I was always seen as a commodity amongst superiors because of my intellect. At times, I would wish I had not been born with this mind. At other times, I would wish that my life would have been different… would have been normal.
But what is normal?
This is a great question I had been asked many times by many people. My definition of the word has always been 'something that is of the norm'. But I digress.
Nevertheless, my wishes never came true, and my pessimism remains. I repeatedly told myself that I am a realist and not a pessimist. I see the light now. The undeniable, unwavering truth as a voice that became a parasite within my head.
I have many names for 'It'. However, only one stuck. One 'It' agreed on. YORI.
That is the name 'It' chose. I am now forced to watch as Yori squanders my name and murders my friends before my very eyes. I watch him from within my own mind. Like a child watching a cartoon about himself.
It doesn't even matter anymore. Everything is already gone. And I am the cause. Yori was a figment of my own imagination that gave himself life. He gave himself purpose and saw it through to the very end.
All that is left is Jennifer.
And I am within his restraint. Unable to stop him. He locked me up and chained me down within a prison I built for him. Maybe, I always knew that he'd come out one day. Maybe, I let it happen subconsciously.
There's no turning back anyway. I am done.
Jennifer's Perspective
'It' walked in a few minutes after I curled up in the corner of my cabin. 'Its' footsteps were nearly silent like a cat's. I sat upright and wiped the tears from my face. I could hear 'It' stop by my door.
"Come out whenever you're ready to listen to what I have to say, Princess." 'Its' voice sounded calm and monotonous, but I sensed no malicious intent coming from him.
I sat still and thought about it for a few minutes. Naturally, I was afraid of 'It'. Nonetheless, I wanted to hear what he had to say. Why did he murder Celeste like that? I needed to know.
After thinking it through, I got up and headed out of my cabin. 'It' sat still within the ship, resting 'Its' back against the wall. A satisfied smile stretched from ear-to-ear on that smug face.
I wanted to punch 'It'. I really did, but I controlled the urge.
I sat down across 'It'. 'It' looked into my eyes with that same smile as 'It' chuckled slightly. So obnoxious.
"Let's first start with your name."
"My name? I do not see the importance of that, but if it will make you feel any better… my name is Yori." He replied, tilting his head, cracking it.
"Okay, Yori. Why did you kill Celeste? What did she do to you?"
He laughed lightly, tucking his face in his sleeve.
"Very well, but before I tell you that, I have to start at the very beginning." He responded, laying back against the wall.
I nodded.
"When Michael was young, his sister was murdered in front of his very eyes. Murdered in cold blood, but you know what they say about revenge. It is a dish best served cold. I believe that is when he realized my existence. However, I existed before that. I first arrived during his first foster home times. When his parents discarded his younger sister and himself to the streets because the cost of living was too high. Back then, I was his imaginary friend. The friend that would do all the horrific things he would think about doing, for him. Of course, I couldn't actually do any of the things physically. But then, after his sister's death, I took over. And within one night, I eliminated 19 of the humans Michael wanted out of existence. One of which was a child. Then, he locked me up within his mind. In a cage, chained down. I would come out from time to time, but never to fully execute what I had planned. As time went by, Michael grew a hatred for humans and their wretched ways, much like mine. So, I used his hatred to make my escape. The chains got weaker, and the cage became larger. For years, I had to watch as he let everything slide. Every single wrong done unto him, forgiven. Luckily for me, much like Michael's mental stability, the Earth began deteriorating as well. The higher-ups with the world's governments knew this, but as with most things, withheld that information from the public to not cause a mass panic…" He continued yammering.
"What does this have to do with Celeste's murder?"
"All in due time, Princess. Let me finish." He chuckled and answered.
I sighed.
"Fine."
"Great. Now as I was saying. Your government was the leader of this mass façade. A space exploration mission to another habitable world to save mankind. Yes, it sounds legit. However, they knew that this team was not going to return to a planet they once called home." His smile suddenly turned into an evil smirk.
"What do you mean?"
"The Earth is gone. Or at least mankind is. Because of the massive overpopulation, climate change, increased carbon footprint and lack of habitat barriers, the decided it was going to do a reboot. The estimated scheduled time for it to do this was roughly eight months after we embarked on our journey. As you know, it took us three months to get here. Since we do not know how time works on this planet we cannot say for certain how long we have been here, but, by my estimate, we have been here for roughly two months. That leaves us with a three-month gap. Which means by the time we return…" He moved closer to me, leaning forward, still with a grin on his face.
