TW: Mentions of homophobia, conversion therapy, the f-slur, and some heavy internalized homophobia. Savage is messed up, y'all (and honestly, the man needs a hug). I'll put a TL;DR at the end of the chapter summarizing the main points if you need to skip this chapter but want to keep up with the narrative of the story!


Arthur Savage had never been more uncomfortable in his life. He sat on a medical table in a paper gown; at least twenty electrodes stuck onto a variety of places on his body. No glasses, no clothes- he hadn't felt this stupid since primary school when the other kids used to steal his things or tease him on the playground.

He couldn't help but feel more than a little stupid- after all, the reason he was in this situation was because one of the students he'd picked for the simulation had been so unstable she'd caused the entire virtual scenario to unravel.

That's what he wanted to believe- that the fault was somehow not on him. But he knew that he couldn't deny the truth that this entire situation had resulted from actions he'd taken. He'd been the one to sign up the six students he felt would respond best to the simulation. It was going to the school and having to interact with the virtually simulation version of himself that had thrown Steph North into the panic that had re-written the code of the virtual scenario. And as much as he hated it, he knew that he'd treated Steph unfairly. He knew that he singled her out from the other students- initially because her experiences with school in Canada had been different than the way school was run in Little Haven, but he also knew that a part of him was unnecessarily strict to her because she reminded him of all he hadn't been able to be in high school all those years ago. His own parents had been wildly homophobic- to the point where they'd tried to force him into conversion therapy until he promised to stop hanging out with Tony. By the time he got to Uni, he'd been so used to living in fear of his parents finding out that he was gay for so long that it felt nearly impossible to come out, even long after he'd moved out of his parent's house.

Steph was so blatantly out- he felt he had a level of responsibility to let her know that it was going to be hard for her; that being gay was something that you couldn't just go around flaunting because there were a lot of people who would make your life a living hell because of it.

Had he been a bit more self-aware, Arthur would have realized that the way he treated Steph- how he held her to such a high standard, how he constantly chided her for how loud and unapologetic she was about the causes she cared about, how he noticed how she didn't seem to quite fit with her peers and how he felt as if he needed to put her in her place- all he felt he needed to teach her was directly related to the degree to which he felt, almost subconsciously, that being gay (and more specifically, his being gay) was wrong.

Logically, he knew that there was absolutely nothing wrong with being gay. He was gay. But growing up with parents and classmates and neighbors who were unsupportive, outwardly critical of, and sometimes physically violent towards gay people had reinforced the idea that gay was wrong- and that was an idea that he'd been told so many times that it became harder and harder for him to see it as anything less than the truth.

The project supervisors had shown Arthur the clips of the students fighting for their lives inside the school- Nick sacrificing himself to protect Anna, Lisa camping out in a utility closet, Chris comforting Steph as she broke down on the floor of the school kitchen. They'd briefed him on the locations of the various students, where they all were in relation to where he would enter the simulation and how he was instructed to get the students to the final "checkpoint" so that they would be able to exit the simulation. He was instructed to ensure the students safety at all costs, and to begin de-briefing them before they were all removed from the glitch-ridden virtual reality.

Dr. Dawson strode through the door, clipboard in hand.

"Alright, Arthur. Your vitals are all set- looks like you'll be heading into the simulation as soon as we give you the sedative that will keep you in the REM state needed for you to adequately experience the virtual reality. Any questions?"

Arthur sat there; back straight, hands clasped in front of him.

"Ah… No…I don't think so?" He felt a bit nervous, which was perfectly normal for anyone to feel right before they do something they'd never done before that carries a certain amount of risk. All the technology had been tested, and was being actively tested and monitored at this very moment. It was safe. And yet, the whole reason that Arthur was being sent into the virtual simulation was because a child managed to accidentally re-code the entire virtual reality scenario. Arthur Savage was more than a little nervous, but that was fine. It was going to be fine.

"Alright, then. Let's get you ready for your upload." Dr. Dawson pressed a button on the wall, and moments later several medical assistants decked out in white coats, scrubs, masks and gloves entered the room. One of them was carrying a tray with several wrapped medical instruments, as well as a small bottle of what Arthur assumed was the anesthetic he would be given.

