I low, only thing I know. I know what I see, what I feel. Live in dust, it chokes, dug deep in ground. I stay out of light, it burns, on ground. Not alive, exist. I know only what see, mountains, dust, dunes. Fortress, never forget home of Bright Ones. No know what look like, only light when see.
I see glimmer, I dig in sand far as can, hold still, wait to pass. whole life in mind. Born in dark, live in dark, never see sun. Alone, always alone. They look me and like me. They dig in sand, find Worms. We Worms. Name I give to us, live in the dirt. No family, no friend. Survival is isolation, more of us, more found.
Feel sand. Bright Ones above, big, heavy, stomp, angry. Curl up, body thin, starved. Worms eat live, never enough. Always hungry, always see, never find. Long rod, drive in ground, find Worms. Feel move, sand tell me so. No survive, sand no talk. No hit, try again, no hit, keep try, further away. Safe, for now.
Sand scream. Worm dig, try get away. Bright Ones dig in sand, pull out Worm. Screams stop, heavy feet stomp, no more sound. Worm caught, no more hear again. Hold still long time more. Move on, look food. Sand talk, feel empty. Dig strong, dig fast, big eat small, survive. Grab creature, tear it, sink teeth, pull raw flesh away, chew, swallow.
Wretch, body no want raw meat, waste is death, I alive. Clamp down, force down. Eat all, leave nothing, keep all down, curl up, sleep. Dream take me place, place alive. Light no burn, no sand choking. All green where walk, brown towers more green, blue too. Bright light, can't see, Bright Ones, afraid. Mind open.
I awaken, cruel reality, feel warm around me. Sun has risen, not good time on surface. Crawl around more, sand say someone on surface. Not Bright One's, not heavy, only one. Sand say something else, something not person is hitting, soft, splash, water. Quickly, I dig to nearby burrow.
I put head out hole. "Hey!" I shout, back in before sun burn.
Man turn around. "You a girl?" he asks, look in my burrow.
"I closest out here," I say and huddle in corner.
Aware different sexes despite isolation. If I fit this branding, I no know. I know desirable best survival. I transform, I live another day, deal with consequences tomorrow. Speech, all I know, small time with other Worms, taught to express, be desirable, be wanted, else die. He steps inside, I huddle in corner, return sand if need be. Eyes adjust to dark, I can see he tall, muscular, not like Worm. I know he has food. He survivor.
"What got?" I ask.
"Have a feel," he return, pull thing from behind.
Careful, I reach out hand, feel a prick, pain make me happy. I run finger along surface, more pricks, more pain. It wet, pull back fingers, lick them clean.
"A cactus!" I exclaim.
"A slice," he specifies.
A slice of cactus still with water! If I could drool, I would. "What do you want?" I ask.
"A woman," he returns.
"I woman enough?" I ask as I shed my tattered clothes, keep sight of prize.
"You pretty?" he pries.
"In dark," I stipulate.
"You'll do," he says.
I look shrivels of clothing, remnants of civilized age, all left prove I human, ancestors were. Now I feel naked. I extend hand in dark. He lays cactus slice in palm hand. I smash fleshy bit in face, careful of thorns. I drink plant till dry. I feel cool drink down throat. I celebrate wet throat. I not able tell feeling. I die happy. I barely know what happening. He push me close to hole.
I fear light, throw self to wall. He push me hard, grab my back. I slump ground on elbows. He squeezes, pulls at my skin, find scars, from survival. He repulsed, but returns to his place behind me. I lost to savory morsel. I no care, just Worms, one more, if I able to do so. He needs be strong, he shows me so. I weak, he strong, that is all. He finish inside me, I ready go back.
He throws me into light. I squirm, roasting in light, cool shade fall on me. Eyes go wide, Bright Ones all around, nowhere hide. He leaves hole, sees me, I small, thin, dirty. I curl up cry, no tears, no cry. I know, I not survive Bright Ones. Crunch in front, clash behind, light returns, burns skin. Thing fall on sand, Worm in dust, worse than I, dried shell.
