someplaceinspace

[someplaceinspace]

The Unchanging River (Part Four)

“You came from where that thing came from, didn’t you?”

Charles shook his head no, too scared to speak or move.

“I-I-I. I came from the past. I swear. I came from the past. They, someone sent that black pod thing back in time. I swear. They sent me a note, I mean they sent US a note to send me. Send me here, I mean. I don’t know why. I’m just a Private. I swear.”

The soldier slowly lowered his rifle.

“Huh. I guess we all have questions that need answers. Don’t we?”

The scientist sat at the desk in front of his computer. The glare from the screen on his glasses obscured his eyes as he worked diligently on finding the answers. Any answers. The steam from his hot cup of coffee bellowed out of the cup in a ghastly pillar.

The silence in the room was shattered by the sound of a creaking door.

“Sir. I believe we found something important. I... believe we have made a mistake.”

The head scientist sat motionless for a moment before turning around slowly to meet the other man in the eyes.

“And what mistake would that be?”

The younger man cleared his throat.

“We ran and analyzed the data we collected. The pod... was Prototype Delta-641. The same one that’s sitting in the storage container around the corner.”

The head scientist furrowed his brow.

“Are you sure?”

“We are positive, sir. That pod won’t survive more than two jumps. I’m surprised it even survived one.”

The head scientist put his head in his hands.

“There’s... there’s something else, sir. The note. It... matches your handwriting. Perfectly.”

The alarm on Charles’ watch went off with a screeching and repetitive beep.

“Oh shit shit shit!”

“What?! What is that? Turn it off!”

Charles fumbled with the watch for a bit until he got the beeping to stop.

“It’s my timer. I have to get back to my pod.”

“Your what..?”

“The thing! The thing I came here in. I have to get back to it before the whole tunnel back in time thing closes. I don’t want to get stuck here. No offense.”

The soldier smiled and laughed a bit.

“None taken. Just do me a favor. Tell everyone what you saw. Make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Charles smiled.

“That’s the plan!”

Charles crawled out of the makeshift bunker and sprinted back to the pod.

Okay, he thought.

Oxygen mask is on tight.

Geiger counter is up and running.

Now I just need to close the door.

A clank and a hiss let out as the darkness of the metallic tomb washed over him like an unnerving blanket.

Charles smiled.

I might be a hero, he thought.

The pod began to rumble and shake as the rip in the space time continuum took hold of the pod.

Rumbling violently, Charles became a bit uneasy.

“I don’t remember that happening before.”

Charles felt a sick, burning pain in his body. It spread throughout, from his skin, to his organs, all the way down to his bones. His Geiger counter was going off the charts. The radiation levels within the pod were beyond lethal. He tried to scream out in agony but his voice was lost. The radiation began to change him.

His body began to twist and morph. It grew and grew until it pressed against the hot metallic plating of the pod, melting and bonding to his engorged skin. His brain swelled and swelled until he lost sight of who he was. It’s fleshy lobes pressed hard against his now mishapen skull, numbing him to every thought and feeling but anger.

A bright light flashed in the sky as it seemed to be torn apart in a matter of milliseconds. A loud thunderous boom shook windows and buildings across the military base, waking many and scaring the rest. But just as quickly as it happened, it was over. Patrols were sent out to search for the source of the phenomenon as warning sirens blared. Every pair of boots in the base was armed and ready. Timid but prepared.

Then, they found it.

Scared soldiers trained their rifles on the dark silhouette of a hulking behemoth as the smoke cleared.

Charles looked up at them.

And with a metallic scraping penetrating the stillness of the air, he cleanched his massive fists.

[someplaceinspace]

The Unchanging River (Part Three)

“Identify yourself. Who are you, and what are you doing on this base? Where did you get these clothes and this equipment?”

Charles gulped with a dry throat before he spoke. He tried to gather himself to speak clearly and firmly. He can’t compromise the mission.

“I’m Private Charles Donahue with the United States Army. I’m stationed to this base. I just woke from cryosleep. Can you tell me what happened here?”

Silence filled the remnants of the room for a moment.

“Cryosleep? I don’t know anything about any cryosleep programs on this base.”

“It’s high clearance only. Not even my family knows.”

“What the hell was that big ass bang?”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

Silence again. So much silence.

“Turn and face me.”

Charles slowly turned around, his hands still up in the air.

It was another soldier. Likely a Private as well. He was dressed in the same uniform as Charles, minus the Geiger counter and oxygen reader, and carrying an M4 rifle.

“You really just woke up, huh?”

Charles began to relax a bit.

“Ye-yes. Yes I did. What happened here? It looks like a war zone.”

The soldier looked him up and down a few more times before answering.

“I don’t know. I don’t think anyone knows for sure.”

Charles felt a wave of anguish and disappointment wash over him.

“Anyone who did know for sure is definitely dead now. As far as I know, I’m the last one on base.”

Charles was scared, but tried to stick to his mission. As a result choked on his words AND his courage a bit.

“C-could you tell me what you do know? Did you see anything or..? Could you maybe tell me what year it is?”

