City of Lines

City of Lines

Madness Crawls

A report was filed.
As such, Agents were sent out, as that’s just what happens when a report is filed.
The report was filed towards a shopkeeper in the Southern District who sold various goods made from lumber, and they were very high quality, at that; but the high quality wood was exactly why the report was filed in the first place.
There are no trees.
So the figures, gliding, cackling from within the Central District moved from building to building, with sharp blades and glowing bullets to find the source of such madness.
The shopkeeper ran. He had things to return to; a wife, an expected baby, a home, a home, the most important thing, a home.
It was almost midnight.
With every passing second, every moment the hands from the tower moved a reminder was echoedechoedechoed throughout all of the city that it was almost midnight, almost.
So he ran.
Agents did not have to worry about such things; the brief sixty seconds between the dawn and the dusk was their world. That is where they saw. That is where they breathed.
So the shopkeeper ran. He was not an Agent. He was the shopkeeper who sold fine goods made of the wood which did not exist to anyone.
The laughing drew nearer.
The shopkeeper ran.
The maze around him twisted. It was almost midnight. Almost. Almost.
Did he have a home? A wife? Did those exist to him?
Still he ran. And ran. And kept running, and running, and running, and running and running and running and running andrunningandrunningandrunningandrunning only to realize that not a step had been taken.
He was still on the same tile.
The rain continued to fall. Did the rain exist before?
He heard its cries. They drew him in. Almost midnight. Almost.
“Wood? Timber? Where do those come from?”
Toothy grins in a glowing black appeared before him. The vortices of death in a paradise of lights.
“They do not exist. They are maddening. Do you understand?”
He screamed. He ran. He did not run. Almost. Almost.
“No. You do not. You are mad. You are the singularity.”
The lights from the rain phased through their crimson grins and the glass on their face looked beyond what we can see; a cosmic conglomerate of changing shapes and evolving ideas. Yet they still reflected the tower. Almost. Almost.
“Forget what you’ve read. What you’ve heard. Madness is not a beast. It is a terror.”
They approached him. Ten seconds.
“Madness seeps into you through the most unlikely of places.”
They grabbed him. Nine seconds.
“It changes the way you look, how you think, how you see, and the world at large, as well.”
They pinned him down. Eight seconds.
“You are a rusted chain. We must cut you. You connect us to an unfavorable wall.”
They pulled out their tool. Seven seconds.
“Without you, we will fly freely once again with our metal wings.”
Blood dripped onto the man. It was cold. Where did it come from. Six.
“The depths are infinite; we will fall, but we will smile while doing so.”
His true face showed. He was afraid. Five.
“Madness does not strike.”
They cut. Four.
“Madness does not rage.”
Pain engulfed him. Three.
“Madness is not the beast.”
The screams echoed through the night, letting the lights dance. Two.
“You are the beast.”
The condition was ripped straight from him, claws scraping against the skull, blood flying, the maze twisting, the people laughing, the rain crying, everything spinning around them, the night never beginning.
“Madness simply crawls.”
One.
Midnight began.


The Condition

The day was cold. Ice spiked through the cracks of the road, suddenly, those outside suddenly silenced as the roads brought the people art. The art laughed at their newfound warmth. The passerby laughed at the cruelty the city’s winter brought. A fire was lit. A gate of promise, showing through its cracks the form of a different street, one that breathed, slowly, a growling, drooling mass with blood pumping through veins that did not allow it to flow; the clatter above waking it up, its cold body being awakened again and thus attacked, attacked, attacked to stop them, entertain them, static noise to lull it back to sleep only to feel them again, bothering, bothering, over and over until the lighter realized that the street was not breathing. The ice was always there. The people had always been there. The warmth came with a price, as it always had. And so she burned. The dark figure saw the light enter the rest; the coal formed in the pit, extinguished into warmth, but the fire went without it; the ashes remained, an example, and the streets returned to the cold, the condition for survival happily unmet.


