#that what Jeremiah did towards Hunt was considered normal | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

welanabananaworld · 5 years

Text

Us and the voice of dystopia

Jordan Peele’s latest film, Us, is as uncanny and disturbing as his first movie Get Out which proved itself to be a cinematic feat at the time of its release in 2017. Rightly considered as one of the fathers of the horror film renaissance (see also Ari Aster), Jordan Peele has been succeeding not only in addressing societal issues and in adopting a critical stance toward his home country but also in injecting an artistic vision in what is unfairly and generally regarded as second-class films.

In Us, Jordan Peele’s strong sense of composition and framing reveals the main theme of the film : the duality of human nature through the evil self. Nothing revolutionary so far. Many films of the genre have explored the mythology surrounding the figure of the doppelgänger from multiple angles. For example, Alfred Hitchcock’s and Darren Aronofsky’s use of the double has a psychological bent; to dig through Scotty’s perverse psyche in the haunting Vertigo (1958) and to explore a mental illness in Black Swan (2011), whereas in The Great Dictator (1940), Charlie Chaplin chose to play both Hynkel and the Jewish barber for satirical purpose. In Us, nothing of the sort. Remember what we said about Jordan Peele’s films? About how the horror genre disguises social subtexts? But before aiming at the true meaning of this human mirror, one should focus more on the narrative use of the voice which proves to be of utter importance to understand what is at stake, because if you really listen to the voice, you understand the whole film.

Us tells the story of Adelaïde Wilson’s family who goes on holiday at the seaside in Santa Cruz. A series of strange coincidences reminds her of the trauma she experienced there when she was a little girl while vacationing with her parents. She made a disturbing encounter in the hall of mirrors of a funhouse. She came face to face with a little girl who looked just like her. After this event, she could no longer speak for a while because of, it seems, a post-traumatic stress disorder. At present day, overwhelmed with fear, she confides in her husband about her past. The same evening, they discover four people standing outside their house, their doppelgängers. Ruthlessly hunted, the Wilson family will have to look inward in order to counter their own selves.

What strikes first when they all meet is that Red, Adelaïde’s double, is the only one who is able to speak, or rather utter words. She is struggling with very word she says, as if her speech production was failing her somehow. When she starts speaking, her voice happens to be hoarse, cavernous, husky, strained, even choked. Her disorder of phonation makes her voice otherworldly such as of a creature’s coming straight out of hell. It feels like she is not used to talk, actually that this is the first time she tries to pronounce and articulate words to create sentences. In this perspective, it is worth stressing Lupita Nyong’o’s astonishing work to produce Red’s chilling croaky and guttural voice. She used spasmodic dysphonia to make a creepy voice, that is a neurological disorder that causes involuntary breaks or interruptions in the voice due to an irregular flow of air. This language impairment, however, does not prevent Red from telling her story; the story of a dystopian world.

youtube

Red and Adelaïde are two sides of the same mirror. One learns that everything Adelaïde does is mirrored and has an impact on Red’s life, only the other way around. Everything that is happening in Red’s life is a pale copy of Adelaïde’s achievements and takes on a nightmarish dimension. Red’s husband, Abraham, is rough and dumb; her daughter, Umbrae, is born laughing and her son, Pluto, is a dangerous arsonist. The ideal family meets the poor and sad version of themselves who now claims justice through revenge, hence the imagery of the good and evil self.

Throughout the film, the mise-en-scène keeps referring to the double as a warning or rather a prophecy as to the coming of those doppelgängers clad in red jumpsuits, which strangely resemble the clothing of prisoners. The clues left by the director are the following ones : the twin sisters of the superficial WASP family friends, the shadow of each member of the Wilson family projected on the sand while they are walking on the beach, the recurring number « 11:11 » featured here and there (an extract from the Bible, Jeremiah 11:11), Jason wearing a mask (maybe a reference to the iconic masked murderer of Friday the 13th whose name is Jason?), Jason’s drawing showing a kid who looks just like him, a toy plastic spider behind which a true spider appears crawling across the low table of the living room, and of course the daze of mirrors.