The soldier gave him a quizzical and unsure look as he squinted his eyes.

“Yeah. Why don’t you get your gun off the floor and we can go somewhere safe.”

Charles nodded his head, grabbed his gun, and followed the leader.

As they walked through the destroyed remnants of the base, Charles attention struggled to focus on one thing at a time. All of the destruction, all of the blood and mangled corpses. Littered everywhere.

“It all started a few days ago.” He spoke as if he had PTSD. “There was this huge flash in the sky, and a bang like I had never heard before.”

A flash... and a bang..? The familiarity of the story made Charles uneasy as he listened.

“I thought it was a nuclear missile or something. We aren’t sure what it was or where it came from. There were a bunch of theories from people. Supersoldier expirement gone wrong, haywire combat robot, an alien, crazy things like that.”

Charles swallowed hard at his imagination.

“Where it came from doesn’t really matter, though. All that matters is that it’s an unstoppable killing machine. In less than a day it destroyed half of the base and killed at LEAST half of us. We tried everything to kill it. Bullets, fire, bombs, thermite. Nothing hurt it.”

Charles wide-eyed gaze scanned the base some more, trying to imagine the inexplicable havoc that was wrought.

“By the second day it was off the base. Radio chatter told me that it made its way into the civilian areas. Decimating cities, murdering everything in its path. I’m sure you get it.”

“What... what does it look like?”

The soldier stopped for a moment. He turned around slowly and looked Charles in his frightened eyes.

“Like your worst nightmare, kid. It’s a hulking behemoth. A massive, black-metallic golem covered in the dried blood of all of your friends. Trust me. You never want to see it with your own eyes.”

He faced forward and crouched under some fallen debris.

“Come on, I’ve got a safehouse in here.”

Charles, still shocked, shook his nerves off and followed him into the darkness.

“As for the year, it’s 2017.”

“Wait. 2017?”

“Yeah. 2017. Why? When did you go under?”

Charles tripped over his words.

“Oh I um I uh I went under in um 2016. I just, you know, thought it had been longer is all.”

The soldier gave him another quizzical look.

“Uh huh. So what’s with the equipment and the MP5?”

Charles gulped again.

“I uh. Found it.”

The soldier trained his gun on him.

“You know why I was there when you were? Because I saw the flash and heard the bang again.”

Now visibly frightened, Charles opened his mouth to speak. But nothing came out.

[someplaceinspace]

The Unchanging River (Part Two)

The scientist turned to face him.

“Yes. We know.”

The scientist pulled a folder off of the table to his side, and from it removed the note.

He showed the note to a dumbstruck Charles.

“But they requested you specifically.”

After letting him examine it for a moment, he put the paper back in the folder and placed it back on the table.

“You’re being sent to the future, Private.”

Charles jaw slightly dropped as his mind tried to process what in the hell was happening.

“And we need to send you soon. With our current technology we can only create a bridge for a few seconds. Luckily, the bridge that this pod was sent through is still open, but we are unsure of how long it will stay open.”

“Do you know where I’m going?”

“No we do not. We aren’t sure of the location, date, or time. All we know is that they sent a request back in time for you.”

Charles tried to process this as much and as fast as he could.

“Your mission is to gather as much intel as you can as fast as you can. Try to find who sent this message back to us and find out why. The bridge will send you to where it was originally opened, so with any luck, they should be near. Do you understand?”

The Private nodded his head.

“Good. We’ll be ready to send you in roughly 30 minutes.” The scientist turned away from him and went back to work on the pod.

Charles anxiously stood inside the pod. The scientists were speaking to one another in what sounded to him like an alien language. The skin on his face began to sweat relentlessly as the oxygen mask strapped to his face felt like it was tightening more and more.

“All systems go, are we ready to bridge?”

“Green light alpha, prepare for bridging.”

The head scientist stood face to face with Charles for a brief moment and spoke to him:

“Good luck soldier.”

Were the last words Charles heard before the pod door closed with a hiss and a clank.

A strong whirling sound started outside the pod as Charles felt his stomach drop to his feet. Without windows, he wasn’t sure which way was up. His body felt as though it was spinning at a thousand miles per hour. He felt dizzy and sick as his legs gave out and he dropped to the pod floor. He was simultaneously burning hot and freezing cold. There was a massive bang, and suddenly it all stopped.

Charles gripped his submachine gun as he struggled to regain his composure. Waiting for the timed door release was agonizing.

With a familiar hiss and clank, the pod door began to open, and Charles trained his iron sights on the doorway.

Now fully opened, Charles was frozen still with what awaited him on the other side.

It was the military base. But it was completely obliterated. As he slowly stepped outside the pod he looked at his surroundings and noticed a familiar sight. He was in the remnants of the base’s lab.

Charles looked down and checked his readers.

Oxygen levels are normal. Radiation levels are normal.

He thought to himself for a moment. Is it safe to remove my mask?

As his eyes adjusted more to the daylight seeping in through the holes and cracks in the ceiling he could see more clearly. He scanned the area for any signs of life or any sort of clue as to what happened here.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of dark red crimson streaks running across the wall to his right. He swallowed hard and worked up the courage to investigate.

