Draft 2 McKeon

Chapter 1

January 1, 2022

New years Eve was a Friday this year but I could use the money so I worked anyways. I clocked out of the office around 6:00 and went home to get ready. Everyone was going out tonight, my girlfriend Jennifer, my best friend Peter and his girlfriend Emily, a bunch of our other fiends, and me, Calvin Clarkson. We all live in New York but I’m moving to California next Saturday for a new job. So this kind of out last big hurrah before we all go out separate way.

We left the apartment around 8 and got to the bar soon after. We all started out pretty slow but as the hours ticked by the tabs got bigger. I called it quits at 11 and decided to ride out the rest for 2021 sobering up. But hears the weird thing I don’t know what happened after midnight, I remember the count down 5…4…3…2…1…Happy….. and thats it. Now I’m laying in bed with the alarm screaming my head pounding and no idea of what happened.

I slam my hand on the alarm and it turns off, I try to open my eyes and rub away the eye boogers but right has I touch my face pain shoots across it. I must have gotten hit last night.

I stumble to the bathroom half blind to see the damage, but when I look in the mirror theirs nothing on my face, I look as good as ever. Then I see, my right eye is open, it moves around I can blink, but it can’t see anything

“I’m Blind” I scream, as I run from the bathroom into the kitchen.

“You’re what” says Peter as he pours a cup of coffee.

“Sit Down” he says “and explain whats going on. I don’t remember and damn thing from last night.”

I explain everything, the not remembering to the drinking, to the headache and pain all the way to the I can’t see shit. Its right then when I touch my face again.

Pain takes over, my head is pounding, my hearts beating out of my chest, everything starts to go blurry. Peter catches me right as I’m about to fall out of my chair. Then its gone as quick as it came.

“Are you alright” Peter asks

“Im alright, I’ve just never been this hungover before”

That when I notice something on the fridge, but as I turn to ask peter what it says, the tiny green fuzz move with me. Where ever I look its there, I close my eyes because it must be seeing something. But even there I can’t escape it. I run to the bathroom again and look in the mirror, it must just be something in my eye. With all the craziness didn’t realize it was only my right eye seeing this. I look deep into my eyes in the mirror but see nothing. At least I can see again.

As I lay on my bed staring at the fan trying to figure out whats going on the green fuzzy starts to change. At first it just gets darker and darker then it starts to change shapes, squares and circles and rectangles. Then the shapes starts forming letters and numbers. Then everything stops moving, the words become clear and I read them aloud.

“Human Update V1.1 PROGRESS 0.1%”

What the fuck is going on.

Chapter 2

As I open my eyes again I can see that the sun is setting, I must have passes out again. I rub my eyes and blink a few times but it’s still there. It went up a little bit while I was out, I’m at 4% now, but I still fell the same. I hear people talking out in the other room so I get up and wonder in.

To my surprise Jennifer is here.

“You’re finally up” she says “That must have been quite the hangover if you slept till 6”

I’m not sure if I should tell her what’s going on, I’m not even sure if I know what’s going on. This has all happened so quickly and I’ve barely been awake for any of it. What would she think? Would she call me crazy? Think I’m joking? I mean, I’ve looked in the mirror and can’t see anything myself, she would just think I’m lying. It’s best if I don’t tell, wait until I know what this is.

I walk in and take a seat on the couch next to Jennifer. The evening news is on, I catch the tail end of a story about people missing an eye. An eye? I wonder if that has anything to do with me?

“What was that about? I ask to the room

I hear Peter yell in from his room “They found like 6 people dead on the Hudson this morning, all of them missing an eye. It’s been all over the news today. Some people just can’t handle the city on New Years”

Then Jennifer’s butts in “Yeah, they were all found missing a eye. The weird part is they were all at the bar right next to the one we were at last night”

Last night? I don’t remember last night. I remember the count down but that’s it, I could have been anywhere after that. The person who did that could be the same person who gave me the stupid eye thing.

“What even happened last night? I don’t remember a thing”

“Oh man, you were wasted. After the ball dropped you just wanted to crash but we stayed out for another hour then got pizza and came home. Pretty lame start to 2022 if you ask me”

So I stopped drinking at 11 but can’t remember a thing after the ball drop, and we went out after that. This whole update thing is freaking me out, I need some fresh hair.

“I’m going for a walk, I’ll be back in ten” I say

I grab a my jacket and open the door

“Where are you going” askes Jennifer

“To get some Gatorade” I close the door behind me.

I hear Peter say “but we have some in the fridge” from inside, but it’s too late the elevator is already in sight.