[THE HAVEN]

“It really is you,” said Esara, running her hand down Jay’s cheek.

“Obviously,” said Jay. “You’re being weird.”

It was hard to see Jay in the dim light, but it was definitely him. Something about his face felt different though. His acne was gone, his hair was straighter, and his skin was less oily than usual. Somehow, he felt - fresh.

Jay blushed beneath Esara’s fingers. She rarely touched his face like this outside of Zero Space, and even then, it was usually just to slap him. Her palm felt nice against his skin, even if it smelled like hand sanitizer - an unfortunate side effect of working in a pharmacy all day.

He met Esara for lunch here on pill-pickup days; Heals was right around the corner. Esara’s boss Marcen didn’t give her long lunch breaks, but nearby bathrooms provided a reliable alibi.

Jay reached forward, feeling Esara’s arm --

-- She seized his wrist, twisting it behind his back.

“Ow ow ow,” said Jay. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Esara released him.

“Sorry,” said Esara. “It’s a habit.”

Jay shook out his wrist and shrugged. After coming back to life, little injuries didn’t concern him.

“I know you wouldn’t hurt me,” said Esara. “I’ve just been around a lot of bad people. I don’t let anyone hurt me anymore.”

Jay nodded. He didn’t know the details of Esara’s past, nor did he want to. There was enough trauma in his life at the moment.

“Unfortunately, you might have to meet one of those people,” Esara said. “I wish I knew another way, but he’s your best option.”

“Just give me his unit,” said Jay.

“Please don’t underestimate him,” said Esara. “He has powerful, powerful connections. I don’t know what he’s capable of. But I do know he can get you out of this.”

Esara scribbled something down on a small sheet of paper.

“Unit 4112,” said Esara. “That’s where you’ll find him.”

Jay nodded, turning away.

“And Jay,” said Esara.

Jay paused.

“If you come out of this okay…”

Esara smiled, stared deep into his eyes, then squeezed his hand.

“You’ll owe me.”

***

Floor four was even worse than Jay anticipated.

A strange funk hit his nose the moment the elevator doors opened. Shouts and screams of unseen altercations echoed through a graffitied labyrinth ahead. Broken bottles and syringes created a perilous minefield for barefoot travelers. Malicious eyes peered out from open doors. Deserters slinked by in droves, assessing Jay’s potential value.

Even in raggedy floor twelve clothing, Jay stood out. Everyone here had several dozen more tattoos and piercings than him. He lacked the smell too, though he suspected he would acquire that soon.

Several hundred units later, Jay reached a doorway - Unit 4112. The door itself was pristine, recently polished with a new coat of paint. Even the metal number 4112 glistened in the flickering light. This was definitely the place.

He hesitated to knock, in fear of chipping the paint; that wouldn’t make a good first impression. Fortunately, the door opened on its own, revealing a tall man covered in bandages. This man didn’t seem injured - it was possibly an intimidation thing. Someone who fought in bandages clearly wasn’t afraid of getting hurt.

“You’ve been standing there for almost a minute,” said the bandaged man. “Are you just admiring the door?”

“I’m here to see someone,” Jay said.

“Are you here to see me?” asked the bandaged man. “Did you come just to stare at me?”

Jay was flustered. He pulled out Esara’s note - it had a name on it:

“Danny,” Jay said.

“How do you know about Danny?” he asked. “Are you here to kill him?”

“Esara sent me,” Jay said.

“Esara sent you to kill Danny?” asked the bandaged man.

“Esara?” yelled another voice from inside. “Let him in, eh?”

The bandaged man’s stare relented.

“This place is a sanctuary,” said the bandaged man. “If you harm Danny or anyone inside, you will suffer, and then you will die. Are you okay with that?”

Jay stared back.

“I need your answer,” said the bandaged man. “Are you okay with suffering and dying?”

“Yeah sure,” said Jay.

“That’s good,” said the bandaged man, stepping to the side. “Zayder be with you.”

Zayder? That was a new one. Jay scooted past the bandaged man, making sure not to jostle his bandages, in case they weren’t just for show.

Stinking gray mist wafted from the unit’s interior. Jay formed a make-shift air filter with his shirt collar as he stepped inside. His shoes stuck to the floor with each step; he didn’t care to guess why.

