Photo: creativeuncut.com
Autumn 1: The Heart Grows Fonder
They remind me of mannequins. Sometimes when it's really quiet and dark, they look like black mannequins littering the streets. They can no longer be considered human because they are dead. Dead humans don't walk or feed tirelessly on the living. These lifeless monsters are not the same as me. I'm sure that the world will fall to these Mannys and they will be the only "life" left on Earth. I just don't think anyone has the willpower to survive and reproduce all that has been lost. I pray I don't become a Manny. I pray I don't end up like my mom and brother. I must get to New York...
~Maya
"Aaaahhkkk!" Maya's eyes stung as she was startled awake by a splash of warm liquid. Two male voices laughed at her torment. The laughs belonged to Moreland and Rob. They both were wearing long, royal blue robes that had the same designs as their leather jackets. The things that Maya saw disturbed her more than any run-in with a Manny. Behind the two people who had captured her, there was a torture chamber. In fact, the entire room was a torture chamber. Candles were the source of light in the dungeon. There were nearly three hundred burning and an extra fifty unlit. Wax outlined the perimeter of the cellar. Maya could see rusty beds with thick straps attached to them. Six out of the twelve beds held restrained bodies. All of the beds were stained with blood. She could tell that the pinned bodies had been experiments. Tubes and needles entered the arms and legs of five bodies. There were blue robed people examining the bodies and filling out charts. The arm flesh was filleted open to reveal rotten muscle tissue. The only body that was not cut open was the most unnerving. She could tell from the body structure that it was a male. His head was inside of a metal device that Maya had no words for. It was perfectly round and shiny, similar to an over-sized marble. It looked brand new compared to the rest of the metal that was in the large room. There was a soft hum that vibrated from the inside of the sleek contraption. The room was the most frightening place that Maya had laid eyes on. What she felt was far worse.
Maya was suspended in the air by a chain that dangled from the impossibly dark ceiling. Handcuffs connected her to the long metal rope. Her body was covered with scars on top of scars. Bruises and cuts aligned her back and stomach as if she had been scrubbed with sandpaper. Her right eye was swollen shut. Her clothes and three of her bottom teeth were removed.
"I-I-I'm sorry, boss," Rob managed to say. He was still looking at the ground. Maya could see that Rob was shaking in his blue robe. She also noticed that his robe was too small for him. He resembled a mouse that was lodged in a python's throat. The angry man turned around in Rob's direction. "S-S-Sorry? That's all you got Porky? I-I-Is that all you got?" the man asked mockingly as he walked to stand in front of Rob.
Moreland looked up and started to talk. "He didn't mean no harm, Jeremiah. He, uh, we were jus' trying to wake her up. You told us not to touch her. And we ain't. I ain't touched her since I knocked her out. That's been three months ago, sir." Jeremiah continued to stare at Rob in silence. After five seconds of absolutely nothing, Jeremiah put his right hand on Rob's left shoulder. He put his left hand behind his back and pulled out a Smith & Wesson revolver with a six inch barrel. "I wasn't talking to you, Moreland. Keep your bald-ass opinions to yourself." The revolver was in the center of Rob's forehead. Jeremiah's eyes were locked onto Rob's eyes. "You don't even deserve to be a Critter," Jeremiah whispered. BLAAMM! Every person in the dungeon grabbed their ears. Rob's head exploded like a rancid watermelon. Blood hit Moreland and Maya. Jeremiah was covered in it. Half of his shirt was now red. He wiped off his gun and placed it in the small of his back. Rob's headless body twitched on the dungeon floor. "Moreland, clean this mess up," Jeremiah said as he walked back towards Maya. Despite the fact that she had watched an execution, Maya was more shocked with what she heard than what she had witnessed. She could not believe that she had been captured for three months.
They remind me of mannequins. Sometimes when it's really quiet and dark, they look like black mannequins littering the streets. They can no longer be considered human because they are dead. Dead humans don't walk or feed tirelessly on the living. These lifeless monsters are not the same as me. I'm sure that the world will fall to these Mannys and they will be the only "life" left on Earth. I just don't think anyone has the willpower to survive and reproduce all that has been lost. I pray I don't become a Manny. I pray I don't end up like my mom and brother. I must get to New York...
