"What is this sensation?"

. . .

"It feels familiar... Have I done this before?"

. . .

"Yes, I have. But what am I doing?"

Juric opens his eyes slowly, revealing two metallic grey orbs reddened by his daze. Déjà vu envelops Juric as that familiar scene stretches out before him, a busy suburban street drenched in shades of white, black and grey. Everything is still and motionless, everything except Juric, who drags his bare feet against the cold pavement beneath him. Slowly he shifts his 6'1" frame past the frozen people on the sides of the street, their frozen forms implying their future actions like silhouettes conveying a message. One women leant over a pram comforting her child, another pushed an envelope into a post box, left of Juric a guy stands frozen with his gaze locked on his watch as he waits for the pedestrian lights to grant him safe passage. Each one of them, a different human being with a different life, they live in different homes and have different friends. Reflecting on his sonder thoughts Juric continues to shift his form through the motionless, black, white and grey scenery, unsure of where he is going or even where he came from.

"This is it, isn't it?"

. . .

"My existence."

Suddenly as if to protest his assertion a sudden force pushed Juric off balance, reaching for a nearby wall Juric hit the ground with a jolting shock when his hand phased through the wall effortlessly as if it weren't even there. On his back Juric watched as the black, white and grey scene of the street disappeared into the distance, leaving nothing but empty blackness around him. He looked left, he looked right but either way there was nothing but that deep piercing darkness. Juric shifted and hugged his knees to his chest, this abyss left a peaceful feeling within him, a longing feeling.

"This too, is my existence."

. . .

"Not yet, no. But it will be, I wonder when?"

. . .

"I guess that is up to me... Soon maybe."

Juric took a deep breath, closed his eyes and hugged his knees close. He felt peaceful here, but part of him hated it, this black abyss, this nothingness. Part of him kicked and screamed and swore and fought, part of his feared this place more than anything. As Juric lay there, he knew he'd no longer be able to see the scene of the black, white and grey street drifting further away, but he could feel it drifting further and as it drifted, that part of him that hated this place grew stronger. It grew so strong he wanted to thrash and swim his way through the abyss to get back to the street, to get closer to that place to cease his silent protests.

"There is no going back, this existence is all encompassing. I know that, I know that very well."

. . .

"But is it really okay for me to not try? Am I content with this abyss?"

Suddenly, as if the answer had dawned on him Juric shifted his figure in the abyss, now he was thrashing his arms, he was kicking his legs, he was swimming back to his old existence. He swam and swam, pushing himself like he had never done so before, and as he did the black around him slowly brightened, it's tones shifting slowly until finally it was crimson. Suddenly Juric felt an urge to breath, but there was no air, he was only surrounded by crimson. Thrashing harder now, he swam until finally he penetrated the surface of the crimson sea, covered in the crimson liquid he breathed deep of the humid air around him.

---

Jolting awake Juric was hyperventilating, he felt the warm quilt of his mattress enveloping him with a layer of sweat. Juric's eyes darted frantically between his eye lids as they drank in the scene before him. It was his bedroom, he started to calm down as he gathered himself. "A dream," Juric said as he let out a sigh of relief. "Just a dream again..." Juric reached at his bed side table grabbing his black rimmed glasses and sliding them onto his face. The room was dark, but his eyes had already adjusted enough for him to reach for the lamp next to him.

Flicking the light on revealed Juric's somewhat bare room, old clothes patches the floor here and there while a brown wardrobe sat in a corner to the right of the room, it's drawers pulled out mostly and empty. Juric pushed his thick red blanket off of his sweaty body as he picked himself up. "I'm parched." Juric thought to himself. Shifting his frame to his bedroom door Juric left his room into the small living room of his apartment, in the far right corner an old T.V. blurted and flashed various colours as the late night news program played. "Left it on again I guess." Juric's inner monologue echoed. Dragging his feet over to his old, marsh green couch he sifted his hands over the cushions until he found the remote. Bringing his arm up her aimed the remote at the T.V. before pausing to listen to the broadcast.

"... startling reports all over the world this evening as another wave of creature attacks decimate small towns across Europe, Asia on the other hand have had some success in suppressing the attacks while reports from the Americas are slightly more fickle with the US and Mexico reporting low numbers of causalities while South America and Canada suffer much larger casualties." The announcer says sternly. Interested Juric shifts his body, leaning on the couch with his arms crossed. "I take you now to a statement reordered earlier today of US military representatives speaking to the UN."

