Waking:

Extinction is an amusing term. Complete destruction or annihilation, the act of making extinct or the state of being extinct. Amusing in the same way an amusement park dazzles ones senses with a plethora of semi-reliable and certainly nauseating rides. And the thousands of screams uttered by participants which go un-investigated. Extinction was all I had on my mind when the news finally reached me. Its quite sad if you could even imagine, sitting in the IT department of a fifty story corporate giant. No thoughts of family and friends, no tears shed for the survival of anyone except the painfully clear affirmation of extinction…of my own, my own extinction. At a time like this I would not have expected to be so lucid, but everything seems so simple, so clear.

The primary computer server of the building glares with thousands of LED eyes from the far corner of the room, bathing everything is an alien like green strobe, barely illuminating Karl’s face. He does not feel the pain yet or realise the magnitude of the physical damage that has been inflicted upon him. He only sits in the corner with no intention of doing anything but loose himself in what he understands as the inevitable thoughts of an insignificant self approved extinction. He picks at a nail which has begun to separate into innumerable layers of hardened hair. When a rhinoceros looses its horns it has no defence, no possible way to assert its alpha male dominance on any of the other males in the herd, they push it out and it dies of what we can only assume is sadness, sadness and loss of self and a greater purpose.

Karl encourages himself and pushes his unexpectedly heavier body up from the nylon carpeted floor. The pattern of which has now made red and white topographical impressions on his palms. He feels slightly dizzy and confused but manages to prop himself up against the hardboard wall of his office cubicle. Its flimsy installation allows it to sway slightly, Karl finds some strange comfort in this motion, but pulls himself back to current circumstances. Scanning the room he can barely make out anything, but that eerie glare from the server illuminates something, a shape on the floor. Across from him on the carpet lies the body of Paul Jensen. Karl is struck with a few seconds of shock followed by what he understands is denial and finally a lingering sadness washes over him emphasised by a palatable taste of what he can only identify as the taste of his mother’s famous venison roast. The slightly acidic, but for the most part hauntingly satisfying flavour of half cooked flesh. This taste is originating from Karl’s mouth. He has for the last few seconds been locking his jaw onto his tongue and has managed to break apart the majority of its substance to release a surprisingly modest amount of blood. The taste buds have lost most of their sensation around the wound his teeth have birthed without his consent. He realises what is happening and relaxes his muscles.

The questions begin to manifest themselves…what has happened? A few minutes ago the building was well illuminated and filled with the low drone of unpermitted conversation. Talk about cars, cigars and bars. Karl remembers hearing Paul Jensen mention something about a girl in clientele on 34th that he fucked last Wednesday at his brother’s place. I think he said her name was... he pauses, searching his memory for what feels like seconds but amounts to five minutes and realises that he never cared enough to remember it. Paul was that kind of guy and if god was a woman this would be a moment she would enjoy…perhaps?!

Fourth:

Karl walked over to the water dispenser at the door of his office block, grabbed a cone shaped cup from the release tray and pressed the button located just above the nozzle tap. Water flowed out from its pointed tip, bubbles rising on the inside of its belly, making sounds that were pleasing to his ears. He placed the cup to his lips and slowly began to pour a small amount down his throat. Before the water had reached the back of it the wound in his mouth had already tainted its purified flavour with that of blood, as It entered further into his body the presence of this blood began to creep into his consciousness to the extent that it suppressed his need for liquid sustenance. He instinctively threw the cup on the ground. There was no need to use the stainless steel dustbin on his right hand side as the surrounding area was far beyond repair or preservation. Exiting his office block he entered into a corridor of strobing halogen light fittings on the ceiling, the effect of these flashing light where best compared to that of paparazzi flashing away at celebrities on the red carpet of a motion picture premiere. Motion was turned into single photographic frames. An ode to stop motion, and surprisingly paralyzing to Karl’s motor skills.