Uprising, Page 2

  Chapter 1: Rebirth

  In an empty dark alleyway, almost completely buried in a mountain of garbage, a pair of glowing, white eyes opened. There was a brief lull as the now-alive creature, unclothed and clearly male, blinked at the grime-encrusted walls. He took a labored breath.

  Pain erupted everywhere on his body, and he cried out, an inhuman shriek muffled by the layers of trash. Flailing about, the creature clawed his way free of the containment. Gaining his feet, he stumbled, rolling down the hill of filth and thudding onto the cold alley ground. He clambered to his feet, more cautious this time and assessing careful bipedal balance before moving again. His large slanted eyes blinked in the darkness, though nothing seemed at all difficult to see. Filth lay scattered throughout the alley, and dim light could be seen some distance away. The walls rose up high around him, and far above he could see a series of interlocking structures. His mind, foggy and addled, recalled a notion of something called 'sky,' but what lay above seemed not quite fitting.

  He heard a faint grinding noise from the sky, and a number of indistinct objects fell toward him. Leaping out of the way, he watched with wide eyes as bags of trash, clothing, broken items, and various other refuse rained haphazardly around.

  Once the dropping ceased, he crept forward. Picking through the pile of garbage, his fragmented mind drew loose conclusions. He saw a pair of tattered pants and looked down at his bare legs, which featured grayish-blue skin. He gathered an uncertain connection between the two.

  He caught a glimpse of a shard of mirror and grabbed it, again impulse reminding him of its purpose. Raising the fragment, he used it to view himself. From his own memory, he could not identify who or what he was. He dropped the mirror in horror as he viewed his twisted, broken face…

  Unclear images and memories flashed through his mind. He saw a twilight of two setting suns on a field of gold and blue, lighting the atmosphere with brilliant hues. Another flash, and he was standing in a white room, hunched over a table, peering at something through a magnified lens. Then the two memories mingled, and he watched two suns set in a sterile room through eyepieces while standing on a field of blue and gold…

  As though a switch flipped, hideous stenches of refuse and decay assailed his suddenly keen sense of smell, further disorienting him. He held one hand awkwardly over his nose, trying to block the incoming stimuli. Other senses piped in, asserting their own discomforts.

  Cold.

  An impulse to find warmth triggered in his mind. His muddled thoughts reconnected with the tattered jeans. Looking in the trash pile, he noted other items which struck him with familiarity. After picking through the garbage for a time with several ill-fitting attempts, the creature emerged clothed in a few layers. He found a long overcoat, a few pairs of sweatpants and jeans, and a couple of shirts. He picked up the mirror piece once more. The face, which had given him such a start, was now wrapped within several strips of long, warm cloth. The scarves reeked of decay but provided a uniformity less bewildering to his now-delicate senses. A battered, wide-brimmed hat adorned the top of his head. Only his eyes remained visible, glowing white with hints of swirling color.

  An image of a small quadruped creature flitted through his mind. Covered in soft fur: agile, with an angular face and pointed ears. Large eyes with vertical slits, glowing as the creature stared out from darkness. Another image: a strong, six-limbed and crawling creature. This beast had rough, pebbly skin and powerful, carnivorous jaws. Three large, round eyes, also glowing in darkness.

  On the ground he spotted a small object, flat and rectangular, nagging in its familiarity. He picked it up; on it were marred shapes his mind recognized. Letters. An 'M' and 'L.' Brushing away some of the dirt, he also saw a 'C' and another 'L' and 'M.' He held the object against his chest. He didn't know what the gesture meant; it simply felt right. He briefly looked at it again before slipping the object into a pocket of his overcoat.

  The creature, confused and uncertain, walked out of the alley and into his new surroundings.