A New Age

Chapter 1: Reality Shattered

When's this dude gonna replace the fucking lock? Three weeks had passed since Zack complained to his uncle, the store owner, about the ancient lock. After fidgeting with the key for more seconds than his patience could handle, his emotions got the better of him. Zack picked up a nearby rock and slammed it into the ancient contraption until it finally gave in and broke.

"Finally!" The sigh of relief was brief as his he realized the new lock was going to come out of his paycheck. "Idiot" he muttered under his breath.

The Deli was small and fairly new with only being able to seat 10 people but it was a nice little establishment that made its fair share of profit. In fact, Zack was the reason his uncle Damien was making any money. He was the go to person in the family for any errand, whether it be fixing a light to finding a location to open up shop. As he thought about more and more he realized he was a tool that just kept getting used and used.

As he made his way behind the counter a sharp pain brought him back to reality and well as bringing upon the incentive to take some more pills. He quickly reached into the bottom pocket of his cargos and pulled out a bottle of extra strength Naproxen, 600mg to be exact. He quickly downed two tablets and chugged down a bottle of water he pulled from the store refrigerator.

As he waited for the pain to subside he remembered the dreadful visit to the doctor.

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"Ok doc give it to me straight, how bad is it?"

Zack often quoted bad movie lines to his aging physician. It was a tradition of sorts that started years ago and they both just accepted it. This time however there was no witty response, the man gave Zack a defeated look that only raised his already high heart rate.

"Dr. Watson come on, jokes over man what's up?" One could hear the nervousness in Zack's voice. The doctor took a seat on his desk and began to type some things on the computer. Zack knew this was bad since he only did that when something was really bad. "What the fuck is going doc?"

"It's your body Zack" he finally spat out. Seeing Zack's scared and confused expressions he elaborated. "Your body bruises easily and heals itself very slowly. You can't continue this boxing thing, your body cannot handle it."

"Ok boxing is out. I mean I wanted to learn some other fighting styles but whatever man I'll deal, it's no big." Zack was clearly dejected but he reasoned that it could've been much worse. He just had to find another hobby.

The doctor sighed knowing that getting Zack to understand wasn't going to be easy. "No Zack I mean all physical activity."

Instantly Zack laughed, "I'm sorry come again?"

"Your body just can't take the stress. If you continue along this path you'll do nothing but hurt yourself in the long run. I'm talking about paralysis here Zack!"

"Do you know my family?" He had nervous smile on his face. "They're ALL in construction. How the fuck do I tell them that I'm too weak for that line of work? Do you know what's going to happen to me?"

"You won't be in a wheelchair, I know that." Dr. Watson didn't waste a second to respond as evidence of his many years in the business. "This should help with the pain" he stated as he handed Zack the prescription.

"Fuck you." Zack took the prescription and rushed out the room

*************************************

"I'm paying you to daydream now?" Damien stated after he launched a paper ball at him, consequently bringing Zack back to the real world.

"I wasn't dreaming" he responded as he tossed the paper ball into the nearby trash can, making it on his first try. Nice.

"Come on D, give the princess a break." Zack turned to put a face on the familiar voice.

"Fuck you want AJ?" Zack was clearly not in the mood.

Damien came up from behind and smacked him across the neck. "That's how you talk to a customer? No wonder I'm losing sales."

Zack saw the grin cemented on AJ's face and gave up. He wasn't equipped or in the position to fight this battle. Swallowing his pride he followed the orders set by his uncle, "How may I help you?" This was a daily occurrence but no matter how many times it happened he couldn't get used to it.

"Still ditching classes princess?" The tailored Armani suit just made AJ look more of douche, something Zack thought was impossible. "Anyways just give me the usual, if your body can take that is." Both Damien and AJ cracked up barely able to silence, much less conceal their joy.

