The scientist looked up from his work, perplexed at his own violence. Desmond hurried in.
“Holy s***….holy s*** man…..what did you do? WHAT DID YOU F*NG DO?”
Desmond looked up from his work, looking, but not seeing anything but the picture of what he had just witnessed himself do.
“Dammit…….holy f*** man…what do we do now?”
Desmond shakily took a breath. He glanced at what was lying by his feet, then quickly looked away. What did he do? He thought he knew….the memory was still there…. But what? What did he do? He couldn’t put one of his bloody fingers on it, but it probably had something to do with Grayson- who was dead on the hard, cement ground of the laboratory.
Finally getting up the nerve, Desmond looked at what was on the floor, that god damn floor, and then to his bloody hands. Could that be possible? That he had simply mangled a man- a human being- with his bare hands?
Grayson had always been a good friend, more than a friend, really. He always believed that, someday, Desmond would accomplish something great. That was before he started this project…..before…..
Desmond pushed the thought out of his mind. No…that didn’t matter now. What mattered was that now he had a damn body to get rid of. He felt a wave of regret wash over him as remembrance smothered his mind. Not regret for killing, for murdering, Grayson, but for his creation. What he made had led to the death of his friend, his secret lover, would also lead to the death of other innocent people. And it all led back to him. This feeling quickly washed away.
“Desmond,” Steven said slowly. “We need to destroy it.”
“Destroy it?! Dammit, Steven, that took years…..we have worked so hard-“
“And so did Grayson. Look what it has brought us to! It’s evil, dammit!”
“Steven….. we can get through this… your head is cloudy; you’re not looking at the good things our creation will bring. This is but a tragic set-back. I cannot allow you to destroy it.”
“This will not be the last death it causes, Desmond.” Steven stared at his friend who didn’t seem at all upset about the death of his boyfriend. “And just what would you do with it anyway? You can’t give this s*** to people.”
“Steven, don’t make me do this. Don’t stand in my way." Desmond gazed at Steven dreamily with an almost unnoticeable grin.
“But look what you just did!! You killed your own boyfriend for this cereal! Doesn’t that mean anything to you? And do you know why you killed him? You killed him because he wanted to get rid of it. You’re past the point of no return. I’m getting rid of it with or without your help”. And with that, Steven grabbed the yellow box and ran to the door. But when he reached the exit, his foe was already there.
“I ate a bowl too.” Desmond whispered. He grabbed Steven’s neck and snapped it in half with super-human strength.
Desmond picked up the box and put it on the table before looking at the clock. 1:06 PM. He picked up a bag and some Lysol and got to work clearing the area of the hell he aided in bringing to life.





Desmond woke up that morning, groggy and tired. Long night, indeed he thought. Time for phase two.
It was his turn to serve breakfast that morning. He was a little apprehensive – time for another bowl, he guessed. He poured himself some of the cereal and ate it quickly, restoring himself to his former glory. This could kill her, the tiny and almost nonexistent part of him that was still sane – the Opposite - cried out as he handed his wife a bowl. She’ll never be the same, the inner voice reasoned as he handed a bowl to his daughter. They need it! They need to see why, they must see the Reason. I would not be able to live with myself if I didn’t show them the Reason, Desmond mentally said to the Opposite. His wife and daughter looked up at Desmond and back down at the cereal. They finished their bowls, not questioning the origin of the cereal and then smirked at Desmond.
“Desmond,” said his wife, Mary. “Give me the box.”
Desmond looked at his wife.
“My sweet, that is all you may have, for now.”
“GIVE ME THE DAMN BOX, DESMOND.”
Things went on likewise between Mary and Desmond for about an hour, the entire time Margret, his daughter, stared at the empty bowl. To a person of ignorance, she was just off in her own little world. No, not at all. Margret was speaking with the Reason.

M: What am I to do with this? Don’t you see? I don’t want it! I don’t want anything to do with it!
R: But do you know what you do want? You want beauty. Glory. Fame. The ability to speak. Be grateful for that which I have given you, for you now have all that. Your face was ugly. Your hair, unmanageable. You were dumb before, your voice, nonexistent. You are no longer hideous. You no longer have untamable hair. You are no longer mute. I have given you purpose. Be grateful.
M: But of what cost? I refuse! You said I could make a choice. I chose to go with the Opposite.
R: Don’t you understand? You will DIE without my Gifts! Go with the Opposite and you shall surely perish! I was in that which you consumed. I am more than the Opposite has ever been! You cannot cut me out!
M: You’re wrong!
R: I am right.
M: I won’t
R: You will if you want to live. You won’t admit it, but you’ve now made the decision. The right one. Now go back out and survive.
M: You can’t know what decisions I’ve made!
R: Idiot girl, I AM you!
Margret looked up from her bowl.


