3,457
You move forward into the opening, the grass in front of you parts in its anticipation of you. You begin to make out the form of the man under the lamp. His back is bare, broken iron cuffs are at his wrists and ankles. He is wrapped in the long grass, completely still. So still he may not be breathing. Startled, you try to turn around, but the long grass proves an impassable deterrent, pushing you off as if it has a mind of its own. With no other options, you try to speak with the man.
As you open your mouth to speak, you realize that you cannot speak. No sound comes out your throat. Still, the man turns as if hearing your silent words. Slowly, the grass around him moves him towards you.
He has no face. He has no eyes, no ears, no nose. Only a mouth of teeth that takes up its entire head vertically, like a zipper on a jacket. The mouth opens and inside you see rows and rows of flat, plate-like yellow teeth. The edges of its mouth without teeth are covered with what was missing on its face. Eyes of varying colors and sizes, noses all pale, ears twitching vaguely. They all move and shift, swirling as if they were in a whirlpool. At the center, where the uvula should've been, is a full lipped grin. The mouth whispers a single thing.
"3,458."
The creatures jaw unhinges, more and more mouths appear---all screaming. You are consumed.
You die for the 3,458th time.
As you open your mouth to speak, you realize that you cannot speak. No sound comes out your throat. Still, the man turns as if hearing your silent words. Slowly, the grass around him moves him towards you.
He has no face. He has no eyes, no ears, no nose. Only a mouth of teeth that takes up its entire head vertically, like a zipper on a jacket. The mouth opens and inside you see rows and rows of flat, plate-like yellow teeth. The edges of its mouth without teeth are covered with what was missing on its face. Eyes of varying colors and sizes, noses all pale, ears twitching vaguely. They all move and shift, swirling as if they were in a whirlpool. At the center, where the uvula should've been, is a full lipped grin. The mouth whispers a single thing.
"3,458."
The creatures jaw unhinges, more and more mouths appear---all screaming. You are consumed.
You die for the 3,458th time.
