AWAKENING

Darkness was everywhere.

At every angle inside the silent, yet dead vessel, there was not a hint nor a thread of warmth and life. Instead, the only thing that existed was the endless cold abyss, which lingered for what seemed like decades or perhaps even eons.

Then, a flash of light appeared; a singular thread of lighting jolted through the pitch blackness, slicing through the abyss with a touch of life. A moment later, another thread lurched forward from the dark depths and coursed throughout the veins and the rest of the body. More threads of blue lighting came forth, and it did not take long for the body to rouse from its deep slumber.

The being was becoming more and more awake with each exhilarating second. Its two eyes, small and circular, opened to survey the surrounding environment; tall looming trees clad in crimson leaves, the dewy grass plastered with a faint tinge of grey, and two enormous glittering mountains nearby which shone in the morning glow of the sun. The sight alone made it pause for a second and took everything in, despite the being also having so many questions churning inside its head. Who or what awakened it? What is this place? And…

It wasn’t until now that the entity noticed mysterious lumps on the ground, though most of them were at the bases of the trees. The being was unsure what to make of this ominous sight- it was like seeing a garden with luxuriating flowers, except one might not notice a flower that seemed off-putting at a first glance. Even then, the being felt something inside shift around and turn into a tight, singular knot. Its “heart”, now palpitating.

Was it looking at rocks or something worse?

The entity freed a single hand from the grips of the ground and laid it flat on the surface. Its eyes widened upon looking at its hand and arms; instead of flesh (or bone), the limb was the color of steel, combined with a series of coils, plates, and wires all handled and assembled with care to give birth to something that almost resembled a human. But it could never be a human being.

It continued its escape attempt from the ground, all while trying to plan in its head. Dig yourself up. Stand. Wonder if it’s a good idea to examine the dark lumps. Yes? Hope that there is a weapon left behind somewhere. No? Bolt out of there in a random direction and find help, which would not be very far from this spot.

The enigmatical entity got itself out in less than fifteen seconds. When it did, the feeling of relish sprang up in its mind, but it was gone in less than a second. Despite there being signs of rust around the ankles, around the rib cage, and on the shoulders, it still looked somewhat pristine, and it felt happy that it didn’t look too displeasing to look at, minus that to anyone passing by, they would think it was some tall alien or an android standing around unusual objects. Still, the being reassured itself that none would not bolt away from it at first sight; it was sure that it could not inflict harm on anyone. Very positive.

Now the idea of scrutinizing the dark lumps grew in its head. Searching around for anything to use for defense, it found nothing that could inflict mortal wounds but settled onto a sharp enough branch being the length of a dagger. It then inched towards a nearby lump, readying itself for what it is planning. The entity can hear the lump calling out to it, not even wanting to escape, but to see it. As it got closer, the appearance of the lump became clearer and clearer, which now looked to be a dark coat on top of something lying down flat. The sharp branch reached out to the coat and peeled it away like tape. But what it concealed left the entity at a loss for words and made it step backwards.

The body looked too much like it. Its golden “skin” rusted, with one leg spared from the disease powered by time. But the one thing that stood out the most was its face; being split open, it revealed a copious amount of wires not attached to anything, and numerous chips embedded in its cheek. The being did not notice that it dropped the tree branch, only fixated on the corpse before backing away more and then turning around. Running was the only option. There was nothing else that could be done.

It felt the wind brushing against its body, whistling in its ears shaped like an antenna and whispering incomprehensible words at the same time. Its legs guided it to safety, going past another corpse, and another, and another. Its own eyes focused on the line of trees; the path already laid out before it. Help was on its mind now, and it needed one fast. But a new realization grew to him, and the impact was just as comparable to an asteroid crashing down on a planet.

Either it awakened in a graveyard, or a place where a bloody skirmish occurred.