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118o8's life was very chaotic.
She almost never sat still, always striving for something new and fun, happily accepting 007n7's suggestions to go somewhere and test their new exploits. The two often crossed paths during their hacking adventures, sometimes they worked together on improving their GUIs, helping each other with whatever it was.
Was 118o8 happy with her life? Kind of. Yes, it was fun, but she was irritated by the administrators and hunters who kept finding her home address faster and faster each time. The woman had moved so many times that she lost count of all the houses she has ever lived in a long time ago. At some point, she even stopped decorating her houses because she already knew in advance that she would soon have to find another place to live.
Sometimes she thought about what her life would be like if she had never become an exploiter. Would she have been able to find a good job? Would she have been able to find someone she would have loved with all her heart? Someone who would have loved her with all their heart? Would she have had her own family? Would she have had more friends?
Noli and 007n7 were her friends. They enjoyed each other's company, they hung out together from time to time. But sometimes she wondered what it was like to have normal friends. Not hackers, not exploiters, just… regular people with regular lives.
But there was no turning back. She was an exploiter, and nothing would ever change that.
Evening. 118о8 was sitting in the kitchen of her new home, the address of which she has managed to hide so far. The bluugui panel was open in front of her, she was carefully typing something in it. It was raining outside; such a pleasant background noise, one of her favorites.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. 118о8 tensed up. 007n7 and Noli usually warned her in advance about their visits, and today they were busy with something… Could it be that her protection did not work after all, and the hunters were on her trail again?
The knock was repeated again, and then some rustling was heard. The woman got up from the table and slowly headed towards the door. She looked through the peephole, but didn’t see anyone there. All that was visible was some kind of box lying right on the doorstep of her house. A bomb? A tracker? A gift from fans?
118о8 opened the door a little and looked around. Okay, there was no one around. Her GUI didn’t detect any hunters or admins. Who left this box here then? She looked at it and noticed that it contained something bright blue. Were the neighbors' kids playing a prank on her?
She opened the door wider and crouched down, peeking into the box. And at that moment, she froze in place.
There was a living creature in that box. And it wasn't some kind of animal like a kitten or a dog, no… It was… a child . A baby. There was a baby in this box, all wet from the rain. Who left it here? Who abandoned their baby? Is it even alive? 118о8 brought her hand to it and gently touched its head. Spawn, it's shaking all over from the cold! What happened to him? Where are his parents?
The woman looked around again. There was no one around, just her and this baby, probably abandoned by all his relatives.
Should she call the police? No, it was dangerous… After all, she was a well-known hacker, they were unlikely to believe her that someone's child had accidentally ended up at her door; unnecessary suspicions and questions might arise. And she definitely didn't want the police to know her address.
She should probably take this child to an orphanage. They would take care of him there. But it was too late now, and the rain was starting to turn into a downpour… 118о8 didn't want to risk the baby's health even more by taking him somewhere in such weather. But what exactly should she do to warm him up? How to handle children properly? How to handle babies properly?..
The night would be sleepless.
The woman spent a long time preparing the bath for this little child at first, making sure a hundred times that she had done everything correctly. She washed him even longer, trying to be as careful as possible. She had never seen someone with such skin color before; could this be some kind of disease? Are there any contraindications?
Spawn, it turned out to be much more difficult than she had thought…
118o8 was very happy that she and 007n7 had recently tested a new exploit that allowed them to create anything they wanted. She would have died if she had to go to the store to buy a baby bottle and some special food. It was difficult, but somehow she managed to feed the baby.
Putting the baby to sleep was a difficult task. He didn’t stop crying, and she couldn’t understand why. At some point, the woman just started desperately rummaging through the Internet, hoping to find useful tips there. She, being very tired, layed down on the couch, and put the blue baby on top of herself.
Surprisingly, at that moment he stopped crying and very quickly fell asleep.
In the morning, she called 007n7 and asked him to come see her. She would definitely need his help... 007n7 was, to put it mildly, in shock. He expected to see anything but a baby. Where? How? Why?
And so they sat in the living room of 118o8’s house, thinking about what to do.