This unit was thrice the size of Jay’s - it was some sort of luxury unit, or at least luxury for floor four. Deserters and crews of questionable affiliation watched him from open doorways. Anton wouldn’t approve of Jay coming here, but Anton wasn’t around to stop him. Or save him if something went wrong.

Jay suddenly froze - near the end of a hall was the most terrifying sight he’d seen outside Zero Space. A bubbled mass of artificial flesh protruded from the wall, made from metal, fabric, stone, and some uncomfortably organic materials. Fans, spinning gears and a spider web of twisting wires adorned its bulbous body. A large red light throbbed in its center, pulsating like a beating heart.

A long slender face stood at its peak with an open screaming jaw. Its two deep black eyes stared up into the void. This sculpture was a work of madness. Or considering its lack of structure, possibly a collective madness.

A deserter crouched at its side, securing a bouquet of wires to the highest point he could reach. He then fell to his knees, bowing with such frequency and intensity that Jay couldn’t help but admire his core strength.

“Zayder,” said the deserter. “Please accept me into yourself. Build your body from my body!”

“Esara’s friend,” yelled a voice from a nearby doorway. “Come inside, eh? I’ll be right with you.”

Jay did as instructed, entering a lavish recreation room. This was the tidiest area in the unit; a deserter cleaning crew made sure of that. A phalanx of fans battled back the stink from outside. There were even plants growing here - a rare sight below floor thirty.

Jay sat upon one end of a long sofa, eyeing a buffet of dry sandwiches, cold macaroni salad, and stale chips. His belly rumbled, as if he had resurrected with an empty stomach. The inevitable food poisoning almost seemed worth it.

Well-dressed denizens were scattered about in small cliques. Some sat on plump floor cushions, others cuddled on kaleidoscope throw-rugs, and a few more schemed in dark corners of the room. Jay didn’t dare make eye contact; anybody here was nobody Jay wanted to know.

A greasy man in a baseball hat argued with another man in a blue tuxedo. The tuxedo man’s flesh was as blue as his suit - dry and dehydrated, like a walking slab of strangled beef jerky. Jay’s appetite subsided.

“Hand it over Danny,” said the blue man. “Come on. You can trust me.”

“Silver soul first,” said Danny, adjusting his baseball cap to reveal an eyepatch. “That was the deal, Blue. Be cool. You don’t want to try anything here.”

Blue winced, allowing small fleshy flakes to dribble from his lips. He hesitated, then pulled out a large silver orb.

“The things I had to do to get this,” said Blue, observing his reflection in its sparkling exterior. “It almost pains me to part with it.”

“And yet you will,” Danny said. “Because that’s how deals work, eh?”

Blue’s knuckles cracked, squeezing the orb between boney fingers. Finally, he handed it to Danny, who in exchange, passed him a green duffel bag.

“I don’t want to know what you’re going to do with that,” Danny said. “Just don’t do anything too stupid that could get it traced back to me. My ass is on the line too you know.”

“Of course Danny,” said Blue. “Once I kill the enforcer that did this to me, I’ll…”

“God damn it Blue, I said I don’t want to know what you’re doing with that,” said Danny. “If this comes back to bite me, you’ll see me again. And you don’t want that, eh?”

Blue nodded, his neck popping as his head rose and fell.

“Good, now get your ugly blue ass out of my sight,” Danny said.

Blue slithered out of the room.

“Zayder’s balls, what a pain in the ass,” said Danny, tucking the silver orb away. He turned towards Jay, taking a moment to calm down. “That guy’s got some troubles, more so than the rest of us. I might have been too harsh, eh?”

Jay shrugged.

“Whatever,” said Danny. “You want some food?”

“No thanks,” said Jay.

“A drink then?” asked Danny.

“No thanks,” Jay repeated.

“How about something to help you get away for a while, eh?” asked Danny.

“No thanks,” Jay said again.

Danny leaned in towards Jay, glaring at him with a single eye.

“Zayder’s balls, I let you into my sanctuary, I’m nothing but nice to you, and you turn down everything?” Danny asked. “You’re too good for us or something, eh?”

Jay didn’t comment.

“I don’t care where you’re from,” Danny said. “You’re a guest on our floor. Show some respect, eh?”

Danny stepped close enough for Jay to smell his rank breath.

“We don’t have nice things like you,” said Danny. “We gotta fend for ourselves down here. Maybe you don’t like that, but we work with what we’ve got.”

Danny revealed a tattoo on his shoulder - a slender screaming face. The same one from the terrifying sculpture.

