Annihilate
Chapter Fifteen: Annihilation
She sat in the sand, her brain thumping inside her head. She could feel her insides changing, her body morphing into a new being. At the crash site stood a tall tower created by fungus and branches dancing together. It was just like her dreams, the dreams of her on the exact same beach, staring at the exact same tower. The biologist made her way up a flight of wooden stairs and into the mysterious building. Bodies from past explorations hung from the walls, held by twigs and thick vines. In the middle of the room was a camera, it pointed at the wall where a man was strung up. She clicked it on and watched.
“I don’t know who I am anymore.” He said, walking back and forth around the room. “My insides feel all twisted up, my head is about to explode. I just can’t do this anymore. Fuck. I thought. I don’t know what I thought. Maybe I’m just insane. Who am I? Who are you?” He looked at something behind the camera. “Are you me?” He asked. “Or am I you?” A flash of bright light filled the room, then he was on the wall, covered in vines.
She shut off the camera, confused at what she just witnessed. She walked down a long hall that opened into a large room. The walls were made out of some organic material she had never seen before. She studied it, ran her fingers across it. It seemed to be alive. In the middle of the room was a man, kneeled down, his arms pointing at the ceiling, his eyes glowing bright yellow.
“No…no you’re dead.” She said, quickly getting her gun out. “You were torn apart by the wolves!”
He opened his mouth, a wave of the glowing abyss shot out in every direction. She fell against the wall as his body began to get brighter and brighter until it finally disappeared, leaving behind a floating orb. The biologist stood, the light from the ball reflecting in her eyes. She moved closer, her mind almost in a trance. She looked inside of the orb, amazed at what was inside. She could see the creation of the universe, the dinosaurs that roamed the Earth, intelligent life on distant planets in far away galaxies. The orb showed her everything, even the answer to the Beyond.
She backed away, a single tear slid down her cheek. She didn’t know how to process everything, her brain simply couldn’t. The orb quickly closed and flashed, then appeared the figure from her dreams, the man with no face. She took a deep breath and ran back through the hall and out of the building. She collapsed in the sand, dropping her weapon.
“What do you want?” the biologist asked as the creature descended down the steps. It didn’t say anything, just continued to walk forward. She dug her gun out of the sand and shot at it, vines dripping out of the bullet holes. It inched closer to her, touching its index finger against her forehead.
The creature slowly morphed into her, its eyes looking deep into hers. She gasped and reached into her bag, pulling out an explosive. She swept the creatures legs out from underneath it and ran for the building. She didn’t know what she was doing, but she had a faint glimmer of hope deep down inside her. She pulled the pin and tossed the grenade into the room that spawned the creature. The tower burst into flames as she exited. She ran far from the building and watched it slowly burn to the ground. The creature stood in the sand beside her. It turned towards her and grabbed her hand, showing her something. The biologist didn’t move. She fell to her knees, the entity wrapping its arms around her as it turned to dust. She looked up at the sky and screamed.
_______________________________________________
“You managed to destroy the Beyond. All the fungus is gone.” A man in a hazmat suit said, as she sat across from him in a chair.
“Good.” She said softly. “No one else has to die.”
“What happened to the others? Noah, Ryan…”
“I know their names.” She said stern. “They died.”
“But you managed to make it to the crash site.”
“Yes.” She replied. “I needed answers.”
“Did you get them?” He asked.
She smiled faintly. “Yes. I did.”
“What was it? The creature.”
“It was nothing and something all at once. It was creation.”
“What did it show you?” He asked.
“Everything.”
“Why did it want to destroy our planet?”
“It didn’t. It was creating something new, something better.” She smiled.
“Natalie…what are you?”
She looked at him, her eyes filled with the oily shimmer. “I am it. I am creation."
ANNIHILATE
“I don’t know who I am anymore.” He said, walking back and forth around the room. “My insides feel all twisted up, my head is about to explode. I just can’t do this anymore. Fuck. I thought. I don’t know what I thought. Maybe I’m just insane. Who am I? Who are you?” He looked at something behind the camera. “Are you me?” He asked. “Or am I you?” A flash of bright light filled the room, then he was on the wall, covered in vines.
She shut off the camera, confused at what she just witnessed. She walked down a long hall that opened into a large room. The walls were made out of some organic material she had never seen before. She studied it, ran her fingers across it. It seemed to be alive. In the middle of the room was a man, kneeled down, his arms pointing at the ceiling, his eyes glowing bright yellow.
“No…no you’re dead.” She said, quickly getting her gun out. “You were torn apart by the wolves!”
He opened his mouth, a wave of the glowing abyss shot out in every direction. She fell against the wall as his body began to get brighter and brighter until it finally disappeared, leaving behind a floating orb. The biologist stood, the light from the ball reflecting in her eyes. She moved closer, her mind almost in a trance. She looked inside of the orb, amazed at what was inside. She could see the creation of the universe, the dinosaurs that roamed the Earth, intelligent life on distant planets in far away galaxies. The orb showed her everything, even the answer to the Beyond.
She backed away, a single tear slid down her cheek. She didn’t know how to process everything, her brain simply couldn’t. The orb quickly closed and flashed, then appeared the figure from her dreams, the man with no face. She took a deep breath and ran back through the hall and out of the building. She collapsed in the sand, dropping her weapon.
“What do you want?” the biologist asked as the creature descended down the steps. It didn’t say anything, just continued to walk forward. She dug her gun out of the sand and shot at it, vines dripping out of the bullet holes. It inched closer to her, touching its index finger against her forehead.
The creature slowly morphed into her, its eyes looking deep into hers. She gasped and reached into her bag, pulling out an explosive. She swept the creatures legs out from underneath it and ran for the building. She didn’t know what she was doing, but she had a faint glimmer of hope deep down inside her. She pulled the pin and tossed the grenade into the room that spawned the creature. The tower burst into flames as she exited. She ran far from the building and watched it slowly burn to the ground. The creature stood in the sand beside her. It turned towards her and grabbed her hand, showing her something. The biologist didn’t move. She fell to her knees, the entity wrapping its arms around her as it turned to dust. She looked up at the sky and screamed.
_______________________________________________
“You managed to destroy the Beyond. All the fungus is gone.” A man in a hazmat suit said, as she sat across from him in a chair.
“Good.” She said softly. “No one else has to die.”
“What happened to the others? Noah, Ryan…”
“I know their names.” She said stern. “They died.”
“But you managed to make it to the crash site.”
“Yes.” She replied. “I needed answers.”
“Did you get them?” He asked.
She smiled faintly. “Yes. I did.”
“What was it? The creature.”
“It was nothing and something all at once. It was creation.”
“What did it show you?” He asked.
“Everything.”
“Why did it want to destroy our planet?”
“It didn’t. It was creating something new, something better.” She smiled.
“Natalie…what are you?”
She looked at him, her eyes filled with the oily shimmer. “I am it. I am creation."
ANNIHILATE