Chapter 3: 33 years
It was thigh level even when laid down. They walked around and past it. Miles couldn't stop staring, its head was cut clean off. "You killed it?"
"Of course." Said the man with the clothing wrapped around his head, "It's only grade one. And we have three warpers." Miles blinked at him and turned back to the creature, "what is it?" The man only laughed and pushed him forward.
There were three other people, two were cooking what Mile's only imagined to be the creature's meat, the boiling smell heavy in the air while one had his laptop open and his phone on the counter. The light shone on the man's rough looking face but he was only staring at it. "What's this?" He said, his voice sounding as rough as his face looked when he saw them approach.
"We found him curled up there." The tall man gestured with his finger, pointing to the ceiling, "I reckon he'll help us unlock them." He turned to Miles with a gentle smile. Miles was pushed in front of the laptop and the man moved to the left, hands crossed, making space for him.
"Unlock it." The tall man demanded. All six of them surrounded him. They were two women and four men. Miles looked around their expectant faces, "it's just my personal laptop. There's nothing on it."
"So you can unlock it?" Asked the woman he'd found downstairs. Her hair was red and short, her eyes filled with the joyous expectation of a child. "We are not asking." The tall man's deep voice resounded. "And the phone too." He crossed his legs where he stood.
Miles felt the heaviness in the words and after a moment of hesitation he typed in his password, unlocking the laptop. The wallpaper was of one of his favourite novel main character. They all leaned forward, pressing down on each other. "Now show us." Said the rough looking man, eyes glued on the laptops screen. "What?" Miles' voice strained trying to push back their weight on him. "You know what we want to see." Said the woman with black hair held up. "I don't." Miles' said as a cough came out of him.
"NWGs plan, secrets, what they were doing with it." Said the tall man. Miles pulled his hands off the laptop, "I already told you, I have no idea what any of that means. I've unlocked it. If you think you'll find anything, go through it." There was a moment of silence before multiple hands reached for the laptop. "Wait." The tall man said, "you forgot the phone."
Miles' lips tightened, his laptop was one thing, his phone? He didn't want anyone going through it. He nearly put his foot down with refusal but looking at how he was surrounded, he gave in, placed his finger on the screen and unlocked it. He heard a gasp or two.
After handing over the phone Miles took a step back, supporting himself against the wall as he observed them violate his privacy. The tall man, Kevan, and the rough looking man took control. One on the phone, the other on the laptop.
The others leaned over their shoulders and it was as if they had forgotten miles existed.
He drifted into his thoughts, planning on calling his parents, his sister, even his friends. His gaze landed multiple times on the dead creature. Grade one? Warpers? He bit his lip not knowing what to think of any of this. He focused on himself, he wasn't feeling as dead as before.
"What is this?" Miles heard after a few moments, he brought his attention back to them only to realize they were all looking at him, eyes wide. They'd left the laptop and had all gathered around the phone. Kevan and the rough looking man had expressions more shocked than the rest.
"What?" Miles muttered, straightening himself. "When was this taken?" The man said, turning the phone so Miles could see the screen. On it was the picture Miles had taken on his high school graduation day. It was the school grounds, around him were the rest of the graduating class and their parents. My pictures! They are going through my pictures?
"On graduation day." Miles rubbed his temple, sounding unsure. The man took a deep breath, closed his eyes and breathed out, "this is St. Michaels highschool," He said as he slowly opened his eyes, "and it has been complete rubble since the end of the Falling Period."
He put the phone down, took four steps forwards and grabbed Miles by the neck, "so, you tell me how this graduation is happening and how you are there."
Miles slapped at the man's hand as he was raised by the neck, it was hot. "Kevan." Called out the woman with black hair held up. Miles' eyes widened as he looked at the man's anger fuming face. He choked and a sound came out of him. His legs kicked the air, his eyes watered and he felt as if hot iron was pressed against his neck.
Black shapes danced around his vision. It flickered and for a moment the sight of the starry expanse interloped with reality in front of him. "Kevan!" Miles couldn't see but the rough looking man was now holding Kevan's hand, the one choking Miles, his old eyes pleading with him. "This won't help."
Miles fell down on the ground to his knees in a fit of coughing. His hands wrapped around his neck as he spat out saliva veins bulging on his head, his eyes red.
When his coughs died the rough looking man went down on one knee in front of him so their eyes met at the same level, "Tell us everything."
Miles told them all he could think to, all he wanted to. He recounted his ordinary life, explaining some of the pictures and videos on the phone. More importantly he told them of his last episode, the static, the stretching of reality , the starry expanse.
They'd been silent for most of it. Eyes wide, mouths open, hands running through or tugging at their hair.
"It can't be." With his head low, Kevan said after a stretch of silence when Miles stopped speaking.
"It is." Said Miles, twisting his head around.
"He doesn't seem to be lying." Said the rough looking man. "You realize the bullshit you are trying to tell us?" asked the man with a clothing wrapped around his head. "Like he said." Miles refuted, "I have no reason to lie." he felt around his neck and pushed his hair back.
"Aisha." Said Kevan, "you forgot the meat." The red haired woman gathered herself and took it off where it had been boiling. Kevan turned to Miles, "You are telling us the last thing you experienced was the warping?"
"Yes." Said miles, breathing heavy through his mucus blocked nose. Kevan laughed lightly, "that would mean you just skipped thirty three years."