The Monster in Me
Prelude
As I approached Renamon, I looked down at her face.
"Sh-Shadow….please….d-d-don't do this…"
Renamon pleaded as she held her wound tightly with her left paw.
I raised my right arm, about to strike Renamon when suddenly, I felt my body freeze in place. My flaming fist was half an inch away from Renamons face.
When my red eyes gazed into hers, I felt my mind restore its sanity and I quickly regained control of my senses.
I looked at her and said:
"…Renamon…"
Friendship: The one word that brings families and friends together as one.
The word that describes love and kindness.
But what if there was no such thing as friendship?
What if it didn't even exist?
My name is Zach Monster, and here is my story on how friendship turned to pain and agony, then back again.
Chapter 1: The Beginning Of The End
It was another boring day at No One Cares Elementary School, and I was working on an assignment that my teacher, Mr. Klassen, gave me. And as usual, I took the worksheet and got right to work, but for some strange reason, I had a weird feeling...like there was something wrong...but I didn't know what. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, the floor started to shake. I started to get a little confused about what was happening, but I then found out that I wasn't the only one that felt it. Most of my fellow classmates began to look around the room frantically, even the teacher, who got out of his chair to see what was going on. Then, out of the corner of my eye, a saw a bright flash of light that nearly blinded me. I'm pretty sure the rest of the class saw it too because I suddenly started to hear loud screaming and crying. By this point, nearly all my classmates ran out of the room to the back of the school. Curious, I scurried over to the window to see what that light came from.
When I looked out that window, my whole body froze stiff with fear. I saw what looked like a huge, flaming object in the shape of a distorted circle in the sky. It took me a little while to figure out what it was, but when I finally figured it out, I swear to God, my heart felt like it jumped from a 10 story building! That object in the sky:
Was a GIGANTIC FLAMING ASTEROID!
It was coming straight down towards my school! Then suddenly, without warning, my legs started to move. I wasn't moving them, it felt like they were being pulled by some kind of human tractor beam or something. I was heading to the emergency exit, which lead to the back of the school. When I walked out the door, it was like I was in another dimension. Like this wasn't even planet Earth. My legs suddenly stopped moving and stuck themselves to the pavement like super glue. I realized I had full control of my upper body and made no hesitation to look around to see where the hell I was. I saw a bunch of police cars and firetrucks lined up almost everywhere. I then noticed a whole group of police officers escorting the whole school, Staff and all, away from the building. I think they were evacuating people out of the town. Then, out of nowhere, I heard a loud, echoing boom. It was so loud that the windows on possibly every car within a miles radius shattered to bits. I thought my eardrums were going to explode right then and there! As I watched the speeding asteroid get closer and closer, I began to panic. Wave after wave of horrific thoughts were flooding my entire brain. I thought I was going to die! Then, almost instantly, the asteroid came down with a mighty force, and then everything went black...
About a few hours later, I woke up in a very strange place. I had no idea where the hell I was, or how I even got here. My first thought was:
"Oh god, am I...DEAD?!"
But before I could say or do anything, a bright beam of light shown down on a faraway pedestal. Standing on top of the pedestal was some kind of weird bracelet. It definitely wasn't one of those store bought bracelets. Confused, I walked over to investigate, stopping halfway after realizing that I could actually move my legs. When I finally got to the pedestal, I was shocked to see what was truly lying there. It wasn't just any old bracelet. It was an ELECTRONIC bracelet! It was basically just made of metal, but with a VERY high-tech screen attached on top of it. I reached out slowly to retrieve the bracelet, but as I did, it jumped. I swear to god, it jumped off of the pedestal and latched itself on my right wrist.
My eyes widened and I screamed in horror.
"AHHHHHHH!"
I shrieked,
"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOOOOOOD! GET IT OFF ME, GET IT OFF ME!"
I then attempted to pry the bracelet off my wrist, but to no avail.
"HELLLLLP! SOMEONE PLEASE, HELP ME!"
I yelled, hoping and praying that someone would answer, but not a single sound was heard. All I could hear was my heart pounding rapidly and the thoughts going through my head. This time, I knew for a FACT that I was a dead man. I was trapped in this...god-forsaken place that has no sky, no ground, not even the slightest bit of colour was found. I started to go BERSERK! My breathing was getting faster and faster and vision was already beginning to fade. I tried again and again with all my strength to get that bracelet off of me, but it was no use. It was attached onto my wrist PERMANENTLY. Suddenly, I felt the floor move back and forth, which made me REALLY dizzy. Then, before I knew it, I collapsed to the floor with a loud thud.
Chapter 2: A New Start
I woke up a couple of hours later lying on what seemed to be a hospital bed with an IV stuck inside my left arm. I reached up and rubbed my head, only to notice that I had a layer of bandages covering the top part of my head.
I groaned and said:
"…wh….where…am I?"
I was startled by the voice of a male doctor, who was on the right side of the room.
"Don't worry kid, you're safe now, it's going to be ok."
"Who are you…where am I…?"
I said to him slowly.
"My name is Dr. Watson, the paramedics found your body in the middle of the Plum Coulee School yard, your very lucky to be alive right now son."
The doctor said to me.
"Wait…what do you mean 'lucky'? and why was my body found in the middle of the school yard? I was never near there!"
I said in disbelief.
"Calm down son, calm down. I'll explain everything once your parents get here."
He said.
"N-No, you don't understand, I-"
Before I could finish what I was saying, there was a knock at the door. The doctor walked towards the door and opened it.
It was my mom and dad, and they were both crying heavily.
"ZACH!"
My mom cried out.
She run towards me and gave me a gentle hug. Her arms were quivering in fear, they must've thought that I was dead or something.
"Oh my goodness, Zach! A-Are you ok!? Are you hurt!? Are you sick!? Are you-"
"Mom!"
