",
stammered
Frank.
Orwell - 1984
Mankind is in the stranglehold of a
worldwide surveillance state. Frank Kohlhaas, a petty
citizen, lives a cheerless life, working as an agency worker
in a steel plant.
One day, he gets into a conflict with the tyrannical system,
because of an unfortunate accident. An automated trail
convicts him to five years of imprisonment and Frank
disappears in a detention centre, where he suffers under a
cruel system of brainwashing and reeducation.
After eight months of pain, the authorities decide to transfer
him to another prison. On the way there, something
unexpected happens. Suddenly everything changes and the
young man finds himself caught between the fronts. . .
Foreword
This is the English version of the first book of Alexander
Merow's "Prey World" series. The novel was translated by
Thorsten Weber - and the whole procedure entailed a lot of
work. But it was also really funny.
It is not a professional translation and the translator is not a
"native speaker" or English teacher. He is just a guy who
loves science-fiction and dystopias. So try not to laugh at
some of the translated phrases, or the wrath of a real freak
will come over you!
Nevertheless, we thought that would be a good idea to
translate this interesting, courageous and critical novel into
the English language. At the same time it will also enable
English speaking people to join Alexander Merow's growing
audience.
"Prey World" is neither an ordinary book nor light
entertainment. There is already plenty of "light
entertainment" in our times - far too much. On the other
hand, there are not enough books like "Prey World". Books
that make you think about the world we live in. And it is
important that people begin to think.
The author has already found numerous interested readers
all over Germany, and we hope, he will find additional
readers in the English-speaking countries. We would also
be glad, if a "real" mother-tongue speaker were to edit this
English version one day.
Some readers compare "Prey World" with George Orweirs
"1984", the classic among the dystopic novels. Others see
elements of Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" in it.
However, critical thinkers and friends of so called
"conspiracy theories" will have their fun with "Prey World". Is
Alexander Merow' s vision of the future really realistic at all?
A worldwide surveillance state? A World Government under
the control of a ruthless secret society? We will see!
And always remember. . .
"Only a fool would think that "Prey World" is nothing
but fiction! " (Alexander Merow)
Have fun!
Alexander Merow and Thorsten Weber, Berlin 201 1
E-mail: A. Merow@gmx. de
"Maybe it is nothing but madness and suicide. Maybe it will
not change the world, but this is not important for me.
Nevertheless, it will change something for me!
I have suffered too much to humble myself anymore. They
have told us to humble ourselves - since the kindergarten.
Shut up! Consume! Obey! Endure! Believe everything!
Watch shit! Buy shit! Eat shit! Turn the other cheek!
What has become of us? Why have we become sheep?
Why do we endure this all without doing something? Why
has nobody the guts to act?
Thorsten's books were a real eye-opener to me! Now, I
know who they are and what they plan for us all. And I can't
forget what they have done to me. They call us "cattle".
Okay, then I will be the black sheep in the flock. And the
black sheep will fight back now! And it does not fear the
butcher anymore, because even a butcher can be killed.
Franky, the little black sheep, will make them pay now! And
I hope that the flock of white sheep will wake up some day. "
P. S. : If I don't come back, please give this book to Julia. . .
Diary entry of Frank Kohlhaas, 17. 02. 2029
Citizen 1-564398B-278843
Frank Kohlhaas, who was called citizen 1-564398B-278843
in his everyday life, because this was his official
administrative code, was already dreaming of the
unpleasant smell in the hall of his flat, reminding him of
rotten eggs. In his mind, shortly before 5. 00 o'clock in the
morning - soon the dream would be terminated by the
alarm - Frank was on a walk through a sunny valley. But
even at this beautiful place, the moldy smell was still
pervasive, so that Frank wondered, how such a beautiful
valley could smell so repulsive.
When the alarm-clock rang, it quickly became clear that the
sunny valley was just fantasy, although the smell was real.
The noise was shrill and Frank awoke swearing. Now he
had to get up, put on his clothes, have a hasty breakfast
and walk to the production complex 42-B.
„Damn! ", hissed the unshaven man as he moved his not
excessively tall, but amazingly strong body from his cheaply
produced bed.
„Hmmmhaaa! ", yawned Frank, shuffling through his still dark
apartment to the next room, where a dirty kitchen was
waiting for him. The citizen tore open the refrigerator door
and chocked down a cheese sandwich, the meager left-
overs from yesterday's supper.
The water kettle was started with a loud whoosh and, after a
few minustes, supplied hot water for a cup of instant coffee.
„Nnnhhaa! ", uttered the young man, a statement, that could
be interpreted in many ways at this early hour, and could
have referred to his life situation in general. At 5. 27 o'clock,
Frank closed the battered door behind himself and walked
listlessly down the dark corridor on his way to descend the
even darker stairway. The source of that foul stench, that
had been torturing Frank's nose for days, was somewhere
here. Perhaps one of the other tenants, damn idiot, had left
his garbage in the corridor.
J don't know. . . ", he muttered.
Each morning it was the same old story: „Rising, eating,
walking, slogging away. . . ", as Kohlhaas always said.
In the past years, he had learned to hate his life. He was 25
years old now, living in a more than shabby flat on the
outskirts of the former FRG capital, Berlin, working for
modest wages as a temporary help in a steel plant. In
former times, he had wanted to study, but this issue was
over - for reasons that Frank never mentioned.
