Nobody Questions The Outside Man (Part 2)

6

I used the opportunity to learn, to understand the hierarchy of the room and find out potential ways to get out.

Gable was the longest here, then CQ. After that it was Kelly. She was graceful and quiet. She spoke little, but smiled a lot. Whenever Gable spoke or others spoke with her, she would look past them and catch my eye. She never spoke to me, but we would exchange glances.

CQ was a good source of information, and as he provided more data, seemed to become more of himself. It was as if he had been dormant, or was in a sleep mode when nobody would interact with him.

“So there were others before Gable?” I asked.

“Yes. He says that there was an entire group like ours, and their leader was Bogart. I never saw him. Once he was selected by the outside man, Gable became the leader. Then I arrived. More were selected after my arrival, and I went from being the last, to the second longest here.” He ended with a smile.

“So by that logic, if Gable were selected, you’d be the new leader, correct?”

CQ looked at me, his eyes processing the possibility.

“It means I’ll be the longest here.”

“And people will look to you for answers. You’ll be the new leader.”

The smile left CQ’s sharp face. “It never occurred to me. Gable has always been here. I can’t comprehend him leaving.”

“What about his purpose? By his account, if he’s the longest here, he must be close to reaching it.”

CQ was silent. He looked uneasy with the consequences.

A buzz filled the room and the lights went full beam. Everyone scattered to the corners. The phrase repeated by everyone: “the outside man!”

This time I would test my assumption.

7

I watched Gable, again, going to the corner near the door. I followed, making sure to avoid his gaze.

Steam swirled into the room heralding the return of the outside man. All eyes were forward except mine. I made my way through the crowd, towards Gable.

Between the heads of the others I saw the outside man walk past. Everyone was watching him, so I approached Gable unnoticed. He was standing at the front of his group, feet almost touching the blue beam.

The outside man selected someone from my former group, one of the men. He turned back to leave, his selection following, dragged by the forearm. They walked to the door.

Now was the time.

Bracing myself, I planted my weight into the floor and shoved Gable forwards through the blue light. He flashed blue as he passed through it, his limbs splaying outwards.

Gable slammed into the outside man, sending him, the selection and Gable crashing to the ground.

The group gasped as the three of them landed in a heap of limbs.

Gable was still in existence, no disintegration. He scrambled to his feet. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It was not my intention.” He waved his hands in wild gestures, frantic and desperate.

The outside man remained on the ground. He groaned and writhed, eyes unfocused, staring into nothing.

The selected one stood up, dusting himself off. “What about my purpose? I was chosen!”

A woman screamed.

“What is that?!” One of the men shouted. “Look... coming out of his head!” He pointed to the fallen outside man, who was turning his head left and right, a gargled hum coming from his lips. Red liquid was spreading on the white floor beneath him.

Gable turned to me, his eyes blank with anger. “You did this.”

I looked at him differently. His apology to the outside man told of his real thoughts.

“You’ve ruined it. No more selections.”

He sprang forward, hands grasping at my neck. We slammed into the wall. His fingers dug into my throat.

I grabbed at him. My fingers wrapped around his head. My left thumb pressed into his eye. My right hand gripped his jaw. We both squeezed. We staggered back and forth, hitting the wall, falling into a crowd and stumbled into the center of the room. We fell over the outside man, and I ended up on the floor, Gable atop me. He released his grip on my throat and began hammering me with his fists. My head bounced against the ground over and over, white light bleeding into my senses. My vision started to dissipate.

An arm reached around Gable’s neck and heaved him away, his legs flying through the air.

I sat up, following the blur of movement. It was CQ. He’d grabbed Gable by the neck and slammed him to the ground. The impact had been so strong that the floor had given way beneath them. CQ sat on top of Gable in the newly formed crater. The others watched in horror and fascination as he held their leader down with immense strength.

I looked at CQ, my senses returning by degrees.

He looked up at me. “Now’s your chance.” He pointed to the open door.

 “Come with me.”

He shook his head. “I’ll see to Gable.”

Gable struggled against CQ’s powerful grip. “Don’t do it! We must be selected! What about your purpose?”

“This is my purpose.” He thrust Gable further into the ground, it crunched beneath them. “Enjy, run.”

I stood up. My senses were distorted, but I was still able to function. I turned, and ran to the door.

8

The door shut with a clunk behind me.

I was in a corridor, further than anyone else had ever been, knowing more than they had ever known.

I was outside.

Numerous possibilities raced through my mind – go back, run, open the door for the others, wait, investigate.

I had to know.

I took a step forward, lights lit up the path ahead in between areas of darkness.

