"I will show you fear in a handful of dust."
T.S. Eliot
It seemed like only yesterday that they appeared to us. Perhaps because it was. The entire world, gone to hell in a single day. We should be revolting against our governments for declaring the world at war with itself, on every street, in every home. We would be. If we weren't so terrified. Roosevelt told us we had nothing to fear but fear itself. Roosevelt had never seen a Ghost. But I have.
Last night, I found myself standing in a field in the pitch black. But something felt wrong, something felt... present. It wasn't the feeling of being watched, it was more like the feeling of being ignored. The sound of grasshoppers suddenly seemed to be silenced and the air froze in place.
Then it came. The light. A blinding, searing light. The sickening yellow burned my eyes and while I could not see I could neither close my eyes. And the silence gave way to horrors beyond description. It felt like gunfire. It felt like gunfire, but the sound was... tangible. Biological. Like something was trying to force its way into me, something I couldn't comprehend. But nothing seemed to change. I wasn't being shot, or hurt. I didn't feel any pain. I didn't bleed. I started to wonder what exactly was happening. And I began to worry what was happening. And the worry became discomfort. And the discomfort, paranoia. I understood, finally.
Fear. It wasn't just frightening me. It was making me afraid. A fear so deep I stood paralyzed, terrified what would happen should I resist, should I turn. An eternity seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. I was no longer in a field, alone. I was standing atop a building overlooking the city, a hundred feet above the courtyard. A wave of memories flooded my head of the day that followed.
"We are facing an unknown threat. We know not the nature of these visitors, these Ghosts. But we will try to make peace with these beings. I urge you all to stay calm and not take any drastic measures. Any dissent may mean the end of us all."
The President's words rang hollow as the military began sweeps through major cities, in an attempt to take down these... things. As it turned out, these beings were invisible by nature. At least, they could not be seen unless they were harmed. So the military was forced to fire blindly into the city below. I watched as tanks fired mortars into the air and suddenly... a brilliant flash. A hit. And just as suddenly, a vicious strobe of creatures bore down on the tank. They were impossibly fast. A blink of the eye and you would be annihilated. It was too much for a mind to perceive, and all I could do was stare.
And then it came again. The fear. A paralyzing terror. But somewhere, buried in the back of my mind, a calm sense of relief. I would be alright. Because, as I rose into the air, I knew I would not face this unspeakable horror. The creature mere inches behind me had put so much fear in my soul that all I could freely do was climb to the top of the guardrail. But I didn't jump. If they were going to attack with fear, maybe I could hurt them too. Could they feel guilt? Or sorrow?
The push finally came. They were not above violence after all. The President's words hung in my ear. "Any descent," I thought. Maybe it won't be the end of us all. Maybe we can take them. Maybe, just maybe, we
Then it came. The light. A blinding, searing light. The sickening yellow burned my eyes and while I could not see I could neither close my eyes. And the silence gave way to horrors beyond description. It felt like gunfire. It felt like gunfire, but the sound was... tangible. Biological. Like something was trying to force its way into me, something I couldn't comprehend. But nothing seemed to change. I wasn't being shot, or hurt. I didn't feel any pain. I didn't bleed. I started to wonder what exactly was happening. And I began to worry what was happening. And the worry became discomfort. And the discomfort, paranoia. I understood, finally.
Fear. It wasn't just frightening me. It was making me afraid. A fear so deep I stood paralyzed, terrified what would happen should I resist, should I turn. An eternity seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. I was no longer in a field, alone. I was standing atop a building overlooking the city, a hundred feet above the courtyard. A wave of memories flooded my head of the day that followed.
"We are facing an unknown threat. We know not the nature of these visitors, these Ghosts. But we will try to make peace with these beings. I urge you all to stay calm and not take any drastic measures. Any dissent may mean the end of us all."
The President's words rang hollow as the military began sweeps through major cities, in an attempt to take down these... things. As it turned out, these beings were invisible by nature. At least, they could not be seen unless they were harmed. So the military was forced to fire blindly into the city below. I watched as tanks fired mortars into the air and suddenly... a brilliant flash. A hit. And just as suddenly, a vicious strobe of creatures bore down on the tank. They were impossibly fast. A blink of the eye and you would be annihilated. It was too much for a mind to perceive, and all I could do was stare.
And then it came again. The fear. A paralyzing terror. But somewhere, buried in the back of my mind, a calm sense of relief. I would be alright. Because, as I rose into the air, I knew I would not face this unspeakable horror. The creature mere inches behind me had put so much fear in my soul that all I could freely do was climb to the top of the guardrail. But I didn't jump. If they were going to attack with fear, maybe I could hurt them too. Could they feel guilt? Or sorrow?
The push finally came. They were not above violence after all. The President's words hung in my ear. "Any descent," I thought. Maybe it won't be the end of us all. Maybe we can take them. Maybe, just maybe, we
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