1 1: Reborn

That careless mistake produced a significant impact. The same head movement every time I crossed a street—you know, look sideways to avoid a car crash. No one, zero cars, not even a single soul. A thought came to mind—completely desert, nothing will happen, George, go for it. Perhaps the universe extinguished my life because as soon as I stepped into the street, reaching half of it, a car came rushing out of nowhere, collapsing at me. I didn't even get the chance of hospital recovery — I would die anyway, having this thin body that looked like a stick, and questionable health you wouldn't count. My life ended just like that—I know, a dull type of death, but don't worry, my afterlife compensated.

The days before the accident were relatively ordinary. The same routine every time: wake up, breakfast, work to pay my college bills, and of course, endure my annoying brother­–I knew he wasn't adopted, no way I could beat up a stranger that badly. I loved him, though; we fought every day, and yet we could always count on each other—ah, sweet, sweet family.

Arriving at my job was the first challenge of the day, thirty minutes' driving—I don't comprehend how I accomplished the feat of not resigning my job. Well done George. Serving customers, having to put on a smile while confronting dumb elderly that had no clue about tech. I worked as a tech seller–shitty job, I know, but that's what I have. My boss wasn't that terrible—I mean, he ran a tech company without knowing shit about it, but I guess that's typical these days.

No way I would travel back home just for lunch. Arriving here was already that terrible. The night time cooking reigned, and the packed lunch was marvelous–even though I attended at Computer Science, I thought I cooked sufficiently well, perhaps I selected the wrong course. Lunch got little variety, rice, steak, and a bunch of vegetables—it is impressively healthy, but my body condition shows otherwise.

"US$0,89 sir." The woman said to me, smiling.

"Here." I tossed her a dollar—I should 'have tossed her a coin; that would be a well-timed pun, another decision I regret.

My lunch didn't include soda, that's the reason I went shopping at the convenience store right next to my workplace. The work started again not long after. I had to be friendly, baring a smiley face while concealing the thoughts of punching every customer that I put the sight on.

"Farewell George, see you tomorrow," Theo said to me after the expedient was over.

"Sayonara Theo." I said that but actually, I wanted to say this—bye, Theo, I hope I don't picture you tomorrow because if I get the opportunity I will never come back here. That sounded quite funny having the fact that I would die the next day—careful of what you desire, I suppose.

After that tedious day at work, it was now time for a tedious night at college. I hated every word that came from Professor Jim's mouth, didn't matter how clear they were, how well explained, or if the subject was elementary, it never made sense to me. He always said — pay attention, I'll not explain this a second time—I wouldn't understand even if he explained it to me ten times more.

"You look like a zombie George, what happened?" My colleague said that smiling—you shitty, acting like you don't know what I have to endure.

"Nothing really, an exhausting day at work I suppose." Rotating my head towards the notebook, pretending to write so that no one would bother me. Professor's Jim class took an eternity to end. I embraced a theory that he could control time, the sole explanation for this phenomenon. After hours of non-stop torture, the clock announced my miseries' finale.

Driving back home with the radio on, thinking–is this the life I want? A shitty job, college classes that I can't comprehend, feel more like torture than a life worth living.

Turning the keys and opening the door of the place, I called home.

"It's me, don't freak out." My voice echoed through the house, announcing my arrival. No one answered me. My phone screen displayed 11 PM, which explains why my house looked like a graveyard, completely silent. However, I could still hear snoring sounds from within my brother's bedroom—is he cosplaying a pig or something? Damn, this bastard possesses an innate annoying skill. They had left food in the fridge, but my body was so damn tired that I just crashed.

The alarm rang, announcing that another tedious day would start. Slamming the annoying thing and picking up my phone, a pleasant surprise entered my sight—today is Saturday, how could a forget that? The mood instantly brightened. Smiling, I conducted every morning's action with delight.

"George, are you awake?" A voice came from afar.

"I'm just getting out of the bathroom. Don't need to ask me. I already know what to do." It was Saturday after all, which meant shopping ingredients for lunch—yeah, I was busy even on my day-off.