Actually, he was not dumb, but, according to his own words,
he couldn't hack it yet. However, the job at the steel plant
was better than nothing, because it gave him the chance to
earn some money and to survive - an advantage that was
not enjoyed by millions of Germans in the year 2027.
As he now groped along again on this particular morning,
step by step towards the plant, he passed demolished
houses in the twilight and crowds of homeless people lying
in masses in the dark corners of the streets.
„What would be, if I simply didn't care about the
consequences and went home again, got back into my bed
and just slept until tomorrow? ", he thought sometimes.
„What would it be like if I just packed my bags and
disappeared from this rotten city, this scruffy country? ", he
asked himself occasionally.
But where was it any different? He should enjoy, what he
had - he'd got a job and didn't go hungry. That was at least
something, thought Frank.
After the worker had gone through a very long and dark
underpass without giving a Globe coin to the drunken
beggar there, the production complex came into Frank's
vision. It was 5. 53 in the morning and the workers for the
early shift stood there waiting, smoking, jawing.
When the factory gates finally opened at 6 o'clock, about
200 workers poured through them like a viscous mash. Most
of them were not in any rush to begin their work, but it had
to be, there was no other way.
"No alternative! ", as Frank always said.
After ten hours, they went back home again. All were dirty
and tired, but happy that the work was over for the day.
Frank crept through the corridor on his floor, which was still
dim even by day, and unlocked the door of his apartment.
There were no new messages on the Scanchip and that
was good, because it were usually only calculations:
electricity, water and such things. Frank had placed the
television in his bedroom the day before, so if he couldn't
fall asleep, he could turn it on. The program did not interest
him, but with the sound of anyone talking, he didn't feel so
alone in this dark block of flats.
Kohlhaas just knew his neighbours from brief encounters.
Many of them only left their apartments to go to work and
some of them had become serious boozers in recent years.
From time to time someone would bawl from his balcony or
accosted people, passing "his block" - but after a while,
everyone was sleeping.
Citizen 1-564398B-278843 watched television till 22. 37
o'clock: the news („War of the global armed forces against
dangerous terrorists in Iran"), talk shows, easy
entertainment on all fronts, warnings of the second dog flu
epidemic and the necessity for the immediate compulsory
inoculation. Then he fell asleep, although meanwhile the
foul smell from outside seemed to have lodged itself in his
pillow. . . .
Next day. . .
10
„Good morning, Frank! ", muttered Dirk Weber, one of the
foremen. „Good morning, Dirk! ", answered Frank listlessly. It
was 6. 03 o'clock, the morning shift began. A-341, this was
the designation of the young man as worker and temporary
help in the steel plant, gave his helping hands for many
operational steps till the clock indicated 10. 30.
Now it was time for a short lunch, and when Frank
unwraped his only bun which was covered with a piece of
salami, he did not suspect, that an unpleasant stroke of fate
would wait for him in the following minutes.
Since approximately half a year, the production complex'
administration had arranged the singing of the "One-World-
Song", due to a new international regulation, before every
lunch time in each production complex - for the increase of
work moral and to strengthen the international doctrine of
„peace, freedom, prosperity and equality" that was
propagated by the World Government since 2018. The
official of the "Ministry for Production Supervision", stationed
in this enterprise, Mr. Gert Sasse, who was mostly in his
office above the factory building, had conscientiously come
down to the workers to sing the "One-World-Song" with
them. It was always the same.
. . Workers, now is lunch time! But we will sing first! ", he
shouted through the hall and the steel workers formed to a
bored line, in order to enjoy the short break after the
singing:
"We are the children of One-World and we are all equal!
We love our One-World, the great realm of peace!
We don't know any classes, we don't know any races. . . "
Frank heard ever more rarely on the text in the last weeks,
didn't move his lips and stared at the ceiling of the dirty
production hall. . . Hurry up! ", he thought and boredly scraped
11
with his left foot over the dusty ground. Then the singing
was over.
„Gosh! This stupid song is really getting on my nerves! ",
said the labourer very quietly to himself.
„AH right, men! That could be done - halfway! Enjoy your
meal! ", called the official of the "Ministry for Production
Supervision" and A-341 looked forward to a hungry bite in
his softened roll.
But while his teeth eagerly crushed the salty piece of
salami, he was hit by an angry look of Mr. Sasse. The
supervisor narrowed his eyes to slits and looked like an
aggressive bulldog.
„A-341! Yes, you! Come to me! Hurry! ", he roared at the top
of his lungs.
This got Frank's adrenalin flowing. He didn't need quarrel at
work anymore.
„Come on, A-341! ", yelled Mr. Sasse, waving the worker
nearer. Kohlhaas followed the order immediately.
„l am just a fool for you, isn't it? ", hissed the man.
„Eh. . . no! Of course not, Sir. . . eh. . . Mr. Sasse!
", stammered Frank.
J fail to see what you mean. . . ", he added stumbling.
„How I mean this, you idiot? ", screamed the official with a
look which gave the young man the biggest possible
uneasiness. A malicious silence prevailed for several
oppressive seconds. Meanwhile, the eyes of the superior
threateningly became smaller and bushy, black eyebrows
were pushed over them.
