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.