All those elements evoke duplicity and foresee a parallel world unknown so far. Red’s voice, alone, embraces all that imagery and embodies the punitive prophecy hidden behind the verse from the Old Testament book, the Book of Jeremiah, whose verse alludes to God’s wrath : « Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. » The invasion of the doppelgängers across the world is a divine plague orchestrated by Red from the underworld to take revenge.

In fact, what the film tends to reveal all along is the existence of an underworld located inside « the thousands miles of tunnels beneath the continental United States », which are « abandoned subways systems », as stated at the very beginning of the film as an introduction. Those subways are inhabited by people who are the product of a failed governmental scientific experiment designed to replicate the bodies of those above to manipulate them. However, they discovered that the « soul » could not be duplicated, hence the repudiation and neglect of that population now doomed to survive below the Earth’s surface, with raw rabbits as sole source of nourishment, and to « act out grim recreations of their respective partners’ above ground actions like sad little marionettes. »1 The scientific dimension of this governmental conspiracy is foretold in the opening credits by the camera progressively zooming out the caged rabbits. This shot conveys the idea of a sanitized laboratory. The existence of two opposite worlds is also mentioned by the shot which shows the funhouse twice, by night and day (darkness and daylight).

The organised overthrow, which takes as an example the Hand Across America charity campaign of 1986 (giant human chain), can be interpreted in many ways : an uprising against social inequalities, such as racial, gender and salary based discrimination, which undermine the U.S (or Us); a country where climbing in the social ladder is more and more unattainable for under-represented ethnic minorities. It can also be seen as a denunciation of what America has become, unfair, poor and divided; a denunciation of the famous ideology of American exceptionalism through the ostentatious display of American symbols distorted by the horror genre. The « tethered » are done being downtrodden and ostracized. They want to embrace the American myth that had been promised to them by taking their rights back and by building a new world, hence Red’s assertive reply to Gabe’s question « Who are you, people? » : « We are Americans. » They claim themselves as being true Americans (to be connected to the Native American reference of the original funhouse’s sign), free from all materialistic concerns.

Only, this does not constitute the twist ending of the film. Like all self-respecting horror films, Us is no exception in the matter and does offer a shocking one. And this is the voice which hints at it all along and that turns upside down the government’s theory about their human experiments.

Red’s whistling while walking up the alley of the Wilson’s family with a pair of scissors in her hand in the dark is where the truth really lies. If one has well paid attention to the details, one would have noticed that Adelaïde whistled the same way when she was trapped in the hall of mirrors when she was a young girl, as if to ward off the coming threat. Do you see my point? Why is Adelaïde so reluctant and does have trouble engaging in a conversation with Kitty on the beach? Why would Red be the only tethered to be provided with the ability to speak? Why this eager for revenge? Because Red actually is the true Adelaïde. Back to the funhouse in 1986, young Adelaïde’s clone, Red, was lured to go to the surface as Adelaïde progressively approached to her tragic destiny.

What the film did not show is that Red strangled Adelaïde until she fainted, dragged her down the tunnel, attached her to her bed in the dormitory and switched place with her among Adelaïde’s family, hence her early language deficiency. While Red grew up like a normal little girl and learned how to speak, Adelaïde lost progressively her language abilities growing up among zombie-like human beings, which proves that the government’s theory is wrong. The soul cannot be duplicated but this does not mean that the tethered are « soulless creatures ». If given the chance, as Red has had, the tethered would have turned out perfectly okay. They would have followed the regular human evolution process called « hominisation » or « anthropogenesis », the process of becoming human. Indeed, the doppelgängers all look like primitive animals. Pluto, by his gesture, reminds of a monkey-like primate’s attitude and Abraham’s moans, groans and grunts are those of Cro-Magnon man. Their names evoke ancient times, something rough yet to evolve, and the mythology of the doppelgänger, Pluto being the god of the underworld, Umbrae the latin word for shadow. Abraham is the « Father of the nations » which can be connected to the human chain the tethered seek to initiate to rise up and find they own humanity. Red’s name could refer to the color of the tethered’ garments, and thus evoke the state of imprisonment which they have been reduced to until now.

