Hinnom Magazine Issue 002 by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Gehenna & Hinnom
Published: 2017-08-31T04:00:00+00:00

Augustus watched the sun come up, and again, he noticed that he could not feel its warmth, same as he hadn't felt the grievous wounds that Ryerson and the others had inflicted upon him the night before. His state of physical numbness was only matched by that of his mind. He felt nothing. Was he becoming depressed? Maybe. Then again, his brain wasn't even human, so who could say? Maybe it was just a side effect of his new physiognomy.

On a positive note, he didn't feel any thirst or hunger either (and he had been wandering through the desert for hours). He wondered how long he would last in his current state. Did this body have some type of battery? It definitely didn't require any nutrients to keep functioning. Maybe there would be some kind of power outlet, somewhere back at the alien temple . . .

But was it worth it? Did he really want to live like that? Before he realized it, he was wandering again, this time, to the edge of the particularly steep mountain in which he had been hiding for the last (he calculated) two hours.

What if he jumped? Would the fall kill him, or would his new body simply recompose itself as it had been doing so far?

And what if it didn't? Was he ready to explore that final mystery?

He began climbing down the cliff. His body was, it seemed, on autopilot. Maybe it really boasted that feature, or maybe he was just acting on instinct. He didn't care anymore. Nothing really seemed to matter now. He just wanted to move, like a shark. Do something. Go somewhere.

He found himself wandering back to the camp. He climbed one of the low hills surrounding it and observed how a bunch of natives busied themselves rebuilding what he had unwittingly destroyed the night before. The armed patrols had doubled, making it impossible to infiltrate, at least during daytime. Not that he cared now.

A black spot in the corner of his eye drew his attention. It was a column of smoke. He creeped to the eastern brink and saw they were burning something. He already knew what it was.

They were cremating him, probably according to some local rite involving the victims of the “soul-stealing sand demon”. A native priest was chanting while his remains burned atop a makeshift pallet. He watched Bellowo comfort Alice, first putting his arm around her shoulders, then kissing her.

Just as it had happened the night before during his fight with Ryerson, something clicked inside his head. It wasn't that he was attracted to Alice. He wasn't. But somehow, seeing the two together reminded him of what he had lost. That would never happen for him now. Not with Alice, nor with anyone.

Suddenly, his numbness disappeared and he felt as if he had been submerged in ice cold water. Again, a silent scream filled his mind.

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