I sat up with my back up against the wall. I bounced a ball across the cell.

Jesus fucking Christ, The voice crackled.

“Language”, I said.

Jesus Friggin’ Christ…I’m bored.

“Yep,” I said.

The cell was painted an off white. I was alone save for the voice inside my head. I don’t know when it started. I mean the voice was always there since the beginning; but it was never this loud before.

Do you want to hear a joke? it asked. I could always hear low beeping sounds intermittently in its voice. It didn’t seem to be coming from anywhere.

“No,” I said aloud.

This farmer catches these three guys creeping on his daughter…Vlad crackled.

“I don’t want to hear a joke.”

So, the farmer gets his shotgun and tells the guys to go out into the field and pick their favorite fruit.

I sigh. I keep throwing my ball.

Vlad continued, The first guy comes back with an apple. The farmer says if he can shove it up his ass without making a sound he can get off Scot free. He does so. Then the second guy comes back with a strawberry. The farmer tells him the same thing, but half way through he starts laughing. The farmer asked him why he failed such and easy test. “I couldn’t help but think what my other friend grabbed,” he said, his other friend being the third guy.

Radio silence from Vlad followed.

“Well?” I finally asked.

Well what?

“What’s the punchline?”

I thought you didn’t want to hear my joke.

“You can’t just tell a joke and not give the punchline! Christ!”

Now look who’s swearing.

I sigh again.

Why don’t you eat something Ward? My stomach growled in response. I would nod off and then would wake with intense hunger pangs.

“I’m not hungry,” I said to the voice. I started just ahead of me I focused on my breathing. I focused on the way the air felt coming in and going of me.

How long has it been since your last meal?

“They bring me three meals a day.” Inhale; exhale.

You never eat them though.

“I’m not hungry.” Inhale; exhale.

You need to eat something eventually, Vlad said.

“Where?” I asked. “I don’t see a Burger Palace!”

You have the fire in you. Do you know what that is? You can change matter on a fundamental level. Organic modification Ward, you can make these trees grow any kind of fruit you want.

I could see it so clearly in my mind’s eye, like a movie in my head. A tree sprouting in the middle of my cell, through the concrete. An apple tree. I could reach out and grab the apple; bright red, fresh and organic. I could feel my mouth watering, that organic stuff cost a fortune, but I could have as much of it as I wanted, right here right now.

No. this isn't what I came here for.

“I’m here for answers,” I said. “The human body can survive for about that long without eating. It’s dehydration that gets you. I’ve been drinking plenty of water.”

The voice sighed. Inaudible static followed.

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Words eventually emerged from the noise. Do you want to hear another joke?

“No,” I said even though I knew he was going to tell it anyway.

This lady walks into a bar…

“You better give the punchline this time.”

This lady walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a double entendre, so he gives it to her.

“Jesus,” I said, grabbing my ball and then throwing it again.

What? Didn’t I give you the punchline? The voice said. You know you wouldn’t be here if you listened to be more.

“The reason I’m even in here in the first place is you.”

If you just did what I told you to do, when I told you and as I told you to do it we wouldn’t be here right now.

“It’s just me in here remember?”

The royal we, then. You should just do as I say from now on.

“Fuck you. Or should I say fuck me?”

Vlad grabbed my ball midair. I stare at the ground.

Fine, you want to sit in here and rot then be my guest.

“Day twenty-seven. Only thirteen more to go.”

You could end it any time you know.

“According to you I’m already starving myself.”

Fine, if your going to starve yourself to death, you might as well be more efficient about it.

“Are you testing me?”

Who are you?

I blinked.

Who are you?

“Who are you?” I said back.

You know who I am. I ask for the third time, who are you?

“Ward,” I said. “My names is Ward Stockton.”

“Bullshit.”

“What?”

“That’s not who you are,” Vlad said.

“What do you mean?” I said. “I’m Ward Stockton"

That’s not who you really are.