I lift off ground, surrounded by dark, no more burn. "I require you," a voice comes all around
"Who you?" I ask.
"I am hate," is response.
I look, find holes, let in light. I look out, bright surface, no hurt look, no burn light. I see Bright One, no light, giant metal people. They rise from ground, torn, beaten, still coming. They hit. I close eyes, all feel slight shaking. Look out. They hit, I no feel, safe inside, no hurt. I, curious? Always afraid, never safe, no see what there. No think, only survive.
"Fuel me!" I hear scream.
I confused.
"You must give me your life," the voice makes clear, knows think.
I scared. Give life?!" I say. "Why?!" Still shake, attack outside.
"Because if you do not," the voice says more. "Both you and I will be torn apart by the Metal Ones."
Mind open. Know what said. Look outside, still fight, still break. They want Worm, they want me
I take a look outside. Bright Ones, Metal Ones, continue their attack. Trying to dig out another Worm. Trying to dig me out. I start panic. How long they get inside? How long they tear away, drag me to fate worse than death?
"Will you allow yourself to be taken away?" voice asks me. "Or will you fuel me with your life force and allow me to destroy our enemies?"
I think options. Seem bad either way. Take chances Metal Ones, let darkness take life, destroy them instead? One choice be made.
"Use me," I say, prepare for the worst.
Feel body float, energy leaves through skin. It strange, then, get used to it. Feel good all over. I should feel weak, I feel strong. I feel powerful. I feel alive. First time in life, feel as though living, not just surviving.
Look down Metal Ones, high looking point. They no look tough. I feel strange, my arm moves, take hold of head of Metal One, squeeze, crush, blood, it fall backwards. Make other hand hammer, bring it down, onto another's head. Metal flattens and again, blood oozes out, body collapses. I feel good, I want more. My mind opens. I turn to side, one is pummeling me, I don't feel it.
I spin arms about, take hold the waist, squeeze, I like to squeeze. The body bends, breaks strange ways, fascinate me. One left. Swing fists together, launch into air, it lands a distance. I walk over, see it struggling to get up, massive dent I put into side. Set my foot atop chest, drive weight down. It flattens, more blood, pouring out sides, onto sand.
It's over. No more Metal Ones. No more enemies. Just long stretching sand, under sweltering sun. My legs move, but it not my doing. Walk great distance, going to the fortress. I try to stop. Don't want go there, legs won't listen. I have no choice, don't know nightmares there. I see fortress from distance and it massive. Its spires high in sky, all covered in metal, it gleam in light.
I put my hand against the surface, pushing fingers inside, tear a massive hole, we pass through. Inside is large, spacious room, eerie glow, unknown light source, not from the sun. Bad anxious feeling. I inside the fortress, Metal Ones reside, where take Worms, never to hear again. I am in the monster's den, no know how big beast is.
"Still alive?" I hear a voice, find source. "You know you really should have just stayed in the garbage heap. It would have been so much easier for you."
Mind open. I continue my search, I catch sight of Metal Ones. They headed our direction, they aren't stopping. It time to squish and squeeze again. I smile as I jump in
Laughter through room, just above din of crushing. "Tear and destroy." the voice continues. "That was all you were ever good for, but you can not destroy me. Just like you could not convince them to see things your way."
I don't care what voice says, I have plenty of Metal Ones to crush. Pieces fly, blood splatters, it is magic. I love every minute.
"Do you remember the desolation?" the voice carries on. "Do you remember leading all those people away? You were their savior and yet they turned their back upon you, and why?"
I listen to voice, destroy more Metal Ones. No end, don't want there to be.
"Because you did not offer them a bright ray of hope." the voice admonishes us. "No. You merely offered them a dark, grim reality."
Metal Ones stop pouring in, those inside stop moving, stand still, continue to tear them apart. No struggle. No fight back. No resistance. It leave hollow feeling inside. I don't like it. It takes good feeling I got from violence. I stare, as they stand stock still, grim sentries, mock progress.