The image on the screen fades to a stern looking scarred man dressed in military colours, his uniform is filled to the brim with various medals despite his young age. "Many meetings and conversations have been held between the US government, US military and foreign powers. We have come to the conclusion that leaving any one nation to fend for itself during these harrowing events is absolutely not an option. For this reason the US military will be opening it's bases all over the world to a very limited protocol that would allow local governments to request US military aid at key locations the government deems important." The young man pauses for a moment shifting his stern gaze over the officials seated before him in the UN. "Furthermore, with help from our allies in Europe and South America, the US military is developing a specialised force tasked with offensive goals in regards to these creatures. As an incentive to further promote this task force, the US military will be offering more support to countries who contribute to this new task force. That is all."

The television fades to black as Juric hits the power button, "Is it really that big of an issue? The media has been exaggerating a lot lately." Juric thinks to himself before chucking the remote back onto the couch. Getting himself a cup of water he moves back into his bed room, removing his glasses and lying down. Letting out a long sigh he whispers to himself. "School tomorrow..."

Juric's morning conformed to it's usual routine, he awoke before his alarm and brewed himself a cup of coffee. Breakfast, some toast, was paired with the early morning news on his television before he reviewed his homework with another cup of coffee. Then after scrubbing his teeth, he'd leave his apart ensuring to lock the deadbolt. He'd navigate the streets of his local area in the pale blue morning embrace as steam clung to his breathe, so engrained was his routine it required next to no concious effort on his part to maintain. Juric looked down at his marching legs, he was lost in thought imagining what his day would be like, that too, no doubt like the rest of his day will, conformed to a familiar routine.

In an effort to bring some variety to his black and white existence, Juric dragged his gaze away from his marching feet and observed his surroundings. Something was odd, slightly unfamiliar about this usually familiar path. it seemed the streets were more empty than usual, and some houses looked different, one house had replaced their fence with a larger metal one, while another house had steel bars over its windows. 'Did they have anything to do with the recent events involving the creatures?' Juric thought to himself. A smirk sprawled across his face, "People are so gullible, it's almost insulting to think that I am from the same species." Juric's inner monologue consulted. There was no doubting that these creature attacks were real, but from Juric's view it is being conflated far out of proportion like anything he'd viewed from the media. He remembered back to the supposed 'Sie Flu' epidemic in Australia, the media coverage made it seem as if Australia was on the hinges of martial law, yet in the end only 12 people died and a vaccine was quickly conceived. The same thing had happened with the ebola virus, although it was much more severe the media's portrayal had people convinced the end was near. "How pathetic!" Juric thought to himself. Is money really such a valuable thing people would willingly and gladly manipulate one another with such a thing as fear? The thought made him sick. Despite his sadistic tendencies Juric felt it particularly cruel to take advantage of ones stupidity in trade for profit.

Shaking those thoughts from his mind Juric spotted a large collection of buildings surrounded by a marble wall, a large opening sat ahead of him with a path for students to enter and leave as well as space for cars to drive in and park. A large metal plaque sat affixed to the wall that read 'Vale Institute of Learning', that was their fancy title for 'High School'. Unsurprisingly the grounds were devoid of any other students, Juric had a habit of being very early. As Juric shifted his figure through the school grounds he approached a large three story redbrick building, this was where he'd spend the majority of his time here, on the second floor designated for the year 11 classes. Entering the large building Juric marched towards the stairs, stopping briefly as he always did to gaze down the hall that stood outside the year 10 classes on the first floor. As always, a lone figure sat patiently outside their classroom, despite Juric's earliness, there was still someone who was nearly always here earlier than he was. The image triggered sonder thoughts as it did most morning, for some reason seeing that figure affirmed a reassurance within Juric that he wasn't alone, but with that sonder reassurance also came a feeling of lachesism. Still standing at the stair well Juric slid the sleeve of jumper back on his left arm revealing several thick and straight scar marks from where he had harmed himself. His sonder thoughts made each scar seem like a shameful display of an inability to handle the harshness of life, he was a weak person or so he felt.