In this perspective, Red’s voice is not only the voice of dystopia but goes far beyond this sole and somewhat manichean opposition which is the driving force behind the narrative of the film. Red’s voice, by also being the voice of anthropological evolution, mainly serves to establish a connection between the latter subject and the current state of American society. With no equality of opportunity, people cannot equally seek higher social and intellectual status and end up being the slaves of the system. America has now no other choice but to drop her delusions and take her mask off.

1 Bojalad, A., (2019, March 22). Us, Hands Across America, and the failed American experiment. Retrieved from https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/us-jordan-peele-hands-across-america/

2 notes · View notes

brerediddy · 6 years

Text

more than survive - chapter 17

As the teenager made his way towards the epicenter of all chaos, he considered what awaited him. The SQUIP was too powerful to let go, he knew that. But it wasn’t like the city could just throw the villain in jail, either. No cell could contain him. Jeremy wasn’t naive enough to believe otherwise. Which only left him with one option if he truly wanted to stop the man in his tracks.

Could Jeremy kill him? Did he have that in him? He wasn’t sure. He’d only been responsible for one death, that of the super-strong man on the boat. And he hadn’t coped with that well at all. God, that felt like years ago. It was hard to believe it had been mere weeks since the incident. He hadn’t intended to kill anyone, he didn’t know that would happen. But, god, planning to kill someone? That just seemed so horrible. Could he go through with it? He wasn’t sure. Who was he to decide who should live and who should die?

But the facts of the matter were clear: the SQUIP wouldn’t stop hunting him, hunting Michael, until he was gone. And he had made it clear that he wouldn’t spare the city from his plan. He’d even attempted murder in order to get away with it. In a battle of Jeremy vs. the SQUIP, if it was one or the other, then the choice was obvious. He needed to do this. Even if it compromised his values. He prided the safety of his city and his best friend over his own moral dilemma.

When Jeremy approached the Town Hall Center, he could already tell that whatever Michael had done had worked. People were leaving the Expo left and right even though the main event hadn’t happened yet. The “vitamins” were set to be distributed in another hour. The celebrity doctor promised boosted immunities and positive impacts for everyone, all for free. People had flocked in order to be there. However, as Jeremy walked towards the building, tons of people were walking out in haste. A few citizens cast him odd looks but he straightened his shoulders and continued up the staircase.

In an instant, he was aware that the SQUIP knew who was responsible for this disinterest from the public. A piece of brick from the roof of the Center dropped down above him. Jeremy jumped out of the way quickly and looked up to see the SQUIP perched on the edge of the roof above him. So that’s how this was going to go.

He steeled himself and shot a web to the top of the building, landing on the side opposite the villain. Powerlines danced above the roof in the wind and Jeremy made a note to avoid them.

“You told them,” the SQUIP growled, his coat whipping around behind him. His eyes were glowing red, but the color was darker than what Jeremy had seen before. It used to be more of a scarlet, the color of warning. But this. This was blood.

Clouds covered the sky, casting deep shadows on the SQUIP’s face. His shoulders were straight as he stared into Jeremy’s soul. He looked truly menacing, but Jeremy couldn’t be scared away. Not anymore.

“I didn’t,” he called back. That wasn’t a lie: he hadn’t done anything. Michael had stepped up to the plate and accomplished an incredible feat. Nevertheless, he countered with, “Maybe they just aren’t as dumb as you thought.”

“I did the work, Jeremy, I put in the effort. I did what I had to do to get the endorsement of New Jersey’s favorite doctor. I did what I had to do to get the FDA to back me. I worked for this.” He curled his hands into fists at his side. “And then you just had to get involved.”

