LightReader

Chapter 23 - Chapter 23. Intervention

A grandma sits at her computer. As she works, it's late at night. As the screen suddenly glitches, as the lights flicker. She looks around confused. As the lights flicker, and then the computer stops flickering. But in the corner of the screen, her wifi tab is open. Her mouse clicked on 'Fox'. She frowns confused, as she moves to click the right wifi. It does not work. She frowns deeper annoyed, as she yells, "Boy! Get in here the internet is being funny!" The boy yells, "One second!" She frowns deeper, annoyed at this kid her daughter put on her. "Get in here!" He eventually gets in, much to her annoyance. As he enters, he asks, "What's... the issue grandma." She gestures, saying, "The internet is being funky! Fix it." He frowns annoyed, as his stupid little sigh comes out. As he uses the computer, messes with the nonsense of this technology. She just does not understand this stuff. As he tries to switch the wifi, and it does not work. As the 'fox' network says it has no connection. He frowns confused. "Where did this come from?" She replies, "How should I know. Get it to work, it was your generation that makes this all so hard." The 10-year-old works further on the screen, as then it glitches. Then... everything goes black on the screen. As a voice comes from the computer screen, as it glitches into an old-timey Disney animation. As a black-furred anthropomorphic fox walks on screen.

"Hello one and all!" It says with cheer, and an old-80s telephone voice. She scowls, "What did you do?" He stammers, "I-I don't know." The fox says, "Welcome to today's show. For today! We are showing examples of generational trauma starring a-a-a—" The show glitches, flickering. Until it goes to pitch black. Nothing can be seen except the anthropomorphic fox in a void. As creepy music starts. The kid stutters, "Uh... I think you are hacked." She frowns as she yells, "I did nothing. Kid you know all this wack. Get it wor—" A voice sounds... but not from the computer. As Mr. Fox smiles, saying, "I don't think that will be necessary Miss Arletion." The voice sounds like it was spoken right behind them. They shiver, as both look behind, scared. As they see purple teeth, and eyes fill the void behind Mr. Fox. "Now... like I said! It's time for the show." As shadows expand out from the computer screen, darker than dark, with eyes, and teeth. Fox-figures move, cover the walls, one reaches, and closes the door, as the kid, and his grandma, utterly scared, get up, backing away in the small room. As then, background music begins to play, filling the room. An unsettling slow piano. As Mr. Fox sings, "If you look at the fog, you'll never see how thin the ice;" The grandma interrupts, but as her voice flares... no sound comes out. She freezes, shivering. As Mr. Fox continues uninterrupted, "Try to reach for the stars, discover things not meant for eyeees." She tries to speak more. Nothing comes out despite her lips moving, and the breath flowing out. The son notices, and backs away slowly. As he realizes he can't speak. "Try to learn who you are, you'll find the demons that you hiddddeee!; Don't take it too far, you'll be the one that's trapped innnnsideeee." The piano pauses. As the room is nearly pitch black. Until it returns, stronger. "I'm not gonna let the fear of being; Keep me from singin', I won't listen to my demons; I've seen where people go, when they lose all hope; If you go down the road; I don't know if you'll make it out aliveee." As a dubstep drop occurs, from the son's perspective, the room shifts, as in a flash of light, his grandma freezes in place. Eyes static. As the blackness retreats into the screen.

While for the grandma. As the drop occurs, she suddenly feels a tug, and feels wind fall past her face, as she falls into the darkness of the room. Panicking, and screaming, as she lands on the ground. Shivering. As at the next electronic bass, growls are heard behind her, as the dark forest around her shows various fox silhouettes, with glowing purple eyes, and teeth. As she backs away, trying to scream, as nothing comes out. As she sees her hands are animated in the darkness. While the son watches from the computer, as his grandma falls into what... appears to be a glitching tab on the computer, that shows from a bird's eye view... this. As the growls drop to the beat, and glitch, as the entire world seems to step back, and forth in time. Before "I don't know if you'll make it out aliveeе!!!" The voice of the bipedal fox, at the top of a mountain before the grandma sings. Holding a microphone, as the moon shines a beam illuminating the black-furred fox. "I don't know if you'll make it out aliveee." As the dubstep, and electric guitar rolls in, animal growls remix goes harder. As the grandma gets up, and begins to run. "I don't know if you'll make it out alivеee!"

Then it returns to the slow piano, with clapping in the background. As the grandma runs in the dark forest, with eyes in the tree line watching her. As she pants, shaking in utter fear. As the moonlight leaves a beam following her. As the son can only watch. The camera cuts with each line of the song to the humanoid fox, walking casually behind, before the pause in line cuts back to her. "Unattended and stagnant water helps diseases grow; It's filth that never takes, for if it floats; It's filled with infection, stains, and mites and moths, and mold'; The only way to kill is fire, poison, or cooold."

Then all the clapping, and peppiness peels back to a desperate willpower, with piano. As the grandma runs into a clearing... with the humanoid fox in front of her, as she falls to the ground shaking. "I'm not gonna let the fear of being; Keep me from singin', I won't listen to my demons." She turns to run back, but shadowy foxes with glowing teeth appear close to her, and encircle her, and the humanoid fox. They don't growl. As he continues to sing, "I've seen where people go, when they lose all hope; If you go down the road; I don't know if you'll make it out alive." As suddenly the world splits into static light, as the world seems to glitch with each dubstep, and the entire window on the woman's computer glitches in sync. With visual glitches. As the humanoid fox sings, with growls, electric guitar, and dubstep, and background humming, "I don't know if you'll make it out alive; I don't know if you'll make it out alive; I don't know if you'll make it out alive."

It suddenly stops glitching, as the grandma is shaking, shivering in a black water-esque void. Nothing is nearby. Nothing is around. "But I look out my window, see you standin' in the snow" comes from nowhere, as the world glitches with growls, and dubstep. As a figure appears in the distance. "Can't believe I didn't see you there before." Glitches, and dubstep occur once more. Making the figure move closer. The grandma shakes even more. "I can tell you've let your demons take a hold." The world flashes with dubstep, but this time, images of her childhood appear on the tab, abuse. As when it returns. She is shivering, crying. "Oh, your soul reminds me of a stagnant poooool." He says... right ahead of her, with raw voice.

A pause, and then... he reaches out his hand. "Please don't ever let the fear of being; Keep you from singin', don't listen to your demons; I've seen where people go, when they lose all hope; If you go down the road; I pray to God you'll make it out alive." She slowly begins to reach out, shaking. As it falls into a dubstep section, as her memories glitch, covering the screen. Glitching from weddings to birthdays, to her slapping this child. To her yelling. To her treating his mother, and her daughter the same way. This time, with the humanoid fox repeating, "Alive!; Alive!; Alive!" Cutting to him in between. As darkness covers her figure slowly. "I pray to God you'll make it out aliiiiiiveeeee." Extending out alive a long time. As she grabs his hand, darkness covering her. "I pray to God you'll make it out alive," he sings dryly, before... everything cuts out. Her body disappears in a flash of light. The glitches on her computer are all gone. She... is gone.

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