Maniacs in The Fourth Dimension (13 page)

Wait, this is something new.

''
On March 16, 2014, the Supreme
Court of the United States overruled the verdict of Federal Court.
New trial is scheduled for June 1.
''

Interesting.
This is from section Support and 'Free Zeke Holodnik
protests':

''
Holodnik's case and trial
gained widespread following in the media and support for his
innocence from the public. During the trial protests were held in
front of the court with people carrying 'Free Zeke Holodnik'
signboards. Support for Holodnik came from a number of
personalities from mainstream media, entertainment, music industry,
fashion and various other organizations.

Holodnik's
trial was the subject of an entire episode of Oprah show, with
Oprah talking to Holodnik via phone line, while in remand, and
voicing her support to him…
''

Yeah, I
watched that one.

''Shit… What fuckin' time is
it?''

Hubert's
awaking, I have to go.

Chapter thirty six

I went
looking for her. She saved my life back there. Lempo said she went
to find Abraxas. I figured she'll be around Pine Cone
Center.
I jumped back and I found her.
Sort of. She found me.

I used my
level shifting abilities to go avoid security and go to the
backstage zone, where the celebrities are sheltered from frantic
fans. Not from me though. And then I realized that we're the ones
that might be needing protection. I saw bodyguards escorting
someone through the corridor, but that someone I couldn't see. Just
some shimmering shape for a split second. Trick that lights play
with my eyes. Or my eyes didn't fully recover from what that girl
did to me. It shimmered again. So close to me. And again. And in
front of my face some eyes appeared. Unhuman eyes. Tentacles. I
winced backwards. And then Emily appeared and punched that thing's
shimmering head off. Bodyguards reached for their weapons, and then
just lifelessly fell to the floor. Emily did it to them.

''Did you kill them?!''

''They'll come around. We have
to go, Cleitus.''

''What was that thing?!''

''I don't
know, but it was powerful. It would have probably killed you for
your energy.''

It had human
bodyguards, so on the first level it must of had different
appearance.

''I want to know who that
was.''

I went
through bodyguard's pockets, and pulled out a parking receipt.
Fuckin' shit.

''Holy shit Emily, you know who
that was? Asimbala Carter.''

''Who?''

''The r'n'b singer.''

''The one that sings 'Sayonara
bitches'?''

''No, that's
Nadia, Asimbala sings 'Hello kitty' and 'Bruised
love'.''

''Oh, shit,
that thing was her?!''

''I guess
it's too late now to ask for her autograph.''

She laughed. I laughed. I don't
think that anyone's death is funny, but all of this is so fuckin'
horrifying that I don't know what else to do but laugh. We got out
of there.

Emily told me
she spoke to Abraxas. There's no boogie man from outer space coming
to end the world. That was just a story he cleverly constructed to
get us running. I thought that's the case, I just didn't know why.
For energy. Everything that's happening above our world is energy
race. And now, we're a part of it. We got to strong to stay
unnoticed.

''So, what do we do now? Go back
to that realm where the others are?''

''Yes, but, let's walk out of
the convention first, there's so much people here.''

''Yes, of course.''

This is the
second time she saved my ass. Everything happened so fast, I didn't
thank her even for the first time.

''Emily, I
want to apologize for lashing out, this whole thing just got the
best of me-''

Guy that's
handing out flyers at the exit said something to Emily, I didn't
hear what, something vulgar probably, and she pulled a .38 out of
somewhere and smacked the poor guy on the head with the handle. He
fell to his knees, and his flyers went all over the floor. He
pressed his hands on his head, blood showed between his
fingers.

''Jesus,
Emily, he's just some guy, like you and me.''

I grabbed her hand and pulled
her away. Before the doors closed behind us, I heard his moaning
snarl, sounded like he said: 'Malakur vo'.

Chapter thirty seven

''That's one
of those things that still defy every attempt of being
rationalized. You know, we live in the age when we've finally
explained everything. We've explained the existence of the universe
and the existence of ourselves to ourselves. Science has abolished
all gods. And those things that still remain unrationalized are
pushed to the margins, waiting for the time when science will
either explain them, or abolish them. All save one. Hypnosis. No
one can deny its existence, although it counters every logic. How
is it possible that a part of a person's consciousness can be shut
off by voice only, and that he can be remotely controlled by
another person? It shouldn't be, that shouldn't be a part of the
explained logical world we're living in. The explained logical
world showed no understanding for your dad because of it. I'm
pretty sure it has something to do with sleep, non-REM or REM, but
that still doesn't make any sense of it. Now you'll have to excuse
me gentlemen, because I must go take a piss.''

Old Jack
kicked me in the head pretty hard. Kicked me right in the logos.
Hahah! Did you know that REM stands for 'rapid eye
movement'?

''Hey, buddy, where's the
can?''

Oh, okay.
Bladder's pressing me, I have to open the pipe fast. Oh, yeah,
that's good. So good. Tinkle, tinkle, little star, how I wonder
where's my car. Hahah!

My eye hurts.
Fuckin' catholic. New Engwand halfwit. May his precious Abraxas
fuck him in the ass.

Okay.

''Hubert, listen to this. Zeke,
tell him what you just told me.''

''Um…
Whatever is it that you saw in the park and elsewhere, I
didn't.''

''Zeke doesn't see the
medusas.''

