Crowd: A Dystopian Social Network Thriller (Final Draft)

Before the Storm...

Camryn's limo reached one of his apartments in the Eastern Addition, an upper-middle-class not-quite-suburban district trying to compete against the lush Kennedy Hills both in style and real estate prices. It wasn't there yet, but the transition was just as exciting.

Camryn loved when 'things' developed.

He took the private elevator and entered his studio space spanning the whole floor. Metallic black furniture fabricated by a premium Belgian-German company graced his apartment. The whole set cost a few hundred grand, but there was no price limit for style. Wall-sized windows framed the floor and allowed him to marvel at the impressive city skyline of Santa Kahlo. The far-away scrapers of the business district reached into the clear sky and promised a touch of New York. Not quite as sky-scraping, but not as flat as San Francisco, either.

Santa Kahlo was a teenager experiencing its second major growth burst.

Growing, vertically and horizontally.

After a water shower with lychee extracts, Camryn wrapped a crimson-themed bathrobe around his tired body and strolled toward the couch. He ordered his service bot to bring him a fresh Mate-based lemonade from the drink dispenser and switched on the giant wall-screen with his voice.

Camryn put his tongue against his front teeth and gulped down the lemonade. He muted the channel and called Lory over the comm. She picked up on his second ring. Her voice sounded tired, like someone who started dreading being on call, all the time.

"How can I help you, Sir?"

"I just want to make sure you're safe."

Her voice hesitated over the comm, as if she didn't understand his statement. "Safe?"

"The curfew is starting soon and I want to make sure my most trusted and loyal folks are protected."

"I won't be in Esperanza."

He knew that. Lory's geo-tags showed her moving around the Sunset Market. Probably some early evening shopping for dinner. Camryn took another sip from his delicious Mate-based lemonade. "Better stay away from the adjacent districts as well."

"Why?"

Now Camryn delayed his answer. He needed to phrase the answer correctly or else he'd bomb his approach. "Let's just say I caught a whiff of aggression today. There's something in the air and I can't quite put my tongue on it." It sounded like a hackneyed statement, so he quickly followed up. "It just would make me feel better if you'd stay away from the streets."

"I—"

"You could come to my place."

Ugh. Awkward phrasing and the opposite of suave. Camryn wished he could fast-rewind five seconds.

"Umm."

"I have some locally-grown avocados, onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers from FreshFood today. A bit of garlic and Spaghetti numero five, bella Italia style. Makes for a delicious dinner."

"You can cook?"

"My kitchen can."

Another awkward pause. Camryn heard his own breathing and it freaked him out.

Lory's voice dropped to mouse levels. "I'm going to be at home soon. A friend from school's coming over and we want to chat about the old times."

"Bring her over," Camryn said. "Or him."

The pause stretched.

"Maybe next time, Sir, but thanks for the offer."

Camry had misfired. Again. A simple offer which Lory deflected.

His next words pressed out like an acid turd stuck in his throat. "The view in my studio is breathtaking. You can watch all the districts and even the forest fires in the far distance."

Lory replied with heavy breathing. "Anything else, sir?"

Camryn bit his lips.

She sounded as if she wanted to finish the call as soon as possible, but why? Camryn summoned his seriousness. "Just make sure you stay home today."

"Okay."

"Goodbye Lory."

"See you tomorrow, Sir."

Camryn sacked into his couch after the connection ended. He wanted to smash his head against the glass table and swallow the shards with his own blood.

Seriously.

Over twenty hours of speech training and he still bombed a simple conversation with a loyal and cute employee.

A twist of destiny?

A curse?

No, only simpletons like the mayor were superstitious. Camryn 'only' lacked the...

A) Experience

B) Proper strategy

...to finish these conversations in positive outcomes. It was only a matter of time and mindset. Maybe he needed to read 'The Game' again which had collected dust on his backup drives.

Camryn gulped down the rest of his lemonade. Un-muted the video channel and start watching an old Hollywood flick about alpha males saving the world with raw firepower while taking the girl without asking for consent.

Was the world ever that simple?

The movie came across as primitive by modern's standards, and yet...

Camryn ignored the revolting voice and breathed in. When the old-fashioned music of the intro played, Camryn stretched his arms and sank into his couch with a satisfied smile on his lips.