“Cold… damn.”

I shivered involuntarily, the winters here are rough… why didn’t I move to Florida or something while I had the chance?

Where did I go wrong?

That question often comes to mind… I was always faster or smarter than the other kids growing up. People would say I was bound for great things, and I guess it got to my head.

“That Michael boy is bound for great things!”

If only they could see me now…

I devoted myself to getting good grades in school and graduated top of my class in everything… well I was bad in math, but really I had everything else going for me!

I had a steady girlfriend for a long time, but she had to move to London for work, and I had school and even a possible job lined up… I should have gone with her.

I went to a decent college, and believe it or not, I decided to become an artist. I was pretty skilled too, I mean I’m good at a lot of things but I’m passionate about drawing and painting.

I was ready to set out and become the next Leonardo Da Vinci!

Unfortunately my career ended up being more like Vincent Van Gogh…

I was drawing concept art for cartoons for a while but when the company that hired me went under I was on the street within days.

How could you be put on the street in this day and age!?

You’re probably asking that right now, well I can only chalk it up to bad decisions. Gambling, drinking, and a lot of self-loathing can usually lead to a bad end.

I made some really dark paintings during that time… they didn’t sell well.

So with no money and a history of being an idiot… here I am, laying under a bridge with a small fire in the middle of winter.

I have a blanket… and the fire, though small, helps… it still is way too freaking cold! I got kicked out of the shelter for reasons I don’t want to get into right now…

“If only… I… had some rum…”

I say this through chattering teeth, well drinking my be my vice, but damn is it ever useful on nights like this.

Uhg, my eyes are getting heavy, I feel… I feel numb actually; this is fine… at least it’s not so cold anymore.

I… really hate… cold.

And with that my sight went dark, and I was numb to the world…

Thus ended the promising life of Michael… a painter who would later be recognized but far too late for it to matter.

~v~

An odd sensation came over me… like swimming but without the need to hold my breath. With wasn’t too cold or too hot. And I was unable to open my eyes... or was it just too dark?

I don’t know how long it has been… minutes? Hours? Days? Time seems to hold no meaning here. Where was I before this? I remember… I was cold, but why?

[Anomaly Detected]

Hmm? Who spoke just now? It was faint, but I could just hear it…

[Cleansing Spiritual Memory… Failure.]

[Analyzing… New Path Found…]

Huh, yup, I can barley hear them… Oi, stop mumbling! Or rather speak up!

Suddenly a white light shone in the distance, and I felt myself being dragged to it, when I tried to resist nothing came of it… wait… I know what’s happening!

ALIENS! I’m being abducted!! Oh no, call NASA somebody! I don’t wanna be probed!

[Initialize Resurrection Protocol 01- Code Adam]

After the aliens said this I felt a warm tingly sensation all over my body, like when you cut off circulation then let it go again and the blood rushes to the starving limbs.

The light became brighter and brighter…

I’m sorry Amanda my love (old girlfriend) I tried to stay true… but looks like the Aliens will have their way with me… I always loved you!

Just as I thought that, what looked like soil parted and I gasped for breath, I hadn’t noticed I was holding it… strange.

But that wasn’t the strangest thing by far… the sky was… pale yellow, and all around me for as far as I could see was sun baked earth with sparse, weed like vegetation.

In the distance I could see looming mountains and what looked like small Oases with ridiculously tall trees around them.

Before I could close my mouth, that was hung open in awe and confusion, a small green window, like something out of a video game, appeared in from of me.

[Welcome to the newly created world of (Unknown)! Due to you passing a series of requirements you have been reborn as this worlds Adam!]

Huh? Newly created? I look around and see that there really isn’t much to be impressed about… I mean it looks like a wasteland to be honest.

Am I dreaming, just to make sure I pinch my cheek, the texture of my skin seems different but the pain was there, so I’m not dreaming then right?

What’s with this odd welcome window… or rather, what the hell! Give more information!

Where the hell am I!?

What’s with this (Unknown) bullshit! You don’t even know the name of the world? What good are you!?

I try to calm down… and fail miserably; I mean come on this is too weird right? Can’t be real!

I look down at my naked body, my skin looks and feels… weird, it has an odd scale like pattern to it, though it feels smooth it is really tough, hence the weirdness when pinching.

