INTRODUCTION
There is no energy.
Reality is frostbitten, dried out, and left hollow.
Immense waves of cold emptiness devour every soul.
Everyone is left alone, helpless against the ever-hungry cold.
Reality is frostbitten, dried out, and left hollow.
Immense waves of cold emptiness devour every soul.
Everyone is left alone, helpless against the ever-hungry cold.
Colors have vanished into the black maw of winter,
as soulless cadavers of hope plunder the withering landscape.
Bleakness is approaching,
leaving no warmth behind.
as soulless cadavers of hope plunder the withering landscape.
Bleakness is approaching,
leaving no warmth behind.
There is no power left.
No light. No electricity.
Only bleakness,
flowing through the power lines.
No light. No electricity.
Only bleakness,
flowing through the power lines.
THE (WITHERING) NARRATIVE
Winter came unnoticed, shortening the days and dulling the landscape.
Colors were vanishing, and no one thought it could be forever.
Or at least for a very long time.
Colors were vanishing, and no one thought it could be forever.
Or at least for a very long time.
No one thought anything when winter arrived in its full force,
and finally had the chance to devour its prey with impunity.
and finally had the chance to devour its prey with impunity.
They never think…
[until winter finally devoured them all]
The cold grew more and more severe. Temperatures kept falling.
People noticed nothing.
Colors faded.
Animals disappeared.
People noticed nothing.
Colors faded.
Animals disappeared.
With time, darkness filled the streets.
People laughed at it, lighting it with the glow of their televisions.
People laughed at it, lighting it with the glow of their televisions.
[the corpse-light of television, broadcasted for years to drip its cadaveric poison into the passive minds of sick, faceless selves]
TV series became less and less colorful.
People began to disappear. Out on the streets or just thinning into air in their homes – but no one looked.
Characters on the screen started mumbling or speaking in metallic voices.
Their faces were deformed, grotesque.
People began to disappear. Out on the streets or just thinning into air in their homes – but no one looked.
Characters on the screen started mumbling or speaking in metallic voices.
Their faces were deformed, grotesque.
The windows of houses emitted no light.
They absorbed it — perfectly black.
They absorbed it — perfectly black.
Eventually, television lost all color.
It wasn’t even black and white anymore — it was colorless.
There was no black, no white — there was… emptiness.
It wasn’t even black and white anymore — it was colorless.
There was no black, no white — there was… emptiness.
And everyone stared into it.
They stopped eating.
They stopped talking.
They even stopped sleeping — just to keep staring into the abyss of the screen.
They stopped eating.
They stopped talking.
They even stopped sleeping — just to keep staring into the abyss of the screen.
[metallic voice screeched in the streets]
Inside the houses it was freezing cold, but no one thought about it.
People drifted like dummies, slowly fading, disappearing.
People drifted like dummies, slowly fading, disappearing.
[you are puppets… you will evaporate in the frost… your hell will not burn…]
Buses appeared, glowing strangely, going nowhere, with mindless drivers.
More and more people vanished.
No one saw any animals anymore.
No one saw any animals anymore.
Those who still remained within the grasp of reality
stared into televisions that displayed only one word:
stared into televisions that displayed only one word:
V O I D
Houses froze.
Frost crackled through the streets.
The dead light of televisions slowly died out.
The dead light of televisions slowly died out.
Trees froze and split apart, collapsing with a silent scream.
Somewhere in the background, corpse-light from discharges of unknown energy appeared —
but even it receded into the deepening cold.
but even it receded into the deepening cold.
Sometimes, something could be seen in the sky —
the Sun, or maybe the Moon —
so weak that no one could name it. There was no one to name it. Even if there was someone, they wouldn’t give a damn.
the Sun, or maybe the Moon —
so weak that no one could name it. There was no one to name it. Even if there was someone, they wouldn’t give a damn.
[frost… frost… paralyzing frost… everyone will die…]
There was no one left.
There was no transmission.
Even radio waves evaporated into the perfectly black cold.
There was no transmission.
Even radio waves evaporated into the perfectly black cold.
You remained.
Completely alone — to witness the perfect end.
Immersed in a deranged universe of cold,
you wandered through the dead landscape,
sometimes seeing yourself — splitting, drying out, vanishing.
But you kept living.
you wandered through the dead landscape,
sometimes seeing yourself — splitting, drying out, vanishing.
But you kept living.
[evil… yes… it lurked and waited]
Several times you ran, without looking back,
when a silence so deep you could hear the blood in your veins
revealed a hostile presence — cold and hateful,
waiting for your false step in its direction.
when a silence so deep you could hear the blood in your veins
revealed a hostile presence — cold and hateful,
waiting for your false step in its direction.
[run… don’t look… that breath of cold is the creature’s breath]
You kept walking, half-killed by the absurd of a dying reality.
Darkness, frost, emptiness, fading,
and the crack of dead power lines
embraced you.
and the crack of dead power lines
embraced you.
Then abused your mind with raw directness.
And still, you kept thinking that there might be hope —
not even knowing anymore if it had ever existed,
or if it could exist at all.
not even knowing anymore if it had ever existed,
or if it could exist at all.
[more corpse-cold light to devour your hope]
The perfectly black-and-white landscape had other shades only because of her.
And even then, you didn’t know if they were real —
because she never was,
even though every morning she stole the calm of your day
with her unbearable, burning presence. But never to be really there for you.
And even then, you didn’t know if they were real —
because she never was,
even though every morning she stole the calm of your day
with her unbearable, burning presence. But never to be really there for you.
And then emptiness struck you without mercy.
Blows landing on your unguarded face,
freezing in pain on empty streets.
Never before you had been so exposed and vulnerable to its impending cruelty.
