Everything was in a grainy haze.
His eyelids were heavy, his mind had fogged, and his body felt numb, but he'd finally woken up. Or, at least, it seemed like it. It was difficult for him to tell- everything felt so distant and out of focus; as if looking through a faraway window. His eyes scanned the environment but was only met with vague shapes and colors. Like a blur, these shapes melded together and were indistinguishable from each other. He tried lifting a hand but found himself unable to do so. Then he tried sitting tall but to the same avail: he just couldn't. As if he were chained and tied down.
Or, rather, strapped down.
The shapes began to separate from each other as he raised his head. Looking down at himself, the man could see three leather straps holding him down, as well as the tip of a syringe stuck in his left arm. Feeling returned once more, greeting him with crisp air and chill pressing against his back. A hand flapped around as it regained sensation only to feel the cold touch of metal. Everything began to seem clear and the vague shapes and colors turned into permeable objects. He was a man strapped to a gurney and was held down tightly, while blood seeped into his arm from a nearby blood bag.
This was a clinic.
With his head still in a daze, he couldn't remember a single thing as to how he got here, or why for that matter. Not a single soul in sight, not that there was much to see. It was dark and quiet, eerily so. It felt wrong, as if he didn't belong here. Regardless of the state of his memory, the man needed to get out as he felt a sense of worry creep up in the back of his mind. He needed to leave.
"H…he-…"
He tried to speak but no words came out. They didn't want to. As if his own vocal cords knew they shouldn't utter a sound. The reason why was unknown but he didn't try again. Instead, the man wriggled in his leather bindings in an attempt to break free. The gurney banged against the ground as he shook, stretched, and twisted around. Whoever tied him down made sure he wouldn't get up, for some strange reason.
Still, he thrashed around until his breath ran short. No luck. He was trapped. Frustrated, the man began to rock the gurney back and forth in a violent fit. Tipping from left to right in his struggle, it eventually gave way to gravity and toppled on its side. A loud clang had rung out as he tripped over, with the needle getting yanked from his arm. His teeth clenched, and he let out a pained groan.
It began to spill.
The syringe acted as a spout and gave way to a large pool of blood. But there was something off about it. The blood was strange and looked viscous. Not at all like a human's. It called his attention- as if the blood itself spoke to him. A ripple formed in the pool, and the surface began to bubble over. The man narrowed his eyes, looking deeper into the puddle and saw a figure in its reflection. He couldn't tell what it was but it was getting closer. Rather than a mirror, it was almost like a window.
Then he saw it.
Emerging from the pool of blood were frayed claws. Long fingers reached out, with nails as sharp as daggers. He could see its eyes peak from the blood; beady-white marbles, contrasting a massive jaw full to the brim with teeth. Clumps of fur and deep gashes lined its massive, heaving chest. Its head turned to face the man, gnashing its teeth together as it stood on two hind legs. It was inhuman- a creature straight out of legend.
A monster.
The man was frozen in horror. His frustration wilted away in the face of such a creature. His hands trembled, his teeth chattered, and his breath unfolded into uneven huffs. There was no fight inside him. He was stunned, unable to catch his breath, unable to fathom such a thing could even exist. The creature reached out to him, opening its massive palms as if it would snatch him away. Time slowed tenfold, fear shaking him to the very core. He could only watch as it inched closer to his cheek. It was death. It had come for him.
But perhaps it came too late.
A great fire erupted. The creature was lit aflame at the touch of his skin. A roar erupted from its throat as the flames consumed it. The man watched it flay around in agony before it collapsed to the ground. His eyes didn't shut for a single second as it unfolded, and his breath had hitched. He couldn't tell if it was in awe or dread; awe of its cleansing, and dread of what's to come next. He wasn't prepared for any of it. It was one unusual event after the other, and it would only get stranger from here.
The man was suddenly cut loose from his leather straps, sending him to the ground. Not as if they were snapped, or cut, but as if they had been undone by a helping hand. His body was still locked but at least he was free. His muscles wouldn't move an inch, as if they grew heavier. No, he grew weaker. Sweet trailed across his forehead as he attempted to sit up once more, but he just couldn't. Everything grew distant once more.
It wouldn't end there, as another pair of hands emerged from the ground. Ghostly-white fingers reached out to the man and latched onto his clothes. Then another pair of hands grabbed hold of him. Then another, and another, and another. Dozens of tiny little mittens grazed his body, surrounding him completely. The man turned his head and saw another strange creature.Eyes sunken in like holes, and a contorted mouth that was forever agape. Like a little spirit.
Only this one laughed at him.
The others followed suit as they began to lift the man in the air, hovering just a few centimeters off the ground. They carried him into the next room: an open walkway with many similar gurneys lining the path.
There, in the center, the ghostly creatures laid the man gently. They took extra precautions to not simply drop him. They cared for him. Soon after, the little creatures swarmed the man in a grand circle. Their hands pattered across his chest before covering his eyes, devouring his sight whole. They all laughed and sang their tune as his vision faded away. His body grew numb once more but his nerves were at ease, peacefully whisking him away into an empty dream. No threats and no worries as he fell asleep.
From within his newfound slumber was a soothing voice. A motherly one whose words felt like the touch of an angel.
"Oh? You found another one?