Damnation Code (William Massa) - William Massa Page 0,29

one week before he wanted him dead.

Rice’s systematic abuse was in a class of its own. He ruled the basement of EI-Electronics as if it was his personal fiefdom. Many times Zagan was tempted to quit, but a part of him refused to let the bully win.

A desire to turn his fate around burned bright inside of him. At night, Zagan would retreat into violent action movies and dark metal to numb himself. One of his favorites was The Terminator, especially the scene where Arnold cut a bloody swath through a bustling police precinct. The scene had ingrained itself into his imagination. How he wished he would have the guts to enter the basement at EI and unleash a volley of steel into his enemies, starting with Rice and his brown-nosing lackeys.

Zagan craved the strength of the fearsome killer cyborg. He yearned for a chance to realize his full potential.

A week later, fate would steer him toward his higher destiny. Zagan and the basement crew at EI were working on a game called Hell World, a Doom rip-off hoping to tap into the burgeoning military horror market. The design team had ordered stacks of research material, including a number of books on the occult and demonology.

The designers did all the creative heavy lifting; Zagan was just a coder who ironed out the kinks in the gameplay. There was no need for him to read any of these books, but something about the dark covers and cryptic titles spoke to him. During a bored lunch-break, Zagan skimmed one of the volumes.

What began with Zagan trying to stave off boredom turned into a marathon reading session. He stayed up all night and finished the first occult book. The next day he grabbed another volume and kept diving deeper into the mysteries contained within its pages. Most of the actual game creators barely glanced at the research materials, choosing to make stuff up instead of putting in the necessary research. Zagan, on the other hand, was hooked.

The books spoke of dark powers that man had learned to master, over the centuries. Devil. Satan. Abaddon. Shaitan. All names for the same evil energies that pulsed through the universe. Dark forces one could learn to channel, if the rituals outlined in the old texts were carefully followed.

As Zagan intensified his studies, a revolutionary idea occurred to him. What if by combining code and ancient ritual he could hack reality like a computer program? Voodoo was about to get a 21st Century upgrade.

The following night Zagan worked feverishly to write his occult program. It was a simple code modeled after an old racing game, but with a chilling twist. It incorporated magical ritual and information about Rice’s brand-new Lexus. The program was designed to trigger a car accident in the real world.

When Zagan arrived at the office the next morning, Rice was already waiting for him. His vehicle was unharmed. Somewhere along the way, Zagan must’ve made a mistake.

Further research revealed the problem. For the black magic code to exert its dark magic, it would require the lifeforce of a living creature. As this program’s goals were modest, the sacrifice didn’t have to be human. Nevertheless, blood would have to be spilled.

It didn’t take Zagan long to find his victim. There was a stray cat that hung out around his shitty apartment complex. Using a bowl of milk, he lured the hungry feline into his unit. As soon as the poor animal lapped up the milk, Zagan threw a bag over its head. Without hesitation, he whipped out a kitchen knife and went to work on the hissing creature.

A minute later, his hands coated crimson, he started coding away. His bloody fingertips left dark imprints on the keyboard. His face covered in the dead animal’s gore, he pounded the keys, a man possessed as he poured all his hatred, fear and rage into the program.

The following day his efforts would finally bear fruit. Rice’s Lexus experienced a catastrophic failure when its four tires blew out at 80 mph on the freeway. Rice lost control of his Lexus and hit a median in a fiery explosion of metal, steel and flesh.

With the stroke of a few keys and one dead cat, Zagan’s most ardent enemy had been erased from reality. It was his first taste of real power.

Over the next twelve months, Zagan created new programs. Some worked, some backfired. Each failure became a lesson, each success a hard-earned victory on the path to mastering the dark