Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System
Chapter 195: Deceitful Self

As he laid there, staring up at the malignant void that looked back down at him, it settled in just how strange of a situation he was in. Experiencing otherworldly phenomena so frequently, he was desensitized to it all.

It wasn't something he gave a whole lot of thought to normally, as most of the time he was more preoccupied with trying not to be killed by whatever hostile was after his life.

'Living in this crazy Apocalypse…I feel like my mind has been permanently changed,'

he considered.

Amidst his self-reflection, a peculiar sound greeted his ears; like that of a gentle wave casting itself over. He closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the trickles of water.

Laying there, he envisioned the sand he was on to be part of a beach, neighboring a crystal-clear, beautiful ocean.

'I was never much of an outdoors person, but nowadays…If the world went back to normal, I would be. Watching the sea beside some friends, laughing and having a good time. Yeah, I would live like that,'

he dreamed of.

That peaceful time with his eyes closed was interrupted by a whistle. It wasn't an abrasive sound, but a soft call as though lightly beckoning his attention.

He opened his eyes and sat up, looking over to where the gentle whistling came from.

A pristine sight laid before his eyes, one that he had not imagined seeing in the place deeper than

Hell:

an oasis of sparkling water with vibrant, coconut trees sprouting around it.

'Water…? A place like this?'

He questioned, approaching the peculiar area.

It almost had a magnetic pull on him, bringing him to move his feet without thinking to do so as the glistening oasis allured him. As he made it to the edge of the water, he dropped down to his knees, looking into the water.

The sight of it made him gulp as his throat felt dryer than ever when staring at it, replaceing himself simply wanting to just sink his head into the refreshing depths.

"Oh–"

Before dunking his mouth into the water, he noticed the small, wooden sign placed into the sand right beside the brisk spot–"

Hell's Oasis

.

Take a dip.

"

He sifted his hand through the water some, feeling how cool it was while considering the message written on the post.

'There's not exactly any other leads…This is my only bet on getting somewhere,'

he thought.

Taking in a breath, he readied himself before dropping into the oasis. The cool water immediately welcomed him with a refreshing sensation against his skin.

It didn't feel as if he was simply sinking, it felt as though the water was guiding him downward.

'Odd. Right now, I don't feel like I'm drowning—the need for air isn't there. I'm drifting towards something—no, the oasis is pulling me there,'

he thought.

Deeper and deeper he was guided, heading towards a point he couldn't quite make out within the brisk depths.

He reached his hand out, watching to touch whatever it was that waited at the bottom of the oasis before—

"Haah…!"

His eyes shot open as he gasped out, replaceing the scene completely shifted. There was no water around him, only staring up at a gray ceiling that he did not recognize.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Find adventures on M V L

That monotonous sequence of sounds met his ears as he sat there for a moment. He finally looked around, replaceing a beeping monitor beside him as well as IVs, with tubes plugged into his arms.

'A hospital…?'

He questioned.

Sitting there as he looked at his body, he found a massive scar left on his abdomen and others near it. He ran his hand over his stiff stomach, feeling it as he confirmed that the encounter must've been real.

It wasn't until he looked over to the side did he realize he wasn't alone in the room. Sleeping soundly on one of the chairs was Jasper, and on the other side—

"Finn!"

"Gah—"

He was taken by surprise as he found himself suddenly in the embrace of the blue-haired woman.

"You're okay…Does anything hurt? Do you feel fine?" Charlotte worriedly asked, looking over him with concern.

He chuckled at the hyper worry shown by the girl, assuring her, "I'm alright…I think so, anyway."

It didn't take much for the snoring knight at the right of his bedside to wake up at the sound of talking.

Jasper practically shot up from his seat as his steel armor rattled, grabbing the bedside, "How're you feeling, mate?! Your gut was busted wide open! It was gnarly…"

"Yeah, I know," Finn acknowledged, not wanting to be reminded of what had happened. "Still…I'm surprised there's functional hospitals in this city."

