• ( Author’s note: I intend to make things like P.o.v. change throughout the story. Don’t worry. It won’t change in the middle of the chapter, as I intend to keep the format of writing exclusive to it’s chapter. Also, you may notice that this chapter seems a little... Dark. This is because I kind of want the story to follow a theme of being happy regardless of your surroundings. I need the beginning to be dark, almost to a sadistic point, so I can have an easier time working in the fact that the characters are standing in a s**t storm later in the story, and smiling and having a good time anyway. My goal is to have the reader almost forget what exactly is going on, much like the characters have, and subtly be reminded that life still kind of sucks. Anyway, try to enjoy Dead Beat, just as I will try to enjoy writing it!)

    “ Hello, hello, hello! It’s 6:17 a.m. and here as always it’s your number one radio host, Jasper Eden!”

    Obnoxious and somewhat insincere sounds can be heard above flakes of snowy white static. You listen to this radio show every morning, though you don’t particularly like it. Though you rarely think about it, you suppose you only let it play to distract your mind from the repetitive, if not somewhat hellish morning routine you’ve somehow been trapped into.

    It is often during your morning commute to work that you begin to second guess where you are in life. How fate could deal you such a hand? You were never cut out for family life, and yet everyday you find yourself putting on the mask of a family man. In the false silence your mind creates, you almost cry. The tears of a broken man, longing for the life he so tragically let slip from his hands, now begin a slow roll down the jagged flesh of your unshaven cheek. Almost shamefully, you raise your hand from the wheel to comfort yourself, allowing the tears to rest on the thick flesh of your hand. Comfort is found in the vacancy of the sedan.

    If your family knew how you truly felt, it would devastate them.

    As the wheels beneath your feet turn down the saturated ramp of the I-90 freeway, your attention is drawn back to the colorful vomit pouring out of the car radio. Dear lord, when will this guy just keel over and die...

    “ ...And here with me today is WRNN’s very own corporate commando, Mr. Vincent Rockwell!”

    Thunderous applause fill the confined spaces of your car, but are halted suddenly. Just like that, the illusion of a live audience is gone. You begin to switch lanes when you notice small specks of moisture colliding with the windshield. It was to be expected. The clouds were flying just as low to the ground as the geese who were trying to avoid them. Rain was practically already falling. You switch on the wiper blades to combat the gray weather. Oddly enough, the radio static seems to vanish as the powerful tone of Vincent Rockwell’s voice rolls across the airwaves like a marble on a slanted desk.

    “ Hello, Mr. Eden, it’s a pleasure to be here! Why, it feels like I haven’t spoken to you in ages.”

    “ I know JUST what you mean! I jumped a little when you first spoke. I forgot how... Mesmerizing your voice can be! Well, just the same, Vincent is here to announce his funding of one of the mos...”

    The man chuckles a bit. Clearly Mr. Rockwell has been on the show before, but you can’t remember when. Just before you can place where you remember him from, Vincent Rockwell opens his mouth again to speak. Eden is right about one thing... His voice has an almost hypnotising ring to it. It feels dark and soothing, not unlike the air one awakens to in a silent bedroom.
    “ That is correct, Jasper. May I call you Jasper? Our recording company, WRNN, just commissioned some of the world’s most steady-handed architects, brilliant and ambitious scientists and frightfully powerful corporate giants to take one more sky-scraping reach toward mankind's future! Long has man dreamed of free, limitless energy, but for too long has it been out of reach. This is why we began work... on Project Tesla.”

    Is that possible?
    Can this man really have the answer to limitless energy?
    You decide to continue listening. What choice do you have?

    “Project Tesla is a building, standing over one and one half of a mile above sea level... Once complete, all we would have to do is flip a switch. Ta-daa! Free electricity. Enough to power the entire world! Literally the end to all power crisis, this self-sufficient generator is the answer manifest to over 200 years of prayer!”

    The radio is silent, as is the rest of the world. Everyone who could hear the broadcast was left hanging off of the edge of the last word Rockwell had spoken, trying to pull themselves up before falling to their death. Well, you think to yourself, that’s one less bill to worry about. The man continues. You can almost feel the entire nation sit in the silence of guests at a wedding, witnessing a last minute confession of love. It’s almost a little uncomfortable.

    “ Over the course of our research...” Rockwell continues, “ ...I ran into so many walls... I almost felt trapped. Contemplating suicide, I almost gave in to the inescapable fate of just another wasted life... Then my father found me. He grabbed me by the neck of my shirt, and slammed his fist into the side of my face. Somehow, he knew what I had been thinking. A father’s wisdom can seem almost... supernatural at times. In between the blows, he told me that even when it seems like you’re trapped, and it seems like you’ve lost, simply remember the ultimate truth:

    No matter where you are...
    No matter what you do...
    No matter how hopeless a situation seems...
    You always have another option.
    You can literally do whatever the hell you want.
    Sometimes in life, these words like these can get you into trouble... but how much can anyone do once you’ve realized you can’t ever be cornered?

    ...And now, here we are. Only fifteen years from the greatest energy breakthrough man could ever hope for. Can you feel the hope I’m trying to give you? You’re welcome. You’re all welcome.”

    Words softly escape from the crevice between your lips. Your eyes open wide as the sedan begins to slow itself, and you find yourself taking an unfamiliar exit.

    “W-Whatever...” The words tremble and quake, attempting to maneuver through the small parting. Though shaky, they still manage to find their way into the open. “Whatever the hell I...”

    It’s so clear to you now.You can feel the answer crawling it’s way up from your chest, as your heat begins to pound with excitement. You don’t need to stay. You NEVER needed to stay ANYWHERE. You don’t need to raise children that don’t even belong to you. You aren’t afraid to admit that you’re bored with your wife, or hate your job, or your kids, or your so called friends. They were all just about some of the worst people you think you've ever met, come to think of it! Laughter begins to fill your car, and refuses to stop. You were never actually trapped at all! You could leave whenever you wanted and didn't even realize it, like a lyric in a song you’ve heard a million times that you only just notice once you really begin to listen. Your phone begins to ring. You respond by tossing it from the car window. You’ll need to buy a new one anyway. You don’t want ANYONE to be able to get a hold of you. Not in your new life. Yes. A fresh start is definitely what you need.

    It doesn’t take very long for the rain to subside, and with time, the clouds finally give way to the sun. A huge wave of peace rushes over your entire body, as it’s warmth embraces your skin. You almost shiver in satisfaction. Finally free, no one can stand in your way. You’ve won. From the bottom of the abyss, you managed to escape, carrying victory in your open jaw. It feels, quite simply amazing. Wonderful, to say the least. Joy shines on every thought you can manage to think, just like the only star in the clear blue heavens above you.

    Before you know it, you find yourself cruising through a small, and obviously young, town. Without a second thought, you give all of the credit to the city planner. He was obviously very skilled, as the order of each building seemed bent entirely on making the navigation of this town as simple as possible. You smile and wave at people moving along the sidewalks. It seems like dozens of them! Everyone here seems so... happy. The perfect place to start a new life. As you begin to turn a corner, you realize the radio was dead silent.
    How long could that have been... You don’t remember turning it off.
    Come to think of it... You suddenly can’t remember anything. Everything before today is just...
    Your thoughts are interrupted by a loud thud. Your car has stopped, and you notice people crowding around you. You finally stop laughing. Have you been laughing this whole time? You suppose... Maybe they know what's wrong here. You exit the car and turn your attention to the car. Underneath it was a teenage boy.

    How peculiar.