All 8 Become 9

A man sits on a stage and explains his belief. “Realistically speaking, the Seven Deadly Sins pose no real danger nor are they actually as evil as the bible makes them out to be. The reality of these sins is that they are simple natural desires. However, like all things, an overindulgence for these desires can lead to unfavorable circumstances. Today, I’m here to explain why sins are the least of our concerns. For you see, misery is the true threat to our lives. Everything that breaks us, ruins our lives, destroys what we consider to be ourselves, it all originates from eight core miseries. I like to call them the Eight Broken Miseries.”

The TV turns off and Mack sets down the remote. He lays back on the couch while eating a piece of burnt toast. “So, what were ya watchin?” The sudden voice of his little sister, Liz, surprised Mack and made him jump off the couch.

“Damnit, Liz! Keep scaring me like that and I’m gonna hit you by accident.” Mack sits back down while his sister gets herself some toast for breakfast.

“Sure you will, but I know you’ll stop yourself since you’re way too nice. So, what was on TV? Something you don’t want Mom to see?”

“No, nothing like that. Jeez, you make it sound like I watch inappropriate stuff.”

“You don’t? I thought all boys your age watch naughty things. Maybe I’ll check your laptop, just for good measure.” Liz giggles as she sits next to Mack on the couch and pulls out her phone.

“Touch my laptop and I’ll show Mom your search history.”

“I was joking! I swear!”

“Knew it.”

“You jackass. Fine, keep your secrets, but I know you’re a perv. I just can’t prove it yet.”

Mack pats his sister’s head. “Whatever. By the way, it was just a guy talking about some dumb bible nonsense.”

“Boring! Hey, look at this!” Liz talks with some toast in her mouth while showing her brother social posts on her phone. “A bunch of guys at school had a huge party over the break. All the girls look like they were having fun too. Even your girlfriend posted abo-”

“Liz! Mack! Are you up yet?!” Their mother’s voice echoes from down the hallway.

Liz gulps down the last of her toast in a hurry. “Yeah! We’re done eating too!”

“Don’t gobble it all down like this, Sis. You’re gonna get hungry sooner and we don’t have any more crackers, so you’ll have to wait until we get back home.” Mack stands up and grabs his backpack to walk to school with Liz.

The man continues with his explanation of the miseries. “Fatigue is not laziness, for it is not a choice, but rather the inability to do anything due to the lack of energy.”

Day after day Mack went through the same routine, but each day felt longer and longer. He wasn’t getting sleepy, but he was spacing out constantly during every class. He felt slower as people quickly walked by him in the halls and he started falling behind in his classes. It was becoming obvious that his lack of food was making him weaker, but the hunger wasn’t bothering him.

“Yo, Mack! You alright? You seem kinda down lately.” Mack’s friend nudged him to see if he was awake.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired is all.”

His friend smirked and got a little closer. “Oh really? Not getting enough sleep? That hottie of a girlfriend too much for ya? She sure seemed like a handful during the party last week.”

“Shut up. No. I’m just feeling a bit sluggish.”

“Macky!” A voice jolts Mack out of his chair as a girl swings the door. “Macky! Quit being so damn lazy and hurry up! The store is gonna run out- Oh, hey Jason.”

Mack lets out a sigh and starts to get up, but he quickly sits back down. “Ugh, sorry Vanessa. I’m gonna have to sit for a while longer. I don’t think I can walk much today.”

“Aw come on. Really? You promised you’d go with me to the mall.”

“Sorry. I wish I could, but I can’t right now.”

Jason chimes in trying to cheer up the mood. “Well, if you want, I could go with you. We’d get there faster too since I have a car.” He jingles his keys.

Vanessa smiles and hugs Jason. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! Let’s go now before they run out! Bye Macky, hope you feel better soon!”

Mack waves his hand. “Thanks bro. Bye Vanessa, love you too.” He lays his head on his desk. “Ugh, now I just need to wait for Liz’s club to finish.” Mack soon dozed off. After about an hour passed, he found himself falling off his chair after being scared awake by his sister. Walking home felt even longer than before.

The man continues with another misery. “Hunger is a long and grewling thing that drives even the tamest of creatures to hunt their own.”

After what felt like a long weekend, Mack found himself distracted in class. He was already feeling weak, but now it seems he can’t ignore how hungry he has become after living off of small slices of bread everyday for the past month. He eats less so his sister can enjoy more even though his mother eats way more than both of them. She’s hardly ever home during the day since she’s usually out on dates with crappy men and spending what little money was left after his father died. The only thing Mack likes about his mother is that she usually cares about Liz. As long as Liz is happy and well, Mack didn’t mind everything else. However, lately it’s felt like he was beginning to eat himself from within and that was becoming too much to handle.

Jason and Vanessa sat with Mack while having lunch. Jason popped open a bag of chips and set it next to Mack. “Ay, you really aren’t looking too good. It ain’t much, but have some.”

