Fields of Elysium- pt 2

Fields of Elysium: part 2 Peace and Quiet

         in case you missed it..."Fields of Elysium- pt 1 "  [E]

         David Fincher lived alone in a one bedroom apartment on the east side of Renton. David was an only child who played by the rules all his life, respected authority and never got into any trouble. That's why he is stuck in middle management. He has only had one relationship and she ended it by sleeping with his best friend. Throughout all of this David took it in stride. He didn't complain and he didn't get angry. He spoke with his psychiatrist about his problems and Dr. Flores would ask him, “and how does that make you feel, David?”

         David sat on the couch and took a moment to reflect. There was a silent rumbling inside of his soul that wanted to say more and do more, but like usual he buried it. “I feel nothing, doctor.”

         Dr. Flores bit on the end of his pen then clicked it three times before asking David the next question. “David what you have is acute personality dissociation. You need to take time to reflect on the actions you are taking and the consequences they will have on you and the people around you.” Dr. Flores got up to stretch a little. He moved his short, stubby legs over to the file cabinet. He reached in to get a memo notebook and handed it to David. “Here's another notepad. I want you to continue to keep track of all the things you see and witness along with anything that might trouble you. You should write down the actions you could take to solve these problems. Then write the consequences of the actions that you might take. Take time to evaluate them to yourself and finally you should come to a plausible conclusion as to which action you should take.” All of this David had heard before, the fact that Dr. Flores said it was only a matter of formality.

         Dr. Flores sat down at his desk and sipped on green tea as David flipped through the pages of his empty notebook. In all of his twelve plus years of psychiatry Dr. Flores never felt rushed, but today was different. He had requested two weeks off and already had a trip set up with Laura and the kids. He even rented an RV two weeks in advance.

         He looked over David and hoped for no more questions. To him, David was just another patient in a very long line of patients who felt unappreciated. He knew that David worked an office job seven days a week, three hundred sixty five days a year, give or take a few sick and vacation days. He looked at David and he already knew his life story. David was only five foot eight, pale white skin, had a long pointed nose, small delicate eyes and a neatly combed hair. He worked hard and was a perfectionist, always dotting his I's and crossing his T's and when it came time for a reward he never got any recognition.

         The first two years Dr. Flores actually gave a damn and tried to motivate David into taking more action. But now sitting face to face with this cowardly little man, Dr. Flores felt so much disdain at the inaction that he decided to guide David that best way he could. He would encourage David to not do anything, which David would agree to. By keeping a journal of his day to day activities David would actually fool himself into thinking he was doing something but in actuality he wasn't.  What Dr. Flores really wanted to tell the pipsqueak was, 'Life's tough, grow some balls and learn to deal with your problems!' but like any other day, Dr. Flores wrote him a prescription of anti anxiety pills and pushed David out of his office when his two hours was up. Dr. Flores smiled, in about half an hour he will be home to Laura and the kids and he will have a long weekend of bliss without having to think about David and his chronic mental complaints. Dr. Flores just hoped there wouldn't be too much traffic going home today.

         David stood outside of Dr. Flores' office. He had more questions but he didn't ask them in time. He looked over at Ginnie the secretary who was busy filing her nails at the reception desk. As David approached the desk Ginnie ignored him, choosing to finish off her nails instead. “Ahem.” David stood there, waiting for Ginnie to look at him.

         Ginnie looked up at him and said, “Will you be paying with your credit card or a check today sir?” In all the time David came here she never once remembered his name. He was only a 'sir', which meant nothing.

         “Check,” David answered. He shuffled his feet waiting for the secretary to write him a receipt for his payment. David thought of something funny to say, but then thought twice about it, maybe she wouldn't think its funny and give him a strange look instead?

         David left the office feeling so much pressure still built up inside of him. Earlier today he had witnessed and accident and he had left feeling...relieved. He saw a young man's life end right before his eyes. He didn't feel sorry; instead he was glad that he was still alive. He wondered if he should've told Dr. Flores about this but sometimes it just seemed like Dr. Flores wasn't listening. To David, it almost seemed like his doctor was trying to get rid of him.

