Catch ThirtyThree

Chapter Twelve (Dehumanization)

Chapter Twelve (Dehumanization)

 

                  “A new level reached

                  Where the absence of air lets me breath

                  I’m inverted electrical impulses, a malfunctioning death-code incomplete

                  All things before me, at first unloving glimpse undeciphered

                  Its semantics rid of logic

                  Nothing is all, all is contradiction

 

                  Grinding, churning; the sweetest ever noises

                  Decode me into their non-communication

                  A soundtrack to my failure: One syllable, one vowel, I

                 

                  A stagnant flow of endings, un-time unbound

                  Merging to form the multi-none

                  A sickly dance of matter, malignantly benign

                  Greeting the chasm; unbearable, sublime

 

I ran onto the street, the bright, warm day greeting me in its welcoming embrace. I spun around, holding the book to the skies. The savior of mankind was lying in my hands. I brought it to my face and kissed the cover before screaming in happiness. I ran straight to the park that was about a block away from my run-down house, and lifted the book in the air once more.

“My fellow Americans, tourists, humans! Here I hold our salvation!” I cried, shaking the book in the air.

Families of men, women, children, even pets, all gathered before me in curiosity. I explained my journey and the book to them, and they all began crying, clapping in unison, applauding my hard work. What a glorious day this is! What a wonderful, amazing, truly incredible day this is!

A man walked forward, dressed just as formally as I, and reached his hand out.

“Sir, I would like you congratulate you on your work, and I’d like to reward you for your commitment to mankind.” He spoke. He was around my age, perhaps a couple years older, as we both shared the gray hair and slightly hunched posture.

“Thank you so much” I replied, smiling, a tear rolling down my eyes. This was more worth it than anything in my entire life.

“You are now welcome to become one of us, sir.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Welcome, sir.”

His grip did not loosen.

I tried pulling back, throwing an awkward smile at him before yanking my arm away, but to no avail. He would not let go, and the rest of the crowd began turning gray and melting, becoming a massive slop of thick, viscous, bubbling liquids. I screamed and kicked at the man, and he exploded into countless pieces of glass, flying backwards into the pool of ooze. The whole sea of gray liquid began rising, shadowing over me, and at the top of its crest, a dripping, churning mouth formed.
“YOU’VE ABANDONED THEM”

The voice was booming, deep, loud, shrieking, high-pitched, everything all at once. My stomach dropped.

“YOU WILL NEVER GO ANYWHERE”

“YOUR LIFE IS MEANINGLESS”

“YOUR WORK HAS NO PURPOSE”

I screamed, turning to run, but it had a hold of me. It was heavy, hot, freezing, and it whipped me back around to face it. The entirety of the pool lifted itself and shoved itself down my throat and into my stomach, and I was amazingly able to fit all of it. How, I know not, but my stomach felt like it was going to burst. I felt sick to my stomach. But worse was to come. I could feel my feet and legs starting to expand and retract into the dirt, continuing to bury themselves until I was but a waist above the dirt. I screamed again, looking down at my hands as they turned black, my veins brightening to a stunning blue that glowed, and suddenly, I was one.

I could feel every single living thing. Every tree, every blade of grass, every person in every house, all the birds, the dogs, the fish, the dolphins, the insects, it was all intact and part of me. I could hear all their thoughts, feel every emotion, know every action. Even the Earth itself; oh beautiful creature, it pulsed with the life it sustained, and I could feel its rumbling down through the mantle and to the spinning iron core, it was gorgeous, unlike anything I had ever seen. I was jealous of its beauty. It was everything; the forests, the seas, the tundra, the deserts. They were all one, and I was one with them. And then the Earth spoke to me, in a voice not human, not deep or high, simply, existing. The Earth spoke to me.

Who have you failed?

I don’t know, I don’t know!
You know, you know you do. After everything, you still have not learned. Who have you failed?!

I let out one scream, one single vibration of the vocal chords that lasted a lifetime, a wail of banshee proportions to be heard across every continent, in the deepest trenches, and to give God himself chills;
“I.”