The plan to call the police was discarded, because it was too risky. It was decided to take the baby to the nearest orphanage. But were there any nearby? Would they just take a random child in? 007n7 walked around the room, thinking out loud about the possible answers to the questions they might be asked.
They were known hackers, and if they suddenly showed up on the doorstep of an orphanage (or any public space for that matter), the employees would definitely call the police. And would they really take in someone with that skin color? Would they abandon him on the street, afraid that he was sick with something?
They were hackers who had ruined and destroyed the lives of many innocent people, they should not care about some child who had nothing to do with them. They were hackers, not monsters. They would not leave a defenseless baby alone to die on the street.
While 007n7 continued his monologue, 118o8 looked at the bright blue child. She was sitting on the floor near the sofa, and she laid the little creature on it, because she did not have any cribs or other things like that at home, and she did not plan to buy them at all. He looked her straight in the eyes, as if he wanted to say something.
And then he stretched his hand towards her. The woman smirked and stretched her index finger towards him in response. She did not want to touch the baby herself, because she was a little afraid of doing something wrong. Her hand froze a centimeter away from the baby, waiting for his next actions.
And then he did something that had changed both of their lives forever.
The baby reached forward and confidently grabbed her finger. The touch was so unexpected, but so... warm . She thought that children were weak, but he held her so tightly. He looked at her as if he was afraid to let go. He didn't want to let go.
And in that moment, something in her heart changed. In that moment, something inside her changed forever. 118о8 froze, not taking her eyes off the bright blue child. 007n7 noticed her suddenly changed state and called out to her with concern in his voice.
She straightened up and said confidently, "I'm keeping him."
"W-what?" her friend was sure that he had just imagined that words. "What do you mean?"
"He's staying with me," she finally tore her gaze away from the child and looked at 007n7. He saw a light in her eyes that he hadn't seen even when she used the most malicious exploits. "Now it's my child.”
"118о8, you can’t make such a decision so abruptly!.. This is not a pet, children are very hard to raise, especially if you are a single parent. You prepare for them long before they come into your life… There is such a huge list of necessary things, and it grows as they grow. Are you sure you can handle all that?"
"One hundred percent sure."
"But what about hacking and exploiting? Children require a lot of time and attention; I don’t think you will be able to do everything at once."
She paused, thinking about her answer, and turned her gaze back to the baby. He released her finger, and she gently ran her hand over his head. Was it worth it? Would she be able to give him what every child deserves? Would she be able to be a good parent?
When she lifted her hand from his head, the baby reached for it, making a disgruntled noise. He grabbed her finger again and squeezed it tightly. And that one action was enough to make her sure of her next decision.
"I will retire."
"But you've been doing this your whole life… Are you sure you can get used to another lifestyle?"
"No," she sighed, closing her eyes. "But I'll try. For his sake, I will try to become a good person."
"What about the administration and the hunters? What if they find you and take him?"
"I'll disappear from all radars and move to a quieter place, which will be far from here. My GUI will help me do it as discreetly as possible."
"Will you need my help? Noli will be happy to help you too, I'm sure of it-.."
"Don't tell him anything about this," she interrupted him. "The fewer people who know about this, the better. Just tell him that I've decided to end my career as a hacker, and that I'm okay."
"I… "
"Promise me that you won't tell him anything."
007n7 paused, looking first at 118o8 and then at the baby. He wasn’t sure this whole thing was a good idea, but she seemed so sure. She was an experienced hacker, and 007n7 had come to her for advice on many occasions; if she was so sure about this, she must know what she was doing.
He sighed, "Okay, I promise this will stay between the two of us. But you have to promise me you’ll be careful."
"I promise. I’ll lay low and be as inconspicuous as possible."
"I trust you.”
They spent the rest of the day preparing. 118o8 wrote out a long list of all the things she knew she’d need, some of which she’d created with her GUI, some of which she’d still have to buy at a store. They had already found a couple of houses that would be perfect. She will have some problems with the purchase, because few people would agree to sell a house to a hacker… She will find a way. For the sake of her son, she will find a way to do this.
All this time, the woman did not let go of her baby.
By the end of the day, 007h7 asked about a name. Yeah, right, kids need names. But what would suit him? John? Mark? William? No normal name seemed right. And she didn't think a normal name would suit him.