I said, hugging her back.
"I'm ok, you don't have to go off on one of your emotional breakdowns on me."
I said, chuckling a little bit.
"I…I'm sorry honey, but…but I thought you were dead!"
She said, trying to hold in her tears.
"Um…if I may interrupt for a second."
The doctor said.
"But we should probably discuss about that thing on your wrist."
He said, pointing to my left wrist.
"Huh?"
I said, breaking moms hug.
I looked down at my wrist and was mortified by what I saw.
It was that bracelet that I encountered in the black room. The one that latched onto me before I fainted!
"…oh god…"
I said as I started to breath heavily.
"What is it sweety? What's wrong?"
My mom asked me nervously.
"I…I know that bracelet…I've…I've seen it before."
I stuttered fearfully.
"Where did you see it?"
The doctor asked.
I explained to the doctor and my parents how I saw the giant asteroid and how It seemed to crush me when it hit the ground. I then mentioned the bracelet and the pedestal it was lying on and how it latched itself onto my wrist. The doctor, along with my parents were in complete shock.
"Dear god…"
Said the doctor.
"…How…how did you even survive such an impact, it's simply impossible for someone like you to live through that!"
"I don't know….i just don't know…"
I said, staring at the bracelet in deep thought.
After the doctor did some quick scans, I was able to go back to my home, which for some reason wasn't affected by the impact of the asteroid.
It was when I got home that I started to feel…different inside.
Chapter 3: With Great Power…
After experimenting with the bracelet, I soon discovered that it gave me super awesome abilities. And let me tell you, having these powers was a freaking blast! I wielded almost every supernatural power that I've seen on some of my favourite cartoon shows and video games. This included Sonic The Hedgehog, Spiderman, Super Mario, and even Assassins Creed! And that's not all, I even have the ability to jump into any T.V, which teleports me to whatever show or movie is on the T.V! The whole teleporting part was a bit scary at first, but after a couple of weeks, I got used to it. I never did tell my parents because if I did, my mom would most likely faint and my dad would probably call the police. So that obviously wasn't the smartest thing to do. But it turns out that my bracelet actually has its own voice command system. It took me quite a while to figure it out, but I eventually got it to work. Before I started, I wanted to give my bracelet a name so that I don't have to call it 'my bracelet' every time. I thought for a second and after a few minutes, the word "Jarvis" popped into my head. I then remembered that my brother recently bought the movie Iron Man, and in one part of the movie, Tony Stark, a multi-million dollar celebrity, has a "virtual butler" who's basically the brain to his house, and he named it Jarvis. So, I decided to name my bracelet Jarvis. I then fixed a few settings on Jarvis. One of them was his voice and how he should sound. I set it so that it sounded just like Tony Starks Jarvis.
When all that was done, I finally got to test the voice command system. I said:
"Jarvis, teleport me to the Super Mario World."
Jarvis responded with,
"Of course sir, teleporting to Super Mario World now."
"Oh boy!"
I thought excitedly.
"This is gonna be SO much fun!"
As I was being teleported, so many exciting thoughts filled my head. One of those thoughts was actually meeting the red hatted plumber face to face. It is going to be so awesome!
Suddenly, Jarvis said:
"Arriving at Super Mario World in T minus 10 seconds."
"Aw, crap!"
I said with a groan.
Did I mention that I HATE landings? Well if not, listen up.
The reason I hate landing is because when I attempt to do a decent landing, it ends up being a CRASH landing instead, which hurts like hell!
"Well, let's get this over with."
I said as I raised my arms in front of my face. I did this so that when I land, there will be less dust and stuff getting in my face.
"3...2...1...0"
Jarvis said as I braced for impact. Then, with a loud "FOMP!" I crash landed on solid ground. It didn't take me long to recover since I'm basically indestructible with Jarvis on my wrist.
"We arrived at your destination, sir."
Jarvis said.
"Sir, please remember to teleport back home within a 5-hour timeframe."
"Urg, yes Jarvis I know the routine."
I replied a bit paranoid.
In case you guys don't know what the 'routine' actually is, I'll tell you.
Basically what happens everyday is that I go off on a super crazy adventure for a couple of hours, then I have to teleport back home to my family ASAP before they start to worry about me. There was only this one time where my mom got so worried that she called the police over to my house, all because I stayed at the Mario world for an extra hour.
Anyway, when I got up and dusted myself off, I began to look around and see if I was in the right place. I realized almost instantly that this was defiantly NOT the correct location. All I could see was a bunch of grass that I was standing on and a huge forest. I decided to go for a walk in the forest since I live in a small, quiet town. As I entered the woods, I activated the Jarvis for the second time.
"Uh, Jarvis...where exactly ARE we?"
Jarvis didn't respond. I tried again.
"Jarvis?...Jarvis do you hear me?"
He was still silent. I began to get a little spooked because this never happened before. I even did a system check to see if everything was set. All of a sudden, I heard the sound of someone running through some grass behind me.
I stopped to listen for a minute, but just seconds later, I heard yet another sound, this time coming from one of the trees right in front of me. I slowly walked towards the tree.
"Oh man, what am I getting myself into?"
I asked myself as I continued walking to the tree. When I got to the tree, I looked up at it and shouted:
"Show yourself now you coward! This is your la-!"
Suddenly, a dark figure burst out of a nearby tree, grabbed both my arms and slammed my body against the ground with brute force.
"AURG! GOD!
I yelled in pain.
Chapter 4: The Encounter
I looked up to see who or what was attacking me, and when I did, my eyes nearly popped out of my head! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The attacker wasn't even...human! He, no IT, was all black and moved like a very big cobra snake. It had NO face or mouth, but it did however have eyes. But its eyes were a bright shade of blood red. I could tell it was agitated just by looking at it! Then suddenly, the black figure started to morph body parts. First the arms and hands, then the head and torso, and finally, the legs and feet. When the figure was done its transformation, I could swear to God it was looking in a freaking mirror! It wasn't some dark, demonic-looking figure anymore, from its head to its feet. It looked exactly like...ME!