“You can’t mind-control the population, okay? That’s not a thing I can let go.” Jeremy braced himself for what he knew was coming.

“I offered you immunity, you and Michael both. Why didn’t you just take it? You know how much I hate getting my hands dirty.”

A live powerline zipped past his head. It hit the barrier of the roof behind him and sparked against the stone. Jeremy let out a breath and got closer to the SQUIP. “It doesn’t have to be like this. We could stop everything right now. So your pill didn’t work, who cares? You can still go back to a normal life.”

“Don’t you get it Jeremy? I’ve put everything into that pill! Everything!”

Jeremy had a faint recollection of Sebastian Iscariot’s words. He’d said something about the SQUIP’s cognitive processes and DNA being inside of those pills, right? “What happens if no one takes those pills? All of your power just sits there?”

“It’s already leaving me, Jeremy, I can feel it!” The SQUIP yelled. “It’s all your fault!”

“Even if you kill me up here, you’ll never get people to trust you. No one would ever willingly let you invade their brains.” The SQUIP seethed and lobbed a brick at Jeremy’s head. He held up an arm to stop it, collapsing the stone with his strength. “You’re going to have to try harder than that,” Jeremy boasted with faux confidence.

“If you say so,” the SQUIP shrugged.

Faster than he could blink, Jeremy could hear glass shattering. The windows from the Center burst out of their frames. He couldn’t hear them landing on the asphalt below, though, so he was disoriented for a moment. Then, he could hear everything.

It was all clinking in the air, being pulled together into a large bouquet of sharp glass. The SQUIP’s hand was raised high and he gave a half-hearted laugh. “Surprise,” he murmured. He pushed his palm forward and glass was flying at Jeremy. It was fast, but he was faster. He twisted and jumped and ducked until the debris was clattering to the ground behind him. Jeremy was too caught up in his victory to notice another rather large shard coming his way. He tried to dodge it, but it was too late. The glass collided with his torso, piercing his side.

“Fuck,” the teenager gasped through clenched teeth. The pain was intense, digging into his stomach. He thought he might throw up. Slowly but surely, though, he stood up straighter. His hand put pressure on the wound and he took a few even breaths.

He was fine. This would be over soon enough.

He was vaguely aware of the crowd gathering below. New Jersey’s very own super-fight? Of course people were interested. And now that the SQUIP’s plans had been leaked to the population, everyone in the city was rooting for the good guy to triumph evil. Jeremy risked a look into the crowd and saw a familiar red hoodie.

Oh, no. He’d told Michael to stay away. He needed Michael to be as far from the danger as possible.

“What’s the matter, Jeremiah? Love on the brain?” The SQUIP jabbed, surprising the boy from behind and throwing him onto the ground. He braced himself for the landing but it didn’t do much as he hurtled into the barrier. He winced, clutching his wound. Blood leaked out at a steady pace, but he couldn’t think about that right now. The SQUIP stood above him with a menacing grin. “There’s something you don’t seem to understand, kid.”

“What’s that?” Jeremy coughed.

“I don’t need anyone to willingly take the pill. No one is powerful enough to resist me. They’ll all give in, eventually. When loved ones are in trouble, the human tends to lose all sense of rationale. I mean, look at you.” Jeremy started to get up but was stopped by the SQUIP’s polished shoe on his chest. “The only thing holding me back is you, Jeremy.”

“I won’t let you hurt them,” he countered, struggling against the SQUIP’s force. Slowly but surely, he got a hold on the villain’s foot and pushed him away. It bought him enough time to scramble back to his feet. “You’re going to have to kill me first.”

“I’m so glad we’re on the same page,” the man grinned, levitating an abandoned pole from the powerline he’d used earlier. In the air, he snapped it into three pieces and sent them all at Jeremy.

