Chapter 1: System activated.

INTRO….

There have been so many stories, more like prophecies telling us about the end and destruction of the world but with science and technology going fast, no one believes in those stories anymore. As long as you are able to acquire and access these exotic techs then your safe and continued existence is sure. But the big question remains, will these techs stop the world from destruction or will they aid its destruction?

*****

“Enrolling in this school is the worst mistake I made. Why did they keep the truth away from the poor?” Stan Gibson, a twenty year old solicited to himself. He is looking very depressed and that was because of the things that had happened earlier in the day. He is alone in a lounge, sitting on his bed.

It was late at night, yet he couldn’t sleep, the whole environment was very quiet. And he had been talking to himself since nightfall and this was some minutes past one according to the wall clock which hung in the room.

For the past two months he had been finding it very difficult to sleep at night and that was after hearing something he shouldn’t have heard. He hated himself after hearing that news and ever since he had been repeating the same question to himself which he could not answer on his own yet he lacked the courage to ask another, someone who definitely would have an answer to his question. The problem was not actually courage, rather it was the fact that even if he did ask his question to the right source, he still would not get an answer.

“But why? Why hide this from the poor?” he repeated the usual question. He had tried several times to take that question off his mind but that was not working at all, despite how hard he tried.

It is the second year since he joined the school with hopes and dreams of living a stress free life just like the rich of his time. His regrets were because he had used a very huge sum of money to enroll himself into the school only to find out recently that the school was not a reason and ticket to standing out in the society. Now he could not even work to earn himself a penny nor do he have a home to go back to if he leaves the school.

He had sold the house and the only thing his parents left for him before joining the ancestors just to get enough money for the school which he believed would change his life. The truth which he heard made him understand why he has never been accepted in the school by other students and even most of the teachers. He could also understand why he wasn’t meeting up with the standard of the school either and series of time he has been threatened to evict the school but through his plea he was allowed to complete the remaining two years which he had to spend in the school as they all knew that his staying would still be worthless.

For the last two months he had fought his instinct which was telling him to leave the school on his own and start a new life from scratch as that would still be where he would start from even after completing his stay in the school in the next two years. But each time he recalled that there was nowhere to return to, he would insist on staying as though there was any hope for him if he completed his stay in the school.

Due to the incident that happened earlier on, how he faced the most humiliation of his life and remembering the faces of the entire school laughing and making a show of him, he could not bear the shame of going out into their midst in the morning, so he gets up from his bed, picking up his backpack and then selects a few pairs of clothing from the wardrobe.

Afterwards he sneaks out of his room, leaving the entire surrounding of the school quietly so that no eye would see him leaving. Trying to avoid being seen was of no use as everyone in the school wanted him gone. Even the school guards did not restrict him from leaving, as they noticed he was the one, the exit gate was opened for him without any request. That is to tell how badly they wanted him out of their midst and the school.

*****

Coming beyond the walls of the school, he could barely recognize where he was. It seemed to him as though he was in a new world because it had taken an entirely different shape from the time when he enrolled in the school. Two years in a confined environment, is it enough to bring about so much change in the society? That was the question he asked himself. Things were worse than they were when he decided to make a name for himself by joining the school.

“Shit! the poor have to know. They deserve to know how the society operates. I won’t keep his secret to myself.” He muttered as he walked along the streets a few blocks from the school.

“Hey, what do you have in your bag?” a man in his early forties asked him.

Just a few personal belongings,” He answered as he looked the man in the face and could read danger from his appearance. Fear gripped him as he turned his neck only to see two other hefty men drawing close to him from different directions.

“Please…. Don’t hurt me.” He begged as one of them dragged his bag and started emptying it to the ground.

Then a picture of Stan with his parents fell out of the bag along with every other thing inside. So he rushed the picture but he wasn’t fast enough, it was picked first by one of the men who took a short look at it before handing it over to the man that had stopped him. “He is one of them.”

The one whom itr was handed over to also looked at the picture as Stan cried out. “Those are my parents? Please give it back.”

“You know what to do.” The man with the picture said to the other two who appeared to be under him.

Immediately, they began to beat him with no regard. They did not mind that he was still young and could die as a result of their beating. In fact it was obvious they wanted him dead because his crying and groaning was of no concern to them.

“That’s enough!” the same person that has given the other to beat him up repeated and those following his command obeyed.

At this point, Stan could barely move. He was bleeding on his head and arms. A few bones were also broken and he struggled to draw breath. He was left at the blink of death.

“He should pass a messenger to his folks.” The man added as he spat at him and then left with his boys dropping the picture on the ground.

Towards the early hours of the morning, Stan Gibson was still breathing as his eyes were fixed on the picture which he tried reaching out to but could not. It was five in the morning so he was now hoping for someone to pass by that route and help him. With his hopes high since he had refused to breathe his last, he heard.

[Host found]

He was glad as he heard that even though he did not know what it meant, he felt it was someone around that had said that so he got strange strength to turn but did not see anyone.

[Host: Stan Gibson. Age: twenty. Host is badly injured and needs help.]

“Yes, yes….. Help me, please.” Stan quickly replied, using his last strength to speak as he earnestly needs any help he can get.

[Permission accepted. System activated.]