The memories I had from my previous life are starting to fade away too quickly, to the point that I am not the person I used to be anymore. From what I remember was this.
***
In the current era of the 21st century, where things used to be modern. I used up all of the money I had to escape to the dystopian reality we all live in. Inflation, mega-corporations taking over the government, as capitalists in the higher class of society's financial hierarchy are purposely destroying the world, and create products using technology in order to force their slaves into consuming their products. In order for them to cope, as they have no other choice to have temporary happiness.
I already knew all these, until I found something that could help me escape reality forever. Even if it means killing myself. So, I bought the latest Virtual Reality device they call a Nerve Gear. It seems that it is their final product, but soon they will make more.
I bought the Virtual Reality Nerve Gear and chose a life where I am still an author. But little did I know, the world in the future was more bleak than it already is today.
***
I turned on my iDex by tapping the chip on my right ear, which was connected to my brain. As the hologram that was only visible to the user projected itself from my right eye.
"You got mail!" says the electronic voice from the iDex into my ear.
"Scammers, as usual." I muttered to myself, as I walked around in the darkness of the night city, whereas there is no sunlight, if there would ever be again.
I walked through the outskirts of the city of neon lights with different colours. I thought I could escape this dystopian cityscape of madness, but I know I couldn't. As everyone else in this hell could say the same.
I hovered my right hand to slide through the main menu of the holographic screen, which its colour was neon yellow, just like the colour of my glowing contact lenses, connected through my brain, into the iDex chip. It works just like a phone.
I made sure to sit down on the street food stand's seat, and order myself some Inihaw. A barbeque delicacy that used to be a famous food in a forgotten part of Southeast Asia.
"Hey, I'd like some Inihaw." I ordered at the food stand, as the young adult man, with a brown complexion, with hazel brown eyes, a white shirt, and black cargo shorts looked up at me.
"How many, sir?" The vendor asks.
"How many for 500 Z's?" I answered his question with another question.
"Around five sticks of them." He replied, with a dull look on his face.
"Alright, bet." I sent him 1,000 zennies into his CodeX's bank account, "Paper and coins are useless to this new age and era we have nowadays, huh?"
The vendor pulled out the uncooked Inihaw meats that were already pierced through the metal sticks. Then, he pulls a jar of cooking oil out, pulls out a small brush to dip into the contents, takes it back out, and smears it around the BBQ sticks full of pork meat. As he turns on his electric grill, and gently places all ten sticks of thrusted meats down.
I turned off the iDex from my eye, causing the hologram to distort and disappear away from my sight. I pulled out a square glass, and turned it on to see my reflection. So, I can fix my hair, as I started a conversation as he was grilling.
"Let me guess, this is the only job you have, and you can't get money anywhere else. Right?"
"Yes, sir. I've been doing this for years now since I was a child. Thanks to the growing inflation rates, they are too fast for me to make a stable income for my home and family." He responded, with a clear Southeast Asian accent.
"I could see why." I nodded in agreement, "By the way, the five Inihaws are mine, I just wanted to treat you to the other five, so you can eat to keep yourself going."
"Thank you, sir!" He gladly grinned at me, showing his yellowing teeth, if he barely had any, "And now, they are finally cooked, sir. Thank you for buying from me."
"I should be the one thanking you, now I have to go. Can I put them in a bag?"
"Sadly, I can't let these metal sticks go. There are no wooden sticks to use anymore, I'm afraid. But you can keep them." He once again smiles. As he puts them in a clean paper bag.
Then, I left the scene of the outskirts, as I entered through the alleyways to get into the main part of the city. I looked up and saw brilliant skyscrapers that hovered their lights around to illuminate the dark skies of the eternal night.
I was on my way to WebFik. A mega-corporate company that takes in creative writers to sign their contracts for guaranteed payment and fame. I was told to come here after recently submitting my book.
"I've worked twelve years to finally see this day!" I said to myself as I was finally excited after finally entering the elevator that instantly transports you to any floor within a second. I heard that they caught an energy from the speed of light through space, getting themselves this matter, converted into fuel for transportation devices.
I finally reached the top floor and went to finally meet the CEO himself, Erik.
"I'm here!" I smiled happily at him. Then, I thought to myself in my inner dialogue, "Be professional, don't get too excited…"
"I'm afraid that I've waited here for no reason." The CEO with grey hair and wrinkled face with blue neon eyes faced me by turning around his chair from his desk, "You came all the way here just so I can say… your book was terrible!"
"Huh?" I exclaimed, in shock, and disappointment to myself, feeling my heart drop down to my feet.
"You said you've been writing since twelve years ago. You book, it has a lot of potential. However, the genre is not one of the tropes of our modern day readers. Get up with the times! You are younger than me, for goodness's sake."
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone who came here and got accepted were just amateurs who write the same tropes as everyone who got big. So, the rest of the readers became their successors. They've been working for only a month, and they got accepted easily. You held your pride as a writer for twelve years, only just to disappoint me."
"But I-"
"Let me finish. I was told to meet you, because I had a lot of hope in you. They told me you've been practising the art of literature for a decade, and was told you have unique and original plots and ideas. Just to disappoint me? Get out, and take this filthy scrap off my building."
