The Future

THE FUTURE

By C

PART I

CHAPTER 12

                          

       John rushes from the building, his mind reeling on the verge of panic. He runs down a winding walk and comes to one of the small gardens containing brightly colored flowers. There is no one around, and he gratefully collapses on a bench amongst the peaceful surroundings. His chest heaves, his heart pounds madly, and his mind races wildly. Any shred of the composure he had been determined to maintain has been completely shattered. It is a long time before he gradually calms down enough to start trying to regain some semblance of control. Once again, for more times than he cares to remember, he tries to collect his thoughts. In the past few hours, he has witnessed numerous unbelievable things that have astounded, shocked, and stunned him into a state of disbelief.

      Almost every discovery had gotten progressively more bizarre, and this last episode had clearly been the most unnerving of all. He gazes absently at the impressive building. It is almost beyond comprehension to realize that the atrocities he had witnessed being committed against members of his sex are, at this very moment, still going on inside. Reality is brought back when he hears the deep roar of an engine being started and then sees a large refrigerator truck pull out from a service area behind the building. He watches it go down a drive, turn into the street, and disappear. He shudders when he thinks of the cargo it contains.

       He can only shake his head as he again looks at the building and tranquil surroundings. There is no telling the untold number of men who have walked into its interior as living human beings and left as cold, refrigerated, packages of meat. The blood that had flowed individually through their veins upon entering would be left behind, mixed with that of numerous others, to flow instead in the drains that ran beneath the floor. There is no doubt that thousands upon thousands have been slaughtered and butchered inside the building and, in all probability, other such places exist that conduct similar activity.

       The enormity floods over John like a tidal wave. The thousands upon thousands of men that have died inside the building were not killed by superhuman amazons. They were killed by ordinary, everyday, members of a female society whose beauty and femininity give an appearance of innocent vulnerability. The intriguing outfits they all wore seemed to indicate a desire to emphasize being female as they performed such devastating dominance against members of the opposite sex. It this is indeed the intent, it had proven to be extremely effective.

      There is clearly nothing superhuman about the woman that had reminded him so much of a loving grandmother, but there is no denying the result of her actions. If he is correct in his assumption, this kindly looking woman, after the completion of her performance, would have made her way to the processing room to assist in various activities. Her final task would be to butcher the body that she had taken such pleasure in slaying. In this endeavor, her actions would duplicate those of the others he had observed.

     A picture crosses John’s mind of this elderly woman, with such a kind face, smiling mischievously as she playfully dangles a limp penis and scrotum in front the open eyes of a severed head. A shudder passes through him. By now, she would probably have completed her task and have a pelt of pubic hair to add to her collection. For someone her age, the collection would undoubtedly number in the hundreds - all taken by her hand from other bodies she had slain. John finds it extremely depressing to comprehend such a gentle looking woman being responsible for, single-handedly, killing hundreds of strong, healthy men, and he forces himself to think of something else.

       It is only natural that his thoughts turn to the extremely beautiful and desirable younger women that had also participated in the arena. Certainly, there was nothing superhuman about any of those lovely young women. He remembers that his shocked and stunned senses had not been in such a state as to prevent him from staring at them with typical, male, admiration. They were especially appealing in their short, pink skirts and tight fitting tops. The freedom with which their unrestrained young breasts jiggled so enchantingly underneath only served to enhance their desirability.

     No, these feminine bodies that John had admired do not belong to superhuman amazons, but are the soft, desirable, bodies of beautiful young women. They give every appearance of being vulnerable, defenseless females and incapable of harming any living creature. But, the skilled manner with which they carried out their devastating deeds showed how deceiving this outward appearance had been.

      He remembers that of all the men he had seen perish, it had been the ones falling to the hands of these lovely, innocent looking, young women that had been the hardest to accept. His male pride had instinctively rebelled at seeing such powerful bodies of members of his sex being slain and humiliated by them with such ease. Yet, the facts could not be denied regardless of how hard they were to accept. The simple act of allowing their fingers to slip off the string of a drawn bow was all that was required. The vibration caused by the jarring force of the released bow would make the unrestrained young breasts jiggle as the arrow was sent on its deadly journey. In a brief instant, the men would be dead even before the soft, feminine, mounds stopped quivering. As a result of this simple act, bodies that moments before had been healthy, living, men, would collapse and jerk violently in total humiliation. After that, they became still, and their ability to move had ceased forever - the exposed symbols of manhood lying limp and lifeless while warm blood continued to flow through soft feminine folds, the very folds that were intended to be submissive to these vanquished symbols, towered over them in triumphant victory.

