Chapter 4 – Submission
My eyes instantly look at my
reflection in a broken mirror on the floor as if forced to. When I look at myself,
I begin to feel regret because of the two extra mouths on the sides of my face,
which are so-called enhancements that I made to myself in my degenerate days
that I want to forget. I don’t dress like I used to and I’m definitely not the
same person. My name is Macula, humble servant of the Quiet and I am currently
following its silent whispers to where it wants me to go. Right now, I can hear
it every now and then in the silence leading me through the rubble that was the
Complex.
In the Business district, the Board
and other leaders of influence, politics, and companies are either hold up in
their most protected facilities or publicly tortured and beaten as the powerless
district tears itself apart. Much of the same is true in the Sense district
where junkies of drugs, sex, and alcohol fight each other for every last drop
of their addiction while the structure of the district falls apart since it lacks
the support of the red veins. As for the Fighter’s district, very few fighters
remain as most of them are hired help and human shields in the Business
district. It is said that a man possessed by the Quiet fought and died in the
Colosseum for three months until the leaders of the organization fought him. He
then killed them and freed the girl he was fighting and dying for and that was
when he finally and permanently died. I’m sure his soul is in Heaven.
It's almost unbelievable to think
that the Complex was a well-organized center of never-ending sin and corruption
if it weren’t for the people who were there when it was. Now, it’s crumbling
with its sky-high walls crumbling and revealing that it wasn’t the sky and the
real sun, moon, and stars above it. Real vegetation, vines, and trees have broken
through the ground further damaging and destroying the once thought-to-be advanced
civilization that kept it down and sought to replace it with cheap, plastic,
and mechanical machinery. More people have either turned to worship of the
Quiet or fight for power as their gods that have defined right and wrong are
exposed as being weak, unable to hold onto their power, and on the verge of
being assassinated by those below them. No one thought this would be possible a
year or even a month or two ago and now the imminent collapse of what was
the Complex is an inevitability and it looks like the Quiet is giving me the
honors of doing my part in ending it or at least that’s what I feel that I have.
While I wander through the area
that connects both districts, I search for something that the Quiet is leading
me towards. This place used to be a busy place full of business and commotion.
Today, it’s all rubble with even the largest pillars that held up its walls being
rubble as well and its empty, destroyed storefronts are dark and may be home to
dangerous predators and I’m not talking about the creatures that have entered
the ruins of the Complex from the outside. As I walk through the empty space, I
suddenly fall through a fragile part of the floor that I should’ve checked to
see if it was broken. After rubbing my head and dusting myself off, I take out
my flashlight to see that I’m in a maze of tunnels.
“Who goes there?” I hear a woman’s
voice say in the dark.
Her voice says raspy as if she’s
hurt.
“Hello? Do you need help?”
“Yes, I do. Follow the sound of my
voice.”
“Who are you?”
“No one important. At least, not
important anymore.”
“Is there anyone else down here?”
“None that I know of and those that
came down here refused to help me.”
At first, I wonder why no one
wanted to help her until I see her. She’s the Sense, the one who ran the Sense
district. Her appearance is much frailer than I expected and looks to be more
bone than skin. The Sense is unable to move from where she is as half of her
body is crushed by rubble and the rest of her is surrounded by vines and roots.
She reaches out to me and says, “Come,
let us enjoy our final moments together in ecstasy.”
“Forget it. Give yourself to the
Quiet and your soul may be saved,” I say.
“I’ve heard its whispers and know
that it put me in this situation because I hunted people to please and make me
happy. I am nothing more than a pathetic wretch with less than nothing to give.
Why would it save me now?”
“Your soul, your trust, your heart.
It allowed you to live long enough to see me and hear what I have to say. There
must be a chance for you to be saved despite your many evil deeds.”
“Is that so? Do you know what I’ve
done? You do if you can call what I’ve done evil. Have I wronged you in any
way?”
“You have, but I’ve put that behind
me now.”
“Have you now? Were you one of my pleasure
slaves? Did I sell you off to the highest bidder or made you tend to the red veins?”
“It doesn’t matter what you did to
me.”
“Why doesn’t it?”
“Because…I have forgiven you.”
“Forgiven me? Forgiven me…”
Quiet whispers in the silence and a
light tugging pull me in a direction away from the Sense. There’s no point in
talking to her anymore anyways because she seems to be mumbling to herself or
the Quiet. Continuing forward, I find a hall of mirrors with a singular large broken
mirror blocking my path forward. It takes some effort, but I manage to push it
out of my way. This causes a weird domino effect as the mirrors start falling down
and the tunnel starts to collapse. I run as fast as I can through the tunnels and
allow the Quiet to lead me forward through different paths until I eventually
make it outside of the Complex. Looking back, I see the tunnel collapsing
behind me along with the rest of the walls and ceiling of the entire Complex as
if those mirrors were the only things holding it up. Hopefully, more people
were outside of it and whoever is still in there will be able to make it out.
I look forward and see the sun on
the horizon beyond the tree. The grass between my toes feels very refreshing
along with the unfiltered air. It’s as if I’ve entered a new world and, in some
ways, I have. This world isn’t controlled by the corrupt and has the potential
to be something before. After taking a deep breath in, I step forward into the
bright future ahead of me full of hope while quietly thanking the Quiet with
every action, breath, smile, and step I take.
The End
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