>>5764899For a while, all is dark. Silent. <span class="mu-i">Empty</span>. If this is death, you think to yourself as you admire the sheer barrenness of it all, it’s… it’s not too <span class="mu-i">bad</span>!
For the first time in hours you feel alone–no entities peering over your mental shoulder, no alien creatures holding your psyche at immaterial knifepoint.
It’s just <span class="mu-i">you</span>.
A faint smile forms on your face as you bask in the calmness–for just this moment you’re left with your own thoughts… no slashers hunting you down, no megalomaniacal autists gloating about your inevitable enslavement, no Pepper taking unwarranted pictures, none of Raj’s unending dopiness, Mina’s cold stares, Rodney’s whining, Chuck’s growls, Vivian’s uh…
<span class="mu-i">Cool shades</span>....
It’s nice… for a time. But as you consider all you’ve done and who you’ve met tonight, you can’t help but feel a little <span class="mu-i">lonely</span>...
Your answer comes in the form of a rising sensation–like you were rapidly floating up from the bottom of an ocean. The blank canvas around you shifts in hue as you ascend, and the harsh cold enveloping you is slowly replaced by a familiar warmth…
Someone is holding you.
The faintest tingle of sound entering your ears is all it takes to pull you out of the <span class="mu-i">pool</span>, and as you emerge coughing and sputtering like a would-be drowning victim, you find yourself staring at the blurry, but relieved faces of your friends!
A singular word leaves your lips:
<span class="mu-i">Guys…</span>
“<span class="mu-i">Welcome b-back…</span>” Giggles Pepper with a teary-eyed smile as you realize your head is resting in her lap.
“Damn, bro,” Raj mutters with his trademark grin on his much-less-pale face, “And I thought <span class="mu-i">MY</span> cure was bad…”
“It was rough, all right,” Replies Chuck with an approving look in his eyes, “But your pal Diesel here’s a fighter, kid… one of the toughest rugrats I’ve ever seen.”
Looking to your wrist, you find that your alien appendage is gone save for a faint dusting of meaty residue caked on your inner arm–even the hole it emerged from has already healed into an impressive scar.
You’ve beaten <span class="mu-s">THE HUNGER</span>, it would seem… and yet your muscles still feel broadened… your blood hot with vigor!
You clench your hand into a tight, imposing fist.
You’re still <span class="mu-s">strong</span>...
>CONTD. 