"This, ah… this won't hurt, will it?" He grimaced, as two of the medical assistants motioned for him to lie back.

"You might feel a small pinch when we inject the anesthetic, but other than that it's completely painless." Dr. Dawson clarified.

"Although, while your body and consciousness adjust to the virtually simulated reality you may experience some mild vertigo, nausea, and possibly some shortness of breath. All those symptoms are temporary and completely normal- they'll go away once your mind adjusts to the simulation."

"Right."

Now he was nervous. Taking a breath, he stared up at the fluorescent lights as the medical assistants monitored his vitals, checked the application of the electrodes, and began prepping the syringe of anesthetic.

One of the assistants- a woman with thick red hair pulled back into a braided twist at the nape of her neck spoke to him.

"Alright, Mr. Savage. I want you to take a deep breath for me."

He looked at her, breathing in as he felt a small pinch on his arm.

"Now breathe out, nice and slow."

His vision began to blur as he breathed- his entire body feeling as if it were sinking into the hospital bed he was laying on. His breathing slowed as he closed his eyes, and before he knew it he was unconscious.


Arthur Savage was twenty-nine, interviewing for a teaching position at a local religious school- wearing a suit that slightly too big on his scrawny frame and a bowtie that he tugged at nervously.

"So, Arthur… you've got all the necessary qualifications, so I don't see why we would have any objections to hiring you."

"Thank you very much, sir."

"Now, I hope you don't mind me asking, but in regards to your personal preferences…"

Arthur felt his face heat up.

"I'm sorry?"

The older gentleman who was conducting his interview folded his hands, the cable knit sweater he was wearing straining at his forearms as he regarded Arthur.

"Well," He cleared his throat.

"Arthur, are you a faggot?"

"E-Excuse me?"

"A faggot, Arthur. Do you fancy men?"

Arthur Savage felt like he was going to throw up. This was a religious school. If they found out he was gay, they'd never hire him. He'd thought that he could keep just pretending to be straight in hopes that no one would find out- but clearly there was no way he'd be able to fool anyone. He would never be able to get a job, especially a teaching position because no one would want a fucking faggot teaching their children

Barely managing to find the words, Arthur gripped the edge of his chair so hard he felt like his fingers would break.

"N-No, sir."

"Well thank the Lord for that!"

The older man laughed, which put Arthur at ease slightly but not enough.

"I figured, since you walked through the doors of the school and didn't burn up on entry!"

Some conversation was had- mostly the head teacher cracking jokes and Arthur smiling and trying not to break down right then and there. After what felt like an eternity, the interview mercifully ended- and two weeks later Arthur Savage was teaching English to fourth year students and spending his lunch periods hiding from the rest of the faculty in his classroom.


Feeling the world shift under him, Arthur Savage rolled over onto his side- feeling a sticky wetness coat the back of his hand as he pushed himself to his feet.

The world tilted and shifted as he looked down at his hand- which was coated with blood. He grimaced, wiping his hand on the linoleum floor of the school gymnasium as he slowly got to his feet- fluorescent lights flickering high overhead as he overheard the shuffling and thumping of zombies; likely surrounding the perimeter of the gymnasium, if not already finding a way inside.

He hated gym class. He'd always hated it- but he felt an odd sense of relief as a cricket bat leaned up against a far wall caught his eye.

Crossing the gym floor, Arthur grabbed the bat.

Don't get bitten. Find the kids, make sure your virtual clone doesn't kill them. De-escalate the simulation, and hopefully don't cause any more long-lasting trauma to the students than the simulation has caused them already.

This was going to be fine. He was going to be fine.


XXX

TL;DR: Savage prepares to enter the simulation- realizing that the whole reason he's being sent into the simulation is because he took his own internalized homophobia out on Steph (the only visibly, mega-queer student at the school). He confronts the fact that he grew up in a fairly homophobic community, and as a result he never learned to be actually proud of who he was. In this chapter, it is heavily implied that Arthur Savage has never had the support nor the courage to come out to anyone other than Tony Shephard, and has therefore been living almost all of his life in the closet.

When he enters the simulation, he ends up in the gymnasium (at the far end of the school)- and he then heads off in search of the remaining students.