The Unknown Sender was in a back corner apartment on the
third floor. While the rest of the
building had been a series of crumbling ruins, that apartment seemed almost
homey. The single room was lit by the
orange glow of an electric lantern, the bulb inside dimmed and tinted orange to
give the illusion of flame. There was a
patched up easy chair on the far side of the room, a single bed to its right,
and a table with a laptop to its left.
Sitting in the chair was the Unknown Sender. He smiled at me as I entered, then with one
hand motioned towards the single bed.
As I carried Randy over I examined the man who had been the
cause of all of this.
He was completely and totally uninteresting to look at. His hair was a mousy brown, his face neither
attractive nor ugly. His midsection was doughy, but far from fat, and he wore
clothes that fit him fine, but drew no attention to his body at all. He was the type of person who went through
life blending into the wallpaper.
Yet, something in him, in his mind, was distinct and
special. Something in him had found a
way to connect with the Digital Void.
Not only connect, but control it.
He turned his head, watching me as I laid Randy down on the
dirty mattress. As he turned I noticed a
long cord drifting down from his temple, across his shoulder, and into the jack
of the computer.
He was literally plugged in.
“Are you ready?” He watched me, wearing a smile that never
seemed to reach his dull, brown eyes.
I nodded.
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