I looked for information, anything to help me understand where I was and what was happening. Ahead of me there were two doors. One nearby, the other further along the hallway. Past that, the corridor turned to the left to an unknown path. A clear sequence of actions. I returned to the door closest to me, a dull glow emanating from within. Touching the door as I came closer, it seemed to sense my presence, sliding open unassisted. Peering inside, I saw shelves stacked to the ceiling with boxes. No one else was inside, so I entered.

Inside, there were many boxes, long dark shapes visible through the semi transparent material. I pulled one box out and opened it.

It was packed with tangled cables, wire and connectors. I grabbed one long piece, unhooked it from the others and pulled it out. Its long, slender shape ended with five smaller wires, separated and spread out. I held it up alongside my arm, my tough exterior clunking as it collided with the metal. They were the same length. The internal workings of an arm, one of many. Leaving the box, I opened another.

Legs.

I opened another.

Heads.

I opened a final box.

Sheets of surface material.

Gable, Kelly and the all the others were covered in this. CQ and I had a different material covering us; dull, thick and rigid. Not like this. It felt softer and pliable. It moved and stretched.

Holding the material up to the light, I could see male features, and facial hair, but flattened out, on a two dimensional plane. I flipped it over. It had connectors and seals.

I picked up one of the heads and added the surface material. It snapped into place, taut and lifelike. 

In my hands I was holding a head. I recognized the thin moustache and piercing eyes instantly.

Gable.

How could this be?

I looked at the lifeless head in my hands, for once he wasn’t talking.

Remembering my location, I returned to the moment. There was still another room and the hallway to investigate.

I entered room opposite, it was smaller, darker. There were bars along the walls with clothes hanging from them, all one piece items. I held my hand out to examine the texture. They were rough and coarse.

I searched among the clothes and I found one piece that was similar to my size. Putting it on, I looked at my reflection on the wall.

It was the same outfit as the outside man’s.

That made me stop and consider the possibilities. Was there more than one outside man? Outside men? Or was there only one? All of the items being replacement material for his own set?

Looking at it up close, I was able to see detail which was previously unavailable to me.

There was a word printed on the chest, small, but visible.

Dillman’s

What was the meaning of this? A name? The outside man’s name?

I couldn’t be sure, more information was needed, and answers lay around the corner.

9

I crept along the hallway. Inching my way forward, I slid myself against the wall and peered around the corner.

Nobody there, only a continuation of the dark, damp hallway and a light above a door. It flickered in the darkness, emitting a blue glow.

Exit.

I walked towards it with apprehension, my eyes never leaving the door, the neon light blazed in the darkness, the word exit drawing me towards it, answers, information, validation lay beyond.

I reached the door, standing my face reflected in the handle. All I had to do was open it and answers would be revealed.

I thought about CQ, Gabe, and the outside man. What was happening in there? Should I go back and help? Bring CQ with me?

I couldn’t risk it. If the door shut behind me, I wouldn’t get the chance again.

But what about CQ? He had sacrificed his position, his long standing with the group in order for me to escape.

To get so close, only to go back and then never know, would be worse than never knowing at all.

I couldn’t go back without answers.

I owed it to CQ to find out.

I raised my hand, grabbed the handle, and pushed it open.

10

Slow, rhythmic sounds filled the air as the door opened. A bright light shone over me.

My eyes adjusted. Looking around, it was an open area, much larger than the room I had existed in and filled with the stimulus of signs and imagery, flashing, spinning, glowing.

I walked forwards into the open space, taking in everything around me. Moving walls, flashing text, levitating in the air, images, turning, flashing, shaking. Sounds blaring. Words spoken by unseen people: “On sale now,” “limited time only,” “special offer,” “One time price.” Repeated endlessly.

I looked beyond the levitating imagery to the landscape behind and saw figures moving...

Others!

They were not like me, not like those inside. Not symmetrical, or beautiful. Their bodies were ill defined. Top heavy, unbalanced, inconsistent. Similar in appearance to the outside man.

They walked past me, stopping to look at signs, images and items in windows.

There were many of them, walking around, talking, and consuming mass. None of them paid attention to me past a blank stare.

I began to move through them, searching for answers.

Passing groups, I could hear them talking about many things. Prices, availability, offers, food. None of them were discussing their purpose,

“... All going to the food court?”

I locked onto the voice that said that. A woman, amongst a group of others, all heavy, with varying degrees of dullness in their eyes.

I walked over to her. “All go to the food court?”

She glanced at me,  those with her showed passing interest, but no serious intent to learn.

“...yeah,” she said.

