Chapter Fifty Five
August watched in shock as the old man thrust his penis repeatedly into a girl who looked like she wasn't even up to thirteen.
The girl moaned, her mouth wide and a string of drool hanging on its edge.
It looked as if this was a common occurrence for a girl this young.
The old man wheezed and released his aged semen into the girl's butthole.
"My apologies. I was just in the middle of playing with my lovely Granddaughter here."
The old man leaned forward and kissed the girl then slapped her hard on the butt.
"Ummm..." The girl winced slightly.
"Go on Marina. I'll be out later for Ice cream."
"Okay. Grandpap." The girl ran off giggling.
"Ivan Stalingrad. Head of Human consciousness research at Lanister Institute."
The old man offered his hand to August.
"How could you expect me to shake you after what I saw?" August looked at him like he was looking at the devil.
Ivan laughed, "Are you angry that I was enjoying the simulation we are in. You are exactly as Faust told me you would be."
August was horrified that Ivan was discussing such things openly, his first thought was to immediately join the conversation revealing the fact that he knew the world he was experiencing wasn't objectively real but he held his tongue.
"I came to meet Faust not whoever you think you are."
August left through the door, he waited in the hallway where he communicated with Faust again.
"Where the devil are you?" August texted.
"I hunched my back again, Dear friend. Please let us change the venue to my place." Faust replied and August frowned.
On his way out of the theatre, he saw the little girl standing outside humming a tune while she waited.
Noticing her, his first intention was to leave and put all this behind him but suddenly held him and he walked over.
The girl raised her eyes and met his then tilted her head in confusion.
"Excuse me."
August saw the unmistakable light of life in her eyes and frowned.
'She is just a part of the deception and yet I can't help but believe that perhaps a part of them is a living being.'
"Come with me." August held out his hand.
"But Grandpap is still.." Marina protested.
"That man is not your grandfather. Grandfathers do not do that, please come with me." August leaned forward and took her into his arms.
August walked down the street to an ice cream truck.
"One massive sundae please."
"65 dollars."
August brought out a crisp hundred from his wallet and handed it over.
"Here." The sellsman provided the sundae in a thick plastic container, he also offered change but August refused.
"Keep the change."
As they moved away, August looked back seeing Ivan watching them walk away with a calm unhinged smile.
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"Welcome. Ah.... Who is this little angel?!"
The maid at Faust's mansion cooed when she saw Marina.
"I am Marina." Marina said.
Marina hugged the maid cheerfully.
"You look like my Mama." Marina said.
"And where is she now?" The maid asked.
"Grandad opened her up." The maid jolted and looked at August.
"Is Faust in?"
"Yes." She nodded her head furiously.
August handed Marina the sundae.
"You can eat without me."
August left them both and headed up the stairs past a seemingly endless stretch of rooms to the master suite.
Knock!Knock!!
"Hah.. August please enter."
August met Faust smoking a pipe while enjoying a book on a rocking chair.
"I thought you blew your back."
"Oh.. I did but I simply reattached it back with some elbow grease." Faust flexed his shoulders in a comical show of strength.
August didn't know what to make of what Faust said.
'Did he blow his back or did it fall off?' He sensed a deeper message hidden in those words but didn't have the context to interpret it.
So he sat down on the bed and sighed.
"This silly man, we were supposed to meet your group today." August began.
"True. But alas we had to take a rain check. Certain unsettling issues came up and we fear that our group might become a little more fewer in the coming days." Faust said without taking his eyes off the book he was reading.
August tensed hearing this, "What happened to the others?"
"They have left."
Faust's words made August's heart blossom with hope.
'People can leave?'
"Even if they no longer exist as we knew them. I hope they will remain happy nonetheless."
August remained silent for a minute, "Are they gone?"
"No and Yes, all the same."
Faust handed August his book.
August followed the letters Faust had marked with simple chars from his pipe.
THEYWEREATTACKED.
'They were attacked?!' August's blood ran cold when he read this then he felt a wet stain on the handle of the book and raised his fingers to see them covered in blood.
"My Boy. Sometimes I feel like we are at war."