Chapter 3: The Fight
The impostor held me to the ground and raised his fist. But before he could even strike, he was tackled to the ground behind him by yet another life form. This one however was completely different to the impostor, actually, it looked like a furry animal of some kind, but it was standing on two legs like a human. It had bright yellow fur covering its whole body except for the souls of its feet, its hands and its chest. I was hypnotized by the sight of this furry being. It had long ears that at the time were bent far back, similar to what a cat does when it's frightened or angry. But the weirdest part about this creature was that from the head down, it looked like a female. She was beautiful, even though she had no clothes on, but if she did, it just wouldn't make any sense because of the fact that she's an animal. She was viciously attacking the impostor, but the impostor was stronger and knocked the furry creature to the ground in one powerful blow to the chest. I snapped out of my daze and got up to assist her. I ran full speed at the impostor and did a right hook, followed by a spin kick to the head. The impostor didn't even TRY to fight back, but instead gave me a menacing smile and said in a demonic voice:
"Until we meet again...brother!"
He then laughed and disappeared, leaving a bunch of pitch black clouds behind. I didn't even bother to chase after him, so I turned around to see if the furry fighter was ok.
"Hey, you ok? You put up one hell of a fight back there."
I put my hand out to offer some help getting up. All she did was just look into my eyes and pushed my hand away. She then said:
"I'm fine. I can take care of myself."
She managed to get up by herself, but when she tried to walk, her face cringed and was about to fall again. I dashed toward her caught her before her body touched the ground.
"Woah, woah there, take it easy."
I said in a low voice.
"Looks like your hurt pretty bad there."
I said before I noticed a small pool of blood forming from under her feet.
"Oh crap! You're bleeding too!"
I said a little frightened.
"I need to patch you up now. There's no way I can find a hospital in an abandoned forest."
I looked into her eyes and noticed that the outside of her eyes weren't white, they were black.
'That's really odd'
I thought to myself.
'But that's not important now. What's important is that I help her out.'
"Ok."
I said to her.
"I'll help you out. But first things first, who are you?"
"Why do...you wanna know so badly?"
Said the furry fighter with both sass and pain in her voice.
"Cause I saved your life, that's why."
I said, getting a little paranoid.
"Heh...fair enough"
She replied as she put her hand on her head.
"Augh...so, you gonna help me or not, hotshot."
She asked while I gently put her down.
"Yeah, just give me a sec."
I raised my arm and said:
"Jarvis, I got a wounded...'ally' here with me. She's bleeding pretty badly. You mind giving me a medkit?"
"Of course sir, spawning medkit now."
Jarvis replied.
"W...what is that...thing on your wrist?"
She said painfully.
"Oh, this thing? Long story. We don't have time for that. I have to patch you up now before you lose too much blood."
Jarvis spawned the medkit and I immediately got to work. When I was done applying bandage on her wound, I helped her up and asked:
"Ok, first off, what the hell were you doing in a forest? Do you even have somewhere to go?"
"Actually, no. I has hunting for food like I usually do every morning. I went in the forest to see if I could kill more rabbits, even though I had no source of heat to cook them with. About 20 minutes later, I heard something very strange. I've been trapped in this place for 3 years, and trust me, I know a sound of an animal when I hear one, but this sound was something I've never heard before in my life."
She paused for a brief second to catch her breath, and then continued the conversation.
"I didn't know what that was, but I hoped it was a group of people or something. And when I got there, well, you know the rest. So yeah, that pretty much sums up my morning."
She said with a faint grin.
"Interesting, but you never did tell me your name."
I said looking at her.
She sighed and said:
"If it makes you feel any better, fine."
She stopped walking for a minute.
"My name is Renamon."
She said.
"Renamon...very unique name you have there Renamon."
I said with a smile.
She blushed a little bit and turned her head away from me.
"Well, it's best if we keep moving before you get jumped again."
Renamon said looking back at me.
"What?"
I said.
"I didn't see him, I swear!"
"Sure you didn't hotshot, sure you didn't."
Renamon teased.
Before we continued walking, a bright reflection of light shawn in the corner of my left eye.
"Hold up!"
I said to Renamon:
"I think I see something back where the imposter disappeared. I'm gonna go check it out. Who knows, maybe he dropped something useful."
Renamon looked really tired now. This was beginning to worry me a little bit.
"Shit"
I thought to myself:
"I think she already lost too much blood, I need to find a decent shelter and some food, FAST!"
I looked at Renamon and said:
"Look, lean against this tree, I'll only be gone for a quick sec."
She slowly put her head up and said,
"Yeah...yeah ok, but...just hurry up, alright?"
"Don't worry, I won't be long."
I replied.
"Oh, and don't go running off anywhere."
I added with a smirk.
"Heh, yeah yeah, just hurry it up, hotshot."
Renamon replied.
I ran back to the spot where the imposter disappeared and sure enough, there was something there. It was a pair of shiny looking objects, which reflection the sunlight into the corner of my eye moments before. I knelled down to inspect it, and I realized that the shiny objects were actually GUNS!
"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle."
I said out loud to myself. Renamon must've heard me because she immediately shot her head up and her pointed, yellow ears were standing straight upward.
"What did you find Shadow?"
She said a little weakly.
"You won't believe this, but I just found a gun, and it seems to be functional too, and...it has the words 'infinite ammo' labelled into the bass of it."
I told her while cocking the gun.
Her eyes glistened when she heard this.
"At least you have something to defend yourself now."
"Heh, yeah...I guess I do."
I said, putting the guns inside of my pockets.
