I woke up with a gasp.

Then everything hit me all at once-

Gagging, I squeezed my face and forced down a mouthful of bile. When I was sure that I won't puke from only moving, I opened one eye and courageously sat up. Save for a few faint outlines of what I think is a couch right next to the bed and a fridge stuck to the wall on the right side of the room, everything is dark. No light came from the blinded windows and also- I can hear a steady breathing right next to me.

Choosing to ignore that for now, I decided to look around and take in every bit of detail I can get; The room's the standard 8 by 8 you can find on places that host Neon Parties 24/7 as well as all the furniture that comes with it. My eyes adjusted better to the darkness and I can see cargo pants on the floor to my right, my shoes are a few feet away from it and if I'm seeing things right, then I somehow had the clarity last night to hang my jacket on a hook by the door.

I think my underwear's somewhere near the foot of the bed since I can't see it.

There's women's clothing all over the place too, denim jeans by the fridge, low-heeled sandals near the door, and a white tee with a black splotch on the chest on the couch. Directly underneath it is a laced bra, black with red laces.

And then there's my partner herself- I looked down to the ball of dark-grey hair pressing against my left arm swaying lightly every time the woman breathed. Parting the hair with my fingers let me see a pretty face with a high nose, long eyes, and thin lips all mushed together in a tiny heart-shaped face to create the cutest looking face I've ever seen.

And she's laying right next to me, completely naked.

This is a one night stand no matter how I look at it. And worse- I don't even have any memories of dragging her to bed because I blacked out! When was the last time it happened anyways? A year ago? I don't know, I've been clean for a while now. 'And then he comes back and just ruins it.'

I know that I'm the one who came to him in the first place but fuck he didn't have to make me go through the tunnel again- or even just invite me inside his lab when he's just gonna say no to me before leaving me alone instead of helping me back out!

'I should've taken something away from him.' A souvenir sounded nice, maybe one of those guns that he loves so much. 'That's it. I'm taking a pistol the next time I'm seeing him.'

Or maybe a shotgun? That sounds fun to carry.

Going back to the woman- I thought that I'd just snap back to an empty bedroom, leave, and see what time of the day it is before finding my way out of the Dam and into some decrepit part of the slums to practice my powers but I guess I have to deal with a one night stand first. Mainly by giving her food before sending her away- a basic courtesy if anything.

I flinched when she stirred slightly, 'Great. Now I'm acting like a little kid.'

Who taught me to be a gentleman anyways? I got "raised" by a man who's more than glad to throw people into a vat of fluid for experiments! Where the hell did I get morals good enough to not just ditch a girl that I know I won't meet for the rest of my life? And what's stopping me from leaving?

'Your conscience.' A part of me argues.

And that part of me is right, I'm gonna feel guilty if I just get up and leave her like this. I don't know if it counts or not but there are a lot of people out there willing to help a starving kid in the streets, and if they're willing to give those children food, then, clearly it's something to be given if you can. 'The question is? Can I?'

Checking my wallet confirmed that, in fact, can. By some miracle, I still have 148 Digits left. A far cry from the 329 I had last night but honestly? Still having over a hundred after a blackout is a new experience for me.

I slipped into my clothes and out of the room- only to cover my eyes with my hand when the barrage of disco lights started flickering all around me. Right. I completely forgot that Neon Parties don't actually stop, only the people that go to them.

'And sometimes even that doesn't happen-' I thought as I stared at a corpse getting carried away from the dance floor. Too high to care, everyone else didn't even bother staring at it as they got carried away. Dying from either drugs or exhaustion sounded like a dream for me back then too, but seeing scenes like this really put it into perspective for me- 'No one's gonna care about you.'

A harsh whisper echoed somewhere far, adding a word that I chose to ignore. Clone.

"Hey there~~" I pushed myself backward and looked at the girl who shoved herself into me with a frown, "Remember me?~~" she said in a sing song voice, which I didn't get. is it supposed to help jog my memory or what? I only stared at her, annoyed.

She started laughing, "Of course you don't!" Really? It's like I blacked out or something. "But I remember you." Her lips curled into a smirk and she pressed a sharp nail against my chest.

"Hey- I'm sorry if you do." I said bluntly, pushing past her, "But I just came out of a room that had a girl in it. I'm sore." Not really, but the lie stands. "I'm not up for another round."

I thanked my lucky stars that she only pursed her lips and let me walk away.

I walked out of the hotel room/bar I spent the night in and went to the elevator to go down a few floors. A ding later and the door opened to an entire floor that sold food. It didn't matter if it was raw or cooked, this place sold it. I stepped into the floor and went inside the first place I recognized.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

The inside of "Generation's Digested Diet." is as campy as the establishment's name: An assortment of dirt-brown stools, benches, and other old-timey stuff filled the joint's interior, taking up some of the space left is a currently dead Phonograph, there's a CD on it and the large trumpet attached to it looked ready to play but since no one inserted a coin, it's off.

Cold air took over everything when I closed the door. After wiping my shoes on the doormat, I stepped forward and took in a large, deep breath of cold air that made me feel nostalgic.

"Hello!" The only waitress greeted me with a smile.

"Hi." I found a two person table and took a seat.

She handed a set of menus to the family of five she was attending, saying- "Just ring the bell when you're ready to order okay?" Some of the kids nodded happily, one of them smiling with a missing tooth. - before going back to the counter, grabbing another menu, then moving over to me. I took the menu from her and started reading. "Are you gonna dine in or take out?" She asked.

I stopped reading and looked at her, "Oh- I thought you were gonna go to another customer."

