Out Of Nothing

It was so dark.

Cold metal coiled around Jackies neck, piercing rusty needles into it. She was chained to the wall behind her.

She was bleeding.

She couldn’t see anything in the dark, just feel the cold metal ground.

She tried calling for help but the words died in her dry throat. She was so thirsty.

It hurts.

Still, her body felt… better. As if she switched from too tight clothing to comfy pajamas. No stiff bones restricting her movement. If movement just wouldn’t hurt so much.

She tried pulling the chain out of the wall but it just let her cry in pain.

Then she just sat there. Waited. She didn’t know for how long.

The thirst became unbearable. She tried to catch the blood from her neck, but it wouldn’t do. She needed a bigger wound, she thought. Madness.

She dug her teeth into her forearm. They were oddly sharp and had no problems reaching the bone. Out of shock she yanked her arm away. A big shred of flesh stayed between her teeth. The pain was indescribable, but she didn’t want to waste one drop of blood. You’re insane. How long have you been here? A couple of days? And you already start eating yourself? She didn’t know how many days it has been. She layed down on the floor and nibbled on the piece of flesh. Has she ever slept? Were it only a few hours? She wanted to sleep but the pain kept her awake. After some time she ceased feeling it. She sat up again. The wound on her arm healed. Such big wounds can’t heal on their own, can they? Nobody answered the silent question.

So alone.

Was there a noise?

“Hello?”

Nobody answered.

Must have been my imagination, Jackie thought.

“Exactly”, someone said. The voice was smooth as the surface of a lake.

“Who’s there?” Jackie asked.

“You decide. After all, you made me up.”

“What?”

“You felt lonely, so you made up an imaginary friend. Here I am!”

If that’s true, Jackie really was insane.

“What’s your name?”

“Alice.”

Jackie didn’t know what to ask her imaginary friend, so she remained silent. So did Alice.

“You’re not human anymore”, Alice noticed after a while, “those teeth. And your arm healed pretty well.”

“What am I?”

“How should I know?”

Jackie carefully licked her teeth. They reminded her of daggers. Incredibly sharp ones. She should try to avoid biting her tongue. Then she got an idea. Maybe she could bite through the chain!

Slowly she tried to get the chain between her teeth without hurting herself. Her new, more flexible body helped with that. She could bite through the thick metal as if it was warm butter. She was free!

Triumphantly she spat the metal on the ground and tried to walk as far away from the wall as possible. Her legs forgot how to walk though after all this time and she fell on the floor pretty quickly. She was painfully reminded the metal piece around her neck was still there.

“Well done”, Alice said.

After slowly getting used to standing upright again, she inspected the room for a door. She found a desk at one side, a chair on another. She found the door at the last wall. Locked and made out of solid metal. She tried biting a hole in it, but couldn’t really get it between her teeth. She only left some scratches on it.

Morosely she sat down in front of the door. Alice sat next to her. A small ray of light shone through under the door. Jackie could see her pale skin and her black hair. Alice was just as pale, but had long ash blonde hair. She wore a black dress.

“I like the look you gave me” Alice smiled.

“Will we ever get out of here?”

“Time will tell.”

Something in Alice’s face gave Jackie new hope.

“You know, maybe it’s not just your teeth that changed.”

 “Everything else seems pretty normal.“

“Does it?”

There has been this tingly feeling in her arms. As if there’s something inside them that wants to come out. Jackie clenched her fist. Tried to concentrate her energy into it. Within a second her arm changed into a demonic claw with red scales.

“WHAT THE FUCK?”


The red scales went down to her elbow and stuck out like spikes. They had a purple glow to them as if they are covered in demonic energy. Jackie had no doubt they were. Her fingers transformed into long dark red claws, seemingly about as sharp as her new teeth. What the hell is she?

After staring at it for a while, Jackie decided to try her new arm out by slashing at the door. It didn’t give in, but she left significantly deeper scratches in it. If she just keeps doing that long enough, one day she’ll reach the other side.

Alice had a large dorky smile on her face. “You’re awesome” she proclaimed.

The door took more time than Jackie thought, but she knew it can’t hold her back forever. She had to pause a couple of times to eat and drink. It was still painful, but Jackie knew it would end soon. She learned how to change her arms back to normal, by just relaxing them. Alice wanted her to try to find more features of her new body, but Jackie didn’t want to waste any second she could use to rip that door to shreds.

“Jackie! Jackie could you stop for a minute?” Alice seemed concerned.

Jackie stepped away from the door and sat down in front of her friend.

“What’s the matter?”

“Before we get out of here… I just want to let you know that… I love you.”

“As a friend of course!” she quickly added.

“Aww, I love you too, Alice!” Jackie said as she embraced her friend.

“… you know I’m not real right?”

“What does it matter?”

They remained like this for some time.

“Well then, I need to get back to work.”

