Intelligence [Physiological Horror]

I had no idea where they were taking me, but I knew it was not good. I was being dragged down a long concrete hallway. Every so often, there’d be a giant metal door. They’d be hydraulically locked from the outside. I could only imagine what was behind it. The only sounds I could hear were the sounds of the guard’s footsteps. The long hallway was dimly lit, with an occasional light flicker and quite Zip of the electricity.

I felt the heavy feeling of dread in my chest. They had dressed me in a bright orange jumpsuit. I was unsure of when this happened. I had no memory of up until a few hours ago. I remember getting a letter from company. They were looking for test subjects for a new form of cell testing on helping tissue eating organisms, such as cancer and tumors. Me, being the selfless person I am, decided to go in for the testing. On the drive to the facility, I had a strange, unsure feeling. I just figured it was just my paranoia getting to me. Reaching the facility, I was amazed on how enormous it was. White paint, clear windows, revolving door. It seemed legit. I walked into the front door, and sat in the waiting room. It smelled clean, and pure, just like a dentist's office. The room was also white. I distinctly remember the chairs. They were a dark blue felt. I had never been to a hospital with felt chairs. Just as I was pondering this, a woman with blonde hair walked over to me. She was slim and fit.

“Howard Wiley?” She asked.

“That’s me,” I responded.

“Follow me,” She motioned with her hand, “the doctors are waiting.”

I got up from my seat, and followed the woman. She walked me down a narrow hallway, the odor became stronger. It burned my nostrils and throat. We then finally reached the end of the hallway. There was a door. The door had numbers on it: 682

“Go on in,” She whispered.

I gave her a small nod, and she left me. I grasped the door hand and pushed in. Before I had time to react, I was grabbed by the neck, and pinned to the wall. Two men in face masks held me down, and strapped an oxygen mask to me. I tried to fight, my arms flailing wildly. Try as I might, my arms began to go limp, and my breathing slowed. Then everything went black.

I woke up in a small room, with a orange jumpsuit on, and that’s all I remember.

As I drifted back to reality, I found myself closing the end of the concrete hallway. There stood a giant mechanical door. Bigger than any of the others I had passed. I grinded my shoes into the concrete, trying to get away. One of the guards yanked me forward and hit me in the gut with his elbow. I instantly dropped to my knees, heaving for air as they continued to dragged me.

“Where are you taking me…?” I asked, still out of breath.

They didn’t respond.

We approached the door. It was intimidating, to say the least. One of the guards released me, and walked over to the door. He punched some sort of code into a small panel. I was scared. No. I was terrified. I had to act fast. I quickly yanked myself from the guard's grip, and started running. But before I could get a very far, I felt a sharp pain shoot up my spine. I lost control of my legs, and collapse to the floor. My body shook as the both guards grabbed one of my legs, dragging me towards the now open doorway.

“Why…?” I weaved out.

Once again, nothing.

One of the guards picked up my limp body and threw me in the darkness of the cold cell. I landed facing the door. Tears welled in my eyes. The same guard punched in the code again, this time, the door started closing. I tried desperately to move, but my body was still sensitive to movement. My legs and arms flailed around, like an infant trying to crawl. I tried to scream, but all that came out was a high pitched whimper. The darkness soon enveloped me as the door shut, and locked.

Darkness. I might as well have been blind. My body whipped around trying to move. I managed to get to my knees and crawl. Suddenly, a red low light bulb came on. It hardly lit up the room, but enough to where I could make out that room was large. But when my eyes adjusted, what I saw made my heart sink. Another large metal door. A loud Clang sounded, and the door began to open. The metal on metal screeching pierced my ears. The door opened wider and wider. Then, it finally stopped. Silence. Absolute Silence.

I was finally able to get to my feet, leaning up against a wall. My heart raced. My mind wandered for what was behind that door. That’s when I felt it. That same unease that I felt in the car ride.

I lean heard a loud shuffling, from the other side of the opened door. Then, a loud wet Slap on the concrete. And another, and another. My heart was in my throat. Something was coming. Something big.

