Who Am I?

Back then, I had woken up in a house I couldn't recognize.

It had taken me a while to realize that everything around me had gone downhill.

It was different from the normal I could vaguely remember.

Everything was a mess; ruined. But humans are adaptive creatures, so we were okay. But we were also stubborn, some just couldn't get used to it matter how they tried.

They invaded the earth and razed it to the ground; like it was no problem at all.

I wonder if this is the plan of the gods.

All I knew was that I couldn't remember who I was.

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As I stand up groggily and try to dispel the wave of dizziness that came over me, I inspect the room I woke up in. It was strange; I had vague memories of the things around me but none connecting to who I was. But that wasn't the strangest thing. The strangest thing was that it didn't faze me.

I felt calm. Though, it would be more accurate to say I didn't feel anything at all.

Walking around the room that seemed to be a lounge area, there were signs of people living in the space. More than one, it seemed, maybe even a family. I walked around the two-story building, but not a soul could be seen.

They couldn't have disappeared, right? I mean, I had just seen the stove turned on. They wouldn't leave a burning stove while they were out. It's very unlikely that they were that forgetful.

I go into the bathroom to wash the drowsiness off my face. After rinsing a few times, I gaze into the mirror. The only solid lead to my identity. I had short, curled hair, and dark downturned eyes that made me look more apathetic than I already am. Dark skin covered my slightly shorter than average stature --- that is, if my idea of average was right. I had a splash of freckles on my nose and cheeks, and other body parts that will not be mentioned. I was just a plain old guy, just shorter than average height.

I wiped my hands with some toilet roll and walked back down the stairs. I creak the door open just a smidge, and the strong scent of blood wafted into my nostrils. It was not something you would want on the scented candles display.

Just on the lawn of the house, the corpse of a blonde-haired woman lay. Her expression was still contorted into one of fear and despair; like she was running away from something terrifying. I shivered, was there a murderer out there?

But there were chunks of her flesh missing. A cannibal, maybe?

Still, the real question should be, why am I so calm facing the corpse of a fellow human being?

Was this who I used to be? Was I the one who killed her? Many things didn't add up.

Taking a deep breath, I finally decide to shut the door. As I do, sounds of giggling came from afar. They were legitimate giggles, but more gravely and hoarse and…warped. Something you wouldn't hear from a child or any sane human being.

I had a bad feeling, this shiver down my spine that told me something dangerous was coming my way. Locking the door, I duck behind the kitchen counter to even my breathing. I was afraid those things would hear my breathing.

Yes, I was afraid. My first experience with emotions after waking up. Was this right? Something felt off. Where were the police?

So many thoughts rush around in my head, and they come to an abrupt stop as soon as the banging on the door begins.

I jolt, startled at the sudden sound as my eyes widen. I curl myself into an even tighter ball, wishing to disappear. But this morbid curiosity had me in its grasp. I wanted to see it. See what was causing me to shiver and panic so much. See what was making my alarm bells go haywire in my mind.

Ignoring my shivering figure, I get up to my feet unsteadily. Looking through the window just to my left, my face twists in disgust as I look at the things that had me cradled in fear.

Green wrinkled skin with their short height and pointed ears with jagged teeth; they resembled…. goblins. That was the first word that appeared in my mind. Although I couldn't remember where from, I knew of them.

There was a group of them, six in all. They spoke in broken sounds, a language that was obviously not English. Staring at the fictional creatures, I suddenly lock eyes with one of the goblins.

I freeze. It probably didn't see me; I think to myself as I silently pray that the window was one-way. I slowly back away from the glass.

Its sharp and bloody teeth are instantly revealed as its mouth bends to an ugly grin. It shrieks with its appalling voice, instantly catching the attention of its brethren before it points at the window.

"Oh no," I whisper to myself as I turn to the kitchen drawers, searching for something to defend myself with.

What's coming next isn't going to be pretty, I need to run away. Now.

Seconds later, my hand comes in contact with the cool metal of a blade. Holding the kitchen knife in the light, I pale to see that the blade was dull.

Will this work? Will it penetrate? I question myself before stopping. No, my aim was to run away not fight. This will have to do.

The banging intensifies. I'm scared. Worried the door wouldn't be able to hold them back. I shake my head as if to scatter the fear that clouds my thinking.

I have to live.

I have to find who I am.

No, I need to.

I look around the house as the banging gets louder, I move faster. I find the back door; it was a small square door and was blocked by the sofa. I give a sigh of relief and push the sofa even further so that there would be enough room for me to pass through.

I push the door open and peek outside; horror was the only expression on my face. Different bodies, all dead, and they had one thing in common.

Yes, they had parts of their flesh missing.

Was it them? Did those things…I mean goblins do this? Were only six of them enough to cause this…this chaos?

No, they had to be more of them. The thought of more made me shiver. Where did they all come from? Why is this happening?

I need to leave.

I need to leave.

I NEED TO LEAVE!

I scramble out the door and my stomach churns as I look at the grass that used to be green. It was too bloody; I couldn't take it. I swallow back my vomit and run through the crimson grass. I kept running, I could distantly remember a Wa**art store not far from the house I had just left behind.

Wait, did I live there?

Maybe I was leaving my past behind.

But…. I didn't want to leave. My feet slow down unconsciously as I turn back to the almost distant building. It was a bleak gray, like all the other buildings next to it. Difficult to identify. Before I knew it, I had completely stopped.

I hadn't realized that I had some attachment to it. As I was contemplating what to do, my eyes caught small green figures bursting through the wall. They weren't just six, about twenty, maybe even more!

I shake my head. I knew I couldn't deal with that many. Six was already risky, twenty…...

Shaking once more, I bolt towards the store. Tears escaped from my eyes; I didn't know why. I wasn't sad, but leaving my only attachment to this world made my chest ache.