The Glitch

Episode Two: The Dream State

He gets downstairs to see an old woman who seems to be about 56 years old. She already has wrinkles on her skin and a few grey hairs. Her lips were chap and dark. "Who are you?" He asked as he snatched Macy from her.

"I can see you have no manners, no wonder your mum hired me to stay with Macy." She put her hands on her hips, "I'm the nanny!" She replied glaring at Victor. She turns around and heads to the kitchen to prepare something for Macy who seems to be clearly hungry. Victor glares back at her as she left. Macy starts to giggle and laugh at Victor.

"Oh is this funny? We now have another adult snooping around." He said to her but she starts clapping. Victor sighed and goes back to his room with her. Macy was quite fond of him and loved spending time with him but his parents don't think he's a good influence at least that's what Richard thinks. He loves hanging out with her too but he can't help it but fear that one day she would look at him the same way Richard does. "Sit here and don't go anywhere." He told Macy who was busy nibbling on his sheets drowning it in saliva. "You think you're so cute don't you? Wait, how did you even go downstairs?" He asked out loud wondering if the nanny came upstairs and took her. Eventually he pushed the thought away.

Reality

Mary and Richard are in the ambulance with Victor still unconscious. Mary gasps for air as she feared the worst might happen. "What if..." She tries to speak but keeps breathing rapidly.

"Calm down Mary, nothing will happen. He's a fighter; I know he can pull through whatever this is. We're almost at the hospital and the doctors will fix everything." Richard reassures her. He scoots closer to her and hugs her. Macy who was in a carrier and had no idea what was happening kept staring at her parents. The ambulance makes it to the hospital and the nurses came out with a stretcher and carried the boy in. Mary and Richard are right behind them.

"I'm sorry but you can't enter. The doctors need to examine him and run some tests." A fair nurse stops them before they could enter the ward room. "You can wait there." She points to a few seats nearby. "The doctors will be with you shortly." Mary is still restless but quietly sits with Macy and prayed that Victor would be alright. Richard on the other hand started calculating the expenses for the treatment. He has missed his job interview to bring Victor to the hospital and soon the little money he had with him will be gone. He had no idea if he would be able to pay for the treatment and Victor's case seems severe.

"Okay so what are we dealing with here?" Doctor Kirby Mitchell asks the nurses and doctors in the ward as he puts on his stethoscope. He checks the boy's heartbeat which is unusually slow.

"He's still breathing and his brain activity is going wild. I think he's stuck in his sleep." Doctor Sherman pointed after a careful observation. The doctors and nurses stand around him puzzled and wonder how to wake him up. After much discussion they decided to force Victor awake by inducing caffeine into his blood stream. A nurse dashed out of the room and in a few minutes, returns with bags filled with liquid caffeine. There's a tube on the bag which has a needle at the tip which was plunged into Victor's veins and the caffeine flowed through. In a few seconds he started shaking and vibrating, his heartbeat became rapid and his brain waves were more unusual and disruptive. Doctor Kirby quickly pulled the injected tube out and extracted a little amount of the caffeine out with a syringe. His vitals were low and he was unstable. The doctors had no idea how to treat him or wake him up and so they injected him with a mild sedative hoping he would eventually settle down. He slowly makes his way out of the room and towards Victor's parents.

"Mr. Martin it seems your son's situation is more complicated than we thought. Could you come with me to my office?" Doctor Kirby requested with a puzzled face. Mary knew something was off and wanted to know what he wanted to discuss with her husband. "I'm sorry Ma'am but can you wait behind?"

"No! If something is wrong with my boy I want to know what it is!" She shouted with no care of the hospital's policy of silence. Doctor Kirby to avoid any drama took her and Richard to his office.

"The good news is that Victor is still alive and healthy, the bad news is that he's stuck in a deep sleep state." Doctor Kirby informed them, "He can't wake up."

"What do you mean he can't wake up?" Mary quickly threw at him before he could continue.

"He's still fast asleep and is in a REM sleep. He's dreaming and..." Doctor Kirby replied.

"Well find a way to wake him up then! It's your job isn't it?" Mary stood and attacked him again.

"We have tried but it seems his organs are not receptive to the drugs and it might cause permanent damage to his brain, organs and could possibly kill him. So until we are at least 90% sure all we can do is to pray and attend to him." Doctor Kirby told her with a sad face. Mary slowly plunged back into her seat staring into nothingness as tears slowly went down her cheeks. Richard held her hand hoping to comfort her. Doctor Kirby left the couple to be alone for a while.

