Fading Light

A bright light enveloped my vision as the sound of many different machines and foreign voices assaulted my ears and drowned out my thoughts. I've become used to the constant pain that racked my body every second of the day. I remember that I was a normal Japanese boy who had parents that migrated to New York after a virus spread through Japan. I was born and raised in the U.S. and attended school. My family was very happy and very close no matter what happened, especially after my little sister was born, but all of that was taken away from me ever since a man with a big, metal suitcase came and murdered everyone in my house, including my baby sister...

The man then took my to a strange facility in the middle of nowhere in the mountains of Virginia. I was then strapped to a table and became the subject of many different experiments without a single drop of sedatives. They forced me to feel an unbelievable amount of agony while they sat back and watched my body convulse. The pain always started from my upper back and quickly spread down to my legs before disappearing entirely, but the echoes were painful enough to leave me screaming for hours. This time, however, the pain seemed to be coming from my eyes, making them feel dry and itchy. I was fed and hydrated through a thin tube that was always present in my left arm, and only the bare minimum was pumped into me to keep me alive.

Days turned into what felt like years as I lay on this cold, metal table. I felt like my 15th birthday had passed not too long ago but I couldn't be sure. One day, a person actually spoke to me for the first time since I had been strapped to the table. His voice was smoother than water and had a certain calming effect as he said "You may not understand what has happened to you, but in due time you will come to understand the power that you have within you. Now, I have come here to tell you that I am giving you the chance to run free before the CCG find out what is happening. When you leave through the double doors..." He pointed behind him to two large double doors before continuing "Follow the hall and continue going straight until you see the fifth door on the right, when you see that door it should be an off grey...you want to take that door and continue going straight until you find the door at the end of that hall, and that door will take you outside. It is currently night time so I suggest that you use this to your advantage and head East...there you will find your place for now..." and with that said, he disappeared before I could even ask for his name, even though I soon found out that I could barely even speak.

The metal cuffs that held me to the table clanged to the ground, clean cuts severing them neatly down the middle. I shakily climbed off of the table and fell to my knees, cursing the people who kept me strapped to that table without letting me move as I crawled toward the doors. I used the door handles to keep myself steady as I slowly pushed the open to reveal a long, dark hallway with numerous doors lining both sides. I used the wall to support myself as I slowly walked down the hall until I found the fifth door on the right, just like the man said. I opened the door and found myself in another long hallway, but this time it had no doors on the sides and just extended into the darkness.

I began to walk down the long hallway, echoes of cries now reaching my ears. I started to panic and picked up my pace, falling to the floor more times than I could count. I became more paranoid as the cries became louder and louder, making me sweat and look over my shoulder at least 10 times a second. After what felt like hours of walking I finally caught sight of a large metal door that looked no smaller than a small dog from a distance. I almost laughed as I grew closer to the door, now looming over me like a giant. A large pole was crossed in front of the door, the screams now sounding like they were right next to me. I tugged the pole off of the door and swung it open. A chilly breeze hit me while the snow outside on the ground was covered in blood, corpses littering the ground. I almost puked but I kept my bearing and started to quickly walk into the tree line. Thankfully I had begun to get used to walking and was able to 'walk' without support.

Gunshots filled the air while the screams continued for what felt like an eternity, but then they just stopped. I was already in the tree line and heading in the direction of the sun setting in the distance; there was barely any light visible so I had tripped on many different kinds of rocks and logs. I thought I was in the clear after about 30 minutes of silence, but a chill crept up my spine, sending danger signals to my brain. I stopped in my tracks and began to frantically whip my head around to try and find an excuse and trick myself into thinking nothing was there. A rustle to my left caught my attention.

I bolted off and began to frantically find any sign of people or at least a place to hide. Somewhere behind me there were steps that matched my pace perfectly, always sounding like they were right behind me. I tripped on a log and hit my head against a rock and shortly after the footsteps stopped. My head throbbed and a constant ringing filled my ears as a small pool of blood began to form under my head, dampening my long and unkempt hair. The sound of shoes on dirt filled my ears as a gruff voice called out "Hey, are you okay? What the hell happened up here...?"

I felt my body being picked up as my vison faded slowly, the light slowly fading...

