R15

They came at midnight, just as old Baltazar said they would. Howling and flocking around the compound. Luckily, they could not breach the palisade we raised today.

I couldn't believe that desert will conain anything than sand, but the old man told us to dig and dig we did. Not everyone joined in, of course. Some just ate stale food and water, napping in the shade, while others were sneaking around tents, trying to steal one more bite. Then there were those who whined and fomented rebellion.

"Don't pay attention", said Baltazar, "We are all dead already, so let them have their way."
"If we are dead already, why do we dig the sand and haul the scraps?" I asked him, placing another two by four snapped in half into the cart.
"Don't know about you, but as long as I can work, I feel alive. Besides there are different kinds of death. Do you really want to give it all up? To surrender to the pain as they rip you apart and eat you alive?"

I shivered. Old man quite vividly predicted what's to come tonight. Only when the moaning stopped, my thoughts crawled back to me. I wondered if morning will bring another nightmare, but I did wake in the same lil tent I went to sleep in. Eeach of 40 of us got a different square in the sand, some planks and cloth to build a tent, some stale food and a box. Apparently the content was different for each box and mine contained matches.

"Why are we here? Who arranged all this? Who were those demons?" I asked the old man as soon as it dawned.
"oh, someone woke up as a philosopher... you better take that cart and head out in the desert. We will meet here when sun passes the zenith. Tonight more of them will come, we need to reinforce the gate.

I stepped through the opened gates of our compound, with squeak of the cart as my soundtrack...

R14

Sand. Sand everywhere as fas as your eye can see. Whisp of darkness hanging at the horizon. I was going to roam the desert till my heart stops, but then I saw the flailing arms of a windmill. Nevena told me, God bless her soul, of her brother Milan living in oasis at the south rim of the sands. Her description was so accurate; tower made of nailed tin, planks, panels, car bumpers with crown of short blades and glass made fantail in the shape of a rooster. She didn't want to let go till I promised her to seek him out. You will be safe there, she said, Milan has vineyard and hunts desert rabbits. I thought she was just rambling from her dying mind, but now I saw the estate of her brother was real. House was long and low, with flat top. Dark shades made house blend in with the surroundings. White rabbit skulls gleamed white in the scortching sun, perched on top of each stake that, evenly spaced and connected by wire, surrounded the compound. Every skull sported a bullet hole, so that it looked as if every rabbit was three-eyed.

I would never roam the desert looking for this place if Nevena didn't get shot in the gut...

R13

World was my home. I fell from the stars straight between the pages of a book. Men who put masks on their faces and snicker under the masks were looking for me. I showed them my feet. I got an ID card. Bee zipped by. I traced her flight and saw a fountain. Approaching the fountain I asked her if all these turtles were here just for me? Though my question was silly, there was no one around, not even a single turtle, so I laughed hard.

Instead of the fountain, the bee answered me.
"Sheep are flying by plane. The plane was hit by a missile, so sheep jumped ship."
"Sheep?" I asked, astonished.
"Yea, they even had little sheep-parachutes", bee confirmed her story.
"Didn't they land in the trees and became white treetops?" I made a joke.
"Now you are just talking nonsense", bee was not amused.
"Oh, if you are so snappy lil' bee, someone will squash you, mistaking you for a wasp."
"Why did I even bother", bee mumbled to hersef.

A bit away from the fountain, a flower swung. Bee turned around and left without a word. I turned around to inspect this world once more. I think I will need help. Books I read never spoke of talking bees and silent fountains. I need to learn much more if this world is to be my home.

I returned to the ship that carried me here. Bee doesn't know shit, I concluded. She was the one talking  nonsense, as if she was an alien to this world, instead of me. Truth be told, I also couldn't rely much on my own conclusions. Who knows, maybe my part of the conversation was indeed full of nonsense. I serached the skies for an airplane. Instead of the flying plane, I saw many interesting and magic colors. I said to myself, I like this world... it will be my home."

R12

We moved through the darkness of undergroud theatre. Somewhere below us there was a stage. Back wall in the bottom had colage of video clips and photos projected across the entire lenght. Scenes were showing usual sights of commoner's entertainment, blood, tears and semen. Threading the path strewn with sand, we stepped over torn pages of illustrated magazines. Mass of people murmured and rumored from both sides. Everyone was talking to everyone else, tossing banal trivialities back and forth. Chatter was enforced by law, punishment for silence or dialogue were appalling. Father and I carried our tankards of beer, moving through the dusky atmosphere. I saw subtitles of a conversation we had back at one of our family gatherings in the old country. That's how we gamed the system. Drunk uncle was holding a great cosmic speech. I spoke as well, though I was sure that father didn't listen at all. I wasn't even sure if it was really him, slithering like a shadow and murmuring something to keep the appearance of conversation.