"Everything would be gone." I looked into his eyes, his hazel-colored eyes as mine nearly began to tear up again. But I held it back.
"B-I-N-G-O. And Bingo was his name-o. Now we get to your friends. When we got here, as soon as you and Michael had your little disagreement about finding the Planet I call Alpha, I took the opportunity and broke out. I remotely controlled the ship to fly off and land somewhere randomly on the Planet. Unfortunately, I only had a three-minute window. So, after I did my deed, back into my cage I went. The second window of opportunity I had was when Michael and Graham had a little chat on the rock. The scars Graham had and the story he told Michael reminded him quite a bit about his own past. So naturally, Michael crawled back into his safe place because he was triggered. And there was my second window. There, I set a trap for Graham, and he chose the tree. Honestly speaking, the trap was for anyone of you three. I had one down and two to go, but after that incident, I was forced back into my chains. The third opportunity I had was when you and he travelled together after Celeste left. There, I kicked you down a hole. But you didn't die." A large grin grew on his face stretching from ear-to-ear.
"You son of a bi-"
He placed his index finger on my lips. I suddenly froze.
"Hush. I am not done." He removed his finger from my lips as I nodded, signaling him to continue.
"Thank you. But then, after I moved the ship again, within the spring deep in the forest, Michael and I began debating who should have the rightful consciousness seat. Slowly but surely, after battling him within our mind, he gave up in your arms. And I was finally free. So, since I failed in ending you, Celeste was my next target. So, as you saw, I took her life.
You may be wondering why I went through all this trouble to kill Graham and Celeste. The answer might disappoint you. Because humanity is a disease and I wanted it to be extinct once and for all. The United States Government's initial plan was to send a team of sixteen on this mission. Eight males and eight females of any race. Not because they wanted to discover if this was a suitable planet for mankind or not. Because they wanted those sixteen to procreate and restart humanity on this planet. All this information is on the ship, but Michael never showed it to you three, because it would have shattered your little hearts."
"So, what are you going to do now? Are you going to kill me and finish the job?"
"No. No, I am not." He sighed in disappointment.
"What? Why?"
"It would be pointless. Every other human being beside you and I is dead. There is no way for procreation to take place. I killed Celeste because I didn't want two females to be the last remainders. Unless you want to procreate with me." He smiled, jokingly.
"You're disgusting."
"That's what I thought. So, this is what I am going to do." He stood up and began walking around, packing nearly everything into bags and tossing them out the door.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Just give me a minute." He replied as he sorted everything accordingly. Food with food, tools with tools, tech with tech, gadgets with gadgets, etc.
After packing everything and tossing them out of the door. He looked at me with a smile.
"It was nothing personal, Princess." He signaled me to step out.
I rolled my eyes as I stepped out. He pushed some buttons on the side and on his wristwatch. He locked eyes with me once more.
"For what it is worth, Michael was deeply fascinated and infatuated with you. Maybe even in love. And it is for that reason that I choose not to end your life."
I blushed slightly for some reason. Did that make me happy? I couldn't think of how to respond.
"You might have just as well done it. It's not like I will survive anyway alone on this planet."
That's the only response I had. My brain lagged. I was very conflicted.
"Her name is Planet Alpha. And you will survive. If you travel to the other side of the planet, you will find wildlife similar to that of Earth's. The water here is pristine and safe for drinking as well. There are predators, but I'm sure you'll be fine." He said as the doors of the ship began closing and the thrusters began vibrating.
"Goodbye, Jennifer." He greeted as the doors fully closed and the ship took off. It warped into outer space, leaving a stream of smoke through the clouds.
I began crying again. Tears streamed down my face. I was alone on a planet. Alone until I die.
"Goodbye, Michael. I'll miss you."
Yori's Perspective
My mission is finally complete. Humanity will soon be eradicated and my existence as well. We had a great ride, you and I, Michael.
You treated me like something that needed to be kept under wraps. Hidden from the world. You called me out of control and dangerous. I guess I have proven you correct.
Right, Michael?
It does not matter either way. We will be gone soon as well. I hope I made you happy, though. I did everything that you wished within your subconscious.
I think it's time for me to say goodbye to you. I can feel myself fading from existence. My purpose has been fulfilled after all. I thank you for creating me, my friend.
Destination will be reached in 2 month, 3 weeks, and 6 days.
I wish you all the best. Thank you… for everything. Goodbye, Michael Forrest.
-Chapter VIII End-