Coming Back To Life

If someone saw Tulio standing near the Mississippi river that dark and stormy night, he probably wouldn't have been recognized. He was a different man than he used to be. Losing the love of your life, and your child besides, could have that kind of effect on a man. And Tulio was no exception. His hair was ragged and messy, barely staying in his usual ponytail. Each breath he took seemed to make his whole body shudder. And dark shadows lay under eyes that were red from shedding so many tears.

He had had enough. He was done. He couldn't take it anymore. Sara had been taken away from him. But now, he would be joining with her again. He knew how fierce the river was during a storm, how it could drown even the strongest of swimmers. Tulio was sure he wouldn't be an exception. He looked up at the sky, where dark clouds covered an even darker sky as rain continued to fall with increasing speed. There was nothing that could stop him now. Even though taking his own life was a terrible decision to come to, at least it was his own.

"I'll see you soon, Sara," he said softly, her face flashing in his mind. That beautiful face, with long flowing brown hair the color of mahogany, and green eyes that flashed like an emerald. Oh, those eyes. They were the most beautiful part about her, and they seemed to shine in his mind as he took the fatal step forward, and let the river take him.

Even though Tulio knew the river was swift and unforgiving during a storm, he was still surprised at the level of intensity it seemed to grab him with. There was no respite, no relief from the waves that continually kept him under the surface, never allowing him to take in even the smallest of breaths. Everything around him was a blur of dark water, pitch black except from where it was dotted with white foam. He could feel a burning inside his lungs as he went longer and longer without oxygen, a desperate pounding of his heart as it fought to keep going. But even if Tulio wanted air, he wouldn't be able to get to it. The river tossed him around like a rag doll, until he wasn't sure which way was up or down anymore.

Eventually, water flushed into his system, as unforgiving to the inside of his body as it was to the outside. Tulio's fingers scrabbled at his throat, feeling like his insides were on fire. How could water be so burning? If he weren't drowning, he might have chuckled at the irony. But right now, no thought entered his mind. In fact, no thoughts were going on in his head at all. All he could feel was water flooding his lungs, choking and burning. All he could see were bright colors flashing before his eyes: red, white, and yellow. Then, as suddenly as if time had slowed down, everything seemed to stop being so desperate and burning. A calm seemed to settle over everything as Tulio's body started to shut down, the lack of air finally making his systems die. But he didn't care about that. All that mattered was passing into the dark, and being reunited with the people he loved most. And soon, he got his wish as a pitch-black darkness clouded his eyes, and everything faded away into nothingness. But, the black wouldn't last forever.

It was suddenly interrupted by a flashing white light, as if the sun were brought two inches from Tulio's eyes. In almost that same instant, an explosion seemed to erupt from his head and travel down his body, passing through his heart and lungs and nerves, every body function that made him human. The darkness was going away, and harsh, painful life was starting to come back, almost as cold and unforgiving as the river he had thrown himself into. Tulio's eyes snapped open as his lungs took in an awful shuddering breath that seemed to rattle his body like a quivering leaf. His heart was beating again, madly and furiously. His senses were taking in everything with lightning speed: the flashing lights, the cold table under his skin, the pops and cackles of electricity. And somewhere, amongst all the noise, was the triumphant laughter of a mad-man.

"He lives! Yes, yes, he lives!"

That cry seemed to make everything stop. The lights went away as they were shut down. The electricity coursing through Tulio's veins seemed to fade as his body got used to functioning on its own again. But every breath still seemed to make his body shudder. Or maybe that was because Tulio was frightened, more frightened than he had ever been in his life. He tried to make sense of what he was, what had happened, but all he could tell was that he was in some kind of dingy laboratory. And that there were a bunch of wires strapped to his head. And that his ankles and wrists were restrained by cold, metal bars. And he could hear some kind of growling, roaring sound nearby, like a bunch of wild animals. He swallowed as his breathing quickened. He wanted to scream, cry, but he couldn't bring himself to make a sound. He was too scared.

Suddenly, a man came into view. Tulio's heart quivered at the sight of him. His skin was almost the same shade as his white hair, and it almost looked like his teeth were filed to points. A white lab coat covered his business clothes, as if he were working at an office instead of...wherever this was. Tulio tried to speak, ask him who he was and where the hell he was, but no words would come. All he could do was stare at him like a frightened animal.

"I am Mok," said the man, grinning proudly as if the name were important. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Tulio."

Tulio's breath caught in his throat. Living? No, no, it couldn't be. He had died. He had felt the life leave his body. He had drowned in the river. He vividly remembered it. But, the more he looked around him, the more he realized that that wasn't the case. Somehow, Mok had brought him back to life, like the horrible monster in Frankenstein. A member of the undead. Tulio felt a lump in his throat as tears finally came, tears that came from the injustice of it all, from the fear that was coursing through him like fire, and from the fact that he didn't know if he would ever see Sara again. And amidst his weeping, he could still see Mok's proud smile and hear the growling of what he would soon know as Mok's "failed experiments."

((Yeah, sorry for the amount of depressing things in this, but I wanted to write it, so here it is. Enjoy. ))

((Hmm, I'm sensing a Frankenstein theme here with you in this RP...))

((XD I had to read the book this semester for the British Literature class and I totally got sucked into it. And I enjoyed it in high school. Of course, I think I like it even more since I saw a Danny Boyle's production of it. Johnny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch swap roles as Frankenstein and the Creature and I managed to see both versions. It was soooo cool. ))

Ooo amazing !

((Nice. I found a copy in a bookstore and read it. I wrote a poem right after; it's a great classic. And I'm taking a class on the Shelleys next semester, so I may get to read it again.))

I love Frankenstein! I remember reading it in school This is so great, I love it! Haha