I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

5/18/2015 IHaveNoMouth,andIMustScreambyHarlanEllison

http://hermiene.net/shortstories/i_have_no_mouth.html 1/11

IHaveNoMouth,andIMust

Scream

byHarlanEllison

Limp,thebodyofGorristerhungfromthepinkpalette;unsupported—hanging

highaboveusinthecomputerchamber;anditdidnotshiverinthechill,oilybreeze

thatbleweternallythroughthemaincavern.Thebodyhungheaddown,attachedto

theundersideofthepalettebythesoleofitsrightfoot.Ithadbeendrainedofblood

throughapreciseincisionmadefromeartoearunderthelanternjaw.Therewasno

bloodonthereflectivesurfaceofthemetalfloor.

WhenGorristerjoinedourgroupandlookedupathimself,itwasalreadytoo

lateforustorealizethat,onceagain,AMhaddupedus,hadhaditsfun;ithadbeena

diversiononthepartofthemachine.Threeofushadvomited,turningawayfrom

oneanotherinareflexasancientasthenauseathathadproducedit.

Gorristerwentwhite.Itwasalmostasthoughhehadseenavoodooicon,and

wasafraidofthefuture."Oh,God,"hemumbled,andwalkedaway.Thethreeofus

followedhimafteratime,andfoundhimsittingwithhisbacktooneofthesmaller

chitteringbanks,hisheadinhishands.Ellenkneltdownbesidehimandstrokedhis

hair.Hedidn'tmove,buthisvoicecameoutofhiscoveredfacequiteclearly."Why

doesn'titjustdousinandgetitoverwith?Christ,Idon'tknowhowmuchlongerI

cangoonlikethis."

Itwasouronehundredandninthyearinthecomputer.

Hewasspeakingforallofus.

Nimdok(whichwasthenamethemachinehadforcedhimtouse,becauseAM

amuseditselfwithstrangesounds)washallucinatingthattherewerecannedgoods

intheicecaverns.GorristerandIwereverydubious."It'sanothershuck,"Itold

them."LikethegoddamfrozenelephantAMsoldus.Bennyalmostwentoutofhis

mindoverthatone.We'llhikeallthatwayandit'llbeputrifiedorsomedamnthing.

Isayforgetit.Stayhere,it'llhavetocomeupwithsomethingprettysoonorwe'll

die."

Bennyshrugged.Threedaysithadbeensincewe'dlasteaten.Worms.Thick,

ropey.

5/18/2015 IHaveNoMouth,andIMustScreambyHarlanEllison

http://hermiene.net/shortstories/i_have_no_mouth.html 2/11

Nimdokwasnomorecertain.Heknewtherewasthechance,buthewasgetting

thin.Itcouldn'tbeanyworsethere,thanhere.Colder,butthatdidn'tmattermuch.

Hot,cold,hail,lava,boilsorlocusts—itnevermattered:themachinemasturbated

andwehadtotakeitordie.

Ellendecidedus."I'vegottohavesomething,Ted.Maybethere'llbesome

Bartlettpearsorpeaches.Please,Ted,let'stryit."

Igaveineasily.Whatthehell.Matterednotatall.Ellenwasgrateful,though.

Shetookmetwiceoutofturn.Eventhathadceasedtomatter.Andshenevercame,

sowhybother?Butthemachinegiggledeverytimewedidit.Loud,upthere,back

there,allaroundus,hesnickered.Itsnickered.MostofthetimeIthoughtofAMas

it,withoutasoul;buttherestofthetimeIthoughtofitashim,inthemasculine...

thepaternal...thepatriarchal...forheisajealouspeople.Him.It.GodasDaddythe

Deranged.

WeleftonaThursday.Themachinealwayskeptusuptodateonthedate.The

passageoftimewasimportant;nottous,sureashell,buttohim...it...AM.

Thursday.Thanks.

NimdokandGorristercarriedEllenforawhile,theirhandslockedtotheirown

andeachother'swrists,aseat.BennyandIwalkedbeforeandafter,justtomake

surethat,ifanythinghappened,itwouldcatchoneofusandatleastEllenwouldbe

safe.Fatchance,safe.Didn'tmatter.

Itwasonlyahundredmilesorsototheicecaverns,andthesecondday,when

wewerelyingoutundertheblisteringsunthinghehadmaterialized,hesentdown

somemanna.Tastedlikeboiledboarurine.Weateit.

Onthethirddaywepassedthroughavalleyofobsolescence,filledwithrusting

carcassesofancientcomputerbanks.AMhadbeenasruthlesswithitsownlifeas

withours.Itwasamarkofhispersonality:itstroveforperfection.Whetheritwasa

matterofkillingoffunproductiveelementsinhisownworldfillingbulk,or

perfectingmethodsfortorturingus,AMwasasthoroughasthosewhohadinvented

him—nowlongsincegonetodust—couldeverhavehoped.

Therewaslightfilteringdownfromabove,andwerealizedwemustbeverynear

thesurface.Butwedidn'ttrytocrawluptosee.Therewasvirtuallynothingout

there;hadbeennothingthatcouldbeconsideredanythingforoverahundredyears.

