(Start of recording)
I remember the fire.
Yeah, that was all D-D-D...that was all *his* fault. He was the one w-w-who...
(A whimper is heard)
You have to excuse my friend Wimpy. Thinking of Daemonic always kind of scares him.
Yeah, 'cause he's a wuss!
In this case, I kind of understand him, actually. What Daemonic did the week before we started kindergarten was...
(An uncomfortable pause follows.)
...well, let's just start at the beginning, shall we? I realised I haven't told you yet how me and the guys met.
That's what I was t-tellin' you! You have to t-tell 'em that!
OK. Here goes.
I met the guys shortly after I turned five years old. I was playing with my ball outside, kicking it against the wall outside our building, and they came up and asked to play. We had a game or two, and when it was time to go home I invited them for a sleepover.
Remember how your Mum thought we were invisible?
Yeah...that bitch was whack!
HEY! Andretti! That's my late mother you're talking about! Cool it, hey?
Geez, touchy, aint'cha? ...Go on.
As I was saying, I invited the guys for a sleepover. My Mum acted kind of funny, like she couldn't really see the guys. She kept referring to my "imaginary friends". I tried to make her shake hands with them, but it was all a bit awkward.
That's 'cause ya Ma was crazy!
ANDRETTI! Jesus Christ!
Cool it, Andretti. Johnny's right. You're being a moron.
Hey, who ya callin' a moron, chump?
Guys! Can I tell the story or not?
...so as i was saying, I ended up sneaking the guys into my room that night. I learned quickly that Andretti, Gary and D were orphans, and that Steve had gotten lost from his mother and ended up hanging out with them. Since I was the only one with a stable home, I invited them to stay as long as they wanted. That night, Multiplex were born.
Geez, I told ya, Johnny! That name is lame! We need a better one!
Whatever, Andretti. The point is, the guys ended up staying. My Mom kept insisting she couldn't see them, even though they were *right there*...
(There is a pause, as if the narrator was waiting for a comment that never comes. Seemingly satisfied, he resumes.)
...and she ended up taking us to a doctor.
She was the one who needed a doctor!
...actually, Andretti, i think I agree with you there. But it wasn't her going to the doctor, it was us. Now, I couldn't really understand anything this doctor was saying - it was all a bunch of big words - but the bottom line is that he told my Mom the guys could stay. And so they did.
I still don't know why your Mom was crying, though...
...yeah, me neither....
But anyway, a little after that Mom started getting us ready for kindergarten. We were all pretty excited, even though, for some reason, she only signed *me* up for it. I told her, if I went, the guys had to go too, but she just said the guys would be just fine, and changed the subject.
Man, ya Ma was weird!
Weird or not, it was all moot in the end. We never got to go to kindergarten. About a week before we were due to start....the accident happened.
Oh n-n-n-no...p-p-p-please d-d-d-don't rem-m-m-....
Shhh....Steve...come on...come over there with me...you'll be all right...
(There is a pause, where only a few sobs are heard.)
Is he all right, Gary?
Yeah, just leave him to me. Go on.
Anyway, the entire thing was Daemonic's fault.
(The sobs pick up, and soothing words are heard. When the narrating voice continues, it is more hesitant.)
He was the one who found the lighter. And with his mean streak, it was only to be expected that he would set the house on fire.
I still remember walking into the living room and seeing a wall of bright orange flames with my Mom trapped in the middle. I remember her shrieks...oh God...
(There is a long pause, after which the voice continues, audibly trying to control himself.)
That day, I was as scared as Wimpy. We all were. Even Andretti. The only one who wasn't scared was Daemonic. He was just standing there by the living room door, and he was grinning.
(Another long pause.)
After that, it's all a bit of a blur. I remember grown-ups coming to get us, trying to talk to us. Others reacted in shock. At the time, I didn't know why. It was not until much later that I discovered that I, too, had been affected by the fire. Half of my face had been burnt off. I was a monster.
Nah...you was always ugly, Johnny! That was an improvement!
(A chuckle is heard.)
See? That's why I like these guys! They stood by my side - even then - made me feel human. Made me feel like nothing had happened. As for Daemonic, well, for some reason, he didn't run away. I guess he was loyal to us guys, or somethin'. But when we got sent off to camp, he was right there with us.
(There is another interruption here, as the voices of 'Steve' and 'Gary' apparently return)
...is he all right?
He's fine...right, Steve?
(A sniffle is heard.)
Y-yeah...
Good! I was just about to talk about camp!
Oh, c-camp was f-fun! Remember that weird k-kid with the big head?
Sure do, buddy. They were a bunch of freaks out there! Almost made me feel normal...
I still wanna get the wiseguy who came up with the name Multiplex...
Oh, lay off it, Andretti! He was six years old!
Anyway, camp was, indeed, fun, even if it didn't last long. Everybody there was weirder than us, and it was the first time a grown-up ever acted like they could see all of us.
(A sigh is heard.)
Oh, Mindy...
Mindy Mason was our counsellor. To this day, none of us has anything bad to say about her. She was wonderful. She could charm everybody. Even Daemonic! I don't think any of us ever felt as good as when we were with Mindy.
Yeah, she wasn't bad...for a broad!
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and so did camp. From there, we were sent to a boarding school, where we spent the rest of our childhood and teenage years. And let me tell ya, the kids in this school were really something!
Yeh...damn bunch o' freakazoids!
Anyway, the years ar the school weren't bad, if not for the fact that Andretti and D kept getting us into trouble. And because our group motto is "where one goes, we all go"...well, let's just say we spent a lot of time in the time-out room!
They was the ones startin' shit!
Yeah, sure, Andretti...'cause you ain't violent at all, right? Anyway, let me go on with my story!
Whatever...
So, like I said, this went on for a few years,until one day the Dean called us into his office to say that they were going to set us up with a room on campus, even though we weren't students there any more.
If ya ask me, that was mighty nice of him...
I agree. He even arranged for a ride here! But anyway, that's how we got this apartment. And yeah, it's small, it's dingy, and most of us always have to sleep on the floor or on the couch, because there's only one bedroom. But you know what? It's home. Which is more than we've had for half of our lives.
(Clapping is heard as the voice of 'Steve' cheers. A long pause follows.)
So...?
So what?
So, you gonna tell 'em about Christine?
No, man, c'mon! I had a perfect dramatic ending!
But you *gotta* talk about Christine!
I'll talk about her next time!
But Johnny...!
(A click is heard.)
(End of recording.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The balding man leant forward on the table, stroking his goatee ponderously. Nobody around him said anything. After a moment, he turned to a woman behind him:
"So you say this man genuinely believes there are four other people around him at all times?"
The woman nodded:
"Three. But yes. He believes they are all real. As you can see, he is puzzled when people act in any other fashion."
"I see. And he believes this...Daemonic...not him...was responsible for the death of his mother?"
The woman cut in:
"Please, sir...Daemonic is the name he gives to the manifestation of his darker side. Much like Steve Wimple. Gary Rowland and Andretti represent other aspects of his personality."
The balding man nodded again, muttering, as he studied the tape recorder in front of him.
"I see..."
Then, after a moment, he once again turned to the woman standing to his left:
"I wonder if it would be possible to introduce me to this Mr. Kraputski...? I would very much like to have a chat with him."