“Thanks, bro.” Mack quickly grabbed the bag and started shoving chips into his mouth as if he had never had something so delicious.

Meanwhile, Vanessa watched him devour all the chips in a matter of seconds. “Damn, I know you’re, like, so hungry and all, but you’re eating like a pig.”

“Sorry.” Mack keeps his head down and wipes his mouth.

Jason leans over to Vanessa and whispers in her ear. “It was supposed to be a prank since I didn’t think he’d actually eat them, but those chips were really old and stale.”

Vanessa just giggles as the bell rings for lunch to end. They all continue with their day, but once at home, Mack struggles not to eat the dessert his mother brought home for his sister. Thankfully, Liz eats it while Mack goes to his room to rest.

The man explains another. “Betrayal is a poisonous blade that kills suddenly or overtime.”

The days continued as usual with Mack seeming to get weaker and weaker each day. At this point he didn’t bother checking any of the food his friend gave him because he was too hungry to even taste whatever he put in his mouth. Mack never questioned Jason nor did he ask why Vanessa had such a disgusted, yet amused look on her face whenever Mack was offered something to eat. He never noticed the chips and bread he was given were always stale.

“Psst. Hey, Jasy. Give him this.” Vanessa handed Jason a slice of bread that had an obvious spot of mold on it.

“Seriously? You want to get him sick?”

“Oh come on, Jasy. He’ll be fine. I just want to see him react to eating something gross since the stale stuff isn’t bothering him.”

“He’s not that stupid, but sure, whatever you say, Nessa.” Jason nudges Mack and hands him the slice of bread.

“Thanks again, bro.” Mack struggles to smile as he quickly eats the moldy bread.

Jason leans back over to Vanessa. “Damn, he’s dumber than I thought. He actually ate it.”

“That’s, like, so gross, but not surprising. He’d always eat whatever I bought for him on our dates.”

Later that day, Mack was stuck in the bathroom because he couldn’t stop throwing up. Believing his hunger and diet to be the cause, he didn’t think to question what food he was given. Each day after that, Vanessa and Jason fed him various mixtures of old food for lunch.

A few days later, it was Vanessa’s birthday and, just like every year, she was going to throw a big party with all her friends once the sun had set. However, before that happened, Mack wanted to take her out on a date so they could celebrate as a couple. He even saved some cash by selling an antique knife his father gave him before passing away.

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to pay for my meal this time. See, I should have enough money to pay for my half.” Mack showed Vanessa a handful of dollars.

“Yeah, about that. Could we maybe take a break? Ya know, like not seeing each other for a while. It’s just- Oh how do I put this? It’s not working out between us and I’ve realized I just wanted you as a friend.”

“What? Y-You’re joking, right? This is just another little prank. You’re ju-”

“Oh my god! I’m not even hinting anymore. I literally just told you I’m breaking up with you. I knew you were dumb after eating all that nasty food, but you’re a total idiot if you don’t understand yet. Fine! Get this through that empty head of yours. I am not your girlfriend anymore! It should’ve been obvious since basically all our classmates know I’ve fallen in love with Jasy. Oh sorry, that’s Jason’s nickname in case you’re too dumb to get that much. Ugh, finally! I don’t have to act like I love you anymore. Well, I have nothing else to say and, honestly, I don’t care if you have anything to say. Now quite wasting my time, Jasy’s waiting for me.” Vanessa takes a quick breath before happily walking away.

Meanwhile, Mack stands still, frozen in shock. After a moment passes, he slowly walks back to a classroom to wait for Liz to get done with her club. He sits quietly as he tries to process everything that just happened.

The man goes on to another explanation. “Stress, specifically mental stress, is something that builds overtime, but will snap without warning once there is too much and cause someone to do or say something they normally wouldn’t.”

Now everyday Mack had to sit alone as he watched the love of his life flirt, hug, kiss, and spend all her time with someone he thought was his friend. Mack no longer got anything to eat at lunch and he wasn’t throwing up anymore, but he still felt sick due to even more hunger along with a sickening feeling within his heart that made him feel worse. What little enjoyment in life he had was fading away, but at least his little sister was happy and shining a light for him to enjoy. Her little scares always surprised him though, whether he likes them or not. All he has to do is get through the day and wait for her to finish her club activities, then it all almost feels worth it.

“Maaack? I’m done.” Liz peeked into the classroom looking for her brother since he wasn’t already outside the clubroom.

She found him holding his head and crying at his desk, something he’d do out of sight so Liz wouldn’t get worried. He didn’t want to burden her with what he’s been going through, so she thought he just had a bad day. With that in mind, she figured she could cheer him up. Rather than being loud like she usually is, she wanted to surprise him by whispering into his ear. So, she snuck closer without disturbing him until she was right in front of his desk. Leaning down to Mack’s ear, she whispered, “boo!”

