ConOnsen 2.0
ConOnsen 2.0 is an updated version of an unfinished book written by Greg in high school, ConOnsen. On October 8, 2024, he ran the first 4 chapters through AI and posted it to his Onision Forums. (Source)
"PSA: I wrote this when I was in High School. Forgive me. Lol."
Summary
Jack, a 17-year-old boy, wakes up in a state of confusion, unable to remember much about his life. He’s in a house with a large, angry man who yells at him for something Jack doesn't remember doing. After a violent confrontation, Jack escapes through a window, runs into the night, and hides in the woods. As he tries to figure out what's happening, he discovers that he’s under house arrest with a bracelet from a juvenile detention center but has no memory of his past actions or why he’s in this situation.
After running away, Jack meets a girl named Amber, who offers him a ride and brings him to a warehouse where a group of misfits live. The group is led by a man named Charles, who is suspicious of Jack at first but eventually allows him to stay. More would unfold if James finished the god damn book...
CHAPTER I
“You are nothing, nor will you ever be. Your life is filled with corruption, and your sins form a sea.”
With a sudden jolt, the boy leaped forward, startled out of his slumber, only to find himself engulfed in darkness. Confusion swirled around his bed as he stumbled out of the blankets, standing as if for the first time. He glanced around the room, unable to remember anything that happened before he drifted off to sleep.
“Yesterday... Did I? What happened?” he thought, trying to shake off the haze that lingered in his mind. His eyes, still heavy with sleep, strained to adjust. As he walked to the door, he noticed unfamiliar posters plastered on the walls, ones he had no recollection of seeing before.
Opening the door, he found a tall, obese man sitting in a large chair in the front room. The boy fumbled for a light switch, finding dimmers instead. As he turned the lights to their brightest setting, the large man stirred from his sleep. Startled, the boy stood frozen, uncertain of what to expect.
The man shoved himself out of the chair, teeth clenched in fury, and hissed, “What are you doing up, Jack? Get the hell back to your room, now!”
Jack didn’t respond, paralyzed with fear, his body refusing to move as if he’d forgotten how to run. The man’s temper flared, and with a quick stride, he grabbed the 17-year-old by the shirt, shaking him violently.
“I said, get back to your room! You know you're not allowed out here after what you did!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! Get your hands off me, you old fool!” Jack shouted in desperation. Summoning his strength, he pried the man’s fingers off his shirt and bolted toward his room. The man followed close behind, but Jack managed to lock the door just in time.
Frantically, Jack dressed in the first clothes he could find, trembling as he imagined what the man would do if he got in. He forced on a pair of shoes and ran to the window. He struggled to pry the screen loose, his breath quickening as the pounding on the door grew louder. In a panic, Jack punched through the screen, tearing at it until he created a hole big enough to escape.
Just as he was about to climb through, the pounding stopped. The man’s heavy footsteps echoed as he made his way to the front door. Without hesitation, Jack jumped out the window, landing on the soft soil below, just as the man burst through the front door—baseball bat in hand.
A low, fearful scream escaped Jack’s throat as he sprinted down the sidewalk. The man twisted his neck to watch Jack flee, then charged after him as if chasing a thief.
Jack’s lungs burned as the man closed the distance. Desperately, Jack searched for a place to hide, his eyes settling on a small cluster of trees a few houses down. With a final burst of energy, he dove into the trees, tripping over roots and crashing to the ground.
Groaning in pain, Jack dragged himself behind a large tree just as the man entered the woods. “Jack, you little bastard! Get out here so I can teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!” the man snarled, his voice thick with rage.
Jack remained silent, curled into a tight ball in the darkest shadow of the tree. After pacing through the woods for what felt like hours, the man’s face slackened, his anger replaced by cold indifference.
“I’ll let the police deal with you. You screwed up, kid. Don’t come home, or you won’t like what you find,” he spat, dropping the bat before walking away.