       John remembers another thing he found especially hard to accept was the enthusiasm they showed. All of the women, regardless of age, had displayed pleasure and excitement, but the older ones gave the impression of having performed the deed on numerous occasions and being somewhat accustom to them. The younger ones, on the other hand, almost bubbled with excitement of pure joy, and their eyes sparkled with unrestrained glee. The obvious reason, of course, is that it was still new to younger precipitates. For some, it might have even been their first experience. But, to John, this made little difference. Out of all the agonizing things he had seen, the sight of beautiful, young women reacting with such enthusiasm as they killed men in cold-blood was the most difficult to accept.

       His thoughts begin to wander and turned to the fantastic young woman that he initially encountered early this morning. It might have been simply because she was the first but, of all the extraordinarily beautiful women he observed afterward, none made a similar impression. He remembers the intriguing smile that had been on her face and how he felt envious of the man in her life he assumed was the reason behind the smile. He shakes his head at the irony of how much he had misinterpreted the meaning. Whatever reason for the smile, it certainly had nothing to do with romance. If, by chance, it had been in anticipation of a rendezvous with a man the results of that rendezvous, by now, could have been on the truck that had just left - or on another carrying a similar cargo. He feels a sense of depressed longing as he is reminded of that first encounter and how carefree his spirits had been. It seems that it had happened a lifetime ago rather than a matter of hours.

       The peaceful atmosphere of the garden is having a soothing effect on John, and his composure gradually returns. He begins to reflect on the significance of the astounding events taking place inside the building. They are, by far, the most shocking and unbelievable discoveries he has made the entire day. Of these discoveries, there is one that overshadows all of the rest. It overshadows the bleeding, freshly killed, bodies humiliating themselves as they hang upside-down from the jerking conveyor, the atrocious spectacle of men being butchered in front of women spectators, and even the astounding discovery that this female society not only openly kill men in public, but have actually turned it into a popular and exciting spectator sport.

      The most profound and shocking thing of all for John to comprehend is the realization that every woman in this society kills men on a regular basis. He realizes that he might not have total proof, but he has little doubt that this is indeed the case. He thinks back on the untold number of women and girls in their late teens he had observed and admired. It is a chilling and sober thought to comprehend that, in all probability, every single one has been guilty of routinely killing men in cold blood.

       John wonders how he will feel, from now on, when looking at women that he will encounter. It had been hard enough to look at them after becoming aware of the large quantity of male flesh and sex organs their female bodies routinely digested. Now, in addition, he will be faced with knowing that each and every one is also guilty of taking human life. At least to him it is human life. But, an act that in his time would be considered brutal murder is now nothing more than something done in public on a massive scale. It might well be that performing in the arena is a required obligation in much the same manner as jury duty in his time.

      There is no doubt that these women regard their own lives as being sacred, but they place no value at all on the life of a male beyond how it can be used to serve their own interest. John had reached this obvious conclusion some time ago, but the full impact of just how true it is had been vividly brought home by the events he had just witnessed - especially on the floor of the arena. Not only are the slayings so completely accepted that it is done openly, but the members of this female society not only find it to be amusing, enjoyable, and exciting, but also become extremely sexually aroused while watching.

       John's thoughts turn to his feeble attempts to unravel this unbelievable mystery when he had been sitting on the rock by the stream. He can only shake his head in dismay at how naive he had been at trying to find a plausible explanation when he had known so little of what was actually going on. The enormity of what he has now witnessed, especially the events still being conducted inside the building, makes him realize how fruitless it would be to try and rationalize any plausible explanation. He feels confident that he was correct in at least one of his earlier assumptions that whatever happened had to be catastrophic and worldwide. He also retains the opinion that, whatever it was, it depleted the male population so drastically that woman were able to seize undisputed power. But, accepting these conclusions and trying to speculate on how they could have possibly evolved into something like this is an entirely different matter.

      The women in this society might well be accepting a way of life that is the only one that they have ever known. But, at some point, it had to be started, and the women responsible would have known, full well, the magnitude of what they were doing. Some of the more radical women of that time might have hatred all members of the male sex, but the vast majority would be mothers, daughters, wives, and sweethearts that would feel nothing but love and compassion for the men in their lives. It would be ludicrous to assume that such an appalling practice against the entire male population could have started, on a worldwide basis, without this majority accepting such drastic action being necessary. Doing this against men that were barbaric savages would be one thing, but for women to willingly allow sons, fathers, husbands, and lovers to be sacrificed in such an inhumane and atrocious manner defies all imagination.

    Every ounce of reason that John possesses tells him that such an occurrence, even on a limited basis, would have been impossible – to say nothing of being worldwide. Yet, as impossible as it might seem, there can be no denying that, somehow, it had indeed come to pass. The enormity of the profound circumstances that would have been required to create such an impossible situation makes him realize it would be a useless to try and rationalize any plausible explanation. He forces himself to take his thoughts off of the subject and manages to again let his mind wander.

