Another dead, is it my turn yet? Driving down the silent highway, those words escape my lips. How can a machine be so efficient but still need someone outside to clean up the bodies? 182Please respect copyright.PENANA3JfPiEwkx1
I watch the quiet concrete jungle around me pass by and wonder how it came to this. I’ve long forgotten why but I don’t care. As long as I can escape. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAVobRyO1izG
Hours pass and I eventually make it to my unmistakable destination.182Please respect copyright.PENANARTMcLGGDuE
I park next to the entrance and hope it doesn’t take this car too. I look up and stare again in wonder. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAAgFmdT860d
“It’s still growing, huh?”182Please respect copyright.PENANAHOrTXrWPyD
The oppressive building, if you can call it that, dwarfs me and everything around. Despite its insane size, it won’t stop growing across the planet. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAzp9mYFR5uB
I sigh and open the only glass door and prepare for his usual greeting. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAS8dXGVUi70
“Hey James, a new car I see.” At what is the only reception desk in the building sits my only acquaintance, Lewal.182Please respect copyright.PENANAuuW5GfAtnb
“It’s not like there’s anyone to stop me from taking it.”182Please respect copyright.PENANAr8YvHHCFh0
“The benefits of the job huh?”182Please respect copyright.PENANAe36Q7sxX4L
“Benefits, huh.”182Please respect copyright.PENANA1rGtgUgt7d
“Yeah! You can go anywhere at any time with no one to stop you! It’s great right?”182Please respect copyright.PENANAlQRLQmrvAK
“No, there’s no one to share it with.”182Please respect copyright.PENANAqnzIMv6qv4
“Bu-”182Please respect copyright.PENANAjYurzaVb6C
“I don’t want to talk about it right now, just let me in.”182Please respect copyright.PENANAIeliqs0Kqk
“U-uh, sure.”182Please respect copyright.PENANA1e23jPxo5R
I swipe my worn key card and enter the elevator. No buttons or lights needed, it knows where I need to go. I strap myself into the corner, close my eyes and prepare for the whiplash. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAHyT1rktADD
Instantly my body is pulled in every conceivable direction. At every turn, it goes faster and faster. My insides rip apart and repair themselves over and over again. It’s times like these where I’m grateful for its, “gift”. 182Please respect copyright.PENANA8AefJIVnZx
Eventually, the ride is over and the doors open to part of the colossal structure.182Please respect copyright.PENANAkKymVpn2rr
“Good, I didn’t throw up that time.”182Please respect copyright.PENANAwFtHdBVYJ4
I take a moment to collect myself, unstrap and leave the elevator. Before my eyes are thousands, no, millions of them. There’s more than before, I just know. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAQJnRwbhVrR
Farther than I could see, bright water-filled pods with humans inside fill the expanse of my vision. Up, down, left, and right. There is no end, just an endless circle of the blessed. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAFfn2EYmznT
I step forward and as expected, a platform appears beneath me. It moves slower this time towards my final destination. I soon reach a dimming pod with an old man inside. I press the red button on the side to drain the water and display the info I need for the backup record. I take out my notebook and rip out a page. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAswtv7tqiVX
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“Name: Johnathan Walter”182Please respect copyright.PENANA4DTLc79pdL
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“Virtual Generation: 23rd” 182Please respect copyright.PENANATJ02zHWkGm
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“Lives lived: 20.”182Please respect copyright.PENANA4GKq5piZYz
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“Final Death: Old Age”182Please respect copyright.PENANAYAajTakWNc
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“Satisfaction: Grateful and Happy.”182Please respect copyright.PENANAhl8Rg23NCU
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“What a surprise…”182Please respect copyright.PENANApk0mzx1lBq
I take the body out and lay it on the platform. In the second before the platform starts moving again, I stare at the pod. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAkihwx0repo
I could jump in and close the hatch. I’ve earned this, I deserve this after everything. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAYZ9EUSjUtY
But my body won’t move, I feel its eyes burning into my skull. Warning me to not disturb the cycle. It still needs me to do my labors. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAUNX47FnRJM
So the dream dies again as the platform speeds to the next section. I’m left wondering “what if”, until we reach the elevator. From the elevator to cremation. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAEpqf8ZOWrJ
All the while, I can’t rip my eyes from this old man’s peaceful smile. What wonders did he see and experience there?182Please respect copyright.PENANASI1Bq4EUQf
What love has he shared? What adventures has he gone on? What food has he tasted? What joys was he gifted?182Please respect copyright.PENANApHpVAXYNPi
All the things that make life worth living. All the things taken from me. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAiLiofh6KcI
These questions flood my mind repeatedly and I want it to stop.182Please respect copyright.PENANASCFaNEzcMn
So I throw the old man into the fire and watch that smile melt away. But I feel nothing, they still win in the end. 182Please respect copyright.PENANADYn8jlrXIO
I place my notepaper on the nearby table and leave. Knowing that if I turn around, it won’t be there anymore. 182Please respect copyright.PENANABCjGorZ0dY
From cremation to elevator to front door, I arrive where I began. I attempt to leave but Lewal stops me like usual. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAjl0edimbGg
“Hey James, nice work today.” 182Please respect copyright.PENANA0oJXBrpVih
“If you say so.” 182Please respect copyright.PENANAteeOFa0GKX
“Hey, let’s hit the amusement park later. I know you’re not in the mood but it will cheer you up.”182Please respect copyright.PENANAYO8ojzOYkl
“I went there more times than there are numbers. I’m…tired of it.”182Please respect copyright.PENANAISydDO4KK9
“Come on, you can’t mope all the time! It’s not all doom and gloom, your time will come. You’ll see!”182Please respect copyright.PENANAk69TOgz5VW
“You say that every day but I…can’t believe that.” 182Please respect copyright.PENANAMckrrPVJQk
“I…can’t lie to myself anymore.”182Please respect copyright.PENANAdrlrsnHMS2
I look back to find the desk and Lewal gone. Like they were never there to begin with. 182Please respect copyright.PENANAHbabn1cCWW
“Yeah, it’s time to stop lying to myself. I’m…alone.”182Please respect copyright.PENANAgtBbG6xi06
I exit the empty building, leaving the last of my hopes behind.182Please respect copyright.PENANARXEaS50bsI
I notice the car is missing again, assimilated into this great construct. I sigh and resign myself to this eternity.182Please respect copyright.PENANAxEARZzRxsw
I begin the long walk home only to repeat this cycle when it calls on me. I know now, my turn will never come.182Please respect copyright.PENANAAqdFAYQIOx