At this point, the sky grew darker and darker, so I ran back to Renamon and helped her back up. Suddenly, it started to rain.
"Aw crap! We gotta find a place to get out of this rain now! We have to walk faster!"
I said to Renamon.
"Your gonna have to carry me then, hotshot! My strength is wearing thin!"
She yelled over the pouring rain. So without hesitation, I picked her up carefully and put her over my shoulder. I then activated Jarvis,
"Jarvis! We gotta find a shelter and food! Scan the area for possible hotspots!"
I yelled as the rain grew stronger.
"I'm on it sir, scanning the area now. Approximate time: 5 minutes."
"Are you freaking kidding me right now!?"
I yelled in frustration. I took cover under a nearby tree to at least get out from some of the rain. I put Renamon down beside the tree and noticed that her breathing was getting slower and slower.
"Come on Renamon, don't die on me now!"
I said.
"Jarvis, any time now!"
I yelled to Jarvis. My hair was soaking wet, and I was already feeling the effects of hypothermia.
"Oh god, it can't end like this...NOT THIS!"
Chapter 5: Safe and Sound…for now
Finally, Jarvis spoke.
"Sir, I scanned the area and found a house not far from your location. Proceed a few meters south and you will find it."
Jarvis said.
"It's about time!"
I shouted.
After walking in the pouring rain for nearly 10 minutes, I spotted a small, white house.
I kicked open the door and saw that the house had furniture still left in it. I put Renamon down on a nearby couch and started searching the house for medical supplies. Luckily, there was a medkit upstairs in one of the bathrooms. While I was upstairs, I found a bright, yellow jacket with multiple pockets in the attic. I decided to take the jacket and give it to Renamon, since she must be freezing after being out in that rain for nearly half an hour.
I quickly raced downstairs to aid Renamon's wounds.
I shook Renamon and said:
"Hey…hey, you awake Renamon?"
She flinched and held her forehead.
"Ugh…where…where am I?"
Renamon said in confusion.
"We're safe Renamon, don't worry about a thing. I found a house that we can stay in."
I said to her softly.
"Oh, and I also found this in the upstairs attic."
I said, showing her the yellow jacket.
"…looks…nice…"
She whispered.
"Also, I found a medical kit. So stay still while I try and patch up that nasty gash on your stomach."
I said to her softly.
Renamon nodded her head faintly and I immediately got to work.
It only took me about 20 minutes to patch up Renamon's wounds, and it looked like she should live to see another sunrise. By this time, it had to be past midnight and Renamon was fast asleep on the couch. I put the yellow jacket around her body like a bedsheet and kissed her forehead softly.
"Goodnight Renamon…tomorrow is new day for us."
I said quietly as I smiled contently.
Chapter 6: More Then Friends
The next day, Renamon was feeling much better, so we decided to take a little walk around the forest area.
"Now remember Renamon, you must take it easy for a while for that wound to heal up on its own, ok?"
I said to her as we were getting ready to go.
"Yeah, yeah, I know that hotshot."
She said jokingly.
I looked at her and noticed that she was wearing the yellow jacket I gave her.
"It ain't THAT cold out there you know."
I said, pointing towards the jacket.
"I know."
She said as she winked at me.
"Wait…you knew I put that over your body last night didn't you?"
I said.
"Well, it was obvious Shadow."
She said, putting her hand on her hip.
"How was it obvious? You were fast asleep!"
I said in disbelief.
"I'm nocturnal Shadow, haven't you noticed?"
Renamon replied.
I thought about this for a brief moment.
"No…actually, I haven't."
I said, stroking my chin.
"Oh…well, I just thought you knew considering that's when I do my nightly hunting."
She said to me.
"Your nightly hunting?"
I said, raising an eyebrow.
"I think I'll explain that when we get to the forest."
Renamon suggested.
"Agreed."
I said as I opened the door.
"Ladies first."
I said as I bowed.
"*giggle* Thanks sweetheart."
She said as she walked through the door.
"S-Sweetheart? Now that's odd coming from a furry yellow vixen."
I thought to myself.
"Hey! Are you coming or what?"
Renamon called out to me.
"Huh? Oh! Yeah, hold on a second Renamon, I just need to grab my guns."
I said as I leaned over towards the nightstand where I put my guns.
I swiped the guns from the stand and ran over to where Renamon was.
We then headed deep into the forest and during that time, nether one of us said a single word. Then finally, I decided to speak up.
"So…uh…what is this 'Nightly Hunting' that you mentioned? Is it some sort of daily routine?"
I asked Renamon.
She didn't respond. She looked like she was in some kind of deep thought or something.
I raised my voice slightly and called her name.
"Renamon."
"…Huh?"
She said in confusion.
"Are you ok Renamon? You looked really concerned about something."
I said to her as we stopped walking.
"Oh, it was nothing. It's just…"
I then noticed that she was beginning to blush.
"Are you sure you're ok, because you're sort of blushing right now."
I pointed out.
Renamon's eyes grew wide and she turned her head away from me in embarrassment.
"I'm not blushing you idiot!"
She said angrily.
"Ok, ok! Calm down Renamon."
I said as I raised my hands to my shoulders.
Me and Renamon stood there silently for a couple of seconds. But then Renamon spoke up.
"…Shadow…"
She said softly.
"Y-Yeah Renamon?"
I replied.
She turned her head slowly back to me, revealing her still blushing face.
"I…I…"
I walked over to her and put my finger on her lips.
"There's no need to explain Renamon…I think I already know what's going on."
I said to her softly.
"Y-You do?"
She said, looking straight at my eyes.
"Yeah…back at the house, when you called me 'sweetheart', I know that wasn't you talking."
I said to Renamon.
"Yeah…you're right Shadow…That wasn't me back there…I guess I just got…carried away."
