Usually moments of pitch darkness are soothing for me, since those are the moments I get to relax and rest. But this session has been a nightmare and the worst one I have ever had, at that.

I can't quite remember what happened after I was set on fire due to the sheer maddening pain but somewhere down the line I did get extinguished. Probably because of all the rolling and flailing I did.

But the real question is how am I still alive? And fully intact, at that. Though I do feel a lot more hollow.

Was I always this durable? I wanna say 'no' but I have no idea what I am basing this opinion on. Gut instincts, maybe? Well whatever. What matters is that I am still alive and seemingly alone. Basically, I am free!

Except for the fact that this giant stone slab is crushing the lower half of my body.

'sigh'

I must have fallen in another hole and was then unfortunate enough to have surrounding walls collapse on me.

Truly, life is full of trials and tribulations.

As I look around I can't see much I could use. The only things around me are a bunch of broken beakers and vials which had contained various unknown substances. Sure doesn't smell good, that's for sure.

I have tried pushing the slab off me but I have no where near the strength to do so and any attempt to wiggle myself out have proven unsuccessful.

This is truly quite the pickle. I have thought of using the broken glass around me to cut off my legs but that process would be overly unpleasant and also pretty stupid.

But then again what other option do I have?

As I grabbed a glass shard and was about to cut off my legs, I thought to myself

'Damn.. Freedom sure ain't cheap or easy.'

The edge of the glass cuts through my skin quite easily the pain also being pretty bearable so far. But the moment the glass hits my muscles and main nerves I get to really start feeling it. Not only that but the blood loss is also quite horrendous.

'Ding'

'Damn bone!' As I breathe quickly and try to mentally hype myself for the upcoming adversity, cutting through my bone.

'COME ON!' 'DAMN ITTTTT!' 'COME ON!' As I whittled away, at my bone I finally heard a satisfying crunch of it finally breaking. Well I said satisfying but it sure didn't feel like it.

But what was satisfying is that the moment I cut off my leg a gray light started shining from the wound. After a few moments that light had formed into the shape of my leg and after a few more turned into flesh and blood.

'Well that was interesting...' and also explains how I am still alive after being cut and burned.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

'Okay, damn... LET'S GO!' I hype myself up once more so that I can cut off the other leg as well.

...

'huff' 'puff'

'Heh I might actually be immortal! That would be quite neat wouldn't it?' I thought to myself as I look down on my new fresh legs.

Though the sickening feeling in my gut tells me otherwise... in fact this feeling is getting more and more horrendous.

I feel so weak and nauseous... hunger, this is hunger! I don't have anything to eat though. I have to get out of here and get some food. Anything would do.

Thankfully the surrounding rubble has created a staircase out of here so I wont have to exert myself in climbing out.

Once outside I finally get a good view of my surroundings. The first thing that caught my eye was the mess left after the assault on this facility. Rubble and collapsed structures everywhere. The air is thick with dust and quite unpleasant but what makes this place even more weird is that there is seemingly nobody around.

Anyone alive that is. I can definitely see a few corpses. Though the only ones I can spot are members of this facility and what I would presume to be my fellow lab rats. Unlike me they were apparently not as fortunate though, considering the fact that they're dead and all that.

Guess not all of us had crazy regenerative abilities. Or maybe theirs ran out? Hard to say.

Behind me is what looks like an endless pine forest. Can't see anything over there but I am sure it's filled with all sorts of critters and beasts.

Another point of interest is the vast rocky ocean. With all the dark smoke clouds it makes for quite the eerie sight. Wait... are those ships in the distance? Oh and they are getting closer. That can't be good.

I gotta find some food and get the hell out of here.

I frantically look left, right and center yet no obvious piece of sustenance stands out. So I quickly, or as quickly as you can move whilst starving, started searching through the facility. What is left of it that is.

'Damn, those guys really did a number on this place.' Now it's that much harder for me to find food! Tch. Just another good reason for me to hold a grudge against those guys.

However considering how tough and mean those guys were I wouldn't really wanna go up against them anymore...

Just as I was thinking that, I spot a knocked over container which surprise, surprise contains a bunch of fruit. Guess this is my lucky day after all!

I instantly start shoving the fruits down my gullet. When going through the fruits I immediately realize there are only two types around. Flat green ones and round yellow ones.

After scuffing a few down I quickly realized that I won't really be able to take all these fruits with me unless I had something to contain them in. That thought process also lead me to understand that I need clothes.

The weather here is very windy and therefore also cold so an extra lair of insulation is a must. Finding a pair of clothes wasn't all that difficult with all the dead experimenters around.

I went to the nearest one and started awkwardly undressing the guy. Surprisingly difficult I might add.

When I started putting on his clothes which were composed of a long purple tunic, a white undershirt and some black pants and black leather boots I realized that having someone else's blood stained clothes on your bare flesh isn't quite that comfortable.

'Now I just gotta find something to contain my food.' Easier than it sounds. There aren't seemingly any bags laying around. Unless I wanna take the whole giant metal container with me it looks like I won't be getting much food with me on my journey out of here.

I searched around for a few more minutes but the looming dread of the ships getting closer and closer is forcing me to give up on my hopes.

I did encounter the corpses of some facility guards. I grabbed a sword and some daggers off them. I considered taking their armor as well but it was quite busted and caved into their bodies so it seemed unwearable.

...

As I stand before the forest wearing nothing but simple clothes and holding unto a bunch of fruit I think to myself. 'Is this really a good idea?' But just one look behind me, at the incoming ships tells me it is the best idea I have ever had.

Well here goes nothing I suppose as I step into the forest whilst munching on one of the green fruits.

'Freedom tastes sour.'