Free The GOD Box by Melissa Horan

someone properly human, and significantly more worth their time. They spent years planning and researching to achieve this God-like quality, and now instead it made them the chaff. Even, and at least, the last four times the people found it awesome whether in belief or disbelief. That was their “in”; their way of achieving this wonderfully fearsome control over people.
    The eyes looking at them this time were full of concern, deliberating what they should do.
    Jonathan was tense and for once had nothing to say.
    Gabe couldn’t imagine anything decent could come out of his mouth right now.  He thought and thought, mulling everything over in his mind. How could he ease the tension? Gabe mana ged to suppress his temptation despite that every lash of hatred he wanted to release. Instead, this is what he managed:
    “We had a goal, something we’ve been appealing for in every society. So far, I see no reason you should fear our approach. We want you to be happy .”
    True, yes, he did not just lie. Was it believable? Well, maybe not. They wanted them to be happy, but not so much stemming from an interpersonal bond and deep-rooted hope, but as means to personal validity. Begging for a way to break free from this heaviness, Gabe looked around for something nice he could do. Niceness worked almost all of the time. He asked if he should go find more fruit. He got a few nods and then when he got up to leave, the skinny one followed him, whether by command or prompted by the weird telepathy of the group it was uncertain. Ugh, the nerve to ruin the catharsis with mistrust.
    And then, he didn’t say anything! Just… followed… maybe Gabe didn’t like this guy so much. Gabe tried to ignore him as best as he could. Jonathan probably hated him right now for leaving him alone. Honestly, Gabe didn’t care.  He was a little sick of babysitting Jonathan and whatever was about to come out of his mouth. Of course, that was expected really with anyone you spent every lively minute with. Maybe Jonathan was just his last connection to his ultimate reality, but there was some sort of friendly attachment there.  Friends… eh… Gabe didn’t know if he would go that far. Business partners. At any rate, Gabe really just wanted to be alone. He began plotting ways to be alone as he walked through this jungle turned forest to find fruit. The constant looking up strained his neck.
    Finally he gave up and turned around to the skinny boy.
    “Is there a better place to find fruit?” He asked, pushing up his glasses which were slipping down his wet nose. This was more exertion than an old man like him could handle.
    The skinny boy watched him curiously as Gabe’s thoughts came to a stopping point. He pointed with a teenage look of disbelief down at the ground. Plenty of over-ripe mangos lay littered on the ground. Were the plants that dead, or was it just late in the season? For them to have any fruit at all mean there had to be bugs, right?
    Gabe snorted, or somethi ng of the like, and snapped, “Did you have to follow me?!”
    “Do you have to be completely untrustworthy?” He bobbled his head back and forth and smiled as he said it.
    Gabe huffed , and more hunched than usual, constantly pushing up his glass, started picking up whatever was fallen on the jungle floor; ripe or rotten. Hands full and no help from the boy he stalked back with a lengthy lopsided gait, then sat in silence exactly how he was before, fruit still in hand. He let them roll out and put his hand to his face dejectedly both catching his breath and shedding a few tears of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion.
    Jonathan was in an argument with Samson (who was still sitting and not saying a word), but Jonathan had gotten up from his seat and was bearing down on him. Bi-polar was certainly not on their side for this. Gabe zoned out thinking how May’s mannerisms were very natural and casual. She seemed to take no specific care to be feminine or gentle. She was