Sure he had a tough past, in fact it was horrific, but there exist those in the world who endure much worse and yet their arm wasn't laddin with cut scars like his. They didn't wallow in self hatred like he did, they lived on. The thought made Juric angry, he felt as if his life was undeserving of existence, but, he was here and that was that. He was given the gift of life by those he loved and so he thought, even if it is a pathetic life, it is still one worth living.

Marching up the stairs Juric waited outside his classroom, his head bent forward and down staring at his feet as he welled on his thoughts. He was reminded of the care takers at the orphanage he grew up in, their harsh words directed at his weak psyche when ever they caught him cutting himself. "You will never get to have a normal life unless you start acting normal!" He remembered quite specifically. Those words stuck with him as if they were burned into his mind with hot iron.

Juric's classes expanded through the day like normal, he kept to the back row of desks to avoid finding chewed up paper in his hair and when it was time for lunch he ate in a bathroom cubical to avoid losing his lunch to some stupid 'prank'. Before he knew it he was shifting back down the second floor hall towards his class room, he was late coming back to class, this too was usual in his black and white existence. Suddenly Juric was jolted by the sound of breaking glass and brick, what followed was a series of harrowing screams resonating from Juric's classroom. "Wh-what..." Juric whispered to himself as he charged to his classroom door. Sliding it's wooden frame into the wall a grisly scene was met by Juric's eyes, a large hole sat gaping open on the 2nd floor classroom's wall. Wood and brick dust covered the floor as broken desks and chairs melded with flesh, a small pool of blood and entrails gathered at it's feet as it chewed and munched on one of Juric's classmates.



It's rock brown skin looked like cracked earth and hung on his body unnaturally, as if it were new. Juric looked around the classroom, shocked. He wondered, he hoped that there was something, anything to indicate this was all some elaborate trick. Several students and the classroom teacher all gathered to one side of the room opposite the door where Juric stood. The creatures attention was on them, "_{I... I have to run...}" Juric whispered still shocked at the scene before him. Suddenly another harrowing scream pierced Juric's ears as the creature grabbed a female student, it started to squeeze her as it did her scream quickly became laboured and hoarse. She looked as if she was going to pop when the creatures grip visibly loosened, dropping the girl limp to the ground. It was unclear if she was still alive but she wasn't bleeding. "_{Run... I should r-}" Juric's whispers came to a sudden dead stop as the creatures gaze drifted then locked on Juric. It's yellow glowing beady eyes silent and intimidating, peered at Juric intently. It was enough to make Juric completely freeze with fear.

'RUN! RUN! RUN MORON! RUN! I'LL DIE! RUN!' Juric's internal monologue shouted and pleaded. He knew he had to run, but he couldn't the only movement found in his body was in Juric's legs which started to shake with fear. "RUN JURIC!" His teacher shouted from his position on the other side of the classroom. But it was too late, the large creature had wrapped his large long fingers around Juric's abdomen, hoisting the 6'1" young man a foot or two from the ground with ease. The creature continued to stare and peer at Juric, it's actions seemed to hint at curiosity. Juric found himself and started swinging his arms at the creature, his punches and kicks didn't phase the creature in the least. Squeezing tightly, the creature shook Juric harshly, the sudden thrashing sent Juric dizzy as his limbs ached from being swung around so abruptly and unnaturally.

Still concious Juric went limp, a thousand thoughts echoed through his mind but somewhere in there, a stoic monologue echoed his solemn last message. 'This feeling, it's as if there is concrete in my veins. Why is it my body becomes so heavy at the worst times of my life? I guess it wont matter soon. That's right! When I'm dead nothing will matter any more... everything will be black and that'll be that.' Juric hung limply as the creature opened it's mouth wide and lifted Juric horizontally over his mouth. Slowly, Juric's glasses slid of his face, falling into the creature's gullet with a squishy splash. Opening his eyes the blurry image of a pool of crimson filled Juric's vision as he peering into the creature from above.

. . .

