Sometimes it's on the bottom

You hunch over as another wave crashes through you. You sweat and grind your teeth; it feels like fire inside you.

With a horrible convulsion you feel something inside you wrench loose, and know there’s no holding back now. You can’t help yourself, though; clenching your teeth, clamping your jaw, and trying, trying to keep it down. It doesn’t work.

You crash to the ground, covered in whatever foulness had been previously kept inside you. You pant, choking, spent.

A glance to the side (and up, up, up…) and you are struck by where you’d been. It towers over you, pale and hollow now. Hardly any lighter for your having left, but somehow it seems like a breeze could carry it away now.

You turn away. There’s no time for wonder or nostalgia. You have far to go, and are barely as tall as your thumb used to be, now.

You scurry.

Can't see, won't see, no no no

You scream.

You scream and claw at your face. You can't stop. It hurts, it burns, it licks all over you as you struggle through it.

Even if you come through this alive, if you come through it and history calls you a winner, you know you'll never see again. You felt your eyes pop under your own nails.

You can't stop screaming.

Your eyes dribble over your lids, your voice goes hoarse and trails off. You can feel your jaw work, chewing up your lips, your tongue, blood flowing down your throat, choking you on yourself.

It doesn't matter. You hold on, hold, hold them close, hold them tight, fingers wrapped around their throat...

You feel them shudder... go slack. You don't let go. You can't let go. There's nothing in your world now except the darkness and the shrinking space between your hands.

You scream, until others find you.

Focus and you can feel them

I'm going to put worms in your eyes.

What?!

Not big worms, or anything. They won't kill you. Or even hurt you!

But... why?

They'll be tiny, in fact. And they'll live in your eyes.

Oh god!

You'll feel them, sometimes. Maybe see them, when they swim in front of your retina.

Augh!!!

And who knows? Maybe they'll die off, and you'll have DEAD worms in your eyes. Or they'll do well, and breed, and breed... until you can't see for all the worms. In your eyes.

Oh... oh god... please, no...

Shh... shh. You can't do anything about it. Soon, you'll have worms, squirming and swimming in your eyes. Living, dying. Mm.

No... I... please...

Shh...

Pleasant scents applied too heavily

Large and hairless and clammy.

Pasty, pale... unblemished and all the more grotesque for it.

He is gentle, sickeningly light and puffy when he brushes against you.

He brushes against you frequently.

Your skin crawls every time and you dread the day you should ever get used to it.

You have a knife picked out for that day.

You haven't decided who it's for, though. You keep putting that off.

The pleasure of your company

Shh...

Hm?

Shh... sh. I want to hear this.

...

Ahh... I love that.

Heh. I can tell.

Oh, hush!

Well, you do this every time. It's not hard to pick up on.

It's just so- I just love it. How can you not?

I like it! I do. Just... not as much as you.

Philistine.

I prefer "not obsessed."

...

Oh, don't pout.

...

Hey. Hey. Come here.

...

You know, I still love you, right?

... yeah.

Good. Because I do. And now I'll hush up, since it's still going on.

Thanks...

Mmm.

Painfully literal

The artist stands before the canvas, blank, empty.

The artist wants to create, desperately so, but... nothing. Nothing. No ideas, no inspiration, nowhere to start. Nowhere to go. Blood, sweat, tears, the artist wrings and wracks themselves for anything, anything to put on the canvas. They beat their brains out for an idea, desperate to make any sort of statement.

It's a success. All agree, it's the most moving, unnerving piece of art they've ever seen.

The artist is given a beautiful funeral, and commemorated in all the news.

Don't run... DON'T. RUN.

His body flew threw the air, legs kicking uselessly. He could feel his chest dip in where he'd been hit... breathing was hard already, and wouldn't get any easier after he bounced.

In hindsight, the scrapes and broken wrist didn't seem so bad after all.

Breath bubbling in his throat, he managed to protect his head just in time for the incoming kick. His attacker didn't let up though, and it wasn't long before he was unconscious and missing a few teeth.

Panting, swearing... his attacker made sure he was alive and started dragging him back inside.

Some things are never acceptable

Why would you even say that?

What? No!

That's horrible!

No, I didn't- not like that!

Like what then? Because it sure sounded like that!

No, I mean, it- I-

What? Why would you ever think that was okay?!

Look, I didn't think it through!

No, really?!

It just slipped out! It sounded better in my head.

Really? Really.

... okay, no, I just- I really didn't think it through.

No, you didn't.

...

It's NOT okay, alright? Do you get that?

Yes.

DO you? This needs to be absolutely clear!

Yes! Alright?! Just... can we drop it?

... we're coming back to this. This isn't over.

God. Fine, whatever.

We'll have to get back to you

Now?

No, not now.

No?

No.

Why not?

You know.

No I don't.

Well, maybe not now...

That's why I asked.

Well, I can't tell you now.

Why?

I'll tell you later.

Not now?

No.

To wander, to roam, that is who we are

The stranger in the suit waved energetically as they approached. He declined their invitations to sit or have a drink, claiming that he was comfortable as he was but don't let that stop them.

After pleasantries were concluded, all parties turned to business. They wanted certain goods delivered in a timely manner; they began to describe the cargo to the stranger, only to be cut off. He didn't care for details other than where to take it and how quickly they wanted it. It wasn't rudeness on the part of the stranger, not intentionally. There was just a constant desire to go, to move, to act.