Out of the darkness, I could see the silhouette of a large four legged creature. It was on all fours, and hunched over. It look bigger than a bus, and just as long, if not longer. I could make out it’s head. Elongated, mangled, and white. White as bone. I could see the fur sticking off. Then came the smell. It was rancid. Like rotting flesh sitting in the sun. It was so bad, I gagged and coughed. The beast turned its head at the moment I made noise. Right at me. My heart stopped. The world stopped. But for only a moment.

The beast started walking towards me. Each step, the floor shook. I backed myself to the wall as hard as I could. Tears ran down my face and sweat dripped from my forehead. It was upon me. I could fully see it’s face now. It wasn’t even a face. It didn’t even have eyes. It’s head was composed of a large skull and clumps of fur. It’s feet were amphibious, and it’s neck was long. A tail, that was nearly bone and fur, swung behind it.

It leaned it’s face down towards towards mine. I was too scared to move. My heart was pounding and it’s beak poked my chest. It breathed through it’s nose, smelling me. the smell alone almost made me throw up. It then opened it’s mouth, making a guttural hum. I whimpered loudly, as I fear this would be the end.

“You fear me,” a low voice rang throughout the room.

My heart stopped, my eyes dashing around the room.

The creature stepped back, giving me room. I looked up at the creature, it looked back at me.  

“Why do you Fear?” it rang out again.

I stepped forward, unsure of what to do.

“You...Speak?” I seemingly asked the beast.

The beast nodded.

“I am Intelligent.”

I scratched my head in confusion, “What I am doing here…?”

“Sustenance needed,” the beast said gutturally, “Others were Disgusting.”

My breathing sputtered as the beast said the words.

It hunched over, peering at me.

I fell to knees looking at the beast.

This was it for me

“Worry not,” It motioned forward with it’s mouth opened, “You will become one with my Intelligence.”

"I miss you..."

“I was just thinking, just now, how great it would be to be cuddled. Just once.” She said, smiling bitterly.

I look at her, my heart throbbing. I bite my lip, thinking of what to say, what to do. Wanting the feeling to hold her, and never let go. I watched her eyes dance on the night sky and beams of the cars zooming on the highway. I watched her lightly shiver against the cold breeze of the fall winds. I stuff my hands in my pockets, resisting the urge to hold her from pure emotion. Not just from her’s, but from my personal darkness and depression. The countless nights I cried, wanting somebody, to come hold me, and tell me it’s okay. I wanted to do the same for her. But the fear still hung there, in the cold air of that september night at the station but shivered both at. I shouldn’t. I couldn’t. I loved her. My best friend.

“Yeah,” I replied.

The Skull: Mark for Death

A fair aged man sits on his couch. He’s hunched over, looking down at the grimy and stained coffee table. His hands move vigorously, moving a pure white powder into a line. He then reels back as he quickly inhales it. He groans with pain mixed with a hint of pleasure. He lays his head on the back of the couch, staring at his burnt ceiling of the mobile home. For him, Marcus Lambert, this was an average night. Yet, only a few hours ago, he had done something much more different than anything he could have thought of doing. He met with a young lady. Fair skin, blonde hair, piercing blue eyes. Him, and his gang, had a great time with her.

Marcus was a lonely man. Dirty blonde hair, sunken in eyes, an ugly five o'clock shadow. He lived a miserable life full of drugs and porno magazines. His eyes blurred from the powder he had just taken. Noises distorted and lines became shapes. He smiled gleefully, as his eyes rolled back. His mind starts to wonder, but is brought back when there is a knock on the door.

Marcus sits up and stagers to stand. He slowly shuffles his feet along the carpet floor. Another loud bang. “Calm the fuck down, i’m comin’.” He slurred out. He tripped a little, leaning against the door frame. He reached for the door, and opened it slowly. “Yeah? What is it?” He said, eyes struggling to stay open. The shadowy figure stayed silent in the darkness. His eyes slightly open more. “Hey, say some pissant.” Marcus says, more angered. Without warning, the figure reeled back and punched Marcus in the gut. Marcus falls to his knees and groans in pain. The figure walks in the light. Marcus looks up to a horrifying site. A tall man, wearing all black and a hoodie jacket. Under the hood, was a fabric mask, with a skull printed on it. “It’s time for you to atone for your sins.” The Skull said, with a distorted voice.