         He gazes at the building and thinks about how observing the events taking place in the arena had at least provided an answer to a mystery that had intrigued him almost from the start. This mystery had been how women were able to dominate and control a physically stronger male population to such a profound degree. He had spent a great deal of time speculating about this subject, and one of his major goals had been to try and find a place where men were being held to discover how it was accomplished. But, this goal is no longer important. Until a short while ago, he had assumed that the men would be intelligent and capable of rational thought. He had also assumed that they were confined in heavily guarded compounds and tricked by some ingenious method that kept them from knowing what was really going on. Now that he realizes the answer he can only wonder at what had made him jump to such a false conclusion.

      The method used to control the male population is so obvious that John can not believe he had not thought of it from the start. It is not necessary for women to resort to ingenious methods of deception to keep men ignorance of the fate that awaits them. The men are not kept in ignorance, they are ignorant, totally and completely, in every sense of the word. He realizes now that it would be pointless for males to be educated beyond that necessary to be trained to obey simple commands and, as a result, are more closely aligned to dumb animals than intelligent humans. He now understands why none of the men had not shown any embarrassment or fear and had meekly allowed themselves to be led to slaughter. They had been no more aware of what was taking place than if they had truly been heads of cattle.

      John shakes his head in realizing the profound consequences between being born male or female in this society. He finds himself contemplating the destiny that would befall a set of twins - one a girl - the other a boy. The girl would receive the loving warmth of a mother and experience a life filled with happiness. The boy, on the other hand, would face a far different destiny. He would be raised in the same indifferent manner as livestock. He would be fed and given shelter, but his life would be void of tenderness or affection. He would never experience human emotions. He would simply exist. He would live a life of total ignorance that was destined to come to a violent end at a young age. A violent end caused by the hand of a woman. A woman that, if chance permitted, could be his twin sister. Such are the dire consequences awaiting a body containing a penis.

John again finds himself reflecting that he also has a penis and, if born in this future era, would face the same destiny. This thought causes him to suddenly realize that he might not have been born in this future era, but he is indeed in it at this very moment. The only thing that prevents being seen is the cloaking device that makes him invisible. If the device failed he would surely be in a dire predicament. The sight of a man wandering around would undoubtedly create turmoil, and he would be apprehended immediately. If this should happen, he wonders what the reaction would be when his captors discovered that he possessed intelligence equal to their own. He could hardly expect them to believe a bizarre story of traveling through time, and, even if they did, he doubts it would make any difference. In all probability, any woman of authority would consider that a male with intelligence might create a troublesome influence and order him to be executed immediately. He would receive no trial. He would be given no chance to defend himself. He would, in fact, have no rights whatsoever. He would be sentenced to death even though he had committed no crime. He would be condemned and executed for one reason and one reason only - he had been born male.

       For the first time since his arrival, John begins to feel uneasy about his safety. Up to this point, he had been stunned, shocked, and appalled by what he had seen but, at the same time, had looked upon himself as being an outside observer and, as such, safely isolated from the unbelievable treatment being given to members of his sex. The thought never entered his mind of something happening that would place him in jeopardy. Now, all of a sudden, he can not be sure.

      The realization that discovery would mean almost certain death is bad enough, but, what unnerves him even more is thinking of what might happen afterward. An uneasy feeling settles in his stomach in realizing he can not rule out it being possible that he, a man of the twentieth century, could wind up being killed and butchered in front of a group of laughing female spectators. A strange sensation comes over him as he finds himself wondering if his final destiny could be to actually have his body eaten by women - including his proud sex organs. A picture of his roasted penis, lying on a plate with cooked juices dribbling from the hole, flashes through his mind.

     John shakes his head to rid it of the haunting image. He tries to force himself to calm down. In all probability, his body, including his manhood, would be considered too puny to be used of food. This thought might have made him feel better if it had not been for another possibility coming to mind. He might be considered such an oddity that he would be made into a trophy and displayed in a museum. An image of his head and genitals mounted on a plaque and hanging on a wall enters his mind that is soon followed by an even more disturbing picture. He sees his stuffed body standing on a raised platform and being visible to any woman that passes.

      In the past, he had considered it to be of little concern about wondering what might happen to his body after death. But, the realization that he can not rule out it actually being possible that his final fate might be to wind up being stuffed and placed naked on permanent display is extremely unnerving. His body would be subjected to constant ridicule as countless women looked with amusement at every intimate detail. The fact that he would be dead and unaware of anything taking place offers little comfort.

       John gazes longingly toward the sky in trying to project his fears to the unseen space ship above. He then remembers the people telling him that he would be monitored at all times. If this is true, he would certainly be returned to the ship immediately if any type of malfunction took place in the cloaking device. This thought causes the fear that had begun overtaking him to subside. He has no reason to think that he had not been told the truth and, when the time comes, will be returned to his own time.

      John decides to just walk at random and see what develops. He gets up and wanders aimlessly along one of the paths leading from the building. He glances back and takes a final look before it passes from view. Once again, he experiences a shudder as he thinks of the activities taking place within the immaculate, marble covered walls.