"They looked to you for shelter," the voice rambles on. "They looked to you for protection. They wanted to make you king, but you turned away. You told them that they must stand upon their own feet. That they must think and reason for themselves.You warned them that to follow such folly would only lead us back to the brink, which we had all barely crawled away from. In short, you turned your back upon them. They needed you, if even foolishly. You could have tried. You could have taken their misguided desire and turned it back away, but you did not. You were tired of them, weren't you? Always looking to you. Always accrediting you with all their joys, as well as their failings. Did they feel like weights upon your back? Did your own quest for enlightenment suffer so from their continual gaze?"
Don't like what hearing. Don't like what feeling. Get back feeling, high from before. Kick, stomp, punch, tear Metal Ones. Want feeing back. Need feeling back, doesn't return.
"Of course," the voice relentlessly proceeds. "I must give you credit. If not for your sudden departure, if not for your abandonment, I would have found it a lot more difficult to win them over. But with the hole that you left behind, it became easy. You think that man can govern himself? Such nonsense is beyond insane. Whereas it is true that we all possess the necessary tools, the common man does not possess the knowledge to use such tools. Those that came before us knew this. That is why they established the hierarchy that they did. They knew, when dealing with a dumb beast, the quickest means to driving it forward, is to give it the lash."
Shiny bodies pile up, few left standing. I tear into them with voracious appetite for carnage, it doesn't help. Nothing quiets unrest inside me. The little voice that tells me, I'm the villain, not the hero.
"Is it for the mindless sheep that you are so enraged, or is it perhaps what I personally did to you?" voice drones on, getting under skin. "Do you remember? Once your image was no longer necessary, once they had turned away from you completely, how I hollowed you out and threw you upon the pile of junk? But you don't give up easily, do you?"
Metal Ones dead, not one left standing, but I not done. I need find where voice coming from. I need shut it for good.
"Did you claw your way out from the garbage heap, across the ever expanding distance, all to find me?" the voice presses, I tear walls and ceilings. "I am touched. I never thought you cared that much. After all, you never did before."
I not listening anymore. I just tearing and ripping and breaking, everything, anything. I go too far, structure has compromised, it start fall apart. It all comes down with us inside. We buried beneath mountain debris, but voice stopped. No more voice going on and on, about things don't matter. We just sit there, enjoy silence, enjoy solitude. It nice, all good things end.
Mind open. Slow, break through debris, until we're top. Sun has set, it's mostly dark. We stand at peak and look over expanse, nothing but infinite ocean of sand, every direction. It disheartening say least. We make way down to the sand, carry on. No destination. Our fight over, gotten revenge. Walk on, aimlessly venturing further and further into dark world, but can't trudge on forever.
Our legs getting heavy and sluggish, isn't long until they give out all together, unmoving. I feel falling down into sand below, nothing do to stop it. Turn about, gaze upon vehicle what left there is. It massive, chest hanging open. Inside nothing, hollowed out body, like small den. Would have continue to stare, but sun rising in dark sky. I need to burrow!
Mind open. I thrust my hand into the sand, but find I can't scoop away the loose particles. My arms are too weak and shriveled from having given my life's energy to make the behemoth move, but I try anyway, I have no choice. I continue to dig in my insufficient fashion, as the skin tears from my bones, due to the sands coarse touch.
The sun's rays hit me and I dig all the harder, my blood mixing with the sand, creating a ghoulish mortar. My arms continue to work at the stubborn particles, until they stop altogether, I simply have no more energy left. My body slumps into the small hole I created and I taste sand. I try to raise my head, but I cannot.
The scorching sun rises higher into the sky and begins to bake my taught skin and fry me from the inside out. I find just enough strength to turn myself over, so I can stare at my executioner. My body shrivels up and I can feel my life slipping away. After all I was a Worm and you don't leave worms out in the sun.