Appetite

[SexyPanda]

Truth is but a subtle invitation, always available but perpetually rejected.

It is all too understandable though; the human body in all its totality is incapable of recognizing and understanding such meaning. To realize the workings of reality and the repercussions of every choice, every thought, every decision, would weigh far too heavily upon the psyche, the soul, or whatever variation of sentience one subscribes to. To compare it to consumption, although a bit far fetched, would actually be a fair analogy. The pursuit for the purest and least molested of perceptions requires a refined preference and a peculiar palette; something that is adept at and can truly appreciate the distinctions and details. And like the necessity for the gourmet or bland, the appetite for truth is just as persistent with similar consequences.

The eyes are always bigger than the stomach.

But that is a prerequisite for enlightenment to an extent, both literally in physical anatomy and figuratively in the abstract. The craving for understanding must supersede everything out, prioritizing otherwise superficial attachments and fancies such as sanity, wellness, and other trivial luxuries of existing. But what was always most satisfactory and marvelous was how the body reacted to ‘understanding’ this truth, for the eyes always expanded and dilated as the unfortunate stumbled upon madness. At times the eyelids would shrink, practically receding into nothingness as the iris increasingly quivers more, the process supposedly taking in more light but as well trying to accommodate an invasion of meaning. Often red would infect and gradually spill outward from otherwise dormant vessels, shaking from the drama and quaking from the trauma until they exploded in delightful fountains of sanguine. A deluge of truth requires an equal payment in a flood of blood and nothing was more exciting or worthwhile than observing such a collapse of the psyche, of the frail shortcomings that mortality was saddled with…

Such as right now, when that gaze borders on a symphony of screaming and lunacy, when the appetite has reached its peak and hunger becomes unbearable…

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“Unusual activity reported in the first floor. Posted security is currently investigating, but the line has remained quiet since the initial occurrence.”

That status update was murmured in an apathetic monotone as colored orbs danced amongst flickering screens. A stifled yawn would occasionally follow, breaking the otherwise serious atmosphere that plagued those evening watches. Sometimes the strain would catch up from taking in volumes and volumes of images, but a quick session of daydreaming could restore the senses and invigorate the mind enough to continue surveillance. A few fingers slowly fell upon the control panel in staggered gallops, echoing upon dulled and inattentive ears as they continued to be drowned by the layers of static.

The guard next to him leaned toward the monitor, toggling with the controls until it gave them greater clarity, the monochrome picture too ordinary and boring to provide any interest. A breach in security, while a rarity considering how much time they invested in the watch, usually proved to be nothing but a minor incident. The glass flickered somewhat as that digital snowfall continued to wane, revealing a barely illuminated hallway infested with the cast shadows from the regular residents. Footsteps reverberated as the nearest pat roller entered the corridor, a beam of brightness piercing the delicate layers of darkness.

A gentle exhale was heard over the channel as that lazy light swayed from one wall to another as if shaking its fictitious head in a confirming and somewhat boring ‘no’.

“Area appears clear. Returning to… Hey… You!”

Two pairs of eyes snapped to attention, first darting toward each other in curiosity before eagerly staring at the screen. It flickered once more as the blackness was illuminated, the window at the end of the corridor casting a slight glare that puzzled the both of them. The emptiness of the hallway was the only thing that was more painfully obvious than the dullness that had set in. A soft click followed as that button was depressed, an eyebrow raising in concert as they tried to discern what was – or wasn’t – happening before their very eyes.

“The system has detected nothing, What are you talking about?”

They awaited a response, a stray finger poking the screen in a combination of anxiety and anticipation, the habit probably more annoying than truly helpful. Seconds past as they watched the officer jog after some invisible intruder, their sudden investments turning into frustration as their visual connection malfunctioned. Unpleasant noise spilled out of the various devices, that misfortune having the after effect of conjuring up a storm of obscenities. Once. Twice. The screen was reset multiple times before they heard a response, the sudden change of tone enough to provoke fright from the both of them. Screams filled that cluttered room as they seemed to filter from everywhere, the shrieks most prominent from the raspy com, but seeming to emanate from everywhere.

“What the….!”