“Good luck.”

A ray of dim light shone through a new hole in the door. Still too small to fit through but it won’t stay that way for long. Jackie bit off the edges of the hole until it was large enough for her to fit through.

“WE DID IT!”

Jackie’s heart overflowed with joy. Alice just stared at the whole with a blank expression, but Jackie didn’t notice her friend’s lack of emotions.

On the other side was a long corridor. At the end were stairs reaching to a wooden door. Jackie grabbed her friend’s hand and ran towards the door. She could destroy it with a single slash. The sudden blinding light made her fall on the ground, rolling through the doorway. Sunlight! Finally, sunlight! After all this time, Jackie’s eyes could still adjust to the light. She saw a wasteland littered with the remains of destroyed buildings. It was the most beautiful view to her. Her prison was an underground basement of another destroyed house. She wondered what happened here.

Then she noticed the melancholic face of Alice.

“Why are you so sad?” Jackie asked concerned.

“It’s goodbye time.” Alice whispered, staring at the ground.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not real Jackie. I need to go.” Alice looked up. Her eyes determined.

“No you don’t! You can stay with me!”

“You’re free now, Jackie, you can find some real friends.”

“Alice, don’t do this.” Jackie tried to grab her friend but she avoided it.

“I am just in your imagination, I am nothing!” Alice shouted angrily.

“You’re everything to me!”

“Jackie you need to leave this madness behind.”

“But I can feel you… touch you… how are you not real?”

“You became pretty good in tricking your senses down there.”

Alice started fading.

“No, stop, Alice! We can talk about it, please give me a chance!”

“Promise me you find some friends just as awesome s you are.”

“I promise nothing if you don’t stay!”

“Goodbye Jackie, you were the best friend I could wish for.”

With that Alice was gone.

“No! Alice come back!” Jackie slashed at the air where her imaginary friend just stood.

Tears fell on the dry earth, followed by a crying monster girl. Jackie screamed in emotional agony.

Again she didn’t know how long she was lying there. When all tears were cried and her screams became a silent sobbing she tried to get up again. After staring in the sky long enough she whispered:

“I promise you, Alice.”

Mein Leid Wird Euer Sein / Aus Dem Nichts

Mein Leid Wird Euer sein

Tommy spuckte das Blut und den Sand aus. Ihre Gelenke schmerzten beim Aufstehen, wobei sie nicht den Blick vom Meer ließ, in dem sich der rotgefärbte Himmel spiegelte. Normalerweise wachte sie in ihrem Bett auf. Diesmal nicht. Sie sah sich um. Der Strand, auf dem sie erwachte, erstreckte sich zur Linken bis an den Horizont,  zur Rechten wurde er jäh durch eine künstliche Felsmauer unterbrochen. In einem der Felsen, etwas abseits der Wand, steckte ein Auto. Das Auto ihrer Mutter. Seit ein paar Wochen hatte Tommy den Führerschein und lieh es sich gelegentlich. Die Windschutzscheibe lag in Scherben auf der eingedrückten Motorhaube, am Rückspiegel hing eine Engelsfigur die ihren Dienst als Schutzengel wohl versagt hatte.

Eigentlich tat Tommy  der Figur damit Unrecht, dachte sie, dem Schaden am Auto nach zu urteilen war ihr fast unverletzter Zustand nicht gerade selbstverständlich. Aber vielleicht war sie auch gar nicht am Unfall beteiligt. Tommy konnte sich an nichts erinnern.  Sie sollte erst einmal Zuhause anrufen und ihren Eltern sagen dass sie irgendwo einen Unfall gebaut hat. Sie zog das verschrammte Touchscreen-Handy aus ihrer Hosentasche, das sie mit der Anzeige „Kein Signal“ begrüßte. Typisch.

Jedoch konnte ihr Handy sie mit der derzeitigen Uhrzeit versorgen, es war 19:04 Uhr. Um sich vor der kalten Nacht zu schützen suchte sie das Autowrack nach einer Jacke ab, fand jedoch nur eine Taschenlampe die hoffentlich noch genügend Saft hatte. Sie trug nur ein T-Shirt und Shorts, damit konnte man in südlichen Ländern vielleicht nachts rumlaufen aber nicht hier in Deutschland.

Es schien längere Zeit windstill gewesen zu sein, die Reifenspuren ließen sich im Sand immer noch deutlich erkennen. Was Tommy beunruhigte war dass der Strand in eine Wüste überzugehen schien. So etwas war hier echt nicht üblich. Sie folgte den Reifenspuren, irgendwann müssten sie zu einer Straße führen und die wiederum in eine Stadt in der es bestimmt funktionierende Telefone gab.