She said as she turned her head away from me again.
"Hey now, it's ok Renamon. I understand completely. The reason where you got carried away-"
I said as I grabbed her chin softly and moved her head towards my eyes.
"-Was because you wanted to thank me for saving you, correct?"
I said as I smiled at her.
She giggled slightly and said:
"No hotshot…THIS is why I got carried away."
Renamon said as she closed her eyes, leaned forwards and kissed me on the lips.
Her lips were so soft and smooth, I couldn't even urge myself to pull away from her grasp.
After a few long seconds of kissing, Renamon broke the kiss and opened her eyes. I noticed that she was blushing even more this time.
"I…I'm sorry Shadow. I didn't know what I was thinking, it's just that I…I…"
Renamon took a deep breath and said:
"…I love you…I really, truly love you Shadow."
I was in complete shook when she said those three little words, but then my shock turned to passion because, to be honest with you…I felt the same way towards Renamon ever since Day 1.
I put my hand across Renamon's cheek and said:
"…It's ok babe…because to be quite honest….I love you too."
I said as I grabbed her hands softly.
Renamon smiled back and gripped my hands back.
We then kissed once more and walked back to the house, where we had some rabbit skin to eat, and afterwards, just sat back and relaxed for most of the day.
Chapter 7: Start of Something Beautiful
Me and Renamon had a wonderful time together. It was probably better than being with my parents, despite the fact that I honestly did miss them. I noticed this during my first day here when I found out that I couldn't teleport back home. I was very heartbroken when I found this out. I started crying and crying for nearly 30 minutes. But Renamon was there to comfort me in my time of need, and I thank her for that.
But other than that, me and Renamon had a blast together. We hunted rabbits and squirrels, went stargazing at night, and we even managed to build a little campfire for ourselves thanks to the old sticks and stone trick. And so, long story short, we became the best of friends for the next 3 years.
At first I thought that this was a blessing, but as the years went by, I quickly began to realize that this was actually a dreaded curse…
Chapter 8: The Curse
One day, when Renamon and I were coming back from hunting, we noticed that a dark, humanoid figure leaning against the side of the house.
"Who the heck is that?"
I said curiously.
"I don't know Shadow, but I have a bad feeling about this."
Renamon replied.
"I'm going to check it out."
"No!"
I said, grabbing her arm tightly.
"It's too risky…I shall go."
"Ok, if you insist."
Renamon said.
I went over to the house with Renamon close behind me. I soon realized that the figure looked exactly like the one that I have encountered that day at the forest. He was leaning on the side of the house, as if waiting for someone to show.
As I approached him, he stood up and walked towards me. We both stopped once we were within a foot of each other.
I whipped out my two guns and pointed them straight at its face.
"Who the hell are you!? Why are you here!?"
I yelled at the dark figure
He said nothing, all he did was look at me with his beady, red eyes and laugh menacingly.
Then, he spoke:
"Hahahahaha…don't you see brother...I am you…"
I took a step back in shock, and Renamon did the same.
"W-…w-what in God's name are you talking about!?"
I yelled once more at him.
"Hehehe…foolish…just foolish"
I cringed my face and was about to charge him down, but Renamon grabbed my arm, preventing me from doing so.
"That bracelet that you have on your wrist rightfully belongs to me and my minions"
He said.
"HA! You and what army !?"
I said.
As soon as I said that, the figure snapped his fingers and a whole horde of dark, red-eyed figures jumped out from nearby trees, bushes and even from behind the house. They looked exactly like the real dark figure except they had white eyes instead of red.
"Alright you dark freakers, if you want a fight:"
I said as me and Renamon went into a battle stance.
"THEN YOU GOT ONE!"
"Now, now brother, there is no need for such violence. I just simply want to explain my presence of being here, that's all."
He said with open arms.
I raised my eyebrow and said:
"Go on…I'm listening."
"Now, before I jump to conclusions, allow me to introduce myself. I have no name at the moment, but many refer to me as: The Dark One, so you can just call me Darkness."
He said with a grin.
"I don't care about names Darkness! Just tell me why you're here!"
I shouted.
"Ah yes, right"
Darkness replied calmly.
"About 5, maybe 6 years ago, I was working on building a device that would grant the user unlimited powers and abilities. Now WHERE I was working is of none of your concern as it is highly classified and top secret. Anyway, a couple of weeks later, I finally finished my creation and decided to test out the full extent of its abilities. So, I went outside to the testing chamber to test it, and during the testing, the device unleashed a mighty force that blew all the windows in the facility, sending me and some of my minions hurling towards a planet called 'Earth'."
He took a deep breath and continued his speech.
"I braced myself for a crash landing, and once I crash landed, I found myself in the middle of a small forest. Therefore, leading me here"
My mind was racing with thoughts, I just couldn't believe what I was hearing, How did Jarvis start out as a mad scientist's creation, and why was it inside of a giant meteor!?
"Wait one minute…when I found Jarvis, he was caved inside a giant meteor."
I explained.
"Jarvis? So that's what you called it"
He said with a smile.
"Interesting…"
"And what about the meteor part?"
I asked.
"Hmm…the device must have formed into some kind of meteor before it reached Earth."
"Yeah, and I refuse to give him back to you!"
I said in defiance.
The whole forest went silent for a couple of seconds. Then, out of nowhere, a horde of clouds came rolling in. Then, it started to rain.
"You should not have done that, Brother!"
He growled at me.
"Now you will pay the price!
Darkness raised his hand and yelled:
"CHAAAAAARGE!"
Renamon and I went into our battle stance.
"Here!"
I said to Renamon, handing her one of my pistols.
"You'll need this!"
Renamon looked at me with a grin and said:
"Heh, Thanks hotshot."
We then charged full force at the creatures. We fought and fought for what felt like hours, but in the end, we won against the evil creatures.