“We follow Zayder’s path down here,” said Danny. “Even Gods can be built from nothing, eh?”

“I don’t care,” Jay finally said. “I need your help. Esara said you owe her one.”

Danny scoffed.

“Okay, okay,” Danny said. “Yeah, I owe that girl a favor, and it’s a big one. What do you need, eh?”

“I need to switch units,” said Jay.

Danny inhaled the green contents of a glass inhaler.

“That’s not so bad,” Danny said. “I’ll have to call in a few favors. Some enforcers gotta fill out some paperwork - bureaucracy and all that. We’ll hook you up with a new place in a few weeks.”

“No, I need it now,” said Jay. “There’s some people after me. They wear silver --”

“Zayder’s balls, stop!” said Danny. “I don’t want to know.”

Danny took another puff of his inhaler.

“So an expedited order, eh?” asked Danny. “It’s possible, but you won’t like it.”

Danny rattled through the contents of a thin cabinet, pulling out a key.

“Unit 11863,” said Danny. “A transitory unit. In three hours, we’ll open the window there.”

Danny tossed the key to Jay.

“You’ll then get fifteen minutes to reach your new unit: unit 18863,” said Danny. “We’ll open the window there too. Easy, eh? We’ve got a whole column of rooms reserved for this sorta --”

“Hold up,” Jay interrupted. “You mean like, go through the static?”

“I don’t see how else you’re gonna do it,” Danny said.

Jay’s face went pale. Going outside the Haven was certain death, unless you were an enforcer - then it was just probable death.

“The static’s not that bad,” said Danny. “You just gotta move fast. There’s a fire escape and everything. Fifteen minutes is plenty of time.”

Jay was tempted to run - take his chances with the silver suits.

“The windows open for ten seconds,” Danny continued. “Don’t miss them. If you get trapped out there, you might as well jump. It’s a quicker death.”

Danny took one more puff of his inhaler.

“You should probably grab your stuff now,” Danny said. “Don’t take more than you can carry.”

Jay trembled. Danny couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“If you survive, let Esara know I’m all paid up, eh?” said Danny.

***

Jay scoured his room for clean clothing. Clean-enough would do; Jay had a low bar. He didn’t need much. Outside of Zero Space, few material possessions mattered to him. And perishables could be acquired from market units on his new floor.

He pressed a button on his computer tower, watching its green light diminish. Though every unit had a Zero Space headset, accounts were irreplaceable. After loosening a few screws, he slid out the hard drive. This was Shae’s entire existence. It was warm in his hand and smelled like burnt dust. He shoved it deep into his backpack, as far as it would go.

Anton’s room didn’t have much worth taking, but Jay searched it anyway. He nearly tripped on a compound bow, catching himself on a pile of porn magazines and Captain Lair comics. With an irritated sigh, Jay opened Anton’s closet.

Creeeeeak

The only thing worth looting here was a bowie knife. It was no enforcer weapon, but if there really were monsters in the Static, this was better than nothing. He grabbed Anton’s Captain Lair mask while he was at it. If people were searching for him, he preferred not looking like himself.

Elsewhere in his unit, another door opened - his front door. Someone was entering. The silver men were back! Jay slipped into Anton’s closet, holding the bowie knife close. History was about to repeat itself; this hiding space wasn’t much better than last time.

Footsteps drew close. Jay peeked through a crack in the closet door to see a figure step into Anton’s room. The person was dressed in yellow. A walkie-talkie hung from his hip. He carried a metal longbow, adorned with lead crystals. Ash fluttered from a lit cigarette into his beard.

Jay recognized him: this was David. Anton’s enforcer mentor. David nearly tripped on Anton’s compound bow. Smirking, David kicked the bow into his hand.

“I see you’ve kept up with my training,” David said to no one.

Jay breathed a sigh of relief. If anyone could help rescue Anton, it was David.

Jay reached towards the closet door --

David whipped his walkie-talkie to his ear.

“No sign of the kid,” David muttered.

Jay froze.

“Look harder,” a familiar voice growled back.

“I’ve looked through the whole place,” David said. “The kid’s hard drive is gone too. Maybe someone stole it.”

“Few people can enter units uninvited,” said the voice. “Maybe one of yours stole it?”

“No, no,” David assured the voice. “My guys wouldn’t do that. But I mean, the kid’s dead. You blew his head off.”

