2084.
November 5th, 2011Justin was convinced that he could move objects with his mind. We would stare intently at books on the take intently for hours, at clouds in the sky, at cars in parking lots — and after a few minutes break his gaze, confident that he had achieved success. When he joined the military some years later, he strode through the streets of the small village in the Middle East confident that he could put up a shield around himself that would deflect bullets and shrapnel. And remarkably, he survived many firefights and bombings unscathed. One time, a young boy with an AK-47 jumped right in front of him, not 20 feet away, and unloaded his clip in Justin’s direction — and not one bullet found its mark. A year after he was discharged, he was in a liquor store buying a bag of chips, and there was a robbery. He intervened, certain that if the young assailant pulled the trigger, he could deflect the bullets. Sure enough, the young man fired the gun. The bullet struck Justin in the chest, well to the right of his heart. As he lay on the floor, waiting for the ambulance, it occurred to him that there was probably a better way to test this skill than to jump in front of bullets.