"Alright you punk. ENOUGH WITH THE GAMES!"
I shouted at Darkness
"WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US!?"
"Because you took what is rightfully mine my dear friend."
He said, pointing at Jarvis.
"He said he's not giving it back!"
Renamon said, walking slowly towards the creature.
"Renamon, stay back!"
I shouted.
But it was no use, her own anger was getting the best of her.
"And who might you be, beautiful?"
He taunted.
"Heh, funny. Don't push my limits you dark freak!"
Renamon shouted back at him.
"Oh don't worry my dear, I'm not pushing anything. Now, all I want is my device back, so if I could just-"
He said.
"Not a chance, punk!"
Renamon said.
Just as Renamon said that, she threw a punch at the dark figure, but he was too quick and dodged the attack flawlessly. Darkness then pulled a knife out from his slimy body, I was the first to notice this.
"Renamon, look out!"
I shouted, trying to alert her.
But when she turned around to see who was there, Darkness charged forward and stabbed Renamon in the chest with his weapon.
"NOOOOOOOO!"
I cried out.
Renamon gagged and held her chest tightly. She collapsed on her knees, gasping for air. Then, Darkness pulled the knife from her body, and said:
"I'm so sorry my dear, but you were just so annoying!"
He said with an evil grin on his face.
I fell to my knees, shocked as to what I was seeing. I couldn't even talk…
All that came out were mumbles and tears of agony.
"W….w….why?...why would you do this to me?..."
I stuttered tearfully.
"Well, it was either that or obey my direct orders, right brother?"
The dark figure said, looking down at me.
"But you…you….you killed my only friend…you killed Renamon for no reason….you…you…"
I stuttered.
"...YOU MONSTER!"
I charged straight at Darkness, but he was faster than me and dodged my attack. Then he grabbed me in a chokehold and brought me to the ground. I tried to retaliate, but it was no use, I couldn't break free from his grasp.
"You're not the strongest tool in the shed are you?"
He said while choking me to death.
"Perhaps, I could help you with that."
Chapter 9: The Beast Within
Darkness opened his mouth wide open and a purple aura of energy dispersed from his throat. Suddenly, a purpleish mist floated out from his throat and into mine, it wasn't painful at first, but it progressively got more and more agonizing.
Suddenly, I felt something inside of me just snap. I felt a strong, painful wave of heat strike my chest, which caused me to groan and yell in pain. It lasted what felt like an eternity, but when the pain stopped, I didn't feel like myself anymore, like something changed inside me.
"W-what…WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!?"
I yelled.
I suddenly started screaming in pain and I held my stomach tightly. This lasted for about half a minute, and Darkness was there the whole time, just watching me suffer for no reason at all.
When the pain had subsided, I knelt to the ground in pain and tried to talk, but all that came out was a faint wheeze.
Darkness smiled and said:
"Enjoy my little gift, brother? Well if not, then get used to it! Because from now on until the sun rises, you will be known as a monster!"
At this point, I didn't know what was going on. But I did know that my mind was being taunted with by that sinister murderer.
When I finally got to my feet, I looked up at Darkness and frowned angrily, saying:
"What are you lookin' at freak?"
Darkness only chuckled and said to me:
"Let's not worry about me dear Brother, let's worry about your image!"
Darkness then held up a small glass mirror in front of me.
When I looked at the mirror, I noticed that my eyes had changed from sky blue to blood red and my hands were on fire, LIERALLY. But on the inside, I felt like weird, like I was angry about something but I didn't know what.
I chuckled and said:
"Hey there good lookin'."
Darkness took away the mirror and said aloud:
"Hmm…I expected something more…'sinister' to happen to you."
Darkness said to me.
"Yeah yeah, sinister my ass! Now quit talkin' and start explaining pal!"
I said angrily.
Suddenly, I heard someone calling my name from behind.
It was Renamon, she was still alive, but bleeding heavily.
"SHADOW!...SHADOW, SNAP OUT OF IT, PLEASE!"
Renamon shouted from afar.
"What the-? I thought I killed you!"
Darkness said.
I turned around to see who was talking and saw Renamon lying on the ground, bleeding to death.
"Did…that fox just talk to me?"
I said confused.
Darkness raised an eyebrow and said:
"Wait, do you even know where you are and why?"
I looked back at him and said:
"Well no shit Sherlock, of course I don't know!"
Darkness then grew a sinister smile on his face as if he had an idea.
He knew that I had no memory of what happened in the past days, so he used this to his advantage.
"Now now, let's not get ourselves in a fit here young one."
Darkness said as he put his arm around my body.
"Let's make a deal. If you eliminate that little yellow pest over there, I will transport you back to your original dimension."
I looked at Darkness confusingly and said:
"And why the hell should I listen to a scumbag like you!?"
Darkness chuckled and said:
"Because if not, I will trap you in this retched world for all eternity!"
I did a little laugh and said:
"Yeah, whatever freak."
Chapter 10: Her Last Breath
As I approached Renamon, I looked down at her face.
"Sh-Shadow….please….d-d-don't do this…"
Renamon pleaded as she held her wound tightly with her left paw.
I raised my right arm, about to strike Renamon when suddenly, I felt my body freeze in place. My flaming fist was half an inch away from Renamons face.
When my red eyes gazed into hers, I felt my mind restore its sanity and I quickly regained control of my senses.
I looked at her and said:
"…Renamon…"
She reached her bloodied paw up slowly and stroked my face, her eyes slowly fluttering in the brutal rain that was pouring from the skies above.
"Y-Yes Shadow *retch* *cough*….I-Its me…I'm still here…"
Renamon stuttered as she was coughing up blood from her mouth.
I then slowly started to shift back into my original state. My hands started to lose its flame and my eyes had regained its color.
"Ugh…what…what happened…?"