Inescapable

“Welcome back.”
“Thank you, Director.”
“Was the condition met?”
“Yes. She was an easy one.”
“How so?”
“All she did was look at the... fire she had lit. Once I appeared she did nothing to fight. I pushed her in and all that was left were ashes.”
“Was she truly under a condition?”
“Of course. Fire does not exist here. If she lit it that means she became lost.”
“Was the part about her being a mother true?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Did you meet the child?”
“It came downstairs after it heard me come in. It saw its mother in the fire and we both shared a good laugh about her. It says it wants to become an architect.”
“In this city?”
“It doesn’t know better. It will learn. It will laugh.”
“How is the District holding up?”
“Oh, just swimmingly. The condition was in a fairly disclosed location so no one had the chance to see it.”
“Are they still warm?”
“Yes. The hail has, of course, taken a few, but people are happy. Their injuries allow them to feel warmth.”
“Will there need to be cleanup?”
“Almost certainly. I almost slipped on a few of the red trails myself.”
“I see. Good work, Agent.”
“Thank you, Director.”
“Before you go, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Yes?”
“I feel as though the world is becoming clearer. If I am to become cursed with a condition, would you take up my spot?”
“No. I have no interest in your career.”
“Very well. Will you at least meet my condition if it is to happen?”
“Most certainly.”
“Thank you, Agent.”
“Of course. But I must let you know, just as the woman with the fire and the shopkeeper with timber, if you are to come down with a condition I will no longer see you as who you are. I will see you as an anomaly, and will take great pleasure in exterminating you. I will make it hurt. I will make you regret ever asking me to do so. I will think of you as below nothing and I will never think of you with fondness again. Your only place in my memory will be the look in your eyes that will plead me to stop and the euphoria I will feel when they fall back into a dull stare. Until we get to that, it was nice working for you.”
“You’re insane.”
“Of course. Sanity is a maze, and we are the escapees.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Yes. For we can see what the maze really is.”
“What is it?”
“Inescapable.”


The Labyrinth

I’m writing this down because I’m not sure what’s happening to me or why. I don’t know my own name. I do not know where I am. When I woke up I saw a ruined city. Next to me was a girl, I think? I didn’t get a good look at her but she seemed happy that I was awake. She told me I was free. She didn’t mention this. I hate it. I want it to. Stop. There was nothing but sand. And dirt. And flith. She was there, she told me her name and I think she said it was Breaker. Thats not a name. She left soon after. I looked around and there wa sno one. Then there was a child. I dont know how it got there it just did it was laughing i ran and ran. nothing here seems reaanl. i want it tthon sytop.,,,
she said i was in the wstren district i think. and that i had a conditnntion, , .?but i dontknow what that means she didnt tell me... she never said sorry but iwantes her to—————————————————said Agent aa scoming. it’s almos midnighhh like she saud but whoisagent. itsdarknowandiseealightijustwantto


Reports Filed

Day 873, Month 14, 11:59 PM

A report was filed in the Southern District against a man claiming to have timber products for sale. The condition was met and we made sure all products were forgotten by the public before they were promptly destroyed. The shopkeeper seemed to show signs of surface-level breaking, being distressed and disoriented.

Citizens who bought the timber products were also taken care of. Most showed mid-level breaking traits, such as incoherent speaking, crying, and extreme attachments to their newfound condition, but all of these citizens were also taken care of. It is unknown who filed the report.

Two children are now without outside citizens. I will have Agent make sure both of them remain occupied.

It is unknown where the shopkeeper received the timber products.

Timber, wood and otherwise do not exist.

Threat has been neutralized on the surface, but please remain on the lookout for anyone broken enough to have escaped.

Day 874, Month 14, 11:59 PM

A report was filed in the Northern District against a woman who had set a fire in her home, presumably in an attempt to keep warm. The condition was met, as the fire was put out after all evidence of the woman was burned and the fire was put out. The woman showed signs of surface-level breaking, being entranced by the fire and seemingly no response to physical contact. The woman was apparently a mother, and it is likely her child filed the report.

Other than her child, no citizens were alerted to the condition.

The child was unaffected. Investigations showed it was laughing happily at their mother and claimed it wanted to be an architect. I will have Agent check in on it again soon to make sure it was truly unaffected by its mother’s condition.

It is unknown how the fire was lit.

Fire and any objects and / or substances able to cause fire do not exist.

Threat has been neutralized.

Day 875, Month 14, 11:59 PM

A report was filed against a man in the Western District against a man who had been frantically writing in a journal in the streets. The condition was met, I analyzed the journal, and those affected by the condition were also taken care of. The man showed signs of mid-level breaking, such as incoherent speech patterns, crying, convulsions, self-harm and screaming.

Citizens affected by the condition seemed to suffer the same symptoms, albeit less severe and none of them wrote anything. It is unknown who filed the report.

One child is now without an outside citizen. I will make sure Agent keeps it occupied.

It is unknown where the man received the journal, but according to the contents of the journal, the man apparently was visited by a woman named Breaker. It is unknown whether or not Breaker exists, but I will have Agent investigate nonetheless.

Journals do not exist.

Threat has been neutralized on the surface, but please remain on the lookout for any other broken citizens.

Day 876, Month 14, 10:59 PM

Breaker has visited me.
I have confirmed myself to be deeply broken. I will have Agent meet my condition before I get any worse.
I will be gone in an hour.
I will pick my successor in that time.
Burn this file after I am gone.
Proceed as normal.


