H.Hall, 22 years old, living 5 Georges Marcel road, Paris.

This is how he woke up. Saying those simple things to himself. Like everyday, he woke up confused, lost, and that's only after long minutes of rememberance that he could tell himself : H. Hall, 22 years old, living 5 Georges Marcel road, Paris. That's who and where he was. Every morning, like a computer you turn on, he had to say to himself those words.

Considering the dreams he was having more and more, it became vital to him to remember this as fast as possible every morning, to prevent them from taking his life away. This was vital and necessary.

Then he just mechanically opens his eyes to discover the thin sun beam that slips through the old and dusty windows every day. Turms on the Cd player and goes to take his ritual shower in the bathroom. He needed this. This waas not a get clean thing, it was much more than that. he just felt like put aside of the world, like the only place where he could be safe and concertrated. Like time has no importance here. He could stay for hours, thinking of everything. His miserable lonelyness, his life, the meaning of it. Thinking of what just happened the day before, to go on with the new one. His mind took him to the last new year's eve, one week ago. the new year's eve party, where all his friends were gathered. But sadlyy, like always, he couldn't help feeling alone, put aside by his own condition. Listening to other describing their lifes, happy lives. Loving lives. And that's when he met this girl. Well, met isn't the right word. Of course he talked to her, but it was more like he now knew she existed. She just entered his universe this night. And from now one, everything just makes himl think about her, even though she didn't particulary noticed him.

" On the contrary", he thought. "She mostly noticed Paul."

Paul, his best friend since they "found" each other in the same class room 8 years ago. He never thought his life would go on without him, even if he sometimes wishes it would. And he kept thinking about her he just saw last night with some friends again, at her place this time. How she kept smiling all the time, making him feel so alone inside. Luckyly as he as thought, the circonstances allowed him to watch her sleep all night long. " How romantic and pathetic it was ", he thought. This just cleared his mind, like nothing else but her mattered. He that usually couldn't get out of it.

He stoped the water and the quiteness from falling down on him and got out of the shower. The music could be heard again. He looked at his watch. He has stayed under the shower for like half an hour. Obviously, he wanted to go out today. After a little cup of coffee, he took his coat and got out of the appartment. He closed the door, and began to lock it. Strangely, he just thought that if he let go the key, it would turn by itself. But of course, this was nonsense, but it was his way of living. It was his world. He couldn't help thinking that he he didn't exist, everything would go on just the same.

When he tried to get out of the elevator, he had the impression that the door didn't want to open. But of course, maybe he wasn't awoken enought to open it properly, with the adequate strenght. Maybe he didn't make enough sport... When he got out of the building, he could not represse a little shiver form the depths of his back to the roots of his neck, even though the sun has been warming up the atmosphere since early morning.

He took the subway and this one just spit him out in teh middle of the city. He then began this unusual walk in the middle of people, cars and buildings. So many people. The world was going on because of them. Meeting, talking, buying, feeling, and he felt as always he wasn't part of it, observing everything like a distant witness. He was thinking about her again, walking through the crowd. He happened to stop in front of an Hifi-video store, with this huge TV and those gigantic speakers. He just stared at them. The TV was broadcasting some amazingly fast images, and that did its little effect on him. The speakers made him a strange impression, like they were talking. Like they were having a conversatin with one another. He felt them alive and talking, but that was again part of his illusional world vision he thought. The thing is he was aware of its strangeness, but that didn't scared or even bothered him. He just went on walking. He who has been raised on television and comic books, just seemed to find that a normal thing. he who only had a few friends on the late years of his for now so short life. He was raised by his own delusions. In his own little world. He has built himself a conception of reality that even his now precious and solid mind couldn't not erase. He was living in a strange reality where nothing could be proved, but where everything was possible.

He uselessly tried to change his mind, to think to something else, but his mind, due to the lack of human contact, was still obsessed with her, even if he could admit that conciously he wasn't attracted by her, by her eyes, her sweet voice, her sensitiveness. And it was only at the begining of the evening, after having crossed half the city, that he arrived at a friend's place.

This one, thanks to his work, and if you put aside some rare exceptions, was constantly home. Hour and circumptance just seems perfect for him to pay a visit. They spent quite a time together, talking. First about each other's work. This guy, Philip, was a comics artist. HE was now working on an original concept project. not that the scenario was original, but its treatment was. He just decided to draw a futuristic story using the early 20s designs.

" And the hero's street is called Baker Street ! Isn't that great ? "

" U're luchy to live in this appartment, man !", said H., Trying to put some music on the cd player. "You have everything so close ! The food, the ..."

He just stopped talking because of a detail. A shocking detail. The little screen just displayed " NO ".

He tryed to make the cd work, and the player just said "NO" to him. How could this be possible ? " I thought these things happened, but not realy happened". He jsut stayed there, petrified.

" What's wrong ?"

" I... I dunno, is this thing alive ? "

" What are u sayng ? " saying Philip, amused.

" Well, I just asked this machine to play me a record, and she said no to me... Like it wouldn't obey ..

" HAha ! Don' worry, man ! .This Cd player doesn't accept any cd sonce the display screen just got kick ! It was displaying 'NO DISC', but like I just said, the display is half dead ! "

H. just couldn't stop laughing for a couple minutes. " Hey ! That thing got me so scared ! "

...And then it went on. They kept talking about scenarii, engagement towards writing process, fantastic and sci-fi tales ...It was getting late, and Philip just remembered there was something on the TV that he wanted to watch. So he turned it on and started looking for the right channel.