Following the trail across the wall he found the source of the blood.

Taking off his mask in a hurry he could feel the sudden eruption coming from the depths of his stomach.

Charles let out a fountain of vomit and bile on to the floor.

At the end of the streak was a dismembered and disfigured corpse with a bloody hole where a face was supposed to be.

It’s white lab coat was stained red.

Shaking and sick to his stomach, he stumbled backwards a bit.

He tripped on something and fell backwards on to his ass.

His submachine gun made a loud metallic clank as it hit the tile floor.

Looking to see what he tripped on made him wish he hadn’t.

Trying to scurry backwards quickly with shock and fear, Charles stared wide-eyed at the dismembered arm laying on the floor in front of him.

Huddling under the rubble in the corner of the room, he tried to regain his composure.

“Come on, Charles.” He thought to himself.

“Deep breaths. In... and out. In... and out.”

Calming himself to a degree, his morbid curiosity couldn’t help but notice the hand at the end of the arm something was gripping something. It looked like a blood-soaked piece of paper.

Crawling towards it, Charles did his best to ignore his disgust. Prying the bit of paper from the hand, he unraveled it.

Although the ink was smudge and the paper was saturated with blood, he could still make out a couple of letters: “D—T”

“D... T...” he thought to himself.

Strange, he thought as he tilted his head a bit.

“FREEZE! DONT MOVE!”

Paralyzed with fear Charles dropped the paper and put his hands up.

“This is how I die” he thought.

The shuffle of boots came closer as Charles closed his eyes tightly and licked his lips.

The hands from the masculine voice behind him patted him up and down as the interrogation began.

[someplaceinspace]

The Unchanging River (Part One)

A bright light flashed in the sky as it seemed to be torn apart in a matter of milliseconds. A loud thunderous boom shook windows and buildings across the military base, waking many and scaring the rest. But just as quickly as it happened, it was over. Patrols were sent out to search for the source of the phenomenon as warning sirens blared. Every pair of boots in the base was armed and ready. Timid but prepared.

Then, they found it.

Just outside of the northeast barracks was a pod. It was about six feet tall, wedged deep into the dirt from impact. It was black and metallic, with two silver bands running across its top and mid section. A platoon of soldiers had their rifles aimed at the pod, unsure of what to expect.

A sudden hiss screamed through the air and the pod began to open. Frightened, a private fired a round at it. The bullet ricocheted off of the opening pod door and clipped him in the shoulder.

As the steam cleared the interior of the pod could be seen. Inside was a small metal box.

Outfitted in hazmat suits, a group of brave soldiers approached the box with caution as the Geiger counters on their suits went haywire. The radiation from inside the vessel could kill a small town. But oddly enough, it wasn’t leaking.

All of the high-ranking officials on base sat at an elongated oval table. The room was dark aside from the dim glow of the television at the front of the room, broadcasting a video chat to superiors from all around the globe. At the center of the table sat the small metal box. The silence in the room was unnerving and tense.

“What do we do with it?” One man with his face obscured by shadows spoke out. “Do we open it?”

Another interjected. “Don’t be mad. We have no idea what this is or where it came from. Anything could be inside. Even something catastrophically lethal.” A heated debate erupted as everyone in the room and everyone on the video chat yelled to have their voices heard with complete disregard to everyone else’s.

“I know what it is.”

A scientist from the base’s expiremental weapons unit spoke out calmly from the back of the room. Although his voice was quiet, its reassurance cut through all of the other noise and garnered everyone’s attention. Pushing his glasses back on to his face with his finger, he stood up. The glare from his lenses reflected the men on the television screens anticipated expressions back at them. “Although I’m not certain what is inside the box, I know where the pod came from. I recognized it the moment that I saw it.”

One of the men on the screen barked back. “Well, quit stalling and tell us, then! What is it?!”

“The pod... is from the future.”

A bit of laughter erupted throughout the room, but the scientist remained stoic. As the laughter died down, the scientist cleared his throat and spoke again:

“Project codename: Sigma Alpha 40931.”

The room once again grew quiet with tension and uncertainty.

“The pod bares an uncanny resemblance to our prototypes and blueprints for what we refer to as our ‘corvette’, or a mode of transportation.”

The scientist picked up his tablet from the small table in the corner of the room where he sat and put it on the oval table so that the room could see its screen.

“We have been working on this project for decades, but have recently made massive breakthroughs. We have actually found a way to create a ripple in space-time, connecting two points across a linear timeline.”

As he spoke he brought up documents and pictures of his team’s work.

“The only issue is, anything even remotely organic gets entirely destroyed in the process due to radiation, and what we refer to as ‘the crunch.’ Which is why we have been developing a pod to transport organic materials to and from the tips we create in the space-time continuum. However, we have yet to discover or create a material strong enough to survive the events.”

The room stared in inexplicable awe at the man and his tablet.

“But it appears someone in the future managed to figure it out. They sent something back to us. Whether it be a gift or a warning, I believe it is imperative to both my team’s research, and possibly the safety of the human race as a whole, that we find out what’s inside that box and why it was sent back to us.”

