Michael's Ascension

Flash Fiction

Michael buckled into himself. The weight of a bowling ball pressed against the back of his skull. He interlaced his fingers through his light brown hair and grabbed onto the pressure. It pounded. His teeth scraped together. Eyes shut tight. Everything around him seemed to disappear. Only the pounding weight remained.

“Get up pig!”

A deep, guttural voice echoed from the immense pressure inside Michael’s brain. He ignored it and stayed curled up in a ball. Heat arose through the floor, which caused beads of sweat to drip down Michael’s face. A grunt escaped his lips. The pounding pressure swelled until it took over his skull. He gripped his hair tighter, almost removing a few strands.

“I said get up, pig!”

The voice now erupted from outside of Michael’s head. A blow to his ribs followed shortly behind. Pain crackled through his bones. He let out a sharp gasp for air and opened his eyes. The pounding pressure within his mind did not stop. Michael looked up at the tall figure that loomed over him. His eyes watered, but as they adjusted to the room's light, the blurred figure became clear.

A humanoid creature looked down at Michael. Its piercing eyes were different colors. One glowed a bright orange, and the other was a deep blue. Its mouth fixed in a sneer, with two canine-like teeth protruding through the bottom lip. Michael locked eyes with the creature and let go of his hair.

“What?... What are you?” Michael asked.

The creature stared into his eyes. Michael coughed and sat up from the floor. The creature's legs were that of a goat. Its fur was as dark as the night. Michael could see small glints of light, reminiscent of stars, scattered throughout it.

He took a quick look around to see the room he was in. No walls, only floor. A deep purple floor made of a slimy substance he couldn’t figure out. His feet were submerged in it. When he took his foot out to take a step, it made a sound like a suction cup. Space surrounded the floor, the creature, and Michael.

Stars scattered everywhere. Michael recognized the planets he saw as Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and even Earth. His legs were too heavy to take another step. He stared at the Earth with his mouth agape. Questions grew in his mind. The pressure continued its relentless pounding.

“Weak. Every last one of you. Believing to be some significant force in the universe, but you are cattle. Pigs, you would call it.”

The creature beckoned. Michael looked up to see they stared down at Earth. Their mouth never moved. Deep guttural sounds rattled through Michael's mind and body.

“Always fighting each other for dominance, but they are cutting their lifespan in half. For thousands of years, we watch your kind repeat what others have done before them. They never realize what they could achieve if they were to put their differences aside.”

Michael grit his teeth. The pressure increased. It was like a force squeezed his head trying to crush it. The creature pulled out their right hand and held it open. Black smoke swirled up from their palm and whipped around until it formed the shape of a ball.

“Excuse me. Where the hell am I? What is this?”

The creature looked down at Michal. The black smoke continued to swirl.

“This is the end, pig. Your kind has wasted enough of our time. Now we must cleanse the planet.”

Michael tried to form a response, but all that came out of his mouth was silence. The pain in his mind gripped tighter as he tried to understand what had happened. This has to be a terrible nightmare.

“This is no nightmare. We have chosen you as the remnants of your kind. When they are all cleansed, you will be the last. As it has always been for thousands of years.”

The ball of black smoke solidified in the creature's hand. It looked to be a giant rock formation. They gripped the ball and hurled it toward Earth. A grunt erupted from the creature. Michael’s eyes grew as he watched the rock blast toward his planet.

“What the hell! Is that a fucking meteor?!”

It reached the Earth’s atmosphere. Michael tried to rush closer, but his legs sunk into the purple muck. Earth and the meteor were an exact match in size. Within a mere half a second, Michael watched the cracks stretch across the surface. An orange glow emitted through them. The meteor ate away at the planet's surface until it reached the core. Chunks of the crust and deeper layers are scattered out into space. Michael’s heart sunk in his chest. A flash of orange and white blinded him.

“You will help us build a new, better world. You will see things your simple human mind won’t be able to comprehend. Once you evolve, you will understand.”