Collapsed. Broken.
I came across an enormous red carpet... it didn't seem to have a clear end; it stretched on for quite a distance. The fog had thinned slightly, allowing me to see better, though it had not disappeared completely.
That was when the radio appeared once more.
—Zzzzz
—Zzz
—In lo... ve and in sickn—...
—Zz
A we—
My words were abruptly interrupted by the increase of interference on the radio. This time it wasn't a message, it was a warning.
My body tensed, and from deep within the fog, moving across that carpet, came a couple. They seemed to be embracing. But the fog didn't allow me to see clearly.
—Hello!
I called out to them, but there was no response. Only that damned silence that had been tormenting me. I got closer, hoping to start a conversation. However, that couple wasn't human. I should never have doubted the radio...
They were two disconnected creatures, shapeless, trying as hard as possible to resemble two humans sharing a life together. Faceless, only skin. The rest of their bodies shared the same characteristics as the previous creatures, but with melted skin that fused them together.
One was a female figure and the other a male figure, joined by stretched and melted skin, preventing separation. As if they were condemned to remain together.
I could only feel one thing in that moment: pain, rage... hatred toward the beasts tormenting me. Hatred toward the world that had become a reality from which I could not escape.
Seeking to release my anger in some way other than insults, I attacked the beast without caring about my life. Without worrying about what would happen...
The creatures tried to pull away from each other. Stretching the skin that connected them in a grotesque manner. Trying to tear it apart and free themselves from the other's presence. I took advantage of the situation and attacked directly with my hands, since the creatures seemed to be ignoring me, focused entirely on each other.
With my own hands, I pierced the skin and tore it apart. Fiber by fiber, feeling the warmth of blood overflowing and staining my hands.
—Just die already, all of you!
The beasts separated, and the moment they did, the male creature attacked.
But not me. It lunged at its companion, crushing her beneath its body over and over again, brutally. Leaving behind only a mass of flesh that had once been a female figure.
I stood there confused, watching. A mere spectator. Or so I thought.
Until I understood. The male creature turned toward me. Looking at me with its nonexistent face, then smashing itself against the ground, crushing its own body and committing suicide on the spot.
Leaving behind two unrecognizable heaps of crushed flesh. Both together on the ground.
—I... was never a spectator...
Wait...
What did I just say?
Either way, it didn't matter. My eyes remained fixed on the former creatures.
—It was...
I couldn't finish my sentence. I stayed silent and continued along the carpet. I had too many thoughts in my head... thinking over and over...
Walking along the reddish path marked by the carpet, I eventually reached its end, where I found a complete decoration setup. A wedding ceremony.
—This place is beautiful...
White flowers surrounded the decorations. Beautiful arches. Right in the center, at the altar, stood a female mannequin in a wedding dress with one hand extended as if waiting for a ring.
—Zzzz
—Do you accept?
That female voice returned through the radio. But the interference was minimal.
Something inside me knew exactly what I had to do for some reason. I had doubts, but I let my body move on its own. I couldn't do anything to resist. I'm nothing more than a toy in this world.
I took out the ring I had found in my apartment and placed it on the ring finger of the mannequin, the one with the outstretched hand. I gave it what it had been longing for.
—I do.
But something fell from inside the mannequin...
—Blood?
It began to bleed profusely while pieces of the mannequin slowly cracked apart, revealing pulsating flesh inside that expanded outward. As if it possessed consciousness, the flesh began to pulse and move, destroying large sections of the mannequin.
Staining that beautiful dress a crimson red. Giving life to an enormous beast that wanted only one thing: to kill. To destroy. To end the life of the one who had returned the ring.
—I'm sorry...
The moment I uttered those simple words, the beast stopped. No movement, no warning. It simply stopped. Motionless, staring at me with its head made of shifting flesh trying to create a human face and failing.
—Who are you?!
I screamed at the top of my lungs, receiving no answer. Instead, the creature continued its attack, trying to crush me, but missing. I seized the opportunity to flee and hide among the decorations and nearby trees, making as little noise as possible.
However, the beast found me. I fired every bullet I had left... nothing.
Not a scratch. No bullets, no ideas. All that remained was to accept my fate, to accept death. But the beast didn't crush me. It used its mass of flesh to lift me and bring me close to its deformed face. Moving its fibers, its bulbous masses, splashing blood.
It managed to form a macabre face of bulbous flesh. A familiar face...
—I remember now...
My lips trembled, my head pounded. I longed to say a name.
—Serena...
At that very instant, the beast began to shrink. Contracting and returning to the mannequin's shell, leaving only the head covered by that flesh-made face. The face of my beloved...
—I'm sorry.
There were no tears, no moisture, no overflowing emotion. There was something worse. Pain.
Pain from within, breaking me apart piece by piece.
—I...
—Aghhh!
A deafening headache. I remembered my beloved, her name, but...
—It hurts!
It was unbearable. I couldn't remember everything. Warmth... on my upper lip, that sensation brushed against me. Blood. That fluid was pouring from my nose.
—I want... to re... member...
My eyelids grew heavier and heavier. My body collapsed. With the little strength I had left, I dragged myself toward the mannequin. Embracing my beloved, I closed my eyes.
Hoping to wake up beside her...
....