Claus's "I shouldn't be alive" tale

Death and Syrup

I stood at the craggy landscape, knife gripped in hand, and the new powers the magypsies gave me running through my body. I hadn't stopped running since then. And now, I found myself gasping for air. What little breath I could take in I exchanged for a hoarse scream.

"Where are you, Drago?!" the words echoed in the seemingly empty valley for a moment. I saw a large shadow in the distance, the shape hauntingly familiar.

That thing... wasn't.. couldn't be a Drago. Not anymore. But, I knew for sure it was the one, and it was ignoring me. I scrambled up the cliff area to catch up to it. "HEY!" I shouted again, this time shooting my new PSI at it- which didn't seem to even hurt it, but it did get its attention. The scaly beast let out an earthquaking roar that forced me to cover my ears. The Drago monster stomped forward until it loomed in front of me. I stood my ground- that or my feet refused to move out of fear.

I held up the knife and bared my teeth, "Y-You... K-Killed..." fear was replaced by blind anger. I charged at the monster and raised my knife. With one quick movement, the monster swiped at my face- its claws agonizingly tearing down over my eye and down my cheek. I had never felt such pain in my whole life, nothing could've compared to this. And it didn't even seem like a full attack- just a warning. But I couldn't back down now, even if it meant....

I charged again and managed a rather pathetic cut to one of its legs, but again.... It barely left a scratch. It spun around and knocked me to a boulder with its enormous tail. I felt my spine give a sickening crack. It completely knocked the wind out of me, and I suddenly couldn't remember how to breath. I coughed and tried one more attack with my PSI.

"P...K ...Love..!" Just using it somehow hurt, but I finally managed to do some damage! It snarled and cornered me, its one red eye glaring at me with such malice... I tried to get up but my legs immediately gave out. I tried to crawl to the safety of the rocky overhang. From the looks of things... I wasn't going to survive this after all. Even if I made it to shelter underneath the rocks... It wouldn't be long until I joined Mom. I was ready. I closed my remaining good eye and relaxed. Something ran down my cheeks, but I wasn't sure if it was blood or tears. I'm so sorry, Dad, ...Lucas, ...Everyone....

It picked me up in its mouth, teeth digging far into my shoulder. It carried me like a ragdoll, only holding me up by the arm as the rest of my body dangled helplessly. It dropped me and picked me up again to hold onto me better and the teeth now were tearing into my torso. Vision was blurring and the world seemed to be nothing but sky. It was beautiful. The world was moving but time wasn't. Then.. the monster finally dropped me off a ledge, it had no more interest in me.

Just when I thought I had lost sensation, I felt my body hit rough, sharp rocks. The pain was like fire. I continued to tumble down, landing mercilessly on the unforgiving terrain. Any part of me that was still intact was broken now- and I finally came to a stop at the bottom of the cliff. I hadn't been killed on impact. Now, I-I was... dying. I didn't want to ... not like this. I wanted my Dad. My brother...

Each breath was painful and no longer gave me the air that my body craved, only blood. So, so much blood... Dripping like syrup from every wound and orifice. I smiled, even though I felt my ribs poking uncomfortably inside me. Finally fading... joining Mom... I could see her in the distance, she was in the sun. I started to float up to her, extending my arms to her like I was a toddler again.

She looked so sad, but offered her arms out as well. Everything was growing lighter and lighter...But I was yanked back by something- torn away once again from my mother's comforting arms.

.....

Then I woke up again. No pain, just... the most uncomfortable sensations I'd ever felt.

There was a thick tube inserted into my mouth and down my throat, with some nauseating, oil like liquid running through. I couldn't cough or vomit it up. I felt like I was suffocating. I tried to grab at it to rip it out, but noticed that the arm I attempted to use wasn't there anymore. I tried my other one. It was restrained by something. I tried looking around in my half-conscious, half-dazed state. Men wearing the strangest looking helmets were gathered around me and murmuring stuff I couldn't understand. Except for one-

"He's awake! Put him back to sleep for now, we don't need any annoying screaming." Before I could protest, a sharp stab went into my neck that felt like electricity. I tried to struggle, but...Then everything went black again.

This time when I woke up, something was wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong... Everything ached, throbbed, burned.... It wasn't the same pain as before. And although every alarm went off in my body I was.... Calm. I was finally free to move again and I rubbed at my arm. It had no feeling in it. Upon further inspection, it wasn't even my arm. But something shiny and unnatural was where it should be, acting as a replacement. Blinking, I could see out of both eyes- better than I could before. Was everything before... a nightmare? Or was this just the start or one?

I tried to take a few steps, but it turned out I wasn't free as I had thought. The multiple wires that were hooked up to me firmly made it painful to move any further. The ache grew worse. Why couldn't I just die? Who was doing this?

Who was I?

"Ah, Commander, you're awake. Come now, we can't keep Master Porky waiting."