Here's the latest installment of my current dark scifi project. This is chapter 14. 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.
The Domino Effect didn't fizzle out. It gained momentum. A new public confession app called Tell spread like wildfire. Thousands of people confessed to knowing that 321 Syndrome was fake. Half a million more confessed to suspecting the fraud but overlooking it. Many others seized the opportunity to confess their own personal transgressions.
There was an almost religious fervor to the growing wave of public confessions. A handful of people were criminally prosecuted for the misdeeds they shared. Many more lost jobs and relationships. Still, people kept confessing, and Tell made it easy for them to do so.
All of this complicated Tom's article on the Domino Effect. He had the story and the sources, but couldn't really wrap his head around how to structure his piece. It didn't help that Jo's living room was Tom's new office and he wasn't quite comfortable working there yet. He'd been settling in alright, but then Jo had invited a street kid to live on her couch.
Today, Tom sat in front of a list of interview questions, listening to Peter snore a few feet away, wondering how he was ever going to get his work done. Eventually, Peter stopped snoring and sat up. "Hey," he said. "You look pissed. Is everything okay? If you need me to leave, I'll leave."
Sighing, Tom sat back in his chair. "It's not you," he said. "We keep telling you you're good here and you never believe it. But this is your home, at least for now. No, the problem is my Domino Effect story. I'm trying to figure out how to capture the whole phenomenon in these interviews, and I keep coming up short."
"Yeah," said Peter, yawning, sipping cold coffee from a cup next to the couch. "Maybe you're trying to describe a forest without mentioning mushrooms."
Tom frowned. "Not sure I follow," he said.
"You know, man, it's a whole system," said Peter. "321 was like a public ritual. Like one spell in a magical battle. The other side hit back with a perverse re-interpretation of that with the 321 Syndrome crackdown. So the first side responds with the Domino Effect. See what I'm saying?"
"Hmm," said Tom. "Interesting. But then, who are the sides in this magical battle?"
"Programs, man," said Peter. "The sides are programs running in our consciousness. The 321 victims were running a program that told them to sacrifice their lives to fight their enemies. The crackdown is a program people are running to maintain the illusion of control even though everything is falling apart. The Domino Effect is a program that people are using to purge their demons now that the great transformation has started. See what I mean?"
"Sort of," said Tom. "But you lost me at great transformation. What exactly do you mean by that?"
"You know, the big moment when all of the shit comes out," said Peter. "UFOs. People having random psychedelic experiences. Spiritual awakenings. The Earth laughing off our fake human economy. Maybe war. Maybe weirder stuff."
"And you think all of that is going to happen?" asked Tom.
"Already started," said Peter. "Most people can't see it yet, but I can."
"Okay," said Tom. "Circling back to my article, do you have any ideas on how I should write it?"
"Maybe interview your people like normal, but then ask them all about what kind of higher purpose they see in their confessions," said Peter. "Like, the Senator who confessed to blocking bills because that other Senator's aide refused his romantic advances. Ask him what he believes in. God or whatever. But get him talking about that. About how his confession fits into a larger diving plan."
"Seriously?" asked Tom. "It's just that, usually, we try to respect faith but avoid religion, because it's such a divisive topic."
"Yeah, but the Domino Effect is all about faith," said Peter. "None of those people would confess shit if they weren't doing it for reasons beyond rational thought."
"Good point," said Tom. "I've actually been wondering about that myself."
"People are tired of the dirty old world," said Peter. "They're just looking for a way to get clean. I think the confessions are like a shortcut to that."
"Speaking of that," said Tom, broaching what he knew was a sensitive subject. "How are you doing with all your stuff?"
"Okay," said Peter. "My second HIV test came back negative, so I'm probably good there. And no rock for six weeks. I'm doing GSG meetings every day, which is helping me process shit. So I have good moments and bad moments. More good than bad, this week."
"That's really great," said Tom. "Any progress finding a job?"
"Yesterday I made sixty dollars from a painting I made," said Peter.
"I guess that's a start," said Tom.
"The truth is I feel like I'm still too fucked up to have a regular job," said Peter. "Sometimes I just get filled with rage. Sometimes I burst into tears for no reason. No one's looking to hire someone like that."
"Fair enough," said Tom. "But you're a smart kid. Have you given any thought to school? If you ever needed help applying, I'm pretty good with that kind of stuff."
"Thanks, but the problem there is the money," said Peter. "What I'm really thinking about is finding an artist to intern or apprentice with or something. But I don't know. I've had visions pointing to something else happening. Something big, that will make everything else clear."
"I know some people," said Tom. "What kind of artist were you thinking?"
"Visual art," said Peter. "Traditional, not digital. Maybe a painter or a sculptor."
"Hmm," said Tom. "I know a sculptor in Boston, but I'll ask around."
"Thanks," said Peter. "Actually, I sort of have a related question. I want to put some of my drawings online. Make them into NFTs. But I kinda need a computer to do that right. Is there any way I could use yours sometime?"
"Not a chance," said Tom, grinning. "But I've been thinking about it, and I'd be willing to buy you one if you do some work for me. See, I hate transcribing audio interviews, but I need the transcriptions to make my interviews searchable. So how about it? I get you a laptop and you pay for it by saving me from a job I hate?"
"Really?" asked Peter. "That sounds great."
"That's good," said Tom. "Feel like going shopping now?"
(Feature image from Pixabay.)
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