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Opening his eyes took V more effort than it should. Sure, blinking wasn’t a thing he had to do that often any more, but this… it was like his lids had been stuck together. He shook his head and rubbed a clumsy hand over his face. Something wasn’t right. He tensed, because usually the feeling of wrongness meant danger. Maybe Skels, maybe Humans. But nothing was moving, at least as far as he could hear. And it was light enough out that he’d be able to see anyone or anything from where he’d set himself up for the night.
V sat up as he realized what was wrong. It had been dark just a few seconds ago, hadn’t it? He was no expert on time, but somehow, between one blink and the next, the sun had risen. How was that possible?
V tried his best to think back, figure out how he’d lost so much time. It was a terrifying thought – losing time was a symptom of becoming a Skel. First you lost time, then the desire to do anything, including feed, and then you lost everything else that made you who you were. V had seen it happen, and never wanted to succumb to it. It was part of why he and Ray were friends; through their interactions, they kept each other from straying down that dark, mindless path.
As V struggled to figure out what had happened, images popped into his head, faces and voices he couldn’t have seen or heard. And it was different than when he ate someone’s memories. This felt more real, more personal somehow. V saw happy people all around him, smiling and laughing. They were dressed nicely, in clean clothes with no rips or tears or bloodstains. He chased the images, desperate to grab onto them. They felt important and he was almost sure he knew who they were.
Try as he might, the sounds and pictures in his mind faded, leaving him back in his own gray, barren world. V sighed deeply, then brushed at his jacket as he stood. Something thumped against his chest. He fumbled around and found an inside pocket in his coat, with something in it. He dropped the object as he tried to pull it out; it fell open on the ground.
V knelt down and stopped in shock. It was a picture of the people in his head, smiling just as he’d remembered. Remembered. V’s hand was shaking as he reached down to grab the wallet. This was his wallet. That he’d forgotten he carried. With photos in it of people who’d been important to him. There was even a picture of him, from before, surrounded by squiggles he knew meant something.
Why had he thought about them now? How had he remembered? What was happening to him?
V was full of questions, and he had no answers. But he was pretty sure he knew who would. It was time to stop following Ray and his human, and confront them directly. Because while he didn’t know what was going on, V was certain they would have the answers he needed.