The Affliction
I hear them every night: the screams. It is always very quiet before they begin. Silence settles upon every single house and shop and person as all await the psychological plague they know is fast approaching. During this silence, it is as if, for a moment, our whole world comes to an ice-cold standstill. Color and feeling and life leave us behind in a dark, horrifying void. And, just when we think it will never end, the sound of hell is released into the streets. In but a moment, the silence which echoes so loudly in the mind is replaced by shrill, pained cries that rip through the air, the mind, and the soul like a knife. I used to cry and cover my ears, when I was young and scared and blind. I would try my best to block out the sound, to convince myself that it wasn’t real, to do anything to make the agony stop. However, over the years, I have come to realize that there is no escaping the merciless grip of reality. I now force myself to listen to what I know is the truth. It ...