"Isn't it nice?" Charlotte said.

For a moment, he laid there in consideration of what happened. Part of it didn't add up, now that he thought about it.

In fact, none of it really made sense.

"Hey…How exactly was I found?" Finn asked, glancing at his friends.

"You know—" Charlotte began to explain.

"It was like—" Jasper added in.

Though he could hear them speaking, their words came off broken and muted to his ears. It was odd; everything began to look hazy, making him dizzy.

"——-" Charlotte moved her lips.

The faces of his friends became blurry, their words having no distinct language to them as he tried to listen.

"Hey…I can't hear you—wait," Finn called out.

As he reached his hand out, attempting to hold onto her, the serene scenery of the hospital room was torn away. A gloomy, unsettling interior bled in instead as the presence of his dear comrades were gone.

The realization began to settle as the familiar setting instilled a sense of dread into his skin. Lifeless televisions, walls encrusted in rust, and the burning at his gut—

"Ghhh…!"

He gasped out in pain, moving his hand over his stomach as all he could feel was warmth and liquid. All of the pain came rushing back in, flooding from his gut to his limbs, down to his fingertips.

'I'm back…? No, I never left…'

He realized, gasping out again as his internal organs acted in a panic.

It felt as though his chest was compressing with panic beyond his own control. He had to forcibly steady his own breathing, coaxing his lungs to work with him.

Pushing air out slowly, he collected the strength in his body before flexing his body—

"Nnngh…!"

With a quick, painful motion, he sat himself up while keeping his hand over his opened abdomen. He could feel his guts attempting to slide out even with such a simple movement, holding them in as he breathed out.

Placed back in the hellish situation, he almost forgot about the pressing thread as he looked around hurriedly.

There was nothing; not a shade nor whisper. Not a single sign of the nameless killer was to be found, except his opened belly and the puddles of blood splattered across the room.

'What is even going on…? That guy is gone, and I don't see Crow…Why was I left here? I'm completely lost–how long was I even out? Not long enough to bleed out, I suppose…'

He considered, looking down at his blood-soaked lap.

There was nothing left but to suck in a hefty breath, filling his lungs as he forced himself up to his feet. It was an inelegant rise, nearly slipping on his own blood as he struggled not to topple over just as he straightened himself out.

Every breath felt as though strength was being sapped from his body, more blood spilling, the more laborious it became laborious to keep himself upright. A few steps were attempted, practically having to drag his feet before his right foot slid, bringing him to nearly fall over as he hit his shoulder against a fortunate pillar.

'I don't…I don't know if I can make it,'

he thought.

Being realistic–sometimes a gift, sometimes a curse upon his mind–he couldn't deny that his chances weren't all too bright.

Weak steps and slight stumbles brought him halfway across the room before he slipped again. He caught himself, letting his shoulder smack into a wall as he gasped.

"…Come on…" He weakly urged himself.

Using the wall as a shoulder to lean on, slow steps were taken as he ran his hand against the surface. A trail of blood was left on the wall as he moved, keeping his eyes on the door.

It was no more than a few meters away, but it might as well be a mile journey for his exhausted body.

"…Hhf…"

A couple of steps from the door, he left the comfort of the wall to stumble over. Dizziness settled in harder than ever as he practically fell against the door, opening with his shoulder.

"Haah…" He breathed out.

Leaving the room, he found himself in the stairwell, staring over the rails down at many floors. Just peering down made his head feel light, getting a glimpse at the arduous journey ahead of him.

"One step…at a time, right?" He breathed out.

The descent of the stairs began with slow, careful steps as his own blood spilled in a trail. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of strides remained. Though he tried not to think about it, the thought was lodged into his mind as blood gushed against his hand.

'I just need to replace…Charlotte and Jasper…Nikko, there should be a hospital or something like it in this city…Right now, I can't–I can't hold on much longer,'

he thought.