The man explains another misery. “Loss is a terrible thing that leaves behind an emptiness that is hardly ever truly filled again.”

The sudden voice in his ear caused Mack to jump since he had lost track of time and thought he was alone. With everything that had been happening, he reacted with a bit more hostility thinking it was Vanessa or Jason pulling another prank. Unfortunately, it was actually his little sister who was too close to his head and ended up getting hit backwards. The sudden hit to her head caused her to slip and fall.

Crack!

Mack didn’t know what happened, but he immediately noticed some hair on the corner of the desk in front of him. His eyes drifted down to see his sister on the ground. Her eyelids twitching slightly as a crimson puddle began to form under her head. Mack dropped to his knees in a panic. He was in shock, confused, not sure how this happened. All he could do in that moment was weep as life vanished from his little sister’s eyes and his last light of joy faded.

The man continued with his explanations. “Guilt, or regret, is a burden we are both in control and not in control of, for our guilt is based on how we perceive our responsibilities.”

“Liz. Please wake up. Please, Liz. I promise you really scared me. So, you can stop messing around. Please. I’m sorry. Liz. I’m so, so, so sorry. Please wake up. I didn’t mean it, I swear. It was an accident. Liz.” Mack cradles the lifeless body of his little sister while constantly apologizing and crying until his tears dry up.

The man explains another. “Dread, also known as fear, is something that can cause people to go out of their way and do something that would normally contradict who they are, all in order to avoid something that simply scares them.”

Days have passed since Liz died. Mack’s class doesn’t seem to have changed at all. The empty desk where Mack used to sit is the only major difference. Although, only a few have actually noticed he’s missing.

“Hey, Nessa. You don’t think we have anything to do with Mack’s disappearance, do you?” Jason pulls up a chair next to Vanessa’s desk.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually worried about him. He’s just being scared about being in the same room where he killed his sister.”

“So he’s ditching class?”

“Duh. Forget about him, Babe. He’s just one of those pathetic boys looking for attention because one bad thing happened to him.” Vanessa gives Jason a little kiss on the cheek as she stands up and grabs her bag. “Now let’s get going, the mall will be crowded soon and I hate crowds.”

In reality, Mack was ditching school because he couldn’t get his sister’s cheerful whisper out of his head and being in class where the accident happened made him think she was haunting him. He was also avoiding everyone since he was scared that they would all think he murdered Liz on purpose since she was the only one his mother actually cared about. Even his own mother looked at him as if he wanted this to happen.

The man goes on to explain the last misery. “Pain is a common thing. We go through pain all the time, but the degree of pain varies depending on the situation. When people are in pain, they begin to show what they really are, but too much pain will cause people to seek release in any form.”

Lately, Mack’s mother has been going on more dates and coming home late into the night reeking of alcohol. If Mack is lucky, she’ll pass out and give him a chance to leave in the morning before she wakes up. Unfortunately, Mack isn’t usually lucky and his mother ends up blaming him for what happened to Liz. She hits him with whatever she can get ahold of while screaming and cursing him for ever being born or wishing it had been him instead.

After many nights of his mother’s drunken abuse leaving him bruised and scarred, Mack began to think that his mother was right. Despite everything going to hell, except for his sister since she was an angel, Mack decided he’d fix the one thing he had control of. He gave a short prayer even though he wasn’t religious, but he thought that if there was a god, then hopefully that god would take care of his precious little sister. He then pulled out the last thing his father gave him on their last camping trip, a small revolver pistol. Mack only found one bullet, but that was all he needed. He left no letter for his mother. He put the barrel to his chin and pulled the trigger. Bang!

The man sat for a moment and gave a short sigh. “Now then, before we conclude this interview, I’d like to explain one last thing. Although there are eight miseries, there is technically a ninth. One that is both the most miserable and the least miserable. I say this because it is the culmination of the eight and then some. Every emotion, every sensation, misery and pleasure are mixed together and confused as the same. It sounds like utter chaos and you’re right. That’s true madness.”

Mack slowly opens his eye to see a hospital room. Some parts of his body feel numb while others feel wrapped tightly. His vision is blurry, but he notices half his vision is gone. His head feels weird. There are bandages wrapped around his head.

Why? How? Did he miss the killing blow? The one thing he believed he had control of and he didn’t even have that?! All he achieved was shooting out half his jaw, one of his eyes, and some of his brain! So, that’s how it is?! Punishment for killing his sister?! Is she cursing him too?! Denying him an end to all this is her doing, isn’t it?!

As he lay in a hospital bed with his one eye wide open and his body trembling while strapped down, tears begin to run down his face as he laughed with the biggest smile he’s ever had in his life. He laughs and laughs until he coughs, but he doesn’t stop laughing. Even as the machines around him start beeping frantically, he keeps laughing. Even as his eye becomes bloodshot, he keeps laughing. Even as he curses and begs his sister for forgiveness, he keeps laughing.