The man pulls back his foot and kicks Marcus in the jaw. Marcus flies back, landing hard on the floor. Marcus screams in pain. The Skull steps slowly inside and shuts the door. Marcus shot up and ran to a back room. “You cannot run from your own redemption.” The Skull pulled a handgun from inside his jacket. Marcus came out from the back, holding a handgun also. “You better stay back! You little Faggot!” Marcus yelled. The Skull steps forward slowly. “I see you chosen to be difficult. So be it.” Without warning, Marcus fires off a shot, pegging The Skull in the chest. He looks down at his chest, and back up to Marcus, “That wasn’t the wisest of decisions.” Marcus’ eyes widen with fear. His hands, still aiming the gun at The Skull. Then, just like a lightning strike, The Skull advances forward and grabs Marcus’ arm, aiming it at the ground. Marcus screams at the sudden attack and fires his pistol. He fires several shots before he realizes he’s firing into his floor.

The Skull releases Marcus slowly. Marcus quickly aims the gun point-blank at The Skull’s face. Marcus pulls the trigger. Click. Empty. “Your time is up, Marcus Lambert.” The Skull say, grabbing him by the collar. The Skull raises his gun and places the barrel on his forehead. Marcus, scared out of his wits, is silent, and still. The Skull pulls the trigger. A loud bang rings out from the quiet mobile home. The Skull releases Marcus’ limp body and lets it fall to the floor. Silence.

The Skull pulls down his hood, and takes off his cloth mask. His green eyes are pierced by the light of the room. His pale skin gleems off the flickering bulbs. He runs his gloved hand through his brown hair. “Rest easy, Maria,” He say, with a soft voice, “you have been avenged.”    

Battle Royale: New Blood

BR:2

              I was in a cold sweat. what the hell was happening? Was I dreaming? No, more like a Nightmare. The rest of the bus was silent. No one spoke. I turned to Hiroki, and he was just as tense as I was. Just then, he shot up out of his seat. “Nice try Mr.Yamada, you really fooled us!” he said, laughing nervously. But, “Mr.Yamada” wasn’t laughing. “Sit down and shut up, you little prick.” Yamada said, harshly. Hiroki stood there stunned, then, sat down. I turned to Aoi. “Do you guys know him?” I whispered to her. She nodded, “He was our 9th grade english teacher.” She shook lightly, terror in her eyes.

Yamada raised his head and spoke, his english getting better as he did: “Now, you may be thinking, ‘this is crazy’ and ‘this isn’t real’, but, my dear students, it is real. To those who don’t know what is going on here,” He looked at me, dead in the eyes, “This is Battle Royale, a survival program put together by the Japanese government. Our government has taken the worst class of 3 years, and puts them into a survival zone. You all have to fight to the death. There can only be one winner. No excuses. All but one of you must die. The rules are simple: The rings on your neck, are set to detonate if you try to remove it, leave the area, or step into a danger zone. They can also be set off remotely. for example:”

He then pulled out a device that blinked red, like the rings on our necks. He smile grimly, and pointed the device at a random girl. “at the press of a button,” he said, flipping a dail. Suddenly, a high pitch beeping noise came from the back of the bus. I turned to see what the noise was, and saw a girl standing in the back. Her ring was beeping. She started panicking, and started screaming. She ran up to Yamada and grabbed his jacket. “Sensei! Sensei! Watashi wa shinitaku arimasen!” She pleaded, and began to cry. The beeping became faster, and faster. “Sensei! Sensei! Teishi shite kudasai!” She yelled. She ripped and pried at her neck, but it was no good. The beeping getting faster, and faster. “Darekaga watashi o-” However, this was her last plead. The ring, sparked and created a small, yet devastating, explosion on her neck. Blood gushed across the front off the bus and people in the front seats. The bus screamed with terror. blood poured from her mouth as she convulsed on her feet. Her eyes rolled back and she fell onto her back, lifeless and morbid. Aoi buried her face in my shoulder, and cried loudly.

Yamada slid the remote into his pocket and smirked. “And just like that, her life was ended.” He said, taking a step forward over the poor girl’s corpse. I looked over at her. Her mouth was wide open. Blood poured out of her mouth and nose, and eyes. One of her legs stretched forward, and one cocked to her back. I felt myself gag. I didn’t even know her, I thought to myself.