I said tiredly.
I then looked up to see Renamon, covered from her waist down with her own blood. I then remembered Darkness stabbing Renamon and I made no hesitation to answer her dying call.
"Oh my god, Renamon!"
I said as tears started to roll down my cheeks.
She was in very bad shape. Her wound was pretty big and was bleeding quite fast. By the looks of it, she most likely have lost almost half her blood supply within the last 5-6 minutes.
"I-It's going to be ok Renamon, ok? You're going to be just fine."
I said in a burst of panic.
"*cough* *sputter*…no…I won't be ok, Shadow…*cough*"
Renamon said weakly.
"No Renamon! You will live…You MUST live! I NEED YOU!"
I cried out to her.
"*wheeze*…you have to let me go, Shadow…please…"
She pleaded.
"NO! I WON'T LEAVE YOU TO SUFFER LIKE THIS!"
I shouted.
"…then help me end it…"
Renamon said slowly.
I gasped in disbelief, I didn't know what to do. I want to save her….but I don't have any medical supplies or medicine to give to her. Therefore, I have to make my choice:
Stand by her side until she dies.
Or end her life to save her from suffering.
It was now or never, so I had to act quickly.
Chapter 11: The Hardest Decision
"R-Renamon…I'm not going to stand here and see you suffer…therefore…I will save you from further pain…"
I said to her as I picked up one of my guns from off the ground.
"…T-Thank you…Shadow…"
She said to me.
I cocked the gun and pointed it right at her forehead.
"…Wait…"
Renamon wheezed.
I lowered down my weapon and said:
"W-What? What is it babe?"
"…I…I have something…to give you…"
Renamon said.
I knelt down to her level as she reached into her jacket pocket.
She then pulled out a small metal dagger with a smooth wooden handle. Looking closer at it, I noticed that it had my name engraved into the wood of the handle.
"R-Renamon….I…I can't accept this…"
I quivered out.
"No, Shadow…take it…so that you…will always…remember me…"
Renemon wheezed.
"…Ok, ok…I'll take it…"
I said as I slowly took the knife from Renamon's bloodied hand.
I looked at the knife for a brief second and when I looked back at Renamon, her eyes were nearly closed. It was at that moment that I realized she had only seconds left to live.
"Renamon…R-Renamon, wake up…wake up, please!"
I said, grasping Renamon gently by the arms.
She slowly opened her eyes and said.
"Shadow…Remember these words…"
She took one last, final breath and said softly:
"I will always be by your side….always…"
Her head then slowly drooped down to the ground and her eyes closed shut for the final time.
Renamon, my only friend in this dimension, was dead.
Chapter 12: The Birth of a New Man
The moment that she died, I swear that I could feel a sence of pain and sorrow in my heart. Renamon meant the world to me, I loved her that much. I swore to myself on the first days that we met that I would protect her, but it looks like I failed to keep that promise.
I looked at Renamon's cold, lifeless body, unable to process what just happened.
"…R-Renamon…Renamon please…don't leave me here alone…god, please no…"
I said as I started to cry uncontrollably.
"No…no no no NO NO! RENAMON! RENAMOOOON!"
I cried out in sorrow.
I continued to cry and weep for a full minute, my mind was going insane. I had no control over my emotions, I was broken. I closed my eyes to try and keep myself sane.
Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind me, saying:
"So…looks like the almighty hero DOES have feelings after all. MWHAHAHAHA!"
Thoughts ran across my broken up mind, angry thoughts.
Torture.
Hate.
Pride.
Vengeance.
All those rage inducing thoughts replaced my sorrow for Renamon, turning my mind into a bloodthirsty killer seeking nothing but vengeance.
When I opened my eyes, orange flames could be seen in the pupils of my eyeballs and my head felt like it was being set on fire.
I turned around slowly to face Darkness, standing several feet away from me. His arms were crossed and an evil grin was seen spreading across his face.
I groaned in pain and collapsed to my knees, grabbing my head with both hands in the process.
Suddenly, I noticed that my hands started to catch fire. Next were my arms, then my feet and legs. I didn't know what was going on, but for some strange reason, I liked it.
I started laughing menacingly as my full body was engulfed in bright, blue flames.
When my transformation was complete, I stared at Darkness with red, bloodthirsty eyes and spoke in a demon-like voice:
"I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY DARKNESS! I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE US ALONE!"
I felt totally different than before, I actually felt…good.
"AND NOW….YOU WILL DIE!"
I said as I charged straight at Darkness.
Darkness didn't even flinch, but instead snapped his fingers and a purple colored portal appeared behind him.
He jumped into the portal, leaving nothing but a big puff of purple smoke behind.
I stopped running when I realized Darkness escaped.
I let out a mighty roar of pure anger and slammed my fists on the ground.
I looked behind me and saw Renamon's lifeless body just lying there, alone and helpless.
My anger then quickly turned back into pain and remorse.
I slowly walked over to where her body was and knelt down beside it.
I then picked up Renamon's body and hugged it tightly while I cried.
Renamon meant the world to me…and now that she's gone, I didn't know what else to do.
Do I join her in death?
Or do I just go on without her.
It was a hard choice to make, but in the end, I decided to keep living my life to the fullest, with or without friends and family.
Chapter 13: Sorrow
I then picked up Renamon's cold body and carried her deep into the forest.
I couldn't just leave Renamon out here all alone. She needs a place to call home, she needed to be buried in the forest.
Once I found a spot for Renamon's burial, I started to dig into the soil, but it would take me days before I reach a decent depth.
I slammed my fists to the ground, swearing under my breath.
I then noticed that my fire ability hadn't disappeared when I deformed into my human form.
"…What the hell am I becoming…"
I said.
Without even thinking, I started burning down into the soil and within a matter of seconds, I reached a decent level.