Blows landing on your unguarded face,
freezing in pain on empty streets.
Never before you had been so exposed and vulnerable to its impending cruelty.
You would see fading shadows of animals in the sky and on the ground —
like prints from old books —
dead, unmoving. You never followed them, knowing somehow they were not really there.
like prints from old books —
dead, unmoving. You never followed them, knowing somehow they were not really there.
[Metallic distorted voice:
[“there is no hope… no hope at all… static… only bleak vastness… no hope… static”]
[“there is no hope… no hope at all… static… only bleak vastness… no hope… static”]
And yet you still wanted to see her
(even though you had never seen her before
and didn’t even know if she existed),
(even though you had never seen her before
and didn’t even know if she existed),
in those sweaters of hers —
those stupid, old sweaters, worn as a display of her uniqueness.
those stupid, old sweaters, worn as a display of her uniqueness.
You longed for her existence
like a fool in love with a clipping from an old newspaper…
like a fool in love with a clipping from an old newspaper…
[Metallic distorted voice:
[“nobody knows what a newspaper is or ever was”]
[“nobody knows what a newspaper is or ever was”]
When at last your heart wanted to freeze
just to stop fighting,
just to stop fighting,
it turned out those stupid sweaters were not for show.
It was warmth.
The warmth that saved you.
That saved everyone —
when the stupid TV series died out,
and people froze and disappeared.
That saved everyone —
when the stupid TV series died out,
and people froze and disappeared.
Her stupid sweaters were not for you,
[you knew that well]
Your naivety saved this stupid world…
[but consumed you]
ALL DEAD
Snow stopped reflecting light and windows became dead black.
The streets emptied as the cold devoured all sound.
In the lifeless silence nothing ever moved.
There was no existence.
There was nothing at all.
FOLLOW INTO VOID
Would you dare to board this bus?
Even the driver doesn’t know where he’s headed.
But the oblivion is not a sanctuary.
LOST
Buses became the silent demise.
Drivers vanished, while still some buses were seen moving aimlessly in despair.
NO RECHARGE AVAILABLE
these were the last drops of energy
before the system shut down
[the terminal glow burned your hand]
power reserves depleted
all transmissions faded
no energy left to conserve
THRESHOLD
jaded and worn out
you searched for this path
to get you back on the grid
but it was a dead zone you found
a frigid illusion
trapped in the event horizon
there is nothing beyond
no cleansing energy
all is stripped
diminished
unlit
and forever dormant
but still you will follow
offline and disconnected
DYING OUT
[The last transmission ever to be heard of]
Recipient: unknown
Message: unknown
the remnants of celestial light
dead, cold, and paralyzing
devouring your dreams
creeping in
silently
to embrace you with icy pain
behind the veil of withered trees
all alone
in the overwhelming cold
so intense it became sinister
you were haunted by the corpse of the sun
looming in the dead sky
with the only intent to drive you insane
[IN ORDER TO FEED UPON YOU]
futilely
you tried to hide
behind the broken tree
ripped and fractured
unable to shelter you
from the haunting dead sun
set off to make cracks in your freezing flesh
and to feed on your residual warmth
slowly but with deadly precision
a soulless counterfeit of sun
always lurking
always hungry
Nobody can see you
There is nobody to watch
Even the tree – a persistent sentinel
Froze, dried out and … [static]
every now and then
delusions of animals
trapped within the dying horizon
would attempt to steal your numbness
[the horizon is already dead]
[METALLIC DISTORTED VOICE]
you were still looking for her
tirelessly in vain
while the world lost colors
as frost overtook everything
you were still
hoping to see her dressed in one of her old stupid sweaters
those lights you saw
misguided you
they were no lights
only tiny specks of nothingness
exposed to lure you
and tread upon the fabric of your hope
again a silent expanse
an endless stretch of barren ground
making you follow the dead powerlines
until you know no longer
your own name
barren
dead
and cold
so mercilessly cold
the endless winter
[ther..e is.. no… no winter….]
[static]
[all… dead]
DEADSCAPE
the machinery wouldn’t work
operators vanished
that was the only time
when bleakness was seen approaching
devastating every sense
freezing the time
and consuming puppet-like people
already dead upon the onset of void
gnarled, torn and withered
the trees were losing their fight
stretched to the point of limit
bent under the crushing force of cruel winter
stretched apart to an invisible wind
[there was no wind… all… dead]
A GLIMMERING ILLUSION OF… HOPE [STATIC]
you would see that strange radiance
occasionally
tempting you with non-existing warmth
but you’d fall for that
every time
the groves were the last to wither and fade out
into the crushing void
the last remnant of energy before the ultimate collapse
there is nothing
perfectly nothing
no warmth
no selves
no light and no darkness
only void
ILLUSION I
ILLUSION II
ILLUSION III
fully awake you dreamed of these berries
imprinted in your feeble dreams
a tiny twig
there to hold the entire burden of your jaded body
fossilized in your decaying memory
NOTHING BEYOND
everything is
abandoned
frostbitten
deserted
adrift
lost
DERELICT
power lines
are long dead by now
all transmissions are null
even this message is zeroed
all outputs are frozen
never to renew
all attempts are aborted
only silent expanse prevails
winter has overtaken
and mornings are colder than nights
if you’re hollow enough
you can hear the hope
decomposing across the barren wasteland
DELUSION
there was someone on the road
or something
splitting apart, then coming back together
but never fully
was it really a man
or just the dead landscape
decomposing your mind?
[METALLIC DISTORTED VOICE: „YOU WILL NOT RECOVER”]
worn out
consumed
utterly battered
oblivious of the rising energy
obsessed with sleeping in death’s embrace
upon the reconstructed structure of the world
[NEW DAWN – NO BEGINNING]
[STATIC]