         David got home at 8:30 as usual; he spent five minutes looking for parking at his apartment complex. The neighbor had taken up his reserved parking. He made a quick note, to ask them to move their car when he got upstairs. He fumbled through his pockets looking for his keys as he approached the door. He noticed little Stephie riding her tricycle in the hallway. She gave him two short honks from her horn as usual. David smiled at Stephie and asked how her day was. Stephie chattered away as David looked inside his grocery bag for a Milky Way candy bar. When he finally found his keys in one hand; he lost grip of the grocery bag in the other, causing all the contents to come tumbling to the ground. Stephie got off her tricycle and helped him with his groceries. A woman with dark hair and her boyfriend passed David and Stephie by. She looked down at David and smirked. Her name was Trish, David had said hi to her several times, but had given up when Trish never said anything back. Trish lived down the hall from David and she had always dressed scantily clad. David stared at Trish as she walked away leaning on the man's shoulder for support. Finally David found the Milky Way and handed it to Stephie. She smiled, revealing a missing front tooth and thanked him repeatedly. David reminded her to brush her teeth as he entered his cramped living quarters.

         He flipped the switch and waited, one, two, three seconds before the flickering stopped and the lights came on. He put his groceries away and opened the novel he was reading. On his bookshelf were hundreds of novels of crime drama that he relished and kept rereading over the years. No matter how much of his apartment space it took up, David never had the heart to give them away. David put on his reading glasses and silently read from chapter twelve where his bookmark was found.

         He paused as he heard footsteps coming from the upstairs apartment. Then screaming and shouting coming from above. The voice of the man, “Come on baby, you know it's not like that, you know your the only girl for me.” The girl would argue and dispute it but after an hour or so of deliberation, the two of them would reconcile and then he would hear the constant squeaking and pounding of the bedpost. David hated his neighbors and he had asked them several times to be quiet, they would fake an apology and continue on with what they were doing. Sometimes in bed he would wear earplugs to silence himself from them. He would roll himself into a ball just to ignore the outside world but try as he may, he could never escape the irrepressible noise that passed through their walls and into his. David tried to remain focused; it would only be a few more chapters before he finished his book. Then he heard a knocking on the upstairs door. Some greetings followed then a few more footsteps. Loud music blared through his ceiling and several footsteps were heard that reminded him of stampeding wildebeests. David turned on the TV, hoping for some reprieve. He cranked up the volume to full blast yet he still heard the music from upstairs.

         After thirty minutes of attempting to block them out, David gave up and marched upstairs. He found the room without any problems. They had a loud, obnoxious poster outside and a flier indicating a party was being held there tonight. David held his breath and composed his thoughts. He jotted down what he would say and how he would say it. Then he wrote down the consequences of his actions. He looked it over once, twice and certain that action needed to be taken. He knocked on the door and waited outside, shuffling back and forth until a response would come. The door opened and a grizzly youth of eighteen opened. He recognized the boy as the college kid who moved in three months ago. He remembered the boy referring to himself as 'Bastion as a name. David didn't know what to make of the kid, only that he looked like Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

         “What do you want, man?” the kid asked David.

         “Um... well could you be a little quieter please? I am reading a book downstairs and its very distracting to be hearing all of that noise that you are making.” David said this and smiled hoping to appeal to the young man's sense of civility.

