Mad World

Prologue

Hey Guys!! Thanks for reading this!!! "Mad World" is written by me and my friends, and it started out as a school project, but turned into something fun to write. So credit is not all me. I hope you like :)

Prologue

I walked down the cold and icy road, which was typical for early January, and headed into the City College of New York. The chilly wind blowing through my jacket makes me feel as if I'd end up with a serious case of frostbite if exposed to it for a prolonged amount of time. The snowy sidewalk proves to be slightly slippery thus making me take each step cautiously. I try to keep my mind off of the task ahead of me so I gaze at the night sky. The stars are out and thanks to the Lighting Laws everyone can see them. They tell tales about what the world was like before: on the brink of over population, terrorists running through the streets, the sea level rising, people in constant fear of getting shot, raped, or tortured. The ignorance of people back then makes me cringe. How could people be so cruel? So primitive? So dangerous?

I look around the streets; the trees lining them are frosted white with snow with their leaves gone it gives them a lifeless appeal. Reminiscing on my childhood, I think about the medium sized apartment on Franklin Street I grew up in. Ever since I started Adolescent Mandatory School (AMS), I couldn't wait to grow up and get out of there. I dreamed of growing up and drawing. Even though I knew I could never draw, it was just a dream. Drawing was something for immature kids and once grown you're pushed to do other things. As the Federal Personality Aptitude Test (FPAT) has chosen for me, I have gone into the career of computer engineering.

I snap back to the present as I approach the college. I can't help but glance at it in awe. The gate is closed, which is normal considering that it is past 12 AM. The architecture never ceases to amaze me with its intricate designs. I quickly take a left to prevent the motion detectors from kicking in. I find myself walking in a brisk pace following the side of the wall and take another left. The wall continues and then drops off. There is an alley way to the left of me, which is dark and has a small stream of water and slush running through the middle of it. I make my way down stopping at the third door. The number on the door reads 7731 engraved bronze. I lay my knuckles on wooden door which is worn smooth. I knock three times, wait three seconds, and then knock two more times. I then slide the black card that I was handed from an anonymous figure earlier today, through the card reader. There is a click and the door opens from the other side.

I hear a voice from within the room, "You're almost late," she says.

"I'm sorry I got side tracked," I respond.

"Well we were about to do it without you."

"Well I'm here now, so what's our new identities?" I ask.

"Well you're Isaac Garehart, I'm now the extravagent Eris Cordova, and Ryder is Aiden Spade."

"Shut up Faith, your new identity is as extravagent as your real one...and that isn't much," Ryder laughs and she rolls her eyes.

She walks me over to a metal chair affixed to the foundation of the small run down storage house. I sit down in it and Ryder attaches a mesh gauntlet to my arm. He then takes a large needle and attaches it to the sleeve. Pressing on it, I feel it penetrate into my lower bicep. A tingling sensation starts to fill my arm as he begins to operate on the chip that is graphed to every citizen's lower humerus. I look over at his screen, which has my real name 'Tyler Vennision' glowing brightly almost taunting me, for we all know what is going to come next. Click. With that press of a button, I am erased from the system. All my achievements, history, and everything I ever was or ever will be, gone. Now disconnected from my life, well previous life, I feel as if something inside of me died; staring at my own grave as I watch the small repetitive blip of the cursor I begin to think to myself. A click of a button, no one will miss me, will they? The death of Tyler Vennision. Only to be remembered by a two other people. Do they feel the same? Are they happy, liberated, or do they have the same 'this is what it must feel like to be dead' taboo that I'm experiencing? All for what? To test some vigilante's wild idea. As I glance back at the screen, I notice that Aiden is already loading Isaac's life into my own.