Absolute, infinite absence. Absence of matter, absence of energy, absence of all feeling. I am immersed in pure nothingness. I cannot see it, yet it is all I can see. The blackness is perfect, unbroken. I am utterly alone; nothing else exists. Was it ever really there? It doesn’t matter now—the only thing real is the darkness that surrounds me, fills me with unfeeling ink. If I screamed, would the sound, too, be swallowed up?

Suddenly the spectrum reverses and I am blinded by light. Splotches of shining white explode, showering me with droplets of glowing energy. I reach out towards them, but with dizzying speed, the light whirls away, and plunges me back into the black hole where nothing is the only thing in existence.

A lone car turns the corner on a dark, one-way road. Its headlights beam through the nearly tangible darkness and pierce the window of a small house, revealing young girl with a startled expression on her face. She is kneeling on the carpet, squinting into the sudden burst of light. Something silver glints in her left hand. Slowly her pale, thin arms rise like strands of cobweb in a gentle breeze. Her mouth forms soundless words…
The car continues down the road and its lights are yanked from the scene. They sweep the length of the house, and dissolve into the still night air as the car drives on.

The darkness is still here, but now I am too. I can sense my body’s presence; my legs folded beneath me, my arms stretched before me, the knife in my hand. I stroke its cold metal handle, trace the tiny grooves along the edge. A small drop slides down my cheek. My lips widen into a smile and I bare my teeth. I taste salt. Though I cannot see the blade, I can clearly feel it as my skin parts for its steel teeth. I have closed my eyes, and it makes no difference.

Another car turns down the road. Its headlights sweep the side of the house until they reach a window. As they hit the glass, the room within is illuminated. A small body lays curled in a dark stain on the floor. Something silver sits nearby, crusted in crimson.
The car rounds the corner and its lights turn from the house. They dissolve into the still night air as it drives away.