Brightside - Mark Tullius (miss read books .TXT) š
- Author: Mark Tullius
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Dadās lecture worked in theory, but it didnāt do much to inspire confidence in my part of the plan, the part where I have to take down a fully armed chopper hovering in the sky.
When I was nine, I used to point my finger as a gun and take out the airplanes flying over Columbus. I didnāt realize I was playing terrorist, never imagined one day thatās what Iād be called. Thought Thieves were deemed the most dangerous people on the planet by the President, the government, every school board across the country. All because we knew everyone was lying.
The politicians werenāt a surprise, but the pastors and priests; the little league coaches and lunch ladies threw everyone for a loop. It was just easier to get rid of us, ship us here to this mountain, than to face the truth that our society was based on the ability to lie. Parents tell their kids theyāre special, that they love them. Teachers tell students they can achieve anything. Bosses want their employees to know theyāre valued, that they arenāt just a warm body underpaid and abused. Itās how everything keeps moving. Without the lie, people have to fix shit, face conflict, come to terms. Lying is the buffer that keeps us all from ending up like Rachel.
Thought Thieves arenāt any better. We told ourselves Brightside could be worse, we bought into the bullshit, even though weād been ripped from our homes, stripped of our jobs and families. We were banished to this prison in the clouds, but we told ourselves weād just relocated. We had jobs, went on dates, fucked coworkers and the last person left at the bar. Lies have kept this town intact. They give us a reason to shower, brush our teeth, make our beds.
But none of it was real. It was no different than when I was back in the outside world. The other salesmen at BMW were just like us. We worried about paperwork, what we were going to have for dinner. We wondered if we should move the couch to the other side of the room. Little tasks and stupid nonsense kept our minds busy, but also kept us from realizing all of it was shit. Our lives, jobs, the people we called friends.
Iāve been hearing other peopleās thoughts for as long as I could remember, but no matter how many times I heard their lies, their excuses, their justifications for doing horrible stuff, I never realized that I was no better. Until Day 100. Thatās when I saw who I really was, a coward, a fraud, a waste of potential.
I could have been anything, could have used my gift to get elected to office or the head of a company. I could have rubbed elbows with the rich and powerful and had my own island. But I pissed it all away, told myself I was better than those cheats, even though I did nothing but swindle. I stole girlsā hearts, told them what they needed to hear to get them in bed. I sold luxury cars to unsuspecting souls. I convinced people I was sensitive, caring, when I was simply regurgitating all the things seeping out of their heads.
It was easy to keep secret because no one was like me. Not like Brightside, where secrets are more precious than life. I still canāt believe Iāve lasted a hundred days. I guess Iām lucky Wayne escaped and Sharon accelerated the plan. Another week and Iād be locked away in the Cabin or in a cage with the orange jumpsuits. Iāve been cracking, letting too many people in. Now Dannyās with Wayne and Saraās involved. Then thereās Rachel, poor faceless Rachel, shoved in my closet, her version of a suicide note still stained on the ceiling, the floors.
Saraās in the bathroom, so I decide to take the opportunity to say goodbye. I open the closet and crouch down next to Rachel. I tell her Iām sorry again, imagine she forgives me. I tell her thereās a good chance when this is over Iāll be joining her. I wonder if theyāll put us side by side in the cemetery.
If the rumors are true, we might all end up there soon. Wendell and Carlos; Krystal and Phuc. Every Brightsider buried to keep the world safe. I honestly donāt know how they ever thought this could last. Selling timeshares and other crap over the phone was never going to keep this place going. Just another lie we told ourselves to keep one foot moving in front of the other.
I just keep thinking about Wendell and all the people weāre going to abandon, the ones too risky for Sharonās club. If I succeed and take out the helicopter, thereās going to be panic and chaos, bullets ripping through bodies. The Boots wonāt know whoās with Sharon and who just happened to be taking a walk. Itās all a part of Sharonās plan. The distraction, the confusion, the melee that follows. Itās going to buy us time, keep the Boots one step behind.
Collateral damage is just another detail in this fucked up scheme.
Sara comes out of the bathroom and says she wants to know how Iām going to pull this off. Thereās no point in lying. I havenāt a fucking clue. Sharon had suggestions, like climbing a tree or throwing rocks to get the pilotās attention. Our brilliant leader is an idiot.
