The reptile journeyed deeper into the forest as he tried to find his orientation. The world looked different from what he was used to. Even the air smelt unfamiliar to him. Yet he pressed on, heading south in search of anything of use. Something that could give him an idea of where he was, but most importantly, how long he was gone for.
With every step he took, he darted his eyes around, and shook his head like there was something loose inside his own skull. A sound he couldn’t get rid of, a noise that was present yet so far. Irritation set in when he leaned against the tree, his left hand gripped his head. Jackson squeezed his skull tightly as he bit down on his lips to prevent himself from talking. In a panic, he looked over his shoulder to find no one there. He was alone, and the reptile couldn’t understand how.
The black bear huffed at Jackson, their eyes locked onto each other as they stood their grounds. The large creature examined the strange reptile in front of it. It sniffed the air to determine if Jackson was food or something else. The bear’s confused gaze met the reptile’s tired eyes. It salivated, it hadn’t had a meal for days. However, instead of attacking the exhausted and confused creature in front of it. The bear had a surge of fear. It saw something about Jackson. The bear felt something horrible and wrong, a mark that urged it to leave him alone. After making a loud groan, the large bear walked away.
Without delay, Jackson continued his walk south, using the sun in the sky to help him navigate this new and strange world. Jackson hid behind trees as he made sure to not get caught by others. There was no guarantee that the world remembered him or was aware of his appearance. Jackson had to play it safe. Fortunately for him, it was the holiday season and most, if not all, had left their homes surrounding Lake Omaha to meet with their families. However, his eyes calmed when he found something to soothe him. He found a lake.
Excited, Jackson rushed to the water and jumped in. Washing the filth and grime from his scales while he made sure no one was looking. He drank from the waters. The taste of freedom softened his lips and warmed his cold heart. The reptile leaned back and crashed against the water, he dived to the deepest part of the lake with his eyes closed to relax. To submerge his soul and lift the weight from his shoulders.
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The water drowned out his senses, dulling the world around him. Darkness engulfed him, hugging his ancient form like a child being embraced by their mother. The reptile was safe. Sinking into the dark depths to be alone with his thoughts. Alone, so his mind could speak of his desires.
As the world went silent, his mind spoke the loudest while his heart echoed its conviction. The sound retold a memory, a pain that would haunt him for almost a century. He remembered that day, he was heading into work to do a night shift. There was screaming! So much screaming! Heavy footsteps clanged on the hard food. People ran, and ran. Jackson saw them enter the neonatal unit followed by the click of the charging handle.
An anger bellowed under his belly. His nails dug into the palms of his hands as he clenched his fist. Blue blood seeped as that pain, that unbearable pain, reignited his wrath. He let out a roar as his eyes opened up once more. He wanted vengeance; a desire so primal and raw he would move mountains and destroy entire worlds if he could. After the reptile launched himself back into the surface, breaking the water to emerge after his baptism of hate. He swam back to shore, grinding his teeth as he began his search for answers.
But for that to happen, he needed to be patient. As he made his way back into the forest to hide, he readied himself for the night that would soon come. He demanded answers. He desired to understand what the world was like and how it changed in his absence. Most importantly, there was a list of names he memorised. People he hoped were alive so he could get his revenge.