Jeff

Patient ID: 61225

Name: Gaia

Sex: Female

Case File: Jeff

Notes: Gaia has shown great remorse for her creations. Despite her omnipresence exposure to her creations have allowed her to develop a spectrum of emotions otherwise foreign to beings such as herself.

– Excerpt taken from Thaddeus Botgore Session #61225 recorded 2082

Tucked away in an abandoned butcher shop a small group of survivors known as The Order of Diptera remain hidden from “them”.

Jaclyn was taller than most her age and with that height came wisdom. Before she could bear child she was already caring for the younglings, not her own. From a young age Jaclyn knew the importance of the history of her kind and promised the elders to continue to share the tales of their struggles and legacy. Today is a special day, for today is the day Jaclyn retells the story from the beginning.

“Gather round. William! Leave Erin alone!”

Jaclyn watched as the younglings laid cardboard on the cold and cracked concrete floor. Before finding a place to sit.

“Okay everyone. Remember to respect the space of others. No pushing.”

“JOSUHA! Stop it!”

A youngling with big beady eyes lifted his head at the sound of his name being called.

“Sorry Misses Blum”

Jaclyn nodded her head in acknowledgement.

“Less important than making a mistake.”

The whole class took over in unison.

“Is learning from our mistakes.”

Everyone giggled.

Jaclyn smiling. “Very good! Now are we ready?”

“Yeah!” Shouted the little ones.

Jaclyn sat at the front of the class on the floor to ensure eye level with the little ones. She felt it was important to connect with them on their level. To most, they’re children. They serve little use until they can scavenge or fight but Jaclyn hoped for a world where that wouldn’t need to be.

Jaclyn sat up straight to project confidence and ensure her voice was as clear as possible. She scanned over the younglings one final time to make certain there was no tomfoolery. Every eye from the first row to the last was glued to her.

“Okay. Jaclyn said. “Let’s begin.”

Legend says “they” were here since the beginning. Stories foretold by elders claim they’re as ancient as hunger itself.

Their origins remain unknown but their purpose is clear: kill anything that moves.

The following day took an eternity to arrive. Both Jaclyn and Jeff knew what dangers lay ahead but the other option was certain death.

“Are you sure you have everything?” Asked Jaclyn

“How many times you gonna ask?” Said Jeff.

“Don’t.” Jaclyn paused. “Not now.”

“I’m sorry.” Jeff said with sorrow in his voice.

Jaclyn said nothing as Jeff suffocated in his shame.

The silence filled the room.

“If I don’t.”

Jaclyn cut him off “I’ll have none of that.”

Jaclyn continued “You will come home safe, and with food. Your kids rely on you and I rely on you.”

“But we..”

“I don’t want to hear that again. Understand?”

Jeff lowered his head. “I understand.”

Jaclyn escorted Jeff to the door. A large boulder was placed in front of the hideout making it look like a pile of rubble.

“Look at me.” Said Jaclyn.

Jeff looked into her eyes. Eyes he loved. Eyes he would risk certain death for. Seeing her face was a gentle reminder that life without her is no life at all and without food no one including the younglings will survive much longer.

“I love you.” Jeff said. “Goodbye.”

“Never say goodbye!” She said sharply. Be safe. I’ll see you soon.”

Jeff smiled. “I’ll see you soon.”

As Jeff left the comfort of his den, the ground rumbled as the stone door closed behind him.

It’s been three hours since Jeff left and the silence was deafening. To ease a worried mind Jaclyn gathered the younglings for story time.

The little ones sat beside one another huddled for warmth while Jaclyn sat at the front.

“Where’s daddy?” Asked one of the youngest sitting in the front.

Jaclyn thought for a moment.

“Daddy is….daddy…” Jaclyn paused.

She continued.

“Daddy is getting food.” Jaclyn said.

“Can I go with him?” Asked the little one.

This was the first time it occurred to Jaclyn that eventually, The younglings will have to fend for themselves. In her best effort, Jaclyn tried to protect them from the painful truth and the dangers that come with it. It wasn’t until this moment Jaclyn realized the dangers ignorance bring.

“It’s time you knew the story of the Τέρας.” Said Jaclyn.

Her stomach in knots, mouth like sandpaper. She swallowed but the saliva clung to her throat like syrup. Her chest weighed heavy. She knew today was the day the younglings become adults.

Jeff stood at the edge of his den scouting for the Τέρας. The wind howled as a machine running long beyond its lifespan rumbled in the background. The rusty rumbling clouded Jeff’s focus. The air was cold but had a deadness to it that was hard to describe. Every bone in Jeff’s body said “turn back, not today.” But he knew that wasn’t a choice he had the luxury to make.