A second later, Frank saw a fist with fatty fingers fly towards
his face. It suddenly hurt and his nasal bone reacted with a
cracking on the punch. While some blood threads flowed
down from his nose, A-341 heard a growl: „How I mean that,
you numbskull? "
12
„lf I give the instruction that the „One-World-Song" has to be
sung, you have to sing it too. This was an order! ",
completed Mr. Sasse his powerful argument.
His intonation varied now between satisfaction and
rampantly growing meanness. In the meantime, Kohlhaas
had gone to the ground. This punch had been really hard
and Sasse gave him another kick in the ribs now.
„Do you understand, idiot? You probably think, that you
have a special status here, isn't it? ", he roared.
The other workers googled at him and hid their faces behind
their rolls. Meanwhile, Kohlhaas felt like a kicked dog,
humiliated in front of the rest of his colleagues - what was
very close to reality. Without considering his action, he
jumped up and positioned himself in front of the official of
the "Ministry for Production Supervision".
"You can be glad, that you are my superior, otherwise I
would break you every bone! ", screamed Frank with boiling
fury. Gert Sasse was baffled. A-341 obstinately wiped off
the blood from his lip.
One hour later, the worker still waited in front of the door of
the production complex leader. Sasse was in his office and
Frank heard him swearing and ranting. This was no good
sign.
„A-341, come in! ", resounded the voice of the highest boss
of this work plant over the brightly illuminated corridor. The
young man started moving and took a seat on the chair in
the middle of the office room. A short silence followed, then
it began.
J took a look on your Scanchip, A-341! ", reported Mr.
Reimers, the production complex leader. „ln the ten years of
your activity here, you had come too late three times. Apart
from that, this is not the first time that you make a spectacle
13
of yourself. You are already occured to me, because of
subversive statements at work which can probably also be
confirmed by your colleagues. We have even marked you
with a blue code 67-Beta, if you didn't know it yet, A-341!
We will examine the video tapes of your working days in this
complex in the next days, with our new "Voice-Analysis-
System", and Tim sure that we will find some more
subversive statements.
But what you have done today, is a real scandal!
Threatening an official of the highest authority of production
supervision. Is there just air in your head, boy? If I don't
take drastic measures in a case like this, my superiors will
make me a lot of problems.
I must dismiss you, A-341! Further, I am correctly obligated,
to react on such an unbelievable incident with a message to
the responsible administration. Disappear now from this
production complex, and never come back, A-341! "
Frank Kohlhaas, the just dismissed worker, was struck
dumb with horror. His vocal chords seemed to be rusted, his
throat was tied and his courage was put on ice somewhere.
He went out, just went out, pale as death, with a roaring
head, without answering. Frank had lost his job, his source
for subsistence. And this was no fun in these joyless days.
Like in trance, the young man went into the changing room
of the production complex and absently opened the baggy
sheet door of his spint. . . Dismissal" - this word sounded like
the cut of a razor in the ear of each listener in this time. It
was related to the word . . liquidation", because it was the
destruction of the social existence. Being dismissed meant
to get no more Globes, as the international currency was
called since the year 2018. If Frank would not find a new
employment as soon as possible, he could lose his
apartment, his food and finally also his life. Any social
14
security, warranted by the state, had completely been
abolished since the total collapse of world economy in
winter 2012/13. And it was more than difficult, to find work in
a time, in which the industrial production in old Central and
Western Europe had mostly been outsourced to the Third
World. Therefore, millions of Europeans tried to survive by
doing extremly bad paid jobs in this dark present. They had
nothing to lose, so they were glad about every breadline
wage they could get. Those, who were not able to find a
possibility to earn some money in any way, ended as
beggars and homeless people, hanging around under
bridges or in vacant house ruins.
On the next day, Frank was not awaked by the shrill sound
of his alarm, after an sorrowful and restless night, but by the
disgusting stench which came from the stairway. The smell
had not been liquidated by anyone - against the spirit of the
age.
Only in the early morning hours, he had been able to sleep
for a while, because of his constant brooding and the
unpleasant thoughts that had tortured him during the night.
As first thought of the new grey day, the face of Mr. Sasse
appeared in his head and the face of citizen 1-564398B-
278843 changed to a hateful grimace, when he mused
about killing the official with an iron rod.
„This damn hybrid! If my life goes down the drain, because
of that guy, then I will smash the skull of this bastard before
I go to hell! ", hissed Frank, erupting in anger.
He finally crept out of his bed and stared down at the dirty
street in front of his apartement block.
„Damn! What shall I do now? ", he thought. J must find a
new job, otherwise they will close the account on my
Scanchip, because I can't pay the fucking calculations any
longer. "
15
After a further hour of useless musing, he left his dwelling,
tried not to inhale too deeply on the corridor, and walked the
dark stairs down to the ground floor.
The elevator was defective since months and nobody
seemed to waste a thought about repairing it. The only one,
Frank could imagine as a potential employer in this
hardship, was Stefan Meise, the junkdealer, an old
schoolmate.
Meise' s scrapyard was about half an hour foot march
distant from Frank's apartment block. He hit the road,
walked down the ugly street, which was covered with
garbage, and finally reached his goal - a place full of rusty
cars and all kinds of metal debris.
