Soul Factory

by William E Belanger

  As the years rolled on Bryan got closer to his new father, close enough to call him Joe, and was more comfortable being himself around him. He felt Bryan should be enrolled in public school so he could get some social skills and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Bryan ended up lasting 2 weeks in 3rd grade after he corrected the teacher on an almost daily basis. It wasn’t his fault that the history books were so inaccurate; he was there and knew the truth, not the biased version we all know as “history”.

  Bryan didn’t need social acceptance anyways; he had enough of it in his previous lives. All he wanted was to find out what was going on with the factory since his short stint in school proved to him that nothing but newcores were being pumped out. The kids these days were just a mess. They had no direction and no wisdom. This led to a lack of common sense which in turn leads to stupid crimes, early pregnancies, and overall just poor life management skills. Bryan shook his head and thought of the mess the world would become if something wasn’t done. You simply cannot have a full generation of people running around clueless.

  Chapter 8- Back at the factory

  The factory was in chaos. It had been in chaos since “Bryan” was born. Protocol was to shut down the recycle line and run strictly newcores. Usually this meant there was about a week of newcores pumped out but the line would quickly be returned to normal. This time was different.

  The recycle line was being completely rebuilt, it had to be. There was apparently no fix that could be applied. They had sent out a couple newer recycles and both had failed like Bryan had. Even 700 years of knowledge was too much to pump out into the world and the management had decided that new souls were a better bet.

  They were starting to see the results of that action and realized they had made a huge mistake. The current generation was in bad shape and with no leadership vice 3 or 4 recycles among the billion or so; they were doomed to have a very troubled existence.

  Having a billion unhappy children or teens is one thing. The world was spiralling towards this generation entering the work force and within another 20 years this generation would be running the planet. It might just be the end of the world. An entire generation with no wisdom would start wars, mismanage funds, and just generally make a mess of things with their lack of care and concern for what is important.

  Another group within the factory was pouring over 200,000 years of operations logs to try to figure out if an emergency recall had ever been performed. They still saw Bryan as a threat but the general consensus was that they needed to start worrying about the other side. Because of their fear of releasing too much intelligence into the earth they unknowingly released too little. Now the management of the factory was beginning to have internal arguments about which was worse.

  The anti-Bryan side was focused on the basis that he could neglect his power and become a world dictator pretty easily. With the things he knew it would not be hard to manipulate the masses. It had become quite apparent that Bryan was not going to flaunt his powers too much though so the other side had a good argument as well.

  The anti-newcore side argued that the new souls would destroy the planet unless someone like Bryan stepped up and took control of them. They were very impressionable since they lacked a lot of the instincts we all take for granted.

  It was a bit of a catch-22 they found themselves in and it was a giant mess. They had never had a shut-down last more than a month and they would soon be pushing 16 long years. The recycle line refurb was near completion but nobody even knew if it would work. If it didn’t they would need a back-up plan.

  A member of the Bryan recall project ran frantically to management. “We have found something, it has nothing to do with recall but we believe it will help” he told the man in charge. “Go ahead, what is it?” the manager asked. “We found an imprint procedure for newcores” the man explained “We can ‘flash’ wisdom to them while they sleep. It is slow going, maybe a 100,000 a day, but we can get some knowledge to these newcores on the ground.” The manager looked intrigued. “Go on” he said and the man opened a book to show him the procedure.

  The factory almost seemed less dark that day, the flashing procedure was approved and newcores would wake up with common sense shortly. Obviously the rate was not going to counter the growing epidemic of idiocy across the planet but it would help. They were pouring cups of water on a forest fire but it was better than lighting matches.

  The factory management opted to stop the Bryan recall project for the time being to focus on the flashing of newcores. They had a wing of single and double generation souls that were perfect for the job. Yes, that meant they would be putting anywhere from 10-200 years of experience into the populous in mass quantities but the vote had passed 8-4 and everyone agreed that the reward was greater than the risk. They had a supply of nearly 6,000,000 first and second genners which was a drop in the bucket of the almost 2 billion babies born during the shutdown. Luckily souls came back every day so the pool recycled constantly. At this point, any common sense in the world would be highly welcomed.

  Chapter 9- Bryan reaches out

  Bryan had searched for 16 years to find a friend from his most recent past. It didn’t help that most of them had been blown to bits in that tragic night. Those who survived pretty much disappeared. It made sense; apparently the news constantly hounded the survivors trying to find out more information. It was pretty cut and dry actually, the woman went bananas and killed 38 people, injured 12 and then shot herself. She obviously could not handle the divorce even though she was the one who had pushed him away.

  Bryan had used his search skills on the computer and thought he had located Jeff Wilkins through a library record. Being a government entity they had never updated his address but did change his cell and email information. At least he thought they had, he would find out for sure if the man would ever answer the phone.

