Human One

23. Home, Sweet, Highclere

It's dark......I feel like I'm going to hurl. 

There's voices muttering somewhere nearby. They quiet down for a few seconds, then start up again. I can't make out anything they're saying, but I guess I don't have to because the darkness, like a persistent child, tugs me, lulling me back to sleep.

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I woke up a few times after that, but it wasn't until about the sixth time (I had stopped counting), that I was able to open my eyes.

The first thing that greets me is a flash of white, black spots dotting my vision as the pain in my shoulder flares to life. It's slightly duller than what I was expecting, maybe due to medication I'm most likely on. If this is what it feels like now, I'd hate to experience what it'd feel like without the pain relievers. 

I blink, staring at the white ceiling above me and not daring to move a muscle as my vision adjusts. Now that I think about it, my entire body feels numb besides the discomfort in my shoulder, and I wonder how long I've been in that comatose state.

How much blood did I lose? But more importantly, what happened after I blacked out?

I roll my head to the right, my chin hitting my right shoulder, the injured one,and making me yelp in pain.

Ack! Ouch that hurts. This brings me back to old times, when I had that deadly migraine that was so painful it caused me to black out a time or two, but hey, at least there wasn't any blood involved. I can't say the same for my situation now, based on the red color I see out of the corner of my eye.

Okay, take two.

I roll my head to the left, my shoulder still protesting, but not as bad.

Wait a second.

A fireplace is in my direct line of sight, except where there should be fire, there's lava. A little ways from that is a familiar black lounge set, complete with a coffee table.

Hold on. I must be still asleep or dreaming, cause this looks exactly like my room back at Highclere.

No, I decide as I see the towel still laying on the floor in front of the bathroom door where I had lazily left it. This is my room.

Did Lager teleport me immediately here after I got hurt? That can be the only reason as to why I'm here and still alive. Does that mean Lager and Zero didn't end up killing each other?

Suddenly the door opens, and my eyes immediately dart to it, hoping with all hope that it's Lager in one piece, but instead I'm quite surprised to see a familiar head of blonde curls walk in.

"Max?" I croak out, cringing when my voice comes out sounding like dying Mongoose.

His electric blue eyes flash to me in surprise and he stops in his tracks, face turning pale.

I give him what I hope can pass off as a smile, although it's most likely a week one, lifting the hand attached to my unhurt shoulder. "I'm alive." I say in a still rough but slightly clearer voice.

Max swallows loudly, before there's a bright white flash that almost blinds me since there was no warning, and in the next second a little blue monkey is throwing themselves towards the bed landing on top of me in an adorable monkey hug. He msot likely changed forms so that he wouldn't crush me in his human form, but even as a monkey it almost knocked the wind out of me.