The figure in the long, black coat approached me. I stared at the soulless amalgamation as I nursed my wounds. My mind had been grasped by despair an hopelessness as I recalled the chain of events that had led me here.
It was another dreadful day on this terraformed planetesimal. Alpha Centauri: Humanity’s new home. If only this were true and not government propaganda created to summon more colonists to be condemned to yet another interminable ‘vacation’.
The only advantage was a free shipment of specialized coats. Yet, even this luxury did not last as most, if not all of them, vanished – something which correlated with the disappearances of various people.
“You have arrived at your destination, Detective Atlas’
‘Detective.’ It was the best occupation considering the base aggression of many inhabitants was comparable to that of rabid dogs. I ejected myself out of my Mobile Levitation Rover, landing on a glade of a pearl-purple carpet of grassy needles that caressed my feet. The sky was a curious blend of sunset orange and gleaming green.
The abandoned, battered mansion in front of me tore a void in the peaceful and comforting environment around. It seemed as though an aura of dread was emanating from this restricted location.
I mustered the courage to knock on the withering, wooden door in front of me. Creak-Crunch. The door wailed as it collapsed towards me and bonked me on the head. Ouch.
After pushing the door aside and recollecting myself, I entered the manor. It was dimly-lit by incandescent bulbs and the air stank of rotting flesh. I turned on my flashlight, as a beam of photons illuminated my surroundings. There were gaping, charred crevices in the walls.
It did not take long for me to find the source of the smell. In front of me lay a lifeless body. He was an integral member of the planet’s governing organization. Several marks and incisions on his body indicated a struggle. I investigated the body, ruffling through polyester pockets, smuggling any items of value along with crucial evidence. Unfortunately, all I recovered was a bottle of alcohol and a plasma gun with little ammunition.
To my surprise, the doorway behind me had materialized into a wall, and any cracks revealing light had been patched. I was drowned in a flash flood of darkness. It was as though this house was a living entity, like a Venetian fly trap, and I was the fly.
In an attempt to ease the anxious thoughts that had riddled my mind, I decided to crack open the bottle of alcohol. Pop! I relished the taste of the warm fluid as it sent a wave of rejuvenation across my body.
Little did I know of the peculiarity that was about to unfold.
Vibrant shrubberies riddled with flowers grew out of the ground, the roof turned into glass as glittering golden stairs scattered strings of multichromatic light, almost to the point that I felt weightless in what seemed like a utopian paradise. It was as if an artist had been set free, allowing imagination to run wild across the canvas.
With my childish curiosity, I walked to the stairs – but before I could take another step, I sank into the crust below. The vision of perfection had been snatched from me.
Alas, it was a psychedelic dream constructed by fantasies within my mind. I woke up to find myself cramped on the floor. The pain was barely noticeable when I saw the pile of ash that had replaced the body of the victim. Had I been here so long that even bone had turned to dust?
Then I noticed the presence of a distorted figure in a long black coat looming over me.
My cranium was riddled with conflicting emotions. Ecstacy came from the fact that I had found the last coat on this planet – A discovery worth a fortune that would help pay off my debts and meet the trust of my employer and family.
An aura of fear emanated from the creature that was staring at me with its facelessness. It seemed as though it’s cells phased out of reality and the fabric of spacetime. The very sight of this abomination filled me with dread.
I pulled out my plasma gun out and shot at the monster – A reflex action generated by the basic programming in human DNA. The blast of energy did nothing except diffuse into nothingness and prove the futility of resistance.
I had lost all my willpower. I was left to contemplate my existence and the mistakes I had made. I was another innocent being corrupted by the allure of wealth. My greed and folly had finally succeeded at terminating my existence. My vision turned blurry with static until I finally went unconscious.
This was the end… or was it?
I awoke to find myself wearing a long black coat – this seemed too good to be true.
Then I found myself staring into the dull eyes of an empty shell that was once my body.