I hope you all fucking die. Zack gripped the knife with so much force that the veins on his hands were clearly visible. Although he had been out of the gym for a while his body hadn't degraded much. He took the bagel bread out and continued to fill the order. "The usual" he stated as he handed AJ is order.

"Keep the change, I know you need it" AJ stated clearly looking down on him.

Zack smiled and responded with a polite "Fuck You" before getting back to work. Just for the final remark he was given the responsibility of closing up shop that night.

Gazing at the barely visible moon he waited what seemed like an eternity for the train home, unfortunately there was problem in the tracks two stations away so all trains were cancelled at his station. He laughed at his ongoing misfortune, he experienced so much pain it became a running joke. "Ahh fuck my life" he stated continuing to sporadically chuckle at his woes. Walking down the terminal he saw a mouse, it was completely still as if preparing to be attacked. Curiosity got the better of him and he diverted from his path to examine the phenomenon. A small black puddle of slime was the great predator the mouse was panicking about. What a waste of time, he thought. He looked closer as the puddle seemed to ripple before his eyes. What the... He leaned closer, unease tingling down his decrepit spine.

The slime came rushing towards him but halted a few inches from his feet. For unknown reasons he bent down and and gently poked the puddle, instantly the slime latched onto his finger and began burrowing inside his skin. You would think that something burrowing into your skin would be agonizing, or at the least cause a moderate amount of pain but he just stood there and watched the slime burrow itself inch by inch until it disappeared completely. The first of many drastic changes began at tips of his fingers, the black slime began tracing his veins and spread quickly throughout his body. He stood here witnessing the event completely still and quiet. Once the slime traced out the every, single, tiny vein, the black markings disappeared. Zack blinked a few times, staring at his arm when a weird sensation started in his eyes. He blinked again and moved over to a reflective piece of glass. The slime was in his eyes and made its way across the empty white canvas of the Sclera piercing the iris and attaching to the pupil as he sat in stunned silence. The earth yellow iris he proudly flaunted became corrupted with black tendrils anchoring themselves to the pupil.

Home, a voice resonated inside his head finally breaking him out of a trance like state. Once again the voice echoed inside his mind, Home.

What? He was well aware of the situation but he couldn't get a handle on why this creature stopped just short of taking him over completely. In most literature and modern science an infection that spreads quickly tends go all the way.

Survive. He felt a stabbing sensation right above his forehead, around the cortex of his brain. There was an inflow of information, mostly memories, flooding the brain, this time causing immense pain. He fell to his knees gripping the sides of his head attempting to squeeze the pain out. Patience, echoed throughout his very being. His eyes welled up with tears, falling into fetal position he succumbed to the pain and pleaded, "Enough." The info kept flooding the brain without end, memories of pain and banishment tugged his heart until the ordeal was finally over. Home, it echoed once again.

Using the nearby railing for support, he picked himself up still unable to breath normally. What did you do to me! Bypassing the interrogation, the slippery substance began to coat the lungs spreading by contact and as if the mind-numbing pain wasn't enough it began to crawl towards the heart. Instead of coating it, the ooze pierced the structure and began to fuse creating a symbiotic structure. Please! STOP!

Patience echoed once again, still never increasing above a whisper. Once the slime was completely infused with the body the pain subsided and his breathing normal. Angered by the near death experience he demanded answers from the creature. Survival was the only answer he received however.

What do you want from me? He thought walking up the stairs trying to establish a sense of normalcy.

Life echoed inside his mind causing a mild panic attack. He didn't agree to this, he protested the infection and demanded whatever this creature was to leave. Suddenly he felt a piercing sensation near his temple causing a minor groan. I wish no harm. Surprised that it could actually formulate sentences he listened to it while on his way to the nearby train station. We are survivors, this is why you are alive. He paused for a moment letting the notion sink in that he could've died less than ten minutes ago. In exchange for your life force I offer you great power. Curious to what this great power was, he demanded an elaboration. I give to you the gift of resurrection. You will adapt to anything that killed you and become immune on your return.