The men all sat in contemplation for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally, one of the men on the screen broke the silence.

“Open it.”

“Sir, are you sure?”

“Yes, Commander. I said open it.”

The men at the table looked around at one another, using their eyes to try and decide who would be the one to do it.

The scientist once again spoke out on a sea of silence. “I’ll do it.”

The men, all nervous with fear and anticipation, sat wide eyed at the scientist approached the table and unlocked the latch.

Slowly, with one hand on each side of the lid, the lifted the top of the box.

A collective sigh of relief could be heard around the room when they peered inside and saw nothing but damaged piece of folded notebook paper.

Although the words were smudged and the paper was damaged, they could still make out the message:

DANGER

SEND PRIVATE DONAHUE

Private Charles Donahue laid in his bed in the barracks.

Charles was a simple man. He had black hair, brown eyes, and a forgettable face. He was from a town in the Midwest. He joined the Army because he didn’t do well in school, and couldn’t get into college.

Staring up at the ceiling, he could hear boots approaching his bunk and looked over. Two fully armed military police officers stood above him.

The one on the right spoke out sternly. “Private Donahue, you need to come with us.”

Bewildered and frightened, he stood up. “Am I in trouble?”

“No questions. Come with us. Now.”

Charles entered the room behind the MPs. In the room were several people investigating the mysterious black pod. His two escorts stood at attention as the head scientist came to greet them.

“You two are dismissed.”

The MPs turned and left the room, closing the door behind them.

“Private Donahue, correct?”

Charles stood wide eyed and nodded his head.

The scientist smiled. “You’re the only Donahue on the base, did you know that?”

Charles shook his head. The scientist continued.

“We have a very important mission for you, Private. But it’s one that we unfortunately can’t give you much briefing on. Come with me.”

The scientist turned and headed towards the pod with Charles trailing behind him.

“This pod came from a different place. A place that we need to send you to.”

Charles interjected. “But Sir, I’m just a Private.”

[someplaceinspace]

Prompt: You watch your coworkers arguing, and when one kills the other, you do nothing about it.

“Oh god. Here we go again.”

Noah stared at the semi-grainy black and white image on the screen, bored and unsurprised. He let out a sigh and rested his chin on his arm propped up on the desk.

These two are always going at it, he thought.

Jack and Tim constantly argued at work. And after work. In the parking garage.

You see, jack is single and quite the ladies’ man. Tim, however, is married to a woman. A woman he loves, but also a woman he knows is cheating on him.

Noah has heard it all before. So many times in fact he can make out what they’re saying to each other even without the audio.

“I know it’s you, you sly dirty bastard! I saw the way you two were looking at each other at the company Christmas party!”

“Tim, for the love of god, can’t you just let this go? I would never do something like that!”

It’s become a bit of a cycle, really. They’ll be fine for a few days, then Tim will get home and things will be out of place. His sheets will be a mess, there will be lingerie in the clothes hamper, and most recently: the size twelve shoe prints he found leading from the back door. The same size Jack wears.

Noah opened his beef jerky stick and took a decent sized bite. I wonder how long it’ll last this time, he thought.

Despite the poor and dated security cameras, Noah could still make out the veins bulging out of Tim’s neck. Jack was trying to remain calm and calm Tim down, but as per usual, it had no effect on him.

Noah let out another sigh.

These two need to work this out and move on.

At least they stopped doing it in the office.

Tim got up in jack’s face, screaming as bits of spit flew out of his mouth.

Noah smiled and chuckled a bit.

Jack pushed Tim back, scared and getting angry himself. He started making hand gestures.

Tim didn’t like that.

Tim pushed jack so hard he fell to the ground. Jack, visibly frightened, stared up at his crazed assaulter.

This is getting good, Noah thought.

Tim clenched his fists, and stood over jack. He grabbed jack’s shirt collar and wound his fist back.

In an instant Tim clocked jack square across the jaw and wound back again.

Noah, wide-eyed, took another bite of his jerky.

Then, jack unsheathed his karambit knife and slit Tim’s throat.

Noah’s jaw dropped.

Tim grabbed his throat and dropped to his knees. Black and white or not, the waterfall of blood pouring out of Tim’s neck was quite evident.

Jack crawled back and stood up, visibly shaken. He was screaming for help as tears began to swell up in his brown eyes. All he could do was watch Tim slowly bleed to death.

Noah’s phone rang, making him jump out of his seat a bit.

“Uh, hello? Yeah, of course. Yeah. Everything is fine, I promise. Yes. I doubt it’ll be a problem anymore. Okay! Okay. I’ll be there in like, fifteen. Love you too.”

Noah hung up the phone and stared at the screen for a moment longer. Jack was on his knees, filled with remorse and sobbing over his coworker’s lifeless body.

Oh well, he thought.

He straightened his tie, adjusted his size twelve shoes, grabbed his coat, and headed out the door.

[someplaceinspace]

When the lights get too bright and painful, so intense that they burn your retinas, sometimes the only option seems to be flipping the switch and turning them off.