“Don’t be deceived,” said the voice.

“I saw the body,” said David. “This is crazy. I’m looking for a dead man.”

Creeeeeeeeeeeak

The closet door - Jay leaned against it too hard. David’s head jerked in his direction.

Jay choked on his breath, squeezing his bowie knife. If he couldn’t beat Anton, he was doomed against an armed enforcer.

David approached, extending his hand towards the closet door --

“Squad seven,” a different voice said from David’s walkie-talkie. “Static breach on floor two. Report to floor two immediately. I repeat, squad seven, report to floor two.”

“Shit,” said David. He gave the closet one last look, then hurried away.

Jay trembled, his fingers still gripping the knife. The static had saved him. Maybe he would have a chance to thank the static himself - he was about to meet it.

***

Like all unoccupied units, Unit 11863 had basic furniture. Jay’s hips shifted against a firm mattress. He couldn’t imagine sleeping on this thing. Whoever lived here before didn’t put much effort into pimping out their pad, assuming anyone had lived here at all.

Black static rain thumped on a nearby window, eager to make Jay’s acquaintance. Window units were both rare and undesirable. Some people claimed to see strange things outside their windows - shapes moving in the darkness, or faces staring back at them. All rumors of course, but window units also had more documented disappearances. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

BRRZZZZZZ

The window slid open with a low hum. It was just like when the Zero Disc entered. Only this time, Jay was passing through.

Ten seconds -- Jay wedged himself and his backpack to the other side, milliseconds before the window snapped shut.

A torrent of suffocating rain almost knocked Jay off his feet. The crashing water deafened him. Freezing sleet infiltrated his long sleeves and pants. If the static didn’t get him, the cold surely would.

This was some sort of fire escape, ascending upwards across the Haven’s exterior. Jay acquired a rare view of the Haven’s exterior: it was a dark skyscraper, almost invisible in an endless wasteland of black sand. Its color camouflaged it, though Jay couldn’t imagine anything surviving out here. The monster-theory grew less plausible by the second.

RATTLE RATTLE

The sound came from somewhere below, faint in the endless storm. Jay was confident nothing in nature could produce it.

He trudged up slippery stairs, doing his best not to look down. Real-life heights were far worse than Zero Space. If he fell, the sand below might not grant him an instant death. Binding mud might keep him alive, allowing whatever monsters were out here to have their way with him -- he smacked that thought from his head.

“Twelve… Thirteen…”

He counted each passing floor. Fifteen minutes seemed generous, but each step was exasperating. His clothing absorbed ice-cold water. Haven temperature was regulated; freezing climates were not something most wardrobes took into consideration.

“Fourteen… Fifteen…”

His backpack wasn’t closed all the way; the zipper was stuck. Water seeped into its contents, straining his shoulders with its added mass. A terrifying thought crossed Jay’s mind: what if his hard drive was fried? What if Shae was gone -- Jay smacked that thought from his head too. Jay’s safety was more important than Shae’s.

“Sixteen…”

RATTLE RATTLE

It was louder this time. He snuck a curious peek off the side - nothing below. Just a dizzying fall into a void of black sand. Jay’s stomach leapt to his throat as he shifted focus.

“Seventeen…”

One floor left, and almost five minutes to spare. More than enough. All Jay had to do was take his time. Nothing could possibly go wrong now.

“Eighteen…”

Jay made it. Nothing went wrong.

He collapsed by the window’s base, releasing a series of wet coughs. His hands slipped beneath his jacket and pants, spreading warmth across his body. All things considered, this climb wasn’t so bad. The static was wet and awful, but it didn’t seem that dangerous. All he could do now was wait.

His eyes drifted towards the blackened sky. Dim sunlight hid behind a smothering blanket of storm clouds. The black rain’s rhythm was almost calming.

Maybe those static rumors were just fear-mongering. Or maybe the real threat was further out there, beyond the black dunes. A “static breach” could just be a nasty case of flooding. Still, that didn’t explain the enforcer weapons. Using a bazooka on floodwater seemed like overkill.

Jay leaned over the railing, looking everywhere but down. Only a barren desert lay beyond, extending infinitely in all directions. No monsters, no movement, and no floating faces.

RATTLE RATTLE

Again, from below. Jay didn’t give into curiosity. Both hands squeezed the frosted railing until his fingers went numb. After this, he would take a nice hot shower. Hopefully his new unit had warm water.

