"What?"

"…"

"What are you staring at?

I shake my head. Turn my gaze away from him. Take a big sip from the canteen.

"What?!"

"Nothing, Rotor. We need to catch up to that fucking mob."

"I don't know, Vernon. This town's gone fucking nuts. Insane. Let's get the fuck out of here."

"What?"

"Vernon, I have a really bad feeling about this, man. I really do. I'm getting bad vibrations and shit."

"Are you okay?"

"No. No I'm not. I need to get the fuck out of here."

He just starts walking. Turns around and walks away.

I jog to catch up to him.

"Rotor!"

He doesn't stop. He doesn't turn.

"Where the fuck are you going, man? Where the fuck are you going to go?"

He stops. He turns.

"I don't know, man. West? I think I'll go west, or something. Look for another colony. Build a place in the woods, maybe. With my hands. I can't fish. Can you fish?"

"Rotor, just calm down, okay? Take a breather."

"No, god damn it! Did you see what that mob did to Tails? And the way they looked at me.. I gotta go. I have to get out of here."

He starts rapidly walking away again. Almost jogging.

Things click into place.

"What are you hiding, Rotor?"

He stops. This time he doesn't turn.

"What?"

He can't even face me.

"What are you hiding?"

He looks over his shoulder.

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"I think you know what it means, 'walrus'."

His expression changes for the worse. He turns his head and starts walking again.

"Rotor!"

"Eat shit, Vernon. Fuck you."

"Rotor!"

He doesn't look back.

In the back of my head, a little voice tells me he is right. Perhaps I'm just being a jackass, but it is imperative I get this story down.

The facts.
The truth.
How it happened.

My body tingles.
Something is wrong.

I feel sick.

Doesn't matter. I have a mystery to solve. A mystery. That's right.

Where they dragged Miles off to. That's what I'm supposed to find out.

And what the fuck is going on. That is what I'm supposed to find out too, I think.

Woah…

Didn't that beer wear off?

Falling into the dirt, I throw up on my hands. The ground won't stop… wobbling?

This is nonsense. This is all nonsense.

The voices in my head are shouting to BURN HIM at the stake, but I don't know who him is. Or why I should be burning he. Him.

"BURN HIM!"

A lot of people. Saying it at once. This is hard to absorb.

It's too far away to be in my head…

Looking over the hill to my left, I see a stake being hoisted up. Flames ignite, and float by themselves, in a large mob around the blurry stake.

I think I need to get closer.

This isn't real. I'm dreaming.

I must be.

Miles.

The voice so strong and loud amongst the people.
But now he's silent.

He doesn't speak a word. He just hangs limply on the fat stake, crudely tied and supported with nails.

I approach from a distance.
The stake gets closer.

It's like a movie, or something. A dream, maybe. So surreal. I'm having trouble distinguishing when I left reality. I know I'm not still there. I can't be.

This wouldn't happen. This simply could not happen.

The floating flames actually sit atop sticks. The sticks rest in the arms of those who form the mob. Their incoherent shouting and unheard of noises.

Antoine is nowhere to be seen. They didn't even need his influence for this.

Or did they?

It's hard to judge what's happening clearly. The world is shaking, and it's hard to balance, so I have to lean against this hut.

I can't feel my skin. Does that ever happen to you?

After checking to make sure it's still here, I look back up to see tender being placed all around the pole. Dried wood and leaves, and shit.

They all step back.

Screaming and shouting at the unconscious being before them, I manage to stumble closer and lean against a nearby tree.

I have to get the facts. We're recording history here.

I'm recording………………………………... something.

Right.

This is how it happened.

The floating balls of light kiss the mound of dead sticks and leaves on every side. A moment of unity, and the balls depart, leaving a little something behind.

A piece of themselves.

This spreads quickly. First it grows outward, and the pieces meet. They become one, and then it starts growing upward. Getting taller.

"This is necessary!" Antoine shouts. I don't see him, but I know his voice.

Miles stirs. I can barely see him squirming from over here. My vision is out of focus, because I think this fucking tree keeps wobbling, or something. Moving.

I need to sit, so I do. The constant shaking and rocking doesn't stop.

Something is wrong with the world.

I don't thing he realizes what's happening. I don't think I necessarily realize what's happening. He just kind of squirms for a minute, until he notices the light. The light scares him. The fact that he started to scream led me to this conclusion.

He just started screaming. His voice, so strong and loud.

"STOP THIS! FUCKING STOP THIS!"

More incoherent shouting drowns him out. His voice breaks in and out. I'm not entirely positive whether or not he's screaming, or trying to say something.

