Crowd: A Dystopian Social Network Thriller (Final Draft)

Date under fire

Benjamin's dinner tasted even better than it looked.

And it looked fantastic.

A fresh Vietnamese-styled noodle salad with red onions, Thai basil, shredded cabbage and lettuce, followed by a vegan pasta served with fresh tomatoes from the local area and sweet tiramisu for dessert.

International gamut buster.

Benjamin knew how to spend the little money he made.

"There goes my rigid diet plan," Rain said.

"You're the last person on the planet who needs a diet."

"Charming."

"I mean it. You need some meat over those rips. Isn't Crowd punishing people for eating the wrong stuff?"

"Dietary choices don't get ranked."

"Not yet."

Rain dropped the topic and focused on the flatscreen. The CaliTech event replayed snippets from Camryn's Sikes' failed interview.

Benjamin shot a dismissive glance at the flatscreen. "That freak melted in front of that reporter."

"That's not fair. You saw how nervous he was."

"Poor billionaire boy can't handle a sassy reporter."

Rain threw a glance at the screen. "Camryn's a genius, but he should let someone handle the media. Perhaps his assistant, she's quite eloquent."

"Look how you're defending him. One bit of criticism at his Holiness Sikes and you become defensive."

Rain dipped her finger into the fat-free tiramisu cream and marked Benjamin's nose with it. "Is someone getting jelly?"

"Yeah right. It's my biggest dream to become an entitled douche that wants to rule our world."

"He wants to build a fair society."

"And I want to live forever."

"Maybe you should build your own company then."

Rain looked back at Camryn on the screen. The bright spotlight and hyper resolution made the sweat pearls on his forehead look like CGI-rendered water bubbles. The armchair threatened to swallow his thin body. Whenever he seemed to recover from an awkward answer, Eden fired a question that vaporized his remaining self-esteem. By the end, Camryn limped away from the stage like a victim torn apart by gunshots.

"Are you fantasizing about him?"

"I'm wondering how he could have given a better performance."

"Liar," Benjamin said with a smile.

He switched off the flatscreen and put a rose candle on the table and dimmed the living room's lights. "Enough about him. This is our date."

Hard knocks hammered on the floor door.

Benjamin focused on his dessert and ate it with closed eyes while the knocks doubled in volume.

Rain swallowed. "I think it's coming from your door."

"Ignore it."

A muffled voice shouted through the door. "Benjamin, c'mon man, open the fucking door."

Rain shrunk on her chair. "Who is he?"

"I said ignore it."

"It's hard to ignore when a shouting guy is one step away from breaking through your door."

"He'll stop soon, promise."

After a few more name callings and bashings, the unknown guy stopped.

"See?" Benjamin said.

"This isn't normal."

"Welcome to my anti-Crowd life."

Rain remained silent and helped Benjamin put the dishes in the sink. They lay down on the couch and put on some old romance flick, some much-needed distraction from the last hours. Rain's clock ran nine thirty pm. She had planned to return home before ten, but there was no chance in the world she'd leave the apartment during the night. Not after all the horror events, she had witnessed today.

"I want to stay the night with you."

"Sure."

Benjamin put his arm around her and upped the volume of the kitschy romance flick. The show featured twentieth-century role models where the guy still acted as the sole breadwinner while the woman took care of the children. In one scene, he opened the door to the restaurant.

Archaic and charming. Rain enjoyed the movie and lay her head against Benjamin's chin, ignoring everything around her.

Quality time.

During a quick stint at the toilet, Rain sent a message to Sasha and begged him to pick her up early in the morning.

He confirmed within five seconds.

Back on the couch, Rain leaned her head against Benjamin's cheek and enjoyed his body warmth. She missed those moments. Missed the old times where life was less stressful and the world looked a bit more positive.

Still, it was dangerous to dwell on the memory lane.

Rain's eyelids dropped. Darkness engulfed her mind. She was too tired to even mind the outside screeching tires and gunshots.

***Author's Note***

Thanks for taking the time to read this chapter. I'd love your feedback, so feel free to comment. If you like the chapter, you can vote for it by clicking the star below. You can also add "Crowd" to your library if you like to continue the journey which will be updated 5 times a week.