[someplaceinspace]

Eric

Cold. That was the only thought Eric could think any longer. It was so damn cold. Clouds of his breath left his body as he shivered quietly in frost-bitten pain. His teeth chattered as he breathed. The audible sound of the bits of bone clashing against one another was the only noise he could hear. So cold. So quiet. He closed his eyes for a moment in a desperate attempt to escape his surroundings. Sadly, no imagination in existence was powerful enough for that. The aggressive frigid bite from his environment kept him painfully rooted in his reality. Stuck in a hallow metal tube, waiting. Hoping. He peered out the ice-ridden window in front of him. Still nothing but black. In an ironic twist of fate, this escape pod had become his tomb. Powerless, all Eric could do was drift through the vast emptiness of space until he either suffocated or froze to death. Why, he asked himself. Why was he such a coward? Perhaps this was the universe punishing him for leaving his crew behind to die. A dim Red light grimly illuminated the pod, granting Eric sight for the first time since he left his ship. His oxygen was depleted. Slowly, his breaths became shorter and shorter until there was nothing left for him to breathe. Struggling to inhale something, anything at all, he placed his hand against the window. Staring into the sea of nothingness, Eric mouthed the words "I'm so sorry" before collapsing on to the pod's floor. The metallic ringing of his corpse's fall echoed throughout the pod as it continued to drift further and further into space.

[someplaceinspace]

The Invasion

I fear for my people. These invaders came from off-world, practically materializing over night, and have caused great devastation to our planet. They are senseless, murderous creatures that will stop at nothing to destroy us and our way of life. The shattered remnants of our once great civilization lay in ruins due to their excessive use of force and their superior technology. I fear that we are doomed. Our civilization, our planet, our species, may cease to exist soon. The survivors from the invaders' relentless attacks are taking refuge in our planet's largest capital city. This city that was once a beacon of peace and prosperity has become an armored fortress. Unfathomably large walls have been constructed around its perimeter, and anti-aircraft guns have been mounted on top of every building capable of holding them. Survivors unfit to fight litter our streets due to our lack of shelter. My people are cold, tired, hungry, and worst of all, frightened beyond measure. It's truly disgusting to see such a once beautiful city be warped into such a dismal war machine due to desperation. The sound of the sirens began to blare as a cold chill shot down my back. A sickening knot forms and churns in my stomach as I clutch my rifle tightly and pull it closer to my chest. The echo from the sirens bouncing off of the city walls is deafening. They're coming. The spotlights for the anti-aircraft guns turn on with a loud thud as their lights began to illuminate the dark night sky. A multitude of survivors scramble aimlessly in the city's streets, some desperately seeking shelter, and others trying to arm and ready themselves for the onslaught. This is our last chance for survival. This is my species' last stand. The engine sounds from the invaders' armada of airships began to make the air itself tremble. The loud, satanic bellowing noise slowly grew closer, vibrating my bones, and sending fear into my very soul. The anti-aircraft guns began to fire with booming and repetitive thuds, each one more deafening than the last. The men around me began to yell orders to one another, hoping to get some semblance of organization. That rarely lasts long. The front line of their air attack force consisted of smaller jet-like ships that we call "screamers" due to their high speed and the high-pitch noise of their engines. The sound of these particular engines was a terrible sign, because to us this meant that death would shortly follow. As I sat dug into a trench, the ear-piercing sound of the screamer engines cut through the air like a searing hot knife, and it rattled my brain. I put my head down and swallowed hard as I watched these god-like machines fly through our airspace at lightning speed, and shoot missiles at all of our anti-aircraft guns with pinpoint precision. The guns were all destroyed within a matter of seconds. Following shortly after the screamers came the dropships. Hovering above the city for a moment they unleashed a relentless wave of bullets at every target they could find. They weren't interested in prisoners or sparing the