Darker, Darker
Part I
Dark city streets. A smog choked sky. And the lights. Oh, the lights. Glowing, screaming. The neon symbol of an era doomed. Signs that sell love, signs that sell lust. Mankind's most primal desires boomed at him in shining Technicolor.
Sex!
Flesh!
Fast cars!
Not necessarily in that order. In a time when the sin of humanity must be spelled out merely to make it's existence known in a dying world, who was safe? Ax anyone, they'll tell you they're scared. And why wouldn't they be? Earth is a planet where no where is free from man's poisonous influences. Life and death are blurred when sheer nature is swiftly being replaced by technology. As it's mother rots beneath it, New New York is a primordial lake of the damned, screaming their maddened cries, which are quick to fall mute amongst the rest. One writhing insect amongst a million. All the while the lights, uncaring and tempting, glow in the haze of the hot blooded night.
"Oh, the lights." sighed Leela observing her homeworld from her apartment window in a tired, sorry state.
The days had grown worse for her, in the land where she never truly felt belonging. Work was hard and unceasing. Insomnia had begun to set in, bringing with it mood swings and her newfound nihilism. Her regular cynicism had developed into an uncaring, unforgiving phase which she did not recognize herself slip into. Night seemed to last forever in the grip of her insomnia. In fact, her sleep deprivation was eroding her ability to think straight, making the former confident captain a vague shadow of her former self.
Insomnia. Insomnia. Insomnia.
She repeated the word again and again, slipping in and out of consciousness without realizing it or even giving a thought to how the time was passing. Each night became a never-ending quest to sleep, to remove herself from this disturbing state of mind and enter a world where all was black and gone. Or perhaps now, her vision had skewered. She feared she was giving way to her poisoned minds dark wish, and was viewing the world in a way so foul she wished to sleep simply to rid herself of it.
She could no longer tell whether she was thinking this in her sleep or as she lay by her window, awake. In a world she was now a stranger too, how could she possibly tell reality from dream?
A strand of purple hair fell across her unblinking eye. She stared at it, sensing something was not right. Her suspicions were confirmed as the hair liquefied in front of her, spreading out into a pool of rot and snaking towards her as some living liquid. As it grew it puffed out, evolving into a gruesome organism. The skin blackened, and the face was a pincushion of horns. The horrible serpent groaned in a pained way, as though contemplating the agony of it's own existence. She tried to move, but could not. No sound escaped her lips, but for a soft moan. With horror she felt her scalp sting the liquid trickled off and slither to face her, hissing in a manner most grotesque.
"Delectable", it whispered without lips, each word spilling froth from what could only be called gills in it's sides, "A fine specimen. Let us indulge the creature with thy touch."
Screaming in her mind Leela could only lay there in terror as the creature slid down her throat and explored her innards, finding it's way up her brain stem. Taking over her mind. A physical remainder of her insomnia. Her insomnia, taking her over. Draggin' her down a dark vortex, the light at it's opening growing dimmer, and dimmer.
"No!" shrieked Leela, leaping bolt upright out of bed. She was greeted with silence, save Nibblers quiet snores. A cursory glance out the window proved it was morning. Turning to the television she realized she had left it on all night. A black and white screen informed her that she was watching "THE OUTER LIMITS, in which Robert Culp is physically transformed by 'The Architects of Fear!'"
She flicked the TV off and sighed. She could barely find her footing as she stood up out of bed, and twice she nearly walked into the walls. Each night's insomniac hell was taking it's toll on her mentally.
Outside was a world she despised, within her came fear. Fear of what could become of her if she did not cure her illness soon.
The sun shone blood red through the black smog, and the lights below were switched off for another day.