12. THE LOTTERY.

To my surprise, I actually woke up. To my greater surprise, I was in bed. It was dark, but I could tell this was a hospital. The drip in my arm sort of gave it away. I turned my head, and there was a window, and I recognised the flashing night skyline of Auckland. The sky was brightening, so it must be near morning. I turned my head the other way and saw white material covering the door. There was no one else there. I was thirsty, and a paper cup and some water were on the side table. I helped myself. The water tasted funny. Smelled funny?

What are the chances of surviving three mutations? Around 12% I think. I should have bought a lottery ticket as well. 12% is still a much better chance than winning the lottery.

The critical question is, what did I win in this lottery? A much expanded internal essence, for sure. I could feel it. I could also feel a connection going off from my Essence pool. I couldn’t feel who or what it connected to, but it was just through that wall there. I am betting it was Carla, which means she is still alive but potentially unconscious. There was nothing to tell me what day it was or how long I was out for.

What else? There must be something else. This is where I wish I were in a LITRPG story where they have text boxes appear and tell you about everything. Unfortunately, this is not a fantasy story. It is very much real.

I could sense my poison, and it had a much larger connection to my essence. I can’t sense physical mutations like my breathable skin, so I did a physical check. Two arms, two legs, one penis. One head, unless you count the penis. I have ten fingers and ten toes. There is no webbing between them.

My eyes appeared to see the same, or are they a bit better in the dark? I am not sure. Should I be able to make out Rangitoto Island this early in the morning? That needs testing.

I could hear noises outside my door and the clear noises of a city waking up. My hearing is definitely better. Much better. I concentrate and can almost make out the conversation at the nurse's station down the corridor. Super hearing. That is cool.

I sniff. Whoa, that is a strong smell of disinfectant and hospital. Fuck can I shut that down? No, of course, I can’t fucking shut down my sense of smell. Shit, this is going to take some getting used to. I breathe through my mouth and then just stop breathing. A monitor beeps, shit. Breathe through my mouth. Super smell, not so cool.

Ok, a massive enhancement of my sense of hearing and smell. And maybe a more minor enhancement of my other senses. I did sense when the shark was coming a few times. Should I have been able to do that? I don’t know.

That last time, I definitely sensed it coming, but I was facing Carla, not the shark. How? I cast around, trying to sense what I couldn’t see, and then I did. The area around me lit up with electrical sensations. It is like I was sensing electrical fields, but they only reached a meter, maybe two meters out. The monitor next to me was bright, as were the sensors on my chest. I am fucking glad it was only short-range, or I would be overwhelmed. The wall next to my bed snaked with wires.

I really need to research sharks and their senses. Because I suspect that is where it comes from. Probably with some randomness added in. Of course, there is nothing here I can access the internet with. I wonder where my phone is. And my bike. I don’t know how I got here. I assume it was Carla, or somebody found us and called the rescue helicopter. That would be easy to find out. What I have a problem with is that this looks like an isolation unit. Essentially, I am in a lab, and I suspect Carla is as well.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

I lay quietly for a while, thinking about the consequences of being in a lab and what options there might be. I know New Zealand does not currently have laws around the Anomalies, but other countries are enacting some. I am sure laws can be passed quickly if they think they are needed. The recent Covid pandemic proved that.

Take things slowly. Play dumb. Get as much information as I can. That is the only plan I can come up with. Especially play dumb. I can hear Carla saying that won’t be hard for me…

Then, my connection to Carla came alive. My eyes flicked to the wall she was on the other side of. It was definitely her, but the connection was of pain. Ongoing and shifting pain.

Alarms started ringing from the room next door, and people started moving rapidly outside my door. The alarms were loud to my enhanced hearing. I need to manage this somehow.

Pain moving through her body. Excruciating pain.

I saw contamination-helmeted people move fast past my door.

Shit, can I do anything with this link? I can feel her. Can she feel me? I try to project a sense of calmness and peace. What a fucking lie. I am not calm and at peace. When did I last feel peace? Christmas Eve, lying in my tent watching the stars, expecting it to be my last night alive. Shit, I don’t want to kill her.

I try anyway. If she dies, I would rather it was in peace than in pain.

Well fuck, that is useless. The pain is getting worse, and I am only getting a secondary and muted sense of it. It has to be muted, or I would be screaming and tearing my eyes out.

I must be able to do something. The connection is to my essence core. I can’t call it core. That sounds too much like a fantasy story. Too bad.

I try to shove essence down the connection, and it works. I can feel it going. I don’t know what it is doing when it gets there, but I keep doing it. Fucking have some more. I have this massive core. Let's use it. I don’t know if I will get the essence back or if I have to return to the anomaly, but I guess now is the time to test it.

I can feel the core emptying. Not sure what is happening at the other end. Can I do waves of energy? Should I do waves of energy? I don’t want to overwhelm her and cause another mutation. Can I do that? God, there is so much fucking stuff I don’t know.

I try pulsing the energy. That increases the flow a bit. The pain hasn’t lessened. Shit, I hope she is not dying. This has gone on forever. How can she stand so much pain? She must still be unconscious otherwise, she will be driven mad by it. I gather my essence and then slam it down the connection in a wave. If I had some extra fingers, they would be crossed as well.

The wave did something. The pain stopped. Did it kill her? I am getting no sensations back. Is that good? Is that bad? Hopefully, it means she is just back unconscious and not in pain. I will get attention soon and ask, but I will wait until they mostly finish with Carla.

I lie back and test my senses, especially my smell and my electro thingy. My mind keeps drifting back to Carla. Did she lose the lottery? She might not be dead, but if she is in pain all the time she is awake, then she lost big time. Did they drug her to put her back under?

Shit drugs. I eye the drip suspiciously. They could have kept us unconscious for weeks and run tests. I think it is unlikely, or I would not have woken, but it is something else to be concerned about. How can I tell? Ah. My wounds. My chest still aches, and I have plasters and bandages all over. Not weeks, but probably days.

The sun is up, so it is probably about 6:30 am this time of the year in Auckland. It is time to find out what is going on. My stomach rumbles, and to get some food.