You unplug the radio and go around the desk to pull out the rest of the power cord.
As more of the cord slides into view you notice what looks like blood smeared along it.
You lean forward and use the two prongs to touch the streak.
It’s wet.
You drop it and look with disgust at the old metal garbage pail under the desk.
But inside are only a few crumpled papers and an old box of candy.
You move the pail aside.
That’s when you see the bugs.
You draw back in disgust but curiosity has you frozen.
What the..?
You lean forward to discover a line of ants coming from under the baseboard.
Hidden behind the pail was a small section of wall and floor covered with a red glistening mold.
You pry back the baseboard a bit with your finger.
Something sticky leaves webs of lines that catch the light as you pull the board further.
You smell something burnt. Rotten.
A whiff of what roasted roadkill must smell like.
You pull your phone out of your pocket and bend low, using the light to get a closer look.
Then you realize those aren’t ants.
You gasp and your body repels for an instant.
What the..?
You see the mold is moving.
It’s moving!
You feel your heart squeeze for a moment before starting to pound, shaking your entire frame.
The slime is pulsing like a slug, oozing along so slowly you didn’t notice it.
You can see it’s trying to get back to the shadows so you pick it up.
Why you do this you do not know.
You open your mouth and suck the moldslug down.
Clawing madly, your breath stifled within, the slime crawls deeper into your twitching body.
You are being pulled apart and squashed back together as ghastly stenches fill the air.
Skin that had once concealed you has split and been cast off.
You are the endless red void; birther of silence.