The Green Divide

Sammy and Joe had always been inseparable. Their laughter used to echo down the streets of their childhood neighborhood, where games of catch turned into deep conversations about dreams and futures. Even after going to different colleges, fate brought them back together, teaching at the same high school in their hometown. It felt like destiny—the universe's way of ensuring they remained a team.

But everything changed the night of the blackout.

It wasn’t the kind of power outage that flickered back on in a few hours. It was a suffocating, all-encompassing darkness that swallowed the city for days. No lights, no phones, no cars. Just the unsettling hum of silence. When the power returned, things should have gone back to normal. 

For most people, they did.

For Joe, they didn’t.

He’d woken up with fragments of another life tangled in his mind. At first, they seemed like dreams, strange and fragmented. Then they solidified into a truth so stark it rattled him: their world wasn’t real. Everything—every street corner, every star in the sky, every moment of laughter with Sammy—was a meticulously designed simulation. Joe couldn’t remember how or why he’d learned this, but he knew it with every fiber of his being.

That was when he started noticing the Green Wall.

It shimmered faintly at the edge of his vision, wherever the city met the horizon. Most people couldn’t see it, their programming ensuring they ignored the subtle, unnatural sheen. But Joe couldn’t unsee it. It wasn’t long before he met others who could see it too, a small, ragtag group who called themselves the Resistance.

"We’re trapped here," a woman named Vera had told him, her voice heavy with urgency. "The System keeps us in line. It feeds us routines, hobbies, relationships, sex, dreams. But we’re more than just lines of code. We have to break out."

Joe had laughed at first. It was absurd—ridiculous. But the more he saw the Wall, the more he listened, the more he remembered, the harder it was to deny. He threw himself into the Resistance, learning how the System worked and discovering ways to hack through its illusions. He became obsessed with the idea of freedom, the dream of something real. But it came with a cost.

The first time Joe tried to talk to Sammy about it, he was hopeful. Sammy had always been the open-minded one, the optimist who believed in impossible things. But Sammy just laughed it off.

"Joe, come on," Sammy said, patting him on the back. "You’ve always been the creative one, but this is... it’s a bit much, don’t you think? A simulation? You’re overthinking things."

"It’s not just a theory, Sam," Joe insisted. "I can see it. The glitches. The patterns. The Wall."

"The Wall?" Sammy raised an eyebrow. "What wall?"

Joe’s heart sank. He realized then that Sammy was blind to it, the System keeping him blissfully unaware. Still, Joe didn’t give up. He brought him articles, diagrams, even led him to places where the glitches were most visible. But Sammy refused to believe. 

Then came the turning point.

The Resistance launched a bold plan to disrupt the System: an attack on its core infrastructure, a network hub hidden beneath City Hall. Joe was certain it would work. If they could damage the hub, it would create enough chaos to weaken the System's hold, revealing the truth to everyone trapped inside.

Sammy, however, had become an Enforcer by then.

The System’s security forces had always been faceless, their identities masked by helmets and uniforms. But Sammy—his brilliant mind, his top scores, his loyalty—had earned him a promotion. He wasn’t just an Enforcer; he was their leader.

When Joe found out, it felt like a betrayal. 

When Sammy found out Joe was part of the Resistance, it felt like war.

The night of the attack was stormy, rain slashing against the streets in sheets. Joe led a small group of Resistance fighters through the tunnels beneath the city, their goal clear: destroy the hub, expose the simulation, wake everyone up.

They reached the control room without much resistance. Joe was working furiously at the console when the door slammed open. Enforcers poured in, weapons drawn. At their head was Sammy.

Joe froze. Their eyes locked across the room, old memories flashing between them like lightning. Sleepovers in treehouses. Late-night study sessions. Graduation day. 

"Don’t do this, Joe," Sammy said, his voice steady but not unkind. "You don’t know what you’re messing with."

"Yes, I do," Joe said, stepping forward. "And so do you. You just don’t want to see it."

"Because it’s not real," Sammy snapped, his calm cracking for the first time. "It’s a fantasy you’ve built in your head. You’re willing to destroy everything we’ve ever known for what? A hunch?"

"It’s not a hunch," Joe countered. "It’s the truth. And deep down, you know it too. You’re just too scared to admit it."

The Enforcers raised their weapons, but Sammy held up a hand, stopping them. 

"You’re wrong," Sammy said, his voice quieter now. "This is my home. These are my people. And I’ll protect them—protect you—even if you don’t want me to."

Joe’s heart twisted. "Sam... if you won’t join us, then at least get out of the way."

Sammy’s eyes hardened. "I can’t do that."

The fight was brutal. 

Joe had trained for this, but so had Sammy. They moved like mirrors of each other, each anticipating the other’s moves, their bond turned into a weapon. Around them, chaos erupted as Resistance fighters clashed with Enforcers, the room filling with smoke and sparks as equipment short-circuited.

"Why are you doing this?" Joe shouted, dodging a swing of Sammy’s baton. "Why are you defending something that isn’t real?"

"Because it’s real enough!" Sammy yelled back. "This life—our lives—they matter, Joe. Even if we’re just code, we still feel. We still love. Isn’t that enough?"

"It’s not enough for me!" Joe lunged, knocking Sammy’s baton out of his hand. "I want more. I want the truth."

"And I want you to stop!" Sammy tackled Joe, pinning him to the ground. "You’re going to get yourself killed, and for what? For nothing!"

Joe stared up at him, his breath ragged. "I’d rather die fighting for freedom than live as a slave."

For a moment, neither moved. Rain dripped from the broken ceiling, mingling with the blood and sweat between them. 

"I wish you could see it my way," Sammy whispered. 

"I wish you could see it mine," Joe replied.

Sammy hesitated, his grip loosening just enough for Joe to push him off. By the time Sammy scrambled to his feet, Joe was gone, disappearing into the chaos with the Resistance.

Weeks passed, but the divide remained. The attack had failed, the hub barely scratched. Sammy stayed with the System, rising in rank. Joe went underground, the Resistance more determined than ever. 

They would meet again, both of them knew. But next time, there would be no hesitation.

They were no longer the best of friends.

They were rivals. They were sworn enemies.

And the battle for their world had only just begun.