RATTLE RATTLE

Jay stole a peek - the temptation was just too great:

Something was moving by the Haven’s base. The rainwater mixed the sand below like a blender, creating a shifting whirlpool of mud. Maybe he was imagining it - all those grays and blacks were blending together. It was difficult to focus --

RATTLE RATTLE

BRRZZZZZZ

The sound of the window opening - Jay almost missed it. He panicked, slipping on slick metal as he turned. His chest slammed against a stair, knocking the wind from his lungs. With a painful gasp, Jay heaved his backpack through the window. It landed within with a thump, spilling its contents across the floor.

Jay struggled to lift himself. His fingers were stiff and his damp clothing wasn’t helping. The window was also just a little too high, forcing him to fight for every inch of leverage. Fueled by adrenaline, Jay forced his upper body through. His legs pulled forward --

BRRZZZZZZ

Jay made it through! Or at least most of him had. Horrendous pain surged through his leg - his shin was caught in the window. The window wanted to close, and it didn’t care if Jay’s leg was there or not.

BRRZZZZZZ

Jay hung upside down, blood rushing to his head. His foot had already gone numb, and the pain was spreading towards his waist. This was the worst pain Jay had ever experienced, and it was worsening.

BRRZZZZZZ

The window complained again, but Jay couldn’t do anything about it. He watched his shin compress - it wouldn’t last much longer. The pressure spread to Jay’s head, like it was going to pop off.

He scrambled through his spilled supplies, gripping the bowie knife. His blade jabbed and pried at the window, struggling in vain to wedge it open. These windows were meant to keep out forces far stronger than Jay.

RATTLE RATTLE

The rattling wasn’t far away now. Jay felt the vibrations in the Haven wall; something was climbing it. It was something big - something Jay didn’t want to see.

RATTLE RATTLE

BRRZZZZZZ

Needle-pricks spread through Jay’s body. Black spots appeared in his vision. His shin cracked.

Jay tugged at what remained of his foot - his flesh stretched, but refused to part. The world was spinning. He could smell burnt toast. He wasn’t even aware that he was vomiting.

BRRZZZZZZ

RATTLE RATTLE

SLICE!

Jay hacked through his ankle with the bowie knife. It didn’t take much effort - two weak swings, then the window finished the job. Jay plummeted, smashing his face against the carpet. His victory was short-lived. His severed leg was bleeding out fast.

RATTLE RATTLE

Whatever was out there was retreating - a small silver lining.

Jay glanced down at a pool of blood. It was too much blood. Jay knew what was about to happen - he was going to die. Again. Was this the end? Or would he just wake up in front of his computer?

His computer…

Jay glanced up. Past a bed and below a desk was his new computer - it was dim and inactive. Shae’s hard drive lay by his side. If Bander was correct and Jay’s survival was linked to his premium account, what would happen if his premium account wasn’t active?

He grasped his hard drive - it was wet. Breached by static rain. Would it still work? Or would it fry his rig?

His only option was to find out.

He crawled across the floor, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. How long could he possibly survive like this? A few minutes? A few seconds? This type of injury could end a Zero Space life in minutes without treatment. Jay suspected he had even less time here.

His fingernails clawed at the carpeting, dragging his whole body forward. The pain began to subside. A full-body chill washed over him. He felt as if he could lie down and die on command.

No, he couldn’t let Anton down. But if he was honest with himself, this wasn’t about Anton. His fleeting mind had only one goal - self-preservation.

Jay didn’t want to die.

It was a relieving thought. For all the pain in Jay’s life, when faced with the reality of death, something urged him to continue. He wanted to survive. Not for his friends. Not for Anton. Just for himself.

He wrestled his computer sideways, slipping the hard drive inside. There would be time to secure it later, assuming there was a later. His computer was already plugged in; all he had to do was hit the power button.

A calming numbness washed over him. His body grew tired. The Haven began to fade away --

NO

Jay’s finger shot out like a bullet into the power button. A dim hum radiated from his computer, accompanied by a shimmering green light.

His account was active.

Jay produced a sound that fell somewhere between a laugh and a cry. He clutched his computer. Its warm green radiance somehow assured him everything would be alright.

Maybe Jay would wake up in front of his new computer. Or maybe enforcers would eventually find his rotting body. It didn’t matter anymore - his part in all this was over. He closed his eyes, exhaling one final heavy breath.