Jeremy dodged the first one with ease but couldn’t get his bearings quickly enough to avoid the second one. It knocked him off balance while the third one beat into his chest. The pain made him dizzy and his lungs were screaming out for air, but he couldn’t get any. He was vaguely aware of the injury in his side pulsing, but there was nothing he could do about it in the moment. He’d never faced anyone remotely as powerful at this before. He grudgingly rolled the pieces of wood off of himself and stood back up.

“When are you going to learn to just stay down?” The SQUIP enunciated. “None of this would be happening to you if you had just died when I planned for you to.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” he responded before casting a web at a chunk of wood and swinging it at the SQUIP. It just barely caught the man in the side of the head but it was enough to shift his balance. Taking his advantage, Jeremy threw a web at the man’s leg and pulled his feet out from under him.

Not to be dissuaded for long, the SQUIP raised up a few pieces of stone that had crumbled in debris from the battle. He threw them all at Jeremy, who got out of the way. He took only a few hits, one to the nose and another to his arm. He could feel blood running from his nose and he was pretty sure that the bone was broken, but his adrenaline was enough to keep him from feeling it too badly. He’d accrued enough injuries to last him a lifetime. His arm ached, but it was fine. Fine enough to run at the SQUIP and throw a punch directly at his jaw.

The SQUIP avoided the blow and got a tight hold on Jeremy’s wrist. He pushed Jeremy to the ground once more, placing his shoe directly on top of the boy’s forearm. Oh, no.

The villain bent down with a sadistic gleam in his eye, reaching out for Jeremy’s hand.

“No,” he breathed, but it was too late. The SQUIP twisted his index finger, blinding pain shooting up his arm. Next was his middle finger, then his ring finger. Finally, he couldn’t take the pain anymore. He screamed as the man broke his pinky and then his thumb, his voice seeming foreign even to his own ears. “No, stop, please,” he panted.

“You want me to stop?” The SQUIP dictated softly. “That’s sweet. I’ll stop.” In a flash, his hand released the hero. However, Jeremy could feel pressure building against his throat. Damn the SQUIP’s telekinesis. It wasn’t like he could fight against an invisible force. The pressure on his throat grew tighter and tighter until he felt himself being pulled upwards. The SQUIP had both hands raised in the air, directed at the teenager. He lifted him up by his neck, dangling him above the ground, and moved to the side of the building. He positioned Jeremy so that he was directly above the crowd.

Jeremy struggled, his uninjured hand clawing at the crushing force around his throat, to no avail. He couldn’t breathe. He was wheezing and he couldn’t breathe. Is this really how he would go out? Hanging in the sky above the people he’d tried so desperately to protect?

“Is this your hero?” The SQUIP called down to the crowd of onlookers. To Michael, who Jeremy knew was watching. He didn’t need to see this. “This boy who’s so weak he can’t even help his own people? Can’t even take a few broken bones?”

A few people gasped as Jeremy kicked against the side of the building, anything to try to distance himself from the SQUIP’s power. He was stuck.

A familiar voice came from the crowd. “Leave him alone!”

The hero closed his eyes and focused on the voice. It was his best friend, his boyfriend, coming to his defense. Even in a situation like this, Michael had his back.

“Ah, Michael Mell. I knew you must be around here somewhere. He’s been thinking about you, you know.” The villain flashed a toothy smile and lifted Jeremy even higher. He couldn’t breathe for real now, his vision fading at the edges. “I’ll leave him alone if you come take his place.”

“Don’t...touch...him,” Jeremy gasped. He lifted an arm just enough to send a web at the SQUIP’s face. In his surprise from the attack, he dropped the boy.

“Spider-Man!” Someone in the crowd yelled as he became limp and began to fall. In an instant, he regained a sense of his surroundings and caught his unbroken hand on the side of the Town Hall Center. He rested his head against the brick, letting oxygen return to his brain, as he slowly climbed back towards the roof. He could use only his feet and one arm, his muscles screaming at the pressure. His injured hand hung uselessly at his side. He gritted his teeth as he felt the tearing pain in his side, in his ribs.

