A Dove Above Mercury

Pandemonium

I carefully begin crawling toward the hilltop. I presume the other side won't show me anything different from what I always see. I'll just have to crawl a little bit more and my assumption will soon be proved right or wrong. I peer over the hilltop and with my eyes, I behold the ruined city named or more known as the Underslums. The city looks like something out of a horror film, dark and dirty with old rusty abandoned cars.

I get a strange feeling in my gut that sent a shiver down my spine; I can't decide what to think of this place. It doesn't look safe, but then again I barely got any food or water left so I don't have much of a choice. I have to go down there despite the troubled feeling in my gut. I'll have to try my best not to be seen.

I begin sliding down the hill, trying to keep calm by focusing my breathing to be slow and composed. I'm sweating already, it's pouring down my forehead and I can feel the drips running past my cheek. When I finally reach the bottom of the hill I desperately search for a place to hide. After a quick scope around I spot a rusty old school bus - that will do. I sit down by the worn out front tire and fumble in my backpack for a bottle of water. While I'm sipping on the last droplets, I peek out from the edge of the bus. The place is as silent as a graveyard, nothing but the wind howling past. I see a run-down gas station located not too far away. It looks plundered, every window is broken and there's a big hole in the front wall, almost as if a wrecking ball had come crashing through.

I grab my gun, holding the comforting oaken handle. I have to find food and water and the gas station is my only hope. I'm aware of the many threats around so I cautiously begin moving away from the bus. If I hear the slightest suspicious sound I'll be gone, who knows what kind of disturbed people there might be living here.

I stride forward at a rapid speed until I reach a car that I use as cover. I hear a humming sound - it sounds like flies buzzing. I look over to my left and gaze upon a corpse, not a human corpse but a dog lying right beside in a pool of its own old clotted blood. Its skin crawls with ravenous decomposers that are gradually turning its rancid flesh into the dirt. I feel how the stinging sweet odor of death enters up my nostrils, nothing I haven't felt before. I get up from my crouching position and pace forward the last few meters.

I approach one of the pumps and grab a hold of the hose. They're all dry empty, the last drops stolen by previous by passers. I turn around and gaze at the store entrance; the door is missing and has been thrown aside. I gather courage before entering the shady store, a few deep breaths and I'm ready to go. In the exact moment, as I set my foot inside, I glance toward the former cash registry. The entire wall and floor is blood splattered with bits of flesh and intestines dried onto it.

From what I can tell, the murder weapon was possibly a 12-gauge shotgun, not very difficult to conclude judging by the empty shells lying on the marble floor. There is nobody to be found, but I notice something looking rather organic lying in the blood. I take a closer look and distinguish a cut off thumb. It makes me wonder what this person did to deserve this. The ones responsible must really have wanted something badly since they decided to afflict so much pain upon their victim.

I look away from the gross human remains and try not to think about the merciless act that left them there.

Instead, I start checking the dusty store shelves; they're all since long covered in concrete dust probably because of the big hole in the front wall. I search accurately in one of the shelves and suddenly, in front of my eyes lay an unopened coke bottle. I feel how my mood changes into the better right away; the thought of drinking something which isn't water is indescribable. It's covered in dust so I make sure that it's proper dirt free before happily placing the bottle in my worn out shoulder bag.

I then carry on strolling around in the store, stopping by a broken window. I peer out and set my eyes on a yellow vandalized street sign. It has scribbling but I manage to distinguish the words written on it; "Go Slow Children at Play" the mere sight of the sign makes me associate back in time; I feel how lucent memories reappear in my repressed mind.

The sun is now shining, and birds are tweeting in the distance--everything is heavenly and peaceful again. I hear the pure and innocent happy laughter of children; it gives me a sense of warmth and safety. I see the black drabbled clouds turn into a crystal clear blue sky with white rolling clouds. I behold the luminous rays of light as they shine upon dark places and revive all the life that had died... I'm abruptly awakened--only to realize that I've just been staring into the dwindled down rock covered mounds of the past.

I can't figure out what just happened I can't either help but to feel absent. I turn away from the window and start walking toward the exit, while at the same time shaking my head a few times. Suddenly, out of the blue, I hear a loud horrific female shriek from outside. Before I can grasp what's going on, I've already thrown myself instinctively on the floor.

Impulsively I begin crawling to one of the broken windows, I then cautiously peek out to see what's happening outside. It's a lonely woman sitting on the ground, surrounded by three men, pleading for her life.

They began kicking and beating her, like she's just an animal to them, landing punches in the back of her head, laughing and spitting on her at the same time. They violently assault her over and over again, showing no signs of ever wanting to stop. I watch as one of the men pulls out a knife from his back pocket at the same time as one of the others takes a firm grip around her skinny, emaciated wrists. The man who's holding the blade then cuts off her ragged clothes and overpowers her. I feel disgusted, I have become well aware of what's about to happen next.

The woman doesn't stand a chance against them as they assist each other in holding her down and spreading her exhausted legs. The three men then force themselves upon her in a sadistic way, one by one, like bloodthirsty beasts on a submissive prey. The poor woman tries to kick them off and screams from the bottom of her belly, but it's no use. The men only glance at each other and laugh as they continue raping her violently for several minutes.

When all of them have gotten their fair share of the female, they start to kick and stomp on her already battered and bruised body until she stops moving. I feel agonized as her blood starts leaking out on the asphalt, slowly forming into a ruby-colored pool. I listen as the woman silently begins to cry and mumble inaudible prayers to her God. "It's useless" one of them screamed, sounding patronizing. Just seconds later another one of them said; "We should eat her!" and laughed distinctly.

The man that earlier had brought up the knife reaches into his jacket and brings out a gun, hence handing the piece to one of his henchmen. Two of the men then hastily turns around and walks toward a nearby alley.

One man is left alone with the battered women lying by his feet. I'm completely powerless; the woman is going to die of blood loss anyhow. The man raises his gun and tugs the slide back to check the chamber. It's loaded. He tugs the slide a second time, now ready to fire.

He aims the gun at her head; "Give Jesus my best regards!" he said and let out a wheezy laugh. The woman's awareness engulfs her and she starts to rattle and squeal when she realizes death is only a trigger push away.

The man squints with his eyes and the muzzle flashes only for a split second as he fires a shot in the back of her head. He didn't even hesitate for a second. "You don't scream much now. Do you!?" he bawls at her dead corpse and gives it a sick grin before holstering the gun in his belt.