Upon nothing

Ch 21

'BZZAAAAP!!'

My eyes shot open as a strong electric shock surged through my neck.  My mind was wide awake instantly as the pain from my neck and the surrounding areas of my body forced me up from my slumber.  Amidst the agony, I glanced down to see that it was none other than the collar responsible for my awakening.  This was the second time I was woken up in this manner, and I was far from happy about it.

The electrocution only lasted for a few seconds before they stopped.  After the shocks ended, I laid still for a moment, the lingering pain still present in my body.  It honestly didn't hurt as much compared to the first time, my mind recalling how the first ones were much more brutal.  But no matter how many times that happened, I knew I could never get used to them.

Following a long sigh, I rolled over and pushed myself off of the ground.  My body, unlike my mind, was still a little tired and sore.  My left shoulder was especially sore for some reason, the area feeling unusually firm and stiff.  Fortunately it didn't entirely affect my ability to get up from the floor.

Once I was up on my two legs, I glanced at my shoulder to see nothing physically wrong with it.  But as I stared at it, I remembered what had happened earlier.  The damn old geezer stuck me with the syringe while I was incapacitated by the collar.  The thing was really beginning to be a pain in the butt, and as much as I wanted to rip the thing off, I learned earlier that it wasn't entirely easy to do.

"Stupid collar."  I cursed quietly.  Out of anger, I kicked the ground with my right foot, hitting a small stone forward.  The rock flew in the air for a moment before landing in a small patch of grass. 

"...wait, what?"  I thought to myself, unsure of if I was seeing things.

I stared at the landing spot of the pebble, confirming that there was indeed grass under it.  The common green foliage was there, something which I haven't seen in quite a while.  Being curious, I approached the patch of grass and kneeled down to feel it.  The grass felt...well...like how grass usually feels. 

Just when I thought things couldn't get weirder, I looked up and gasped.

All around me were an uncountable number of trees of varying sizes.   Some were thin and small while some were thick and large, along with a few in the middle.  Each one was rooted into the ground, some of the roots visibly sticking above the soil.  Leaves stuck out from their branches, forming a naturally made umbrella above. 

Past the leaves was a pitch black sky that was dotted with shiny stars.  The crescent moon resided amidst the sparkly specks, casting a very faint light down below.  The beautiful sky did nothing to illuminate my surroundings, part of it due to the leaves that covered most of the terrain.  It was because of my improved sight that I could make out most of the area around me. 

"How...how the hell did I get here?!"  I asked myself, my mind unable to process my surroundings.

I found that to be a great question indeed, especially considering what happened up until now.  The scientists at the base were not only brutal, they were very keen on keeping me locked up when not being used.  They didn't trust me either outside of my cage or without the shock collar on me.  Honestly, I couldn't entirely blame them for that following my first outburst.

But that did nothing to explain how I was outside and on my own.

With not much else I could do, I sighed as I decided to begin exploring this place.  I wasn't going to get any answers by standing still, and a tiny part of me actually wanted to explore this place.  It was the first time I was seeing nature after so long, and I couldn't believe I was saying this, but I wanted to go and take a walk.