Cyberspace; The Ultimus Collection

Chapter 39, Breathless

The gang all filed into their seats. About a dozen chairs per table, and for every table a grill. All together, they took up roughly half the restaurant's space. The staff really didn't mind however, it would've been just as busy either way and money is money. Daniel sat at the table in the back corner. Accompanying him were the ones he felt closest to; Derick, Catelin, Vincent, Ashley, Alyson, Jax, and G-1. The latter three were making polite conversation, sipping their glasses of ice water. Meanwhile the rest were silent, bodies stiff and still, trying to distract their minds by frantically admiring the Japanese decor of the eatery. Suddenly, a metallic body sprang up from the floorboards, making everyone jump; some out of excitement, some out of fear.

"Good evening, everyone! I am Teppan, your cook for tonight! How's everyone doing?" The robot was delightfully cheerful, a real showman. His mood was so infectious that it even made Vincent crack a slight smile. His body was that of a standard android unit, a simple representation of the average male upper body. The only thing that really made him stand out was that instead of legs, Teppan was attached to a steel pole at the waist, which he used to swivel around at nauseating speeds. In terms of outfit or decoration, all that Teppan was sporting was a bright white chef's hat. "Now what will we be cooking this evening? Don't think too hard, we can and will grill whatever you desire!"

"Anything?" Alyson wondered.

"Anything at all my dear! Land or sea! Dirt cheap or lavishly expensive! We've got it all! Besides, your bill really comes from the experience, not the food!" There were several ooo's and ahh's from the table. Soon people started placing their orders, and Teppan started to write it all down. Chicken, filet mignon, swordfish, and scallops, nothing was off limits. There were big smiles on everyone's faces, and for a moment they forgot all about the problems of the world. "Alright! I'll see what I can do! In the meantime, please enjoy some complimentary miso soup!" And just as quickly as he arrived, Teppan disappeared back into the floor. As he left little circular compartments on the table flipped open, shooting piping hot bowls of soup onto the counter.

"Wow! This place is great!" Alyson beamed.

"I know, I'm surprised we haven't gone here sooner." G-1 agreed. Everyone began collectively slurping their soup, being just careful enough to not burn their tongues. All had finally started to relax, all except Vincent. Vincent gently swirled his miso around in the bowl with the spoon. His mind was still plagued, unlike the others. Plagued with insecurities and fears. Certain thoughts started to creep in, to the point where they couldn't be ignored.

"Excuse me. I need to use the restroom." Vincent quietly said, pushing his chair back and standing up. He then slowly made his way over to the bathrooms, keeping his head down the whole way. When he made it in, he quickly opened up a stall door and sat inside. *Click* the lock went as he walled himself off from the world. Vincent put his head in his hands, rubbing his face. He tried to take deep breaths to settle his nerves. In and out. In and out. Breathe, breathe, he thought. Time seemed to slow down around him, as if the world had stopped spinning. The floor felt like it shifted beneath him. His whole body shivered as a growing feeling of unease shocked his system. He could feel his eyes start to strain and water, despite them being sealed shut. Eventually, Vincent lifted his head back up. One more deep breath, before he would unknowingly hold it forever. When he opened his eyes, Vincent became paralyzed with fear. Starring back at him, from the middle of the stall door, was his old Anonymous mask. Vincent wanted to back away from it, but he had nowhere to run. The mask began to slowly ooze forward, black tar dripping onto the floor from where it and the door met. Soon it plopped onto the bathroom tile. Vincent jolted back, now crawled upon the toilet. He tried to take in some more breaths, but no air would budge. Shallow nor deep breaths could infiltrate or leave his lungs. He was breathless. Vincent looked back up to where the mask once sat. A patch of mold and rot spread across the door, and in the center glowed two white eyes. "No..." He whispered. The eyes drew closer and closer. "No... no..." The profile of a skull could be made out amongst the wretched filth. "No no no... please..." He begged as the frontal bone peaked its way through into this mortal plane, dragging the rest of the skull with it. Its mandible hung slightly open and ajar, like a damned crooked and demented smile. "Please... leave me alone..." He pleaded further. More and more tar oozed from the skeleton's mouth. Sludge poured from its eye sockets and onto the floor. A wet, slopping, splash echoed off the ceramic walls. Despite having no lungs, or any organs, the skeleton breathed a cold, raspy breath. "What do you want from me spirit..."