"How am I supposed to pay my bills? My rent? My food? Everything?! Please, this is my only way of living!"
"I'm sorry, but business is business. Nothing personal, kid." He threw the rectangular, transparent device that had my manuscript written inside it onto the floor as I dropped to my knees, "Leave, or I have to call security."
I wept onto the floor, shedding one drop of tear from my eyes dripping down onto my cheek, as I slowly grabbed my manuscript device and left the building.
I've seen every other young teenage author in the building happily talking about their book.
***
I've lost everything. Everything that was in my hands spun out of control away from my life all at once. As I walked back into the outskirts of town to eat one last meal before I became a homeless person in this cruel world we live in.
"Hey," I called out to the vendor from before, "You never told me your name. Can I get another Inihaw? It seems like I can't afford anything else, other than that. I sure did miss the times when I used to eat a lot of those 'back then'."
"Oh hello, sir! Oh, my name is Pedro." Happily cheered the Southeast Asian vendor, again with his accent, "You seem upset. I will cheer you up with my Inihaw barbeque! But this time, with a twist."
I smiled a bit, despite the horrors that will await my life, either unexpected or expected, perhaps both, "Alright, surprise me."
"With the extra money you gave me, I somehow bought an extra ingredient to 'spice' things up." He says to me, with his short height, head down, but his eyes looking up to me, "No pun intended, heh heh."
I sat down on the seat of the vendor's stand, took out my mirror device and turned it on to see my reflection. The mood status of my reflection shows a green text that says, "Mood Status: Depressed & Anxious | Please take your Lezafro antidepressants!"
I sighed, looking at the vendor grilling my food. Then back to the mirror. I see my reflection a feminine face, neon yellow eyes glowing in the dim-lit darkness of the neon lights that surround the area. With the lighting of the normal, cheap light bulb to why it is slightly yellow, shining onto my long black hair, with my skimpy and gothic outfit, and an extremely pale complexion. My eyeshadows turned messy because of my crying a while back at the building.
Then, suddenly, a fat male Caucasian bystander walking through the sidewalk from the street called out to me with a whistle, "Hey, girl, nice rack! I bet you wear revealing clothes to show how much of a slut you are."
"I'm actually a guy, you fuckin' moron!" I shouted at the cat-calling bastard.
He shouted back, "So? It's 2099! I don't care if ya got a dick. I'd still have that nice ass. Woohoo~!" He starts humping the air.
I pulled out the metal stick that was meant to be pierced through the barbeque Inihaw from my food by eating all of it at once. Then, I stabbed the cat calling bastard's balls, "Nice cock. It used to be a little bit small, but I can make it bigger… so it can finally fit into your dick head of a mouth!"
He then, winced in pain and utter agony, as he felt sheer terror. Then, I waltzed back towards the vendor to pay up for the food I ate, "See you later, kid."
***
That same night, just a few hours later, I was walking down the alleyway, on my way home to my rental apartment. It was so dark, that not even neon lights could reveal what was hidden in the shadows. And what was hidden beyond the pitch black darkness were hooded men, wielding tanto blades as they tried to grapple me and pin me to the wall.
"So, you think you could just castrate anyone you want, huh, bitch?! Why don't we rape you instead… so you know how painful it feels. We ain't called just gangbangers for a reason, you know."
"I'm trans."
"What in the fuck?! Ayo!" Everyone else in their group reacted.
"Well, if you got balls. Then let's fight! C'mon gang!"
"What is going on here?!" says the guy from the end of the alleyway that leads to the main road at the intersection, "You better leave him alone."
"And what are you gonna do? Fight us? We're so many here!"
As they were distracted, I pulled out the metal sticks and used my iDex's installed cybernetic enhancement of my eyes that makes my reflexes so fast, I could literally see everything around me in slow-motion. Then I threw those sticks towards the gangbangers, and they were pierced through the back of their necks in the spine itself, causing them to die instantly.
"I didn't need your help." I said.
"Well, I sure did help you distract them. I knew what you were capable of, Skitzy."
"How did you know my name? Who are you?"
"Name's Xter. I knew what you were capable of, and what your life is like. I had someone that's been watching you for a while that tracks your day-to-day routine. Ever since what happened earlier, I can now finally have the chance to give you a job."
He stepped into the dim light of the sign that says, "Asylum Club" flashing in hot pink, on and off and on and off.
As the light had unveiled his face. He was wearing sunglasses, had dark hair, a white complexion, tall and handsome. He was wearing a sky blue hoodie, along with brown cargo pants, and black and white running shoes. He then spoke to me, "Here, an invitation to my club. Drinks on the house, all yours. Even the virtual drugs that you could put on your CodeX."
"I don't use that, I use the fancy one now."
"Right. I remember."
"I'm the DJ there. If you need help, especially if it's urgent… order an 'Angel Shot' from the bar. But if you want the police to get involved, from someone like you, you wouldn't be the type. Just order an 'Angel Shot' 'With lime' or 'With a twist'. I'll see you soon, here's the invitation. Don't lose it, it's VIP access."
He threw the card straight towards me with the flick of his wrist, trajecting beside my head. But with my reflexes still activated, I caught the card with ease with just my index and middle fingers.
Then, he walked away, disappearing into the darkness.