"Mary don't worry, the little lady is a stubborn fellow. He'll wake himself up eventually." Richard said trying to brighten things up. A little smile appeared on Mary's face after she heard what he said. Victor has been stubborn and is a fighter but Mary fears he might not be able to fight this time.

"You're probably right, he will." She wiped her tears but more tears still rolled down, "The job interview, Richard? You have to go right now!"

"I can't just leave at this moment." Richard replied ready to forget the interview. He has already missed his appointment so it would really be a waste of time to go to the company.

"I understand but we are going to need money for the hospital bill so go get that job!" She said pointing at the door. Richard didn't want to leave but Mary was right, they needed the money and so he kissed her and dashed out. "Oh my God! Macy!!" Mary remembered leaving her on the seats. She wiped of her tears and ran out to get her.

"Macy? Where are you? Macy?" She freaked out more when she couldn't find Macy in her carrier. Her eyes kept darting around the halls looking for Macy but then a hand tapped her shoulder. She quickly turned to see Macy smiling in the hands of one of the nurses. "Thank you very much nurse. Thank you."

"It's not a problem. She was so lonely so I decided to keep her company." The nurse replied and left her. Mary hugged Macy with tears in her eyes. Doctor Kirby came back to her.

"Mary I suggest you go home and rest. It's been a long day, Victor is good hands." He assured her, "Nothing bad will happen, he'll wake up." Mary struggled to give the doctor a smile as tears still rolled down her cheeks. She nods and took Macy home in her carrier. Doctor Kirby sat on the waiting seats confused and lost. They've checked every possible way to wake him up and it seems each method would harm the boy severely or worst kill him. He pulled out a white hanky from his pocket and wiped off sweat off his face. Since the hospital was establish no patient has died on their watch and he wants to keep that way. He gets up and took solace in knowing that the boy was being fed though through injections and fluids. He walked back into his office to rest.

Richard quickly gets to the company and it seems the interviews are almost done. He was sweating and panting. He ran through the security without presenting his ID card. The security men, Gerald, a fat middle aged man and Raymond, a muscular hunk were hit on his trail. The secretary, Linda tries to speak to him but he ran past her desk barged into the main office. Linda recognized him and didn't want to get fired due to his recklessness so she quickly ran after him and the security men followed suit. The Baker's owned the company and its primary objective is the distribution of the products their family has been known for which was pastries, toys and a few other goods. The Baker's company has been the biggest company in all of New Orleans and they plan to retain the reputation.

"What's the meaning of this intrusion?" Mr. Adam Baker barked in anger. He's very strict and doesn't tolerate any act of unprofessionalism from any of his employees. He glared at the four that had just barged in during the interview he was conducting.

"I'm so sorry sir, I tried to stop him sir but he just ran past me." Linda apologized with her face facing the ground and she fidgets her dress. The guards as well said that Richard did the same to them.

"What's the point of hiring security if you can't even stop one man from entering the building without passing through proper protocols?" Mr. Baker scolded, "I should fire all of you right now for your incompetence." Linda quickly rose up her head in shock. She really needed the job and has been working tirelessly for an upcoming promotion. She had sleeping bags under her eyes, she has been working overtime. "And who the hell are you?" He asked glaring at Richard.

"Richard Martin." He replied reaching out for a handshake but Mr. Baker ignores him.

"Richard Martin, that name sounds familiar." He said trying to recall where he had heard the name before. He started to ruffle his moustache as he went deep in thoughts.

"I'm the number one attorney in Brooklyn." Richard replied hoping to help joggle his memory.

"Yes, the famous Richard. What brings you to New Orleans?" He asked with a smile on his face. He waved at the securities and Linda to leave the office. "Hey you, I want you out too." He said to the man he was interviewing before Richard barged in.

"But I..."

"If you don't leave I'll fire you." Mr. Baker threatened.

"You haven't even hired me yet." The Man replied confused.

"You're right. I'm no longer hiring, now leave before I call security!" He yelled in rage and the man left angry and murmuring curses on Richard and Mr. Baker. He sat down in his comfy chair that could rotate and had wheels underneath it.

"There was an incident in Brooklyn and I had to go someplace quiet for a while."

"And you chose New Orleans? This place ain't quiet; I bet your wife made that decision." They both chuckle. "I can give you the job but you have to fill in the position I was about to give the guy that just left. Don't worry; you'll be paid double the amount." He smirked. Richard has been very efficient in his work and it would save him money and a lot more by hiring him for both an attorney and a social media marketer. He has quite the audience already.

