Cosmic Horror Story
I’ve been alone since the Collision. The day when I was the only one left alive.
That day I was watching the stars with my sister by my side, when a light appeared in the sky, the gray clouds collided, rays, and an unintelligible sound for thirty seconds could be heard. All followed by destruction. Slowly, everything in the way was erased and turned into androgynous darkness, being turned into ashes and blood.
Following these events, I simply flashed out. It wasn’t necessarily losing consciousness; It felt more like being in Limbo. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a shelf in a studio, full of ancient manuscripts, books, and monochromatic fragmented paintings. Everything was quiet, my body was numb; I felt no emotion, or perhaps I was simply confused. It took some time before I noticed that I was being watched. Not by a human, but by the remains of some. In jars, beside the Latin books, there were forty-five pairs of eyes. In all possible colors, and probably of people who were now dead.
Days pass, and every day goes the same: Waking up with the light red sun, and going to bed when the dark blue moon appears and the sky opens. Lighting the candles on at six, off at 12. Even when it’s still early in the morning, no candle seems to give light to this place. Maybe, it’s the sulfur in the air, from the little oxygen, able to get into the small studio. Which produces an acidic feeling in my throat.
It’s been 213 days, 16 hours, 3 min, 45 seconds; since I could touch grass and feel the light spring breeze running on my face. Everything around me is full of dust and ashes, the windows are followed by black snow and a sky that opens.
I waited for change, tried to get out, find a clue. However, there was nothing. Both the windows and the door were completely closed.
Until that point I hadn’t questioned the white flowy dress, or the lack of the feeling of hunger, my calmness, even more importantly, I hadn’t gone mad (Regardless of the lack of human interaction).
One day (gloomier than usual), a tall, slim man entered the room. When this happened, I was half asleep and frightened by the possibility of being killed. The man walked at a light pace, similar to floating. Aside from the black suit, half of his face (the inferior part) was covered.
The man checked on me and left a book on a small table near the sofa. Once I opened it, the word “Quiddity” was written on the first page, the pages were filled with drawings of humanoid creatures. As I turned the pages, I noticed that each creature looked more like a human being. My drawing was the last. I found this chart, where my drawing was:
“Attempt #23; Female humanoid specimen”
Status: Alive/dead
Result: Successful/ Unsuccessful
Taken action: Elimination
Astonished by the last note, I decided to continue analyzing this book. For hours, I tried to process the situation, the book, and the rest of the humanoids. All signs pointed out that my life was going to be taken away. On the last page of the book, I found what looked like a calendar. It was elliptical, it had 225 days signaled, with red moons and what would happen each day. Some parts were repetitive or, the word repeated itself several times, “Numbness sulcouth (selcouth)” for example. “Dissection” was located on day 222. Meaning that three days before day 225, (the final day) someone would be dismembered. That someone, was me.
“How would I sleep with those thoughts in my head? Well, either way. I am the only human left.” I said out loud. Those words echoed through the room, and
It came with a visit. The day 222 had arrived, and that man was the proof. Instantly, he took off the black scarf that covered his face. I could see a glimpse of what seemed black sharp teeth, from ear to ear, and a long tongue with a sting in the end. It was quick, but I felt intense pain in one of my legs, It started bleeding and shredding down. He aimed for my eyes when a ray entered from the window, it shattered it and I jumped down. I fell, nonetheless, I was still alive.
In my mind, the only thought present was running away, despite my already confirmed murder. I fell into the wet grass and started running to the forest. The sky wasn’t pleased. It turned dark red, and the clouds formed a fall streak hole.
I was still running. My injury from the fall and sting slowed me down, and my pursuer was still behind me, with his bloody sting. Swiftly, light spilled from the now bloody sky, and with thousands of silver urns, everything disappeared. The person chasing me was now dead.
Moreover, I was still there, standing straight on the border of a cliff. There, I understood that the man with the sting, who collected humanoid eyes, wasn’t a god, the one with the power over earth and humanity, or anything close to it. But, something stronger, beyond that man, who had restarted existence many times.
My delusional mind thought, “Now that earth is empty, what lurks somewhere in the universe, will rise again”
The fear I felt was one like no other, one that made my heart stop and my blood freeze. I started hearing chimes, and the last feeling before I entered eternal sleep was fear, one that seemed ancient and unknown.
Language arts
By Natalia Pérez, Step 9 yellow
