2 A Good Man

Planet Earth

Year 2023

Pre-AI Rule Era

Knock Knock

A sleeping boy suddenly rises awake, his black hair glistening with sunlight. The half naked boy rushes towards the nearby bathroom and hurriedly switches on the shower.

"Shit! I must have slept through my alarm if mom is waking me!"

After a few minutes, the boy walks out of the shower, his brown eyes shining. He quickly runs to the closet in the left corner of the room and takes out a white t-shirt and jeans. He soon puts on his clothes and rushes downstairs.

A middle aged woman stands near a dinner table with a red plate in her hands.

"David, eat your breakfast and get to school quickly", the woman says.

"Alright"

The boy, now known as David, quickly wolfed down his food, almost as if he was a starving man who hadn't eaten in days.

Before heading outside, he looked at a framed photo on the wall. In the photo, a young woman with ginger hair and brown eyes held a small boy in her arms. Standing alongside her, there was a handsome man with black hair and blue eyes with his arm around the woman's shoulder, his arm touching the glabellar of the little boy.

These two were David's parents who took care of him all his life. David smiled as he thought of the good times with his parents.

He rushed outside of his house. While he was running alongside the road, an elderly woman greeted him

"Late again, Huh, David"

Her tone sounded more like a statement than a question. David smiled slyly and rubbed the back of his head. He paid no further attention to her and continued running to school.

He finally reached school and ran into the school. He grimaced as he realized that 1st period was about to start. He run even faster towards his class and bust through the door a few minutes after the bell rang.

"Late again hm?" His teacher said,

David merely stayed silent and kept his head down. His teacher soon started about a 15 minute lecture as his classmates laughed.

The rest of the school day passed in a blur and David soon went home to change his attire. David walked through the door and began wearing a blue polo and white shorts aswell as a hat.

David slowly walked downstairs and looked at his mother.

"Mom, can I borrow your car?"

"Too tired to walk today?" His mom smiled as she said,

"After one of Miss Herman's lectures, anyone would be too tired to walk" David complained,

"Alright, you can take my car" His mom chuckled and soon said,

As David walked towards the door, he heard his mother's voice.

"David, don't spread yourself too thin between studies and work"

"I never will, mom" David smiled and said,

David walked out of his house and slowly drove towards the local White Castle at which he worked. He slowly exited the car and walked towards the restaurant.

The doors of the restaurant opened as the people's chatter could be heard. He soon walked towards the cash register and struck up a conversation with one of his colleagues.

"Hey, Micheal. How is the resturant?"

"It's not so bad. I thought it would be a shithole based on the stuff I heard from you before I started working here."

David opened his mouth to say something. Suddenly a voice could be heard.

"Hey! We don't pay you to talk! Get the work, jackass!"

"Alright, boss" David and Micheal said in unison.

David walked towards the blue door marked "Employees Only". He quickly opened the door and clocked in for the day. As the manager, Peter followed him.

"Hey, David, you'll be on cashier duty today"

"Wasn't Micheal handling the cash register?"

"Im switching Michael to the fryer today. He's too slow on the register"

"Alright, Boss" David softly sighed,

"Hey! Don't give me that attitude or I'll throw you out of here"

"Sorry, Sir" David apologised,

The hours slowly and monotonously passed by until a certain man's voice suddenly rang through the store.

"Hey, David", a man said. He appeared bald and had a beard aswell as a somewhat muscular body.. However when one looked at front of his body, they would recognise a beer belly born from years of drinking.

David's face turned dark upon recognising the man.

"What? Sad to see me?", The man jokingly asked,

David clenched his fingers and slowly asked,

"What would you like to order, Sir?"

"Oh, Don't be like that!"

"Im just trying to help you and your mother"

"I'll pay for your college and you won't have to work in this shithole anymore, all for what? A ring and a document and... just one night with your mother" the man creepily smiled and said,

"Im going to have to ask you to leave..." David said, trying to hold in his anger.

"Alright, Alright, don't get so upset" The man said and shortly left,

The rest of the day passed and David drove home after the encounter with the man.

David burst through the door and made his way up to his room, locking the door. His mom followed and knocked on his door lightly.

"David"

"David!" His mother said in a concerned tone,

David opened the door and looked at his mother in the eyes.

"Did that man come to see you today?"

"..... Yes"

"I'll file a police report and talk to him if he's bothering you"

"It's not about me… it's-"

"Don't worry about that, I'll handle it" his mother said,

David weakly nodded and turned around to go back into his room. The hours passed as evening turned to night.

The light of David's room shined through his door. His mother slowly walked towards his room and quietly opened the door.

There lay David, still studying for the SAT exam.

"David", his mother called,

"What?", David asked,

"Go to sleep. You seem tired"

"No, mom. I can't. I want to go to a good college and do something with myself"

"David…. It's alright if you don't become a great man. Just be a good man, that's enough for me.

David smiled at the words of his mother.

"David, just get back to sleep now."

"Alright, Mom" David answered,

David soon yawned as he closed his door and walked towards his bed, flopping on it.

As David opened his eyes, he noticed that he was suddenly on a small hill, overlooking a vast expanse of grass and fog. Beside him, sat a woman with impressive assets as well as silky forest green hair. He soon rested his head on her lap as they cuddled while looking at the sunset.

plop

David suddenly felt something land on the back of his head. He reached out to check what landed on him. As he grabbed the back of his head, he felt a slimy yet smooth object in his hands. He looked at his hands and noticed….. maggots?

David was startled awake by his alarm clock. He suddenly rose up, breathing heavily. He remembered the strange dream and quickly dismissed it, calming himself in the process.

He yawned slowly and walked towards the window. On the window sill sat a tiny plant with many long and prickly stems as well as a blue water bottle next to it. He Today, he requested a day off of work, listening to the words of his mother. He walked down the brown wooden stairs towards the dining table,the house feeling strangely empty due to his father's death years ago.

"Hello" David groggily said to his mother,

"Good morning, David" His mother replied cheerfully,

"Here's your breakfast, David" His mother said as she handed him a plate of his favourite dish, an egg and ham sandwich prepared by his mother.

"Thanks mom" David replied in a tired tone.

"What's wrong?" His mother asked,

" It's alright….just a weird dream"

" Just drink some water and try to forget about it" His mother assured,

He at his breakfast slowly, savoring every last bite. He soon put his plate in the sink, walking upstairs to put on his clothes. He walked quietly to school.

The minutes passed by quickly as David could not stop thinking about his strange dream.

He walked slowly, crossing the road.

"KID, WATCH OUT!!!"

He heard a scream as he turned to see a motorcycle barreling towards him.His thoughts turned to nothingness as his head slammed against the pavement and he breathed his last breath.