Once the man was out of sight, Jack’s body gave in to the weight of confusion and fear. He wept quietly, his whole body numb. When the tears finally dried, he slipped back into an uneasy sleep.
CHAPTER II
A picture of a family appeared in Jack’s mind, the kind of image that felt perfect, harmonious. Everyone was smiling. The father was an average-sized man with blackish-gray hair and glasses, his only notable feature being a silver tooth next to his two front teeth. The mother had long, wavy brown hair, but behind her smile lurked a subtle sadness—her eyes revealing a void of hope and passion.
Jack’s mind shifted to the boy in the image. A blissful smile lit the boy’s face, but as Jack stared, the boy’s expression began to blur. Soon, Jack saw only a lifeless face. He squinted, but nothing changed. Suddenly, the picture caught fire—without a flame—and turned to ashes in his hands.
Shocked, Jack stepped back, watching the remains drift away. The world around him turned to black walls. He reached out to touch one, and his hand passed right through. Everything crumbled into an endless abyss, leaving Jack standing alone above the void.
Birdsong pierced his ears, and the light broke through the trees. Jack woke beneath the tree that had been his shelter the night before. Slowly, he stood, the warmth of the sun on his skin, and the wind carrying particles of leaves through the sky.
He walked to the edge of the trees, squinting in the bright light until he spotted something familiar: the bat that had once threatened his life. He bent down to pick it up, then scanned the area. Dead grass stretched out before him, and in the distance, he saw a small farmhouse.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the row of houses he had fled from. His body tensed as his eyes landed on the house he had first awoken in. In a panic, Jack backed into another tree. Without hesitation, he turned and started running again.
After what felt like hours of running through unfamiliar streets, Jack found himself at a two-lane road. He crossed without looking, and a car screeched to a halt in the dirt, barely avoiding him. The girl in the car stormed out, her face twisted in anger.
“What’s your problem? I almost killed you!” she shouted.
“I—I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s going on,” Jack stammered, his voice shaking. “Please, don’t be angry. I’ve been through some horrible things, and I wasn’t paying attention.”
The girl sighed, her anger fading. “I just bought new tires... Damn it. But it’s alright, no one got hurt. Just... be more careful next time.”
Jack’s ears perked at the sound of a familiar engine—a truck with a broken muffler. His eyes widened in fear as he saw the obese man’s vehicle barreling down the road toward him.
“Oh no, I have to go!” Jack blurted, turning and sprinting down a nearby hill, the girl’s faint voice trailing behind him: “Wait!”
After running for nearly half a mile, Jack finally stopped to catch his breath near an old, partially burned building. His heart pounded as he slumped against the charred wall, trying to piece together what had happened. Nothing made sense.
As his breathing slowed, he absentmindedly reached down to adjust his pant leg. His hand brushed against something hard at his ankle. Confused, he pulled up his pant leg to find a plastic bracelet with the words: Hioa County Juvenile Detention Center.
Staring at the bracelet, frustration and confusion boiled up inside him. He couldn’t remember anything—his school, his family, his life before that moment—it was all a blur. Only basic instincts and the vague rules of society lingered in his mind.
Now realizing he was under house arrest, Jack frantically searched the area for something to remove the bracelet. After a few minutes, his eyes fell on the baseball bat still clenched in his hand. He sat down, raised the bat, and began smashing it against the plastic device.
Every hit sent a jolt of pain through his body, but he didn’t stop. The bracelet was sturdy, refusing to break until, after forty-five minutes, it finally loosened enough for him to slip it off. Jack tossed it as far as he could, watching it disappear into the distance, swallowed by the first passing car.
Now free, but unsure of what to do next, his stomach growled, reminding him of another immediate problem: hunger. He spotted a gas station across the street with a "Quick Food" sign hanging above it. With no wallet and no other options, Jack knew what he had to do.
Entering the store, a short, smiling man behind the counter greeted him, “Welcome.”
Jack forced a smile, nodding politely, but his mind was elsewhere. He wandered the aisles, trying to act casual while shoving a few nutrition bars and packets of peanuts into his baggy back pockets.