When they told him where it was to go and their schedule, he laughed and promised that he could be there and back in half that time. They argued, saying that it took that long just to get around-

The stranger interrupted with a scoff. He explained that he didn't go around, he went through.

Shocked silence.

But the disappearances, the effects, the madness..! Again, the stranger scoffed. This was nothing new to him. He'd gone in laughing, and only come out laughing louder. He could handle it.

The negotiations were changed after that, and wrapped up quickly. As the stranger took off in his spaceship, they turned amongst themselves and shuddered, at the strange, mad human they were dealing with now.

Never say goodbye. Never.

COME BACK HERE!

No! Leave me alone!

STOP RUNNING!

Aaah!

WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!

I just- I- I- leave me alone!

RAWR!

Oh god! Oh- oh dear god!

WHAT WILL YOU DO? HOW WILL YOU SEE?

Stop asking! It's- I- I'll figure something out!

COME BACK! JUST... come back.

I can't!

Please..!

No!

Words would only filter the truth

They meet. They touch. They love.

They wrap themselves in one another, lost to time, to everything around them. There is only themselves and the other.

Eyes closed, away from it all, the world shrinks to the warmth and comfort they share. The gentle rise and fall of breath. The long, slow whisper of skin on skin. The smells caught in hair, behind ears.

Time passes. They love. They love.

Don't see that everyday

Okay, I think we can- huh.

Huh? What's "huh"?

This. Right here. See?

... huh.

I know, right?

That... is that-?

I'm not sure, but I think it might-

WHOA!

What was THAT?

I- I don't know!

What was that?!

I don't know!

What do we- that was- no. No.

Calm down. We... we can handle this.  I'm sure we can.

Right. Right. It was only- I mean, just for a moment.

Yeah.

Only a moment.

We can handle OH GOD THERE IT GOES AGAIN!

AUGH!

Our positions will be reversed

You scream.

You can feel everything inside you shredding and unraveling. Your bones splinter and tear through your innards, before grinding themselves to dust. Your head deforms as your skull breaks apart, and the only thing keeping the froth that used to be your organs from fountaining out is the fact that your tongue has swollen to fill your mouth like a plug.

Your scream quickly grows muffled, then turns to a rattle, then dies away as your vocal chords and lungs are reduced to so much pulp.

You die in utter agony; a sack of pulpy blood, in perfect, unblemished skin.

I laugh.

The word blood repeated for 3 minutes

With a furious howl, they lunge forward. They go for the eyes, nails raking, gouging. They want blood, hot, fresh blood, to spill, to splash, to coat them. They want to hear the gurgle, the death rattle, the sound of life leaving... and to know that they caused it.

They want nothing but death, and the want it NOW.

More than an urge, it's something undeniable, irresistible. More so even than breathing, it's closer to the tides or the weather. It simply is.

And now it's too late.

To become a real boy

Why are you doing this?!

To become human, of course!

But like THIS?!

What's wrong with it?

Do you really not understand how awful this is?

No, not really. And why should I care? As long as I become human, who cares about the rest?

Once you become human, YOU will!

What are you talking about?

Empathy! Empathy! It's a key part of the human condition!

I don't understand.

No, you don't! And that's one of the big reasons you're not human!

I-

The ability to understand how others feel, to feel for them, is essential to being human. Do you know what people who can't or simply refuse to consider others is called?

A bastard?

A sociopath. An inhuman monster. INHUMAN.

But... but... soldiers! Knights!

Are from another era, another mindset. Things have changed. To kill a hundred strangers with your bare hands is no longer a sign of greatness. Soldiers invariably need therapy after coming home.

But... I..!

What you are doing is WRONG.

No!

YES! You may not understand it now, but if you succeed, if you become human, YOU WILL HATE YOURSELF.

I refuse to look

He barricaded himself in his room, and never came out.

He brought no food in with him, and there wasn't a bathroom or any way to get water. Somehow though, he survived. He would pace the floor, read the same books over and over and over and over again, rearrange his possessions into different piles.

From the other side of the door, they could hear him moving and sometimes a thumping.

From his side of the door, he heard many things. None of them ever good. Tires squealing... a car alarm that no one turned off for hours. Pops that could've been gunfire, but were impossible to tell how far away or how close. People shouting, yelling. Crying. The loud roar of... something massive passing by. A low jet? A convoy of big rigs? Peal after peal of rolling thunder, without any patter of rain. Things shifting and thumping on the other side of his door. Heavy, heavy breathing.

But let the world go on however it might out there.

He had barricaded himself in his room, and never came out.

I'm not speaking to you

What?

Shut up.

Wha-

SHUT. UP.

What?!

Shut up!

WHAT.

Shut up shut up shut up!

Whhhhat. WHAT?

Sh- shut up... shut up!

... what.

Sh... uh... sh-

WHAT!

...

She laughs and laughs and laughs

She threw herself out of the car, having made sure the brick was still on the pedal. Her shoulder was torn up pretty bad, but she was out.

Keeping low to the ground, she hoped she was far enough from the blast to not be killed from the shockwave. The wave of pressure rolled over her and left her head and ears ringing.

Once the nausea settled, she looked at what she'd done.

It was burning.

All of it, burning.

It was so beautiful. A perfect way to start things off.

Her lips peeled back over bloodied teeth, and she laughed.