The Fic Book

No Way Out

This addition to The Fic Book is a short story titled "No Way Out" written by midnight_misfit, one of Fictastic's awesome writers. 

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Sand. 

The hot, blistering, grainy sand under my bare feet. 

I was exposed to the scorching heat of the Sahara. My lips splintered from the temperature, my hair tousled, and my feet ached from walking alone in this hot prison. Endless desert stretched all ways around me and I considered survival hopeless. I trudged along and I felt sweat oozing down my face. I was drenched in the stuff along with my tears of despair. I was on the brink of dehydration but death seemed like a better route than trying to beat this land of forever sand. 

Then, I saw it. Up ahead, I saw gleaming waters and the greenest trees. An oasis. It glistened silently under the desert sun as if it has been waiting on me. Between me and my safe haven was 3 sand dunes. I began running up the first one. Many sensations filled my body. I felt the water dousing my mouth and the shade from the trees would be a perfect place to take a nap. I'd bathe in the brisk water and lounge peacefully. As I climbed down the second dune, I could hear the water trickling quietly. I could hear a soft breeze rustling the trees. I thought I heard a voice from the heavens calling my name, pulling me, urging me, guiding me toward the oasis. 

When I reached the top of the third dune, I overlooked the oasis. I sprinted down the steep, sandy dune and I was enclosed by trees. I closed my eyes and hurriedly dived into the water. As I hit the water, it didn't quite feel like water. I felt a familiar substance under me. I didn't want to open my eyes. I didn't want to realize it. My eyes slowly pried themselves open and I saw desert. 

Desert, desert, nothing but desert. It was all just a hallucination. The harsh desert tricked me. There were no cooling waters or calming trees. It was just sand, sand, sand. There was no way out.