         Bastion looked over David and opened the door wider. “Look man, Fuck off, its a free country and I'm allowed to do whatever I fuckin' want. SO why don't you, go back to whatever the hell you came from and mellow out!” The door slammed on David for the second time today. He released a heavy breath and wrote down in his notebook the conclusion to the actions he took. David decided to take a walk around the block. He took a bag of bread with him and sat down on a vacant bench in the park. He broke off pieces of bread and tossed them to and fro. He waited there silently thinking about what he would've done different to Bastion, if he had the nerve. His body tingled as the excitement rushed to his cheeks. He stopped himself as he reached the inevitable conclusion. His hands pressed firmly onto the park bench. What was he doing? Did he just fantasize about murder? David shook his head and laughed at the impossibility of such a thought. No pigeons came today, the park was eerily quiet it was as lucid as a waking dream. As David got up to return home a vagrant approached him and extended his palm asking for some change. David reached into his pocket and handing the man two dollars. The man smiled and thanked him releasing a stench of alcohol and a view of yellow blotty teeth. David said no problem and returned to his apartment. It had been three hours since he left and by now the party should've been over. He slumped over face first into bed. The music was gone but the man's voice was as loud as ever. He was laughing and joking with another male friend. Then the girl stomped her feet as she joined in on the conversation. David looked at his alarm clock; it read 11:30 pm. He tossed and turned in bed hoping that his neighbors would tire themselves out. He stared again, it read 1:45 am. David put on his slippers and went upstairs. He had his notebook in his hand and thought about the consequences of his actions. He hypothesized the results, then knocked on the door. He waited until he heard footsteps approaching the door. Another youth opened it. His eyes were half open and his speech was slurred. “Yeah? What do you want?” he asked.

         “May I please speak to Bastion please?”

         The youth turned away from David, “Yo Bastion, there's some dude here who wants to see you!”

         As Bastion approached the youth turned away and slouched down on the bean bag. Bastion squinted to get a good look at him and recognized him. “Why are you back here again, man? Seriously? Don't you have a life or something?”

         “I'm just asking if you could be a bit quieter. It’s already 1 am and I need to get some rest.”

         “Look bro, that's your business, 'kay? What you do in your place is your business and what I do in my place is mine. You, yours; me, mine, do you understand what I am trying to say here?” Bastion slammed the door on David. David looked down staring at the notebook in his hand and the black and white tiles that dotted the floor. He wrote down his actions and the result of them.

         David returned to his apartment and tried once again to fall asleep. The noise didn't stop, in fact it actually increased. David tossed and turned trying to tire himself out enough to fall asleep. He turned to see the red luminescent light in his room indicating it was 2:45 am. David could hear all of their conversations from upstairs. He got a glass of water and sat at his small kitchen table. On the kitchen table was his notebook. It already had three entries from today. Dr. Flores had given him some advice to deal with his problems and so far none of it was working. He put his glass down and without thinking about it he got up and took hold of a stainless steel kitchen knife whose blade was roughly eight inches long.

         Slowly David ascended the steps leading upstairs. The hallway lights seemed to shine more brightly tonight. David's footsteps seemed to fall on deaf ears because his slippers gripped the tiled surface. David felt his pulse slowing down as his adrenaline began to rise. He felt like a runner waiting for the shotgun to fire off. David found himself knocking on the door. He looked down and was amazed that his feet were steady unlike before. The door opened slowly and Bastion opened it as before. Bastion's eyes became ablazed with frustration as he recognized David.

         He opened it all the way as he rushed out grabbing a hold of David's neck. David stood there immobilized. He had never been in a fight before and now standing there face to face with him was this menacing youth. But as scared as David should be feeling, his footing was in place his muscle was relaxed and he waited patiently before Bastion's icy glare. Bastion raised his arms and pushed David back, “What the fuck is wrong with you man? I don't want to see your face here again, ok?!?! Do yourself a favor and get a life, you dipshit!” Bastion eyes were wild and manic as he stared at David. Behind Bastion were his girlfriend and his friend sitting there giggling at the humiliation that David was suffering. David's eyes burned and a fog seemed to fall around him. As Bastion lifted a finger to warn David of another intrusion, David's right arm came slashing upwards. With one smooth motion, the kitchen blade was up in the air before Bastions face. Bastion stood motionless staring at his missing finger. “What the....?”

