... Wake up in my bed, covered in a cold sweat. I throw the blankets to the floor and check my body, check my nasal cavity to see if it was all real.
When I find nothing I start to calm down, my heart regulating to a constant beat. After a few moments of waiting to feel better, I walk into the kitchen and get myself some water.
My computer switches on and sitting down before it. That dream seemed a little too real for comfort, and this audio CD is something I'd like to find more about.
I find a chat room entitled World not real and I go in, expecting to find a bunch of bored teens role playing or something.
Static: Can't sleep?
Sliver: How did you know about that?
Static: Like them, we're always watching you
Sliver: I had the scariest dream just now
Static: Right now is a dream. your entire life has been a dream.
Sliver: What are you talking about
Static: What's real is a dream. what's a dream is the reality. Soon, you will wake.
What the hell? I say to myself
Static: You think I'm crazy.
No I don't.
Static: Don't lie to me. Live the dream one day longer. Ring ring Sliver.
The ringing of the doorbell causes me to jump in my seat and I look behind me at the door.
Kyle are you there? It's Kendra.
Yeah. Hang on. I stand up and look at my computer screen. There's a green error screen on it. I hit the power switch and it goes blank.
When I open my door, there she is in the same suit she went to work in.
You gonna invite me in or what? It's freezing out here.
Yeah. Sorry. Something just happened and... never mind. How was work? I refill my cup with water and poor Kendra a cup of her own.
It was work. I missed you. Thanks. She drinks from her cup. I didn't realize how thirsty I was.
I missed you too.
Are you sure you're okay? You look like maybe you just saw the living dead or something.
My uh... On my computer there was some guy talking a bunch of crazy stuff.
What kind of crazy stuff?
Something like you're living a dream' and this isn't the real world.' He didn't make a whole lot of sense.
Makes sense to me. She sets her cup on the table and sits down across from me. There's a few things I need to tell you, and please don't get scared.
I'll try not to. The way I say this, it sound like a question.
This isn't the real world. All of this, the water, the cups that hold it, everything is a simulation. The Matrix it's called. Think of it as one of those massive online RPG games, where everybody jacks into one giant world and you all have a different character. It's kinda like that.
Okay. Now my best friend and lover is crazy. Am I the only sane one in this world? Or am I the crazy one?
Believe me or not, but now that you know some of the truth, you're in a lot of danger.
The phone rings.
Don't tell them I'm here. Tell them nothing about me.
Hello Sliver. You and your lady friend have about ten seconds to get the hell out of that house. Run now. And he hangs up.
I think we should go. I say, grabbing Kendra's arm and running towards the back of the house.
As I'm trying to open the window, I can hear three sharp knocks on the door.
Mr. Burdsten. Open this door. It's the police.
Kendra mutters something that sounds like Oh shit, they're here.'
Stand aside and let me open it. She says, and pushes me out of the way. With almost not effort, she practically rips the window from the wall and jumps to the ground. Jump Kyle.
How did you...
The door is broken down with a crash of splinters.
Stop Mr. Burdsten, you're under arrest. Among all the men in flak jackets, I see those business men.
I leap out the window and see Kendra running a couple yards ahead, and I follow her, looking behind to see the business men following out the window.
I finally manage to catch up to Kendra, and I ask her, what the hell is going on.
You'll find out soon, I'm sure. Just don't let them get you. By the way, call me Boon.
As I run I'm huffing, trying to breath and keep up to Kendra, I mean, Boon, and puffing I ask her, who are they?
They're called agents. I'll tell you more when we're safer. Just run.
A few seconds later, we attempt to run across a busy main street. Traffic rushes past us, little spray of rain wetting us, giving us a mist shower.
Boon doesn't stop running, but something about the headlights and my wanting to live causes me to stop running and just stand in the street. Frozen by fear I think, I just stare at an on coming truck, barreling towards me at high speeds.
Reactionary to protect myself, I throw my arms up in front of my face. And within seconds of me doing this, and the truck hitting me, I lose my hearing. No sounds. No audible anything.
In this second of deafness, something in my brain clicks, and for a split second, it all becomes clear. The matrix is a computer system. As such, there's many things you should be able to do.
And like a program writer, I see this code, I see the code flowing through everything. Green and flowing like a heavy rain.
Then the sound comes back into my brain, shaking me back into the matrix, the truck thundering towards me. Using the code, I reinforce my energy into a barrier, or sort of brick wall.
And then it happens. The truck hits me. Hard. At least 65 miles per hour. I should have flown. Far. Or just got squashed under the truck. But neither happened. Like slow motion, I feel the metal frame of the truck's front end crumple and bend around me.
I lower my arms, and see shards of glass and bolts and various other parts fly slowly past my head.
As swiftly as it slowed, the time picks back up and the truck lurches, and stops moving.
When I look over to see the agents, I see this big black Bronco slam into them, flinging their bodies a couple yards. The bronco stops and the rear door opens.
Sliver, get in here! Somebody from within the vehicle yells out at me.
I run and get into the car, and turn round to look back at Boon.
Boon! Come on!
She looks at me with sad eyes, then runs off.
She'll be fine Sliver, we have other things to do. Like getting out. The driver says.