I wake up to the damning silence that surrounds me and greets another bright morning, as it always does. But today is different. Today is exciting. My mind races with outcomes and facts as I task through the day; deeply unaware of the numbing routines.
But today is not the same! Today I don’t take that left or those rights; I won’t stop at that light or slow for passersby. I’ll keep going because I know what I want.
I stop at that place I’ve seen four hundred and seven times before. Then I wait. Tapping on the wheel, my keen eyes observe, as they tend to do, how that person opens the door. Smiling, laughing… She is happy. My heart swells and I let myself chuckle at her kindness. I capture the weakness and fend it off with intense strength.
That person sees me and runs my way. I hear the door close before I finally go. “It’s a race, you see.” She smiles so beautifully in understanding. The car slows for only half a moment before speeding past everything. All is gone now because nothing is necessary. Deserting the asphalt world which holds no point to us. Off to creation and into the water we go. Slowly… It fills the space around us, thankfully replacing the begrudging silence. I lay my head back reveling in piercing, terrified sounds.
Time is flowing once more. My eyes charge themselves with opening to take in our true beginning… But she has left me behind, or I didn’t follow. It was all an impossible dream. I must focus on the present, not what should’ve been. This is an uncertain state that I will overcome. The morning sunlight snaps me from my lucid trance and I realize the eyes watch me closely, objectively, distantly. It strikes me like a surging bolt, I know what they want. They make it clear with detached approaches and aggressive passiveness.
They are not like me, too much time has passed. They are blind to the basic truths I learned so long ago. They don’t comprehend reality. They will kill me; they will try.
I may run, turn, jump, fly, but they can’t see. I know things they do not, but I can never teach them. Their strength is phenomenal, but my mind will prevail. I am captive to their will, as many others are, but soon I’ll be free.
Escape is my only option. I must follow her and leave their flawed reality behind. They throw me into an eerily familiar way of life. I feel them invade my blood and turn me in to someone else.
I am too much like them. Steadily their thoughts creep into mine. But I know what’s right. I can’t give into their promising lies and thickly veiled threats.
My fellow prisoners have become allies even though they do not seem to speak my language. So I can’t have faith in them, not fully. Only one person can be trusted now. My savior, who’s made himself known as one of them, but somehow understands… Maybe I can teach the hero; verse it in our unheard mentality; introduce the savior to true reality.
Our secret ally is stern and caring. A truly capable collaborator. However, I feel as though there are secrets being kept from us by the one we have trusted among them.
My acute instincts are correct. He has betrayed me. None of them can see what is meant to be so clear. They are all mad, evil! They wish to strip us of ourselves and make us dull enough for their twisted approval.
I see… No, I can’t see
I am a murderer, six feet tall, twenty nine. That’s what I am. I’m part of a design that must be thread daily, weekly, yearly, and forever.
Because I am one of them. Just like them. And I can never change.