Onlytheblastedskinofwhathadoncebeenthehomeofbillions.Nowtherewere

onlyfiveofus,downhereinside,alonewithAM.

IheardEllensayingfrantically,"No,Benny!Don't,comeon,Benny,don't

please!"

AndthenIrealizedIhadbeenhearingBennymurmuring,underhisbreath,for

severalminutes.Hewassaying,"I'mgonnagetout,I'mgonnagetout..."overand

over.Hismonkeylikefacewascrumbledupinanexpressionofbeatificdelightand

sadness,allatthesametime.TheradiationscarsAMhadgivenhimduringthe

"festival"weredrawndownintoamassofpinkwhitepuckerings,andhisfeatures

seemedtoworkindependentlyofoneanother.PerhapsBennywastheluckiestofthe

fiveofus:hehadgonestark,staringmadmanyyearsbefore.

ButeventhoughwecouldcallAManydamnedthingweliked,couldthinkthe

foulestthoughtsoffusedmemorybanksandcorrodedbaseplates,ofburntout

circuitsandshatteredcontrolbubbles,themachinewouldnottolerateourtryingto

escape.BennyleapedawayfrommeasImadeagrabforhim.Hescrambledupthe

faceofasmallermemorycube,tiltedonitssideandfilledwithrottedcomponents.

5/18/2015 IHaveNoMouth,andIMustScreambyHarlanEllison

http://hermiene.net/shortstories/i_have_no_mouth.html 3/11

Hesquattedthereforamoment,lookinglikethechimpanzeeAMhadintendedhim

toresemble.

Thenheleapedhigh,caughtatrailingbeamofpittedandcorrodedmetal,and

wentupit,handoverhandlikeananimal,tillhewasonagirderedledge,twenty

feetaboveus.

"Oh,Ted,Nimdok,please,helphim,gethimdownbefore—"Shecutoff.Tears

begantostandinhereyes.Shemovedherhandsaimlessly.

Itwastoolate.Noneofuswantedtobenearhimwhenwhateverwasgoingto

happen,happened.Andbesides,weallsawthroughherconcern.WhenAMhad

alteredBenny,duringthemachine'sutterlyirrational,hystericalphase,itwasnot

merelyBenny'sfacethecomputerhadmadelikeagiantape's.Hewasbiginthe

privates;shelovedthat!Sheservicedus,asamatterofcourse,butsheloveditfrom

him.OhEllen,pedestalEllen,pristinepureEllen;ohEllentheclean!Scumfilth.

Gorristerslappedher.Sheslumpeddown,staringupatpoorloonieBenny,and

shecried.Itwasherbigdefense,crying.Wehadgottenusedtoitseventyfiveyears

earlier.Gorristerkickedherintheside.

Thenthesoundbegan.Itwaslight,thatsound.Halfsoundandhalflight,

somethingthatbegantoglowfromBenny'seyes,andpulsewithgrowingloudness,

dimsonoritiesthatgrewmoregiganticandbrighterasthelight/soundincreasedin

tempo.Itmusthavebeenpainful,andthepainmusthavebeenincreasingwiththe

boldnessofthelight,therisingvolumeofthesound,forBennybegantomewllikea

woundedanimal.Atfirstsoftly,whenthelightwasdimandthesoundwasmuted,

thenlouderashisshouldershunchedtogether:hisbackhumped,asthoughhewas

tryingtogetawayfromit.Hishandsfoldedacrosshischestlikeachipmunk's.His

headtiltedtotheside.Thesadlittlemonkeyfacepinchedinanguish.Thenhebegan

tohowl,asthesoundcomingfromhiseyesgrewlouder.Louderandlouder.I

slappedthesidesofmyheadwithmyhands,butIcouldn'tshutitout,itcutthrough

easily.Thepainshiveredthroughmyfleshliketinfoilonatooth.

AndBennywassuddenlypullederect.Onthegirderhestoodup,jerkedtohis

feetlikeapuppet.Thelightwasnowpulsingoutofhiseyesintwogreatround

beams.Thesoundcrawledupandupsomeincomprehensiblescale,andthenhefell

forward,straightdown,andhittheplatesteelfloorwithacrash.Helaytherejerking

spasticallyasthelightflowedaroundandaroundhimandthesoundspiraledupout

ofnormalrange.

Thenthelightbeatitswaybackinsidehishead,thesoundspiraleddown,and

hewasleftlyingthere,cryingpiteously.

Hiseyesweretwosoft,moistpoolsofpuslikejelly.AMhadblindedhim.

GorristerandNimdokandmyself...weturnedaway.Butnotbeforewecaughtthe

lookofreliefonEllen'swarm,concernedface.

Seagreenlightsuffusedthecavernwherewemadecamp.AMprovidedpunk

andweburnedit,sittinghuddledaroundthewanandpatheticfire,tellingstoriesto

keepBennyfromcryinginhispermanentnight.

Overview

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison is a horror/sci-fi story about a sentient supercomputer, AM, which has destroyed humanity, keeping only five people alive to torture endlessly. The narrator, Ted, kills the others to end their suffering, but AM stops him and turns him into a helpless "soft jelly thing" to suffer forever.

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