Nach einiger Zeit tauchte eine Straße aus dem Sand auf. Sie fing mitten im Nichts an. Das fand Tommy leicht merkwürdig, tat es aber mit der Erklärung ab dass diese Straße wohl noch in Arbeit sei. Sie machte sich schon genug Gedanken darum wie sie überhaupt hier gelandet ist, da brauchte sie sich nicht auch noch mit dieser Frage quälen.

Als ihr Tempo sich auf ein Minimum beschränkte und sie sich grade noch so weiterschleppen konnte kam sie an einer Tankstelle an. Obwohl an den Fenster große Plakate mit der Aufschrift „Rund um die Uhr geöffnet!“ klebten schien kein Angestellter im Tankstellenshop zu sein. Vielleicht war dieser auch gerade im Personalbereich. Zumindest müsste sie hier ein Telefon finden oder könnte hier wenigstens übernachten. Die Tür öffnete sich automatisch und sie betrat den Laden.

„Hallo?“, krächzte sie. Niemand kam. Nach einigem Warten schlich sie sich hinter die Theke und versuchte die Tür zum Personalbereich zu öffnen. Verschlossen. Kurz dachte Tommy nach sich einfach was aus den Regalen zu nehmen, sie hatte Hunger und Durst, entschied sich jedoch dagegen, sie war davon überzeugt dass sie nicht alleine war. Sie lauschte ob sie hinter der Tür Geräusche hören konnte. Es war still. Nichts regte sich.

„Tomke?“

Tommy zuckte zusammen und fuhr herum.

 The floor is cold. It smells bad. Something rolls off her arm and hits the floor. A syringe. What happened? Did that thing stick in her arm? Where the hell is she? She lies on the floor right beneath a smelly toilet in a small cabin. Definitely not the place she would want to wake up at. Was she hurt? No. Everything seems fine. Except that her head feels like it’s about to burst. She feels miserable. After some time she manages to get up. Her legs are so weak. She wants out. She gets out of the cabin. It seems like she is in some public restroom. She feels dirty. She goes over to the sink and washes her hands and face. On the other side of the mirror was a zombie looking at her. She couldn’t wash it away. She slowly stumbles out the door. She was hungry. She enters a gas station shop. There was another person there. The ponytail and that blue baggy t-shirt.

“Tomke? Is that you?”

The girl jumps and turns around.

“… Henrietta? What the hell are you doing here?”

“You tell me. Fuck, I’ve got such a headache.”

Tommy just arrived to catch her friend before she could land on the floor.

“Are you okay?”

“Fuck, no…”

“Dude, just hang on, I’ll fix you.”

Tommy got Henrietta something to eat and drink. She was sure the shopkeeper would understand. Maybe that’ll make her feel better. Probably not.

“Tommy, where the hell are we?”

“I don’t know Henry…”

“Well, how did you get here?”

“I woke up at the beach. I had a car accident.”

“Shit, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“But where is a beach anywhere near where we live?

 “I guess I fell asleep and accidentally drove all the way up to the coast.”

“Do you have a navigation system in your car?”

“No, I don’t… I have an app for that, but my phone gets no signal.”

“There has to be a way for us to find out where we are.”

“Let’s wait here until the shopkeeper comes back.”

“I don’t want to sleep here.”

“Well, either here or outside with the monsters.”


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Es war so dunkel. Jedenfalls dachte Jackie, dass es dunkel war. Es war schwer zu sagen ohne Augen. Ihr Hals tat weh. Rostige Nadeln innerhalb des Halsbandes bohrten sich durch ihr Fleisch. Das Halsband war an die Wand gekettet. Blut tropfte aus ihren leeren Augenhöhlen. Sie konnte sich nicht umsehen, konnte nur ein Stück des Bodens erfühlen. Kalter Stahl. Sie wollte um Hilfe schreien, doch die Worte starben in ihrer trockenen Kehle. Sie war so durstig. Es tat weh.

Trotzdem fühlte sich ihr Körper besser an. Als hätte sie viel zu enge Kleidung gegen gemütliche Pyjamas getauscht. Keine steifen Knochen die die Bewegung einschränkten. Wenn Bewegung nur nicht so weh tun würde. Sie versuchte die Kette mit einem Ruck aus der Wand zu reißen, es ließ sie aber nur vor Schmerz aufjaulen. Dann saß sie nur da. Wartete. Sie wusste nicht wie lange.

