1 - Desert

1 - Desert

*gasp* *gasp*

Today was supposed to be another normal day like any other routine day of the week.

A monotonous, boring day with nothing noteworthy.

Or well, that's how it was supposed to be today.

But far from it, right now I— 

I'm running for my life!

With bated breath and gasping for breath, I, a mere sophomore geek, find myself desperately running for my poor, insignificant life.

I run relentlessly, kicking the sand and gasping for air.

I feel heavy to move my feet and my heartbeat is racing at an unrestrained pace due to the critical desperate situation.

But still, I don't stop.

My choked gasps echo in the wind.

My whole body aches, my muscles are tired, and seem to cry out for rest.

That's right, I'm in the middle of a desperate situation where I can't stop.

If I stop, I will die!

As I flee, I search with my eyes for somewhere to take refuge.

Somewhere I can hide from that damn thing!

But sadly-it's all intuitive.

Everywhere I look, all around me is nothing but a vast horizon filled with sand.

The landscape around me is that of a vast desert, abounding with nothing but a sea of sand, oppressive heat, and a distant range of mountains on the horizon, barely distinguishable from how far away they are. After that, there is nothing else. 

The desert air feels stifling and intense. The heat easily surpasses all the humid summers I've ever experienced.

And in the middle of this hellish desert, there's me.

Running under a radiant sun that beats down on my body, making my skin feel hot and sweat covers my entire body, causing my clothes to stick disgustingly to my skin.

As I continue to run and let out choked gasps of extreme exhaustion, I feel my body wobble and weaken.

I am on the verge of fainting.

But I refuse to faint— I refuse to give up.

D-Damn it! I'm not going to die here!

I will not!

The desert temperature is simply hellish, my throat has dried up and my body is beginning to suffer from dehydration. My muscles are sore and seem about to break at any moment. Sweat drips from my chin. My vision becomes increasingly blurry and hazy, I feel like I'm losing consciousness. But even with my body on the verge of collapse, I don't stop my legs.

My legs keep moving for nothing more than my survival instinct.

I can't pass out here!

I scream inside myself.

I want to survive.

And if I pass out or stop for even a second in this place, then...

I'm going to be eaten alive by that fucking beast!

*Biriririr*

A high-pitched animal shriek sounded from behind.

"F-fuck! Aghh!"

Between gasps and sobs, I turned my gaze over my shoulder and instantly, the panic and despair on my face widened.

That thing kept chasing me!

"Please stop following me already! I'm not your fucking food!"

*¡Chihihihi!*

About 50 meters behind, a huge hungry beast chases me in the middle of the desert.

It is a gigantic crab that easily exceeds 3 meters in height.

Hungry and incredibly ferocious looking, the huge crab chases me with its eight legs that move around chopping the sand and creating an avalanche in its path.

The monster crab's appearance was of a color mostly made up of a reddish hue with a rocky texture and hardened. Its eight legs were small, and its enormous claws protruded from its sides like two huge scythes capable of slicing through a human body with simple ease.

If I am hit by those huge pincers, I can already imagine my body being ripped in half in a sea of visors and blood.

Gritting my teeth, I keep running with all my might.

But the worst part is not those huge claws, but the horrible mouth of the huge crab.

A mouth filled with thousands of small but sharp and hard teeth that could easily torture my body. And along with it, there would also be the sticky and disgusting saliva that overflows from the mouth of that beast, with which there is no doubt that my body would be turned into a sticky meat paste.

And as if that weren't enough, the slime from that thing seemed to give off a strange vapor when it hit the ground.

Oh my god!

This beast's saliva is acidic!

Seeing this, I feel complete despair and terror.

To be devoured by those thousands of teeth as the acidic saliva of this monstrosity melts me must be incredibly painful. Perhaps one of the worst deaths I could ever imagine, and the worst part is... If I am hit, that horrible death full of pain and suffering will become real!

I will not die!

I refuse to die that way!

Between tears, I clench my teeth and put all my energy into my exhausted legs to increase my speed.

My muscles hurt so much that they might end up breaking.

Fuck!

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

I'm going to get eaten by this thing!

I don't want to!

I don't want to die, I'm just a teenager!

I haven't even had my first girlfriend yet!

I shed tears as I run while gritting my teeth and enduring the terrible muscle pain and exhaustion.

Dozens of questions begin to flood my head.

Why do I have to go through this?

Why do I have to go through this?

What wrong have I done to deserve such a terrible end?

Do the gods hate me?

How the hell did I get to be in this fucking situation?!

***

- About an hour ago.

As usual, I was sitting in a cubicle in the men's room with the lid down.

On one hand, I'm holding a sandwich my mother made me for lunch, while, on the other, I'm holding my smartphone on which a video is playing.

With my headphones on, I'm watching a series while hiding in the bathroom.