         David stepped forward and pulled the point of his knife deep into Bastion's shoulder blade. Bastion reeled back slumping into the party fliers of the doorway. The music was still blaring from inside his room. Bastion stared at David in disbelief, holding onto his ripped shoulder blade. Bastion realized now what David was doing and he tried to get up but his jawbone met with David's fist. He fell to the ground unable to speak and his head was spinning. He raised his hands to defend himself but all he felt was the tearing of his flesh as the blade ripped his forearms and into his chest. He cried over and over again for help but his pleas were drowned by the loud music blasting through the speakers. He looked at David, the face of the shy quiet man downstairs wasn't menacing at all. It was devoid of any expression or satisfaction. David's eyes were bloodshot and he controlled his breathing. “I'm sorry....” Bastion gurgled. David didn't hesitate. He plunged the knife through Bastion's neck and pulled it across sideways releasing a gush of blood pouring out like a fire hydrant. Bastion struggled to hold onto his neck but could not control the flow of blood that seeped through his fingers. He watched helplessly as David walked over his prone body; being careful not to step into the pool of blood. The girl was the first one to get up and see him standing there in the doorway. She screamed when she saw Bastion lying on the ground and ran towards the bedroom. The best friend turned his head to glance at the commotion but he didn't get up from the bean bag. “What? What's going on man?” he was dazed and a bit confused as to the panic that the girlfriend had. David approached him slowly rotating the blade behind his back until he was within reach. The youth craned his neck to look behind David at the doorway and his eyes widened at the realization that was taking place. “Holy shit! No, man, no!@ Dude, don't over react!” he began breathing heavily, “this has gotta be some kind of a joke or something? Hey man, whatever you want... you can have it okay? My old man has money, and.... and I got connections. It doesn't have to be this way, ok?”

         David smiled. The youth was attempting to buy him off. He shook his head in irony. The youth had no idea what David truly wanted wasn't money at all, it was; peace and quiet. David had asked them so many times for the tiniest of favors a neighbor could ask for and never once did they show him a modicum of consideration. David used both hands to slam the blade into the kid's scalp with such force that the entire blade plunged cleanly through. The young man's eyes stared up at the handle protruding from his head in disbelief. He whispered something and fell to the side of the bean bag. David placed his slippered foot on the young man's neck for balance as he extracted the blade from its unusual scabbard. It released with a sucking noise and he wiped it clean on the kid's shirt collar.

         'The last one,' he thought, 'would be the most fun.'

         Nancy didn't know the man at the doorway. She had no idea what Bastion did to piss him off so badly. She didn't know if Paulie was alright outside. But most of all, she regretted not having a phone in the bedroom. She crawled beneath the bed, the one place she hoped he wouldn't be looking. Her breathing was rampant and she covered her mouth with her hands hoping to stifle her screams and sobs that were quickly emerging. She came from a small town of Longview, Washington and she had only known these college guys for a few months. She really didn't know much about Bastion and Paulie, only that they were always fun to talk to and they knew how to score some weed. She lied to her parents that her grades were up and that she needed more money for tuition expenses. But now she wished she hadn't come to Seattle for college. This whole mess, she thought could've been avoided if she had just done things differently! She looked at the edge of the bedpost. The lights were off. 'Did he leave?' She wondered. She lay there motionless on her stomach for what seemed eons. There was no discernible noise coming from the living room. All she could hear was the blaring chorus to Quiet Riot's 'Metal Health' from the speakers. She counted to herself and waited patiently. She held her breath and hoped that the man was gone. Finally when she was assured that she was all alone. Nancy crawled from beneath the bed. First one arm, then the next and she pulled her body forwards and upwards from beneath the mattress covers.

         Suddenly with the force of a car door slamming, she felt her back pressed to the ground, knocking the wind out of her. She felt the hard kneecap of the stranger pressed firmly to the small of her back. In the darkness she couldn't see or hear the movement of her assailant. She whimpered and cried for mercy. “Please, please,” she sobbed, “please let me go, I won't tell anyone what happened. I didn't see you and I won't tell.” she kept pleading. She repeated herself and hoped that he would find some sympathy for her.

         “I know you....but you don't know me,” he began,” You walk by me in the hallways, you like showing off your breasts. You have a nice body and you flaunt it every time you get a chance to... I wonder sometimes if the attention you get from guys... is it that important to you? Does it make you feel better to be noticed? To be recognized as an object rather than a human being? In that little empty head of yours, can you please tell me why you are going to college if you have no intention of learning?” the man hissed.

         “I...I...I don't know,” Nancy answered him.