As he approached the door, he called out, “Goodbye,” to the man behind the counter, who smiled and replied, “Have a nice day, son.”
Just as Jack reached for the door, a familiar voice stopped him cold.
“Hey, wait!”
Turning around, Jack saw the girl from earlier—the one who almost hit him with her car.
“Where are you headed?” she asked, walking up to him with a curious expression.
“I don’t really know... I’ve been wondering that a lot lately,” Jack admitted, feeling lost.
The girl raised an eyebrow. “What’s your name?”
“Jack... or at least, that’s what he called me,” Jack replied, still unsure of so many things.
“Well, Jack, I’m Amber,” she said, extending her hand. He shook it tentatively, surprised by the warmth of her touch. “You don’t seem like you’re doing too well. Do you need a ride? I was heading back to my place anyway.”
Jack hesitated. He had no other options, no plan, and no idea of what was going on. “I guess... if it’s no trouble.”
Amber smiled. “No trouble at all. Come on, let’s go.”
CHAPTER III
The ride to Amber’s place was mostly silent, with Jack staring out the window, his mind racing. After about twenty minutes, they pulled up to a large warehouse-like building on the outskirts of town. Jack followed Amber inside as she punched in a code at the door.
“Welcome to my lair,” Amber said with a smirk as the door slid open.
Before Jack could respond, a voice boomed from the other side of the room.
“Who the hell is this?”
A tall, dark-haired figure jumped down from a railing on the second floor, landing gracefully in front of them. His piercing eyes locked onto Jack.
“He’s a friend,” Amber said, stepping in front of Jack protectively.
The man glared at Jack, sizing him up. “We don’t allow outsiders here, Amber. You know the rules.”
Amber rolled her eyes. “Relax, Charles. He doesn’t even know where he is. He’s harmless.”
Charles narrowed his eyes but extended his hand toward Jack. “I’m Charles. If Amber trusts you, I suppose I can too... for now.”
Jack shook his hand hesitantly, still feeling out of place. “I’m sorry if I’ve caused any trouble. I can leave if you want.”
“No need,” Charles replied, his tone softening. “Amber’s smart. If she thinks you’re alright, then I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”
As Charles walked off to tend to some business, Amber led Jack upstairs to show him around. “Don’t worry about him. Charles has trust issues, but he’s a good guy once you get to know him.”
Jack nodded, still processing everything. “Who are the others?” he asked.
“They’re like us,” Amber said cryptically, “people with nowhere else to go. You’ll meet them soon enough.”
They came upon a large room filled with high-tech computers, monitors, and gadgets Jack had never seen before. His eyes widened in amazement. “What is this place?”
“This is the tech room,” Amber said. “We’ve built this place from the ground up. Everyone contributes what they can. We’re... a team, of sorts. You could call it a family.”
Jack took it all in, unsure if this was real or just another bizarre dream.
“Come on, there’s more to see,” Amber said, pulling him away from the computers.
As they continued the tour, Jack began to feel a strange sense of belonging. It wasn’t home, but it was something close. For now, it was enough.
CHAPTER IV
The sun was beginning to set as Jack and Amber finished their tour. Silence filled the warehouse, save for the faint hum of electronics.
“Jack?” Amber called out, gazing out at the fading light.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry for all the chaos today. I know things have been overwhelming.”
Jack shrugged. “Isn’t it my fault? I seem to ruin things just by being here.”
Amber shook her head. “Don’t blame yourself. Some people... they’re just waiting for the storm, and if it wasn’t you, it would have been something else. Their friendship was fragile.”
Jack smiled slightly. “You’re pretty good with metaphors.”
Amber smiled back, the tension easing between them. “Thanks, Jack. Look, the moon’s coming up. It’s beautiful tonight.”
Jack glanced outside, then back at Amber. “Come on, let’s head inside. It’s getting late.”
Amber nodded, and together they went inside, the warehouse falling quiet as the night settled in.