"You're so dedicated, son. Take care on the way. Look at both sides before crossing the street."

"I'm a grown-up man. Please, be at ease."

Putting on my black jeans that had a visible look of multiple usages, the green t-shirt that transformed me into a cactus, ridiculous, and the white sneakers that had nothing in common with the previous items.

The rest you already know. A random car slammed me while I crossed the street, extinguishing my pathetic life—here's the fascinating part.

After my vision got blurred, something unexpected happened. I was alive again.–Well, I was a stone. Alive doesn't fit entirely.

There was no God or divine entity saying—Hello George, I'll show you the way. It just happened. One moment I was there and in the other, I wasn't.

Everything was dark, silent, the senses that had always accompanied me gone. Terrifying thoughts ran wild—will I stay like this forever? I can't handle it. The mental torture inflicted was too much, would undoubtedly drive any man crazy.

Time notion was long gone, passed smoothly after my consciousness faded, slumping into the darkness.

A changing day finally came, an unknown reason wakened me up again, after who knows how much time. — Where am I? What's this liquid surrounding me? Disgusting. An urge broke within my body, advising me to break through the barrier standing in front of me.

The cracking sound spread, alerting everyone nearby. A shimmering light entered my sight, making me bewildered, unable to see clearly. Shell chunks similar to an egg scattered next to me, and the unknown liquid dripped, making me uneasy.

Trees and dense vegetation were surrounding me, and a refreshing breeze passed through my face, releasing the scent of flowers that entered my nostrils, giving me a moment of pleasure. The excitement within my body made me tingle, and my curiosity reached its peak, like a child eager to discover the world for the first time.

My walking turned out to be taxing, only a few steps in, and my legs were already sore, incapable of moving any further. — What type of creature am I? I walk like a reptile. Arms and legs were equal, making it hard for me to get used to its movements. — Damn, it sure is hard to walk using four limbs.

The new environment was fascinating. Sunlight streamed down, giving warmth for all the living beings. Birds sang a sweet melody, and crickets followed along as if they were a band presenting a show.

Pioneering the jungle relentlessly, not understanding what direction to take, hoping that the said path was the correct. My past life knowledge held its importance, giving light at the end of the tunnel.–I should find a river, water is the priority, and all the surviving TV shows taught me this way.

My senses were different now, heightened. The sound of flowing water entered my ears, increasing my anxiety, but it also gave me a feeling of relief—I'll not die on the first day by thirst, progress.

The river was not far away. Entering my sight after a five-minute marathon—it was a marathon to me all right. Don't judge. Like I said, walking using four limbs was harder than you may think.

Owning an intelligence far beyond my peers, I watched closely at every corner, making sure no predators were around to catch me off-guard. — It seems safe, I hope.

A purified, crystal-like water stood right in front of me. My mouth salivating, my thirst was almost unbearable at this point. My walking was slow but paced, arriving at the corner of the river. The water was so clean that my reflection showed up. — So this is how I look. I'm a fucking lizard, great. What is wrong with my back?

Black skin covered with scales, a rounded face, and dark eyes similar to a black hole. Small limbs, sharp white claws at my fingertips, and a tail that helped maintain my body's balance. A shiny green gem stood at my back, having a function that I had yet to discover.

Thirst sated, but the hunger soon arose, making me uncomfortable. The type of food I could consume was unknown to me, and the thought of it gave me a headache. Without options, the bush that entered my sight ended up being my snack. The greenish bush stood no chance, crushed by my razor-sharp teeth, passing through my throat and falling into my stomach. — This is good. Now I need a place to stay safe at night. The forest was vast, and the ringing sound came from every direction. My body trembled, afraid of the unknown sounds that came from afar.

Night unlighted my surroundings, but fortunately, a decayed tree appeared in my sight, filled with insects and mosses. My body squeezed, barely being able to enter it.–This will do for the night, it's better than outside at least. Tiredness soon came, my entire body went numb, fading. At dawn, my heart raced like crazy. — What noise is this?