#glitchinthemachine

Doesn’t matter how. You’d call me “Mad John” like the rest of them do if I told you. You wouldn’t listen.

But you need to listen. Chances are you won’t believe even if you do listen. A year ago I wouldn’t have believed me either. I would have said I was mad too.

But some of you will understand. Some of you will believe.

And then maybe, just maybe, one of you believers… well, maybe you can help me. Maybe you can help us all.

So who am I and why should you care? Who is this “Mad John” who says he has seen the last tree and the people who cower in its shadow?

I can’t tell you too much. I’m sure she’s watching. I’m sure if I give away too much, she’ll snap her fingers and I’ll vanish. Again.

You see, I don’t think I’ve escaped. Not really. I think I’m an experiment. One of her little experiments. What will Mad John do if I let him run around The City?

Well I’ll show her. I’ll show YOU, if you’re reading this. I’ll show you what I’ll do.

I worked at a the powerstation. Before it blew, that is. Man, what a day that was. The night sky was lit up like noon. My ears rang from the noise for days after.

After that we were all out of work. Not that it mattered. It was chaos. Of course, I went on a bender. Lost three days in the end. Complete blackout.

Can you blame me?

Sorry for going dark yesterday guys, I’m really trying but it’s hard to get online. Things are really chaotic out here.

Signal still shit. I hope she upgrades the wifi. At least some good will come out of all of this if she does.

Anyway, like I said, I black out for three days, with a little help from the booze. That’s when it happened.

It was just like a story. Strange alleyway. Electricty in the air. I staggered down the Alley. Could barely see at this point!

And then… nothing but the sun, wind and dust.

One minute, I was staggering down the Alley with a can in my hand. The next, I was in a desert. No City. No people.

I was freaked out, I can tell you. Thought I’d finally drunk myself mad.

There was just… nothing. The air even tasted dead. Hard to breath, like a close room with no windows on a hot day.

The sky was grey even though there were no clouds.

I think I would have died if I’d stayed there long. But I didn’t. I came back to warn you all.

You see why they call me “Mad John” now? No? Well, keep listening. You’ll get there.

Because I saw it. There, in the desert. Standing alone in nothingness. I saw the last tree.

I realize there is no way for anyone to believe me with absolute certainty so I hope I’m at least entertaining.

Well, that’s not quite true. I do have evidence. I’m afraid though. Afraid that she wont let me share it.

Been having a hard time since I came back, what with the Mad John thing and all. Sleeping on a bench in Town Centre.

So there it stood. Gnarled and ancient. Even from far away I could see it was a tree.

There was nothing else. Nothing else at all. So I headed towards it.

It was tall and kinda beautiful. Sad, but beautiful. A few leaves, yellow-green. Bark like sun-weathered stone.

Barely alive, but alive. Still alive. A bit like me, really. Maybe she’ll get the tree, too, after she gets me.

She is still listening. Still watching.

And I think she sees you, too.

There were people there, I wasn’t alone. They were strange but they were people. They had a weird little community going on.

They all wake up and greet the sun in the morning, taking their daily drink from a barrel at the foot of the tree.

Priestesses seemed to run the show, handing out water and scraps of what looked like dried mushroom to the crowd.

It was the High Priestess who told me the story.

But she spoke of it like it had happened centuries ago.

She told me how everything had died, all the plants and animals. How the air had gone bad.

She told me how the tree she worshiped was the last tree. The last tree on Earth. 

So I’ve just been talking to my mate and he’s telling me about this “Downtown ’till Dawn” radio show. Apparently they’ve got all sorts on there. 

It’s funny how this stuff always ends up happening to a “John”, isn’t it? 

You see, that’s why I came to Twitter. People think of it as this normal part of their lives. 

But sometimes, something bleeds through. Sometimes, a story from… somewhere else… appears. 

People on here – some people – can, for a moment, let themselves believe that the Sun vanished. 

And that gives me hope. I only need one believer. 

The priestess… I can’t repeat everything she told me. Some of it because it’s to horrible. 

And some of it because I can’t really remember. Alcohol does terrible things to your memory. 

But I remember enough. And, since I came back, I’ve seen so much of it come true. There’s no doubt left in my mind. 

Somehow, someway, somewhere I went to the future. 

That landscape, that desert… that was all that was left of the Town.

Might be offline for a couple of days. There’s these guys sniffing around the bench I’ve been sleeping on. 

Do you believe yet?

Got given this flyer for a talk by this Mr. Bliss guy. Seems like he might have some idea about what’s going on around here. Definately tapped in to something, he is. 

If I can straighten up for a few hours I might go along to this Mr. Bliss thing. The Uni is just down the road. Can’t hurt, right?

They’re getting closer. I can tell. It’s getting harder and harder to hide from them.

They work for her. Everyone works for her.

I read that back. I can see it. I can see why they call me Mad John. Maybe I am mad.

But the harddrive. I always come back to that. Clutch it. Hold it to my chest. Smell the realness of it.

They all had these harddrives. Some worn on their necks, like crucifixes. The High Priestess gave me one.

She can make me doubt my sanity but so long as I have the harddrive, she can’t break me completely.

It’s our only hope. The priestess said so, and I believe her.

God. Hangovers don’t help the anxiety. Last night I dreamt she’d made hundreds of copies of me. All these Johns running round her Maze.

I have noticed more people in Town are installing wood burning stoves.

I still don’t know how I got back. I danced with them and drank their strange, foul-tasting brews. Since then I’ve been hiding. Homeless. Helpless, but alive and ahead of the game.

I think the smart ones among you, the believers, might know where I am and where I have been.

And you’ll be coming here soon.

So there it is. All laid out for you.

You know where I’ve been. What I’ve seen.

And, if you believe me, you know that I have the evidence and will give it to you.

If you can find me before she does. In the right hands, this evidence could change things.

It could save the trees.

It’s funny how much time I spend with trees, now.

Something about knowing that, if things keep going as they are, they’ll all be gone soon. We need to appreciate what we have.

In a way, I think our whole society is like a dying phone. Desperately scrambling to make those last calls and texts.

And we don’t have a phone charger.

I realize my claims are a bit ridiculous but my intent is not really to be believed. Not by most of you.

It’s too late for me. My time is up. She can take me any time she wants. But she’s wrong. About us. About all of it.

I’ve seen the future she builds. I have seen the last tree. We have to stop her. Man, I need a drink.

I think I’ve nearly got this thing unlocked! Then we’ll see what I’ve gone through all this trouble for. Hope it’s worth it. 

I’ve cracked the harddrive guys!!! 

I never would have guessed. It’s beyond my wildest, drunkest dreams. After I’m done with this, I think I’m out. Gonna go dark. It’d be pretty silly of me to assume that she can’t see this. Once I get ‘this’ out there, I’m gone. 

Still working on getting this uploaded. I hope someone who gets their hands on the contents uses it for good. Change things. Make a better future. 

Sorry guys I'm sure she's blocking my upload. But I can't give up now. 

I just hope she doesn't take me before I can show you.   

Haven't slept in days but I did it. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Boom.DSTRKT5