Paranoia ✓

XIV: Rashad - Initiation

Rashad couldn't believe what he was seeing—and he had seen some pretty messed up stuff in his life. He had seen his village nearly vaporized and his own mother and sister crushed to death beneath a boulder.

But the videos that he was watching on one of the computers in the Hacking Department were bloody evil.

"Look at dem shrikes burning!" Richard pointed to the screen with glee like a person recognizing a familiar actor on screen. "Look Look Look! Haha! This old man is rolling himself out of the hospital on fire!"

Raj laughed hysterically with Richard. Their laughs were more of a ridicule than genuine laughter. "Ah, but you haven't even seen the best part Richard."

"Shhh," Richard shushed Raj. "Don't spoil it for our audience." Richard looked back at Jaheim and Rashad who were at the door, about to leave but were now drawn in to see the results of one of the Kabish's masterpieces.

"They're calling it the bloody Baby Bomb Plot. What a righteous name don't ya think?"

Raj nodded. "Couldn't have come up with a more entertaining name myself."

Richard pointed at the screen. "Oh look! The best part of the show is about to commence."

Rashad was appalled at the joy and pleasure these two men were taking in watching people burn, crawl out with missing legs and arms, and gripping their eyes as blood soaked their hands. What have I gotten myself into?

Then the building began to crumble on the people like an anthill caving in on an entire colony of insects. People were—crushed—crushed under heavy concrete and impaled by shards of glass and steel structural supports within the concrete. Rashad couldn't stand the images anymore. He had to look away. They reminded him too much of what happened to his mother and sister.

"Turn it off!" he shouted. Yet he could hear the building crumble, the blood-curling screams of the victims, and the wailing of sirens that created a cacophony of chaos. He covered his eyes, fighting back tears. "Turn it off! Turn it off! Turn it off!"

"Like bloody hell I will," Richard mumbled. Rashad could barely hear Richard's remark as Rashad attempted to block out the noise. But he could read lips pretty well. He had plenty of experience back at home, when the other children would talk ill of him behind his back off in the distance. It always had something to do with his father. Rashad was one of the few boys in the village who didn't have a father. In such a patriarchal society as theirs, a lack of a father in the family structure was no family at all—just a conglomerate of people with similar ancestral history but no unifying link to that history.

No matter what Richard said, Rashad was not going to stand this any longer. He stormed out of the room in a flash, bypassing Jaheim and bumping into his chest along the way. Once back in the main factory area, the ambiance changed back into an orchestra of grinding, sizzling, and scraping noises. Rashad knew that the noises were not much better than the ones he was hearing at the Hacking Center—for he understood that the things that were made here would go on to cause the events like the one unfolding on the T.V.

He also expected Jaheim to come out quickly. Jaheim found Rashad sitting up against the wall outside of the Hacking Center. He was still covering his ears while Jaheim stared down at him. At first he seemed almost annoyed, then it relinquished to pity. He lowered himself into a crouch and was at eye level with Rashad. However, Rashad did not return the courtesy of looking back at him.

"You're murderers," Rashad pointed out. "Crazy, evil, murderers."

Jaheim placed his hand gently underneath Rashad's chin and raised it up to allow him to see Rashad's face. He could see tears welling up in his eyes. Jaheim asked. "Do you love God?"