Revealing the paradox on this so called gift, he was told that after he dies by his infection he would resurrect hours later and be immortal in the sense that he wouldn't age, thereby having an unlimited supply of life force. We are meant to survive Zack. He felt the pressure on his temple die out and blurted, "Shit that feels better." Just then he realized he was communicating with his thoughts when the creature took over his temple region, if the thing wanted it could make him mute anytime. Trust the voice echoed, reverting back to one word statements.

Zack used the train ride to learn more about the entity living inside him as well as the process of the resurrection. Instead of a direct conversation it unlocked a memory of its origin, one of the many memories that were transferred during the fusion process. The slime's original planet was light years away from Earth, taking roughly 400 years to enter its solar system. As with anything, the planet reached the end of its lifespan causing its inhabitants to flee. Some landed on Earth while others may still be traveling to this day. Not every creature had the same ability, so whoever didn't have the ability to adapt died out ages ago. Floating aimlessly with nothing in sight for years upon years until death finally calls and puts an end to the boredom. The entire memory left him in a state of melancholy before the chronic depression kicked in and added onto the misery.

He walked through the door, hung his keys on the key rack and reheated the leftovers. This was the one thing that he didn't mind about his new working environment. He got off late after everybody fell asleep, which allowed him to evade the stares of disappointment from his kin. Strength the slime repeated over and over again, each time causing a heightened state of drowsiness. Within seconds Zack's head dropped lifelessly on the table.

He woke up in a hospital bed with various tubes connected to his body, not surprisingly he screamed as he frantically attempted to take off the equipment. Before he even reached the IV nurses ran in beckoning the doctor as they restrained Zack. The last thing Zack saw was one of the nurses injecting a liquid into one of this veins before he fell back into darkness. Day in and day out it was the same process, Zack would open his eyes for a few seconds before returning to the darkness. It wasn't long before the creature became threatened.

Just like the day before, the nurses came barging in attempting to restrain the youth. One of the nurses injected the liquid into Zack's forearm and left once he was stable and motionless. This time however, the slime used most of its strength to push the drug out but all it could do was push it back to the tip of the needle, once his strength gave way the drug would rush through Zack's body. It restrained Zack by inducing a temporary state of paralysis. Four seconds later Zack was once again in control, consequently the slime was severely weakened by its actions. With the strength it had left it merged all its knowledge of the previous week with Zack's mind before finally letting go. What the fuck was that! Why am I at the hospital!? Sensing the danger the slime kept its hold on Zack's ability to speak, soon the raging headache came crawling back.

The doctor does not value your life. He has attempted to extract my essence and transfer it into himself. The injection has weakened us severely I suspect one more injection shall put an end to both of us. The voice began to get softer after each word, the mental hold also seemed to be getting weaker. No resurrection, it stated before its strength gave way. Zack could sense that the slime was still alive but it was even weaker than it was when they fused. Determined, he removed the tubes connected to his body and sat up. Once the needle was removed from his forearm, the slime pushed the remaining drug out.

What happens now? I mean how do we get out of here?

The whispered softly, Strength. Zack remembered the last time he heard it say that, he passed out and ended up in his situation. He reluctantly allowed the creature to take his life force since it was his only way out. Surprisingly, he didn't feel anything this time around. Moments later the creature spoke with new found energy. Instead of a verbal conversation the slime awakened another memory, causing a migraine in the process. This memory revealed more about the creature's origin. It showed flashes of humanoid creatures creating the slime. There were also flashes of these humanoids injecting the slime or swallowing it. The last image Zack saw was a mass grave, countless lifeless bodies with slime oozing out of their pores. Feeling nauseous, Zack ran to the bathroom and vomited endlessly. No matter what he did, he couldn't get the image of the bodies out of his head. It was as if Zack himself had witnessed it, these were no longer the creature's memories, and they were now his memories.