He just returned from the wilderness, had hard time adjusting to local customs. I proudly went on to explain to him that one of the greatest achievements of our underground society is the freedom we enjoy. For example, yesterday government website featured application to register a space ship. Of course, no one actually owned one, but system did provide the freedom to legally register such a vehicle, even offering five or six thousand in subventions for  manufacturing a space ship. I kept explaining to my father that I'm a nuclear analyst, working for the company that analyzes the mistakes employees make from the standpoing of a nuclear installation. For example, someone makes an error and then I analyze it and write a report what would happen if that same error was made in a nuclear reactor, and then this is put together with some other reports as the main product of my company. So what do you do with those reports, father asked me. I didn't know what to answer, his question was so embarassing and offensive. But then again, till few days back he was just a simple hunter from the desert, what did he know. The report is important, I said, because the guy will get laid off the work and rightfully so. Uncle's voice from the recording asked for more beer, and someone started sobbing silently, but it didn't make it to the subtitles.

I tried to make a joke, saying that now he traded real blood for movie prop blood, but even I didn't find it that funny. Reaching the top rows, we finally took our seat. Instead of tables there were long sand dunes, with benches on both sides. To my left a chubby girl with long hair was seated. In front of her, a kid that resembled a monkey kept jumping on the sand table. Across the table, just opposite my father a wrinkled granma was sitting. She noticed that it's good sign when children are energetic, but complained about lost custom of feeding kids with dog food - just in case - till they reach seven year of age.

I sensed that the girl will scratch my wrist, as it was the customary sign that she wants to sell me sex. I felt sick of it, not of the act itself, but of myself for knowing that in advance. I remembered that woman and her worried face when I mentioned her about layoffs and space ship registrations. I fel so deep into my own thoughts that I barely registered when clawed fingers scratched my wrist. I smiled and she cowered. I waved my hand to let her know I don't want what she was offering. Still, I felt sorry for her so I ordered her a drink. I turned around. Seat on my right was empty. Tall lanky pale figure approached it. She was a warrior lady, dark shiny hair combed back in tight tail, shaved around her ears. I ordered a beer for her, but she didn't even notice. Father managed to walk over to the crowded bar. Subtitles were flying by very fast. Aunt was defending all the men. She said, it takes some balls to jump on the table and speak all the bullshit that uncle was spewing. I love all women, I want to fuck you all, girls! Uncle was yelling. Kids giggled, though the laughter didn't register on the subtitles, just like the crying didn't.

Now I undersand them. I shivered. I know why they write reports. Why they communicate with tyrants by email forms. Why they get fired and kill themselves when they do. I was perfectly aware of the grotesque that surrounds us.

And I woved that I will make that space ship...

R11

I woke up on the beach. Sea was caressing the pebbles. I didn't see the sun, as the curtain of clouds obscured the skies. It just dawned on me that humans usually ask 'what am I doing here' when they wake up at some strange place. Well, I don't know... I never woke up at strange place before. I guess I'm under the influence of movies and TV shows? You know, we see a main character waking up a bit dishiveled and like, wonders where the hell am I... Fuck, maybe I'm not even a hero, maybe I'm a heroine?

I touch my gear, it's seems that I'm equipped as a male. Unless I'm a tranny, I'm a boy. Oh wow, you don't even know what you are? Yea, been trying to explain it to you for passage and half now. I felt fucking disconnected, as if I was just copied and pasted to this background. Maybe this was just a weird dream and I will wake up into the next one. Fuck, for now I'm stuck at this beach, dressed in some sort of... pajamas. Maybe I escaped the asylum? Or maybe I'm some secret experiment...

Slowly, I get up. Okay, I'm good. Feel springy on my feet. I stretch too. Gosh I needed that. Look at that... I'm hungry. They never reveal that in TV show. Hero is never hungry, except when we need to see him spill ketchup on his new shirt. I look around. Hm... no restarant, no grill, no fast food, nothing in sight... fucking desert. No one around.

Just me and my hunch that someone is messing with my mind...

R10

"I think that's the guy" legionaire whispered in Latin.

German unterfeldwebel nodded and switched his MP40 Schmeisser in his left hand.

"This one, the runner" German pointed at the lonesome jogger.

Commisar Davidovich shook his head, suspicious, but still he put his rifle on the ground and started to walk toward the young man.

"Comrade... comrade, over here!"

Shocked and disappointed, commisar observed the runner passing through im as if commisar was a ghost. Not a single sign of recognition or idea that there was someone in his way, runner just went past as if Davidovich was just thin air.

"Left foot", legionaire cursed.

He gave the German a concerned look.

"What do we do next, comaradah" he asked the unterfeldwebel.

"It's pronounced kamarad, buddy..."

R9

She stepped into the cold water. Goosebumps turned her skin almost prickly and her nipples hardend painfully. Stones were slippery, so she threw herself into the lake just after a few steps. Icy bite of the water felt good, she already felt cleaner. After one or two splashes on her face, she dipped her head under the surface. Cold grip of the lake reflected aptly horrible and incomprehensible sights they were exposed to, recently.

Reminiscing about how her party reacted when faced with nothingness grandmother and girl first came to mind. She expected them to be the first to break, but actually both observed steaming whirlpool of chaos without even blinking, and finally managed to tear the gaze away from it. Archer girl snapped first. Her mind was probably already well corroded with insanity. She was aware that after what she've been trough her mind wasn't in much better condition either. That made her roar with almost manical laughter. Yea, but does insanity affects those already insane?