That shitty god put me back in the box didn’t he!

I will find a way to punish him. As soon as I encounter another god, I will rat him out instantly.

The constant soft Jazz that’s playing is driving me up the wall. At least the screaming voices change it up a bit, and some voices take breaks while others join in, and it all eventually just turns to noise. The Jazz though… it cuts through everything. It’s the same instruments, but it’s never looped. It also has some recognizable and underlying beats, so it’s been of some use to me. If I focus on the time registers, and my intense hatred of this god, I can keep track of time. Assuming the god is right, and that my mind, now devoid of my brain, functions in the same timely manner, it’s got to be at least 2 months.

I promised myself for every minute I spend in this hell hole, I will torture him for 5. I don’t know if that’s possible, but it’s the only thing keeping me sane this time around.

“Shhh, here we go! Remember be ready!”

Shhh! DID HE JUST SHHH ME! I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO MAKE A NOISE SINCE DYING AND HE SHUSHES ME! THAT LITTLE FUC-

Blinding pain is coming from my head. My forehead can feel wood! Everything feels impossibly heavy.

A soothing warmth is spreading over my chest.

I can feel again! Maybe the god isn’t so shitty.

I opened my eyes but they can’t focus. Everything seems blurry and out of focus..

Suddenly everything snaps into focus.

“I corrected the vision in this body for you. That’s all I can do for you. You are on your own from now on; looking forward to watching your adventures!”

My head is still killing me, but at least the soft Jazz stopped. Also the voices seemed to stop. Thank goodness.I start feeling a throbbing pain in my neck. I can feel a heartbeat again!

Why am I so tired? Could it be that all those years of being… nothing. I might need to go to bed soon.

I try to stand up, but it doesn’t seem to be working. I must be getting used to this body still. Better assess the situation fully. Get any context on this guy’s life I was put into.

The pain in my neck is getting worse, I instinctively try to move my hands to the pain, but they don’t work yet.

I yawn.

I’m able to move my head just a bit, so it’s not staring at the table, but to try to get a look at my new self.

That’s odd. The guy is all covered in blood. Was he a butcher?

A spark of recognition sets fire to my mind. Some of the screaming comes up again, but I am not sure if that is me, or the other voices. I don’t think I am able to make a noise, but at this point, I don’t know.

There is a big, sharp looking knife, just sticking out of my neck.

That shitty god. Is that what he meant when I had to be ready? I thought I would get a body just before someone died… Not already bleeding out, unable to move. That shitty, good for nothing god.

Shit

Shit

SHIT

I don’t know first aid, how much blood is that? That’s a dangerous amount of blood!

“Leave the knife in.” a female voice cooed in my mind.

What? Leave it in? I need to get it out and stop the bleeding.

“No, you don’t need to get it out. It looks like it was one smooth stab. The edge isn’t serrated. The bleed is slow enough to indicate there was no artery that was hit. If we can get some pressure around the wound, without pressing into the knife’s edge, we might have a chance.” She said calmly.

Seems to make sense.

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

“Of course it does, Can you move our hands yet? I can’t seem to.”

I try clenching my first, but it looks like I am just able to wiggle the finger tips.

“Good, that should be enough to start with. We have some time before we can get to the neck. Let's focus on getting some tourniquets together.”

What are tourniquets? Why do I need them. I need to stop the bleeding!

“Think of them as bandages. Something we can tie around your neck to help stop the bleeding. Did you remember seeing that tattered old table runner on the table when you moved your head?”

I don’t remember seeing it, all I remember is the blood.

“It was there, I saw it so don’t worry and work with me. Let's move our hands up the table the best we can do, and grab the cloth.”

I work my fingertips to drag my hand up the table. I can’t see it as I can barely move my head at this point, but I hit something a bit softer than wood.

“There it is. Now let’s try to put it between your fingers and tear a long strip of it.”

I clumsily get it between my thumb and fingertip. Trying to rip it wasn’t working.

“That way isn’t working, so let’s try tearing it another way. The fabric might tear length wise.”

Her cooing is helping me. I am no longer focusing on the blood, but towards her instructions. I can move my head a little now to stare at the table again. I can now see the table runner and focus on the task at hand.

Scrunching up the fabric and following along the edge, I soon get the other side of the table runner.

I try ripping it, but it only gives a little.

“There you go, now keep going!”

It feels like it took ages, but the fabric comes off relatively easily.

“Felt like it should be long enough for two. Are you able to cut it in half with your teeth?”

I move my hands to my mouth, place the fabric between my teeth and it tastes like metal. Must have blood on my hands. I start twisting it between my teeth until small notch forms on it. After that, the fabric gives way and I am able to tear it down the center.

“Great job!” excitement is seeping through her words now.

“Now that you seem to be able to move your hands well, let's wrap it around your neck. One below the knife, and one above.”

My hands follow her instructions, without much thought from me.

“But just before you do, let's make sure the knife is firmly in place”

It was already too late though. I felt the knife slip out and soothing warmth came gushing out after it. While I was so focused on moving my hands, it looks like I instinctively started sitting up, as I better controlled the body. The knife handle must have been resting on the table top.

The knife seemed to take forever to fall.

*Ding*

I hear it clatter as it hits the bench I am sitting on. It falls silently from the bench to the floor though. Blood is pouring out of my neck at this point.

*Ding*

Shit Shit SHIT.

“OK, we need to act quickly.” Her voice is no longer reassuring, but now just strict.

“Tie it up quickly, above and below.”

“Get it closer to the wound!”

“Tighter”

“I SAID TIGHTER. It's better to be uncomfortable breathing than dying again!”

My mind was blank as I focused on her instructions. I was able to get both tied up around my neck.

“We need to get to a public spot soon. This tired woozy feeling… I know this feeling, and we don’t have much time left. Do you think you can walk?”

I check my legs, but I can only do a bit of a shuffle. Not very responsive. Maybe I can crawl.

“Alright, let's carefully move your head around. Lets see if there are any windows, what do we see? Trees or buildings? I also feel a bit of heat in the room. Is there a fire?”

I gingerly move my head to not exasperate the wound. There are two windows on opposite sides of the room. One has a tree, another just sky.

“Crap, that’s not promising”

Looking around, there is a fire in the fireplace. I could crawl over to it. Should I get close to it? I am starting to feel really cold.

“Let's do that for now. Crawl to it. As quickly as you can.”

I work my way down the bench to the end, and fall right onto the floor. I brace myself for the fall the best I can, but it was like a sack of potatoes falling off of a chair.

Swinging my legs and working my arms the best I can, I make my way to the fire.

“Do you see any firepokers?”

What is that? There is a shovel? Is that what you mean?

“Is it metal?”

I think so?

“Throw it in the fire, keep the handle within grasp”

Ok, what are we doing with the shovel? I thought we were just getting warmth till I can walk.

“We are going to cauterize the wound. It’s unfortunate that we don’t have any disinfectant, but we are dying quickly.”

Shit, I know what cauterize is…

“Hopefully it’s been long enough. Glad you seem to know what we are doing next. Put the hottest part of the shovel into your wound, and make sure you seal it all up. It’s gonna hurt, but don’t pass out!”

Shit.

I move the shovel close to the wound.

Shi-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

“Don’t pass out!”

An unpleasant smell fills my nose. I move the shovel away from the wound.

“That was great, but you aren’t going to like what I say next. I don’t think it's hot enough. Put it back in the fire and we can try this again.”

Shit