innocent. They only wished to kill. Doing our best to bring them down, my fellow defenders and I helplessly shot at the dropships' thick metal armor as a symphony of ricocheting bullets seemed to narrate our effort. A feeling of pain and anguish washed over me as I watched the ships' rear doors open. Their foot soldiers were here. Clad from head to toe in a metallic armor, with helmet visors obscuring their faces, these hulking behemoths were rampaging, blood-thirsty psychopaths. One by one they jumped out of the back of the ship, each one causing the ground to tremble a bit as their feet hit. Right away these maniacs began to obliterate my fellow soldiers with their machine guns, mowing them down like wheat in a field. They tossed hand grenades in all directions, obliterating our trenches, our buildings, and turning my comrades into nothing but red mist. Their endless wave of bullets continued as their demolition members positioned in the back of their squadrons armed and readied their shoulder-mounted missile-launchers. Firing them in all directions, their missiles hissed as they flew, and destroyed everything in sight. The explosions seemed to level entire city blocks at a time. Shell shocked and mesmerized, I sat idly-by as I watched their machine-like march slowly decimate everything and everyone around me. The screams of my people were agonizingly loud, but they were but a mere whisper compared to the sounds of machine guns and battle cries of these pervasive beasts. Explosions and gunfire grew closer and closer to my trench as dirt and blood cascaded around me like the rain of my nightmares. This was my nightmare. Watching as they slaughtered my people with no remorse, I could hear some of them laughing. I clenched my jaw hard as I felt the fear and sorrow that I had been harboring for so long fall out of me. Flowing into the empty space where those emotions once sat was a river of rage, filling my entire body, hungry for vengeance. I gripped the handle of my rifle as a pack of the foot soldiers grew near. Popping out of my trench quickly, I aimed at the helmet of the one in front and began firing as many bullets into it as I could as I screamed out in anger. I only managed to get off four or five shots before they took aim at me. In a matter of just a couple of seconds I was on my back in excruciating pain. Looking down I tried to assess the situation with my body, but I was bleeding uncontrollably, and I could barely move. I could feel myself getting colder. The world around me began to get blurry. I knew that I was going to die. Over the chaotic sounds of the battle I could here a distinct thumping getting closer and closer. I coughed in agony as I leaned to the side and unholstered my side arm. Suddenly, the thumping had stopped, and I was overwhelmed with the sensation that I was being covered in a massive shadow. I looked up. Towering over me was the bastard that I shot. His helmet visor was shattered, and pieces of the right side were missing, exposing part of his face. I took aim and tried to fire, but he swiftly kicked my pistol out of my hand. Taking his helmet off, I gazed at the sharp pieces of bone that protrude through their species face while they gleamed in the sparse bits of light. The fur on top of its body was yellow and short, and its eyes were soulless and brown. In a strange moment we shared, we had locked eyes, and the battle around us seemed to disappear. Still bleeding, and still in pain, I furrowed my brow at him while he continued to observe me. Taking a step closer, he crouched down and lifted me up by my shirt, using only one arm and an unsettling amount of ease. "You're quite the little fighter, huh?" He began to speak to me in his strange alien language, but I couldn't understand him. "Almost got my ass pretty good there, I'm going to need a new helmet now hahaha!" Judging by his laughter and body language I can only assume he was being sadistic. Struggling in his clutches, I peered over at his other hand while he reached down and unsheathed his knife. He brought the blade's tip up to my abdomen and paused for a moment. He pulled me in close to his face and calmly spoke one last sentence to me: "For Mother Earth." Stabbing me deep, he twisted the blade a bit before pulling it out and tossing me aside like I was trash. The pain was unbearable. I moaned in agony while I laid helplessly on the ground, my blood leaking out of me in a constant stream. As I laid in a growing pool of my own blood I watched as my city continued to be turned into rubble. My species is doomed. I am doomed. The Galaxy is doomed. The human race has grown far too powerful, and nothing will stop their conquest.

