Cracked 10/11/2019

The darkness assaulted my eyes like some unexpected visitor. Despite my protest, I arose, sleep clinging to my eyes like some sort of leech.

*Beep* *beep* *beep*

The alarm blared its incessant siren, my eardrums ringing as it blared across the room, reverberating off of the walls just to hit me again.

Why did I get out of bed at all?

I walked through to the kitchen and put the kettle on, its loud whistle drowning out any sounds in the distance. It sounded like children were outside, parading the streets like some jovial mob.
I stared out the window, watching life go by as I stayed perfectly still. The only movement that I could take credit for were my eyes darting around, drinking in the surrounding foliage which infected the streets.

The shakes begun.

My hands started shaking again. My neck twitching as if someone put something extremely cold on the back of my neck.
A nearby sound pricked my ears, coming from my flat. It sounded like footsteps, followed by the voice of my long passed father calling me, seeming angry I was not responding.

But I was. He could not hear me, he never could. I pleaded for his response. I'd best leave the house before he gets irate.
I forgot about the kettle, which had just shut off as the door handle clicked back into position.

My head started hurting as soon as I left the apartment. As soon as the headaches started, the cold outside bit my skin with its violent teeth.

It was so cold outside that my breath lingered in front of me. I hardly minded, at least I knew I was still alive.

The doctors office was just through an alley, almost adjacent from my flat. It didn't look inviting at all, but then again it never did.

I decided to avoid that alley, no good can come from that claustrophobic strip.

The streets were littered with people; emotionless and focused; wandering around like un-herded cattle.

At least they bled like cattle.

I was not far from the doctor's now, around five minutes away in fact.

My focus was so fixated on my surroundings that I hadn't noticed my hands had stopped shaking. This gave me some extreme relief as it meant that I was safe, at least for today.

Outside the doctor's waited a man. He was tall, about six foot six to be precise. He stood completely still, although his unnerving smile twitched violently in a sea of straight faces.

I couldn't help but be outraged by his individuality. Why was he smiling? Nobody else was.

Approaching him further with some hesitance, he did not seem to notice me at all. It was as if I were a ghost, forced to roam around the world, ostracised and lonely.

I stood in front of him and gave him the same look he seemingly gave me, without the smile. I was deadly serious about my demeanour whilst he continued to make a mockery of the world.
Without any warning, his face began to distort. It contorted and spiralled in front of me like some otherworldly being. His body remained perfectly still, but his face kept moving around.
I felt sick, although I could not stop watching. I was drawn into whatever was going on. A deep desire grew within me, one to end this "man's" life.

I begun violently hitting him, utilising a strength I didn't know I possessed. I beat him relentlessly until his body stopped twitching. Motionless, matching the faces of everyone around me, seemingly unaffected by what they've just seen.

A voice resounded in my head.

" Go back"

I wiped the blood from my shirt and ruffled my hair back to its original state and carried on along the way. Ignoring the body completely, I strutted away, as if I were proud of what I had done. I think, somewhere deep within me, I was ecstatic about it.

After a short walk, I reached the doctor's, the door glowing a deep red, projecting a hellish glow on the street. Despite the oddity to this, I still grabbed the handle.

My hands burned as I released, leaving a mark on my hand that could only be compared to a horn.

Light seeped out of the hallway as the door swung open. I stood completely still, drinking it in. My hands became increasingly tight and I fell backwards, hitting my head as I crashed to the floor.

The light from the world darkened for a moment, but quickly lit up again. I stood up again, my hands completely bound in a uniform I did not recognise.

The uniform was marble white, with several bolts clinging to me. I could not move at all.

A woman in a surgical mask approached me, smiling. I could tell she was smiling from the mask moving up and down as she found the smile to match her style.
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"Hello Damien, how are you feeling today?"
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