I look into the bathroom mirror and a severely hungover eighteen-year-old stood staring back at me. He had lightly tanned skin with a mop of dark brown hair that would fall over his piercing green eyes. He sighed, rubbing his face. Looking away from the mirror my hand stops gingerly over the scar on my left cheek, given to me by the jackass known as James.

 “still a short ass, I guess puberty just forgot all about my height, just wish that it forgot about all those voice breaks though” I mumbled to myself, remembering in drama performing in front of the school were I was meant to be yelling at a drunk man but ended up squealing like a mouse, making me a laughing stock for days to come, I played along with it but it didn't make it any less embarrassing. Shaking my head to clear the memory I dried my face and pulled on a T-shirt to cover the burn marks on my chest, my face twitching slightly at the memory of the fire that killed my parents all those years ago.

Somehow forgetting about the hangover I gently slap my face to forget about the last two days only to wince in pain. You see two days ago I found my girlfriend of five years in bed with the fuck nut James. The bitch who shall not be named helped me get through the death of my parents, while I helped when her parents divorced.

People like James found it amusing to remind me about being an orphan who watched my parents burn to death while I suffocated, and then beat on me because I didn't take his shit. Hence the scar on my face. Anyway, I walked in on them when I was delivering her birthday gift only to find she was receiving something else from the dickhead.

Heart in pieces, angry and depressed I did what any nonself respecting idiot would do, copious amounts of day and night drinking with little self-regard. But the next day I had my History final exam and let's just say hangovers and final exams don't mix. Which is a shame because my uncle who took me in is an archaeologist and he had such high hopes for me.         

But on the bright side, the look of disappointment really improved my emotional state “Such a shit week”. 

Wallowing in self-pity I stumble out of the bathroom and walked straight into a display case holding one of my uncle's antiques. It was an ugly piece of pottery covered in large distorted faces which fall onto the floor and shattered. Not being able to recover from the stumble I step onto the shattered pottery with bare feet. ”Fuck!” Blood begins to pour out of my foot as I try to hop around without further agitating my head.

After calming down, I look down at the priceless Brazilian vase which now lay in pieces and covered in my blood. “Well shit.”  As my foggy brain tried to think of a way out of the situation I noticed that the world starts to blur around me as I feel a strong pull from inside myself.  “Well, that's not at all concerning, Haha! Ah, my head.” 

The next thing I know I am staring in abstract horror at a giant mouth and a single purple eye which hovered above it.

[What the fuck is that!? Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!]

“You taste good?” boomed the voice across what I now realize to be a vast void overlooking an unknown solar system. 

[What type of question is that!? Would it expect someone in my situation to say no to avoid being eaten? Then I should bluff? What the fuck am I meant to do?]

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“The question is my new friend, do you taste good?” I ask (Nailed it) I can feel the fear coming off of me in waves almost as if it was tangible.

“I taste of good?” Then without warning a colossal tongue sprang forth from its mouth and began to lick its eye.

[What is happening!?] 

*Lick, lick* “I do taste the good!” The disembodied mouth yells in triumph.

[What the actual fuck is going on!?] 

“Your turn now” with that the tongue wrapped around me like a python and dragged me into the open maw. I tried to struggle but it was futile and I was soon inside the cave-like orifice which bites down on me with no hesitation but surprisingly delicate motion.

Now I thought being burnt alive while suffocating, heartbreak and hangovers were bad but they couldn't hold a candle to being slowly eaten alive, ground up by mullers pieced by canines and smashed by a tongue.

But the absolute worst part was as I was screaming and thrashing around in agony I noticed that I was healing at a supernatural rate. While this may sound like a good thing it also meant that I would stay like this for the foreseeable future.          

As my bones were splintering, flesh-tearing, organs disintegrating I could feel my brain dying as it has crushed again and again and again. Tears poured from my eyes as I begged and pleaded for it to stop until my mind became numb from the pain. Lifelessly I watched the planets in the solar system or the particular planet which had dragons and magic with epic battles but with my mind as it is I found little enjoyment in the spectacle. 

After an unknown amount of time watching the planet grow and evolve I finally heard the giant mouth I was inhabiting speak. 

“You soul no taste good no more. I make go bye, bye” 

With that, I felt my consciousness leave my body as I was spat out into the void towards the planet I have been observing. Before I could understand what was happening my consciousness slammed into the body of a newborn baby boy and our beings seemed to merge into one.

[Huh, emotions. Wonder, joy, and excitement? I haven't felt these in how long?…] Tears flow down my face as I look up at my mother.

She showed a face full of trepidation and concern.

Then I feel something I have never felt before. Pure undiluted bloodlust and the desire to consume flesh. [What!? I shouldn't feel that towards anybody let alone my own mother!]  

With as much willpower I could muster I tried to suppress these new feelings.

My new mother must have seen me struggling but instead of coming to help like I expected she backed away with tears in her eyes and anger on her face. Then I felt my whole body ripple like a pond. When she saw this My mother's eyes widen and she starts to shout what sounded like abuse at me but I couldn't understand the language, and then she turned around and ran, leaving me in an alleyway. 

[No! Don't leave! I don't want to be alone anymore! I want a family! If...if I am normal then she will come back! Yes! Yes that will work and then...then I won't be alone anymore.] With these jumbled thoughts jumping around in my head I close my little infant eyes and force my emotions to stabilize and my body to be normal. I laid in that alleyway for a day and a night, freezing and starving but refusing to let my chance at a family go. Then the next morning I felt large hands pick me up and carry me. 

Still focusing on being normal I keep my eyes closed until I feel the temperature rise. When I opened my eyes and saw that I appeared to be inside a building similar to a cathedral. 

Looking around in amazement I failed to notice that an unknown force had encompassed my mind and I felt the strange emotions wither as if in distress before melting and retreating to the pit of my stomach in what felt like internal sludge oozing inside of me. 

Before I could question anything I felt the same force start to violate the rest of my mind and my memories were torn apart and I felt a strong compulsion to worship...the light? The last thing I remember is looking up at a man I assume brought me here and seeing his large shit-eating grin.

“Hello, there little one.”

[Where am I?]

“My name is father Paul.”

[Who am I?]  

“I think I will call you...Jacob” 

[I am Jacob] I think with newfound certainty.

“Welcome to the church of light!”

[ long live the light]