Sara asks how close I have to be. I tell her under fifty yards, but probably under twenty to be safe. Itās been over ten years since Iāve fired this shotgun, and I know Iām going to be shaking and scared out of my mind. Iāve only hit a few birds, but that was because of the buckshot spray. It only took one tiny pellet to take out a quail. The helicopterās going to take a hell of a lot more.
Sara says she wants to come with me, but sheās only being polite. She also needs to stay hidden. The Boots are busy looking for Wayne, but if they find her they wonāt hesitate to take her in. I tell her she needs to stay here until itās time to make a run for the cave. Sara refuses, says thereās no way sheās going to just sit here while Iām out there risking my life. Plus, she wants to find Danny. She says she saw a flicker in Wayneās thoughts. It was just a blip, but she saw Danny near a tree. I tell her Wayne isnāt dumb enough to slip up like that. In all likelihood heās trying to get her caught, giving the plan another distraction to keep the Boots off our ass. Still, sheās definitely not staying here, she says, so we make a compromise. I tell her she needs to make sure no one sees me go to the office. She can help me get in so I can get to the roof.
I PROMISED WAYNE IāD talk to Sharon, but thereās no point telling her shit. If I do and she agrees, there isnāt a damn difference, but if she freaks, like I know she will, then Iām only putting Danny in more danger. Wayneās going to be there whether I talk to Sharon or not, and his big ass isnāt going to climb down a rope by himself. And heās going to want in on the getaway vehicle, whatever that might be. Iām such an idiot for not asking Sharon for more details. I was too caught up in arguing about Sara and Danny being sent to the Cabin and my father turning me in.
Still, I have to call her. Sara and Danny have to be included in the getaway. I take out the cell phone, the one Sharon said couldnāt be traced.
āThere a problem?ā Those are the first words out of Sharonās mouth and I almost tell her there are more problems than she can handle.
āJust one,ā I say. āSara and Danny are both coming.ā
āAbsolutely not.ā
āThen Iām not firing a fucking shot and that helicopter will be sitting right outside the mineshaft. You can kiss your little plan goodbye.ā
Sharonās breathing, and while I canāt hear her thoughts, I know that damn mantra is on full blast in her head.
āItās your call,ā I say. āBut Iām not doing shit until I know theyāre in.ā
Sharonās teeth click a few times. She says, āFine.ā
āYeah? I have your word?ā As if her word means anything.
āYes, but if they get caught on the way to the cave or if theyāre one second late, weāre not waiting.ā
āOkay.ā
āAnd Joe?ā
āWhat?ā
āIf you fail, the dealās off.ā
āYeah...ā I start to ask how weāre getting off this mountain if we actually pull this off, but Sharonās already hung up.
I know Sharon has something waiting for us when we get out, a bus or car or even a plane. She told me there were others in the real world, ones yet to be discovered, willing to help us. Unlike Danny, Sara, and me, there were a lot of Thought Thieves rolling in cash. They broke into banks already knowing the security codes. They bought stocks on silent information. They took down casinos one table at a time, knowing exactly what the dealer or other players were holding. Unless they were stupid or too goddamn greedy, there are probably hundreds, even thousands, still on the outside.
It makes me wonder how many Thought Thieves are still sitting in power. The President himself only signed the law after the panic had gotten out of control. I like the idea of the Commander in Chief being one of us. It would explain his second term, how frequently he fires top officials. I imagine the White House is filled with people looking to take him down, but heād know every move before they could make a grab at his job.
Even Carl Pepper, the man who supposedly saved the Presidentās life, never seemed to be fully responsible for stopping the assassination. When they played the scene on the news, the President definitely ducked before Carl clobbered the gunman.
Carl was one of the first sent to Brightside, but no one has seen or heard from him since. Heās either dead or locked up so tight heās wishing he were. I canāt imagine what Carl must be going through. He was a hero for a week, then a villain for life. Iām sure thereās not a second of the day he doesnāt wish he wouldāve let the gunman fire the shot. The President he saved banished him for being a traitor and I canāt fathom how that must feel. Even though my own father turned me in, at least he tried to offer me a way out. Carl is just fucked, same as all the other Brightsiders weāll leave behind.
I need to stop thinking about pointless crap. Who cares what Carl is thinking or if the President is a Thought Thief? Neither is going to help me one bit. I have a job to do, and I need to shut off my head. I know Iām doing it
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