''You didn't
see that guy in the park conducting some electricity and throwing
it at a big jellyfish floating over the center?''

''I saw a guy
doing some mime thing, touching the air, throwing nothing in the
air, and then he just walked away.''

Brilliant.

''Zeke says
he can't remember his last two or three days.''

''I don't even know how I got
here. To this convention.''

''We have to
start considering the possibility that Abraxas is maneuvering some
powerful hallucinogen, that Zeke is immune o
f, for some reason. ''

''You know,
'till the moment we started this conversation, I believed you were
having some workshop, an acting class, role playing thing, a game
I'm not in. And now, we're talking about
hallucinogens.''

''Trust me,
if it's a workshop, we're not a part of it either. So, you've lost
two days?''

''I'm not
sure
how many… Last Tuesday, I left for
Tijuana, I was searching for this man Jorge Basajaun, guy that
framed my dad, I remember spending my time there, and then… I'm
sitting in this hall in Pine Cone Center... I don't understand…
Maybe I did found him, and he flexed his magic on
me...''

''I'm not sure it works that
way'', Edwin said: ''I think it has to be consensual.''

Holodnik
shrugged. Some man walked in the cafe, asked for a bag of ice, went
outside, sat down on one bench in the shade of the Center and put
the bag on his head. Holodnik's eyes followed his
movements.

''That's Y.T. Whitemansson'', he
said.

''Who?'',
said Edwin.

''Guy that wrote and directed
that movie with Michael Shannon, based on true events.''

''What's the name of the
movie?'', said Edwin.

''That's the name, 'Based on
true events'.''

''Interesting
name, very direct. What's it about?'', Edwin got
interested.

I never heard of such film with
Michael Shannon. My head hurts. I don't want to talk anymore, I
want to go home and sleep.

''I'll
recount it for you. On the beginning of the movie, some unseen guy
is conducting some interview with Whitemansson, the director. It's
about getting dough for being a part of some experiment. And the
guy says that it's going to be a tormenting experience, but
Whitemansson says that they all are. And the story starts. Michael
Shannon awakens in some dumping ground, there's blood and cuts on
his hands, he doesn't remember anything, he doesn't know who or
where he is. He walks through the town, meets some creepy
characters, blacks out and awakens next to one of them, dead,
killed. Blood on his hands and a bloody knife next to him. He wants
to turn himself in to the police, but a girl he met in the bar
talks him out of it. She's played by that Israeli actress, I can't
remember her name now. She takes him to her place. And he keeps
blacking out and waking up, scratched and bruised, with corpses
around him. And when he nearly avoids blacking out in front of some
kids, he tries killing himself with the knife, but he blacks out
before stabbing himself. He turns himself in. And awakens with
bunch of dead cops in the station. Then they show us what's
actually going on with him. He's being monitored by that Israeli
girl and some people. She's a hypnotist and she hypnotized him into
blacking out. It's all an experiment. No one was killed, it was all
staged. And Mike realizes they're watching him from a confined room
in the precinct, he breaks in and kills them all with the knife,
although they try to explain him that he is not a killer and that
it was all a part of the experiment he agreed being a part of. Then
they show us that scene from the beginning and we see that that
interviewer is one of those that monitored Mike. He tells to
Whitemansson that the experiment is about endurance of the psyche
and crossing the line where it falls apart. Whitemansson quits and
leaves. The guy calls the next candidate in. Michael Shannon enters
and sits on the chair. Based on true events.''

''Holy shit,
that's one crazy movie. Let's go talk to Whitemansson. Are you
coming, Hubert?''

I followed them. Edwin asked
Whitemansson what happened to him.

''I got
pistol whipped at the convention.''

Awkward.
Holodnik asked him is he
promoting a new film.

''No. I'm
handing out flyers for this book I'm writing.''

He handed a
flyer to each of us. It showed a person in flames, taking a
snapshot of himself in front of a wall, on which graffiti spelled:
'Maniacs in the fourth dimension'.

''The title is a reference to
Kurt Vonnegut, it's taken from 'Slaughterhouse five'.''

''What's it about?''

''Well, the
point of the book is to show that reality is far more stranger than
any fantasy. It's anti-fantasy. But, I'm afraid, that any of the
people that I've send a copy to, that might be reading it right
know, won't understand it, or just won't like it. Maybe it's too
strange. Anyway, it's not even finished yet, I'm just writing
chapter thirty seven.''

Lovely, can we go now?

''Who knows, maybe people will
appreciate it'', said Edwin: ''Give it time.''

''Yes, when
I'm dead. I need appreciation now, not fuckin' leaflet handing at
the fuckin' Convention-con.''

''Whitemansson, I have to ask you, I have to know'', spoke
Holodnik: ''Your film, did it really happened, is it
true?!''

''Hell no,
son. I claimed it did just because true stories sell. Hollywood
folk stick to them like shit to flies. Nothing like that ever
happened, nothing that I know of. It came out of my head. I don't
think that hypnosis can do what it does in the movie.''

''But, during
the end credits, there was footage of the real guy, the real guy
that it happened to, the interview, brainwashing, the staging, the
look on his face…''

''That's some
friend of mine, I filmed that. It looked real, eh? Well, it
isn't.''

Did he said 'shit to flies'?
Isn't it 'flies to shit'? That would mean that Hollywood folk are
shit. Hahah! Speakin' of shit…

''Edwin, I have to go the can
again. It might take time…''