something.”
“You are kidding me right? I watched you. It was like the most overblown exaggerated horror movie turn I’d ever seen. Honestly man, they would’ve had enough time to turn the Titanic if the iceberg was moving as quick as you did. She got ya didn’t she” He smiled right up until he was whipped in the face with the wet flannel. “Goddamn Cynthia, that got me in the fucking eye.” He said crouching over and rubbing his palm over his left eye. He looked up with a stretched blinky face before rubbing it again. “Goddamn it. If HR every saw the sustained abuse I endure.”
“Don’t start that shit now Galileo. You had your chance with the carrot and you turned it into a thriller. Now everyone agrees you get the stick. Every time the stick Leo.”
“That’s what he said” He instinctively covered his remaining eye before she hit him again.” He laughed. I laughed, Cynthia frustrated with his exploits turned her attention to patting my forehead again, she’d somehow managed to keep the flannel perfectly folded.
Callum appeared at the door, “looks like he’s awake” he turned to say before stepping back into the hall. A paramedic stepped in and I followed her instructions and answered her questions. Galileo had at some point disappeared, but Cynthia stayed with a permanently worried look sagely nodding each time the paramedic offered any advice. Eventually they concluded their discussion and I was allowed to stand up and be led to Cynthia’s car for a ride home. It still all felt a little displaced, events remembered from outside.
She pulled up and insisted on seeing me to the couch, she hovered a while and then resolved I need some water. It wasn’t like Cynthia and I were particularly close, she’d always seemed more drawn to Leo. I figured I’d never have a chance regardless. Cynthia was determined, and I was hapless. If I hadn’t been beta enough, fainting at a creature in a game wasn’t going to do me any favours.
“Why do you have so many mugs and so few glasses. I had to clean one in the sink.” She said as she placed it on the table in front of me. She turned and navigated herself into the empty seat. “Alan, I need to talk seriously for a minute now. Do you think you’re up to it or should I leave it?” I could see an unsettling anxiety on her face, her eyes seemed more intent and focused than usual.
“Yeah, sure.” I said leaning forwards and sipping. “I think I’m okay.”
She burst out straight away “We can’t let him finish this game” she said. I looked at her confused. “It’s evil Alan, it has gone beyond a game. That thing, it’s too …too real. I don’t know where it comes from, but we can’t let him finish it.” She never once gave any impression she was joking. Her tone conveyed a strong sense of desperation.
“What are you talking about. I just got dizzy”
“That’s not all of it. You haven’t seen her. The Angus Docks thing.”
“The letter?”
“No. The thing She shows him.” She said.
“But you never see what that is. It’s not written in the game. There’s no assets for it.” I replied. This wasn’t the Cynthia I knew at all, if she’s ever had these concerns she’s done a good job of hiding it. We’d just assumed she really didn’t like Mawvis because it’s a gross spider mutant and that’s why she never wanted to test.
“You know I ran through it once in cinematic mode, everyone else had left but Galileo wanted my opinion. That’s when it happened. A cut scene that shouldn’t have been there.” I put the water down and she watched my reaction closely.
“Okay, Cynthia. Are you sure it’s not something Leo is working on but hasn’t mentioned?” I asked.
“You said it yourself, there’s no assets for it, besides I know Galileo never would have made this, he couldn’t possibly have. What I saw, it was so horrible I burst into tears. I felt so much pain from it. It was real like it was my deepest sorrow, a sorrow I hope never to understand”. She glanced to the side and took a deep breath.
“Cynthia, you’re not making much sense.”
“I know damn it, I know.”
“Have you said anything to Leo?”
“I couldn’t ever.” Her eyes misted with the beginning of tears.
“Okay, I’ll talk to him. I don’t know what I’ll say but clearly you feel there’s something wrong.”
“Alan, something has woken up shouldn’t have”. She said with a shudder, gentle like a sob. Cynthia reached up and caught the tears with her finger
“It’s probably just stress.” I said. Cynthia had it rough as the public face that endured Galileo’s lack of political or any other kind of correctness. If it’s just a case of some bad dreams and stress, she’ll get over it if I tell Leo to stay off social media. He’ll understand once I explain.
“If I’m stressed it’s because I wake up fucking paralysed unable to move with a horrendous and terrifying spider creature wrapping me up in a web as I mentally scream unable to move. That’s stress Alan, not these fucktards on social media. That I see something so , I can’t even…it’s so hearbreaking” She put her head in her hands and I saw her shoulder bob as the tears came back in full force.
“Come on, Cynthia. It’ll be alright. I’ll see if we can have her changed, I agree that she doesn’t make the game fun. It’s a little too disturbing. But, with the deadline ten months away, we’re in enough of a crunch as it is.” I said. In all fairness, it was just a change of graphics and a few words in theory, but these things always complicated themselves in unexpected ways.