 Der Durst wurde unerträglich. Sie leckte nach jedem Blutstropfen der aus ihren Augen kam, doch das reichte nicht. Sie bräuchte eine größere Wunde, dachte sie. Mehr Blut. Wahnsinn. Sie grub ihre Zähne in ihren Unterarm. Sie waren ungewohnt scharf und drangen ohne Probleme bis zum Knochen durch. Vor Schreck riss sie ihren Arm weg. Ein großer Fleischfetzen blieb zwischen ihren Zähnen. Der Schmerz war unbeschreiblich, doch sie wollte keinen Tropfen vergeuden. Du bist wahnsinnig. Wie lange bist du hier schon? Ein paar Tage? Und du fängst schon an dich selbst zu essen? Sie wusste nicht wie viele Tage es waren. Sie legte sich zur Seite und knabberte an dem Fleischstück herum. Hatte sie überhaupt schon einmal geschlafen? Waren vielleicht erst wenige Stunden vergangen? Sie wollte schlafen doch Schmerz hielt sie wach. Nach einiger Zeit spürte sie ihn nicht mehr. Sie setzte sich wieder aufrecht. Das Fleisch an ihrem Arm war nachgewachsen. So große Wunden können doch gar nicht von allein zuwachsen, oder? Niemand beantwortete die stumme Frage.

So allein.

War da ein Geräusch? Jackie lauschte.

„Hallo?“

Keine Antwort.

Lautes Atmen. Jemand war da.

„Wer ist da?“

„Bleib weg von mir okay?!“

Die Stimme war verängstigt.

„Wer bist du?“

„Was bist DU?!

„Ich bin Jackie, kurz für Jacklyn.“

„Ich fragte was du bist.“

„Ein Mensch.“

„Ja klar, was ist mit deinen Reißzähnen?“

Darauf wusste Jackie keine Antwort.

„Du bist ein Monster. Warum würde man dich sonst hier festketten? Dir die Augen ausstechen?“

„Vielleicht… bin ich nicht mehr so menschlich. Aber ich werde dir nichts tun, versprochen!“

„Und wenn du das nächste Mal Hunger kriegst beißt du in dein eigenes Fleisch anstatt in meins?“

„… Ja.“

„Wer’s glaubt.“

Stille.

„Wie heißt du?“

„Alice.“

„… Bist du ein Mensch Alice?“

„Nein.“

„Was dann?“

„Ich weiß es nicht.“

„… Wo sind wir?“

„Gefangen.“

„Kommen wir hier raus?“

„Nein.“

„Ich glaube dir nicht.“

Madredun Elo're

She ran until her legs were numb and then ran further. Just away from here, away from everything she knows.  She still has the coat in her hand. She didn’t pay for it. But the cashier is dead. Just like everyone else.

She didn’t know where she was and so she decided to rest. She sat down behind a bush and cried. Within one or two seconds all she ever had was taken away from her. For a moment she wished he had a bullet left for her. He pointed the gun at her and imitated a ringing telephone. “It’s for you.”, he said. For a while she sat there on the ground waiting for her death. “You’re lucky kid”, he said, “the last call is for me.” With those words he pointed the gun at his forehead.

She forced herself to stop remembering any more. Her parents are dead. Her best friend Luisa is dead. She survived. And she must stay alive for them.  She wiped her tears with her newly acquired coat. It was too big for her but it keeps her warm. She doesn’t feel bad for taking it anymore. It was necessary.

She wandered around, entering a town she doesn’t know. It was getting dark and all the shops started closing if they didn’t already have. She began to freeze even with her coat on. She is only wearing a green t-shirt and short beige pants. She decided to look out for a bank. Even if they’re closed there’s still an accessible room with ATMs that should be warm. It still wouldn’t be as comfortable as her bed at home but at least she won’t freeze to death this night.  She can’t go back home. Too many memories. She leaned against a wall from where she can look out the window. She looked at the people passing by, their faces hidden in shadows. Sitting there, waiting until she falls asleep. It gave her time to think, but she tried to avoid thinking as much as possible. She felt terribly alone.

She woke up as a woman with an astoundingly ugly dress pulled her arm as if she wanted to rip it off and eat it. She was talking very fast while the red-haired girl just looked at her. The woman shut her mouth for a moment and continued to speak in an understandable way. “What’s your name?”

“Rachel…”

“What are you doing here? Where are your parents?”

Rachel knew where this would lead. She wrestled her arm free and began to run. The woman told her to stop but didn’t move a step to follow her. When she was sure the woman wouldn’t look for her anymore she noticed that she is actually very hungry. She entered a shop, took as much food as she can somewhat hide under her coat and hoped nobody saw her doing that. She left the shop as fast as possible without seeming suspicious. Luckily nobody noticed anything. She was tired of running away. This will be how she will live the rest of her life. A criminal that steals things, she thought. But in her situation that doesn’t seem to be that much of a crime anymore. That’s perfectly okay, she told herself.

It was another night she would not spend in a bed. It’s been a couple of months now and she got used to just taking things she needs or wants. She saw the methods thieves use in TV some time ago. How they distract their victim or hide from cameras. Rachel was sure it was not the point of the documentation to teach her how to steal things, but it did.

Rachel always was a little chubby. She liked chocolate and candy and cake and didn’t care that much about sports. Now she only steals as much food as she needs and also gets her fair share of running.