Mary locked the door. She couldn’t do it. She was nothing without the cereal. Desmond must not understand. She needed more of that cereal, she needed the Gifts! She couldn’t live without more.
Mary reached in the cabinet and pulled out a razor blade.
As she took her own life, she was shocked to find the Opposite start to take over. As she breathed her last breath, the Opposite told her that there would be no Gifts either way.


Margret looked up from her bowl. Desmond stared at her. She must have been effected by the Reason. She was no longer ugly. The Gifts.
“Take me to school” Margret said, not at all surprised to hear her own voice for the first time.
“Indeed” Desmond replied.


If Margret hadn’t been taken over by the Reason in exchange for the Gifts, she would have seen that the kids at school were having bad hair days, weren’t wearing makeup, or that there was a notable lack of attendance.
“Gosh Margret, I think you’re the only one in school who doesn’t look like crap today!” Margret’s once best friend, Isabel signed with her hands. Though Margret could hear, her friend talked to her in sign language so that Margret would feel more normal being mute.
“I can speak.” Margret snapped.
“Holy s***. How is that possible?”
“Deal with it.”
“You’re awfully cranky for someone who is talking for the first time. What’s wrong?”
Margret looked into her locker mirror. You could just barely see bags staring to form under her eyes. Time to use the Gifts.
Without warning, Margret gently placed a hand on Isabel’s forehead. The color drained out of her only friend. Then the life.
The bags under Margret's were gone along with Isabel.

Desmond’s talked to the Reason.
D: You killed my wife.
R: She killed herself
D: Under your control.
R: Ah, I think you’re overlooking who gave her the cereal.
D: I was under your control, too!
R: That was your own doing. You didn't truly love her anyway, even she knew this. You even cheated n her with-
D: NO! Do NOT bring Grayson into this! Look, just... please don't take Margret. You have me. You don’t need my daughter! Let her go and I'll stay with you.
R: Imbecile! Your daughter has access to the children -
D: What on earth do you need children for?
R: You have access to the adults. I need you both
D: Why do you need us to kill them?
R: Because I need them
D: What for?
R: That is none of your concern. The girl is coming home. Your task starts tonight.
D: I don’t like my Gift
R: What?
D: You have to give me a Gift that makes me happy, that fulfils my wishes. You have not given me that.
R: What else could you possibly want?
D: I want to be even stronger than I already am.
R: Whatever for? You already possess speed and a great deal of strength.
D: I want it.
R: Very well. Go now.

Desmond hated to leave his daughter like this. But what else could he do? The Reason would have her no matter what he said.
Desmond focused with all his might, not on the Gifts, but on the Opposite. He stumbled to the kitchen, a war going on in his mind. His vision was blurred, so he felt around the counter until finally finding the box. With all the strength he could muster, he crushed the box to dust. Desmond keeled over in pain- a part of him was just ripped away.
The Reason now grew week. Perhaps The Opposite stood a chance. Next came the hard part.
The Reason was stronger than ever in Margret. Without the two other hosts (the cereal and Desmond), the Reason was only in the girl.
The Opposite was growing stronger in Desmond. It was not completely healed, however. The portion of the cereal that Desmond ate was still within him.
When the girl walked in she immediately took note that the Reason was almost gone in Desmond. She leaped onto him, he would be her next victim. However, this was just as Desmond had planned.
He jolted his hand out in front of him with perfect aim. His hand penetrated her stomach easily, killing her and destroying the remains of the cereal inside her. She could not live without the gifts, thus, she could not live without the Reason. The Reason leaked out of Margret along with her life. Her soul, like the other souls the Reason took from his victims, would still belong to the Reason until Desmond did what must be done.
Desmond penatrated his own stomach and pulled it out, destroying the contents inside and destroying himself.
What was left of the Reason was in the powder left over from when Steven destroyed the box. The Reason was extremely weak, but he could be healed with another host. Desmond’s thoughts as he took his final breath were that that probably wouldn’t happen, that the Reason wouldn’t find another host.


“What is it?”
“I don’t know but it smells like….cereal.”
The cops contemplated what random pile of powder was as the Reason silently cackled. He knew what was to happen. One of the cops poked his finger into the powder, then placed his finger in his mouth. He then went silent and stared off into space. The officer was oblivious to the frantic attempts made by the other officer to get him to respond. The first officer didn’t hear his partner, though. He was talking to the Reason.