At that moment, 118o8's gaze fell on the bluugui, where she had been writing down a list of things she needed hours earlier. Hah, what a coincidence that her baby was blue, just like her GUI. Wait, that wasn't such a bad idea...
"I'll call him Bluudud. He's blue and he’s a dude, that'll suit him."
007n7 looked at the baby, then back at his friend. He chuckled, "Very original."
118o8 just laughed, lightly pushing him in the side. 007n7 laughed, too.
She would be lying if she said she was unhappy with her new life.
118o8 had long forgotten how wonderful a quiet life could be. Well, it was hard to call it quiet, because there was a little blue demon running around the house who was always looking to get into trouble. She worked from home, writing custom codes for various websites or testing their functionality. She didn’t earn much, but it was enough to feed herself and her child.
Everything became much more fun when Bluudud learned to talk. His first word was " mama ", and 118o8 actually cried with happiness when he said it for the first time. Parenthood made her a little more emotional, but she didn’t mind. She didn’t mind anything that would make her baby happy.
Her new house, which she had decorated to her taste, was already full of photos of her son. She wanted to decorate her house with lavender, her favorite flowers, but decided not to do it yet; what if Bluudud was allergic to them? She carefully watched his every move, so that he wouldn’t accidentally hurt himself. Every sharp corner had been baby proofed; her boy would definitely not hit his head on something sharp.
So far, there were no serious problems with nutrition. He had only recently turned two years old, and he had only just started eating normal food. So far, he ate everything she offered him, and did not refuse anything. 118о8 only hoped that her son would not refuse healthy food.
One evening she received a call from… 007n7. He sounded very tired and panicked, saying something about a child. What?..
The woman decided not to ask unnecessary questions and simply told him to come to her house. It would have taken much longer if they didn’t have their GUIs, which allowed them to teleport over fairly large distances.
007n7 appeared on the doorstep of her house with a small child in his arms. "I need your help," he sounded a little guilty.
"Yeah, I got that…" She turned her gaze to the child and raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Where did you get this baby? Did you steal it?"
"I found him on my doorstep."
"Uh huh…" she turned to look at Bluudud, who was playing in the living room, and sighed, turning back to 007n7. "I swear to Spawn, they seem to leave them to hackers on purpose. I wouldn't be surprised if Noli got a baby, too."
118o8 stepped aside and let her old friend in. He needed help with a small child, and she could definitely assist him with that. He walked in, clutching the baby tighter in his arms. About the baby… It looked a bit like Bluudud; the skin was also an unusual color, only instead of blue, it was bright red.
An hour later, they were already sitting in the kitchen, discussing what had happened. At some point, the little one reached out his small hand to 007n7 and grabbed his finger. He froze. 118o8 grinned, already understanding what was going to happen next. They were similar not only in their personalities, but also, as it turned out, in their destinies.
Was she surprised to hear the words about him ending his hacking career for the sake of this baby? Not at all. Was she glad to have a friend with whom she would have so much in common? Yes, kind of. Bluudud was talkative, but his company alone wasn’t enough; talking with her peers would do her good.
From that moment on, 007n7 and 118o8 began to spend a lot of time together again.
They helped each other to raise their children, sometimes babysitting each other's children if one of them had important things to do. C00lkidd ( "He's a kid, and he's cool!" ) and Bluudud became friends, but as they grew older, they quarreled more and more. Of course, often it was just games, but sometimes they had serious fights. Then they always made up, either of their own free will or at the request of their parents.
Life seemed much easier when there was someone who understood you.
When C00lkidd turned seven years old, 007n7 sent him to school. He considered homeschooling him, but ultimately decided that public school would be a better option. His son would need social skills, and the former hacker wasn't sure he could properly teach his son all the knowledge that school would teach him.
He was worried that his son would be bullied because of his unusual appearance. No matter how often he told C00lkidd that he was a great kid no matter what his appearance was, he knew that C00lkidd didn't always believe him. Children, especially young ones, are very cruel, and their jokes can really hurt his boy.
007n7 and 118o8 decided together that C00lkidd would go to the same school that Bluudud went to. They were sure that it would be easier for both of them. Yes, Bluudud complained about having that "little idiot" following him around, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't happy about the situation.
