Ghost Memoirs #1

during my first Nano Wrimo, I had a mid month stroke of inspiration. This was the product of that inspiration. I had orrignally thought to have other characters along with these memoirs that had their own story going along with it. But I think I have decided now to just leave the entire story in a memoir format. I might include those other characters, but just have various memoirs from them.

here is the memoir that started it all.

I was walking down the streets of a big city, debris and rubble covering the deserted paths between the crumbling buildings. Cars were piled up along the sides of the street like barricades against some enemy unknown. Fat black Crows and beady-eyed vultures hid in the holes of ruined buildings like pompous and corrupt lords and kings looking down at their feasting table. However, through this entire distressing scene, no discomfort came to me, contrary to what I would have expected. No fear, no worries, no pain or pleasure. Only the feeling of emptiness resided with me. I stopped before a dead woman and knelt down beside her body, perhaps I knew her.

I turned her over to get a better look at her face. Her face was mangled and what was left of it was frozen in the look of terror. It is that specific look of terror that can only be made by the dying breath. I stared into her one eye and looked for an imprint of the light that was once there.

I sat in that way for no more than a few moments before I felt “it” standing there behind me. I knew it was there before I could hear its rumbling metal gait, before I could smell its pervading stench of corroded flesh mingled with burning metal, and before the birds took their flight of fear. I stood slowly feeling its cold, lightless eyes boring into my back. I turned and faced the horror as its black rusting frame began to move towards me.

I lifted my weapon and let fly a few volleys, blowing off parts of its metal hide before it could respond. With quick deadly force did its own killing pleasure show, as holes burned into my own flesh. However, I didn't flinch as I lost the will to lift my weapon, didn’t fear as it charged forward with flaming hands and flying bullets, didn't fall back as it gripped me with searing claws. Then, as it rent me in two, I looked into its eyes, eyes that never held light...and I heard in my mind, with my own empty voice, "If you knew, you still wouldn’t win. You still couldn't beat us."

Then I awoke. I didn't awake, as one would expect, with a racing pulse and quickened breath. Nor did I sit up immediately. I simply opened my eyes and gazed at the ceiling for a few moments as those words rang in my ears.

I remember having that dream a year ago, before this nightmare had sprung upon us. At least, I think I dreamed it. I cannot tell. It just seemed to come back to my memory because today I will walk down a road of some big city with rubble and debris covering these deserted paths between the ruined buildings, and cars piled up like barricades...

Alex Denko

Age 34