I awoke begrudgingly, in a daze that left my mind a numbing ache, my senses dull, but in the back of my head I sensed dread.

“This was a dream, my name is Barry, I’m a teacher” I constantly repeated in my mind, to keep myself leveled in reality; this had to be a dream. I was in some obscure alley, one for which I never laid eyes upon. It was something out of a horror movie, for a place that felt so live, there was a liminal effect to it. It was endlessly dark, one which I only saw when I closed my eyes; the only illumination came from across the alley, a red glare that pierced the darkness. None of this felt real, my pants were wet with a substance that didn’t resemble water, the entire ground was layered in a black substance. That is how I knew none of this could be real, I was just there. I was in my house, with my kids … With my wife Anna, I took a nap like any other day. Soon I should wake up!? I have to take Beth to soccer practice, Jimmy to band camp. It was just a long day at church, this has to be a dream! I can’t be in hell, I went to church every day, I never smoked, drank, for christ sake I never even had a parking ticket! Maybe I did a little hash in college, but who didn’t!? I paced around in agitation only for me to slip and fall upon my back against the ground.

“Gosh Darnit!” I yelled, I felt the icky blackness move against me, but it was just my imagination. I tried to stand myself up, slowly trying not to fall again; there was no point in losing my senses, because I would soon wake. Unless this truly was hell, but I don’t know, I pictured it a lot fierier than this; this place is just a whole lot of black. I took a few deep calming breaths and reaffirmed this was in fact a dream, and just like if I was Dorthey; I was traveling the yellow brick road. Only my yellow brick road was a random red glare, ominous in an eternal black hell. I would rather sit here honestly, and close my eyes, hoping for this all to go away; but I knew for some reason or another I would have to follow this light. I dredged on, not knowing what abominable horror straight out of some Lovecraftian nightmare lurked in the inky depths. The red glare inched closer and closer, but a mysterious wind started picking up, sending unknowable black objects flying past my vision in the red glare; everything, every inch of my life was the red glare, nothing else. Nothing would exist but the red glare, and what could be perceived through the glare; drawn like a moth to a flame. Then with the wind came an electrical buzzing, shallow at first, then like that of a siren, melting my brain. It only made me nauseous; I kept on following the growing light; my feet oddly heavy. Then the red glare came into sight, as did the siren sound get louder. It was a light post, or what remained of a light post, its dilapidated carcass; bent into an odd shape. Emitting the last sparks of its soul, a faint red glow. Under the remnants of light, the dying embers of a long forgotten, ruined world. There was something that resembled humanity, it stood by the post; it could have passed for humans, but it rusted away into a fine red metallic hue. Whatever protected it from the harsh environment clearly decayed away from years of exposure. It was a decaying machine, oil poured out from all of its orifices; it streamed down its cheeks like it was human. Banging its head into the post, embracing all senility; this was the true image of hell. All of God's creations were warped, this was the image of humanity that was left in an existence of darkness. Where God never brought down the light, and the rejects of human slumber in their blanketed black hells. I tried walking away slowly, but it took notice of me; it stopped banging its head against the distorted post, only to look at me with soulless eyes. It started hobbling towards me, I just laid there; even the storm siren had become an inconvenience to my perception. I was only fixated on the monster which took each step slowly, as if someone with a lame leg would do.

“WHY!? WHY!? WHY!? WHY!?” It raised a harrowing metallic voice, repeating the same thing over and over.

“Wh-why what?” I stammered; it staggered even closer to me.

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“Where is Anna!?” It asked me; why was it looking for Anna?

That was my wife’s name, it screamed as if it was in pain as if a machine could feel pain. Neither physical nor emotional, but it’s pain it felt so familiar; as if I have seen this pain somewhere before. They always told me to be kind to every human I see; but there was no way metal could ever exist as human, for it lacks the mortal soul. It fell upon the sightless ground and then started crawling towards me; I couldn’t back up less I was enshrouded by abyssal darkness. It reached, taking hold of me with a venomous grip; its hands were icy, I could feel the numbing sensation of frost. It truly was devoid of life for every mortal soul consists of heat, and the cold is the antithesis of all that is heat, all that is life. And its blood was devoid of oxygen, nor was its heart nothing more than the machination of human convention. For it bled not red, but a toxic black oil, which consists only of remnants of ancestral humanity.

“I’m in hell! I’m in hell! I’m in hell!” It repeated over and over.

“Calm down! Ju-just be quiet, whatever you are.” I pleaded.

“I’m human… but for some reason I’m trapped in a shell of iron, this is my cruel fate… Wait why do you have my f-”; before it could finish, it was interrupted by a clicking.

“It's Cerberus… the dogs of hell”; It said in a metallic voice that almost sounded of fear.

The clicking got louder, in fact there seemed to be numerous clicks all coming around me, maybe this truly was hell. Maybe I did die; and maybe this was my punishment for sins I may never fully comprehend. And maybe everyone was sent to this place, for there never was heaven; but hell was always our destination. For maybe gods live upon the clouds and would never let us up; in fear for the monsters he created, for the crimes we have committed. For everyone in hell is his fallen children and warped by the endless darkness that has never been touched by the light. But why did this place hauntingly resemble the land for which I came, maybe I have no clue of the world in which I live. All I knew was that a clicking horror was upon my location, and the siren of a mad contraption drew them like a beacon. Except unlike the metallic scraping voice of the machine who took itself for a human; these clicks were unsettlingly alive. For no machine could ever make such a noise; but it felt natural? Nothing of it should ever exist, everything in this place was evil… Including me, maybe I should offer myself up to them; maybe I would just fade into nothingness. A forever death, but maybe it is my job to suffer, and only through these tribulations, the sins of humankind; maybe I will be saved, proven beyond our sins… My sins, the darkness seem to close upon me, maybe it was my anxiety hanging a noose around my head. The existential machine hung itself to the lamp post, as if it had already surrendered a long time ago as the clicking drew near. Then the clicking grew numerous, the clicking bounced off the invisible walls of the darkness, vibrating even the inner workings of my thoughts. The clicking seemed to come from many directions, as it moved in closer.

“There is nothing left… humanity dies with me, and hopefully with you.” The machine droned.

“wha-what does that even mean?” I asked.

“You don’t belong here! You should die! Die! Die! For it is all you have left…” It screeched at me, and I knew exactly what it was doing; the red glare blazed the brightest it ever did. I saw in that instant monsters I never would have imagined; they were like dinosaurs but warped, lizards but disgusting. Scales that looked painful, and a body that lacked all assemblance to the concept of proportionality, it was missing eyes. Which explained the need for the clicking, like a sea mammal using echolocation; the light flickered out to death. I heard one last growl and let out my screech of death, only to open my eyes to find myself laying on my couch; drenched in sweat.

“Tensions between China and Russia escalate as the world fears the possibility of another world war. "The news reporter on the tv announces; it really was a dream; I can relax now for I get to live another day.