Dimension of Perfection (And Its Flaws)

Chapter - 6 - Not All Perfect

The once bustling community of Natville is completely gone.

The main gates are rusted and rundown, and now instead of a steel and brick fence surrounding the entrance, there is a large industrial barrier with police tape everywhere.

The entrances are sealed shut, and the scattered equipment suggest it's supposed to be demolished, but hasn't been enough of a trouble to warrant it yet.

I fly over the towering fences and descend onto the dry, hard ground.
I gaze into the far distance and see nothing but decimated houses for as far as the eye can see.
All of them are burnt in one place or another, and the foliage has started to rise up and into the totalled walls of the various homes.

I stare at the horrific sights as I pass cars indistinguishable from each other because of how wrecked they all are.

I audibly gasp at these sights and I feel an emotion that rarely occurs within me.

Sadness.

It's obvious that this isn't a normal case of abandonment. Someone destroyed this place on purpose.

I feel a sorrow I can only describe as abnormal. I know these people probably hated me, but they seemed like home.
And now they're all gone.

And worse, I think I know how.
An egg shaped, white and blue robot carcass, well, actually, several of them, lie submerged in mud and in pieces.

Someone didn't do this.
They did this.

I catch a glimpse of Ze Dude's Estate in my peripheral, and whip back to the direction I saw it.

His mansion shares the same traits as the surrounding neighbours, that is, destroyed beyond repair.

After a few seconds of flapping over to it, I creep into the South section of the house, and see the harrowing sight of his kitchen completely intact, with everything placed exactly how I remember.

A calendar with rap artists for different months sits on the wall across from the stove.
The month on the calendar is May, and the crosses on each day lead all the way up until the 25th.

I pick it up and examine it. The back is considerably less damaged and dusty than everything else, and the year on it seems to be 2014.

That must've been when, well, THIS happened.

The rest of the kitchen looks fine, but an awful smell emanates from a severely moulded piece of bread that's probably a decade old, sitting on a plate with a knife and a jar of peanut butter on either side of the plate. The peanut paste jar is also a sickly black and green colour that looks as if it could kill a whale.

I step out of the kitchen and into the living room, which currently has a decrepit tree growing in it.

I know the possibility is insane, But just in case, I call out to Ze Dude.

"Hey!! Zebby!! Hello?! It's me, D*ckhead again! Zebby?!! You there?!!"

After no response, well, except for an animal scuttling in the rafters, I come to the conclusion that he's nowhere to be seen.

Still gobsmacked, I make my way back out of the suburb and back into the jungle of incompletion. On my way the robot shells aren't the only things I see from them. Another kind of robot, more humanoid in shape lies up against a wall. The robot has some sort of tank attached to its back, and I don't even want to begin thinking about what was stored in there.

I jump the fence again, and trudge along the street away from the neighbourhood, until I reach a large skeletal frame that was probably meant to be finished by now.

This is impossible! How is it, that this all happens, in like, a DAY?!
I keep trying to look for answers, but all I find is more questions!

I rip the mask off in frustration, and saunter over to a metal bench and sit down, all while making guttural groans and noises.

I stare at the ground, wondering what I did wrong to deserve this.
To have my life turned on its head, and then firebombed right in front of my eyes.
Maybe this is payback for all I've done.
Maybe the Imagisphere is trying to send me a message.
I don't even know if this is real!
What if I die, and..

Don't wake up..

What if I'm not dreaming..
-
-
I sit in devastation and stare at the ground, wondering if my alarm will spring me from this nightmare before I start...

Crying...

-
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A man on the street trudges over to my position, presumably because of my posture being that of a prawn.

"Hello young man." Says the guy, in a weary old voice.
I remain hunched over and respond in a faint voice.

"What do you want?" I groan.

"You seem upset.. What is the matter?"

I hesitate before saying anything, or even making a noise, and consider the kind gentleman.

"I'm j-just, confused.. That's all." I huff out, before silently holding back tears some more.

"Lad, there isn't anything to be confused about, AniaN has blessed you! Please, show me your face.."

After the interesting response, I wipe my face and start lifting my head up, dragging the weight of my horns up until I can see the old man's face.

The man's head is in the shape of a cassette tape, with both his eyes being placed in the film cogs of the device.
His beard reaches until his hips, and it's a mixture of grey and white.
He has a plaid brown cap on, and his spectacles only just barely cover his eyes, like he got the wrong size.

His face is a gentle smile, and his eyes are squinted as if trying to see something extra hard.

But upon seeing my face, his expression rapidly switches to shocked, almost surprised, as his eyes open, and his mouth flips into a frown.

"What?" I grunt, after sniffing extra loud.

The man suddenly starts to back away from me, as if trying to avoid me.

I get this reaction often; my face is only one a mother could love.
But as he backs away, he dashes (Well, as fast a an old timer can 'dash') away in fear while yelling.

"HELP, HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"

Suddenly very aggravated, I get up off the bench and start shouting.

"HEY?! WHAT THE F*CK!? I thought you were trying to help!!"

After my words echo through the cityscape, silence becomes interrupted by a very familiar sound.

Mechanics and Garbled Speech.

They found me.