dismissively. That’s why we’re here ain’t it? Without risk what do we have? Without risk we’re nothin doin nothin. What’s the fuckin point? Why are you here?
Mr White paused, not understanding, either what Red was saying or his own reasons for being in Rule. He tried to think. I’m here . . . to escape. The words came difficult and strange, as they always do when trying to put words to something where mere words could not do the job.
Red looked at him as if taking measure of this, and then nodded slowly. Right. See, I dunno where you’re from, but for me, well, back home rules and laws are mighty fuckin thin on the ground. Mighty fuckin thin. Long as you don’t impact on the rich and powerful you can get away with all kindsa shit. That’s cause where I’m from the less you got the more of a fuckin commodity you are. But only en masse, shits ain’t given bout the individuals, see? Drops in the fuckin ocean. The less value they give you the less protection they give you. They look out for themselves and them alone. Like us all. That’s what got built up over time, the instinct to fuck another over. And so you think, right, well it’ll be fuckin chaos right? No sir. No. As each law dropped off the fuckin chart, meaningless in these . . . new ages of the predator and prey, as each law vanished to fuck the people grew more tired. I seen it. I’ve walked amongst the underclass outside the factories and workhouses and old underground bars stinkin from the sewers, and there ain’t life in their eyes no more. They been shit upon so long and it’s been dog-eat-dog there so goddamn much that they got nothin left to chew on.
See, a man gotta have somethin to rail against man. He gotta have a wall to push against else how is he gonna feel strong, how is he gonna feel like his sorry life can get some fuckin remedy to it? Anger’s a powerful thing in a man’s life if it can just get some fuckin direction. Take away that and it’ll just fade away or be turned upon yourself. Rob a man of all controllin forces and you rob a man’s soul. That’s what I think anyhow. That’s what I see. Red ran his hands through his hair and then shoved his fingers in the pockets of his jeans. His lip curled a little and then fell.
Mr White looked confused. But the government, well, uh, the upper classes . . .
Red pulled his fingers out of his pockets again. The families, yeah. Just the one class at the top y’know. But they’re untouchable . The wall they put up ain’t the kind to push against, it’s the kind that’s been there all your life and all the lives before you. You don’t even notice the fuckin thing, it’s like the sky. You go your whole life and until someone points it out to you . . . well you just don’t think. Well I didn’t. None of the hollow bastards I seen back home would. And it don’t matter if the absence of laws are absent cause the fuckin families steadily made it so, cause the fuckin Elite wanted to fuck with – literally too, y’know – every man woman and child of the underclass. Hell, of everone not them. Even them too if they thought they had the upper hand to fuck one over on one of their own without getting fucked over in return. I’m talkin real sick gangster shit man. But that’s just the way of the world ain’t it? A guy could walk about and kill a dozen workers or prostitutes or fuckin orphan kids and there’s no kind of authority to stop him and the families would do jack shit unless it harmed their production. But they can make em breed so damn fast I can’t see why it would.
Red breathed deeply . He was kicking every loose stone and piece of rubbish he saw along the street, his face shifting to every colour as if some magical being torn between every emotion and sin, or some chameleon shifting to become one with the goings on around him.
So a guy like me, he continued, as if it all had to come out if any of it did. A guy like me feels like one of those selfsame hollow
Mr White paused, not understanding, either what Red was saying or his own reasons for being in Rule. He tried to think. I’m here . . . to escape. The words came difficult and strange, as they always do when trying to put words to something where mere words could not do the job.
Red looked at him as if taking measure of this, and then nodded slowly. Right. See, I dunno where you’re from, but for me, well, back home rules and laws are mighty fuckin thin on the ground. Mighty fuckin thin. Long as you don’t impact on the rich and powerful you can get away with all kindsa shit. That’s cause where I’m from the less you got the more of a fuckin commodity you are. But only en masse, shits ain’t given bout the individuals, see? Drops in the fuckin ocean. The less value they give you the less protection they give you. They look out for themselves and them alone. Like us all. That’s what got built up over time, the instinct to fuck another over. And so you think, right, well it’ll be fuckin chaos right? No sir. No. As each law dropped off the fuckin chart, meaningless in these . . . new ages of the predator and prey, as each law vanished to fuck the people grew more tired. I seen it. I’ve walked amongst the underclass outside the factories and workhouses and old underground bars stinkin from the sewers, and there ain’t life in their eyes no more. They been shit upon so long and it’s been dog-eat-dog there so goddamn much that they got nothin left to chew on.
See, a man gotta have somethin to rail against man. He gotta have a wall to push against else how is he gonna feel strong, how is he gonna feel like his sorry life can get some fuckin remedy to it? Anger’s a powerful thing in a man’s life if it can just get some fuckin direction. Take away that and it’ll just fade away or be turned upon yourself. Rob a man of all controllin forces and you rob a man’s soul. That’s what I think anyhow. That’s what I see. Red ran his hands through his hair and then shoved his fingers in the pockets of his jeans. His lip curled a little and then fell.
Mr White looked confused. But the government, well, uh, the upper classes . . .
Red pulled his fingers out of his pockets again. The families, yeah. Just the one class at the top y’know. But they’re untouchable . The wall they put up ain’t the kind to push against, it’s the kind that’s been there all your life and all the lives before you. You don’t even notice the fuckin thing, it’s like the sky. You go your whole life and until someone points it out to you . . . well you just don’t think. Well I didn’t. None of the hollow bastards I seen back home would. And it don’t matter if the absence of laws are absent cause the fuckin families steadily made it so, cause the fuckin Elite wanted to fuck with – literally too, y’know – every man woman and child of the underclass. Hell, of everone not them. Even them too if they thought they had the upper hand to fuck one over on one of their own without getting fucked over in return. I’m talkin real sick gangster shit man. But that’s just the way of the world ain’t it? A guy could walk about and kill a dozen workers or prostitutes or fuckin orphan kids and there’s no kind of authority to stop him and the families would do jack shit unless it harmed their production. But they can make em breed so damn fast I can’t see why it would.
Red breathed deeply . He was kicking every loose stone and piece of rubbish he saw along the street, his face shifting to every colour as if some magical being torn between every emotion and sin, or some chameleon shifting to become one with the goings on around him.
So a guy like me, he continued, as if it all had to come out if any of it did. A guy like me feels like one of those selfsame hollow
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