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The Cycle

I pull my car into the driveway, just like every other day. The tires make a distinctive crunch as they roll over the gravel, just like every other day. I sit in my car for an hour staring into nothingness, just like every other day. I open my car door and step out into the bright yet setting sun, just like every other day. I walk into my house and turn off the alarm, just like every other day. I pour myself a tall glass of scotch, just like every other day. The taste is strong and makes my face wince a bit, just like every other day. I sit at my kitchen table until the scotch gives me a warm sensation in my belly, just like every other day. I drunkenly stumble into my bedroom, just like every other day. I reach under my bed and pull out a cardboard box, just like every other day. I take the shotgun out of the box and put a shell in it, just like every other day. I cock the gun and put the barrel in my mouth, just like every other day. I pull the trigger and am greeted with a loud bang, just like every other day. I lay on my back and stare at the blood and brain matter splattered on my wall, just like every other day. Things grow black, just like every other day. I wake up to my 6 AM alarm, just like every other day.

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Little Toes

Crawling on my stomach like some sort of pitiful animal, I began to cramp as I tried to control my breathing. They might hear me, I thought. I was holding my breath for what seemed like eternities at a time as I slowly pulled myself across the forest floor. The twigs and thorns stabbed and prodded me as I crawled, snapping under my weight. The cold chill of the night air numbed my skin, but it didn't stop the bleeding.  Stopping for a moment under some fallen brush, I attempted to catch my breath in a slow and quiet manner. I could still hear them. Their faint, repetitive, haunting chanting was still echoing throughout the trees. The snaps and cracks generated by my attempt at escaping had temporarily muted them to my ears, but like a tidal wave of pure fear, the sense of dread once again crashed over me. Their low mumbling had grown quieter, which means that I must have gotten some distance away. But the sound still cut through the forest air like a blade, stabbing and turning in my eardrums.  Trying to assess myself quickly, I looked at my body. I was absolutely filthy. My clothes, face, and hands were covered in mud, blood, water, and god knows what else. I needed to figure out a way out of these damn woods, I thought.  The chanting was getting noticeably louder. A feeling hit me in my gut. One that could only be described as being crushed with a sledgehammer. I had to keep moving.  I crawled out from under the brush and continued to crawl into the dark nothingness. It was all I could do. I was lost, I was helpless. And worst of all, I was deathly afraid.  The chanting is louder now. Faster. I think they might have found me. I begin to crawl as fast as I can, the smell and feeling of wet dirt kicking up onto my face as I threw arm after arm across the ground were the only physical sensations I could feel. That, and the paralyzing fear spreading out to each and every cell in my body.  I turned my head to look behind me as I crawled, I think I caught a glimpse of one of them. A small and quick shadow hiding behind one of the trees. Their chanting. I can hear it. In a low and mumbling tone, I can make out what the're saying. "Milk and honey, milk and honey, milk and honey." What does that mean?! I need to get out of here *WHACK* Something hard hit the back of my head. A bit dazed, I try to shake it off, but it feels as though my head has been split in two. Their chanting has become excruciatingly loud, rattling my already swollen brain. Slowly and painfully, I pick my face up out of the dirt. I can see little feet. Little dirt-covered toes. As I continue to raise my head I can see and make out the figure standing in front of me. It's a child. A small blonde boy in a hospital gown.  The chanting stopped.  The air was so quiet you could taste it.  "Who are... What are you?" The boy said nothing. He stood over me and stared down at me. Soulless, lifeless eyes seemed to penetrate my mind and soul. What the hell was going on? Suddenly, more children in gowns walked out from behind him and stood at his side. All of them with the same soulless look, all of them staring down at me. Observing me. "Yes." The children all spoke in unison. They spoke in a low and unnerving tone that didn't seem to belong to any of them. It seemed almost demonic in nature. So emotionless, yet so evil. "This one will make a fine addition to our collection." *WHACK* Another hit to the back of the head. Slowly, things began to blur and grow indecipherably black. The sensation of tiny hands grabbing at my clothes and body was the last thing I felt before I took one last look at the boy's dirty feet and lost consciousness completely.

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Early Morning Inspiration

A fresh, crisp breeze penetrated the screen on the window. It moved slowly, but with purpose, as it stretched across the room and caressed my bare skin with its cooling touch. Goosebumps grew at the hand of the wind, waking me in a calming state. I opened my eyes and was greeted with a tranquil, sunlit room. The sound of birds chirping outside put a smile on my face as I stared down at my chest. Resting on my body was a woman. Her beautiful blonde hair had a faint aroma to it that slowly found its way into my nostrils, igniting a spark in my brain. That smell always made me feel right at home. Her hand was resting on my sternum, it lay motionless as she laid on top of me with her eyes shut. Her breathing was soft and quiet, but nonetheless, it was music to my ears. I gently kissed her on the top of her head, unable to hold my love for her inside any longer. She continued to sleep as I continued to stare at her. I let my mind wander for a moment as I laid awake. I tend to think too much, after all. I was so foolish, I thought. I didn't think true love was real, I didn't think soulmates existed. But as my queen sleeps next to me, our bodies intertwined much like our hearts and souls, I know what I've found is special. I know what I've found is all I've ever dreamed of.

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Letters to a Father

Dear Father, We haven't spoken in quite some time. I've spent what feels like an eternity thinking about and dwelling on the actions of my past. Although I don't necessarily regret what I've done, I do want to apologize to you. I hope that someday we could speak face to face, for your forgiveness is something I've been seeking for a long time. I hope you're doing well. -Your first born son ------------------------------------ Dear Father, You haven't replied to my first letter. Although I didn't really expect you to, I'm choosing to believe it got lost somewhere along the way. Please write me back when you can. -Your first born son ------------------------------------ Dear Father, I'm unsure of how to feel. I was hoping to reunite with you. Reunite us all, to put everything to rest. But I've waited so long for a response from you, and I've received nothing. Your behavior is rehashing old thoughts and feelings that I've spent so long burying... You know I'm not one to beg like a sniveling servant. But please, Father. Talk to me before I make another mistake. -Your first born son. ------------------------------------ This is the last letter I'm going to send to you, old man. I've had more than enough of being ignored. I was trying to bring peace and forgiveness to both of us, but I see now I was being a fool. I wasn't the cause of the strifes that were brought down upon us. You were. You and your corrupted little creations that you favorited over us all of those years ago are the direct cause of every single second of fighting and agony. I will never forgive or forget what you have done to me. ------------------------------------ EMERGENCY MESSAGE SYSTEM My Lord, It has begun. The armies have risen. They've come. They've destroyed and penetrated the gates. They're mercilessly slaughtering us all. They've become stronger than before. We need help. We can no longer stand a chance against them. ---Peter--- ------------------------------------ I have decimated your golden city. I have destroyed everything and everyone you have ever loved. I sit upon your golden throne of lies that is now stained with the blood of your brethren. During our onslaught, where were you? When they needed you most, you disappeared. You have forsaken them. You are to blame for their deaths and torment. When, if ever, you decide to come crawling back after your failure and cowardice, I will be waiting for you. -Lucifer

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How many chances is too many chances? How many more of these emotional dances? All I ever wanted was to love you. All I ever wanted was to hug you. To be there for you to wipe away all of your tears. To help you battle your sadness and all of your fears. To build you up whenever you felt broken down. To make you laugh like your own personal clown. But where are we now? Practically strangers, but how? I no longer know how to think or act when it comes to you. So I guess I'll just stay on this path and do my best to see it through.