Nevertheless, Stefan Meise was not difficult to find between
the mountains of scrap iron. He was very tall, thick, bearded
and looked hardly differed from what he collected and sold.
„Hello Stefan! How are you? ", welcomed him Frank quietly,
trying to smile.
„Oh, Frank Kohlhaas! What's up, man? ", answered the thick
junkdealer. "You haven't been here for ages! "
"I just thought, I could visit you. Does the scrap metal trade
still run, Stefan? ", asked Frank. „You have here. . . eh. . . a lot
of rusty stuff. . . Where do you find so much junk? "
„Ha! I collect, what I can find. As all junkdealers do. Why do
you ask me this, Frank? Can I help you? ", returned Meise.
„l have lost my job yesterday", told Frank, while the fat man
looked at him quizzically. Then, Meise stroke with his oily,
broad fingers over his dirty black overall.
. That's a disaster, Frank! And now? ", asked Stefan and
shook his head.
„Now, I'm looking for something new. Some kind of
temporary job, you know? Perhaps, you still need another
helping hand? ", murmured the young man.
16
For half a minute, Meise just googled at the unemployed
man with his yellowish, bulging eyes. Then he looked
around and tried to give his unpleasant answer as carefully
as possible.
. . Working for me? ", he inquired. . . Thus, Frank, the situation
is. . . eh. . . the times are bad. We all know this, my friend. I
almost run everything alone here and only Ralf helps me
from time to time. This is actually enough. I don't need a
second man, sorry! "
Frank Kohlhaas had never been a good actor and who saw
him now, could feel his disappointment.
„And only for two months? ", he asked.
„l need none here, and I can't afford a second man, Frank! ",
explained the thick, filthy man and turned away. „l'm sorry,
but I have to do some work now. No offense, but there is no
chance for you to find work here. "
Back home, Frank hissed one of his worst curses and
kicked against the kitchen table. He desperately scanned
his brain for other possibilities of employment and checked
all production complexes around Berlin in his mind. But the
problem was, that his boss had given him a negative entry
in his Scanchip register after the conflict with Mr. Sasse,
what made it difficult to get a job in another steel plant.
He still had 246 Globes on his electronic account for this
month. More than 400 Globes he had to pay only for his
apartment in this rotted estate of prefabricated houses.
Time pressed now, with each day a little bit more, and the
dark shadow of despair grew with the passing hours. It
occupied Frank's mind like a malicious ulcer.
After the young man had watched an extremely stupid
sitcom, he switched off the television and tried to sleep. But
it was only 23,00 o'clock and regrettably the exhaustion had
not achieved the necessary level yet, to turn off Frank's
brain and give him some peace of mind.
17
Several hours followed, when Frank was staring at the dark
ceiling, cursing the production complex 42-B with all its
superiors, supervisors and workers.
Then the stench from the hall became noticeable to him
again and the fog of despair in his head swelled so strongly
that the young man thought about killing himself.
He mused about operating the bad thoughts and concerns
under his skullcap with a heavy-calibered shotgun which
would completely spread his brain over the yellowed
wallpaper behind his bedstead. And Frank Kohlhaas still
thought about many other things in this terrible night.
He brooded over his so far senseless life, the isolation, the
monotonousness and the gaping abyss that waited for him
now. Frank came to no solution in this night and not even
the smallest glimmer of hope seemed to shine somewhere.
Nothing. Outside it was dark. In front of the house, Frank
could recognize a few ripped garbage bags, which already
lay there since several weeks. Then he was finally so tired,
that he fell asleep with his head on the window sill.
Up to the end of the week, the search for a new job was
unsuccessful - as he had already expected it. It seemed
that there was no more work at all, in the periphery of
several kilometers. Furthermore, a inquiry at the local
administration had proven that Frank had meanwhile a
negative entry in his Scanchip register, because of
. . disturbance of peace at the workplace".
. . Perhaps, the idea with the shotgun is not too bad at all! But
before that, I will visit this Sasse! ", grumbled Frank on
Friday, when the short weekend for his former colleagues of
the production complex 42-B began.
On Saturday and Sunday, he invested his last Globes in the
cheap liquor from the kiosk at the corner. Alone in his small,
modestly furnished apartment, in the dark block of flats, in a
18
much darker time. His fate and his pain was not noticed by
anyone else. Just like Frank Kohlhaas had never noticed
the pain of the others who lifed their lives in their
honeycombs, behind the shabby, gray walls of this
plattenbau.
If he would drink himself to death or blew his head away, he
would soon smell like the corridor on his floor, and it would
probably not even been noticed by his neighbors. This
thought was somehow so sick that it elecited Frank a
tormented smile.
Hard alcohol had not the best reputation, but one thing was
clear: It had already given millions of desperate people a
good sleep. No concern could be so big, that it couldn't be
drowned in a wave of the good and, above all, cheap booze
from the nearby kiosk. Frank checked this old truth in a
"self-experiment".
„Beep! Beep! Beep! ", it resounded on Monday at 6. 30
o'clock in the morning from the kitchen, where the drunk
man had forgotten his Scanchip. „Beep! Beep! Beep! "
An electronic woman's voice always repeated. .
worldwide surveillance state. Frank Kohlhaas, a petty
citizen, lives a cheerless life, working as an agency worker
in a steel plant.
