1: Back To Square One

Back To Square One

Stuck, can't breathe, can't move properly. It feels like I'm trapped in a tiny cell.2

I don't remember how I got here, but I certainly don't feel at home.

At least I remember my name. Alexander, or just Alex if you're feeling lazy.

I was just walking around, a strange storm appearing out of nowhere wasn't all that big of a deal.

But I remember hearing a lightning strike and then someone screaming from a nearby park.

I ran there, the rain hadn't started yet and I wanted to see what was happening.

A person trapped under a bunch of burning trees. They must've been incredibly dry, otherwise, they wouldn't have caught fire.

I quickly took out my phone and passed out before I managed to dial up anyone.

I think I was trying to call the police or something before I jumped in and tried to pull him out.

But I remember the distinct smell of burned flesh, I don't know if it was mine or his, but I never woke up again.

At least not there. I don't even know where I am now...

It just feels weird. I don't like this at all. But at least I'm not dying. I've been trapped here for a while, and besides the suffocating feeling, not much is bothering me.

Some might be bothered by the loneliness, but it's not that bad to me.

I am quite used to living by myself and having minimal contact with others for extended periods of time.

I currently work as a programmer. I found it annoying at first, but it was very lucrative and it became extremely fun after a while.

As for family, I do have parents. But I lost touch with them after moving out. They also didn't make much of an effort to contact me, so I was mostly by myself.

Now that I think about it, maybe I should've made some effort to keep in touch with them. But I guess I was too lazy or too uninterested.

It's not really something I regret, they were never affectionate people anyway. My childhood was quite lacklustre.

My dad being a junkie and my mom a hooker certainly didn't help me growing up. I got into gang life quite quickly.

I started doing small stuff like delivering packages and selling substances. I decided to leave when I was 26 though.

By that time I had seen my fair share of action and decided to do something with my life. Leaving the gang was quite easy too.

I was already chummy with all of the members including the boss. He even helped me buy an apartment in the same city. Good guy.

Of course, I did the sensible thing by saving enough money and disappearing from the state. I didn't trust them one bit.

One thing you learn on the streets is to never trust people from the streets. I was no longer part of their group so I was an outsider that knew enough secrets about them to pose a threat.

I don't care if they truly wanted to do anything about me or not. But I wasn't just gonna stay there and wait for it.

The boss, Vlad, giving me an apartment was just so he could keep a close eye on me. Otherwise, I can't explain why he still wanted to go drinking with me every few weeks.

Still. I don't really know where I'm being kept or how I'm being restrained. So all I can do for now is wait.

And I certainly waited a bit. It felt like days, or maybe years. Who knows really, not like I had a clock in my sight.

By now, I kinda realised that I died. It wasn't exactly a hard-to-piece-together puzzle. I'm still confused about this strange purgatory I find myself in.

After a while, I felt a strong pull from one direction. I could hear some muffled shouts and some cries of pain.

Eventually, a dim light broke through the darkness that was my cell.

As soon as I could move around freely I heard a shocked scream, followed by some whimpering. It's hard to see right now. But I forced my eyes open.

A red hue covered my vision, I tried looking around. I could vaguely make out shapes. Humans, dressed in doctor's clothing.

Near me was also a woman, wait... Was I just born? What the fuck?

Well, that at least explains why I couldn't see anything back there... I didn't even have eyes. At least not developed ones...

Now, I've taken drugs in the past. But this is no regular trip, I can tell you that much...

My vision slowly got better, further solidifying the fact that this was a bit more than a regular fever dream.

The woman that was on the operation table looked beyond terrified and disgusted. I don't even know what's her deal.

"Why you looking at me like that bitch?" That was what I wanted to say. It came out like strange high pitch cries and growls. They were by no means intimidating.

But I could see her fear and disgust increase by a large margin.

Now, I may not have been the most handsome of men. But I have never caused this type of reaction in a woman before.

I slowly turned my head to look at my body.

I could see my long arms, covered in an exoskeleton, my sharp claws... Wait, what the fuck am I looking at?

This is certainly my hand. Does a baby's hand usually reach his knees at birth while standing straight? Surely not right? I mean, they are actually just as long as my feet...

This is a question I didn't think I'd ever be asking myself. But when exactly have I developed claws? Oh, and the exoskeleton.

And if I truly did, why are the doctors not showing much shock at this? Well, some look a bit turned off by my appearance.

Some even looked at me with pity, but also a lot of disgust. The nurses especially, yeah.

I'm getting a feeling that type of gaze will become quite common in my life...

If I was the doctor I'd probably say something like 'Looks like your child is going to be a ladies man' Hehe.

It seems my giggle went to the outside too. But it certainly didn't sound cute. At least to them, I think it sounded dope.

The woman spoke something in another language. Moonspeak maybe? I knew an Asian girl once, yeah.

The doctors turned apprehensive at whatever she said. One of the nurses decided to wrap me up in a blanket.

Using only three fingers and touching me minimally... Really? This place isn't very kind to newborn babies.

Well, whatever. I was taken to a ward filled with crying little snoot baskets and left there. Great.

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Hope you liked the first chapter!

Writing another MHA fanfic is quite nice.

If u want to support me look up VeganMaster on Patr_eon. It's like 20 chaps ahead.(it was released early there to have more benefits when I eventually released it here too)

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