1 Weak lungs and close calls
Coughing and hacking profusely, Edward got on his hands and knees, struggling to suck in a breath. The unnerving feeling of not being able to breathe overtook him, sending him into a panic and further expending any air left in his bloodstream. This went on for some time as the people around him rushed to pick him up and take him to the infirmary, their faces filled with panic.
By the time he arrived at the infirmary, his eyes had gone nearly completely black, and he became irrationally calm. His body acted as if it was his last moments, and he spent them in reflection and peace. On the other hand, his mind was raging, filled with a fire desiring not to be extinguished.
"I will not die, I cannot die. I haven't done enough, I haven't helped enough. I cannot die, I will not die..."
He repeated similar lines at a rapid pace as his eyes turned black and his heart stopped.
...
...
...
Let's back up a moment. Edward Hodges was born in 1923 in a little town in Virginia. He had a good childhood, excelling in sports as well as math and sciences. He never did too well in history, but that was because he always liked thinking about the future instead.
His father was a police officer who died in a domestic violence case when Edward was 10 years old. His mother, a nurse, raised him right and taught him to be kind and think before passing judgment. Though Edward had good grades, he never wanted an office job or to be a scientist or politician. No, he wanted to see the world. When his dad died, he got into reading and always favored reading the journals of soldiers, thinking that becoming one would be a good way to travel worldwide while gaining valuable life experience and perspective.
He would be starting his training at Camp Lehigh this year to join the war effort. He waited until he was 20 because he wanted to get an associate's degree to fall back on if he got a debilitating injury, just as a precaution. You can never be too prepared, right? Anyway, he was a few weeks into this camp, and the weather was getting hotter, with pollen everywhere, which affected everyone's training a little, though nothing too noticeable.
Today, they were going to do standard exercises: rope climbing, boxing, and tear gas training, to refine them into resilient soldiers. They got up early and organized as usual, but because of the intensive training, Edward's immune system was weaker, and he caught a slight cold. However, he brushed it off because you can't stumble on the small things when training to go to war. He got through the rope climbing and boxing, and when he got to the chamber for tear gas training, he was panting heavily with a slightly closed throat, making it harder to recover.
They entered the chamber, and tear gas was released. The soldiers had to take off their masks, and in doing so, Edward inhaled a big waft of thick gas, causing him to cough. He kept inhaling large amounts of smoke after every cough in an attempt to catch his breath. His throat was burning more than his eyes, and when walking out with his team, he basically couldn't breathe. It became much worse when he threw up due to the irritation, and that was the final push that closed his throat.
Anyway, now that you're caught up, let's continue. He opened his eyes and all he saw was blurry light with some green in his peripherals. He blinked to focus and heard the soft voice of a woman.
"Hello, can you hear me? You are currently in the Fort Benning Training Camp infirmary. You seemed to have reacted heavily to the to the tear gass on the account of a minor cold mixed with allergies you had and it closed your throat. Long story short your heart stopped for about 30 seconds..."
"Ugh," he tilted his head up and blinked to gain visual focus. He looked at the woman, who was a little rounder than most, with a very caring expression worn. He glanced around and saw other people lying down or talking while having limbs wrapped or carrying crutches.
He tried to talk, but what came out was a croakier version of his voice. "Did you say my heart stopped?... You mean I died?"
Still in a daze, he tried to process what he was being told. He wasn't particularly upset; in fact, he was very happy that he had lived. It was just a big mental shock to be told you died, even if it was only for a little bit. "Your heart stopped, but your brain didn't lose function, so you didn't technically die, but you weren't too far away. You're incredibly lucky to be alive right now."
"Huh... ain't that some shit. Sorry, I'm being rude. What's your name?" he said with a lethargic yet charming smile.
"My name is Julie, dear. Nice to meet you, Mr. Edward."
"Hello, Julie. Would it be okay to ask for a cup of water? My throat is killing me."
She spoke while walking a short distance and grabbed an already-filled metal mug of water. "Sure thing, be sure to sip slowly. You're still a little tender, though it's a good thing to see you can talk as well as you can. It means you're healing well."
...
(A few days later)
After staying in the infirmary for a couple of days so they could regulate his health, they told him to take a week off of training to recover a little more, just to make sure. Though barely noticeable, he had noticed in the past few days that he felt stronger and had a little more energy than normal. He noted it but didn't pay too much attention to it.
When he got to the spare barracks they used for people recovering, he decided to do some light stretching so he wouldn't get too stiff when he got back to training. He touched his toes relatively easier than normal, but not by much. He got on the ground and continued to stretch, noticing that he made progress in his flexibility quicker than usual. If he hadn't been paying close attention to his body, he would have never noticed it. Since he started 15 minutes ago, he could stretch a centimeter (about 0.4 inches) further when tracing his fingers on the floor as far as he could while sitting down with his legs straight.
To see if it was a chance occurrence or misperception, he started doing his stretches again, and he gained about another centimeter in range without it hurting, confirming it wasn't a random occurrence and something had changed. He had read those books where people broke their limits by having near-death experiences, but he always took them as folktales, like immortal soldiers with claws or people who can fly. He wasn't saying he was anything like the people in those tales, but he thought his body might have changed, and he associated his change with the near-death experience he had.
He continued to stretch for another two hours, excited to see the consistent and rapid improvement he was making in his flexibility. It had improved by around 11 centimeters when he was reaching past his toes, which was the average length of a finger from fingertip to knuckle. You might think gaining a little room when stretching for 2 hours is insignificant and a common occurrence, and that may be true. But for Ed, who had always had the worst flexibility among his peers, it was incredible.
To get to the point he was at now, he had stretched every day for To get to the point he was at now, he had stretched every day for 30 minutes since he was 15, and he could barely touch his toes. Going any further felt like his tendons were being ripped in half. He had put a lot of effort into improving his flexibility over the years, but progress had always been slow and limited.
However, now, with his newfound changes, he could see remarkable improvements in just a few hours. It was as if his body had undergone a transformation. Excited and curious, he decided to explore his other physical abilities.
After taking a break from stretching his legs, he went for a light jog around the barracks. He took it slow at first, just to be cautious about any lingering effects on his lungs. Surprisingly, he breathed fine and felt no discomfort. Encouraged, he gradually increased his speed until he was running at a pace halfway between a jog and a sprint.
To his amazement, he didn't tire easily. His stamina seemed limitless, far surpassing his previous peak. He ran and ran, pushing himself until exhaustion finally caught up with him after nearly eight hours.
"Holy shit," he exclaimed, catching his breath. "Excuse my language, but damn. The time flew by way too fast, and what the hell is up with my stamina? Last week, I was panting from a 20K run that took a little over 2 hours, and that was when I was at my peak. Don't get me wrong, I've always had good stamina since I play sports, but running for 8 hours at almost full speed? There's no way that's normal."
As he pondered his incredible endurance and the rapid improvements in his flexibility, he couldn't shake the feeling that his near-death experience had triggered something within him. It was as if he had tapped into a hidden potential, unlocking physical abilities beyond what he had ever imagined.
With a mix of awe, excitement, and a touch of apprehension, Ed knew he had to explore these changes further. He couldn't ignore the signs of transformation within his body. Little did he know that his journey was just beginning, and he was about to discover a whole new realm of possibilities within himself.
(Hello, just trying out a fun concept I thought of where the mc starts as a standard athlete and gains the potential to grow into so much more. Also marvel is the best and I like ww2 novels so boom. if you like it rate it. Author out ✌)
