Here's the latest installment of my current dark scifi project. This is chapter 38. If you're just tuning in, consider starting with chapters 1 and 2. Be advised that this work considers difficult subjects, including suicide. If you're in crisis, please seek help. Help is available here.
A Bowl Full of Cactus Spines
Having sent in her notes on a GSG in Salem, Mass., Anabelle had a few hours to kill until her bus departed. She spent it at an arcade, playing pinball and old video games. After taking a car to the bus station, she crammed into a seat that was already mostly occupied by another passenger's bags. Regretting not taking a train the whole way, Anabelle spent the next few hours listening to one of Greg Shabar's channeling sessions while trying to ignore the smell of fast food intermingled with cheap perfume.
Arriving in New York, the Chinatown Bus unceremoniously dropped Anabelle off, leaving her in an unfamiliar part of Lower Manhattan. She walked until she found Canal Street, then proceeded north to Houston, where she located Peter's favorite restaurant, a standing room only place frequented by cabbies. Getting a scoop of Bangladeshi food in a styrofoam bowl for three dollars, she stood at the counter and consumed four big bites before she realized how spicy it was.
"Oh my god!" exclaimed Anabelle, attracting smiles from the crowd of cabbies. Her eyes watered and her nose started running. Her face turned red and she jumped up and down, waving her arms in the air, as if that would help. Although her mouth felt like pure fire, Anabelle was hungry, so she pulled herself together enough to finish the meal. Afterwards, leaving the restaurant, she felt lighter. Almost intoxicated.
Standing there on the north side of Houston, Anabelle called Peter. "Thanks for the food recommendation," she said to his voicemail. "I feel like I just ate a bowl full of cactus spines, but you were right about it being cheap! Anyway, hope you're having fun talking about your feelings with rich people or whatever. I'll probably be home tomorrow, unless I decide to do another day in New York. Let me know when you're coming back."
Hanging up, Anabelle called Bonnie and started walking up First Avenue. "Hey you, I'm in the Big Apple and just ate the spiciest food in the world," she said to Bonnie's voicemail. "I sent my final payment this morning, so you're all paid off! Just want to say how much I appreciate you and all you've done for me. You saved my life! I love you and you're in my heart forever. Call me back. Bye."
Studying her phone, Anabelle found the apartment where she was staying. It was all of the way west, on Christopher Street. The sun had set by the time she found her way there, to the doorway between two competing artisanal selfie stick stores. Pressing the button next to the address, Anabelle waited a minute and was greeted by Emma Gold, another GSG inspector whom she had met during training.
"Anabelle, come on up!" said Emma, fake-kissing a greeting.
Following her host up four flights of stairs, Anabelle found herself in a wide hallway with upscale Art Deco vibes. "The whole floor is mine," explained Emma. "I'm at the end and you're in the guest apartment, number 3 The kitchen is stocked and the wifi password is embracetheday. Keys are in the kitchen drawer. Stay as long as you like. There's a midnight party in two, which you're welcome to attend. Now, if you'll excuse me, my cat therapist is waiting."
"Thanks," said Anabelle. "I was kind of hoping to compare inspector notes..."
"Come to the party," said Emma. "I won't have any time until then."
Shrugging, Anabelle went to her apartment and found it unlocked. The place was spacious and tastefully furnished. Setting her bag down, she found a can of caviar in the cupboard and ate this with water crackers. Having never tried caviar before, Anabelle wasn't impressed. Canned baked beans tasted better on crackers, she decided.
Finding the balcony, Anabelle poured a glass of juice and sipped it while looking out at Greenwich Village, thinking about her accommodations. She'd known Emma came from money, but still couldn't quite believe how wealthy she must be to have this much prime real estate in Lower Manhattan, where a single night at an AirBnB could cost five hundred dollars. "What world have I crossed into, here?" Anabelle asked aloud.
After a nap and more food, Anabelle decided to check out the party. A sign on the apartment door said enter, so she let herself in. In the living room, a jug band played to a crowd of people, lounging or standing in conversation. "No way!" said Anabelle, recognizing the washboard player. "Randy?"
Randy flashed Anabelle a grin of recognition and kept playing. Shrugging, Anabelle kept exploring, and found another living room where Emma and several others were sitting in a circle. "Welcome," said Emma. "Everyone, this is Anabelle. She works for the GSGs, too."
"Welcome Anabelle," said a few voices.
"Hi," said Anabelle, sitting in the space they made for her.
"We were discussing the declining quality of US urban centers as a result of corporate utilitarianism," said a woman with Princess Leia hair.
"It's a slow architectural catastrophe," said a man with a waxed mustache. "But really part of a deeper problem. The problem of having no center. No heart. Would 321 have even happened if our society had a heart?"
"My father was a 321 victim," said Emma. "He was protesting the preferential treatment the government gives to no-bid contractors. But maybe you're right. Maybe on some deeper level, he was adrift, traveling from property to property with the seasons, never really settling anywhere."
"Where I'm from, churches are at the center of things," said Anabelle. "And that's all fine and dandy except sometimes the churches are run by predators."
"That's why the GSGs are so important," said Emma. "Why the new safety system is so important."
"Is it true that it will be the biggest facial recognition system in the country?" asked Mustache.
"No," said Emma. "But it will be big. Millions of profiles. Millions of people accountable for their behavior at the meetings."
"Only about half of the groups are adopting the system so far," said Anabelle. "When the rollout's done, everyone will be able to see which groups have implemented it. So we'll see how many people still go to the groups without it."
"I'm having a GSG stats app made to answer just those sorts of questions," said Emma. "It's supposed to be a surprise, so don't tell anyone."
"That's amazing," said Princess Leia. "Who do you use for your apps?"
"How will you collect the data from groups without the system? asked Anabelle.
"Cameras outside is the best I could come up with," said Emma. "I'm still in the idea phase."
(Feature image from Pixabay.)
Read my novels:
- Small Gods of Time Travel is available as a web book on IPFS.
- The Paradise Anomaly is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Psychic Avalanche is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- One Man Embassy is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Flying Saucer Shenanigans is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Rainbow Lullaby is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- The Ostermann Method is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Blue Dragon Mississippi is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
See my NFTs:
- Small Gods of Time Travel is a 41 piece Tezos NFT collection on Objkt that goes with my book by the same name.
- History and the Machine is a 20 piece Tezos NFT collection on Objkt based on my series of oil paintings of interesting people from history.
- Artifacts of Mind Control is a 15 piece Tezos NFT collection on Objkt based on declassified CIA documents from the MKULTRA program.