In an instant Juric swelled with emotion; desperation, anger, sorrow, hatred and fear swirled within Juric. As if reacting to this new surge of emotion swelling up within him, Juric threw a punch at the creature. An unfamiliar sensation surged through Juric as his fist connected with the creature. Juric's fist bounced off the creature's large lower jaw with a loud thud as a round crease caved into the creatures jaw, the creature howled a terrible shriek before throwing Juric into a concrete wall. Managing to somewhat catch himself after the impact Juric hit the pool of blood that gathered on the floor with a light splatter as he landed on his hands and knees. That unfamiliar sensation still surged through him, it was dark, it felt sickly sweet, it felt... powerful. Juric's left arm started to feel wet as the sensation intensified, with the increased intensity so did unfamiliar faint echoes of mysterious voices in Juric's inner monologue grow.

While the creature still held it's jaw in pain Juric shifted his gaze to his left shirt sleeve, it was entirely trenched in blood. Alarmed he pulled back his left sleeve, his old scars had opened once more but they weren't bleeding, instead they were taking in the blood that pooled the ground. This was too much! Juric wanted to faint but the growing shouts in his head wouldn't let him. More blood seemed to defy gravity as it flowed up into Juric's arm, as it did the voices got louder. 'Kill! Destroy! Revenge! Consume! Kill! Hate! Mutilate! Torture! Kill! Revenge!' The new voices shouted in Juric's head. Their shouts grew into shrilled screams whenever Juric locked his vision on the creature.

The creature stopped howling then turned it's gaze onto the kneeling young man. Growling it charged at him with it's mouth wide open, having no time to think with the screaming voices in his head Juric acted on instinct, picking himself up and taking a crude wide stance. As the creature drew near Juric braced himself and brought his left arm back, then stepping forward into the creatures oncoming presence, with a thundering bang he sent his left fist and arm into the creature, piercing it's chest as he dodged the creatures gaping jaw, the impact of the punch sent his hand out the other side. For a moment the creature went limp collapsing on Juric who struggled to hold it's weight with his arm stuck in it's chest, then as quickly as it had went limp the creature stiffened and began to spasm violently as it was physically absorbed into Juric's open scars on his left arm, grotesque hunks of flesh and bone contorted and twisted, getting drawn into the open marks that covered Juric's arm the process pausing momentarily as large chunks appeared to clog the open marks before tearing to shreds with a squishy sloppy noise. The voices in Juric's head grew with a deafening intensity as he absorbed the creature, suddenly he started to feel fatigued and weak, slowly his vision faded to black as he passed out.

"Mr. Londe, you know why I am here I'm sure." A young women asked peering at Juric. Her uniform reeked of bureaucracy but did not belie the elegance of her smooth movements, everything she did seemed as if it were on purpose, from the way she sat on a chair to how she walked and glared at the bed ridden Juric.

"Yes, you want me to reiterate what happened, for the one hundredth time." Juric spoke begrudgingly. Ever since his surreal experience Juric had been imprisoned in a hospital room with security at the door, as if he were a criminal. Juric's eyes peered past his glasses and at his left arm, the scars were back to normal save for one, which bulged and seemed to pulsate with his every heart beat.

"This is only the eighth time I have been here." The young women responded with a huff.

"In only five days!" Juric snapped back.

"Regardless, this is for your own sake. I need to confirm the data that I have gathered regarding your incident before I can send it off. Now, if you'll bare with me, can you please run through what happened once more." The women spoke sternly. Juric didn't enjoy their exchanges, she was like a vulture trying to peck at a corpse that had long been ravaged, there wasn't more he could add.

"Honestly, don't you have enough information to scare the public some more?!" Juric responded harshly. The women only raised an eye brow in response at first.

"This is indeed a scary reality, I assure you my motives are sincere." The women responded earnestly.

"Sincere? You and your goons have me locked up in this dingy room and refuse to tell me why!" Juric raised his voice. It was clear he was pissed off. "Honestly, first I get attacked by some fucked up ... thing! Then I wake up a week later in this fucking room and no one tells me anything." Juric stated as he lowered his voice. He shifted his gaze to his lap where his hands lay, if memory served right, he had pierced the chest of that creature with his hand. Most of the event was a blur in his memory, but he remembered the voices, screaming at him and then the sickening rips, tares and splats as the creature was absorbed by the scars that dotted his left arm.

The young women let out a long sigh before pulling out her mobile and standing. "I'll be leaving for now." She stated before walking off. Juric paid her no mind as he continued to stare at his hands.