         “Here's a simpler question? Was he using you or were you using him? He got a good lay out of you and you got to smoke pot and enjoy Ecstasy with him, isn't that right? He was your connection, you had fun and that's all that mattered, right?”

         “Umm....”, Nancy hesitated sensing that the stranger knew too much about her. She suddenly felt guilty for all the stuff she had done in the past. How did he know her so well? She prayed silently to God, hoping to get another chance at life. She brokered a deal with God, swearing to stay clean if she could get another chance at life.

         “I'm sorry... he began.” this surprised her. Was he really going to let her go? Her prayer worked, she thought to herself. “Your relationship with Bastion must've been based off of trust and understanding, after all... you always argued every night, then afterwards he would scold you for being a paranoid bitch. You would apologize and then the two of you would screw like chimps.” All the color drained from Nancy's face. She felt her hair being pulled back. She saw the blade that extended before her neck, the blade moved dangerously close to her neckline. Nancy's whole body shook violently. Her eyes welled up and she had to force herself to see clearly in the ensuing moments.

         “Please let me live,” she pleaded, “I'll do anything you ask. I will let you do whatever you want to me! Please just let me live and I won't tell the cops or anyone!” Nancy sobbed and begged for mercy.  She didn't see the blade move past her jaw line; she only felt the warmth as her blood oozed from one ear to the next. She accepted her death silently, lying face first into the high pile of Berber carpet beneath her.

         David stood there frozen solid. He stared at Nancy, his last victim. A small part of him wanted to let her live; but another, more distant part wanted her dead. He had reasoned that this silly, superficial girl was of no use to society as a whole. She was only a sperm bank, a walking, breathing, waste of human life. Nancy like so many others like her, had no care or concern for the people around them, they would drive recklessly in their sports car that daddy bought for them. They would blow away money on useless crap while falling deeper and deeper into credit card debt. Their whole meaning, their whole existence was all about masquerading as actual human beings. They were Generation X; a generation that listened to Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, wanna-be white kids who thoughts of becoming gangstas. He had no use for these people, they remembered nothing of history or heritage, and most of all, they were traveling on the road to nothingness. Tonight David allowed them to reach their destination sooner rather than later. David held onto his knife and used it to rip open a pillow case. He wrapped his hands and fingertips with the shreds from the pillowcase. Then he ransacked the apartment from kitchen to bedroom to bathroom and finally the living room. He was careful only to move Bastion's body. When all was said and done, he took a moment to admire his handiwork and left the apartment with the speakers blaring to the tune of '7' by Winger.

         The next morning, David woke up and got into his car. He carried a brief case in one arm and a small steno notebook in the other. He started his car and looked over at the notebook in his passenger seat. He smiled a lazy smile and jotted a few things down. On his way to work David inserted the album ‘OK, Computer’ by Radiohead. Stuck in traffic an hour later, David was listening to track 7 entitled 'Fitter, Happier' a monologue performed by a computerized reading program. David smiled to himself as he began repeating the words to himself.

         “...nothing so ridiculously teenage and desperate ...nothing so childish at a better pace, slower and more calculated, no chance of escape,” he paused a moment to watch a red Mazda RX-7 speed by him, “....an empowered and informed member of society,... pragmatism not idealism...will not cry in public, less chance of illness, tires that grip in the ....” David wondered if last night actually happened to him or not. He began to wonder of what was truly taking shape inside of him. He remembered seeing a boy walking across the sidewalk earlier today. The boy was hit by a car and the girl who hit him came out to hold his hand. She began crying because of shame or guilt, David didn't know. All he knew was he wanted to write about it. He took a mental note of the event and now, if it were to happen today, he wouldn't care. What was happening to him? David scratched his head as he stared at the street light waiting for it to turn green. He listened further and began reciting with the monologue, “...still cries at a good film. Still kisses with saliva, no longer empty and frantic... like a cat tied to a stick that's driven into frozen winter shit, the ability to laugh at weakness, calm, fitter, healthier and more productive. A pig... in a cage... on antibiotics.” The light turned green, David exhaled deeply, and he had an intuition that today would be a nice day, a more productive day at work.



         to be continued..."Fields of Elysium: part 3"  [E]