    “Now,” said Yamada, “If you don’t participate, you will die. If you try to escape, you will die. And so on, so forth.” He waved his hand in front of his face. “You will all get a bag,” he continued, “They come with a map, water, food, and a random weapon; some useful, some not so useful.” He continued to walk through the bus, looking at the rest of the students. “The arena you will be fighting in in uninhabited. So feel free to kill people anywhere you want. No need to worry about littering here.” He said, laughing to himself.

Just then, Hiroki shot up and pointed his finger at Yamada. “Fuck you if you think i’ll kill my friends!” Hiroki shouted at him. Yamada sighed, “Oh Hiroki,” he took a step forward, “You were my most successful student to date.” Yamada smirked, and stepped closer. “Why not put all that successful power into this?” As he said that, Hiroki lost it. He pulled up his fist and punched Yamada square in the face. Yamada lost his footing and fell on his back. “I said, Fuck you! I’m not killing my friends!” Yamada sat up, and glared at Hiroki. “Yūsei, kare o shobun shite kudasai.” he said calmly.

Suddenly, a boy from the front seat got up, and reached under his seat. He pulled out a sports javelin. “Hiroki!” I shouted suddenly, before I had time to think. Hiroki turned to me, but it was too late. The boy shoved the spear-like tool through Hiroki’s back, and out his gut. Blood spewed from the wound and javelin. Hiroki looked down at the spear, and touched it, unsure of what to do. The whole bus was silent. Well, at least for me.

Hiroki turned to me, tears in his eyes. “...Ian?” he said, hushly. As he said that, The boy ripped the spear out of him, spraying blood all over the floor. Hiroki’s legs gave out and fell to the floor. I jumped up and sat next to him. “Hiroki! Hiroki! wake up!” I yelled at him. I smacked his face a few times. “Goddamnit wake up!” I yelled again, tears in my eyes. I grabbed him and lifted up. He was too heavy. It was all his dead weight. I turned to Aoi. She shook her head in sadness. I just sat there, and stared at him.

Yamada walked up the the boy with the spear. “Everyone, this is my Son, Yusei,” Yamada patted him on the back, “He will be joining you in the games. Just to shake things up.” Yusei’s face was stern and emotionless. He held the javelin with a ferm grip.

“Now, let’s get everybody inside and ready.” Yamada spoke loudly. He looked down at me, still next to my dead best friend. “Come along boy, let’s get you ready.” He said, calmly. I took one last look at Hiroki and the girl, then got up.

As we stepped outside the bus, We could smell death from the bus. One girl puked as soon as we stepped off the bus. It was night and dark, but I could tell we were on a runway of an airport.

I held Aoi close to me, her tears staining my shirt. We walked slowly and tiredly across the runway to the only lit up building; the hangar.

I could feel Aoi’s silent, yet heavy sobs on my shoulder. Her arms clung to me hard. She didn’t want to let go. I couldn’t blame her. She had just witnessed our best friend murdered right in front of us. “I’m going to kill Yusei.” I said to myself. Aoi grabbed my hand, “Don’t get yourself killed…” I looked down to her, “I won’t try.”   

The rest of the student body, including me and Aoi, entered the hangar. The air was musty and damp. The sheer size of the hangar was baffling. At the far end of the hangar was a row of duffle bags. The class made our way to the other side of the hangar. Yamada stood in front of the bags, waiting patiently. “Alright, time for role call and release,” he started, “When your name is called, grab your bag and head out.” Yamada grabbed his list and looked at it.

“First, Rento Ikeda.” He called out. Out from the back of the group, Rento stepped out. I glared at the back of his head as he walked up and grabbed his bag. He too, there was no emotion on his face, only a stern look. As he walked out, he turned, and looked straight at me. I felt my breath go short. He smirked, and walked out. A few more names were called, and Then: “Ian O’brien, please step forth.” My feet felt weak. I stepped forward, my hand carefully letting go of Aoi’s. “Don’t die on me, okay?” I heard her whisper. I gripped her hand one last time, then let go.

