Chapter Text
I left home with a pep in my step. Why wouldn’t I? It was a wonderful day. The sun was shining, the roads were glistening, and everything was perfect! I had the feeling I was forgetting something, but I didn’t worry about it too much. It couldn’t have been something dire.
The townspeople were cheery as always. I greeted each person as I walked by, and they did the same. I was on the way to my job and I was looking forward to it greatly, since today I have a special job to do! Not that the previous jobs were any worse! I just like the idea of this one more.
I turned the corner down the street on the route I normally take, when I saw a crowd circling something. I knew I was going to be late, but what would it hurt if I delayed work a little? I walked over to the crowd and started to fit myself into a space. There was a woman on the ground, and she didn’t look well. I didn’t know what was wrong with her, and no one else seemed to either. We all just stood and watched, until someone else walked up.
A maintenance worker walked up to the crowd. It grabbed everyone’s attention; we don’t normally see those kinds of people around.
“What’s going on here?” He asked.
“We don’t know! She was just talking, and when she took her joy, BOOM! She fell to the floor!”
The man looked thoughtful before bending down to a medkit that was on the floor. He took out a syringe— to be honest, I thought it was empty and that’s why no one was using it— and walked over to the woman. I noticed that the syringe had a frowning symbol on it. I had no clue what that meant, but it didn’t look good. The man injected whatever it was into the woman, and she was suddenly okay. Everyone was shocked. I started clapping, then everyone started clapping! The man seemed a bit shocked at the applause but accepted it.
The woman then started to stand up, “Augh... I feel... terrible.”
Everyone looked at her, “Oh dear,” One man started, “I think you might want to take some joy.”
Joy? That reminds me of something... I already took my joy, didn’t I?
“Joy?” The woman looked at the man, “Oh... oh no. I think that’s what caused this mess!”
Everyone’s happy attitudes turned sour. I didn’t feel the need to also criticise her, because I was trying to remember what I felt needed to.
“Whatever do you mean? Are you a downer?” An old lady asked.
“A downer!? No! No, no, no! I just think there might be... uhm...” The woman started to defend herself.
“Downer! You’re a downer!” Another man shouted, and pointed at the woman.
“No, wait–! Please–!” She took a step back, but only bumped into another citizen.
I look up in time to see everyone take out... weapons? One of them has a lead pipe, the rest have kitchen tools. They all then start attacking her! They start hitting her, screaming ‘Downer!’, ‘Black dog!’ and the like. I watch in horror as she collapses, but they don’t let up. They continue to beat her— probably dead— body. Then I remember what I forgot. It sounds like an alarm bell in my head.
“You have to take your joy!”
Only, it isn’t in my head. Everyone heard that. And they’re all now looking at me.
I turn around and look at the TV screen that is looking straight at me. I then look back at the people who had just beat a ‘downer’ to death. They all looked mad. Except for the maintenance worker, he just looked confused. Actually, he didn’t participate in the beating either.
“Are you also off your joy?” One of them asked.
“Me?! No! Something must be wrong with that machine. I took my joy just before I left!”
“Broken? How could that machine be broken?” The old lady asked. I briefly noticed the maintenance worker smile before he took a step forward.
“Ah! That reminds me, the reason I’m here is because of that TV! I just happened to run into you folks as well!” He walks past the group and over to the TV. He looks up at it for a moment before turning to me, “Hey, a little help here, will you?”
I rushed over and offered my hand to climb on. He took the offer and stood up to the TV. He took out some fancy contraption and opened the back panel. He then just ripped some wires out. I don’t think the other people saw it, but he definitely just broke the TV.
“There we go. I’ll come back later to patch it up. I didn’t need some bloke to get spanked for no reason.” The man hopped down and I dusted my hands off. He patted my shoulder– now that I’m getting a closer look at him, he looks familiar, “You be off on your way then.”