It was nice to know that you'd be around someone who didn't think you were weird just because of your appearance.
Bluudud was occasionally bullied about his appearance, but his attitude kept it to a minimum. He ignored the bullies or cleverly insulted them back, which soon even made him a little popular at school. 118o8 had told him to never pick on anyone first, and he respected her, so he dutifully did what she asked him to do.
The first week of school went smoothly, with no complaints from or about C00lkidd.
Tuesday of the second week of school. Today, 118o8 would be picking up both kids from school; C0plkidd would be staying overnight at her and Bluudud’s house, since 007n7 would be busy at work until midnight.
The woman was calmly preparing tacos, which the three of them would eat in the evening; Bluudud liked Taco Tuesdays. And just when she had finished cooking and was about to start cleaning the kitchen, she received a call from the school.
Bluudud had got into a fight at school, and 118o8 had been called to the principal's office. Her son was being suspended from school for a week.
C00lkidd and Bluudud often made fun of each other, sometimes calling each other names. They never really resented the nicknames they gave each other; to them it was just a fun game.
Recess. C00lkidd was tagging along with Bluudud again. The older child had taken his friend's favorite ball and was refusing to give it back; they were laughing.
"Bluudud, come on, give it back! I was planning on playing with it this recess!"
"Nope, it's my ball now!" He held it up even higher, giggling.
"You're an idiot!"
"And you’re a freak, but I don't remind you of that every time we fight."
Suddenly they heard someone laughing nearby. Both children looked around and saw a group of kids who used to often pick on Bluudud; now they were getting along better, and they had even become something of friends.
"You're right, Bluudud, he's a real freak!" one of them said, still laughing. After that phrase, C00lkidd flinched and visibly tensed up. "I mean, have you seen him? The word " freak " should be counted as a compliment for him."
The guy and his friends laughed again at this supposedly successful joke.
Bluudud slowly turned his gaze to C00lkidd to see his reaction. The smile slid off his face, which looked redder than usual, probably out of shame. What is there to be ashamed of? His appearance, which he can't do anything about?
Bluudud sighed in displeasure and looked at those guys again. "That was really rude, dude," he said quickly, rolling his eyes. "Are you racist or something?"
"What? No, where did you get that from?"
Bluudud put his hand over C00lkidd’s shoulder and slowly walked forward with him, already turning his back to those guys. "It's not cool to make fun of people because of their skin color."
"If I looked like him, I'd kill myself!"
C00lkidd, usually cheerful and loud, was very quiet now. His friend had already noticed that his eyes were wet with tears; one more insult and he would cry. Bluudud froze in place and turned to the other boy.
"I wouldn't say such words if I were you."
"Oh, what's wrong? He can't stand a simple friendly joke?"
A minute later, the guy fell to the floor, having received a punch in the face from Bluudud. All the children standing nearby immediately crowded around. Finally, something interesting! The fight began.
"Not only did they say such stupid things, but the three of them attacked one!" Bluudud finished his story and, turning to C00lkidd, lightly hit him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, dude, they will remember this for a long time. Those losers didn’t even win the fight."
118o8 gripped the steering wheel of the car tighter. Spawn, children are so cruel nowadays... Did her son really listen to such words the whole last year and the year before? And none of the teachers said anything about it? Did all the adults at school just put up with this bullying?
Bluudud noticed her state and asked in a calmer tone, "Mom, are you angry?"
"Yes, but not at the two of you."
Perhaps it was wrong, but 118o8 was proud of her son. He stood up for his friend and didn't let anyone hurt him. This is exactly how woman had raised him to be. She'd be lying if she said she wouldn't do the same thing if she was in a similar situation.
She would definitely be spoiling Bludud with sweets this week.
And that's how her life went. Everything seemed fine, she was happy with everything.
Until one day Bluudud went for a walk and never came back. He was gone. As if he had never existed in this world. 118o8 looked for him every day, clutching at every clue like her life depended on it. It did, though.