One day, he gets into a conflict with the tyrannical system,
because of an unfortunate accident. An automated trail
convicts him to five years of imprisonment and Frank
disappears in a detention centre, where he suffers under a
cruel system of brainwashing and reeducation.
After eight months of pain, the authorities decide to transfer
him to another prison. On the way there, something
unexpected happens. Suddenly everything changes and the
young man finds himself caught between the fronts. . .
Foreword
This is the English version of the first book of Alexander
Merow's "Prey World" series. The novel was translated by
Thorsten Weber - and the whole procedure entailed a lot of
work. But it was also really funny.
It is not a professional translation and the translator is not a
"native speaker" or English teacher. He is just a guy who
loves science-fiction and dystopias. So try not to laugh at
some of the translated phrases, or the wrath of a real freak
will come over you!
Nevertheless, we thought that would be a good idea to
translate this interesting, courageous and critical novel into
the English language. At the same time it will also enable
English speaking people to join Alexander Merow's growing
audience.
"Prey World" is neither an ordinary book nor light
entertainment. There is already plenty of "light
entertainment" in our times - far too much. On the other
hand, there are not enough books like "Prey World". Books
that make you think about the world we live in. And it is
important that people begin to think.
The author has already found numerous interested readers
all over Germany, and we hope, he will find additional
readers in the English-speaking countries. We would also
be glad, if a "real" mother-tongue speaker were to edit this
English version one day.
Some readers compare "Prey World" with George Orweirs
"1984", the classic among the dystopic novels. Others see
elements of Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" in it.
However, critical thinkers and friends of so called
"conspiracy theories" will have their fun with "Prey World". Is
Alexander Merow' s vision of the future really realistic at all?
A worldwide surveillance state? A World Government under
the control of a ruthless secret society? We will see!
And always remember. . .
"Only a fool would think that "Prey World" is nothing
but fiction! " (Alexander Merow)
Have fun!
Alexander Merow and Thorsten Weber, Berlin 201 1
E-mail: A. Merow@gmx. de
"Maybe it is nothing but madness and suicide. Maybe it will
not change the world, but this is not important for me.
Nevertheless, it will change something for me!
I have suffered too much to humble myself anymore. They
have told us to humble ourselves - since the kindergarten.
Shut up! Consume! Obey! Endure! Believe everything!
Watch shit! Buy shit! Eat shit! Turn the other cheek!
What has become of us? Why have we become sheep?
Why do we endure this all without doing something? Why
has nobody the guts to act?
Thorsten's books were a real eye-opener to me! Now, I
know who they are and what they plan for us all. And I can't
forget what they have done to me. They call us "cattle".
Okay, then I will be the black sheep in the flock. And the
black sheep will fight back now! And it does not fear the
butcher anymore, because even a butcher can be killed.
Franky, the little black sheep, will make them pay now! And
I hope that the flock of white sheep will wake up some day. "
P. S. : If I don't come back, please give this book to Julia. . .
Diary entry of Frank Kohlhaas, 17. 02. 2029
Citizen 1-564398B-278843
Frank Kohlhaas, who was called citizen 1-564398B-278843
in his everyday life, because this was his official
administrative code, was already dreaming of the
unpleasant smell in the hall of his flat, reminding him of
rotten eggs. In his mind, shortly before 5. 00 o'clock in the
morning - soon the dream would be terminated by the
alarm - Frank was on a walk through a sunny valley. But
even at this beautiful place, the moldy smell was still
pervasive, so that Frank wondered, how such a beautiful
valley could smell so repulsive.
When the alarm-clock rang, it quickly became clear that the
sunny valley was just fantasy, although the smell was real.
The noise was shrill and Frank awoke swearing. Now he
had to get up, put on his clothes, have a hasty breakfast
and walk to the production complex 42-B.
„Damn! ", hissed the unshaven man as he moved his not
excessively tall, but amazingly strong body from his cheaply
produced bed.
„Hmmmhaaa! ", yawned Frank, shuffling through his still dark
apartment to the next room, where a dirty kitchen was
waiting for him. The citizen tore open the refrigerator door
and chocked down a cheese sandwich, the meager left-
overs from yesterday's supper.
The water kettle was started with a loud whoosh and, after a
few minustes, supplied hot water for a cup of instant coffee.
„Nnnhhaa! ", uttered the young man, a statement, that could
be interpreted in many ways at this early hour, and could
have referred to his life situation in general. At 5. 27 o'clock,
Frank closed the battered door behind himself and walked
listlessly down the dark corridor on his way to descend the
even darker stairway. The source of that foul stench, that
had been torturing Frank's nose for days, was somewhere
here. Perhaps one of the other tenants, damn idiot, had left
his garbage in the corridor.
J don't know. . . ", he muttered.
Each morning it was the same old story: „Rising, eating,
walking, slogging away. . . ", as Kohlhaas always said.
In the past years, he had learned to hate his life. He was 25
years old now, living in a more than shabby flat on the
outskirts of the former FRG capital, Berlin, working for
modest wages as a temporary help in a steel plant. In
former times, he had wanted to study, but this issue was
over - for reasons that Frank never mentioned.