The crowd cheered. Jeremy wouldn’t let them down. He couldn’t.

He climbed higher and higher until he was back on top of the building, vaulting himself over the barrier and landing on his feet in front of the SQUIP.

“Nice try,” he rasped.

The SQUIP cocked his head and began rubbing his hands together. “Oh, we’re just getting started, Jeremy. Don’t forget, I know everything about your powers. I know that silly little projectiles can’t keep you down.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Jeremy kept his eyes focused on the SQUIP as he relied on his other heightened senses to help him out. He needed to detect this danger before it hit him. He focused on the feeling of the air, making hair raise up on the back of his neck. Oh, shit.

In an instant, a bolt of electricity was flying at him. He flipped in the air to avoid it, landing on all fours. The electricity ricocheted into the powerline behind him, letting off a few huge sparks. He stepped away from the heat and got closer to the SQUIP.

“Electricity? Really? You’ll need more than that to get to me,” he spoke. The wind was really whipping up now and so was the crowd. News stations were arriving.

“How nice,” the SQUIP called. “The news can do a segment about your death. Spread the mourning all through the country.”

“You think some electricity can kill me?” It very well could, actually, but Jeremy didn’t want to think about that right now. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Oh, yes you are.” Damn it. Jeremy hadn’t taken into account the SQUIP’s mind-reading powers. Of course he could tell how fucking terrified he was. “Jeremiah, this could all be over. It could all end so easily.”

He let out another bolt of electricity, this one shocking the teenager’s legs. They fell out from under him and he collapsed to the hard cement. As he collected himself, though, something unprecedented happened.

The SQUIP lost his balance. He didn’t fall, not completely, but he flinched. His legs were unsteady and he had to catch himself on the stone barrier.

Interesting, Jeremy thought. He could test this theory further. Scientifically minded as he was, he immediately formed half of a hypothesis.

Electricity could hurt him but it also hurt the SQUIP, apparently. So, if he were hit by the energy, then it would be as effective as actually hitting the villain himself. However, a problem presented itself. This wasn’t a hypothesis that he could exactly test out indefinitely. Either he was right or he wasn’t. In order to risk something so big, Jeremy needed to be more sure of the effects.

Braving the incoming bolt, he egged on the SQUIP once more. “C’mon, it’s like you aren’t even trying to hit me.” As he expected, another flash of energy hurtled towards him. He let it hit his arm, crying out at the pain. Jeremy fell back against the roof’s barrier, cradling his arm to his chest.

He observed the SQUIP, who was also rubbing at his own arm. This couldn’t be a coincidence, Jeremy decided. He knew what he had to do in an instant. There was only one way to permanently stop the villain.

But Michael.

He couldn’t do this to Michael, could he? He couldn’t knowingly electrocute himself to death. Not with Michael watching. He chewed his lower lip, heart thumping in his chest. His body ached, his head hurt. He could barely breathe. He needed to end this, once and for all.

The SQUIP had told him plainly: if Spider-Man died, then his evil plans could carry on. Jeremy couldn’t let that happen. Michael would have to understand, he would have to forgive him. This was the only way.

Jeremy picked himself up, brushed the debris from his suit, and sauntered towards the SQUIP. For the first time, he had the upper hand. For the first time, he felt like he could win.

Don’t think about Michael. Don’t think about Michael at the funeral. Don’t think about the promise to come back in one piece. Don’t think about never kissing him again. Don’t don’t don’t don’t.

Jeremy breathed in. Out. He kept walking towards the villain. “You have one last chance to stop. One last chance to give up.”

The SQUIP laughed. “Really, kid? You think you scare me? Look at you! Your suit’s torn to pieces, you’re bleeding, you’re weak. I don’t have a scratch. So, what, now you’re trying to bluff your way out of this?”

“No,” the teen responded. He said in the calmest voice he could muster, “I’m going to stop you.”