She knew that he couldn't have run away from home. She knew that he couldn't have just been kidnapped. It was all more complicated than it seemed at first glance. The situation got worse when 007n7 and C00lkidd also disappeared. They simply vanished, just like her son. Were their disappearances connected? Yes. She was sure of it.
She cried every day that her search ended in failure. She cried every time she couldn't find something that would help her find him. The thought that something terrible had happened to her son never left her head; each new day it felt more and more awful.
118о8 often sat in her son’s now empty room, looking for clues or just missing him. Every single thing in the room reminded her of all the warm moments that had ever happened.
His lavender backpack, which he had chosen with the words that it was his favorite color. It was also his mother’s favorite color, and she wasn’t sure if he knew about it or if it was just a coincidence.
Action figures of characters from different movies that they watched together in the evenings. She still remembers Bluudud’s cheerful voice when he told interesting facts about these characters… She remembers his happy look when he received these figurines as a Christmas present.
On the table were empty boxes of apple juice, which Bluudud loved to drink so much. On the same table was a plate on which once lay a peach pie, which her son loved to eat so much.
She was crying again.
One day, the woman couldn't take it anymore and decided to hack into all the CCTV cameras in the area to view all the footage from the day her son went missing. The police did nothing, and she was tired of waiting.
And on one of the cameras, she saw how… No. No-no-no, it can't be… Her boy, her son… He got hit by a car. The recording clearly shows how he ran out onto the road for something, without even looking around. At that very moment, a car drove onto the road, the driver didn't have time to hit the brakes in time and...
Bluudud died.
118о8 cried all day. She couldn't believe what had happened. Why did she only find out about this now? Why wasn't this on the news? Why didn't the police, who had definitely viewed all those footage, talk about this? Why?.. Why did this happen to her boy?..
She fell asleep right at the table in her room.
Opening her eyes, 118о8 found herself in an unfamiliar place. It was some kind of wooden cabin… There were sofas, bookshelves, a fireplace and a large grandfather clock. And there were a lot of people here who were looking at her with interest and whispering something to each other.
What surprised her most was that among them were people who she had recognized. John Shedletsky, Bilderman and Matt Dusek… The admins from whom she had so desperately tried to hide her entire life.
And then she saw among these people someone she had never hoped to see again.
"118о8!" 007n7 came up to her, looking both happy and sad at the same time, and hugged her tightly.
"007n7, I'm so glad to see you!.." She hugged him back, and then once again glanced around the unfamiliar cabin. "Where have you been? What is this place? How did I end up here?"
"Oh… This will be hard to explain…"
Nothing in this place made sense. A time loop? Repeating murders one after another? Rounds? Survivors and killers? She really hoped that all of this was just a very strange dream.
Her friend wanted to say something else, but before he could, a new round began.
118o8 got lucky and ended up spawning in the same place as 007n7. He told her to follow him and asked her to be as quiet as possible so that they would not be accidentally spotted by the killer. It would be better if they just hid the entire round.
At some point, 007n7, looking at his friend, raised his gaze a little higher, looked somewhere behind her and quickly became horrified. He tried to pretend that nothing had happened and simply sped up, heading in the other direction with 118o8.
But they had already been noticed.
A brick flew inches from the woman’s face. She turned around and froze in place, her heart skipped a couple of beats . Bluudud was standing there, smiling widely. What happened to him? He had become much taller and skinnier. Who did this to him?
Bluudud lunged at his mother, but 007n7 pushed her aside in time. Her son lifted him into the air so easily, as if the former hacker weighed nothing. Laughter, and then a loud crunch. He carelessly threw the already dead body aside and turned towards 118o8.
"I'm so glad you decided to play this game too, mom!" He grabbed her tightly by the neck and lifted her into the air. "I promise that you will like it!"
118o8 was crying. She reached forward and gently ran her palm over her son's cheek. He was as cold as the day she found him; the woman chuckled, remembering that moment with warmth in her heart. She gathered the rest of her strength to say what she had so badly dreamed of saying to her boy at least one more time, "I love you ."
He didn’t answer. A second later, she heard a crunch and felt terrible pain.
Tears kept flowin from 118o8's eyes when she woke up again in that cabin. Her son was alive, but he was no longer the boy she used to know and love her much.
Her son had become a… monster.