~Maya
"Aaaahhkkk!" Maya's eyes stung as she was startled awake by a splash of warm liquid. Two male voices laughed at her torment. The laughs belonged to Moreland and Rob. They both were wearing long, royal blue robes that had the same designs as their leather jackets. The things that Maya saw disturbed her more than any run-in with a Manny. Behind the two people who had captured her, there was a torture chamber. In fact, the entire room was a torture chamber. Candles were the source of light in the dungeon. There were nearly three hundred burning and an extra fifty unlit. Wax outlined the perimeter of the cellar. Maya could see rusty beds with thick straps attached to them. Six out of the twelve beds held restrained bodies. All of the beds were stained with blood. She could tell that the pinned bodies had been experiments. Tubes and needles entered the arms and legs of five bodies. There were blue robed people examining the bodies and filling out charts. The arm flesh was filleted open to reveal rotten muscle tissue. The only body that was not cut open was the most unnerving. She could tell from the body structure that it was a male. His head was inside of a metal device that Maya had no words for. It was perfectly round and shiny, similar to an over-sized marble. It looked brand new compared to the rest of the metal that was in the large room. There was a soft hum that vibrated from the inside of the sleek contraption. The room was the most frightening place that Maya had laid eyes on. What she felt was far worse.
Maya was suspended in the air by a chain that dangled from the impossibly dark ceiling. Handcuffs connected her to the long metal rope. Her body was covered with scars on top of scars. Bruises and cuts aligned her back and stomach as if she had been scrubbed with sandpaper. Her right eye was swollen shut. Her clothes and three of her bottom teeth were removed.
Photo: fineartamerica.com
As her left eye refocused on Moreland and Rob, there was a very loud sound that came from above. Maya thought that it sounded like an elevator. Then she heard a door open and close with a slam. A tall, skinny shadow moved closer to her location with the flickering of candlelight. It was a man that wore a white buttoned shirt and black slacks. The shirt was tattered and filthy. A gold cross donned his neck and rested on his chest. He had thin, brown hair that was in a ponytail. His smile was huge and menacing.
"Well, God bless," the tall man said as he walked and stood in front of Maya. He searched her body with his eyes and glided his fingers through her wet, sticky hair. His neck quickly snapped back to Moreland and Rob. "Who threw piss in her face?! Which one of you IDIOTS did this?!" Both Moreland and Rob instantaneously looked at the ground. Rob, out of fear and stupidity, dropped a wooden bucket. The tall man's eyes widened with intense hatred.
"I-I-I'm sorry, boss," Rob managed to say. He was still looking at the ground. Maya could see that Rob was shaking in his blue robe. She also noticed that his robe was too small for him. He resembled a mouse that was lodged in a python's throat. The angry man turned around in Rob's direction. "S-S-Sorry? That's all you got Porky? I-I-Is that all you got?" the man asked mockingly as he walked to stand in front of Rob.
Moreland looked up and started to talk. "He didn't mean no harm, Jeremiah. He, uh, we were jus' trying to wake her up. You told us not to touch her. And we ain't. I ain't touched her since I knocked her out. That's been three months ago, sir." Jeremiah continued to stare at Rob in silence. After five seconds of absolutely nothing, Jeremiah put his right hand on Rob's left shoulder. He put his left hand behind his back and pulled out a Smith & Wesson revolver with a six inch barrel. "I wasn't talking to you, Moreland. Keep your bald-ass opinions to yourself." The revolver was in the center of Rob's forehead. Jeremiah's eyes were locked onto Rob's eyes. "You don't even deserve to be a Critter," Jeremiah whispered. BLAAMM! Every person in the dungeon grabbed their ears. Rob's head exploded like a rancid watermelon. Blood hit Moreland and Maya. Jeremiah was covered in it. Half of his shirt was now red. He wiped off his gun and placed it in the small of his back. Rob's headless body twitched on the dungeon floor. "Moreland, clean this mess up," Jeremiah said as he walked back towards Maya. Despite the fact that she had watched an execution, Maya was more shocked with what she heard than what she had witnessed. She could not believe that she had been captured for three months.
Photo: swdubs.co.uk
Maya began to do quick mental math. She had really been captured for three months, which meant that it was now October. She could not believe it. How did she remain unconscious for three whole months? It did not add up in her mind. She looked up and Jeremiah was directly face to face with her. His yellow smile was enough scare her into silence.
