The Future

THE FUTURE

By C

PART I

CHAPTER 9

                            

       John leaves the residential area, and he soon finds himself walking along a sidewalk in a peaceful and pleasant countryside. He rounds a curve, and his attention is immediately drawn to a large, impressive, building on top of a small hill. Spacious grounds, that are the most beautiful and immaculate of any he had ever seen, surround it. Large shade trees adorn a lush, green, lawn that is traversed by winding walks. There are a number of small gardens filled with numerous varieties of brightly colored flowers. Each garden is beautifully sculptured in a manner that blends with the surrounding landscape. Even benches are discretely placed and do not cause any distraction from the breathtaking beauty. A few women are leisurely sitting on several of the benches enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

       The building itself is an architectural masterpiece that only enhances the immaculate setting. The exterior is covered with marble, and it is surrounded by a wide verandah supported by sculptured columns. John thinks that the building looks as though it could have been transported from ancient Greece if it had not been for several rows of large, tinted glass windows running behind the verandah. This one modern feature, however, does nothing to distract from the impressive appearance.

       John had not seen anything the entire day that came close to matching the beauty of this setting. It is obvious that no expense had been speared in constructing the building or in maintaining the grounds. Every indication is given that this must be some type of important cultural center. He hesitates briefly, debating if he should go in and look around. He could possibly learn something about the cultural side of this female society and, in so doing, gain some insight into their lives beyond their obsession to display and ridicule the male sex. But, he remembers his determination to try and locate a place where men are confined and reluctantly continues on his way. It is only after he has passed the building and can see behind that he has second thoughts. The object of his attention is a parking area that is filled with cars. There is obviously a large crowd inside which has to mean that something significant is taking place. He feels that he can not pass up the opportunity to at least take a brief look and find out what it might be. He is searching desperately for any possible clue that might help solve some of the baffling mysteries, and observing members of this female society enjoying an important cultural event shows a great deal of promise.

       He retraces his steps until he comes to a walkway that winds up the hillside toward the impressive entrance. He is almost up to the stairs before he notices something that causes him to pause. Carved into the marble above the entrance are the words "HILL STREET PROCESSING PLANT". The name makes absolutely no sense for such an immaculate building, and he can not imagine what it might stand for. Several women go by and start up the stairs. Still confused, he follows as they go through one of the doors.

       John enters a large lobby and looks around in dismay. He had been hoping to find a cultural atmosphere that, for once, had nothing to do with ridiculing his sex. In this regard, he is sadly disappointed. It is the same as it had been everywhere else. If anything, the atmosphere in the lobby appears to be directed at humiliating the male body to an even greater degree than he had seen in any other public place.

       The only thing that is somewhat different is a large picture of the same woman whose portrait he had seen in countless other places. This time, however, it is in a prominent location that immediately draws attention. Offset lighting makes her face almost appear to glow. John walks over for a closer look, and he is somewhat surprised to see a set male sex organs hanging upside down from the top corners of a wooden frame. The degrading, inverted, position gives the appearance of being humbled by the presence of this great woman. The ridiculed genitals make a strange contrast to the expression of kindness and compassion that is reflected in her face.

       Attached to the wall above the portrait is a plaque containing the head and genitals of a young man. John would probably not have given this trophy much attention if it had not been for the penis which was fully erect. It was not the erection, however, but the size that caught his attention. It is, by far, the smallest he had seen all day and only slightly larger than his own. He takes a closer look and realizes, with a start, that the head and genitals are artificial. The workmanship is of such quality that, from a distance, the trophy looked as genuine as any of the others. It is the first he had seen that had not been made from an actual body, and he can think of only one explanation for this being the case. There had to be something significant about this particular young man and, for some reason, his body had no longer been available when the significance become known. The fact that his replica is mounted directly over the woman’s portrait strongly indicates that there must be a connection.

    John notices something else that seems to indicate a connection between these two individuals. It might only have been because of the smallness of the penis, but, when looking at the head, he gets the same feeling that he had experienced earlier when studying the face of the woman. Both give him the impression of being individuals that belong more to his own era than they do to this future society. The remarkable features displayed in the woman’s face had previously impressed him, but he had not given her much thought other than concluding she was obviously held in high esteem. The look of kindness and compassion, that are so prominent in her features, give the appearance that she could not possibly have been involved, in any way, with playing a role in establishing a policy that condemns the male population to such inhumane treatment. Now, all of a sudden, it appears that this may not be the case. The realization adds yet another unanswered mystery to his steadily growing list.

       John debates on what to do. He has not forgotten his desire to find a place where men are being held, but, as long as he is in the building, he decides that he might as well take a quick look. The two women that he had followed had gone through a large opening at the far end of the lobby. He walks in that direction and enters into a room shaped like a long, wide, corridor. The entire left wall is made of glass with a brass rail running the entire length. Unlike the lobby, this room is far from being empty. Lined up along the rail are a large number of women.