---

A man dressed in an all black suit with long, black hair flowing in the wind and a plague doctor mask strapped to his face stood on top of a tree over looking a facility that had bodies scattered all over the place with blood pouring off the side of the mountain. A few people, if that's what you could even call them, were the only things moving as they hungrily tore the flesh off of the corpses bodies. The man chuckled and held his arms out while looking up to the sky and taking a deep breath before saying "The game has begun...I wonder how it'll play out? Will the monsters take over the world...or will the humans be saved by a monster in itself...?" The man burst into a fit of laughter as the sclera of his eyes turned a deep black while his iris' turned a blood-red that shined in the darkness. A grotesque pair of red wings that danced about like fire sprouted from his back as he jumped into the air and barraged the mountain top with small needles that created a massive explosion on impact...

---

The sound of sirens and the smell of smoke assaulted me when I woke inside of what appeared to be a vehicle. The sound of the engine running and the occasional yell or scream reminded me that I was alive. My vision was blurry and I could barely move, but I heard a gruff voice that sounded far off say "Don't worry lad, we'll be outta here in no time. You just rest up and I'll see to your safety..." as I struggled to stay awake. Another voice filled my ears, this time sounded younger and less mature "Grandpa, are you sure we can trust a stranger...what if he's a-" the gruff voice cut the other off and sternly reprimanded them "It doesn't matter, if I were to leave a dying boy in the mountains I would never be able to forgive myself...the most we can do is care for him until he chooses what to do with himself, do you understand?" The sound of their voices became slower and more distant with each passing second until I had finally fallen unconscious.

Memories of people that I knew, but yet I couldn't remember their faces, filled my mind as a feeling of relaxation and happiness washed over me like a cool rag. I could feel the warmth coming from numerous figures as they spoke to me in kind voices and rubbed my head while reading me stories. However, this warmth soon faded into a chilling cold as I watched a man with salt-and-pepper like hair and dark green eyes slaughter them all before dragging me into a kind of armored vehicle. The pain and anguish I had felt in that moment came back to me, causing me to scream out in denial as a pain spread from my back and eyes.

The man appeared shortly after and then the world went black once again, but when I woke I found myself in a dimly lit room with a small dresser and a tall mirror propped up against the wall. I was laying on a soft bed with bandaged covering my thin and malnourished body. A soft knock came from the door followed by a voice saying "Excuse me, I'm coming in..."

The door swung open to reveal an elderly man with a surprisingly muscular build and long grey hair with a clean shaven face, exposing his sharp, handsome features. The man showed a kind smile and set a small plate with a hot cup of tea down on the nearby dresser and pulled up a chair next to the side of the bed and said "How're you feelin? I've made some food downstairs if you're feelin up to eating...but what is more important is that you're alive. What's your name, lad?"

I stopped and thought for a minute before trying to speak with no real progress. The man handed me the cup of tea and I downed it in one gulp before clearing my dry throat and croaking the words "Ryu...Takao..."

The man showed a radiant smile as he laughed and said "Well met, Ryu...I'm called Old Man Nick, but you can just call me Nick. Now, can you tell me what exactly happened on that mountain you were on...?"

After Nick had brought me a few water bottles I was able to somewhat speak and I recounted what I could remember, including bits and pieces of my time in a strange facility and the man who told me how to get out. Nick adopted a thoughtful expression as he held his chin in his palm. After he brought me some food he left me so I could get some rest. My stomach twisted and growled as I stared at the hot food that filled the room with a surprisingly disgusting smell despite how good it looked. I shrugged and picked up a piece of steak and shoved it into my mouth. I immediately thought that battery acid would most likely taste like a feast compared to the piece of steak in my mouth. I retched on the floor and my head began to pound violently.

Nick came into the room shortly after with a worried expression on his face when he saw the state I was in and apologized as he cleaned up my mess. A sudden sense of hunger assaulted me again as I stared at the old man crouched on the floor. My mouth began to water as a dull pain crept up to my eyes, filling me with a sense of primal fear. My mind raced as I tried to fend off the sudden urge to pounce him and rip his flesh off. Thankfully, Nick finished cleaning up relatively quickly and made his way out of the room, leaving me with a voice in my head telling me to chase after him.

The pain in my head grew more intense as I laid there staring at the door. I tried to roll over and stand up but I ended up falling to the hardwood floor. I shakily got to my feet and ambled over to the mirror in the corner of the room. I saw my hair, which is a pure white with streaks of red, shine in the dim light due to how greasy it was while it extended down past my shoulders and hid my eyes from view. I parted my hair and stared at the reflection of my face. The sclera of my eyes had turned pitch black while my right iris was a deep purple and my left was a golden color that shined in the darkness. Grotesque black-red veins coursed under my eyes and extended to my ears in lightning shape patterns. A cool breeze ruffled my hair as a melodic voice called out from behind me.

"Ah, there you are..."