"I apologize for my lackeys, sweetheart," Jeremiah said as he lowered the chain that held Maya in the air. As her feet touched solid ground, she wanted to collapse, but her fear kept her upright. She knew that a person's eyes never lie. Jeremiah's eyes were piercing with evil. He could have easily been a demon made flesh. And he had a gun.
"Do you remember who I am, baby girl?" Jeremiah rubbed her arms. "I'm sorry for keeping you as a prisoner, but you're a feisty little bitch. Nearly bit my lip off the last time I had you at my place. Don't you remember?" Maya looked at him with disbelief. "I don't know who you are," she murmured. Her voice was soft and her throat was dry.
"Well I'll be damned," Jeremiah yelled as he slapped his hands together. "I guess I used too much Demerol in your daily drug cocktail. For what it's worth, you had a very wonderful eighteenth birthday, Ms. Puerto. Hell, we musta made love five or six times that night." Maya, who was completely naked, realized what had happened. She fell to her knees instantly, with her hands still handcuffed.
"You raped me on my birthday," Maya cried as she looked up at Jeremiah. His smile had faded and there was false sadness in his eyes. "No, baby, it wasn't rape," Jeremiah said as he looked down at her. "You didn't put up no fight. You just laid there willingly without making a fuss. I saved you from this hellish world and all those damn Critters that roam topside. You belong to me and I'm the leader of this fine establishment. I am Jeremiah Moore and you are in the hands of the Lord."
Jeremiah crouched in front of Maya and grabbed her face. Tears were flowing from her good eye. She felt furious and vulnerable at the same time. Her naked body began to break out in a cold sweat. Jeremiah kissed her on the lips. His breath smelled like cigarettes and moonshine. Her breath could not have smelled that much better. The kiss sent Maya into a rage. She spit in Jeremiah's face and started to kick at him. This amused Jeremiah to point of excitement. "You wanna go for a round, huh," he said as he stood up. He started to unzip his pants, and then there was a loud buzz that came from the other side of the room. Clouds of smoke and noise billowed from the round, metal object that imprisoned the man on the experiment table. His hands began to make fists. Instead of checking on the disturbance, the robed people began to climb a ladder that was in the corner of the dim room. Then the metal device exploded.
Maya could not move. She feared what would happen next. Even Jeremiah was stuck in a pose with unzipped pants. He showed fear to Maya for the first time. He could only watch as the events unfolded. When the smoked cleared, the man was towering over Jeremiah. His muscles were bulging and his face was covered by strands of blond hair. His breathing was heavy and raspy. With a quick flash, he grabbed Jeremiah by the throat and pinned him against the brick wall.
"Find him," the man said to Jeremiah. "Find him and bring him to me. I want to kill him before I kill you." Jeremiah was limp in the man's grip. His throat was a drumstick in the man's colossal hand. "My brother ain't here," Jeremiah squeaked. "He-he is already on the Hyperion like Noah with the Ark. There is no hope for any of us. God has forsaken us and we must now atone for our sins. It's all in the Good Book. The Seals have been broken." Maya stared in amazement. If she lived through this, it would truly be a miracle.
"Then I guess there is only one other thing that needs to break," the large man said. He turned and looked at Maya. "You might want to close your eyes," he said. Maya bowed her head and she heard a snap. Jeremiah's body fell to the ground with a thud. The man walked over to Maya and released her from the handcuffs. Then he threw her a blue robe. Maya did not say a word as she pulled the robe over her head. Above her, she started to hear the march of several shuffling footsteps. The footsteps of Mannys.
"We have to move," the man said as he stared up at the dark ceiling. "Someone opened the cells upstairs," he said as he grabbed a metal instrument that resembled sharp cooking tongs. Maya did not know what to do. She glared at the man, looking for anything she could trust. His blond hair covered the features of his face. "Come on, Maya," the man quickly said. His voice was deep and monotone. She was surprised that he knew her name. "It's okay. They call me Heartless. I promise to get you out of here."
TO BE CONTINUED
Photo: swdubs.co.uk
-Terry
This one is my personal favorite so far. Keep it up. Love the top picture too.
ReplyDelete