Actually, he was not dumb, but, according to his own words,
he couldn't hack it yet. However, the job at the steel plant
was better than nothing, because it gave him the chance to
earn some money and to survive - an advantage that was
not enjoyed by millions of Germans in the year 2027.
As he now groped along again on this particular morning,
step by step towards the plant, he passed demolished
houses in the twilight and crowds of homeless people lying
in masses in the dark corners of the streets.
„What would be, if I simply didn't care about the
consequences and went home again, got back into my bed
and just slept until tomorrow? ", he thought sometimes.
„What would it be like if I just packed my bags and
disappeared from this rotten city, this scruffy country? ", he
asked himself occasionally.
But where was it any different? He should enjoy, what he
had - he'd got a job and didn't go hungry. That was at least
something, thought Frank.
After the worker had gone through a very long and dark
underpass without giving a Globe coin to the drunken
beggar there, the production complex came into Frank's
vision. It was 5. 53 in the morning and the workers for the
early shift stood there waiting, smoking, jawing.
When the factory gates finally opened at 6 o'clock, about
200 workers poured through them like a viscous mash. Most
of them were not in any rush to begin their work, but it had
to be, there was no other way.
"No alternative! ", as Frank always said.
After ten hours, they went back home again. All were dirty
and tired, but happy that the work was over for the day.
Frank crept through the corridor on his floor, which was still
dim even by day, and unlocked the door of his apartment.
There were no new messages on the Scanchip and that
was good, because it were usually only calculations:
electricity, water and such things. Frank had placed the
television in his bedroom the day before, so if he couldn't
fall asleep, he could turn it on. The program did not interest
him, but with the sound of anyone talking, he didn't feel so
alone in this dark block of flats.
Kohlhaas just knew his neighbours from brief encounters.
Many of them only left their apartments to go to work and
some of them had become serious boozers in recent years.
From time to time someone would bawl from his balcony or
accosted people, passing "his block" - but after a while,
everyone was sleeping.
Citizen 1-564398B-278843 watched television till 22. 37
o'clock: the news („War of the global armed forces against
dangerous terrorists in Iran"), talk shows, easy
entertainment on all fronts, warnings of the second dog flu
epidemic and the necessity for the immediate compulsory
inoculation. Then he fell asleep, although meanwhile the
foul smell from outside seemed to have lodged itself in his
pillow. . . .
Next day. . .
10
„Good morning, Frank! ", muttered Dirk Weber, one of the
foremen. „Good morning, Dirk! ", answered Frank listlessly. It
was 6. 03 o'clock, the morning shift began. A-341, this was
the designation of the young man as worker and temporary
help in the steel plant, gave his helping hands for many
operational steps till the clock indicated 10. 30.
Now it was time for a short lunch, and when Frank
unwraped his only bun which was covered with a piece of
salami, he did not suspect, that an unpleasant stroke of fate
would wait for him in the following minutes.
Since approximately half a year, the production complex'
administration had arranged the singing of the "One-World-
Song", due to a new international regulation, before every
lunch time in each production complex - for the increase of
work moral and to strengthen the international doctrine of
„peace, freedom, prosperity and equality" that was
propagated by the World Government since 2018. The
official of the "Ministry for Production Supervision", stationed
in this enterprise, Mr. Gert Sasse, who was mostly in his
office above the factory building, had conscientiously come
down to the workers to sing the "One-World-Song" with
them. It was always the same.
. . Workers, now is lunch time! But we will sing first! ", he
shouted through the hall and the steel workers formed to a
bored line, in order to enjoy the short break after the
singing:
"We are the children of One-World and we are all equal!
We love our One-World, the great realm of peace!
We don't know any classes, we don't know any races. . . "
Frank heard ever more rarely on the text in the last weeks,
didn't move his lips and stared at the ceiling of the dirty
production hall. . . Hurry up! ", he thought and boredly scraped
11
with his left foot over the dusty ground. Then the singing
was over.
„Gosh! This stupid song is really getting on my nerves! ",
said the labourer very quietly to himself.
„AH right, men! That could be done - halfway! Enjoy your
meal! ", called the official of the "Ministry for Production
Supervision" and A-341 looked forward to a hungry bite in
his softened roll.
But while his teeth eagerly crushed the salty piece of
salami, he was hit by an angry look of Mr. Sasse. The
supervisor narrowed his eyes to slits and looked like an
aggressive bulldog.
„A-341! Yes, you! Come to me! Hurry! ", he roared at the top
of his lungs.
This got Frank's adrenalin flowing. He didn't need quarrel at
work anymore.
„Come on, A-341! ", yelled Mr. Sasse, waving the worker
nearer. Kohlhaas followed the order immediately.
„l am just a fool for you, isn't it? ", hissed the man.
„Eh. . . no! Of course not, Sir. . . eh. . . Mr. Sasse!
", stammered Frank.
J fail to see what you mean. . . ", he added stumbling.
„How I mean this, you idiot? ", screamed the official with a
look which gave the young man the biggest possible
uneasiness. A malicious silence prevailed for several
oppressive seconds. Meanwhile, the eyes of the superior
threateningly became smaller and bushy, black eyebrows
were pushed over them.
