created a monster
A hell within my head
With nowhere to go
I'm out on my own
Oh, I'm so scared
I created a monster
A beast inside my brain
With nowhere to go
I'm not on my own
My mind impaired
Awake me from my nightmare
'What am I?'
That was the question that rang inside the creature's new, adapting mind.
There was darkness surrounding him. So much darkness. The ocean was pitch black as he tried to swim past the wreckage of the ship. It was difficult to maneuver, with his new form hindering him at the worst possible times. His joints ached, his tail was heavy, and everything hurt. It hurt so much that he wondered how he was still alive. But he did move much faster than before- which helped.
His eyesight seemed to be worse as well. Everything was foggy and disoriented, forcing him to use his other senses to his advantage- like his new improved sense of smell.
He couldn't even tell how long it had been. Hours? Days? Weeks? He was too deep underwater to even see the sun. Not that he really remembered what it looked like. He didn't remember much at all.
He remembered a bright light. The feeling of his body changing, and the pain that came with it. He heard screams that didn't belong to him, before everything faded into silence.
He wondered who those screams belonged to. They sounded close to him, and equally as wounded by his appearance. If they had names, he didn't know them. But they were important. They had to be. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep seeing them in his dreams.
He needn't worry about that now. No, he had important things to worry about. How to survive now that he was alone.
He snapped his jaws back eagerly, catching a runaway squid with ease. It would satisfy his rumbling belly for a little while longer; if not for the whole night if he was lucky. He couldn't help but feel a certain burst of delight as the squid struggled to keep alive- even as he tore its limbs one by one like taffy strings being pulled apart. He enjoyed every bite. It was part of being an animal.
He was full, but he couldn't shake the pit from his stomach. He didn't know what he was feeling, it wasn't anything that he ever recalled to have experienced. It wasn't hunger, or pain or exhaustion that was causing him this sorrow.
It was loneliness.
He just wanted to swim home. Wherever home was.
He found a nearby cave and tried to get some sleep.
The mutation process was horrible. It was the most agonizing pain he had ever felt in his short life. A thousand knives digging into his flesh, screams that faded into animalistic roars, gills scattering his body and pricking his skin. He couldn't bear it any longer. He wanted it to stop.
Broken, shaky gasps came from his throat- any last, precious moment of his sanity would be lost in seconds.
He hit the ground with a thud. The voices around him were getting louder. Speaking words he did not understand. But they were important- they had to be.
And then...it all stopped all at once. Warm brown eyes met his own. They were hugging him, assuring him that everything would be alright. He desperately wanted to reply. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He saw the little stranger's eyes fill with tears. They were so much smaller than he was.
"It'll be okay Leo, I'm here...I'm here..." the figure in orange whispered, "I love you brother."
"Give him space," another voice said, a bit harsher than the last. They were panicking too. "Leo?"
Brothers...Family...Leo...
Leo...
'Is that my name?'
His eyes snapped open. The one hugging him in his dreams...he was his kin. The little one who cared for him. There were others too but they were blurry figments of his own imagination at this point.
He had to find the little one as soon as possible. Then, he could find the others.
At least he knew his name. That was one positive.
He croaked out a sound, attempting to say his name, only to be met with bubbles squeaking out his throat. He couldn't speak anymore, let alone underwater.
He had to swim to the surface. He started to swim as fast as he possibly could, wagging his tail back and forth until he reached the top. Through his blurry vision, he saw them. They were grinning and beaming, clad in bright colors. Red, orange, purple and yellow. All with him. Hugging him close. Comforting him. He would reunite with his kin and they would...
He stopped as soon as his massive dorsal fin breached the water. The corner of his eye saw the jagged fin and flinched at its terrifying appearance.
What if they saw him and were frightened and repulsed by what he looked like? Would they really want to care for the horrible sea monster?
He started to float down back to his cave. In the darkness, where a freak like him belonged.