Torturous sounds devolved into a combination of gurgling and sputtering as the camera feed revived itself, yet neither witness could begin to describe the atrocity unfolding before them. Their comrade had been felled by something otherworldly, that mass of translucent colors and awkward shapes slowly stalking its wounded prey. An intonation of various clicks tickled their ears, ruined by a maelstrom of screeching and crunching that didn’t correlate with what they were viewing. Ordinarily the sound would decrease as that… thing wandered farther from the cameras, but instead it increased as if it were approaching the two of them in that currently safe haven. It neared the fallen guard, a strand of midnight rising toward the ceiling, that tentacle sporting a collection of sparkling hooks that glistened like diamonds and drooled a liquid that one could only estimate in foulness. It lowered quickly toward that shivering, crying collection of meat, causing both unwilling voyeurs to close their eyes in tandem.

But still it fell… And despite shielding themselves from that awful execution, they could see it all the more vividly! Suddenly colors appeared all the more vibrant and hideous as crimson spilled everywhere, that gushing torrent of blood a most vile of greetings. Blue followed as intestines rode that wave of warmth, the digestive tract immediately starting to decay from exposure to the air and its assailant as the meat broke down, the mess looking gradually more and more like a stew than an individual. Upwards that appendage went, ripping and cleaving the skin away and exposing a canvass of tinted ivory and pale tints, lungs stuttering as shock took over. That fleshy surface continued to expand more and more, cutting off the airflow of all three people involved as they awaiting the brutal climax to come, a pair of screaming following as they burst from being filled with phlegm and redirected blood.

How… How revolting… Distressing… Barbaric…

Yet no matter how hard they wished they couldn’t turn away or conceive anything else, forced to observe this gratuitous execution in all its grisly glory. The sound of a maw expanding could be heard over the death throes and disbelief of his former acquaintances as two glittering rows of jagged knives plunged downward. There was nothing… Nothing he could do but experience every second of the tragedy, his arms starting to collect moisture as he started to sweat from fright. It did nothing to calm either guard however, their temperatures going up instead of down as warmth caressed and writhed over their forearms.

He opened his eyes, perhaps hoping that it would alleviate himself of that meticulous demise, the images still taking front and center. In the background he could see the faint outlines of the room and his partner, her expression a distorted representation of insanity and desperation. He looked downward toward his arms, mortified and left speechless as he tried to make sense of the situation, his usually tanned skin and cleaned sleeves doused in gallons of blood.

From where?

From what?

From who?!

Frantically he started trying to wipe away the sickly substance, finding it all the more disturbing as he watched droplets fall to the ground, leaving a putrid stain upon himself. On that grand stage that tentacle burrowed itself into the barely aware delicacy, the action causing another spurt of scarlet to flow brightly upon his hand. Blood… This was the blood of prey… The blood of discarded… He started to fervently dig into his arm, nails ripping through the waves of shallow, the scratching hard enough to rip into the epidermis. Pain mattered not however, distant enough where it wasn’t even felt, not even when he dug through enough flesh to start ripping against bone, nor when the traction from scratching was enough to rip the edges of those nails from his fingers as they flopped through the air.

He was about to scream once more but was given no choice, sensing that whatever abomination was present was intent upon feeding as it bent downward disturbingly, edges slashing into the meat. Although he had a hunch, he had hoped it was false, disappointed and horrified as blood filled his throat, some involuntarily swallowed and leaving him with an incredibly bitter flavor. He spat out the rest, mortified as his tongue attempted to dislodge all of the contents in his mouth, shuddering as he felt pieces of something caught between his upper teeth. He looked pleadingly toward his partner, barely hearing a sound from her direction that managed to somehow pierce the chaos, the sound of something tumbling following. He watched as she fell against the control panel, a primal grunt following as her head turned, revealing two gaping holes filled with crushed glints of glass. Murmurs followed, suggesting that it didn’t remove that gruesome show from her thoughts as the two further spiraled into madness from the truth.

All too familiar… All too taboo…

The taste had too many comparisons for comfort and the whole scenario, despite its many displeasing attributes, produced a guttural sort of sentiment almost akin to pleasure.

Their stomachs filled with the most unthinkable of truths, satisfying an unspeakable appetite that was deplorable to the eyes, sinister to the thoughts, nauseating to the tongue…

But it was all truth. Wonderful, infallible, irresistible truth.