11 Home

Home is where you make it. So just had to make it. At least it would give me something to do. The horrendous creatures were far out of my league. Whenever I'd try to venture out of the valley, I'd find myself having to dodge these large abominations of nature, as I retreated back into the valley.

If I had to bide my time, why not try something new.

As the days passed, I collected whatever I found and thought to be useful in the mornings, hunted at mid-day, tried my hand at improving my cave. It started rather simplistic. In the first few days, I tried to create a soft flooring, only to regret my actions as the leaves I used as flooring began to wither and rot. To my convenience, it was a rather easy it clean up. In a hail mary attempt, I shouted at the top of my lungs, forcing a gale of flames to consume my bad attempts...

Maybe this wasn't too bad. At least it was better than school...

As the weeks droned by, my constructive meddling had led to a few improvements. I had succeeded in creating a makeshift mattress out of interwoven plant reeds, out of boredom and lack of ideas I created a nice little primitive fence for the cave and had begun on the construction of a wooden shack. The little shack had proved to be by far the biggest challenge. Although it was very small, barely fitting the makeshift mattress, it would be far cozier than my current sleeping situation. I was now on the 6th iteration of a frame. Each and every attempt, my plant-based bindings improved in both technique and sturdiness. Eventually leading to what I hoped would be a successful frame.

As I laid on the makeshift mattress, surrounded by the bare-bones of the shack frame, I dozed off into the comfort of my dreams. Only to be rudely disturbed the very moment I entered my dreams.

I was there again, well at least the other me.

I was back to normal, no longer on the brink of dying, we had recovered. I was living in comparative luxury, yet we were working as one. The outbursts had decreased as we began to think as one. I thought she had lost her voice. I hadn't heard her speak in so long. Yet to my surprise she grinned.

The sly grin that I had hoped I'd never see again...

"You've been doing rather well for yourself..." her toothy grin unnerving with every word.

"Why have you been silent for so long? Why were you so sickl-..."

My attempt at questions cut off by the other me, "Shhhhh... no need useless chatter... You're on the right path. I guess it's time..."

For the first time, I saw genuine human emotion from the other me. Not a complete emotion which a bestial animal could produce, but a mixture of confused feelings. It looked happy, while somehow sad, yet relieved...

I stood there motionless... Since I arrived in this awful place, I had changed. I had diverged from what was once my normality to something wholly different. I no longer panicked at the thought of eating raw flesh, rather, I enjoyed it. I was no longer impacted by the deaths of animals. I had changed to survive, changed to thrive. Yet throughout that, it wasn't only me who changed. The other me changed as well... As I had lost my humanity, the other me had gained a sliver of whatever made mankind, man. Be it humanity or whatever else, she had changed, we had changed. I had changed.

I didn't know what to do but before I could respond, the other me began to slowly walk towards at an eerily slow pace. As I attempted to step backwards, I found myself unable to move, no matter how hard I tried to move my legs, nothing. As the other me approached, she raised her hand, reaching out towards my shoulder. Her eery grin disappeared as she approached me, replaced by a solemn expression.

Unable to move a single inch, I awaited whatever came next with bated breath. As she placed her hand onto my shoulder she spoke to me, her voice not loud nor quiet, "You're finally accepting it..." her toothy grin reappeared but unlike before, it wasn't malicious, it was genuine.

In one swift movement, her arms wrapped around me, holding me tight. Her stiff motions suddenly became relaxed as she whispered in the same unknown language in which she had spoken to me when this all began,

"Thank you..."