“Thank you, Alan.” I went to get her some tissue, but she took the slightly damp flannel from her pocket and wiped her eyes properly this time. “God, I bet my make-up is smeared now. I feel so goddamn stupid letting a fucking game reduce me to tears. You know? I mean all those stupid rape threats and shit, that’s par for the course.” She’s taken to that expression after our last enforced team-building exercise at the golf club. “Yet, that thing is soo fucking creepy. The way it moves, those eyes. And the poor girl.”
“Have you seen his…palpyborro details. I can’t remember the word. It’s eyelids?” I tried to change the subject.
“Palpebral. No, Galileo told me what it meant but I wasn’t interested in looking.” She said a little more composed.
“It’ll be okay. I’ll get Callum and Leo over tonight. If I can’t go to work, then they’ll have to come here. You can come to, I think this is your first time actually in my house isn’t it?” I knew for sure it was, but I didn’t want to seem so effected by her lack of visits.
“Yeah, I didn’t think you were the social type.” She said looking around my room. Aside from the IKEA standard furniture the room was cluttered with old computer stuff stuck on the walls and shelves, 3D posters of dragons and replica swords from Game of Thrones really set off the ‘boys clubhouse’ vibe. As I looked around, I began to understand why there weren’t more women in my life. Callum’s house was pretty much the same, but Callum was lucky enough to be the straightest gay man ever, and it usually didn’t matter to men he said.
“Hey, I can boogie to the groove and howl at the moon too, you know?”
“Oh yeah definitely. I’m sure.” She looked around the room as she thought about something. “’ll see you tonight then, I’ll tell tweedled Lo and tweedled Lum when I get back to the office.” Cynthia stood up and straightened her dress. She reached into her bag for a cigarette, she pulled out what appeared to be a small roll-up. “Not a fucking word Alan.” She said as she headed to the door.
“God, Alan. Are you okay?” It was Cynthia’s voice, she was holding my head and patting me with a wet towel. “Shit, Alan. Don’t fucking scare us like that. Jesus. Galileo phoned an ambulance and they’re on their way. Just don’t get up okay.” She seemed concerned. I’d fainted? I didn’t remember.
“She was.. right next to me” I started to remember what I had been doing.
“Yes, she was. It’s okay, now. It’s not real, remember that.” Cynthia looked genuinely concerned, a maternal instinct she tried to hide most of the day always came out in accidents but this seemed a little more than usual. “God, you’re almost as bad as Callum when he ran into the wall and knocked himself out. Honestly, I’m just happy they put in the padding so you didn’t crack your head.” She looked down warmly at me. She was remarkedly beautiful with the light behind her, then I saw it. The slow inevitable tick of the black leg edging over her shoulder.
“Can you at least tell them to turn her off now?” I asked looking away as a silhouette began to form behind Cynthia’s head.
“It is off” said Galileo, I hadn’t noticed him sat down near my legs. “I turned it off the moment you passed out. Are you okay?” He asked.
“Of course, he’s fucking not you idiot, you just scared him half to death.” Cynthia’s scowl drove Leo’s eyes to the ground. I started to feel a bit self-conscious now, I went to try and get up, but Cynthia shook her head and put my hand on my chest. She looked at Galileo who was just blankly looking back, I could see him resisting every urge in his nature to shrug and walk off. He didn’t have any patience for what he thought of as minor illnesses.
“I’m okay, I think I just turned too quickly, or something.”
“You are kidding me right? I watched you. It was like the most overblown exaggerated horror movie turn I’d ever seen. Honestly man, they would’ve had enough time to turn the Titanic if the iceberg was moving as quick as you did. She got ya didn’t she” He smiled right up until he was whipped in the face with the wet flannel. “Goddamn Cynthia, that got me in the fucking eye.” He said crouching over and rubbing his palm over his left eye. He looked up with a stretched blinky face before rubbing it again. “Goddamn it. If HR every saw the sustained abuse I endure.”
“Don’t start that shit now Galileo. You had your chance with the carrot and you turned it into a thriller. Now everyone agrees you get the stick. Every time the stick Leo.”
“That’s what he said” He instinctively covered his remaining eye before she hit him again.” He laughed. I laughed, Cynthia frustrated with his exploits turned her attention to patting my forehead again, she’d somehow managed to keep the flannel perfectly folded.
Callum appeared at the door, “looks like he’s awake” he turned to say before stepping back into the hall. A paramedic stepped in and I followed her instructions and answered her questions. Galileo had at some point disappeared, but Cynthia stayed with a permanently worried look sagely nodding each time the paramedic offered any advice. Eventually they concluded their discussion and I was allowed to stand up and be led to Cynthia’s car for a ride home. It still all felt a little displaced, events remembered from outside.
She pulled up and insisted on seeing me to the couch, she hovered a while and then resolved I need some water. It wasn’t like Cynthia and I were particularly close, she’d always seemed more drawn to Leo. I figured I’d never have a chance regardless. Cynthia was determined, and I was hapless. If I hadn’t been beta enough, fainting at a creature in a game wasn’t going to do me any favours.