Dream State

"Hey Victor!" Billy called out to him while he was about to ride back home in his bike. Victor halts in his position and Billy quickly runs over to him. "Are your parents still mad about what you did to the nanny?" Billy Manchester, a seventh grader with short dark hair and brown eyes. He's the only friend Victor has and he's a magic enthusiast. He lives alone with his mom, a young woman in her mid thirties whose husband abandoned for a wealthy woman and moved to Canada.

"They probably are, I mean, they never forget about anything." He suddenly sees a girl with red hair walk behind the school. He froze as he marveled at her sight though he couldn't see her face. The wind ran through her hair flexing it in the most beautiful way. He was lost and wanted to know who she was.

"Hey Vick, did you hear a word I just said?"

"What?"

"Are you telling me I've been talking to myself the..."

"The girl, g-girl with red hair... Who is she?" He pointed at the path that led to the back of the building but Billy turned and saw no one.

"Are you okay dude? There's no one there." Victor ignored Billy ran to the backyard dropping his bike on the floor next to the streets. Billy rolled his eyes, sighed and went after him. "I told you there was no one here. You're starting to see things. Is that like a side effect?"

"Maybe? But I'm sure I saw her. Huh!" Billy turned around to leave while Victor stared around the yard for a few seconds before leaving. "s**t my bike!" It seems someone ran over it on purpose. "My dad's gonna kill me." The handles were squashed and the chains gone. The seat was broken off.

"Can't you fix it with a spell from that book?"

"I highly doubt witches wrote down spells to fix bicycles. I'll have to face my dad's nonsense again tonight." He bowed his head and knelt down picking up the broken pieces. Billy bent over to help.

"Why don't you sleep over at my house tonight? We'll drop the bike pieces at old junkie; he'll fix right up in two days and today is Friday."

"Yeah, that would work. My parents don't like me being around and the nanny can watch over Macy. By Sunday I'll have the bike back, genius." He shoved Billy slightly and they grabbed the bike pieces and headed over to old junkie.

"Where's your mum?"

"She's putting herself out there, trying to date again. She might be back by Tuesday or so."

"And she left you all alone?"

"She trusts me. Plus there's Mr. Lou down the hall if I need help with anything." he points down the hallway. Billy stays in a small two bedroom apartment with his mum. They needed to do some budgeting and the apartment helped save a lot of money. Mr. Lou is a colleague of Eugene, Billy's mum. He has been there to help them a couple of times. Billy suspects he likes his mum but he keeps denying it. "Well come in." Victor walks in and the place looked great. The halls led from the door into the kitchen where the dining was and there were doors in the hall that led separately to the bedrooms and living room. Victor entered Billy's room and dropped his bag on the floor next to Billy's pile of video games. He was amazed by the room. For low income earners they sure kept a great standard. "Why are you looking so surprised? You've been here a couple of times before."

"I have?"

Billy tried so hard to recall but the memories were vague like they weren't real. This was the first time he had been to Billy's house so why did Billy say otherwise. There was a picture of him and Billy in the room which was taken by Eugene. It was in Billy's desk but he didn't remember taking the picture. This was weird but he smiled and nodded. He brought with him the book of spells he stole from the town's library. New Orleans was known for harboring witches though it has been said to be a myth. But the book he found was real and so far the spells had worked.

"Hey Vick, do you think there are consequences for using magic?" Billy stared at the book slightly scared.

"Maybe? But the book doesn't say so."

"It's written by a witch, why would she write it down? I heard witches sold their souls to the devil in other to do magic."

"You know that stuff isn't true? I can do magic and I don't remember selling my soul to anyone." He sits down on the bed with his legs crossed and goes through the book looking for a new spell to try out. KIKIIKIIIIKI! The front door slightly opened. "What was that?"

"The devil must probably be here for your soul since you've been doing magic without his consent."

"Would you stop that? It's probably your mum, she might have forgotten something." DUM! DUM!! DUM! Heavy boots hit the floor of the apartment.

"That's definitely not my mum"

"Relax let's go check it out first." He gulped and went into the hallway.

"We should call the cops first." Billy whispered and joined him in the hallway. The front door was wide open and there were mud prints on the floor leading into the living room which was also open. They were scared but had to know who was in the house. Victor's heart raced as he feared Billy might be right. Maybe the devil had come for his soul.

Ep 03: Reality Sucks