Plunged into an unknown dimension without memory or explanation, a young man struggles to make sense of his surroundings. As he grapples with his predicament, a chilling realization dawns upon him-a mysterious injury threatens his very life, and tim...
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Authors Note: The illustration for this chapter was done by @_pepperleaf my amazing editor! The depiction shows an accurate rendition of Logan's face after Doc's attempts to preserve his living tissue and the events that occur later in this chapter. Also for reference, Logan's TTS device sounds like the Software Automatic Mouth from FAITH. Much love to my readers supporting me! You guys are the best!
-LiminalOne —————————————————————
I stared down into his eyes, furious and vengeful. My lack of depth perception left me confused and disoriented. Doc raised his arms to my shoulders, attempting to calm me down. Suddenly, an arm, black as the halls of Level 2, grabbed his left shoulder. The arm shoved him back with considerable force, and my eyes searched the room for my Text-to-Speech Device. As soon as I layed eyes upon it, a tendril appeared from... my mouth? The tendril wrapped around the device and pulled back at high speeds, and before I knew it, I had swallowed the device. The chaos of the situation and the insanity of the past few days weighed upon my sanity, and I turned to look at Doc again with mad eyes. I opened my mouth, and a monotone, computerized voice escaped my throat. "So. THAT'S what you do WhenSOMEONE is injured?" Doc looked at me in fear as if unable to believe his eyes. I barely noticed, but where my fingers and toes were, there were now black digits with sharpened points. "YOU simply CUT OUT THE PROBLEM?!" The black arm that gripped Doc's shoulder was set into my severed elbow, with the same sharp digits and an unbelievably black complexion. "L-Logan?! Let's calm down now!" Doc whimpered. I looked into the lenses of his glasses and stopped for a moment.
A long, black tongue hung from my jaw.
Black gums and brilliantly white teeth replaced the holes and chunks that were missing in my jaw.
My eye... it was a vantablack sphere that encapsulated a tiny, familiar pupil. One that radiated a pure white tone.
"What IS HAPPENING?"
My tongue receded into my throat, and I stepped away from Doc. The violent static and volume that accompanied my voice faded, and I spoke in a more monotonous way. "What has happened to me?" I sat back on the surgical table and buried my face in my hands. A low sound of sobbing that sounded very similar to the Smiler's chuckle that haunted me in Level 2 echoed from my throat. My voice seemed to come from my neck rather than my mouth, and I didn't need to move my lips to form words.
Judy rushed into the room with a lever-action rifle and she quickly assessed the situation with wide eyes. She pointed her weapon at me, calling out to Doc. "Did he get you?" Doc shook his head no and stood from the wall of the tent I had shoved him into. "Don't shoot him... he's still himself somehow." Judy looked at Doc like he was crazy, but Doc looked at me with guilty eyes. I returned his stare with one of pain and agony.
Behind Judy, three men entered the tent with various firearms. I could hear a crowd forming outside the tent. One of the men, who seemed to outrank Judy, approached me with his weapon raised. "I will perform a sanity test. If what you say is true Doc, we will allow him to live." He approached me and put his pistol directly to my forehead. "What is your name?" He asked. "LOGAN." I responded. He was relatively frightened by my voice, but held his ground. "What is your occupation?" He asked. "EXPEDITIONS, seeker." The man seemed to calm a little and put his gun in its holster. "And what are you?" He asked with ease and a hint of pity. "AHuman."
The officer turned to Doc. "What happened?" Doc spoke with a steady voice. "He came back from sub-level 1.54 with severe frostbite and tissue damage. Standard medical procedure is that all dead tissue is supposed to be removed to prevent nearby cells from developing Necrosis." I looked at him, and my gaze softening upon hearing this. I knew deep down it wasn't his fault, my rage wasn't directed at him. I stood from the table, walking over to Doc. The two men and Judy aimed their weapons at me, but the Officer held up an arm. I stopped at Doc's feet and offered him my black hand. His pale hand hesitantly wrapped around the pitch limb, and I helped him stand up. He didn't look too rough, thank goodness.
"Logan, I-I'm sorry for everything. This place isn't like the real world, one chance is really the only chance we get. Luckily, it seems like whatever fucked up god there is has given you a second." I looked at my hands, each one a monstrous combination of human and Smiler. What exactly is this? "Doc, do you at least know what the bloody hell happened to him?" Judy asked. Doc looked at me and seemed to remember something. "Wait, you ate Smiler Flesh right? You're the only person who has ever done that and survived. Maybe this is a byproduct of the Smiler Flesh metabolizing and becoming part of your anatomy?" I looked at Doc's spectacles again, seeing my eye in the reflection. My torn jaw that revealed the glowing white teeth. I knew deep inside he was right.
"THAT appears to be the CASE." I said, once again speaking without moving my lips. "Well as far as I'm concerned this changes nothing." A voice said from behind the men at the door. The two men turned around and performed a salute, before stepping aside. Between them, a man in a black suit stepped into the tent. He had an air of authority that filled the area as he walked in, his eyes landing on me. "This man is clearly cognizant and was simply in shock. He likely still is, so Doctor, please see to it that he is given a thorough checkup to assist in dissuading his fears. He is not to be removed from the MEG and is to be sent out more frequently on expeditions so that we can ascertain the full capabilities of this new development." The man spoke. Doc saluted him and Judy did as well. The man then turned to me and held out his palm for a handshake. "I am the Second. The Second leader of the MEG that is." He introduced himself. I took his hand in mine, and we shook hands firmly. He seemed unperturbed by my current state.
"I expect a full medical report on my desk as soon as you're done inspecting him, I'm going to address the public to ensure they don't panic when they eventually see him." He then left the tent as suddenly as he arrived, and his voice echoed on loudspeakers outside a few moments later. Doc walked over to me with medical instruments and began taking readings. "Blood-pressure is normal... Heart rate is slightly elevated..." He continued to read out to me what his instruments read, all strangely normal. I sat patiently as he recorded the results on his clipboard, before patting me on the shoulder. "You'll do fine." The same thing he said at camp. He then got up and left the tent to take the results to the Second.
I stood from the bed after a while and prepared myself to cross the threshold of the medical tent. I took a deep breath, feeling the fear subside. One man entered this tent, something different came out.
