Chapter 01 - Desert

I am running away.

I am fleeing under the glare of a blazing sun in the middle of the desert. I am surrounded by an endless sea of sand and a mountain range in the distance. A completely cloudless sky overhead, not a cloud in sight, and a heat as insufferable as any I have ever experienced. Even the hottest summer was but a light breeze compared to the hell I was in.

That's right, right now I'm in a fucking unknown desert at over 50 degrees Celsius.

I feel like I'm melting alive in this heat.

But...

How the hell did I get into this situation?

Why am I here, why me?

Was it accidental or intentional? Was I specifically chosen for some reason or was it mere chance?

Dozens of questions were popping up one after another in my brain. I wanted to find an answer, a reason for the situation I was in. But it was no use. There was no answer. Nothing that was happening made any sense to begin with.

*Gasp* *Gasp*

Sweat is all over my face as I let out gasps of exhaustion.

My body is at its limit.

I won't be able to stand running much longer.

My muscles creak from pain and exhaustion, my legs are getting heavier and harder to move. My breathing is agitated and my lungs burn, struggling to suck in the hot, dry air that seems to evaporate before it reaches my parched lips.

In the midst of this desperate situation, my heart, the engine of my body, beats so fast that it seems about to burst out of my chest.

Through my veins runs the adrenaline that has allowed me to keep running up to this point, but even that had its limits.

Basically, my body was about to collapse.

... I want to stop for a moment.

I want to rest, even for a moment.

My body is internally screaming at me to stop, to take a break or I will break into pieces. 

Even my vision starts to become blurry.

But I can't do it.

I can't stop.

The reason is simple, if I stop and stop running just for a second, then....

—I'm going to be eaten alive by that damn thing!