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I don’t know what’s happening. I just know I need to stay alive. Nothing’s stronger than the will to survive.
And I realize that the moment the man turns and walks back toward me.
Because the face I see doesn’t look human.
A beastly, almost bear-like person marches toward me. His whole face and body covered in black mud … and he’s holding a weapon.
For a split second, I’m frightened.
Is he going to kill me?
I’ve never had this thought, this urge to run. But I do now, more than anything. I want to run.
Maybe it’s the blurry vision causing me to see things, or maybe I’m hallucinating, but my body is telling me to flee.
So I do.
I crawl up from the floor with the last bit of strength I have and force my legs to move.
Despite the pain in my knees and the blood running down my arms, I bolt as fast as I can.
Through the thick jungle in front of me and past the branches that cut into my face.
I can’t see more than five feet in front of me.
Can’t hear more than the sound of my own heartbeat drumming in my chest.
Can’t do anything but feel my way through the jungle, hoping I can find a path.
Hoping to get away from this … monster.
Because that’s exactly what he looks like.
The monster from my childhood nightmares.
However, the farther I run, the more exhausted I get. My legs can’t keep up the pace. I’m counting breaths, listening to the rhythm of my own heart practically beat out of my chest. Everything around me begins to spin. I’m nauseous.
My body collapses to the ground.
The last thing I hear is his approaching footsteps as I fade out of this world.
Accompanying Song: “Hydraulic Lift” by Johann Johannsson
I don’t know how much time has passed before I wake up again.
All I know is that my head hurts … badly.
I open my eyes and blink a couple of times, but my vision is still blurry.
Groaning, I reach for my scalp, rubbing the sore spots. It doesn’t feel like I have a gash, but I can’t know for sure until I look in a mirror. When I bring my hand back down to my face, I don’t see blood … just dirt.
It’s everywhere. Around me. Below me.
I’m in a pit.
Looking up, I’m momentarily blinded by the sun, and I block the brightness with my hand. That’s when I notice the bars on top of the pit.
It’s a cage.
My eyes widen, and I quickly pull myself off the ground, backing my body against the wall made of earth.
Where am I? Why am I here? … And who put me here?
When I try to think about it, all I feel is pain.
Nothing comes to mind.
My memories feel lost. Vanished in a thick fog I can’t seem to wade through.
All I remember is him … that beast of a man.
Just thinking about it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand.
Why do I feel this way?
My whole body is shivering.
I touch the earth around me, but it doesn’t make me feel grounded. Not anymore.
I look up at the sky, wishing I knew where I was, wishing I remembered what I came here to do. And what that man has to do with it.
Because I’m almost certain he was the one who put me here.
Inside this … cage.
Because that’s what it is.
A pit to keep something from fleeing.
And that something is me.
But why? Why would he do this? Why would he keep me here?
And why does my body feel like it’s been flung around like a sack of sand?
Did he hurt me?
All my muscles tense up from the insecurity of not knowing. I wish I could remember, but all I have are bits and pieces … of horror.
My brain immediately forces them to leave.
Like it’s protecting me from reliving everything all over again.
I stare up at the sky and narrow my eyes, focusing on the bars until I can see clearly again. I can’t find out where I am or why I’m even here if I stay cooped up in this pit. There must be a way out of here.
I jump a few times, which hurts, but I push on. However, it’s no use. I’m not nearly tall enough to reach the bars, let alone the edge of the pit.
So I resort to using my voice instead.
“Help!” I yell, my voice still hoarse and croaky.
I wait a few seconds before screaming again. “Anyone? Please, help!”
The longer I wait, the more my nerves take over.
I jump up again, trying to reach the ledge, with no such luck.
Right then, two feet appear on the ground right above my hands.
My eyes follow slowly, panicked. Lips quivering. Limbs frozen.
It’s him.
That same man I saw before. Eyes as bright as snow. Skin marked with glistening mud. A bristly beard and matching dark brown hair …