He remembered seeing some humanoids injecting more than one type of slime. Soon everyone began to inject them not knowing that slime fed on their life in return. Zack saw nearly all the colors and variations of the slime but none matched the one that he fused with. Neither the color nor the texture matched the slime he fused with. If you wish to survive you must complete the fusion process.

Zack positioned himself next to the toilet. I thought we already did that at the subway. When you almost killed me. The mere thought of doing it again sent chills down his spine, he didn't believe he could go through it again.

The fusion process is completed when the host injects his blood into the mainframe of the ship. My original host was not a perfect match so he was not able to elude death. He injected countless other creatures from his travels in an attempt to escape his impending death but luck was not on his side. His ship crash landed here when you were but a primitive species, I have been since living from host to host in a desperate attempt to survive. This doctor somehow has knowledge of my existence and a means to eradicate it, the only option we have is to locate the ship. Zack felt immense pain emanating from behind his eyes, vision becoming blurry as a consequence. An intense sensation of dryness took over soon after. Tendrils traced the veins in his eyes, overpowering them and inducing a rapid color change. Soon the iris became pitch black as numerous tendrils swarmed in occupying every millimeter of space before reverting back to its original color.

Your body has begun to accept me, the changes are taking faster than expected. The more your body accepts me the more changes I can make to maximize survivability. Your visual prowess should be greatly enhanced. Factoring in the fragile state your body you'll only be able to use a portion of the abilities. The doctor will come back to kill me again but this time he'll come alone. When he does, you must look directly into his eyes and tell him to discharge you. Before Zack could ask any questions the doctor came in and greeted him nonchalantly. Everything was taking place just like the creature had warned him about. The doctor led Zack bedside and told him that he was due for another shot. Zack quickly reacted and looked directly into his eyes. He felt a sting around his eyelids before he saw the doctor go into a trance like state. The release forms were signed and he was escorted out of the hospital allowing him enough time to escape before the trance wore off.

Zack's body was already severely weakened from the drugs administered to him over the past week but now his vision had worsened as well. All he could see was smudges of different colors unable to tell the difference between people and cars. The creature guided him towards the ship while scanning the area for potential threats. Zack walked for hours relying on pure adrenaline. He heard the rustling of leaves indicating he was somewhere in the woods as the sound of street cars came to a distant halt. Zack was falling in and out of consciousness in a desperate attempt to get to ship. The ship is here was the last thing he heard before his body shut off and dropped to the floor.

He found himself in a small, pure white room with only a door on his far right. Zack attempted to make contact with the creature but there was no response. Going with his gut he walked through the door and entered a larger room. The room was the size of a living room, this also with no furniture just like the last. The only commonality being the white everything. He walked a few steps before he noticed the door behind him had disappeared, there was no cut out on the wall. There was no sign of a door ever being there. He paced back and forth trying to come to terms with the situation. Suddenly what seemed like a fan turned on? Zack knew the sound was from some type of ventilation system. Zack repeatedly asked the creature for advice but there was no reply. To make matters worse his lower back began to hurt again.

Right when Zack was about to lay down the door opened, the same door from before. Not wanting to miss the opportunity he ran through only to come face to face with true terror. Thousands among thousands of organisms held in tube like cylinders. Somehow Zack knew that they weren't dead, he had a feeling the organisms were in a comatose condition similar to when he was in the hospital. Not wanting to find out he darted out the door, this time finding himself in a hangar bay like the ones found on navy aircraft carriers. This room seemed completely devoid of life, surprisingly Zack found this room to be more terrifying than the last. The hangar showed clear signs that it had a crew at some point but the sheer sight of an abandoned ship sent chills down his spine.

He explored the room with caution, constantly looking over his shoulder. He saw small shuttles he figured were used for local exploration. Shuttle would be an understatement, what he saw looked like a giant tennis ball. There were no wheels, no propellers, there weren't even any exhaust pipes. There was a single seat inside and no controls what-so-ever. Either this was an unfinished model or this was an alien version of a chair.