Connected by Simon Denman

Author:Simon Denman [Denman, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Usenet, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, C429, Kat, Exratorrents
Published: 2012-06-10T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

The exercise bike shifted its programme to “hill-climb”, and Doug felt his thigh muscles start to burn. He pushed harder, trying to keep the speed constant while turning up the volume on his iPod, in an attempt to distract himself from the three inches of quivering buttock crack perched on the machine in front. He didn't know the girl's name, just that she had started showing up in computing lectures since the beginning of term. He and Kal had rather ungraciously debated as to whether she was pregnant. Doug had first assumed she must be, but Kal had bet him a tenner it was just fat. Observing now how the gelatinous mass overhanging her shorts rippled with each rotation of the peddles, he realised the money would have been Kal's. He had never quite understood how any rational person could allow themselves to get into such a state. While studying for A-levels, he had gained almost a stone, but facing increasing derision from classmates, had immediately cut down on the Snickers bars and started jogging. Over a few brief months, the fat had mostly disappeared, and ever since then, regular jogging combined with rugby and weight training had kept him reasonably trim. Recently, some lardy moron at the cafeteria had told him how lucky he was to have the sort of metabolism which prevented weight gain. He had replied that the real luck lay in his possession of a mirror and enough self esteem to want to preserve a semblance of good health. Luck had nothing to do with it. Everybody makes choices, he had argued, and some, it would seem, willingly make the choice to continue stuffing their fat faces with junk while doing nothing to burn off the resulting calories. At least the girl in front appeared to be doing something about it. If she could just lower the calorie intake by a couple of thousand a day, she might start to get somewhere, he thought.

The bike shifted back to a simulation of flat road, and he shut his eyes, imagining himself on some country path, with cooling breeze and a vista of rolling green hills, rather than the current choice of wobbling bottom or yellow brick wall. He much preferred running to this sort of cardiovascular work-out at the gym, but for now, with his cheek aching on each repeated impact of his running shoes, he was condemned to the sweaty yellow-walled interior of the university fitness room, at least until the bones of his face had knitted together a little more convincingly.

As one of his favourite Green Day songs came to an end, it was replaced, unexpectedly, with the rapidly rising and falling tone sequences of Dream-Zone. He stopped peddling for a moment to look at the iPod display. It was one of the audio files downloaded the previous week while in hospital. Although he hadn't deliberately transferred them from his laptop to the iPod, he realised the software must have done it automatically, while the device was charging.

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