My mind was slipping into madness again, but this time I knew what was going on, and I just didn't care anymore.
I then crouched down and took a giant leap out of the deep pit that I dug.
I made it out in one jump, I didn't know what I was becoming…but I liked it.
I looked at Renamon's body and I stopped smiling. I knelt down beside her and put her lifeless hand onto mine.
"I will make him suffer Renamon…This I promise you."
I said in a low voice.
I picked up her body and walked over to her grave spot.
I then took one last look at her face, closed my eyes, and released my grip.
The only thing I could hear was a loud thud at the bottom of the grave.
I opened up my eyes, only to realize that I transformed into that alter ego again.
"Huh? Where am i? And why in gods name is there a big black hole in the ground?
I said, rubbing my head in confusion.
"Some poor bastard must've fell in here 'cause I can see a dead body in there. Should i…ah, to hell with it."
I said as I put the left over dirt back into the hole.
When I was done filling the grave, I looked around me and said:
"Now to get out of this forest."
I walked around for what seemed like hours, but finally, I spotted my house.
"Well I'll be damned."
I said with a smile.
When I finally got to my house, I opened the door and immediately headed to the main bedroom.
I got into bed and I fell asleep.
Chapter 14: The Vow
When I woke up the day, I felt like I just had a hangover. My head was pounding, my eyes were heavy and bloodshot, and my muscles were still pretty weak.
I went downstairs, expecting Renamon to be there to greet me.
But there was no one there.
I just shrugged it off and went outside to hunt for breakfast.
During my hunt, I came across a strangely placed piece of wood on top of a pile of dirt.
Curious, I went to investigate the piece of wood.
Upon inspection, I noticed that there was something carved into the front of the wood.
It read:
"Here lays Renamon, a brave fighter who never deserved to die like this. May her soul be at peace…"
As soon as I finished reading the carving, a jumped back and gasped in horror.
My mind was then flooded with memories of what happened that night.
The fight with Darkness, Renamon getting murdered before my eyes, and digging the grave I made for her. It all came back to me.
I then noticed that there was a knife with a wooden handle plunged into the wooden gravestone.
It was the knife that Renamon gave to me in her dying moment.
I gently grabbed the knife and pulled on it, releasing its grip from the wooden gravestone.
I stared at the knife for a few solid minutes while painful memories flashed in my head.
I knew what I had to do…
I had to avenge Renamon.
For her sake and mine.
I firmly gripped the knife and choked back tears of agony.
I then looked at Renamon's grave and said:
"I'm sorry that I couldn't save you…I tried, I really did. But I wasn't fast enough…I wasn't strong enough...But from here on out, there will be no distractions! No love! And no more care! All those things are dead to me now! And I will destroy ANYONE who will try and stop me from killing that cold-hearted monster!"
I took a deep breath and continued.
"I'm done with being the good guy! I'm through with trying to make friends! From now on until the day that I die, I WILL WORK ALONE!"
When I screamed out those last few words, I felt something inside me just…snap. My mind filled up with violent thoughts and plans, I could swear that I was turning into Darkness!
My hands suddenly started to catch fire again, but all I did was look at them and smirk devilishly.
Chapter 15: The Birth of Sombre
As days went by, my anger towards darkness grew stronger and stronger and my tolerance for love shrunk bit by bit. I couldn't stop thinking about Darkness and how I should kill him, my mind was in another world. A world full of rage, anger, and vengeance. At one point during my first days of working alone, I started taking my anger out on innocent little animals, beating and throwing them around. I even went as far as to rip some poor squirrel apart limb from limb and eating them while they were still suffering. I eventually fainted from being so enraged, and when I woke up, I could barely recollect what happened. But there were times where I would not even feel rage, but pain and regret. On those days, I would walk to a Renamon's grave and pray to her. I would tell her how sorry I was for not being able to save her in time and how I wasn't strong even to do so. It was at that moment that I realized what I had to do. I had to make myself stronger and more powerful if I wanted to face Darkness again in the future. Plus, now that Darkness has put a curse on me, I need to know how to control it and what power it may have. And that's exactly what I did.
For more than a year, I've been training myself to take control of this 'alter ego' inside me, but alas, in the end, I failed miserably. But I did learn how it is triggered.
Turns out, whenever I get mad or frustrated at something, I feel a big pain in my appendix area, like something was about to burst inside of me. But after a few short seconds, the pain subsides and I turn into my alter ego.
I decided later on in my training that my ego needs a name, just so that if I ever happen to get back home, the people of earth will know what I have. So I thought for a long time and eventually, I came up with a name.
I decided to name my alter ego, Sombre, which means 'dark' in French. It kind of suits him sense he acts like a crude badass.
One day, when I was doing some training exercises in the forest, I noticed a faint glow in the distance in front of me.
"Huh? What is that?"
I asked.
I quietly walked towards it and later found out that the glow was actually what looked like a black hole.
At first, I was confused. But then I started to remember something that Darkness said to me when I was Sombre.
"Let's make a deal. If you eliminate that little yellow pest over there, I will transport you back to your original dimension."
I opened my mouth in awe and said:
"No…it can't be…"
In my mind, I could swear that this black hole is my ticket out of this place! I could finally be with my real family!
"This can't be true, I didn't kill Renamon. She died from blood loss, didn't she?"
I asked myself.
My mind was racing with questions on how this is happening and why, back I knew what my answer was going to be.
Yes.
Yes, I want to see my family again. I want to see my home town and smell the nice, fresh air.
But there was something that kept me from going in there.
Renamon.
I couldn't just leave her here all alone, she needs me more than ever.
But when I thought about it harder, Renamon is basically non-existent, a fictional cartoon character.
It made me feel better when I thought about it that way.
So, in the end, I walked through the portal to see if what Darkness said was true.
To Be Continued in Part 2