Fade Away

By Ben Mason

David Friedman has a secret talent he wants to to show his friend, Cully.

A secret that'll change their lives when it gets out. A secret the government will try to crack any way it can. No matter who gets hurt.

A sci-fi story of about 6,000 words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ben Mason
• Release date: Nov 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781540105721

Book preview

Fade Away

Fade Away

Ben Mason

Contents

Dave's Secret

The Miracle

The Gym

Going to Prison

Meeting Dave Again

Power Down

Getting Out

Joshua Tree

It's Free

In the end

About the Author

Copyright info

Newsletter

Dave's Secret

I was eleven when I first saw a Fade, as they called them years later when the epidemic hit. I saw the first case in my best friend, David Friedman. He pulled me aside at lunch time, away from my watch—where I was trying to tap out a rhythm to the scrolling beats, deep into the shadow of the music building.

It was an L-shaped stucco building and during the afternoon the angled side was covered in shade. A few kids tried smoking e-cigs there before getting busted (forced to do laps until they puked with cheering audiences to push them on), or tried to get around the school blocks for certain ‘websites’ on their phones and tablets.

Dave, dark-haired and golden-eyed, or at least that was how I saw him when the sun or moon hit him, wasn’t interested in those things. He walked around in his little blue jean jacket and white sneakers standing out like a rough cowlick in between all the vibrant cotton and shorts we were wearing.

But he had a spark to him, a joy where he laughed at little secrets. The kind he never told anybody. Nobody but me.

You can’t tell a soul, Cully, he said. It was his nickname for me, McCulin. Worst first name ever. I promised never to give my kid a ‘traditional’ name. Traditional for old folks was fodder for being made fun of. If it’s outdated by the time you were a kid, and worse when