This choice: The Criminal is in their 20s • Go Back... Carl Jackson was in a very bad mood. Within the past week, the large 27 year old had lost everything - not that he ever had much. Carl's parents were low lives who couldn't even afford an abortion and quickly put him up in adoption. Spending his life jumping from one foster home to the next, Carl quickly learned that the only consistency in life was what he was willing to do to get from point A to point B. Over the years that could have been spent in school Carl learned how to pick people's pockets, scam them in numerous fashions, read their body language to learn who would be a good sucker and who wouldn't, and talk his way out of most situations where he wasn't caught red handed. All things being equal, he had a pretty good life until recently. But things all went down hill quickly. That goddamn pig officer Trask stole Carl's girlfriend, beat him to a pulp, and personally put the eviction notice on his apartment door. Now he only had a week to figure out where he'd be staying.
Of course, if he was desperate enough he could just commit some crime in broad daylight and go to jail - at least then he'd have a roof over his head and food to eat. He could also just say fuck it and kill that cop. It'd probably be the last thing he'd ever do, but at least he'd go out with a bang. But he wasn't in a rush for either of those scenarios if there was something else to be done. So he put his hands in his pockets and kept thinking before nearly tripping over a homeless man. "Jesus Christ, Jezzer, get the hell out of the middle of the sidewalk," Carl said as he caught himself against the wall.
"Aw, screw you Carl! I gotta stretch my legs!" Jezzer said with a grin. "You don't look too good, buddy. Did the chick finally walk out on ya?"
Carl spit in his general direction. "Yeah, and she decided to take my apartment with her."
"You mean HER apartment" Jezzer said, standing up and putting an arm around Carl. "I'm sorry to hear. I've always got some extra room here if you need a place to crash, you know."
"I'll pass," Carl said as he pushed Jezzer away and brushed the dirt off his shoulder. Carl may be a criminal, but he still had standards.
"Well, uh, maybe I can help you in another way" he said, reaching into his pocket and handing Carl a plastic bag with a red pill in it.
"What the hell is this?" Carl asked, not recognizing it as any drug he'd seen before.
Jezzer smiled. "I got it from Dr. Eorlund. I took one the other day and had a willllllllld experience. Trust me, it'll change your life. The doc was looking for more test subjects and I was thinking of trying to get you in on it anyway. But now I know you need to join us. Well?"
Carl looked down at the pill in his hand, still having no idea what it would do. But what did he have to lose?   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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