“Oh yeah? That’s optimistic of you, Jeremiah.” He tilted his head and his eyes glistened with hope. “Here’s what’s going to happen: I’m going to finish this up. You’re going to die. Then your little friend, Michael, is going to be next. He’ll watch you die. I won’t make him take the pill. I’ll just put him out of his misery.”

Jeremy growled but stayed silent. Don’t think about Michael watching. Don’t think about Michael.

“Then,” the SQUIP continued, “Everyone is going to do as I say. They’ll take the pill. I’ll control their consciousness. They’ll all be able to do my bidding and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. Face it, Spider-Man. I won.” He stepped closer to Jeremy, his imposing figure looming. “You lost and I won.”

“I don’t think so,” Jeremy spat. “I know something you don’t.”

“Oh, please, do share.”

Jeremy smiled underneath the mask, and he knew that the SQUIP could feel his pride. “That pill that you gave me didn’t work, not for your purposes. But you know what it did do? It gave me a piece of you. And I think that when you were making it, you messed up. You put too big a piece of yourself inside.” The SQUIP looked like he didn’t quite understand, so Jeremy continued. “And, sure, my powers can’t fight against electricity. But neither can yours. The part of me that’s you gets hurt whenever I do.”

“Sure, let’s say your little theory is correct. Maybe you can hurt me. But I’m immortal. Nothing can kill me.” The SQUIP’s lips curled into a twisted grin but his voice sounded nervous now. On edge. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Nevertheless, Jeremy kept talking.

“You were immortal, that’s true. Until you started to share your consciousness with me. Until those neurotransmitters in the pill started working both ways. I think the problem you’re facing here is that you’re a little bit more human than you were before you made me take your pill.”

“No, that’s not—”

“So, it stands to reason that anything that can hurt me can hurt you. And, of course, anything that can kill me can kill you.” Jeremy could tell from the look on the SQUIP’s face that he had him. He’d outsmarted him. “Mutually beneficial, right? I help you, you help me...I die, you die.”

“What are you going to do, Jeremiah? Kill yourself?” The SQUIP let out a half-hearted cackle. He really thought that Jeremy wasn’t willing to do what was necessary.

“If I have to,” he said. He planted his feet and looked at the nearby electrical powerline. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get rid of you.”

“Don’t be an idiot, Jeremy. Think of your family. Think of Michael.”

“He’ll understand,” he said simply. He knew his best friend well enough by now. The boy would be sad, he’d be pissed, but he would forgive him. He would always forgive him, in the end. No matter how badly Jeremy fucked up. And this? Well, this wasn’t a mistake. It had to be done.

“He won’t,” the SQUIP continued. “I can feel him, down there, waiting. He can’t really see what’s happening. But he’s scared. He’s so scared that you’ll let him down.”

“Shut up,” Jeremy dictated confidently. “I won’t be letting him down. The only one who’s going to suffer is you.”

“Jeremy, wait, let’s—”

The teenager licked his lips, savoring the moment. He felt good. He felt powerful. He was ready. “I’ll see you in hell,” he said.

In a flash, he flung a web to the powerline above and pressed his hands against the cord. He could feel the energy pulsing through his arms and into his body. His chest hurt. His heart hurt. He let out a scream, the pain coursing through his consciousness and tough façade. He gathered himself long enough to glance at the SQUIP, who was on the ground. He was clawing at his face, pain evident in his features. He rolled on the cement, eyes squeezed shut.

Now that he knew his plan had worked, he could rest. He let his eyes close, succumbing to the agony. Jeremy felt himself falling through the air after letting go of the cable, his hands unable to comply any longer. He couldn’t move his body, he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t do anything. As he approached the ground, the last thing he registered was his best friend’s voice shouting, “No!” Anguish was evident in the voice, but he couldn’t think about that right now. It was over. It was all over.

Everything went black.

#meremy hell #boyf riends #bmc #be more chill #bmc spiderman au #my writing #my post

13 notes · View notes