Siren

"I was asleep when you called", she said with, for some reason, a dash of guilt.

She was sitting on the small couch across from me, a table between us. 

"I've never fallen asleep except for when they put us to sleep every night."

"How long?"

"I don't know...I was just watching TV and...I dozed off."

"I've never heard of that happening."

"I'm all sweaty too."

We both laughed for a second, lightening the mood a bit.

"Hey, you opened the window for me.", she said in a happier, surprised voice.

"Yeah, I did."

Silence ensued yet again.

"Do you want to go for a walk or something?", I asked her.

"Not really..."

"Oh, Ok.", I thought maybe it was a good idea.

She sighed. Then she began to breath heavily. "Ah, I'm...I'm so sorry. I didn't wan-", She started to tear up. I felt so horrible.  I walked over to her and sat next to her, put my arm around her, and she hid her face on my shoulder.

"I'm just scared."

Her crying wasn't over the top. She wasn't a dramatic person. She hated looking weak. I realized that this was the first time I had seen her cry. I kind of enjoyed it though, she trusted me, and I don't have many friends these days.

"Come with me."

I brought her to the window. It was snowing, as always, and the sirens were as audible as ever. We stood there together, silent, for about a minute....and then my legs fell asleep again...

Channel

"Welcome to the land of prosperity, the land of wealth, the land of freedom, the land of the Citizens."

 

Lying on my couch, I've been keeping it on the 'ganda channel. 

"Welcome to utopia, welcome to paradise. Welcome to the land where dreams become reality. Welcome, to Eden..." 

That word...

"Dream." 

It means nothing.

"I've never dreamed before..." I whisper back, "...no one has."

I hear some pounding over my shoulder. 

A muffled "Hans!" works its way over to me.  

"Open the damn door!", that familiar tone of my brother's voice echoes through my mind, but I know he's not there. 

"You've been gone for six months! What are you do-", an interruption.

The lights dim for but a second and an explosion reverberates through the city. 

"Go back to Eden!", I finish my sentence 

I get up, experiencing some minor pain. I work my way over to the door. I open it. 

An empty hallway. 

The old man who makes snow angels smiles at me

"What are you yelling at?", he throws a nervous chuckle-like wheezing in at end of his inquiry. 

"Nothing."

"Wha-?" 

"Have you ever had a dream?", I cut in.

"What are you talking about?, confused.

"What am I talking about..."

"You need some rest kid.", in a cliche "old man" moment.

"....Yeah....", comes off my lips with dejection.

Our conversation over, I slowly close the door. I nearly collapse, my legs fall asleep. Just as this happens, the phone begins its ringing. 

"Faron February" the computerized cackle of the phone surprises me for some reason. 

I fight my legs to get up. I struggle to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Are you at home?"

"...Were you sleeping!?"

"I'm coming over."

She cancels the call.

This, This Machine

He longs for it so. He has become an assimilation of what was once a complete human and a collection of circuitry and silicon. He built it. He has grown with it for some time now. "Good evening, User", it chirps back to him. The acceptingness of the synthesized voice eases him. He lets himself go. There are no rules here, it is his domain, his creation, his utopia. He gets what he desires when he desires it; something he can never have in the "society" he exists in. Edward had a comfortable job as an engineer, building the weapons that rule the world. Edward had friends, but his works had killed them. This fact he will never escape. This "creation of his dreams" has filled the gaping void that was ripped by the psychological trauma that comes from building death. He just wanted an escape. He began to build his own machine. This, this machine... 

Across Knives

I think something is wrong with me. I can't feel anymore. I run my hands across knives and I don't feel a thing. I run my fingers through her hair and I don't-feel-a damned-thing. I couldn't feel the tears rolling down my face when she asked me why I was crying. I didn't answer her. I didn't know either. I killed her with the very same hands that night. I don't know why. I did it because it felt good. As I watched her scream, I realized that I could no longer hear. As I ate her, I realized that I could no longer taste. I think it was the smell that woke me up. When I woke, and I saw, I realized:

"I had eaten myself".

The American Nightmare

Hmmm, I wonder. Is Katie going out with Brad? I wonder if the Hills is on tonight

Oh look, the Iraq death toll is 10,000 now. I wonder why McCain reinforced the Patriot Act last Thursday

I hear the outbreak in Europe has killed much of the population

We've invaded Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. They couldn't put up much of a fight against us. The operations were over in a month. Thankfully, their governments are now under our just control

My husband was part of the invasion force deployed from Iceland. The European Union is the only country that could still rival ours; their current state should give us an advantage. Being as they are such a young state, they are still divided and without the unity of our great alliance, not to mention the crippling outbreak they suffered last year

The famine in Russia should make this an easy fight

Today, China claimed at the UN meeting that it is prepared to mobilize against the United American Republics

We launched our newly completed weapon for the moon this week. It should be ready for operations within 6 days

China has begun to aid the Russian Resistance and is taking back part of the Siberian Wastes. They have signed several weapons development deals with the Japanese in the past weeks. Some fears are mounting as to what their plans will be, but our leaders have assured us not to worry

My husband has been promoted to general for command of the forces being rushed to Alaska and the nearby Kamchatka Peninsula

We fired our weapon on Japan today. It is said that they did not suffer, but many of us are losing our trust in our government. China has declared war on us

The Chinese have transmitted messages to all electronic devices currently in use in the 'republics. It asks all citizens to raise their hands against our oppressors. It says that if we do not, the UAR will have control of every byte and every page and every memory; to censor and rewrite all that we know. No one would ever know the truth.

I am an old woman now, a grandma; or at least I would be if all of my family wouldn't have passed in the Endwar. I live in St. Paul, Minnesota, by myself. It's a lot quieter now. Maybe I'm the only one left, maybe we will never be able to start over.

At least, now, I'm free.