A second later, Frank saw a fist with fatty fingers fly towards
his face. It suddenly hurt and his nasal bone reacted with a
cracking on the punch. While some blood threads flowed
down from his nose, A-341 heard a growl: „How I mean that,
you numbskull? "
12
„lf I give the instruction that the „One-World-Song" has to be
sung, you have to sing it too. This was an order! ",
completed Mr. Sasse his powerful argument.
His intonation varied now between satisfaction and
rampantly growing meanness. In the meantime, Kohlhaas
had gone to the ground. This punch had been really hard
and Sasse gave him another kick in the ribs now.
„Do you understand, idiot? You probably think, that you
have a special status here, isn't it? ", he roared.
The other workers googled at him and hid their faces behind
their rolls. Meanwhile, Kohlhaas felt like a kicked dog,
humiliated in front of the rest of his colleagues - what was
very close to reality. Without considering his action, he
jumped up and positioned himself in front of the official of
the "Ministry for Production Supervision".
"You can be glad, that you are my superior, otherwise I
would break you every bone! ", screamed Frank with boiling
fury. Gert Sasse was baffled. A-341 obstinately wiped off
the blood from his lip.
One hour later, the worker still waited in front of the door of
the production complex leader. Sasse was in his office and
Frank heard him swearing and ranting. This was no good
sign.
„A-341, come in! ", resounded the voice of the highest boss
of this work plant over the brightly illuminated corridor. The
young man started moving and took a seat on the chair in
the middle of the office room. A short silence followed, then
it began.
J took a look on your Scanchip, A-341! ", reported Mr.
Reimers, the production complex leader. „ln the ten years of
your activity here, you had come too late three times. Apart
from that, this is not the first time that you make a spectacle
13
of yourself. You are already occured to me, because of
subversive statements at work which can probably also be
confirmed by your colleagues. We have even marked you
with a blue code 67-Beta, if you didn't know it yet, A-341!
We will examine the video tapes of your working days in this
complex in the next days, with our new "Voice-Analysis-
System", and Tim sure that we will find some more
subversive statements.
But what you have done today, is a real scandal!
Threatening an official of the highest authority of production
supervision. Is there just air in your head, boy? If I don't
take drastic measures in a case like this, my superiors will
make me a lot of problems.
I must dismiss you, A-341! Further, I am correctly obligated,
to react on such an unbelievable incident with a message to
the responsible administration. Disappear now from this
production complex, and never come back, A-341! "
Frank Kohlhaas, the just dismissed worker, was struck
dumb with horror. His vocal chords seemed to be rusted, his
throat was tied and his courage was put on ice somewhere.
He went out, just went out, pale as death, with a roaring
head, without answering. Frank had lost his job, his source
for subsistence. And this was no fun in these joyless days.
Like in trance, the young man went into the changing room
of the production complex and absently opened the baggy
sheet door of his spint. . . Dismissal" - this word sounded like
the cut of a razor in the ear of each listener in this time. It
was related to the word . . liquidation", because it was the
destruction of the social existence. Being dismissed meant
to get no more Globes, as the international currency was
called since the year 2018. If Frank would not find a new
employment as soon as possible, he could lose his
apartment, his food and finally also his life. Any social
14
security, warranted by the state, had completely been
abolished since the total collapse of world economy in
winter 2012/13. And it was more than difficult, to find work in
a time, in which the industrial production in old Central and
Western Europe had mostly been outsourced to the Third
World. Therefore, millions of Europeans tried to survive by
doing extremly bad paid jobs in this dark present. They had
nothing to lose, so they were glad about every breadline
wage they could get. Those, who were not able to find a
possibility to earn some money in any way, ended as
beggars and homeless people, hanging around under
bridges or in vacant house ruins.
On the next day, Frank was not awaked by the shrill sound
of his alarm, after an sorrowful and restless night, but by the
disgusting stench which came from the stairway. The smell
had not been liquidated by anyone - against the spirit of the
age.
Only in the early morning hours, he had been able to sleep
for a while, because of his constant brooding and the
unpleasant thoughts that had tortured him during the night.
As first thought of the new grey day, the face of Mr. Sasse
appeared in his head and the face of citizen 1-564398B-
278843 changed to a hateful grimace, when he mused
about killing the official with an iron rod.
„This damn hybrid! If my life goes down the drain, because
of that guy, then I will smash the skull of this bastard before
I go to hell! ", hissed Frank, erupting in anger.
He finally crept out of his bed and stared down at the dirty
street in front of his apartement block.
„Damn! What shall I do now? ", he thought. J must find a
new job, otherwise they will close the account on my
Scanchip, because I can't pay the fucking calculations any
longer. "
15
After a further hour of useless musing, he left his dwelling,
tried not to inhale too deeply on the corridor, and walked the
dark stairs down to the ground floor.
The elevator was defective since months and nobody
seemed to waste a thought about repairing it. The only one,
Frank could imagine as a potential employer in this
hardship, was Stefan Meise, the junkdealer, an old
schoolmate.
Meise' s scrapyard was about half an hour foot march
distant from Frank's apartment block. He hit the road,
walked down the ugly street, which was covered with
garbage, and finally reached his goal - a place full of rusty
cars and all kinds of metal debris.