Director

This event led to the city succumbing to ennui; work was put at a complete halt, the birthrate was at an all-time minimum, and the city was completely wiped away from public consciousness to avoid possible spreading of the despair. From this, a man named //////////////////////// rose up and began to rave in the streets about how the city would face the future: succumb to insanity and live in blissful ignorance until their negligence to their own lives lead them to death, thus being able to destroy the city from the inside.* The people of the city, willing to do anything to escape the horrible reality they had imposed upon themselves, jumped towards the new idea with open arms. As stated in the final message from the city**, all information regarding the people or the progression of the plan stopped being received, and complete isolation was achieved. After reading this file and completing the reason you were asked to read it, we recommend you commit suicide as to make sure the despair of the situation does not spread.
*”We shall no longer see these structures as buildings, but as walls to a spiraling labyrinth! We will become lost, isolated, smile as we find each other and laugh as we realize we were looking in mirrors! The conditions that have led us to this state are the world around us! We must abandon it! Our despair will become a nation built upon its own negligence, one destined to fall under our own name! Do you hear me!? Laugh, bleed, cry if you must, but follow me for our own ultimatum!”
- One of the public speeches by ////////////////////////, provided by an unknown reporter who visited the city and never returned. Name unknown.
**”Greetings, my beautiful friends. I don’t suppose I have to explain myself? No, I would not have anyway. If you do not know me, forget me, and if you do, forget yourself alongside me; you need not be aware of the situation at hand to understand this message; I only ask you trust me in that everything will be taken care of. I have picked a successor, as overseeing this operation has made me all too aware of reality. The most violent creature among us has been chosen as an Agent of our ambitions, and they shall make sure nothing goes in nor out of this hell. This maze. It’s funny, I think. It’s almost midnight. Do you understand? It’s almost midnight. A new day will begin, today will be forgotten, tomorrow will be dreaded... but it’s all the same. At least, that’s what they say. I suppose I have nothing left to dread, however. Thank you.”


Breaker

You’ve awoken!
Oh, what a horrible room this must be. What do you see? Rust? Perhaps it is. Are you bleeding? Were you cut? When did that happen? I suppose it doesn’t matter. Tell me, how do you feel? Repressed? Outraged? Does this reality not suit you? Don’t worry, we’ll be taking care of that problem. It will take some time, though... think of it as a sort of ‘payment’ for the trouble you caused. Tell me... where did you find those objects?
...
You will not answer me? Good. You doing that would be unrelated to my cause. Any allies you may have will be put under my hand as well. You do understand, yes?
Oh no, no, nononononono miss. There’s no one here to listen to your words. I will only hear your sounds, do you understand me? The sound of broken bones, of gushing innards, of your tears streaming down your face as I take you for my own orgasmic end, your painful end, yes? Do you understand? Nod. Nod, nod, I will hear it, your pleas mean nothing to me, to them I am naught but deaf.
...
You shook your head?
...
Aha
Ahahaha
AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA
IS THAT YOUR LAST HOPE? YOUR LAST EFFORT AGAINST US? YOU HAD ME, MISS! I BELIEVED YOU TO BE A CRACK IN OUR SYSTEM, AN ENEMY I WOULD ENJOY DRAINING THE STRENGTH FROM, BUT... YOU... YOU’RE JUST...
...
Prey.
A tender, afraid woman who thought she could restore the people from their madness. You read the file, didn’t you? You read it to the Director, didn’t you? Is that why I must had to meet his condition as well? I must thank you for that. I’ve never felt so chilled, never so deep in nothingness...
I will meet your condition. Who knows how long it will take? You have attempted to destroy our perfectly crumbling society. I will take my time. I will enjoy myself.
Goodnight, miss. I can no longer hear you but I can see you struggling to escape.
You have brought me pleasure, and a sense of assurance that we will all eventually fall.
I love you, Breaker. Are you ready for sleep?


Agent

And as they exited, soaked, they laughed at the building in front of them.
“How wonderful!” They said, holding their arms out to the face in front of them.
“A satisfying end to us all!”
The face looked upward, slowly but surely circling itself until it showed its truest form.
“Today will be such a beautiful day!”
The face became one with itself, letting out a cry that bellowed throughout the city,


Midnight

and
as
the
cries
were
heard
by
the
people,
animalistic
screams
were
returned
double
triple
one
hundred
times
and
beyond,
a
full
s i x t y
s e c o n d s
of
homicide,
carnage,
hunger,
lust,
sorrow,
sorrow,
collapse,
inverted
shining
scraping
against
the
shadows
of
their
origin,
only
to
be
denied
of
the
world,
this
reality
void
of
help,
void
of
senses,
and
such
falls
the
C i t y  o f  L i n e s .