I walked forward with everybody eyeing me. I approached one of the soldiers and he threw a bag at me. I caught it quickly. I turned one last time to Aoi. The worry in her eyes make me sick. I was scared. For me. And for her. “When you get called, come find me.” I said out loud, for everyone to hear. Tears streamed down her face. “We will always be friends. Til the end.” She said, her voice cracking. Then, I looked to the blackened door and ran out, without hesitation and fear. I ran into the darkness, and death.

Battle Royale: New Blood

BR:1

    Studying abroad in Japan was difficult for me. The culture was so different from America’s. I never quite caught onto everything. Luckily, I made some friends. Well, only two. A guy by the name of Hiroki, and a girl. Her name was Aoi. They were some of the very few who actually spoke english very well. They were my guides of the first day of High School. They were the only ones who treated me with respect. They were my closests friends. I always look back and remember them. All the things we went through.

    I walked down the hall of my new school. The day was coming to a close, and I was about to walk home. I peered out the window and squinted slightly. The sky was bleached red from the sunset. Red blood-like streaks broke the sky, and cut through the clouds. The sun pierced through the window and into my eyes like a dagger. All I could hear was the light squeak of my shoes on the shiny floor. Then, to my side, a door opened. A student from my class stepped out. His name was Rento. He was at least a few inches taller than me. Our eyes met, and he grinned. “Anata ga koko ni kuru tame ni orokadesu.” He said, smirking at me.

    I had heard that a lot the time I had been there. Aoi told me it meant “you are stupid for coming here.” She told me not to sweat it though, and he was like that with everybody. I looked at the ground and mumbled the only thing I could; “Baka…” His face changed to anger. “Anata wa ittai nani o iimashita no?!” He half shouted at me. That phrase slipped my mind, but not before he grabbed me by the neck.

    I gasped loudly, then was cut off by his hand. I gasped for air and smacked his wrist. “Gomen'nasai!” I Pleaded. He laughed and let me go. I fell to the ground and heaved in air. Before I could say anything, he was walking away. I sat there and rubbed my neck in pain.

Just as I got up, Aoi and Hiroki, luckily, came around the corner. She smiled and waved, “Good afternoon, Ian-Kun!” She half-shouted. I smiled and waved back to her. She walked over to me and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back, feeling her strangely comforting school uniform. She looked up from my chest and smiled to me. I smiled back. Hiroki walked over to me and gave me a high five. I stepped back and looked at them. Aoi’s black hair hung playfully in front of  her face and her smiled warmed my heart to the core. She was nearly a foot shorter than me. Hiroki was about my height rocked styled back jet black hair.

“How’s it been going, Ian-kun?” Hiroki asked. I thought back to just a few minutes ago, but decided to not tell them. I nodded slowly, “Pretty fine.” I smiled my best. Aoi cocked her head at me and smiled her usual pretty smile. “Are you sure, Ian-kun?” she said, pointing a finger at me. I smirked and patted her head softly. “i’m fine, don’t worry.” I said, and started to walk away. Suddenly, I felt Aoi grab my hand from behind. I turned to her. Her face was in slight distress, but then cut off by her smile. “Y’know we’re your friends, right?” She said, “I know we only met a month ago, but we still got your back.”

I looked to her, then to Hiroki. “Hai, She’s right Ian.” He said, smiling to me, and I smiled back. I gripped Aoi’s hand and felt comfort in them. In Her. “Thanks, guys.” I stepped closer, “You two are great.”

Hiroki stepped forward and placed his hand on both of our’s. “Saigo Goma no yūjin.” Aoi said with a smile. I tilted my head in confusion, “Uhhh,...” She giggled lightly, then spoke; “It means Friends til the End.”

I felt my heart flutter with warmth as she said the translation. I was happy I made friends in this Foreign land. No pun intended. These two, were the only thing I had close to friends. Back then, I knew they had my back. Through thick and thin. Back in the states, everybody was a douchebag and could care less about a person of their same age, let alone a friend. But here, these people cared so much about each other. There was a sense of caring, love, and belonging. You could saw it was a bitter sweet paradise for me. But, as they say: The sun always sets in Paradise.