  “Hello?” the man on the other end finally answered, he sounded like he was asleep but it was 4:30pm. “uhhh, hi, is this Jeff Wilkins?” Bryan asked. There was a pause and then a click as the man hung up on him. Bryan was certain it was Jeff now. He just had to find a way to Louisiana to confront him face to face. It was going to be a hard sell but Bryan had knowledge of that night that nobody else would have. Hopefully Jeff would listen to him long enough to realize he was legit. It was a stretch but it was all he had.

  Bryan did some research and learned the best way to steal a mid-2000s Lexus online. That was what his “real” father drove and he couldn’t think of a better person’s car to steal. He really didn’t want to put Heather through such an emotional trip but he didn’t feel like he could leave her a note either. She was just going to have to think he had gone missing in the middle of the night.

  Bryan snuck out of his home at around midnight the following night. He had placed a bug out bag of all his essentials in the bushes while his mother was doing chores. He had everything he needed including the code reader he had built with instructions he found online. Now all he had to do is figure out which strip club his father was spending the evening in.

  Luckily the town’s seedy district was all centrally placed and within reach via the public transit system. Bryan caught the last bus of the night but its route only put him within a mile of the clubs. He would have to be sneaky as it was way after curfew and he didn’t need to get taken back home in a police car, Heather would be a wreck and Joe would probably try to beat him to a pulp.

  Bryan got off at the last stop and proceeded down the street. He decided not to hide because it would probably draw more attention sneaking around buildings than being out in the open. “Hiding in plain sight” was how it was termed in spy circles. If you are confident enough you can get away with almost anything and that was his plan.

  That plan would be tested quickly as a police car rolled up next to him while he walked. “Whatcha doing out so late son?” the man asked as he paced Bryan. “Heading to work, effin night shift again” Bryan replied. The cop laughed “Ha, me too son, nee
d a lift?” Bryan shook his head and waved his hand, “Thanks but this is the only exercise I get.” The cop laughed again, “Well, you got me beat, have a good night” and he drove off. Bryan smiled as he saw the taillights fading off; he was cool as a cucumber and needed to be for the long trip ahead.

  Bryan’s town had 3 clubs interspersed with adult bookstores, skanky massage parlours, tattoo shops, and regular bars and nightclubs. If he had time he would’ve just put a tracker on his dad’s car and found it right away but he didn’t even get a chance to get over to the man’s house and try the code scanner he had built. Everything was dependent on that scanner. It would act as the smart key and let him unlock the doors and start the car.

  Bryan walked by the parking lot of Rizzo’s and looked over the cars. There were no mid 2000s Lexi parked in the lot so he moved on to the next place, the Wooden Pony. The Pony’s lot was packed; they must have had a top performer or something in town because the place was rocking. It looked like the kind of place his dad would hang out. It was the kind of club that has so many girls that there are always a half a dozen dancers roaming around looking for your money.

  There it was 3rd row back in the middle. Bryan walked up to the car, pressed the button on the scanner through his bag and the car beeped in that familiar tone. He cracked a huge smile when the car unlocked. Now would it start?

  Bryan got in and placed his bag in the passenger seat. The car stank of cigarettes, alcohol, and bad perfume. His dad was obviously quite successful on the exotic dancer circuit. Bryan started to doubt the legitimacy of his plan; this car would probably get him in more trouble than it was worth. Maybe he should sell it and get another. That would take time he didn’t have though, he would just have to rough it out and hope he didn’t smell like a rolling nightclub wherever he stopped.

  Bryan opened his bag and pulled out his fake ID and insurance card. He put them in his wallet and set it in the center console. He took a deep breath, put his foot on the brake and hit the start button. The car cranked to life and Bryan’s smile was so big it almost hurt. It was time to hit the road, it was almost 600 miles to Louisiana and he didn’t know how far he would get before the police were on his tail.

  Bryan’s first stop was a house 125 miles south of his. He found an ad in the local paper about an almost identical car for sale. He intended on swapping license plates in hopes that he would be able to get to his destination and ditch the car before the owner of the car for sale realized the plate was different. Surely his dad would call the car in stolen immediately, let’s hope he had 2 more hours of drinking and whoring in him before he called it a night.

  Bryan arrived at the house 2 hours later as planned. It was now close to 3am and he still had over 400 miles on his journey. “Guess I won’t be making it before the sun comes up” he said to himself as he parked the car up the street a bit. Bryan grabbed a Phillips head screwdriver, a straight screwdriver and a small crescent wrench. He had seen license plates held by all three and wanted to be sure he was ready.

  His father’s was only held on with 2 screws and they came off quickly. He hated the thought of leaving the car with no license plate sitting on the street but didn’t have a whole lot of choice in the matter. He arrived at the house and thankfully the car was parked in the driveway and had another car behind it. Bryan ducked behind the car and swapped the license plates as quickly as he could. He breathed a sigh of relief when the tag he was taking was not expired, which was something that had not crossed his mind.

  He rushed back to his car, quickly put the tag on and got back on the road. Surely his father’s car was called in stolen by now. Either way this would buy him a little time. He needed to get as close to his destination as possible before sun-up. He couldn’t afford to stop in a rest stop because those cars were often checked and he would be a sitting duck.

