Across the Multiverse

"I'm serious, I don't feel any different."

"Well... you're probably just getting used to it."

"No, I think it's defective. *What* did you do with all the other ones?"

"Well, we've had some issues with the machine, but that should be fine now."

"I'm telling you, this thing is broken. I haven't felt any different at all since I put on the device. Is it working?"

"Oh, yes. See those numbers on the display? Those are the readings from the machine."

The large man looked down at his wrist and then back up at the scientist. "They don't look different to me," he said. "This thing better be working properly or I swear..." The large man trailed off as he looked around himself at the bizarre landscape that surrounded him. He was standing in a large field of what appeared to be green grass, except when you looked closely you could see that all of the blades were made of bones of various sizes, and that they were topped by a head with no lower jaw, staring out into the distance with a look of eternal anguish etched onto its features. The sun was a shining orb of fire that sat high in the sky, yet there was no heat whatsoever emanating from it. He couldn't see an end to the field in either direction; it just simply went on forever into a hazy horizon.

"Uh... where are we?" asked the large man. "Where's my house?" His voice cracked as he said this last part as if he was on the verge of tears.

"You're not going to believe this, but we're inside my kitchen," said the scientist calmly. "We're in an alternate universe where my kitchen is outside instead of inside."

"That's insane! How can we be inside something that's outside? That doesn't make any sense."

"It makes perfect sense if..." The scientist trailed off midsentence when he noticed something strange happening at his feet. A small creature emerged from beneath his lab coat and crawled up his leg until it reached his neck, where it burrowed its head into his throat and began to devour him from within. Blood sprayed out across his chest as chunks of flesh were torn away by sharp teeth and claws which grew more numerous and sharp with each passing moment until only an empty carapace remained. The creature turned towards the large man who stood motionless except for his eyes which scanned back and forth as they tried desperately to take in as much information as possible while trying not to miss anything important; he let out a deep groan and then began retching loudly as he vomited up his own intestines which congealed into a pile upon the ground beside him before fading away into nothingness moments later. The creature burrowed through his stomach and landed upon his chest before turning towards him and smiling with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth glowing bright red from blood. "That's why," said the scientist before being ripped apart by dozens of tiny claws that burrowed their way through his skin and muscle tissue before emerging on the other side so they could repeat their murderous work once again only moments later. The creature laughed maniacally as it continued to rip apart its host until nothing remained but a bloody pulp which faded away seconds later along with everything else around them; they were suddenly upon another black expanse that stretched endlessly in every direction, dotted here and there with distant pinpricks of light that slowly grew larger until they revealed themselves to be stars twinkling against an endless black backdrop filled with galaxies whose light streaked past them without effect as they sped unceasingly onwards towards infinity.