Chapter 6 - Alive

*GASP*

I inhaled deeply as I awoke like I was in hibernation for years.

"Cough cough."

My chest started to hurt as I deeply breathed in the damp air and try to recall what happened to me.

"That's right! I was- Ugh!"

As the memories return and I try to get up, I felt a sharp pain from everywhere on my body. Or at least what's left of my body. I looked down in shock.

"Holy shit… How am I alive?"

That mud monster had dissolved around 80 percent of my body leaving only my head and right arm intact. My left shoulder, neck, and chest area looked as if it had just been cooked in acid. Everything below my chest area was practically a mud puddle. That was what I felt at least because my sailor blouse blocked my view of my upper body. My shoes, socks, skirt and pantsu were floating in the puddle. How embarrassing. I tried to move.

"Ouch. Everything hurts. That b*tch Fran… we could have escaped…"

My anger started to rise as I recalled what led me to my current state.

"Sigh… Since I'm alive just you wait. I'm gonna get some revenge."

No way in hell am I going to forget what she did and no way am I going to forgive her either. I am not a saint. You hit me once and I will hit you back harder.

"But right now what the hell can I even do. I'm basically three fourths a quadriplegic. How will I even go to the restroom?"

I start to ponder about my future. Missing more than half of my body yet still alive. The feeling is surreal.

'For real how am I even alive? The last thing I remember was passing out while slowly getting eaten by this thing… I guess for now I should look for my phone.'

As a person born in the age of technology, my phone is basically a part of me. Just like how I can't live without my sight, I can't live… well maybe I can but I still need my phone for my daily life. Despite my current state I try to look around for my phone. The pain is still there but not as bad as earlier when my legs started to get dissolved.

I found my phone to my right around 2 meters from my arm's reach. I use my remaining right arm to slowly inch towards my phone enduring the pain. After a few minutes I finally got it.

'Damn the screen is cracked. And the battery is dead too.'

My anger for Fran increases further and my desire for revenge level upped too.

'How dare she hurt my baby!? …Wait if my phone is dead how come I was able to find it?'

I had a sudden realization as I start to look around. To my surprise I can see my surroundings. I couldn't see too far though. Only around 5 meters away from me. But everything looked crystal clear and monotone despite the lack of light.

'It's like the night vision I've seen in movies.'

I try to focus to see further.

Just then a weird sensation coming from my lower abdomen or where it should have been started to stir. It felt as if something was flowing from there to my eyes. As this happened my vision started to expand.

'Woah what the hell was that feeling?... Am I high?'

Trying to recall that sensation I look towards where my abdomen should be and saw a small red gem tied to a black string floating in the mud puddle.

'That's my lucky charm! And also why did the mud puddle follow me to my phone? IS IT STILL ALIVE?!'

Thinking of this I raise my guard. Though it probably wouldn't amount to much due to the state I'm in. I reached for my charm with my hand and tried to pull it out of the mud.

'What the?!'

To my surprise the mud stuck to my charm even as I raised it up into the air. It didn't seem to be stuck to the string though. Only the ruby. I untied the ruby as I further examined it.

'This is weird. The mud seems to be acting around my ruby like it's some sort of core. Also did it get slightly bigger?'

I close my eyes put more focus into my ruby to try and get that flowing feeling that I had done earlier again. I imagined flowing water connecting my ruby to my eyes. The small amount of water trickles from my ruby to my eyes. I opened them to see my surroundings of up to 25 meters away.

'Wow. It's like seeing a whole new world.'

Looking around I can see the complete details of a rock that was around 20 meters or so away from me. While observing other rocks, I suddenly feel a wet sensation on my face.

The mud had started to crawl up my neck to my face as if following the flow of the water that I had imagined. I stopped the flow and now I'm in complete darkness. The mud also flowed back towards the ruby. I started the flow again but only a small amount this time just enough to see 3 meters around me. The mud didn't follow.

'Okay so it seems that the flow is somehow affecting the mud and allows me to see. Let's see how far I can take this.'

My curiosity for the phenomenon rose and so I started experimenting. Not like I had anything better to do anyways. I tried to make the flow go to my arm and the mud followed. I tried making the flow go to my missing arm and to my surprise the mud followed. It started to mimic my arm as it followed the flow in my head.

'I can use this!'

Motivation started to fill my mind as a new hope appeared before me.

I used the ruby to manipulate the flow and control the mud to remake my body. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy to do as I had hoped. When I focused too hard on one part, my control over the other flows weakened causing the mud to go towards where I was focusing. I must have spent hours practicing and trying to get the flow just right so that the mud could act as my missing body parts.

After who knows how long, I was finally able to get some legs albeit not perfectly. My focus wasn't enough to get my arm back at the same time though. I concentrated on the flow and try to get up. Remembering my sense of balance and the motion of how I moved my legs before, I controlled the mud.

'Okay doing good so far.'

I was able to stand up straight with this flow method. But suddenly a headache occurred quickly turning into a migraine.

'Ughhh.'

Dizziness overwhelms me and caused me to lose focus. My control over the mud collapsed which led to me face planting into the mud.

"Ptoo. Ouch! Ugh it got in my mouth. Ptoo Ptoo. Eating the thing that ate me. How ironic."

I lay in the mud for while waiting for the migraine and dizziness to fade. I tried using the ruby with the flow again but it only increased my pain.

'Guess I'll just lay here then.'

Scccrrrr.

To my dismay, some cockroaches weren't going to let me do as I please.