Cold, a deep invasive sense of cold filled my being. Blinking groggily, my arms weakly struggled to raise my body from what I assumed to be a cold metal floor. After some bouts of struggle, I managed to sit up, a semblance of strength slowly refilling my arms.

"I'm awake?"

I unconsciously muttered. Looking around, only darkness filled my vision.

'I can't be, they would be here.'

My family was always there when I woke up, but there was only darkness here. I shivered, cold sweat soaked my armpits. I couldn't be awake; my family would be here if I was.

'Why aren't they here?'

The thought made me panic for reasons I didn't know. My trembling hands were already reaching to cover my ears. I was on the verge of screaming before I forcefully started taking deep breaths.

'Calm down, deep breaths.'

The mantra kept replaying in my head. Slowly but surely, my body stopped trembling. With the wave of irrational panic gone, I realized something.

'I can still think.'

I couldn't be awake then; a fog of perpetual confusion and dullness always occupied my mind when I was awake. I only ever remembered bits and pieces of my time awake. Nothing was ever this clear.

'A continuation of the dream then?'

This seemed to be the most plausible explanation. It was nevertheless still strange. As far as I can remember, My dream always stayed the same.

'Why the sudden change?"

Just then phantom pain struck against my forehead, jolting back memories I'd almost forgotten.

'The doctor shot me,"

I remembered.

'Could that be the cause?"

I pondered, it most likely was. I still couldn't understand why that would constitute such a change.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. It wasn't like I'd be able to get any answers by just sitting here.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Shaking my head, I recollected my thoughts before examining my condition.

Something cold rested on the base of my neck. Feeling around with my hands, it seemed to be some sort of metallic collar. A thin shirt with a pair of white trousers covered my body. I felt around me in vain, my hands only coming in contact with the metallic floor.

Nevertheless, I pushed myself to stand up, this time with much more ease than when I sat up. This had to have been the best my body had ever felt, as far as I could remember. After all, I couldn't even feel it back in my dreams.

The moment I stood up straight, glaring lights suddenly flashed on, nearly blinding me for the second time that day. After a while, my eyes adjusted to the light, allowing me to properly view my surroundings.

I was in a cubical white room. The sides looked to be around 15 feet in length. A white laptop lay on a table right in front of me, with a white box right beside it. Moving forward, my bare feet touched the cold metal floor, sending shivers down my spine. Even the air here was cold and stale. Of course, it still beat the air in my former room hands down.

I stood still for a moment, reveling in the physical freedom and clarity of thought. It was like someone mixed the best parts of my reality and dreams. Something warm rolled down my cheeks, touching my face. It was a transparent liquid.

'Am I... crying?'

More kept streaming down my cheeks. I couldn't understand why I was crying; this was all just a dream. Why cry over a dream? Even though I'd admit that this dream felt better than any of the previous ones, it wasn't anything to cry about. Confused, I wiped away my tears before moving towards the computer.

I never remembered using one of these before, but for some strange reason, I seemed proficient at using it. As far as I remember, my life was only about waking up, dreaming, and sleeping. I didn't even remember how I knew the word 'computer.'

Pushing those thoughts to the back of my head, I looked at the computer screen. What looked to be a menu appeared on the screen.

[SELECT YOUR WEAPON]

[Timer started: 0:59]

A huge amount of weapons appeared under the menu, ranging from knives and swords to chakrams and guns. This added to my already heavy confusion.

'Is this one of the nurses' sadistic games? Did I even leave the hospital? And what the hell would I be needing a weapon for?'

Nothing seemed to make sense, but then again, nothing ever really did. I bit my fingers before looking back at the laptop.

[Time: 0:20]

If the computer said I should pick a weapon, then I would probably need it soon. I didn't remember ever using a weapon before. Letting out an aggrieved sigh, I scrolled through the menu. Suddenly, looking at a pistol and a pair of butcher knives, I felt a trace of familiarity. However, before I could select them, the screen flashed.

[Time: 0:00]

[No weapon has been selected.]

[Generating random weapon.]

A white light shone from the box beside the table before dimming. After which, the computer monitor went dark.

Then a clinking sound came from one of the walls, followed by the suction of air as part of it opened up to form a doorway.

"Esteemed participant, kindly pick your weapon from the box and proceed to the preparation room. You have 58 minutes left before the summoning."

A calm female voice seemed to emanate from the walls themselves.

The sequence of events left me a bit stunned before I was properly able to recollect myself. There was certainly something wrong with that timer; I was sure I hadn't spent up to 30 seconds before it went off. I sighed; it wasn't like I could argue with a laptop.

'I hope I wake up soon.'

I walked up to the box, gently flipping the lid.

Laying in the box were three small axes on a whitish towel. Their handles were curvy and as white as this room. The heads, on the other hand, were black and symmetrically shaped, closely resembling an isosceles triangle with a curved bottom. Picking one of the axes up, its total length was 3/4 the length of my forearm. It gripped well, a bit closer to the back end, feeling handy and solid to hold.

As I examined the slightly heavy blade up close, I felt my heart rate quicken and could almost swear, I smelled a distant coppery scent of blood. A slight adrenaline spike rushed through my veins.

'Strange.'

I placed it down, and the feeling slowly vanished. I squinted my eyes before ignoring it. Now wasn't the time for questions.

[Time: 50:12]

I picked the axe back up before going for the second and third. A thin dark chain was connected to the bottom of the second axe's handle, and a small hole was present on the bottom of the third axe. I examined it a little before standing up. Since there wasn't a proper way to carry them, I held the first axe in my right hand while awkwardly carrying the other two in my left.

I moved to the opening in the wall before pausing, Taking one last look at the cubical room and the now-dead computer before walking into the dark unknown.