       The angle of the wall causes light to reflect, and John is unable to see beyond. Whatever it is, however, is highly amusing to the female spectators. They are laughing to the extent that some have tears running down cheeks. Many point one way and then another at things they apparently find especially comical. Several women start walking away while laughing amongst themselves. The departure leaves a vacant place, and he goes over to get a view at whatever is responsible for creating such high spirits. Their reactions make him strongly suspect that it has something to do with further humiliating his sex, but he is totally unprepared for the unbelievable scene that is revealed when he sees what is on the other side. He had witnessed numerous shocking and astounding events this day, but none of them had prepared him for this. Once again he is only capable of gaping in dumfounded disbelief.

       On the opposite side of the glass is an overhead conveyor, and hanging upside down from it, one behind the other, is a long row of naked men with arms out flung and legs spread. These bodies, however, are not stuffed. These bodies are flesh and blood. The men’s eyes are open, but none are aware of their surroundings. It is obvious, at first glance, that all are dead. Each has a hole in the left breast with a matching one in the back. Trails of blood are flowing from the holes that drip into a trough in the floor. The trough contains running water that is bright red. Each one of the lifeless faces registers an expression of stunned surprise.

       The conveyor is moving slowly forward and also jerks rapidly up and down. The jerking action causes the penises and scrotums to flop and jounce in an extremely humiliating fashion. It is obvious that the conveyor had been specifically designed to cause this ridiculing result. The spectacle continues unabated for several minutes, and then the conveyor suddenly comes to a stop. The humiliating performance of the sex organs cease immediately, and they hang down on abdomens from between spread legs. The only motion is the bodies swinging slowly back and forth as a result of the sudden stop. The ridiculing antics might have ceased, but, by putting themselves on display in such a degrading fashion, the genitals only succeed in continuing to humiliate themselves before the eyes of a female audience.

       The body in the college lab had been the first dead human John had ever seen in the flesh. That experience had been bad enough, but the impact of suddenly encountering a large number in such an unexpected and atrocious manner has caused him to experience a profound shock. It is only gradually that his senses start to return. The conveyer still remains at a stop when he is finally able to begin comprehending what he is actually seeing.

       His attention is drawn, almost instinctively, to the exposed genitals hanging down on patches of pubic hair. The dark, triangles stand out so vividly that it appears the primary function is to draw attention to this part of the body. They, along with the displayed manhood, form a continuous row that diminishes in size as they recede in the distance. The conveyor is only a few feet on the other side of the glass, which allows every feature of the underside of the sex organs to be minutely examined. John feels his face flush in acute embarrassment as he realizes that each member of this female audience is able to scrutinize every detail of what hangs so placidly before them.

       He glances at the women around him, and there is no doubt as to what is receiving their primary attention. He feels a sudden wave of shame as he realizes that his own attention had also been directed at the same thing. He quickly diverts his gaze downward and finds himself looking into the lifeless faces. A strange sensation passes through him that is similar to what he felt at the college lab. The open eyes give the eerie appearance of being awake yet unconcerned at being naked before a group of women. The faces look so natural that it is hard to comprehend that they are actually dead. The only feature that indicates something being amiss is loose tongues lolling from many of the partially open mouths.

       John is almost at the center of the row, and he notices blood beginning to flow from the mouths of the men directly in front of him. This is a clear indication that they had been dead for only a short while. He looks down the long row of lifeless bodies, and he feels a cold chill in realizing that other men close by are being killed at this very moment. The name carved in stone over the entrance of the building is no longer a mystery and what is being "processed" is quite obvious. In spite of the fact of being human males, the bodies hanging in front of him have become nothing more than carcasses in a slaughterhouse. There is no doubt that their ultimate destiny is to become packages of meat lying on counters in food stores.

       The conveyer starts to move and resumes its rapid, jerking, motion. In unison, all of the genitals appear to come to life as they once again begin their wild, humiliating, gyrations. The appearance is almost given that these intimate parts of the bodies that so vividly define them being male are almost frantic to ridicule themselves, to the fullest extent possible, before the amused eyes of a laughing female audience. The laughter had diminished somewhat while the conveyor had been stopped, but it erupts with renewed enthusiasm as soon as the genitals resumed their humiliating antics.

       John has no desire to watch slain bodies of members of his own sex being displayed and ridiculed in such a horrendous manner. He had noticed women periodically leaving and going through an opening at the far end of the room. He assumes this leads to an exit and is anxious to get outside and try to collect his thoughts. Somewhere in the building men are being killed at this very moment. And, that is not all. The process of being butchered for food awaits the bodies hanging from the conveyor at the conclusion of their humiliating journey.

     He does not want to witness either one of the gruesome activities. The mere thought that both, at this very moment, are taking place makes him shudder. He is aware, however, that there must also be an area where men are being held. The thought of seeing men that he knows will soon be killed is not pleasant, but it would offer the opportunity to see members of his own sex that are alive. He has a strong feeling that he might learn a great deal by observing them even though they will probably be in a place that severely limits activity. But, if he can locate this area he would, in all likelihood, be able to overhear their conversations and gain valuable information. He also might learn a great deal by observing how women are able to achieve such devastating domination over physically stronger members of the opposite sex.

       John knows that he can not pass up this opportunity. He might not be successful in trying to locate one of the compounds, and this could be his only chance to observe men that are alive. He decides to go outside and look for an entrance that is used to bring them into the building. This should enable him to easily locate where they are being held. With this thought in mind, he starts toward the opening at the far end of the room where he assumes he will find an exit.