All Just a Cost.

Chapter 3

-"..."

(POV Switch)

It was pitch dark. All that I could see was a flurry in the darkness. An angry, seething hateful thing.  Staring into the abyss, I could hear the gnashing of teeth. I felt that I was not alone. I tried to turn around, but piercing white eyes locked on mine. I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. Those white orbs stared into my soul, and I felt something wrap around my entire body. Whatever energy that was left in my body was being drained from me. This... this thing, whatever it was, it didn't feel...  normal. My entire body was frozen up, but my eyes never left those orbs that stared straight back. An overwhelming feeling of hatred and dread washed over me. The darkness then began to shift, moving back a bit, and easing up its lifedraining grip on me. I thought I was safe for a moment, but I was proven wrong. A few seconds later, it came charging back at me, those white eyes never leaving my sight as the darkness began to envelop my body. I was lost in the darkness, drowning in that feeling of dread and helplessness. The last thing I heard was a distant noise, almost as if the darkness had growled at me.

I woke up, sweat on my forehead once more. This time though, it was daytime. My parents had settled in for the night and were asleep it seemed. Today I already knew what my task would be. This dry air, the hot sun beating on the sand, there was no water left. Today would be water day. The worst day of the month, if you ask me. The nearest water source was miles away, and the sun was hotter than ever. I still had time though, as my parents weren't quite awake yet. I could relax in the coolness of the house, though it wasn't much. I tried recalling back on that nightmare I just had, even though it had just happened, all of it seemed so fuzzy and blurred. For now, though, I think I'll just take a nap to pass the time.

I was awoken to Mother leaving the bedroom, and I knew what time it was. I pulled myself off of the ground, dreading what was ahead of me for today. I heard Mother's footsteps towards my door, and as she entered, I simply nodded my head, acknowledging that I already knew what today was. She stared at me for a second before turning around and leaving. I walked out the door behind her. Heading back down that very same path we took the day before, we never even decided to eat. Father had already left for work within the Ghalthyrn Kingdom, and so it was just me and Mother. On our way, we had grabbed some buckets to carry water with. And so began the long trek across those sandy dunes I despise so much. My feet touched the hot sand, and I was stuck constantly burning myself, but that didn't stop me from continuing on. Mother had grabbed the only pair of shoes we had, so at least her feet were protected. We trod across the sand for a while, and throughout the entire way there, not a single word was said. The sand seemingly stretching onwards for days. My entire body felt heavy and tired. The sun was unbearable. 

Continuing for what seemed like hours, along with the distance I could see what looked to be an oasis, a paradise in this desolate wasteland. Coming up to this watering hole, I set the buckets I was carrying down. Walking up to the water's edge I sat down to take a drink for the unbearable trip back home. I took in as much fluid as I could, and lifting my eyes from the water to the edges, I glanced around and noticed several other people at the watering hole. Likely doing exactly what we were. Noticing Mother finishing up the same thing I did, we both grabbed our buckets and filled them up. Turning around, we began our journey back to the house, with the sun still beating on the sand and our backs.

After yet another dreaded tread through the dunes, we finally arrived back at the house. Walking over to the well with my buckets of water, I tipped them over and watched the water fall into it. Mother walked over and did the same. Walking back into the house, at least we had water for roughly a week before it would be water day again. Luckily it wasn't a workday though, so I could finally take a break. I took a slice of bread that we had received as payment from yesterday's workload and ate it. Mother went into the living room and sat down in her old rocking chair. I decided to walk outside and wander around for a bit, despite the heat. Looking up at the more mountainous part of the desert right next to the house, I thought of doing a little exploring, since there were still areas I had never explored before. 

Reaching the base of the mountainous area, I began to climb the more rocky part of the earth. Climbing up to the higher regions. Clambering over boulders and rocks and I made my way through the area, the house drew further and further away. I had never been this far out before, and while it was scary, it was also quite thrilling. I had tried to climb up a bit more on some of the rocks when I noticed a burrow-type hole in the ground. Deciding to investigate, I stepped over to it and tried peering inside. However, just as I had bent over to look inside, the ground below me swept away, and I had lost my balance. I fell into the hole and began sliding downwards. The rocky slope scraped up against my back, and I couldn't see anything at all. Suddenly, a jagged rock hit me on the head. All I could see was the darkness, and my mind had gone blank...