Fortnightly free Wyldblood fiction: subscribe here.
And watch out for Wyldblood #15 – out now
The Look of Seconds
Melissa Ren
How about the older man in the corner, sitting by himself with the espresso pressed to his lips? In a moment, he’ll turn the newspaper page and flick a glance your way. It’ll be quick, so pay attention.
There! Did you see it? No?
Well, shit.
You’ll have to wait a while for the next look. Thirty-four minutes and sixteen seconds to be exact, but it’ll be worth it. Another Watcher in his mid-thirties will blaze through the front doors, casting a glance over his shoulder to clock you. Only you, because I exist in the fragments of your mind.
He’ll order a soy caramel macchiato with an Enhancer shot. He’s a bit over run, tired mostly, tracking more than his share of Subjects including you.
With one too many Enhancers in his system, it’ll have the opposite of its intended effect. As the tingle of his first sip swims through his body, he’ll lose grasp of his subtleties. In that small window, he’ll catch you staring. And winks.
Most people would brush off this gesture as flirtation. And normally, you would, too—your chiselled jawline attracts all the boys.
But today, something compels you to wink back.
Instead of smirking at you on his way out, the man breaks protocol. He remains at the counter, sipping his bevy while eyeing you. At his cocked brow, you wave him over, almost in a dare.
He bites his lip in a seductive pinch, feigning hesitance, but he’s feeling naughty. It’s not the first time. So, he saunters over to sit at your table, never breaking his stare on you. The rich espresso brown encircling his irises draws you in. A strange sensation glides through you, a liquid warmth. You’ve met him before, though you don’t recognize him. Kio. The name feels intimate; a whisper at the tip of your tongue.
“Want to get out of here?” The suggestion slips easily from your mouth like muscle memory.
“Guess that reset didn’t work,” Kio says with a smirk.
You stare at him, confused, a question bubbling to the surface: How many times have I been reset? But you already know.
You shove up your sleeve. In the crook of your elbow are two tiny sets of tally marks, each the width of a centimetre, with a third set incomplete at ‘IIII’. Fourteen times. The most of any Subject, Kio once told you. Your pulse quickens.
“I suppose I’ll need to tattoo another line,” he says. An image of a bare-chested Kio inking your arm in a low-lit room pops into your mind.
You’re wondering if that was his bedroom, aren’t you? It was yours.
The older man in the back of the cafe flips the newspaper with a whoosh, snapping your head up.
“He’s watching us,” you say under your breath.
Kio puffs out a dismissive breath. “He won’t do anything. We’re trained not to.” Watchers only watch and report back on any abnormalities in Subject’s behaviour, or when you’re ready.
You’re about to ask, then why are you?, but stop yourself. You circle your finger over the tattoos; he’s helping you. “Is it safe for you to be talking to me?”
“You worrying about me again?” He leans back, rubs his hand over his mouth to conceal a smile. He’s missed this. The thrill of getting caught helping you.
“This is the longest you’ve gone between resets,” Kio says. “An entire year. For a minute there, I thought you were ready to Assimilate.”
The word ‘Assimilate’ triggers the lights on in your head. You chose this. To forget. To be reprogrammed as someone new. They needed beta test Subjects and offered a shit ton of cash. So you signed your life away without thinking twice.
They bought you.
But the wipes never took because at the precise moment they initiated the script, you had changed your mind. Giving yourself up wholesale suddenly seemed like a cowardly move. This world is bleeding with cowards, all desperate to be someone else. It’s why this program exists. You wouldn’t be that cheap. Money isn’t everything. Your identity was worth more.
And that split second of indecision fucked it all up. A glitch.
You’re the only one.
After the ‘wipe,’ when they dumped you in Simulation—where Subjects adjust to their new selves before Assimilating back into the real world—you rejected the process. You’ve been stuck here in Simulation for the past six years with Watchers scrutinizing your every move. It’s why you’ve been reset so many times.
The itch to break out scrapes at your collarbone. But you’ll only return to your world as yourself. As Sen. “How long do I have before they reset me again?”
“Depends. How much noise are we going to make?” Kio asks with a sly smile.
You snatch his macchiato and glug what’s left.
Kio’s eyebrows jump. “So, lots of noise then?”
The coffee goes down like maple syrup, thick and sweet. It’s not a full Enhancer shot, but it’ll do.
Blood rushes through your veins. You palm the table to steady yourself, snapping your eyes closed at the static rattling your eardrums. Sweat beads across your hairline.
On your third gasp, your body stills, the café quiets as if anticipating your next move. When you open your eyes, your vision is sharper, like you’re watching life through 8k. The faint murmur of Kio’s heartbeat syncopates with yours. The newspaper’s vanilla scent swirls up your nose. Your muscles loosen, a renewed energy pulses inside your chest.
You lunge forward in your seat. “I want to get the fuck out of here.”
Kio cocks a brow, a twinkle in his eye.
But not so fast.
You’ll have to wait a few more seconds.
Kio hasn’t entered through the front door just yet. Get ready. He’ll be here in…
3…
2…
1…
Don’t forget to wink.
July 12th, 2024
Melissa Ren is a Chinese-Canadian writer whose narratives tend to explore the intersection
between belonging and becoming. She is a prize recipient of Room Magazine’s Fiction Contest, a grant recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts, and an editor at Tales & Feathers. Her writing has appeared or forthcoming in Factor Four Magazine, Fusion Fragment, DreamForge Magazine,
and elsewhere. Find her at linktr.ee/MelissaRen or follow @melisfluous on socials.
more stories here
Also look out for:
Karl Dandenell’s Ruby, Throat and Gold – a dark fantasy about the arrogance of a usurper and the sweet revenge of a master of his craft.
Sean MacKendrick’s Keepers: mighty artwork designed to be seen from space -for a very good reason.
Kai Delmas’ Under Fire, Under Steel – robot armies and human dilemmas.
Lyndsey Croal’s – Space for One, a sci-fi tale about hard choices and living with the consequences.
Holley Cornetto’s The Orchard of Dreams, a wistful fantasy.
Or over a hundred and fifty other free flash fiction stories.
Wyldblood 15
Wyldblood 15 is available now
buy from us or from Amazon
Fifteen tales or adventure, intrigue and mayhem in the latest Wyldblood collection. Some are from names you may have seen before – Tiffani Angus, Michael Teasdale, David McGillveray, Kai Delmas – and some may be new to you, but all know how to write a finely crafted science fiction or fantasy tale. Available in print and digital formats.
From the Depths
Our latest anthology is packed with tales of the murky deep. We’ve got fifteen stories stuffed with selkies and sea monsters, pirates and meremaids, intrigue, adventure and more. Available in print and digitally.
ISBN 978-1-914417-15-3
Follow us for new flash fiction and updates here.
Download a free sampler of Wyldblood Magazine here.
Buy the latest Wyldblood Magazine here or get a six issue subscription here.
Read an interview in Black Gate with Wyldblood editor Mark Bilsborough here.
Read the Milford blog about Wyldblood here.
See us reviewed here, here and here.