“Why do you have so many mugs and so few glasses. I had to clean one in the sink.” She said as she placed it on the table in front of me. She turned and navigated herself into the empty seat. “Alan, I need to talk seriously for a minute now. Do you think you’re up to it or should I leave it?” I could see an unsettling anxiety on her face, her eyes seemed more intent and focused than usual.
“Yeah, sure.” I said leaning forwards and sipping. “I think I’m okay.”
She burst out straight away “We can’t let him finish this game” she said. I looked at her confused. “It’s evil Alan, it has gone beyond a game. That thing, it’s too …too real. I don’t know where it comes from, but we can’t let him finish it.” She never once gave any impression she was joking. Her tone conveyed a strong sense of desperation.
“What are you talking about. I just got dizzy”
“That’s not all of it. You haven’t seen her. The Angus Docks thing.”
“The letter?”
“No. The thing She shows him.” She said.
“But you never see what that is. It’s not written in the game. There’s no assets for it.” I replied. This wasn’t the Cynthia I knew at all, if she’s ever had these concerns she’s done a good job of hiding it. We’d just assumed she really didn’t like Mawvis because it’s a gross spider mutant and that’s why she never wanted to test.
“You know I ran through it once in cinematic mode, everyone else had left but Galileo wanted my opinion. That’s when it happened. A cut scene that shouldn’t have been there.” I put the water down and she watched my reaction closely.
“Okay, Cynthia. Are you sure it’s not something Leo is working on but hasn’t mentioned?” I asked.
“You said it yourself, there’s no assets for it, besides I know Galileo never would have made this, he couldn’t possibly have. What I saw, it was so horrible I burst into tears. I felt so much pain from it. It was real like it was my deepest sorrow, a sorrow I hope never to understand”. She glanced to the side and took a deep breath.
“Cynthia, you’re not making much sense.”
“I know damn it, I know.”
“Have you said anything to Leo?”
“I couldn’t ever.” Her eyes misted with the beginning of tears.
“Okay, I’ll talk to him. I don’t know what I’ll say but clearly you feel there’s something wrong.”
“Alan, something has woken up shouldn’t have”. She said with a shudder, gentle like a sob. Cynthia reached up and caught the tears with her finger
“It’s probably just stress.” I said. Cynthia had it rough as the public face that endured Galileo’s lack of political or any other kind of correctness. If it’s just a case of some bad dreams and stress, she’ll get over it if I tell Leo to stay off social media. He’ll understand once I explain.
“If I’m stressed it’s because I wake up fucking paralysed unable to move with a horrendous and terrifying spider creature wrapping me up in a web as I mentally scream unable to move. That’s stress Alan, not these fucktards on social media. That I see something so , I can’t even…it’s so hearbreaking” She put her head in her hands and I saw her shoulder bob as the tears came back in full force.
“Come on, Cynthia. It’ll be alright. I’ll see if we can have her changed, I agree that she doesn’t make the game fun. It’s a little too disturbing. But, with the deadline ten months away, we’re in enough of a crunch as it is.” I said. In all fairness, it was just a change of graphics and a few words in theory, but these things always complicated themselves in unexpected ways.
“Thank you, Alan.” I went to get her some tissue, but she took the slightly damp flannel from her pocket and wiped her eyes properly this time. “God, I bet my make-up is smeared now. I feel so goddamn stupid letting a fucking game reduce me to tears. You know? I mean all those stupid rape threats and shit, that’s par for the course.” She’s taken to that expression after our last enforced team-building exercise at the golf club. “Yet, that thing is soo fucking creepy. The way it moves, those eyes. And the poor girl.”
“Have you seen his…palpyborro details. I can’t remember the word. It’s eyelids?” I tried to change the subject.
“Palpebral. No, Galileo told me what it meant but I wasn’t interested in looking.” She said a little more composed.
“It’ll be okay. I’ll get Callum and Leo over tonight. If I can’t go to work, then they’ll have to come here. You can come to, I think this is your first time actually in my house isn’t it?” I knew for sure it was, but I didn’t want to seem so effected by her lack of visits.
“Yeah, I didn’t think you were the social type.” She said looking around my room. Aside from the IKEA standard furniture the room was cluttered with old computer stuff stuck on the walls and shelves, 3D posters of dragons and replica swords from Game of Thrones really set off the ‘boys clubhouse’ vibe. As I looked around, I began to understand why there weren’t more women in my life. Callum’s house was pretty much the same, but Callum was lucky enough to be the straightest gay man ever, and it usually didn’t matter to men he said.
“Hey, I can boogie to the groove and howl at the moon too, you know?”
“Oh yeah definitely. I’m sure.” She looked around the room as she thought about something. “’ll see you tonight then, I’ll tell tweedled Lo and tweedled Lum when I get back to the office.” Cynthia stood up and straightened her dress. She reached into her bag for a cigarette, she pulled out what appeared to be a small roll-up. “Not a fucking word Alan.” She said as she headed to the door.