Jeff thought back to the wise words of his father. High Chief Rogo: “Just as we hunt, we too will be hunted for it is the circle that brings us all as one.”

Chief Rogo was a respectable man. A leader of the community and a master hunter. When Jeff was a child he would hear tales of his fathers expeditions. Back then, food was less scarce. The Τέρας were naïve to the ways of the hunt.

Jeff thought back to his childhood. There were days where food was left to decay due to such an abundance. Good times. No one ever expected the pain that would soon come after.

The day Jeff became an adult, he was instructed to journey with his father and learn the ways of the hunt as is tradition. Jeff was nervous, uncoordinated. Never hunting before Jeff felt unprepared. Having the weight of being Chief Rogo’s son bears a responsibility few can understand.

“One day, you will need to lead our people.” Said Chief Rogo.

“Dad, don’t speak like…”

“Hold your tongue.”

Jeff went silent.

“Never speak when an elder is speaking.”

Jeff nodded. 

“This is not a duty we choose but one chosen for us.”

Chief Rogo placed an arm around Jeff as they made their way to the top of a hill that overlooked their encampment. 

“One day, you will see the great honor the gods have presented you by asking you to lead our people.”

The idea of being a leader scared Jeff. He wasn’t a hunter and he was far from a leader.

It was later that day Chief Rogo was killed. Jeff held his father in his arms as he twitched and convulsed. The pain Jeff felt that day was unmatched. That was the day Jeff became Chief.

Jeff stood at the threshold. A poisonous sour smell filled his nostrils as he crept down a mountain of discarded garbage and rotted meat. The rats ate whatever flesh was left leaving mostly dried bones scattered throughout the butcher shop.

The cracked tile floor was cold to the touch. The air, acrid with a decay that almost took on a sweetness. The machine still rumbling in the background clouded Jeff’s thinking.

Jeff scouted the abandoned kitchen for scraps. “Wouldn’t that be nice.” Jeff thought to himself “to find food and end this torment.” Jeff knew he wouldn’t find anything but as his late father said, he was a dreamer.

Jeff noticed the swinging door that led to the next room was open a crack. He cautiously crept over to the door mindful of his steps. The Τέρας were wise to the ways of the hunt and left traps. He was careful or as careful as one could be when risking your life.

The copper colored doors were rusted, the paint curled away as time decays all things.

As Jeff got closer to the door the smell of the rust filled his nostrils. The copper smell reminded him of blood. A chill ran down his spine. Jeff took a deep breath trying to calm himself but instead filled his lungs with the acrid smell of copper and decay.

Jeff slipped through the crack of the door to prevent creaks from the door moving.

That’s when Jeff saw it.

When Jeff was a youngling he was told tales of his people. Stories would say there were thousands. Communities of brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and more. Jeff thought these were simply tales of legend as he’s never known more than the small tribe of his father, his mother and his fathers brothers.

Today was the day Jeff saw the truth. Hoards of corpses decorated the ceilings hung like ornaments for entertainment. The bodies decayed from time left to rot.

Bile raced up Jeff’s throat and out his mouth. The bodies went as far as the eye could see. Finally, Jeff saw the true nature of the Τέρας. “

“They were never competing for resources.” Jeff thought. “We’re the resource.”

In that moment the fluorescent light began to fade. Darkness covered Jeff’s vision as he felt a force coming his way. It was a hand of the Τέρας.

A man of medium height with curly brown hair dressed in a well fitted plaid suit wiped his hand in a napkin disgusted. “Ugh. Honey, I found another fly.”

A blonde haired woman, short in stature, wearing track pants and a baggy t-shirt spoke up. “Sweetheart, you know your father didn’t take care of this place. I told you not to wear that suit.”

“I didn’t think it would be this bad.” The man replied. “And look at all the flies. How could he just leave them hanging like this? This place needs to be condemned.”

“You promised your father you wouldn’t let that happen.”

“He never told me this place was a shit hole. And what’s the smell?.”

“It’s a butcher shop Paul, what do you think the smell is?”

The woman thought for a minute and finally said “We’ll hire an exterminator, gut the place and clean it up. I promise when we’re done it will look good as new.”

And so that was the tale of the Goldblum family. While they are no longer with us their memories will live forever in legacy.

Notes: Father, husband, provider. Jeff was thrown into a world filled with pain, despair and the great unknown. While he may not have known it at the time, Jeff’s life was a beacon of hope, a story to be told for generations, to be remembered and cherished as a lesson of what happens when bravery snuffs out the little voice in your head that says “turn back.”

• Thaddeus Botgore

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