Perhaps both?

"Do you see what irreparable damage your so called queen has done to this place?"

Antoine, speaking so clearly. Where is it coming from?

The light is well past his legs, as his agonizingly loud screaming gets even higher in pitch.

"YOU FOOLS! YOU FUCKING I-"

Rocks hit him from all directions. Rocks and sticks. Torches.
Shouting nonsense, the crowd has reduced to hurling objects at the now giant blazing pile of light. What stood there before has been engulfed entirely.

The screams remain. It doesn't die down.

I need to get the fuck out of here. I need to get the fuck out of here right now.

Nasty vibrations. Really dark clouds, so to speak.

Using the tree to support my weight I manage to lift myself to my feet. Turning away from the light and the mob, I turn and start running.

I don't like the light, and the people that are using it are scaring me.

Of course, this probably isn't real. It can't be. Light doesn't float.

Still running away, though.

I'm not sure what's real and what isn't. That having been thought, I would like to make it clear that I really want this shit to end. Really. Discomfort. That constant feeling of discontent is back. Like nothing will ever be right again. Like I need to make some sort of change. What the fuck is going on?

I need this to stop. This walk seems to be going on forever.

Staring at the ground, I have no idea where it's taking me. Looking up, I see a large pile of light in the distance. The mass shouting is suddenly apparent.

I've been here before. A circle? The world is playing tricks on me. Or is it my mind? The world is playing tricks on my mind? Something like that?

Whatever. Doesn't matter. The fact is, that I have been here before, and this was where I was trying to escape from. Oddly enough, I'm staring it right in its ugly eye.

But I wasn't here, because my tree isn't on this side of the…
Okay, so after further investigation, the examination of my surroundings leads me to believe I walked in a giant half circle. Facing the middle of town from the opposite side, you see.

And I can hear Antoine speaking once more.

"In order to claim this land for ourselves, we must remove the one who calls it her own!"

Sally. The princess.

She lives behind me?
I think so.

Hmm.. I should probably go.

Go find Sally. Find Sally before they do, and get the fuck out of here.

It seems only right.

Sally's hut is exactly the same as everyone else's.
She doesn't feel she is superior in any way. It's because of this that I can't fucking find her.

Rows and rows of huts passing me by. Or am I passing them by?

Doesn't matter. Don't worry about it. I think it's this way…

When I meet forest, I decide to turn back.

"On the far corner!"
Faint shouts getting closer.

I see the light starting to shine over the horizon.
They're coming.

Fuck.

At least I know I'm headed the right direction.

God damn it, princess. I guess I just try random doors in this direction?

Four houses, I've tried. Just knocking and shouting.
Nothing. Maybe she just ignored me. Maybe she's dead.

They're getting closer. Oh fuck, they're getting closer.
Fuck.
One more. One more, and I'm out.

"Sally?"

"Go away."

"Oh thank god!"

Without trying to open it, I kick the door open.

"Sally!"

Fumbling for a light switch I manage to shed light in the place.

There she is, on the floor. Rocking back and forth with her arms folded around her knees. Mascara running down her face. It looks dried.

"We have to get out of here."

She just stares at me.

"Sally, we have to fucking go!"

She just fucking stares at me.

"Sally?"

"He's still alive" she says in a creepy monotone voice. I'm suddenly uncomfortable. "Somewhere inside of all of that cold, cold metal… but I can't do anything about it. He's gone forever."

"I.."

She looks away.

"Who are you?"

Suddenly the door is kicked open.

OH FUCK

/-/-/pause/-/-/

That is to say that things stop. A second that lasts an infinity occurs, and I catch sight of what my life could very well become. I see myself getting swarmed by this mob of people. I see myself engulfed in people, being pushed and forced into darkness. I see myself waking up to light. I don't want to wake up in the light, because I don't know where it's going to take me, and I simply can not face something I don't understand. I just can't. But what can I do? And that's when it hit me. In that one instant. In that one second.

/-/-/end pause/-/-/

That is to say that things resume. Life itself resumes, as if from on break. I grab her hand and pull her up roughly, twisting it and forcing it behind her back and pulling her close.

"Guys, I found her!"

I'm such a piece of shit. I'm such a cowardly piece of shit.

"Get some rest tonight, soldiers. Gather as much water and food you can. Tomorrow, we make our way to Robotropolis. Tomorrow we make change."

The crowd goes wild.

Shit

What the fuck is happening?

No. No, this can't be real.

It isn't. It's a dream. A fucking crazy nightmare. I'll wake up from this in good spirits.