Ramblings Of A Crazed Idiot

'Are you ready, Jerald~?'

'Aye, aye, Captain~!'

'I can't hear you~!'

"Why did you save Jacob?" 

An emotionless, robotic voice pierced through the darkness, interrupting Austin from his crazed role-play with his best friend Jerald. 

Ever since Austin and Jerald met 2,572 days ago, they were like two peas in a pod. According to his new best friend Jerald, he found himself in this dark world after taking a dump on the side of a building. At the time, he didn't know it was God's temple. But honestly, even if it was accidental, that got Jerald in Austin's good books. 

'Oi, Jerald, haven't I told you 5,643 times? …or was it 7,876 times? Eh, whatever, numbers don't matter here anyway. Nothing matters anymore!' Toward the end, Austin's tone of voice became dark, similar to the dark thoughts that ran through his mind while imprisoned in this world, such as 'What is the meaning of life? Does life even matter? When will the aliens come to harvest humanity? Will Caedral Rodes ever defeat the 'Reigning' Universal Champion of the World? Will the West ever win an international tournament in that one MOBA? And will North America steal Europe's credit if they were to ever win?'

'Hahahaha, my jokes are the best. Dark tone of voice, dark thoughts - you get it, Jerald?'

Before Jerald could reply, Austin could not contain himself from speaking.

'It's because we're trapped in darkness! Hahahahaha!'

Austin laughed so hard he 'doubled over' while a few imaginative tears trickled down his imaginative face. 

A few thousand years later, after catching his breath, Austin used his imaginative finger to wipe away his imaginative tears from laughing so hard,

"Why did you save Jacob?" 

"Oi, are you an idiot!?" Austin couldn't help but snap in frustration at Jerald.

"Why did you save Jacob?" The same emotionless, robotic voice repeated.

'Oi Jerald-' Austin became furious, ready to burst out in profanities; however, a semblance of his reasoning washed over his crazed self. 

'For some reason, in the 4,289 days I've known Jerald, didn't he always sound exactly like me?' Like the intricate gears of a clock, the mechanisms in Austin's brain slowly creaked into motion, gradually leading him to a hair-raising realization.

His eyes widened. (Imaginatively)

'Then… that emotionless, robotic voice!?'

'WAIT! Who's there!? Can you hear me!?' Austin yelled with desperation and crazed excitement evident in his voice. If he had eyes they would be wide open like a crazed stalker who had found his prey.

Receiving no answer, he continued to shout.

'Hello!?'

Austin spun his body around so fast looking for the source of the voice, that he made himself dizzy. 

"Argh, I feel sick."

"Why did you save Jacob?"

"I CAN SPEAK! HAHAHAHA, FINALLY!" Austin was so lost in the joy of being able to move and speak, that he wasn't in the right state of mind to respond to that annoying voice.

In the world of darkness, that had no light and no floor, Austin jumped up and down in glee as he laughed like a maniac.

"Why did you save Jacob?" The voice; however, did not care for the ramblings of the lunatic as it once more repeated itself.

Upon hearing the emotionless, robotic voice once more, Austin broke out of his crazed state and instantly replied, "Because he is… was my brother?" Austin replied unconfidently, since he was dead does that mean Jacob was no longer his brother, or were they still family? How did death even work?

*Sigh*

He sighed in frustration.

'I have so many questions with no one to give me answers. Why does Jerald have to be ignorant about everything?'

"Oi Jerald, why are you so dumb?" He asked, but received no response, further angering him.

"Tsk, fine then!'

Even if the robotic voice was only a mere figment of his crazed imagination, which he created in order to have a third companion for him and Jerald in this world of darkness. Austin knew this was his chance at survival - his only saving grace - the beacon of hope to escape the confines of eternal darkness.

—-------------

Austin patiently waited for an answer, but soon he began to panic, he was still able to move his body, and speak out loud; however, the voice which had repeatedly asked the same question, no longer spoke. 

Austin did not know how long he had waited, but in this world where nothing, but darkness existed, all he had was time, so he waited.

Suddenly, the voice that had stayed silent for god knows how long, finally spoke, asking another question.

[What if the girl was in danger instead?] 

"Girl?... Oh you mean, Natalie.' Austin's thoughts shifted to the gentle and kind girl, who always looked out for him. 

Memories of Austin's happy moments spent with his always bubbly and cheerful soon-to-be sister whom he looked up to as an older sister flashed before his eyes as if he were watching a movie of his past.

--------------

"Austin, here eat this." Natalie took the knife from beside the three-tiered chocolate cake and with deft hands made two diagonal cuts on the cake before placing the sliced cake on the already full plate of her little brothers.

Austin's eyes widened in panic and his stomach ached begging to give it rest from being full.

*Burp*

Austin burped, causing him to blush from embarrassment especially after Natalie shot a glare full of accusation toward him.

"S-sorry."

"Humph, if you're sorry, eat more!" Natalie pouted mischievously before she reached her right hand toward the table full of food again, Austin, who saw panicked even more.

"S-sis, please! My stomach can't take it anymore!" Austin's hands sporadically waved, he couldn't… his stomach wouldn't allow another morsel… of that delectable mouth-watering food.

*Gulp*

"Okay, one more bite wouldn't hurt anyone, right?"

—---------------------

"Austin, which one do you like?" Natalie asked seriously as she looked into Austin's eyes before turning her gaze back to the colorful t-shirts in front of her, wondering which t-shirt would match well.

"Ermmm." Austin's eyebrows furrowed in thought. His gaze wandered around the t-shirts, especially toward the price tags, which were all outrageously priced - $200, $1,000, $5,000. His brain hurt at the mere thought of the fools who actually purchased a simple white t-shirt with a simple 'Superior' word printed inside of a red rectangle. Austin's mind then drifted to the possibilities that sum of money could afford him: sustenance, hydration, and the comfort of a weather-protected shelter.

—-----------------

"Austin-"

—-----------------

The voice patiently waited as the boy reminisced about his past.

For a few seconds, Austin sported a happy smile as he continued to reminisce before his face morphed into hatred, veins bulged throughout his face, and his eyebrows locked together, it was a stark contrast to the warm and happy smile from before.

"Of course, if that damn scum had tried to harm her, I would have done the same." At the thought of that bastard waiter, Austin became livid. If it weren't for him, he wouldn't be dead. He would still be alive and well, spending time with his family… until his twentieth birthday.

However, Austin didn't regret his decision to sacrifice himself.

—----------- 

[What if the person the murderer wished to harm was a stranger?] 

Austin was stumped… if Jacob or Natalie were in danger, he would not mind sacrificing himself… his death was proof of his selflessness, but sacrificing for a stranger?

Austin didn't know if he would give up his life for someone he had never met or interacted with. Jacob was different from a stranger. Jacob had shown warmth and care to him, a feeling which before his adoption other than his friends at the orphanage no one had ever shown. Jacob was family, someone who was close to Austin's heart.

After coming to a conclusion, a simple unconfident sentence, which held no meaning left Austin's lips.

"... I don't know."

[Elaborate.] The voice, which had remained emotionless and robotic, spoke with a tinge of emotion, an emotion that Austin credited to expectation? Austin wasn't sure if it was merely his imagination.

"What I mean is, I won't know without being in such a scenario. I could say "Yes, I would sacrifice myself for a stranger"; however, that would be a lie. Same as if I said, "I wouldn't save their life." 

[Interesting!] The voice spoke concisely and this time Austin was sure the voice came from a human. The voice was no longer robotic, it…no, he held emotions of expectation in his voice when he spoke.