“Do you know the meaning of Dillman’s?”

“You’re the one that works there!” she said before turning away. The group left my question unanswered.

Others passed as I considered her response. I work there? Was there something which gave her that indication? I looked down at myself – of course! The clothing.

All go to the food court, that was what I had heard, so that would mean many people. Within that large group, there was a higher chance that someone would have answers. If I could find the food court, I could get the information I needed.

I could discover the meaning of Dillman’s

11

Every path had directions guiding me towards the food court. I followed the flow of people and the sound of voices, increasing in volume as I got closer.

I turned a corner and saw a mass of people: sitting, talking and consuming. They sat in vast rows in a gigantic open area. This was it, the food court.

The probability that someone here would know was high.

I walked in amongst the crowd, feet losing traction as I slipped in the discarded mass on the floor. Its depth indicating several layers of thickness.

Mouths worked and lips smacked all around me as people consumed in a mass group activity.

The woman was right.

All went to the food court.

I began asking about Dillman’s, row after row, but each rejected my questions. They waved a dismissive hand, shook their heads or avoided eye contact, my existence denied.

I couldn’t process why this was happening. None of them would communicate with me. I stopped for a moment and considered the factors of the situation. My weight spread out as the mass flattened beneath my feet.

My thought processes were interrupted by a tapping sensation on my hip.

“This one’s got a hair in it.” It was one of the outside people, occupying two seats. He was holding up a tray with half-finished matter on it.

“What is it you want?” I asked.

“Get me another one.”

I looked to him, his eyes on me, expectation written across his face.

“You want me to get you another one of these?” I asked, grabbing the tray.

“Yeah, one more.”

“The tray, or everything that’s on the tray?.”

He huffed loudly. “For the love of... I want to talk to a human. Is your manager a human? Or your manager’s manager?”

“I have no manager.” I said.

“They do that now so they don’t have to record complaints.” He said to those with him, pointing a finger at me.

“I’m not able to comprehend. Could you explain specifically what it is you want from me?”

 “Ah screw it.” he said, snatching the tray from my hand.

He pressed a button on the table several times, each time gaining in strength, until he was hitting it with his palm. “Nothing works in here!” He raised his hand, gesturing to something behind me.

I turned around, a man was heading towards us. He was dressed in black – the word SECURITY on his chest.

I stepped back, looking in all directions for an exit.  There was one row which wasn’t too full. I began walking down it, and the security man changed his path, taking a shorter path and working his way towards me.

I picked up speed, angling through the rows, cutting left and right. The ground was so unstable that my feet were sliding and slipping due to the discarded mass.

He was within a few rows of me, so I increased my speed, pushing through the mass of people. The volume of bodies was so dense that my progress slowed to a shuffle. Looking behind,  I saw the SECURITY man was standing still, holding a device to his mouth, talking into it.

I spun around, looking for exits – more SECURITY men were visible, to my left and right, front and back. They approached through the crowd of eaters.

I squeezed between seated people, ignoring their protests as I displaced them. I looked up ahead, but my view was blocked by a SECURITY man closing in. I could feel the trap tightening. I pushed one woman out of the way and jumped up onto the table.

“My food!” Someone shouted as I burst into a sprint across the tables, leaping from one to another. People began screaming and shouting as I ran through their matter, sending it splashing into their faces. The SECURITY men followed me, some on the tables, others running between the rows of people.

I jumped from the table. My weight slid on the discarded matter. My balance spread too far. Hitting the ground, I heard a loud ZAK! Behind me and something flew over my head. Screams amongst the large group. My fingers dug into the matter as I grasped for something to help me up, the gathered people now dispersing in panic, their chaotic legs collided with me as I struggled to rise, slipping and sliding in the layers of discarded matter on the ground. In my blind reaching, I locked on to a chair leg. I pulled myself up, rising from the oozing floor, the crowd thinning out around me. Ahead I could see an exit door. I bounded over, through the crowd of people as it ebbed and surged, trying to get away from me, voices and shouting echoing all around. Through the frantic crowd, I spotted pockets of measured calmness, the SECURITY men were approaching, black tools in their hands. They alternated their aim at me and the floor as the crowd blocked their sight.

A gap opened up amongst the crowd, an empty corridor lay beyond. I turned and ran, weaving between abandoned tables and chairs. I cleared the main group and burst into a full sprint.

ZAK!

Something sharp penetrated my side.

My body surged with white hot power.

Joints locked in place.

I stiffened up, balance no longer under my control.

I fell, landing with a soggy whump and sinking into the layers of coagulated mass.

 Concluded in part 3.