" And miss Thingy wins ....of the new album of Go Fxxx Yourse...But John, what about the kids ? Have you .... Urgh ! Take this -BOUUUm-...but I sleep on the couch ! - No You're not ! I ...That has blocked every single conputer in all the country's post office, causing many incovienients"

" Arg ! Bloody remote control " said Philip. " It's stuck !"

H. didn't listen. He was focused on the news:

"Every single computer just stoped responding at the same time ! like they all agreed to do so. Specialists explained us that that was due to the massinve amount of information trasnmitting to one another, caused by the end of the year's .... But john, what about the kids ? Well, Susan ..."

" At last " said Philip ! so satisfied with his remote control paying back attention to these frenetic impulses. h. stayed focused on this thoughts for a few seconds, concerned by that last report, before noticing that his friend was now watching his favourite show : " the friends of the not-so-wild".

" Well, I guess I'll be going now." throwed H. after 3 minutes of the boring program. Last think he heard after shaking his friends hand, and just before closing the door was that noise coming from the Tv, like there was some sort of bad wiring. But after noticing Philip wasn't paying attetion to it, he just took off.

So he left the appartment and went to the closest subway station. What was he to do next on this lazy day, he asked himself. And the answer was so obvious. He remembered everyone was to meet at the KLEBS, a know pub near St-Michel and Notre-Dame. But since it was still early for him to go, he decided to go home to change and take a bath first.

ON his way back home, he seemed to notice that the subway had more difficulties than usual, not to stop because of electrical failures. Like it was out of breath or something. What a strange impression, he thought. Thankfully, he arrived home on time to do what he was supposed to. He rested some few minutes on the sof, and put some music. He just didn't notice right away. He stood up to make some coffee. He turned on thecoffee machine. He just didn't notice. The music was slowing down and going louder. He didn't notice right away. Louder, slower, like it was trying to talk to him. It was beginig to uncouciously get on his nerves. The coffee machine wasn't probably clean enough not to exhale some smoke. It began to sparkle out. He jumped away, surprised, and came back to unplug it. Phew.

"NOW, What the hell with this music ???"

He went back to the stereo machine. The lights were all dancing. He was stressed. He tried to take out the CD, or stop the machine, but the thing just didn't answer the request. Thinking by itself, he thought. "I gotta plug it out". While he was finding his way to the plug, the machine began to let go some strange and thick fluid. It sparkled. "What the FUCK !" The music stopped. The liquid slowly filled the furniture and infiltrated the floor like a virus. He was laying on the floor watching the entity grow. He just couldn't move at the time ...the liquid was trying to get to him? Thick black liquid. Was it ...

He moved slowly towards it, probably attracted by so deep wonder instinct. He risked touching the liquid. It was hot. It felt like ... He tryed to smell it ...

" blood ... it Smells like BLOOD ..."

He crawled backwards to any wall that would happen to be there. He tried to get up, but his legs were shaking. " There's gotta be a ... rational explanation ...".

He put his hand on the desk, and had the impression the the computer move imperciptibly. He stared at it, petrified. A long shiver came from the depth of his spine. Again, he felt the screen was trying to move. Some violent rage took control of him. He grabbed it and threw it accross the room. The screen exploded in a big crash, or was it a scream ? The liquid it freed spread all over the place, along with some unrecognisable organs. The madness was complete. The organs were woving on their own. Like they were there forever, waiting to be freed. H. was moving as fast as his frozen by fear muscle allowed him to. He remembered that the main computer was still on the desk and felt the other way, along with the coats near the door. He got out of the appart ment as fast as he could after a last look on the main room floor. The organs seemed to look straight at him. He was out of breath. He went outside. It was freezing, but he didn't notice. He was lost in his thoughts, walking.

" That's impossible. I've lived in a fantasy, I always knew it was. I just knew ..."

The same thoughts over and over again. He doesn't remember ... his feet knew were he was to go, so they took him there, he didn't pay attention. Some sort of reflex, again ..." Impossible ... that's ..."

That's when he realised he was in the subway, waiting for the train to come. " what am I to do ? ..." He was waiting .. he tryed to think about a way to figure out what ...

And he realised he was alone. No one around. In the middle of the evening, no one in the subway... that seemed strange. A long shiver took control of his body again. He tried to run to the exit when a long and loud metallic noise came from his back. He turned. What was more familiar than the noise of a train coming into the staion ? With those little two light that looked like eyes ... Coming out of the dark .. Two terrifing wide open eyes.

The walls started shaking while these eyes were witness that the train was not following the tracks. And like a huge metallic snake, the train came out of its cave. Growling and sahking. As it massively hit the ceiling, most of the lights went out. The monstrous beast was all covered with what seemed to be oil, but he knew it wasn't.

He was like 15 feets from the beast's head now. It was staring at him. Intensely. And that's when he tried to run away that the beast dived on the concrete floor, sending trashes and chairs away, like insignificant matter.

In a last effort, neons spread a last shy light. Now only the eyes of the giant beast allow to witness the madness he's the victim of. He can't hear himslef scream anymore.

" This is nonsense ... this can't be "

And when the huge metallic thing heads towards him for the last time, the brutal sound of his crushed bones mixes with the electric undying scream and the crakles of metal, plastic and concrete.

And weirdly, everything was soft.

" It's nonsense, it can't be" he thought while enjoying his bed.

" As usual, backup memory. H.Hall, 22 years old, living 5 Georges Marcel road, Paris.

Vital and necessary. He got up and went to make some coffee. ON his way, he saw the computer. He stared at it, and went to the coffee macihine, smiling.

" nonsense " he thought. half certain.