Otherworld by Jason Segel

Author:Jason Segel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2017-10-31T04:00:00+00:00

My avatar is standing exactly where I left it, inside the tunnel that runs through the bowels of Otherworld. Carole and Gorog are now asleep beside me on the floor. The Clay Man is nearby, watching over us all. Gorog’s fire is out, and the only light in the tunnel radiates from the Clay Man’s blue eyes and the stone around his neck. He’s got a lot of explaining to do.

“Did you eat?” the Clay Man asks me.

“Yes,” I tell him. “I had a lovely and nutritious breakfast at the Brockenhurst Country Club. Did you send that text to my mother? She was really pissed off about the state of my mattress.”

He doesn’t answer my question. “Is your body safe?”

“Who the hell are you in real life?” I demand. “Are you Martin? Todd? Marlow? Busara? Elvis? Priscilla? Lisa Marie?” I could keep on naming potential suspects, but I doubt I’ll ever get a reaction.

“I am your guide,” the Clay Man says. Again.

“But why are you helping me? What’s in it for you?” This guy is driving me crazy. I can’t get a straight answer out of him.

“Is your body safe?” he asks again.

I shrug. “For now,” I say. “I didn’t exactly have a whole lot of options when it came time to stash it.”

“Where is it?” he asks.

“I’m gonna need a few answers from you before you’re allowed to ask me anything else. Let’s start again. Who are you?”

“This line of questioning is futile,” says the Clay Man. “I am not going to answer. Please move on.”

“Are you associated with the Company?” I demand.

The Clay Man hesitates before he answers the question. “Yes. I am associated,” he finally says.

Shit. Now we’re getting somewhere. “Do you know about the facility?” I ask eagerly. “The place where all the people with locked-in syndrome are being sent?”

“I have never seen the facility with my own eyes,” says the Clay Man. “But I am aware of its existence.”

“What’s going on there?” I ask. “Is it owned by the Company?”

“As I mentioned, I have never seen the facility,” the Clay Man repeats. “Would you care to see it?”

Now there’s a question I wasn’t expecting. “You’re saying you can get me in?”

“Perhaps,” says the Clay Man. “I myself am unable to visit. I have certain unfortunate physical limitations. However, I may be able to help you get inside. If you’d like me to make the arrangements, you must tell me where your body is.”

“Wait—you want me to leave Otherworld and go to the facility? What about my mission?”

“I think a visit to the facility will show you what’s at stake—and inspire you to focus on your original mission. You’ll understand why you can’t afford to get distracted by the unfortunate souls you encounter here in Otherworld. If you try to help all of them, you will end up helping no one,” he says, looking from Carole to Gorog. “Now. Tell me. Where is your body?”

It’s going to take a little while for me to be comfortable handing over that information to some anonymous dude I met in virtual reality.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.