I blinked, “Ah! Yes. I have a job to do, haha!” I took a step back, “Well, cheerio!” I started back in the direction where I was heading in the first place. I’m not actually going to work, not just yet. I take a turn and head into an alley. No one ever comes into the alleys unless they see me do it, so I assume I’m safe.
I reach into my pocket and take out a joy. I guess I forgot it in my pocket, and that’s why I didn’t take it. That doesn’t matter though, right? I can just take it now! But the longer I think about it, the more I don’t want to take my joy. I mean, I just watched a bunch of joy takers beat a woman to death for something that wasn’t her fault! Who knows what else has been happening here? What about those people on holidays? Now that I’m not on joy, and now that I can clearly think about it, how long have those people been on holiday? Is it really a holiday? I close my eyes and my fist.
“Did I always act like them when on joy? Should I really still take it?” I think out loud.
“Well look at that! I knew something was off about you!” I heard someone say from behind me. I whip my head around and see the maintenance worker. Why is he here? No one should be in these alleys, and there’s nothing to fix here! Oh God, is he going to tell a bobby that I’m a downer?
“Wait!” I shout, “This is just a misunderstanding! Please don’t tell a bobby!”
“Tell a bobby? That would be hypocritical of me.” He says, walking towards me, “I’m not here to taddle on you, I promise.”
I calm down a little, but that still raises a question, “Why are you here?”
“Well... I followed you. I saw a similarity between me and you.”
“Similarities? What? Who are you?”
The worker seemed a bit stunned, “Huh? Is it my outfit? Turn around for a moment.”
I hesitantly do as told, and I hear a briefcase open. I don’t remember him having a briefcase. I also hear fabric.
“Alright, turn back around.” I do as the maintenance worker told me, and... he isn’t wearing a maintenance outfit anymore, he’s wearing a suit just like mine. He also has a briefcase in his hand, “Does that help?”
“No. Who are you?”
He stares at me in disbelief, “Jesus christ, do joy-takers really have this bad a memory? Does the name, ‘Arthur Hastings’ ring a bell?”
I think for a moment before it does actually ring a bell, “You! You’re that famous downer that people should be on the lookout for! How didn’t I recognize you?”
“Same reason everyone doesn’t recognize me. It’s a mystery. Anyways– you saw that, right?” He points vaguely behind himself.
“The–? Yes. I saw it.”
“You realise how bad this town is, don’t you? The fact that you haven’t taken your joy yet tells me you have.” He walks closer, putting his briefcase... somewhere. He just puts it behind his back and it disappears. What the hell?
“Well... I don’t know. It’s probably best that I just take my joy.”
“Best? Do you want to be the one beating a woman to death next time?”
“No! No...”
“Then be a downer! Like me! We still beat people to death but it's in self defence. You can be a pacifist.”
I ignore the second part of his sentence, “A downer?! No, I can’t do that! It’s too dangerous!”
“Pfft, dangerous? All you really need to worry about are the doctors! And you can just run past those guys! As long as you’re with me, you’ll be fine.”
I consider his offer, and then I question how I can consider an offer like that! Are you kidding me? “No, I can’t. I just can’t! It isn’t worth it! What’s even the point?”
“The point is to leave this place! Or try to make it better! You know what? You just live a week without your joy. No need to worry about fighting, just go to work and live as normal.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a few pills, “Here, these will help. They’re called Sunshine.”
I take them. I don’t know why I took them, or why I plan on doing what he said to! “What do they do?”
“They allow you to pass by any devices undetected. That’s why the TV didn’t alert to my presence, but it alerted to yours.”
I look over them for a moment longer before putting them in my pocket, “And if I make a decision, where do I find you?”
“There are hatches into little maintenance rooms. No one goes in there except for me. If I’m not in there at the time you get there, I’ll probably be there soon.”
I slowly nod, “Alright. I’ll take your test. And I’ll be fine. Good day, Arthur.” I start walking past him.
“Good day, whatever your name was!” He says cheerfully. I would’ve corrected him, I should’ve, but I was too busy stomping out into the street.