Nevertheless, Stefan Meise was not difficult to find between
the mountains of scrap iron. He was very tall, thick, bearded
and looked hardly differed from what he collected and sold.
„Hello Stefan! How are you? ", welcomed him Frank quietly,
trying to smile.
„Oh, Frank Kohlhaas! What's up, man? ", answered the thick
junkdealer. "You haven't been here for ages! "
"I just thought, I could visit you. Does the scrap metal trade
still run, Stefan? ", asked Frank. „You have here. . . eh. . . a lot
of rusty stuff. . . Where do you find so much junk? "
„Ha! I collect, what I can find. As all junkdealers do. Why do
you ask me this, Frank? Can I help you? ", returned Meise.
„l have lost my job yesterday", told Frank, while the fat man
looked at him quizzically. Then, Meise stroke with his oily,
broad fingers over his dirty black overall.
. That's a disaster, Frank! And now? ", asked Stefan and
shook his head.
„Now, I'm looking for something new. Some kind of
temporary job, you know? Perhaps, you still need another
helping hand? ", murmured the young man.
16
For half a minute, Meise just googled at the unemployed
man with his yellowish, bulging eyes. Then he looked
around and tried to give his unpleasant answer as carefully
as possible.
. . Working for me? ", he inquired. . . Thus, Frank, the situation
is. . . eh. . . the times are bad. We all know this, my friend. I
almost run everything alone here and only Ralf helps me
from time to time. This is actually enough. I don't need a
second man, sorry! "
Frank Kohlhaas had never been a good actor and who saw
him now, could feel his disappointment.
„And only for two months? ", he asked.
„l need none here, and I can't afford a second man, Frank! ",
explained the thick, filthy man and turned away. „l'm sorry,
but I have to do some work now. No offense, but there is no
chance for you to find work here. "
Back home, Frank hissed one of his worst curses and
kicked against the kitchen table. He desperately scanned
his brain for other possibilities of employment and checked
all production complexes around Berlin in his mind. But the
problem was, that his boss had given him a negative entry
in his Scanchip register after the conflict with Mr. Sasse,
what made it difficult to get a job in another steel plant.
He still had 246 Globes on his electronic account for this
month. More than 400 Globes he had to pay only for his
apartment in this rotted estate of prefabricated houses.
Time pressed now, with each day a little bit more, and the
dark shadow of despair grew with the passing hours. It
occupied Frank's mind like a malicious ulcer.
After the young man had watched an extremely stupid
sitcom, he switched off the television and tried to sleep. But
it was only 23,00 o'clock and regrettably the exhaustion had
not achieved the necessary level yet, to turn off Frank's
brain and give him some peace of mind.
17
Several hours followed, when Frank was staring at the dark
ceiling, cursing the production complex 42-B with all its
superiors, supervisors and workers.
Then the stench from the hall became noticeable to him
again and the fog of despair in his head swelled so strongly
that the young man thought about killing himself.
He mused about operating the bad thoughts and concerns
under his skullcap with a heavy-calibered shotgun which
would completely spread his brain over the yellowed
wallpaper behind his bedstead. And Frank Kohlhaas still
thought about many other things in this terrible night.
He brooded over his so far senseless life, the isolation, the
monotonousness and the gaping abyss that waited for him
now. Frank came to no solution in this night and not even
the smallest glimmer of hope seemed to shine somewhere.
Nothing. Outside it was dark. In front of the house, Frank
could recognize a few ripped garbage bags, which already
lay there since several weeks. Then he was finally so tired,
that he fell asleep with his head on the window sill.
Up to the end of the week, the search for a new job was
unsuccessful - as he had already expected it. It seemed
that there was no more work at all, in the periphery of
several kilometers. Furthermore, a inquiry at the local
administration had proven that Frank had meanwhile a
negative entry in his Scanchip register, because of
. . disturbance of peace at the workplace".
. . Perhaps, the idea with the shotgun is not too bad at all! But
before that, I will visit this Sasse! ", grumbled Frank on
Friday, when the short weekend for his former colleagues of
the production complex 42-B began.
On Saturday and Sunday, he invested his last Globes in the
cheap liquor from the kiosk at the corner. Alone in his small,
modestly furnished apartment, in the dark block of flats, in a
18
much darker time. His fate and his pain was not noticed by
anyone else. Just like Frank Kohlhaas had never noticed
the pain of the others who lifed their lives in their
honeycombs, behind the shabby, gray walls of this
plattenbau.
If he would drink himself to death or blew his head away, he
would soon smell like the corridor on his floor, and it would
probably not even been noticed by his neighbors. This
thought was somehow so sick that it elecited Frank a
tormented smile.
Hard alcohol had not the best reputation, but one thing was
clear: It had already given millions of desperate people a
good sleep. No concern could be so big, that it couldn't be
drowned in a wave of the good and, above all, cheap booze
from the nearby kiosk. Frank checked this old truth in a
"self-experiment".
„Beep! Beep! Beep! ", it resounded on Monday at 6. 30
o'clock in the morning from the kitchen, where the drunk
man had forgotten his Scanchip. „Beep! Beep! Beep! "
An electronic woman's voice always repeated. .
