Human Element

Now, I Understand.

  Grave stones. Hanging man. Plagued mind. Bruised Flesh. Caved in skull. Detached limbs. Sea of red. White noise... Piercing white noise... Piercing white noise... Piercing white... noise.. Darkness... I can't live in here another day... Black hair... Black hair.. Black hair. Black pants. Black shirt. Black jacket. Black shoes. Black hair? White face. Blue eyes... Teary blue eyes?

   She sat down on the bench next to me.. It became obvious she wanted to say something. But I didn't know her, and she.. didn't know me. Maybe that's what made it easy. The idea that she probably wouldn't see me again.

   She looked my way, acknowledging my existence. "This guy just grabbed me by my arm and pulled me into alley way, telling that I was the love of his life.. So.. I'm gonna sit here.. For a little bit.. Is that okay?"

   My eyes wandered her way.. Visible bruises caught my eye, the guy must've grabbed her pretty hard. She's certainly good looking but.. this wasn't a good time for flirting. Time keeps passing by and this... this moment It slows? Why now? Why me? Why am I even sitting here at a random bench in town at night? Wouldn't anyone else just walk by, is it not creepy to her that I'm here? Maybe she has some sort of lizard brain, sensing that I'm not here to hurt her.

   She looked at me curiously, almost with comfort now. Like she was in a safe place. "You don't say much do you? Anyways.." Paranoid, she glanced away for a moment. "Anyways, I was with a friend.. Not sure where she is. You were here earlier, weren't you? You haven't moved a muscle..  I told her to meet up here if anything separates us."

   A shadowy apparition made way towards me, it hadn't been around in awhile. I'll keep my focus on the swaying oak trees ahead. Been here all day apparently. Why move now, I may be of use to someone.

   Wait.. That's no apparition, that's a man running towards us.  I stood up.

   She looked offended.."What, you leaving now? Mr. Mystery?"

   Gesturing to the figure. "You might be."

   "Lilly, Lilly! LILLY! He's right behind me" shouted a female voice.

   "Mira, RUN! RUN MIRA!... I've got to help her.." Lilly said frantically.

   Well, I guess I'm apart of this now. I have no problem throwing myself away. I walked over, watching as Lilly hit the man in the face with a branch, drawing blood. The blow knocked him off Mira. The two retreated behind a tree, only turning around to watch me.. watch them? Then it hit me, really.. really hard.

   He slugged my head and I didn't even do anything. What the fuck? I managed to get off my ass in a timely manner to comprehend his spiel...

   "Fuck you doing out here? I'm trying to have some... fun." groaned the man.. "I don't want any witnesses."

   I hope the girls are calling the police.. I thought I was nuts.. No time for cops to arrive, this guys out for at least one body and I'm at the wrong place at the wrong time.

   I looked back...I cared more about the two strangers I just met than I do myself.. "Run along, meet back here tomorrow.." I growled, turning my gaze to the strange man.

   They didn't question me.. I'm sure Lilly told Mira how strange I was. Mira looked familiar anyway.. Maybe she knew me? This man had a purse, perhaps. Mira's purse? Lilly had hers.. Too much thinking. Why am I even doing this in the first place? I'm no hero.

   He lazily swung at me with the weight of a titan, missing.. Is he intoxicated? This man was trashed. He fell to the ground making it easy for me to take the purse.. What a joke..

   "Hey girls! GIRLS!" I called out, hoping I could return her purse and get this ordeal done with.

   "Hey?... I'm not done with you.." The drunk growled, pulling me off my feet, landing my face  into a mouthful of dirt.

Now I'm pissed.

   "You fuck!" I scrambled to turn around as he started biting my legs.

   I began kicking my legs and railing his bald head with my fists multiple times, He kept biting harder and harder, it became obvious... I reached for the purse.. "FUCK." He ripped through skin..

   NOW, I UNDERSTAND.

   I kicked like.. well... I'm not sure. Looping the purse strap around his neck I twisted and pulled back.. tightened.. and tightened... and tightened...

   Minutes must've gone by... But it seemed like hours..

   These days have not been kind. I reached in my pocket hoping to find keys to my SUV, and.. there they were.. I clicked the lock button searching the dark for a flash of light, and there it was.. Not too far away. I dragged the soulless body and barely managed to throw him in the back. I jumped in the front seat, turning on the vehicle.. Now what?

   There's a first time.. for everything you know..

   Next stop, Super Mart.. Open 24/7 of course.. What was I gonna do with this.. thing?

   I rolled down the aisles looking for some sort of solution.. What could one use to rid of a body? Acid- "Where the fuck am I going to get that?" An old man glanced at me oddly as I thought audibly. The ocean?.. I don't have a boat.. What could... I use.. Crematoriums use fire. And just like that I had my solution.. fire. I picked up some firewood.. a lot of fire wood, and an outside metal fire pit.

   Made it home in a timely manner.. I ran outback and began setting up my fire pit, wasn't too long until a had a fire going. I looked over to my "best buddy" Mr. Shade,

"Remind me to pick up some kerosene and carving knifes next time we go out, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan." It glared at the burning fire.

"This is gonna smell awful.. you know that right?" It whispered..

"I know.. I'll... err... burn it in small batches? Use some Danielle Jack's on it? You know, the barbeque sauce?" I laughed but caught myself.. that's a good idea..   Doubt I can do this forever though.

   "This is a god damn nightmare. People have blood." What am I gonna do about that?  I grabbed a shovel and dug a hole in my back yard, one large enough for the man... I went back inside and grabbed some barbeque sauce from the kitchen and stuffed it in my pocket. Then I took a trip and quickly glanced around, looking for potential witnesses. Threw my trunk open, then dragged the man out of my car dropping him to the pavement, then closed the trunk. This fucking sucks. I grabbed onto the poor guys legs and drug him through my house and outback, tossing him into the pit I made.

   The rest is easy. I grabbed all the wood I had and threw it on top of the corpse. Then I dragged over my still burning fire pit and poured the burning logs into the hole.

   Greeted by a shower of stray fire sparks, and the putrid smell of burning flesh. Seems I probably should have walked away earlier...

   "You know, you only exist because we allow it" rang a cumulative voice in my head.

   "Fuck you." This isn't happening again, not this way.

   Wake up, wake up, wake up. This has to be a nightmare.. This has to be. A. Nightmare.

   The shadow figure approached "Breath it in. Gaze upon your wrath. This is real. This is the first, of many."

   For once, a passion burned in my eyes. Filled my mind with endless possibilities.. Had I gotten away with murder.

   "You've still got the bones to worry about, you foolish... oh?"

   Tossing a large metal mallet to the ground. "I'm going to bed...fuck off."