Aoi hopped along and smiled to me, “c’mon Ian-kun, Hiroki, we’re gonna miss the bus!” I was filled with joy. I turned to Hiroki, and nodded. “Race ya!” He said, then started sprinted off in front of me. Before I could think, my legs took off behind him. So this is what happiness feels like, I thought to myself.

We made it to the buses with time to spare. We trotted onto the bus and took our seats. The bus was rowdy. People shouting happily, passing note, giggling, and laughing loudly. Aoi sat next to me, and Hiroki sat in the seat across the aisle next to me. Only a minutes later, the bus started, and we were off. The rowdiness of the bus slowed, but was still there. Aoi stared out the window and smiled. I leaned over to Hiroki and smiled. “Hey, Hiroki, what are the chances me and Aoi could,...Y’know, get together?” I blushed lightly, and he just smirked to me. “There’s a bigger chance of me getting impaled on a stick than that.” He said, holding back laughter. I smiled back. I knew he was joking of course. “Now,” He yawned, “I’m gonna try and get some sleep.” I  nodded to him and leaned back. I looked ahead and watched as the bus sunk into a dark tunnel.

It was just then, I noticed the rowdiness was gone. No one was awake. I felt my eyes go heavy. Well, might as well rest, I thought to myself. I closed my eyes, and drifted off.  

I woke up, cold as all hell. I looked around. Outside the windows were dark. It was night; Dead of night. I quickly turned my head to Aoi. She was still asleep. Then, I saw something around her neck. A silver band hung around her neck. It looked like an oversized ring. Red lights flashed on it in a sporadic pattern. Just then, I heard shuffling next to me. I turned to see Hiroki, Awake. He too looked around in confusion. The ring was on his neck too. Then, it hit me. I touched my neck. I too had it.

“Ittai nani?” He said, spinning his head around. “What the fuck is going on?” I asked him franticly. He shook his head and grimaced. He went to scratch his neck and touched the Ring. His face turned to confusion, Then, Shock. “Oh god….” He turned to me, quickly, “Ian! It’s-...” He then was suddenly cut off by the opening of the bus door. We both went silent. Two men with big assault rifles stepped on first. The, an older looking man. He looked at us, the only two awake. He smiled the devil’s smile and lifted his arm. In his hand, was an air horn. He quickly blasted the horn. The ear piercing sound rattled the bus. Aoi jumped beside be as the noise shrieked through the iron can. Everybody was awake. Wide awake. They all stared forward at the man. He gave a cheeky smile, then spoke: “Gudo morunin, ereryone.” he said, in very poor english. The bus was silent. He looked to the two armed men, and they pointed their guns at us. “I said, Gudo morunin!” he half shout. A few kids gasped and greeted him in typical Japanese: “Ohayōgozaimasu sensei”

Then, the man cleared his throat and began to speak: “Hello children. I’d like to invite you to play a little game with each other.” He then pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. The paper had an image on it. a deep, blood red graphic of “BR” with a rithe like circle around it. Beside the graphic, some text read: “Battle Royale: Survival Program”

“welcome,” the man said with his devil grin, “To Battle Royale.”

Temporary Hiatus

Sorry folks, but i'm on a temporary Hiatus. But, I'll be back soon. Hopefully.

The Human Delecacy (Poem)

The first one to devour me,

did not understand me so,

but she did so,

with curiosity,

she questioned the odd fantasy of mine,

then she devoured,

ever so,

there as I sat within her,

I couldn’t help feel unknown by her,

so,

I left her in my tracks.

The second one to devour me,

Was a playful friend,

always so cheery and so meek,

when I asked her,

she did so graciously,

but,

as she did,

it didn’t feel the same

for she was only a friend,

and did not love me so.

The third one to devour me,

was a shy soul,

when I asked her,

she did so,

reluctantly,

she focused on my safety,

and not the taste,

for this terrified her,

and,

she left me in her tracks.

Following the small path through the wood,

I saw a figure approaching me,

she wore black and green,

and jet black hair,

The fourth one to devour me,

was a lonesome girl,

searching the world,

for love,

as I asked her,

and she did so,

ever so lovingly

my dream had come true,

the one to devour me so,

she lifted me ever so high,

and swallowed me whole,

As I sat there within her,

I couldn’t help but feel nirvana.