Awakening (1)

"How long has it been? How are they now?" Alyx was in an incapacitated state for a very long time but he never stopped struggling as he felt neither tiredness nor hunger.

He was growing more and more restless. He was afraid because not only does his family have to bear his medical cost but he will be putting them in misery. He just wanted to meet them and spend time like they used to, this is not what he wanted for them. He also started to doubt his deductions (delusions).

He even encouraged the thought of just giving up and dying quickly so that they can be free, but he was reluctant. Alyx just wanted to wake up quickly from this nightmare and return to his home. He did everything in his power to move his body.

Suddenly he felt his hand move and at first he was shocked but later he was overjoyed as his struggles were not meaningless.

"Hahaha. Yes. Finally I can move." Alyx was overjoyed at this sudden movement and wanted to cry but was unable to. He started to truly believe his delusions with this discovery and any doubt he held earlier vanished completely. He was so desperate that he was willing to cling onto any hope he got.

Slowly but surely his body was starting to regain its mobility and finally he was able to move his entire body.

Now he got a better understanding of his surroundings as he was able to move. He felt that his body was drowning in a viscous liquid. When he stops moving the liquid would bind him and try to pull him to the unknown depths. He instinctively knew that it was dangerous to stop moving and his struggles became more violent. He paddled his way to the opposite direction, towards the surface.

"What kind of nightmare is this? Although I'm afraid of drowning it is not to such an extent." He can only ridicule himself to raise his spirits.

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"Just how far is the surface? When can I get out?" He swam towards surface non-stop and tried to reach the surface as early as possible. He was unable to bear the loneliness anymore. He feared he would lose his mind if this continued any longer.

After a long time he was able to reach the surface.

"I'm back." He shouted at the top of his lungs, letting out all his frustrations and anguish.

"Yes finally I can return to my home..."

He stopped abruptly mid-sentence as for the first time he was able to take in his surroundings. He was unable to see inside the viscous liquid so it took him some time to adjust to the sudden change.

Everything around him was in a monochrome of black. There was no other color in his surroundings. He expected to be greeted by either the doctors or his family in the hospital, this was not the sight for which he struggled so hard for so long, he even forgot how much time has passed in that state.

For a moment he was devastated and lost on what to do. He fell to his knees like a puppet whose strings got cut.

"What is happening? Where am I really?"

"Did I di..." before he completed the sentence he stopped himself. He was not ready to face the reality of his situation.

"Hahaha what kind of bullshit am I thinking? There is no such thing as Life after death. Right I must have lost my mind for a moment there. How could an atheist like me otherwise think of that crap? Come on Alyx think about a logical explanation about it. Right, I must still be in a coma and my mind is playing games on me. Yes, there is no other explanation other than this. Hahaha" He started laughing maniacally.

"I will not give up."

Having made up his mind he started exploring his surroundings. As far as he can see there are various landforms with no end in sight. He was unable to get a grasp of it. A black sun hung in the sky but he was not feeling any warmth from it.

"What is this place? I've never been to any place like this. It's like a hodgepodge of all the discovery channel episodes that I have ever seen." Suddenly he started feeling something pulling his leg. In his mania he forgot about the viscous liquid from which he just escaped.

Till now he did not look at what he escaped from. He was subconsciously avoiding it. He was afraid of finding out what it was or what's in it. After making up his mind he turned around.

"..."

He was shocked to see an unending black sea of viscous liquid. What shocked him the most was that, he could clearly make out bodies similar to him in the viscous liquid. They were now being pulled away at a faster rate into the depths than when he was in the black sea. The black sea was opaque when he was in it but now it was transparent and everything inside was clearly visible.

"Alyx calm down, these are just nightmares. Your mind is just playing with you based on your fears."

Alyx resolutely turned around and made his way into the depths of the land away from the sea, trying to forget everything he saw in the sea.

He continuously walked for a long time with no aim in mind. He was not feeling any hunger nor fatigue, this further reinforced his delusion that he is just in a coma. But he was unable to do anything to escape this nightmare but he did not stop for even a single second. He was not going to give up until he explored everything.

He did not go to the sea again as he felt disgusted by it and afraid. He felt all his strength leave his body when he touched the viscous liquid. He did not want to feel helpless ever again. He will only go into the sea as a last resort.

Time flew by and Alyx was unable to calculate time as the black sun in the sky was always at the same position.

One day when Alyx was climbing a mountain he suddenly lost his consciousness.

"What happened? Am I finally dead?" He was having a mixed and complex feelings about his current situation. on one hand he was happy that he was no longer a burden to his family and on the other hand he will be unable to meet them, but he did not regret his struggles.

"At least I tried." Alyx waited for the end.

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"After such a long time this simulation produced one that satisfies the basic requirements." A loud voice exploded in Alyx mind.

"Who are you?" Alex was shocked to hear a voice for the first time in this nightmare. He had almost given up. But thinking about the words he heard, he was confused.

"What simulation? What requirements?" Alyx was not able to make sense of those words. His mind was relatively sober and tranquil due to the earlier blackout which he thought was the end. So he did not make a scene and was about to ask for answers when.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

Suddenly Alyx started feeling pain and nausea. He felt his entire body itching and he was feeling his body get restricted again like in the black sea.

"So this truly is the end." Alyx mocked himself for getting his hopes high.

"Don't worry your body is being created. You are also being synced simultaneously and this might cause slight discomfort. It will be finished in a moment so relax."

Alyx once again heard the same voice after a long silence and felt relieved but he can't decide whether to believe him or not. He can't just trust a stranger but his restriction this time was far more severe than earlier in the black sea and he really was at this stranger's mercy. With no choice he hoped for the best and tried to understand his current situation.

"Pain, I can feel pain. I'm alive." He was unable to contain his excitement anymore due to feeling pain.

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"What do you mean by simulation?"

"Am I being used for some human experiments or is it a new advancement in medicine?"

"Body reconstruction? It's hard to believe science advanced so much. How long was I in a coma?"

Aaaaaaaaaa, There are so many questions but no answers. He just ignores my questions.

"How much longer till I meet my family. I wonder how Arya grew up."

.

.

.

Alyx had many questions and wanted answers to all of them. So he started bombarding the voice with them but he was not getting any replies.

He also lost the restricting feeling but he did not notice that.

Slowly Alex body was being formed based on his mental image of himself, if someone who knew him was here they would definitely be shocked seeing how Alyx looked. Although there was a large resemblance with his previous looks but it was still different like someone used a beauty filter. His body was lean and fit and he also had a well-proportioned body unlike his previous lanky figure. Now he had smooth skin and delicate features, he could have succeeded as a celebrity with these looks back on Earth.

"How long are you going to lay there? It's finished" Alyx heard the same voice again. Alyx's thoughts were interrupted by the voice and he sat up immediately in his newly created body.