" And why not death rather than living torment? To die is to be banish'd from myself; And Silvia is myself: banish'd from her Is self from self: a deadly banishment! "
--William Shakespeare
Prologue
Everyone had been going about their lives just like any other ordinary day, like clockwork. Parents were at work, children were at school. It was a perfectly average day-almost eerily average. But it was simple and normal, which was what everyone was accustomed to, so everyone went about their ways, and life carried on.
But somewhere, some life didn't carry on.
People died. People are supposed to die. It's life. It's normal. Of course, it's sad, and it would take months for someone to adjust to having someone out of their lives, but it's just meant to happen.
But something happened that wasn't supposed to, and no one knew why.
It was that day, the day that seemed just like any other. The sun shone as bright as it possibly could, making it almost impossible to see and unbearable to walk in. The humidity made everything you did in this weather painstakingly dreadful. But it was what it was, and although it seemed like torture or misery, it was normal. Police officers roamed the streets, eager to give someone a ticket, catch someone littering, anything instead of sitting in the heat. However, what would happen next would surely make them rather melt in the sun.
The land shook. It was typical for California to have earthquakes, but this one lasted a mere 5 seconds or so. But it was still a frantic mess, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Children in school immediately shoved themselves under their desks, just as they were told when they practiced the drill, as they usually did. They clung to their desks, and covered their heads, and screamed frantically while doing so.
Adults in their offices at work did the same, and officers followed their protocol when there was a usual earthquake.
The aftermath of the earthquake resulted in minimal damage-which was odd. After the nervousness had dialed down, and parents rushed to pick up their children from school, everything continued to go on like normal. Families ate dinner together at the dining room table, or attended to their recreational activities. Few people roamed the streets, some alone, others with their partners, and some walked as a family, parents chasing after their hyper kinship.
The sun was finally setting after the long, ordinary day. Few people were seen outside, as many were eager to sleep after the earthquake. But as doors were locked, people were returning home, and police officers finished patrolling for the day, only one single creature roamed the streets, with its wiry hair barely clinging to its scalp, and skin torn from its face. Its one eye that remained in its socket was soulless-in fact, the whole being appeared soulless. Underneath its torn skin was a layer of red and purple veins that crawled up its arms and around its neck, to the top of its head. It moaned as it walked the face of the earth, his mouth showing no remains of teeth. Its clothes were torn, broken, and full of spatters of blood.
On this night, no house had one single light shining through its windows, except one.
Which attracted the gory beast directly to the light that came from my house.
YOU ARE READING
The Diseased
Adventure“When will you realize it, Ben?” I cried, throwing my hands in the air. “This is as close as a living nightmare gets. It's the end of the world, and you're forced to fight even when you know it's hopeless.” He shook his head, his eyes slightly wate...
