Page 126 of Degradation

I press my ear against the cold metal door, listening for any sign of life on the other side. The murmur of distant machines hums like a swarm of mechanical bees. It’s now or never.

With a gentle push, the door creaks open just enough for me to slip through. I’m greeted by the sterile smell of industrial cleaner, and it’s a stark contrast to the earthy tones of the tunnel.

Ahead, I can see him, the man I’ve been searching for. He’s got his back to me; he’s too busy scrutinizing the dozens of screens that display every inch of the public parts of Oblivion.

I reach into my pocket pulling out a small cloth. I doused the fabric with a potent sedative. One good sniff, and even a man my size will succumb to its particular charms.

I inch forward; each step measured to avoid the betrayal of a sound.

My heart pounds in my ears. I’m close now, close enough to hear the soft rustle of Dustin’s uniform as he shifts his weight. Close enough to get a whiff of his body odour beneath the heavy spray of his deodorant.

I raise the cloth, my hand steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

In one swift motion, I clasp the cloth over Dustin’s mouth, my other arm wrapping around his chest to hold him in place. He struggles, his instincts fighting against the unexpected assault, but the drug works quickly.

Within moments, his body goes limp, and I’m left supporting the dead weight of the man who, only seconds ago, held the keys to my family’s kingdom.

I lower him to the ground, careful not to make any noise that might alert the nearby guards. His breathing is steady and deep. I flicker his eyes open, checking the pupils and I can see how dilated they are. Yeah, the fucker got a good hit, didn’t he?

I give him a good kick and he doesn’t even moan, doesn’t react.

The sedative is strong, but it won’t last forever. I have to move quickly now, have to be more careful too.

Getting into Oblivion is easy. Getting out was always going to be the challenge.

Pailtyn

Iknow I’m not there. Not in that space I was before.

My head feels blurry. My head feels wrong.

I try to flex my fingers but even they refuse to cooperate.

And then the door opens. A man walks in, quickly followed by another and another.

Are these demons? Are they here to claim my soul? Is that where I am now, I’ve finally left purgatory and I’m now in the pits of hell.

My heart races and races as they stand with me between them, as they pull me along and my feet drag against the freezing cold tiles.

Something nonsensical escapes my lips, it could be a scream, it could be a laugh too.

Hell is empty and all the demons are here. And they’re dancing. Dancing with me.

My head rolls back uncontrollably, it jerks so violently it makes my neck jolt, and I wonder if I’ve snapped it.

I have no real feeling in any of my body so I could have done for all I know.

Someone slaps me hard. I blink, desperately forcing myself to focus. We’ve stopped moving now but somehow it only makes me feel more disorientated.

And then the man who’s speaking, his voice, it’s so close, it’s so close to his. But it’s not deep enough, not nearly physically as domineering as my monster is. It doesn’t fill me with the equal measure of horror and desire.

“Fucking bitch.”

“Who, who…?” I can’t get my tongue to form the words.

A sharp, nasty thing bites into my skin, it tears into the vein in my neck. Icy cold fills my body and that awakeness is fading, is rapidly being replaced with the darkness I know so well.

The darkness that is my friend.