Gaming Alone

II: Awakening

My eyes snapped open as I sat up, as if awakening from a nightmare, and I clutched my chest as my heart beat erratically. My visions was blurry, and I was quick to wipe my eyes and blink it away. I was seating, my breathing heavy, and I felt so exhausted.

I wasn't in that broken building, on that alter. And it wasn't night any longer. Instead, the light of the sunset filled the hospital room was in and I looked around tiredly, slowly getting my breathing stable.

'Was it all... Just a dream?'

I heard the hospital door slide open, and the gasp of a familiar voice. "Percy?"

I turned to look at the entrant, my eyes widening marginally as I saw her. "... Mom?"

"Percy!" She yelled, dropping what her purse and running towards me, wrapping her tightly in her arms. "Oh, thank goodness you're okay! You were covered in blood when they brought you in, I was so worried!"

I felt my eyes widen as I registered that, subconsciously registering that I began to hug her back.

It wasn't a dream.

The alter, the blood, the sleepy woman, the inhuman creatures. It wasn't a dream at all.

I died.

That thought made my mouth dry. There was no doubt in my mind, I'd definitely died for a moment back then. They'd killed me and somehow, through sheer strength of will, I'd come back and done... Something. That crimson vortex, that blood vortex... It was made by me.

But how?

And why?

"Mom..." I breathed out. "How long was I unconscious?"

She looked down at me as she finally pulled back. "Percy, it's been three days," she said. "What happened?"

"We would like to know as well," a voice came as the door opened and a pair of men in black suits came in, one handing my mother her purse that she dropped.

"Who are...?" I questioned.

"Detective Roger Davis," the man with ginger hair said, holding out his I.D. "Private Investigator for cult cases, like the one we found you in. Would you mind telling us what happened?"

"Sir, please," my mother began. "He's only just woken up. He still needs rest-!"

"No," I stopped her. "I appreciate it mom but I... I want to get this off my chest."

She looked at me sadly, before nodding and taking a seat, holding my hand tightly.

"You don't have to if you aren't ready, son," Roger Davis said to me.

"No, it's better to get it out of the way..." I took a deep breath and began to tell an abridged version of what happened.

How I'd been at school and was wandering around, until I came to a seemingly abandoned area and had a look around, until I found myself knocked out. How I'd found myself waking up on some kind of alter, blood being poured onto my body and spread all around. How the people had declared I would arise as their new 'God' and had injected me with drugs to do so.

I didn't know why I lied, but as I'd began to tell the story I'd noticed something. There was no pain in my legs or arms and, after glancing at them out the corner of my eyes, I saw there were no visible scars either.

"I don't remember much after that," I said. "I just remember another injection in my arm, and then everything faded to black."

"We only know you were missing for 2 days after you were kidnapped," Detective Roger Davis snapped him out of his thoughts. "The drugs must have been strong but in very small doses. They may have flushed them out of your system to cover their tracks, in case we found out what kind of rugs they used on you. Did you see any of their faces?"