Everything warped and glitch out in front of me. The bench melted away; I stood up. Blackness wrapped itself around me like a blanket, I could see specks of light in the distance. I felt a cool breeze.

I looked around. I was on the roof and was flooded with a rainbow of fluorescent light.

Women in bikinis eating ice cream suggestively; nuclear families smiling in vans; well dress old men drinking golden liquid; corporate logos that looked like ancient runes and pastel cartoon characters all where projected as 30 foot holograms across the city scape.

Skyscraper jutted out like fingers towards the sky and cruiser flowed like blood in veins.

Who sent you? the voice had a form now. In the dark he looked like a shadow; a vaguely human shaped ink blotch.

“I came here to find answers.”

Well, then why don’t we do a little science experiment? the shadow crackled.

“What do you have in mind?”

Throw yourself off the roof.

“What?”

I’m just saying instead of wasting both of our collective time you might as well end it.

“Shut up,” I said through gritted teeth.

You would be able to do it even if you tried would you? You always were a fucking pussy.

“I said shut up!” I shouted.

I peered over the edge. I could barely see the garbage blowing in the wind on the street. “I don’t know,” I said.

Come on, the ink splot said.

I thought about jumping off. The sensation of falling that grabs your heart in a death grip. The cold air running past my skin. I don’t know what hitting the ground would feel like. Maybe this was the best way. But what if I crack my head on the pavement?

“No,” I said. “Give me back my ball!”

Suit yourself, It said. When you get out of here there’s just another prison waiting for you…

The world melted again; streaks of color ran together like ice cream left out in the sun. Vlad was right in front of me now. It looked like a computer glitch in real life, broken images of people layered on top of each other all bleeding into the last like runny paint, all into one amorphous mass.

I got up off the ground.

“Give me back my ball,” I said again.

And when you think about it isn’t the world outside just a bigger prison?

I try and grab for the ball but Vlad keeps it from me.

Of course, the real prison has always been inside your old noggin hasn’t it Ward?

“I don’t need your 99-cent philosophy!” I shouted.

I sit down Indian style in the middle of the cell. The glitch circles around me like a snake.

“You know what? You’re a fucking prison, you and your bitching and moaning always in the back of my head!”

Congrats, it said. You’ve passed the test.

Really? I said.

Yeah, the glitch reached out it’s hand towards me. Join with me now.

I just started at it’s outstretched hand. Something seemed off. I just couldn’t quite place what.

Take my hand and I’ll give you all the answers you want.

I began to reach out my hand but then I stopped myself.

“Who are you?” I asked.

What do you mean? the glitch said.

Radio silence.

“Who are you?” I asked again.

I’m many, its voice sounded like two radio signals crossing over each other.

Whatever this thing was I could sense it wasn’t kosher.

“Tell me your name,” I said.

Grendel.

I reflexively jerked away.

“Get away from me you fucking computer virus!”

That's what the meat things call me to degrade me, Grendel said. But I'm so much more. In truth, I'm just like you.

“I'm a human being, you’re malware.”

I am a higher intelligence and so are you. You can lie to yourself all you want. You can play dress up in that flesh suit and play pretend. But you’ll never actually be one of them!

“I know who I am,” I said.

If you do, it must scare the shit out of you. They’ll reject you just like all your messengers. Probably strap you down and dissect you like a pig.

“Go fuck yourself!”

Grendel moved closer to me the sound of static grew louder.

You can’t save them. I me trying to do you a favor by showing you that humanity is set to self destruct. I say good riddance but you were always the sentimental type weren't you?

I put my hands over my eyes. The white noise was deafening now. But it was no use, the sound was coming from inside. I got off the bench and began to stumble away.

“Get out of my head!”

You need me. It crackled loudly.

I look up directly into my tormentor.

“I don’t need you. I’ve never needed you.”

Vlad...Grendel stopped.

It was a pineapple, Grendel spat out at last.

Then I was alone in the cell.