“Wesco? You still there?”
“Right here.”
“You think of a different game?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
“I think…I think I’m going to be quiet. Just quiet as I wait. We live loud lives, Marga. So loud we forget what the quiet is like. Do you mind?”
“I…No. Quiet is fine.”
“Cool. Thanks.”
Wesco shut down his HUD once more, then slowly shut down the rest of his systems.
All of his systems.
Without life support, the interior of the HUD became deathly cold within minutes.
His teeth chattered, but he barely noticed. Black motes filled his vision as the air thinned, then was gone.
Wesco laughed, expelling the last of his air. He laughed at his end and how quiet it was. True quiet after a life of noise and violence.
Wesco found, in his last moments, he enjoyed the quiet.
The quiet was fine.