Adapt by Edward Freeland Read Free Book Online Page A

them and scanned the parked buses in the station hoping to spot Ian. Daniel found his witness talking to Noel.
    “You said I was on Life’s Journal. What was on there?”
    “You look a state, mate,” said Ian.
    “Tell me what you saw. I’m not on Life’s Journal,” said Daniel.
    “Don’t worry about it. That was before Christmas.”
    “I am fucking worried. Who’s putting stuff about me on the internet? I have been getting all kinds of things said to me. People I’ve never met making references to me. If there’s something on the internet about me I haven’t put it there.”
    “Ask someone else,” said Ian.
    “I have but you were the one who said it outright.”
    “I’m not getting involved. I saw nothing,” he said.
    “You were the one who fucking said it.” Daniel was becoming frustrated and it began to show. Noel then stepped toward him.
    “You have something in your head,” said Noel.
    “Are either of you going to tell me?”
    “I’ve got to go,” said Ian as he walked off.
    Maybe I should go around asking random strangers. They will
probably put me in a loony bin if I do that. I can’t finish my shift. I can’t work until I find out what is going on.
Daniel walked over to the manager’s office. He entered the cabin.
    “Daniel. Take a seat,” said the manager. Daniel stayed on his feet.
    “I’m leaving,” he said.
    “You’re in the middle of a shift.”
    “I have to go. There’s something I need to resolve. I can’t work in these conditions.”
    “I think it’s for the best. I would like you to finish your shift though,” said the manager.
    “I’m leaving right now. I know there is something going around about me,” said Daniel.
    “Really,” said the manager. “We have seen nothing. Nothing about you, Daniel.”
    “I wish the company all the best, but I have to get out of here. I need to find out what’s going on.” Daniel turned to walk toward the door.
    “You’re not looking for an escort are you?” the manager asked. Daniel stopped and turned to face him.
    “What is that supposed to mean?”
    “You know the way out. That’s all I’m saying.”
    Daniel left the cabin and walked in the rain, moving slowly, droplets falling heavily on him. He looked into the bus that was departing from the stop beside him. There was a young woman seated near the back. She stared at him, shaking her head.
Why? Why are you looking at me like that?
He closed his eyes, beads of water dripped down his face. Tilting his head back he could sense the foreboding sky above. Dark clouds, mean and threatening.
    The second Daniel got home he searched again. Nothing on Life’s Journal, nothing, like a phantom taunt he couldn’t understand.
    Who has done this, and where is it now?

Intruder
    The room was dimly lit. Grey wallpaper stained with smoke peeled away from the corners. Mould gathered around the window and down the wall, creating a stale smell that absorbed into everything, including the bed. Outside of the bedroom door to the left was a kitchen entrance. Dishes stacked up across the worktops. Empty beer cans and take-away boxes gathered around an overfilled bin. The fridge door was open. A man reached in to get his reward for journeying away from his computer. He closed the fridge door. He walked back to his bedroom, opening the can as he arrived back at his desk. He landed on the chair with a thud. The leather chair was new, unlike the old chipped desk that it sat in front of. The man’s waistline was testament to a crate of beer a night. A loose pair of jogging bottoms were his attire for endless hours at the screen.
    He used the mouse to scroll down a list of names on the screen.
My slaves
he thought whilst his other hand scratched at his receding hairline. He clicked on a name. A new desktop opened in a window. The desktop was different from his own. This desktop had a photo of a family, a family he knew.
What are you up to at the moment, slave?
He opened a third window, this