earth

chapter 65

I find a corner to collapse into, feeling sick to my stomach as I force myself to vomit up the half-decomposed finger that I have been holding onto. With a hard swallow, I try to forget the horrors that brought me here and focus on the task at hand.
I picked up the glistening finger, greedily picking off the succulent meat from the bone until it lay bare and forgotten. With the wall as my makeshift sharpener, I meticulously sharpened the bone until it gleamed with a jagged edge, eager to be used as a makeshift knife.

***

Without warning, the air erupts with the cacophony of battle. The pungent smell of metal and blood are the only clues to the horrific scene before me. Fighting unseen, save for muddled grunts and maniacal laughter, I strain to make sense of the flashes of movement in the green-hued fog. Blood splatters the walls and floor like a grotesque painting in progress. Bodies writhe and contort, tearing into each other like a pack of rabid dogs. My vision clears, revealing the horrors before me. Human organs lay scattered across the ground, discarded like trash. A man, mere inches from me, groans in macabre delight. His chest cavity is torn open, exposing the delicate rhythm of his still-beating heart. His eye dangles from its socket, and his once-smooth skin is now riddled with bite marks and chunks of missing flesh. A chuckle bubbles up from deep within his throat as his free hand plunges into his gaping wound. The man lovingly pulls out a length of intestine, chomping on it like a piece of gum.

My mind races with fear as I question whether I'll meet the same fate as the madman before me. Will Ava, my beloved companion, succumb to madness too? Suddenly, a hand latches onto my leg, and I let out an ear-piercing scream. But it's no use; my scream is drowned out by the chorus of agony and terror around me. The person's nails burrow into my flesh like a hot knife through butter, and I writhe in agony. Instinct kicks in as I grab hold of the finger, jabbing it inside the side of their neck before pulling it back out. Despite my attack, the madman doesn't stop; his fingers are like anchors dragging on my skin, relentlessly exposing raw flesh until his blood loss finally overtakes him.
I struggle to stand on my good leg, gasping for air. I know I need to find a new spot, somewhere safe. As I limp around, stumbling over an ever-growing pile of corpses, flies buzz around me incessantly, taunting me with their knowledge that my end is near.

Pain sears through my body, wrenching me in half. Blood gushes, the metallic taste overwhelming my senses as it runs down my lips. My stomach churns as if it's being incinerated from the inside out. Is this how Ava feels? I can't bear it. I can't stay here. I have to find her, and Jason, and get them out of here before it's too late.

"You threw up on my food." The sudden voice makes me jolt upright, my heart pounding with fear. This man is enormous, with bulging muscles and a scowl carved on his face. My gaze drops down, and I realize he's gesturing to a decomposed human lying on the ground beside him. The putrid smell emanates from its body, making me gag involuntarily.

"L-Let me make it up to you," I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper. A smile broke through my fear as I lowered myself to my knees, desperate to make amends. My fingers fumbled blindly through the piles of corpses around me. I couldn't see anything in the inky blackness around me, my eyes useless in the pitch blackness of the room.

As my hand dove deeper into the slimy mass, something slithered up my arm, coiling around me like a snake. Instantly, my stomach churned, the putrid smell of death hitting me like a tidal wave. My eyes watered, tears streaming down my cheeks as I struggled to keep from vomiting.

And then, something like tiny legs began to crawl along my skin, skittering over me with relentless energy. I could feel their tiny feet as they crawled over every inch of my skin, and the sensation made me want to scream. But I couldn't scream because my throat was closed up, my breath coming in short gasps as I struggled to remain conscious.
Despite the horror of what was happening, there was a part of me that couldn't help but be fascinated. My hand dug deeper into the putrid mound of flesh and decay, searching for what lay hidden beneath. And then, my fingers grasped something – something hard and jagged.
With a sudden yank, I pulled the bone out of the putrid mass, ready to use it to make things right again. But as I pushed it deep into the man's side, my hand shook with a mixture of fear and excitement. I felt like a savage, lost in some kind of primal ritual that was somehow unlocking secrets that had been hidden away for centuries.
But as he laughs, his grip on my wrist tightens, crushing it mercilessly. I let out a bone-chilling scream, the sound of my bones being crushed by his grip, a sickening noise akin to the grinding of a vacuum on a shiny penny

"That tickles," he grins maniacally, and as he opens his mouth, thousands of bugs and other revolting creatures stream out from his mouth and eyes, crawling over his face like an army of tiny soldiers. But, despite the repugnant swarm, his smile never fades.

"You're going to make a good meal," he says as he tightens his grip on me, and for a moment, I feel my mind go numb with fear and despair. But then, as I close my eyes, I see Ava's face in my mind, wearing a beautiful white dress, her hair fluttering in the wind. With her image in my head, I find the strength to fight back.

  Ava's voice was like that of an angel, soft and soothing, as she pleaded with me. But I knew deep down that I couldn't do it. My body was wracked with pain, every inch of me aching and sore. As I whispered to Ava, my voice was barely audible, but the words were filled with raw emotion. "I can't do this," I said, and the tears streamed down my face. It was too much – I was beyond exhausted, and the thought of continuing on was overwhelming.

"Please," She begs, looking up at her with pleading eyes, "do it for me."

I nod, and Keep nodding-I will live! With every fiber of my being, I vow to take revenge on him and everyone who wronged me. Tears no longer fall from my eyes; instead, I take action, willing to do whatever it takes to survive. When they come at me with their dirty tactics, I'll go dirtier, and I will not falter.

Taking his hand in mine, I bring it to my mouth, feeling the texture of his skin with my lips. Without hesitation, I sink my teeth into his flesh, relishin
g in the taste of his blood. His fingers become like a second skin to me, sticking to my teeth as I bite down harder.

Suddenly, the man yanks his hand away, and I feel his grip tighten around my throat. He slams against the wall behind me, my head pounding with pain. My legs waddle off the ground back and forth, like a helpless animal struggling for its life. Despite the pain, I keep kicking, determined to fight until the bitter end.

My fingertips dug into his flesh, raking against the skin, tearing it open with each desperate scratch. As my windpipe constricted, I knew that this violent altercation would end with only one of us walking away. His eyes bulged with maniacal glee, fingers digging deeper into my neck until the world began to fade to black.

At that moment, I knew I had to act fast. My legs kicked out, sending him tumbling back as I scrambled to my feet. Searching frantically for a weapon, my hand closed around a jagged bone on the ground. The grin on his face only grew wider, clearly relishing the upcoming battle. But I was ready. We charged toward each other, his eyes locked on mine as I brought the bone down with all the force I could muster.

I felt the sickening thud as the bone pierced his skin, blood gushing out onto my hands. He fell back, writhing in pain as I straddled his twisting form. In a haze of fury, I plunged the bone deep into his belly, over and over again like a plunger unclogging a stubborn drain. For a moment, I sat back to catch my breath, watching as his eyes fluttered and then went

blank. Satisfied, I rose to my feet, stray droplets of blood flecking across my face and clothing.
I lay on my back with my eyes shut tight, my body twisted in knots from the excruciating pain. I felt as though every nerve in my body was on fire. It was a searing, relentless agony that threatened to engulf me entirely. However, I refused to let it take me down. Instead, I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth, determined to fight through the pain.
As I lay there, I felt my body begin to relax, and the tension slowly ebb away. But then I realized my mistake - I had let my guard down for just a moment. In that split second of vulnerability, I felt an artificial wall, something I had constructed just to hold myself together, threaten to crumble down around me. I knew that if I gave in to the pain completely, it might give way without warning, and I would be lost.