  8 hours later he was in Lafayette Louisiana and looking for a place to ditch the car. He was beat down tired but already knew of a sleazy hotel that would take cash and not ask any questions but he needed this car to be far from there. Bryan found a spot in the woods, removed the license plate, and ditched the car. He ripped the start button out of the dash and smashed a window just to make it look like the break-in was unsophisticated. He wasn’t sure if anyone would make the connection between him, his father, and the stolen car but he hoped if they did they would take long enough for him to have things sorted out.

  Bryan hitched a ride with a trucker to the White Knight Motel and paid his $35. He was appalled at the condition of the room but far too tired to care. He was crashed out on the pillow before the first bed bug could even wake up for its feast.

  By 6pm Bryan finally stirred. This was perfect as his buddy should be either going to work or getting home soon depending on what shift he was on. He took a quick shower and came out feeling slightly dirtier than when he went in. He really hoped Jeff would listen to him so he could get the hell out of this fleabag motel and into a comfortable room. He packed up all his things and headed out. It wasn’t that he was confident he wouldn’t be back, he wasn’t sure he would trust his things in there alone.

  Bryan walked the 3 miles to his friend’s small house. It was in a decent, but older neighbourhood. Bryan rated it around a 1.6 million out of 10 when compared to the place he was currently staying. He reached the porch and paused. How do I even approach this? He thought. This guy probably had no clue about how things worked and this kid was going to bust in and set the man’s world on its ear. Bryan seriously thought about turning around and leaving but Jeff was already at the door.

  “I don’t want any candy kid.” He told him with the door barely cracked open. “That’s not why I’m here Jeff” Bryan quickly answered. “Wait, are you that kid that called me the other day?” Jeff asked and then got a stern look on his face “Look dude, I don’t know who the hell you are but Jeff Wilkins is dead, my name is Jeremy Reynolds and I don’t appreciate you harassing me like this!” Jeff was about to slam the door but Bryan put his foot in it “Jeff, remember Steve? Remember how happy I was that night because I got that huge promotion? I was going to propose to Shelly, well I did but she already had a body full of buckshot…” Bryan stopped and reflected on that night. Jeff’s face softened and his jaw dropped a little. “Get inside kid, I don’t want anyone hearing this” he said as he pulled Bryan in and slammed the door in one swift motion.

  Bryan continued “John’s ex-wife came bursting into the party as I was about to propose. We heard the shots and commotion but thought some idiot had lit fireworks in the house. Michelle saw us through the window and pumped out two rounds at us. Shelly got it bad, buckshot in the lungs and stomach. I just got grazed by several pellets and maybe some glass. I put the ring on her finger and told her we were going to get married. She smiled and then died. Michelle came out right after that and blew both of our brains out and then hers. I saw her head explode as my candle burnt out.”

  Jeff had tears flowing down his face. “How the hell do you know all this?” he asked in disbelief. Maybe the kid had been hiding in the bushes or something, but he would have to be a baby, it didn’t make sense. Bryan answered “Mix up some drinks, let’s have a seat and I will tell you the whole story up to this point.” Jeff complied, quickly called in sick to work and sat down for the most amazing, unbelievable but oddly not too far-fetched story.

  Chapter 10- The search is on

  Jeff and Bryan spent the next couple days catching up with Bryan re-capping bits of his story. Jeff still had a hard time believing the whole thing but at the same time it all made sense. Jeff had few experienced things that he knew he had seen before but just blew them off as we all tend to do. He knew the kid wasn’t lying because his recollection of that night was as vivid as his own. Obviously they had different details because they were in different locations but everything matched up. Jeff was able to fill in the blanks that Bryan had.

  Michelle had kicked the door in and immediately started firing. There was no warning, no words spoke
n. She had two shotguns and went through all 14 rounds pretty rapidly. Since everyone was so closely spaced at the party she had a shooting gallery and caused mass casualties downstairs. Steve and Shelly were the last two shotgun shots and then she switched to pistols.

  She went through a whole clip with the pistols, went outside, shot Shelly and Steve and then killed herself with the last few rounds she was carrying. Nobody had a reason for the massacre but they did later find out that she had come off the medication she was taking for schizophrenia about two months before that. Apparently the voices had gotten strong enough to force her to do that.

  There were 12 survivors downstairs that all had wounds of some sort. There were another 16 upstairs who had not been involved at all. None of the 28 survivors were really “right” or “well” after that night. They all had some kind of trauma and most of them ended up running away like Jeff had done and just started new lives as new people hoping the demons would stop chasing them. They never did.

  The two started to search for others like Bryan. Using the internet, newspaper articles, and news stories on TV they had pinpointed 6 people within 500 miles who seemed to have a little bit better knowledge and wisdom than those around them. They would do a bit more research and see if they could narrow that number down.

  In the meantime Bryan caught a segment on the news that had authorities in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina looking for him. They said they would branch out as necessary but they feared foul play. There was no word on his father’s car being stolen or discovered so maybe the two crimes would go unconnected.