Under the welcome message is what looks like a quest tab… I touch it and the window expands into a quest description window.

[Progenitors Duty.

Difficulty D

Instructions: You have been reborn into a new world with new rules and you are the progenitor of a new race! Find your Eve and reproduce!

Side Objective: Seed the world with new life!

Reward: Varies upon completion

Failure: You go EXTINCT!]

Oh is that all?...

AS IF!!

What’s this about an Eve? Is that supposed to be my mate? What are we breeding stock!?

And why do I have to find her? Why not make her close by!

What’s with this half assed development!?

Two people in a huge unexplored world and we’re supposed to find each other? How will this miracle come to pass? And speaking of miracle…

I look down at my son and… well at least one of us grew from this experience…

My mind is wondering… must focus…

I spot the closest Oasis and decide to make my way there, it doesn’t look far but it’s hot and the heat could be messing with my perception.

Before I made my way there, I glanced at the spot I was laying before… then a double take. What the f…

Where I was laying was a perfect outline of my body, indented into the earth…

I remember now… Adam was born from the earth in the Old Testament. Does that make me a golem? I think with a bit of mirth.

However… if this was like Adam and Eve… where was God? Also give me my damn apple! I’m hungry!

Hmm… that’s a question for when I give a damn, right now…

All around me is nothing but baked earth and rocks. At least I was revived close to a source of water. I tried speaking already but it came out like.

“Irrc cough, hweees.”

Yeah I’m parched.

I’m also hungry, what is there to eat around here. Bah! That’s not the problem! Where am I, are there any others aside from this Eve person? And what is with the play-by-play notice windows?

I was never really that addicted to gaming, but I did go through a phase… That was definitely a quest and notice window. Something similar to a lot of games I’ve played.

So is this some kind of virtual world? No, I was just a hopeless bum on the street, who would put me in a virtual reality, also I don’t think technology has progressed that far yet.

Did I really die? And by providence, luck or some curse I was sent to this place to live again? I mean it definitely isn’t my first choice of places to be but at least its warm.

I hate the cold.

As I was thinking of these things a noticed it in the distance, there was a thin stream of water and vegetation closer to the mountains, and along it walked large lizard like animals with what looked like fans on their backs… are those.

Dinosaurs!?

No… they look different from what I know, well all I’ve seen are bones and TV specials but they look bulkier somehow… I cant really tell since they’re so far away… maybe I’ll go have a closer look after a drink.

With that thought in mind, I approached the Oasis, it was larger than I thought, and the crystal clear water bubbled up from below, must be an underground channel.

The trees that I thought were huge from a distance did not disappoint up close… they were HUGE!

They were thick too, from some fallen branches I noticed the leaves were like bladed elm leaves. Though the trunk looked more like a coconut tree.

I made my way to the water and inspected it, you never know what might be in it, and where I came from people didn’t normally drink right from a source. There was usually filtration involved.

Perhaps a bit too timidly I brought the liquid to my mouth and drank it… nothing… well I am refreshed but I tasted nothing. Huh… even the filtered water back home had a taste.

Without even realizing it I was drinking more and more. I pulled my head away from the waters surface, since I was now unconsciously lapping it up like a dog… well I was rather dried out… you try being born from dirt and not being thirsty after the fact!

Something caught my attention in the water… or rather what was reflected in it. My face… it’s so… different.

My bone structure was semi hansom before but now… I look almost regal. Like a noble out of some fairytale… however I am definitely NOT human.

Though the similarities are plain to see, two eyes nose and mouth, I am completely bald… will not really, I can feel stubble on my head so I’m not a chrome dome. I just haven’t grown hair yet.

Also, from the looks of things I am young… really young, like twelve maybe. I hadn’t noticed before for some reason, maybe because of all the other stuff that occupied my mind? Or maybe I was just thrown off by the strangeness of my surroundings.

Another important fact is my skin, my face has a similar pattern to the rest of my body… am I some sort of lizard man? But I don’t have a tail and from what I can tell I’m warm blooded.

My eyes are also yellow like the sky…

I suppose it could be worse… I could have been reborn as a cockroach.

Now then, setting aside my vanity, I’m hungry, there’s plenty of the strange weed like plant surrounding the oasis but is it safe to eat?

As I was pondering this problem I felt something cold and slimy wrap around my ankle…