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Interesting theory.

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It's so strange how quickly a life can change, how quickly it can end. I still have those pictures that we used to make in MS Paint and send to each other. And maybe I could have done more to keep you off of this path, but I guess I'll never know for sure. You told me that there was nothing I could do, you were too stubborn, but I don't know if I'll ever fully believe that. Seeing and talking to you the few chances that I got to this year meant more to me than you could possibly imagine. And they mean even more to me now. Through all of the changes that you went through, you were still the same Gloria. I can still remember all of those drives we used to take in your black Avenger. I can still remember the time you used the aux cord to push the weed back into the blunt, and how hilarious my high ass thought that was. I can still remember baking the car out before we went to homecoming together. I remember how beautiful I thought you looked that night with your hair done up in that black dress. I never told you that, but I always wanted to. I can still remember how frizzy your hair used to get when it was humid. I can still remember the time Trevor was too fucked up in the backseat and you stopped at that gas station for him but he just opened the car door and threw up. As weird as it might sound, that's one of my favorite memories of all of us together. I can still remember our inside jokes, like the three musketeers and dropping your swords. I can still remember the night we snuck you into my house and we pushed all of the furniture together and all slept on what was basically a giant couch. I can still remember what it felt like to hug you every time we saw each other or said goodbye. I can still remember what it was like when you were one of my best friends. But sadly it seems that's all you'll be anymore. Is just a memory. Rest In Peace Gloria, I love you.

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Charles

I never thought that it would be like this. Never in my six years of work have I ever thought for one single moment that I would be in this position. Taking a swig from my glass of scotch, I swallowed it hard, and rested my arm back on the leather chair. Begrudgingly, I peered over at the black envelope on the end table next to me. Always with the black envelopes, I thought. How melodramatic. I shook my head and took another deep swig. The color of the envelopes had never seemed more fitting.

The room I sat in was dimly lit and quiet. The dull orange glow given off by the table lamp next to me was my only company. Aside from the scotch, of course. The leather chair I was sitting in was not my own. For the last six years I have been a mercenary employed by a man who goes by Z. I know next to nothing about Z, aside from the fact that he gives me names in sealed black envelopes once a month. That, and the fact that he is very very wealthy. The average payment for a hit is about two-hundred thousand dollars. My current assignment, however, is priced at ten million. And unlike my other assignments, there are a few stipulations. If I fail to execute this target, I myself will be executed.

So here I sit, in my target’s apartment, in my target’s chair, drinking my target’s scotch. But it’s different this time. Usually my targets are complete strangers. This time, though. This time the name in that black envelope belonged to my best friend Charles. Struggling with the thought I finished my glass. Charles always bought the best scotch. Opening the bottle, I poured myself another glass in an attempt to further distance myself from my thoughts and emotions. Glenlivet 18. I don’t know how, but he managed to have a bottle of my favorite scotch. That’s Charles for you.

Waiting alone was agonizing. I gripped my pistol tight with my left hand as I pictured killing him over and over again in my head. I had this strange feeling in my gut, something that I had never felt before in my entire life. It felt like a burning knot ripping my organs apart. I chalked it up to nothing more than drinking half of a bottle on an empty stomach. In hindsight that wasn’t my wisest decision before a hit, but oh well.

Taking in some deep breaths, I finished another glass, and rolled my neck around in an attempt to loosen myself up. Breaking the silence in the room, my phone rang. It was a text message. From Charles.

“Night stand drawer.”

Confused and unsure, I got to my feet quickly, stumbling a bit in the process. Opening the drawer a strange sensation crashed over me. Furrowing my brow, I stared at a black envelope sitting inside. Removing the paper from the envelope I stared at it in disbelief. It was my name, the same guidelines I was given, and a price tag of ten million dollars. At the bottom of the page, written in pen, was a message.

“I hope you enjoyed the scotch.

-C.”

As I stared at the paper with my mouth agape, the feeling in my gut began to bubble and burn. My vision became blurry and I began to vomit uncontrollably. Red. All red. I fell to my knees as my entire body gave out, vomiting blood like a sadistic water fountain. Falling back into a puddle of my own blood, my body turned cold. In my last moments I stared at the ceiling in his apartment and smiled. That’s Charles for you.

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Solace

I can feel it again. The emptiness. I can still remember it this time. I was riding my bike to the store. The car just came out of nowhere. But the memory is fading. It's so dark here. It's so very dark. This place. I know that I've been here before. It's so quiet here. It's so incredibly quiet. How long have I been here? There's no sense of time. There are no senses at all, really. I can't feel. I can only think. I think that I can hear heavy breathing. But it's not my own. It's getting louder. More rapid. Am I alone? I can't speak out. I think I can see a light. The breathing is getting faster. The light is brighter now. Is this the afterlife? As I get closer to the light the breathing gets louder. The light is almost unbearably bright. Something is grabbing me. Pulling me into the light. But it doesn't feel threatening. Are these the hands of god? "Congratulations Mrs. Jefferson! It's a beautiful baby boy!"