She giggled, "Well, there aren't that many this time of the day isn't there?" We both looked around and yep, save for a small number of old people, there was no one else here during this time of the day. "So? Are you gonna dine in or take out?" she asked again.

"Take out." She gave me a disappointed smile. I ignored it and kept reading. With no one to talk to, she eventually walked away from my table and I listened to her footsteps sound distant as I read. I rang the bell again after a while and she came back, less bubbly this time. Good. "I want to buy two sets of... Noodles, both beef and I guess a Tuna Sandwich too."

Noodle sets are usually enough for breakfast but the Tuna sandwich is a favorite food of younger me. That preference didn't change even when I grew up.

"Okay," she wrote my order down on her notes and then quickly went to the counter. The food arrived wrapped up in cardboard boxes and a plastic bag sometime later, the waitress gave me a receipt, which had her contacts on the Dam written on it, and I used that to get out of the building without raising alarms by pressing it against the security scanner.

Hot air assaulted me when I got out and the thought that wondered if the girl would even be in that room by the time I came back quickly disappeared. If she isn't, then that just means I have more food for myself.

I quickly went back up to the hotel and into the dance floor, I passed by the girl that tried to hit on me again but she was occupied with another guy to really bother me as I passed. That didn't mean I didn't hurry.

Fortunately, the scanner for the room beeped when I pressed my thumb against it and I was greeted by the familiar darkness when I opened the door. "Hello?" I called out, "You still there?" A feminine groan came from deep inside the room and that was enough for me to take a step forward. I turned on the lights and saw a shapely body taking up the center of the room's only bed.

"I have food," One set of noodles went out of the plastic bag and onto the couch, "I'll just uh, leave it here okay? Eat when you wake up." She's clearly awake if her groan earlier is to go by. But I guess she just didn't want to get out of bed, something that I completely sympathize with. My farewell job now done, I turn and face the door, "See you."

"Wait." I stopped.

"The food's there, on the couch." If only to tell the girl where the food is when her head is clear enough that she can understand what I'm saying.

"I said wait." She repeated, sitting up this time. The cover that she had wrapped around her body fell down and I got to know that she's still not wearing her bra. I looked at the couch, I did see it earlier when I was putting the noodles there.

"Hey-" she snapped her fingers, "My eyes are up here."

"Ah. Sorry. Just a natural reaction to seeing something like that." I'm not so far down as to shamelessly say it. I'll say it with confidence.

"Right." she said dully and pulled the cover back up. "Well, if you're done reacting- I want water."

"Okay." Goddamnit. This is what happens when someone tries to respect women and put themselves in the same level as them- They follow their orders. Ugh.

I was about to do it but then stopped, "Do you know where water is?"

She narrowed her eyes and gave me an exasperated headshake while scoffing, "I just woke up?" she replied quizzically. "What makes you think that I know?"

I shrugged, "Intuition?"

"Sure. Whatever, it's probably in the bathroom." She said with a tone that said, isn't it obvious?

"Oh..." I went inside the bathroom and voila, it actually is there. Now, the only problem is that I don't have a cup. I thought about it, did I want to go back and tell her that the bathroom didn't have a cup because it isn't a kitchen while implying that she's stupid? Effectively getting back at her retorts so far? The answer is yes.

"Yeah, no- There's no cup inside that bathroom,"

She sighed, "Lucky. Fucking. Strike then huh?" Shrugging, she stood up and got out of the bed, moving past me and to the couch where she bent down and picked up the noodles. She turned and stared, "Still reacting?"

"No." I said. Do I ask her about the two vipers coiling around each other on her back? What about the massive anaconda on her leg that looks like it wrapped itself around her thighs ten times over? "Not really."

"Yeah? Then what were you looking at?" She went back to the bed and opened the box, taking out a medium sized cup of noodles, a small bowl of dumplings, and a box of fried fish. All of those cost 15 Digits in total. Which is an actual steal when someone considers that I bought inside the Dam, "Generation's Diet?" She asked when once she set all of them down.

"Yep." I opened my own Tuna Sandwich and started eating. It tasted good.

Picking up a pair of chopsticks, she nodded positively, "They're great. Good pick."

"I know right?" I couldn't honestly agree more with her.

We both quickly finished, and all of our got eaten up before we knew it. "Where's the plastic bag?" She asked as we both got ready to leave. Except for the sandals she was holding, she was fully dressed and now that she's wearing them, I realized that her clothes are very tight.

The denim jeans that I saw by the fridge this morning are actually skinny jeans that hugged her thigh. The same way her anaconda tattoo undoubtedly would if it was alive. Her T-shirt is small enough to show her belly button and a lot of stomach while also emphasizing her chest, which, even without it, is already emphasized enough.

I can see just a hint of the lace of her bra sticking out through the fabric like some sort of exposed artery.

"Here," I handed the bag to her and she stuffed our boxes in there before crushing it with her bare hands. She placed the box on the couch, fully knowing that there's gonna be a cleaner coming here later. With that done, she started putting on her sandals. While she did, I started walking out the door myself, "So, I guess this is goodbye?"

"Well, it doesn't have to be." I turned back, she stared. "What? You were great. Both times."

"Both times?" I asked with humor.

Which she didn't catch because she looked serious when she replied, "Yeah. In bed and the morning after. I'd love to do this again."

Guess I'll give this a shot, "What's your name?" I held out my hand.

"Casey."

"Cool. I'm Tyler." She wrote something on a piece of paper before shaking my hand. When we let go, her contacts is held tightly between my fingers.