7:00... huh? Where's the clock? A more pressing question slammed into my mind: Where even am I!?
I was standing on a cracked, dark plain under a sickly, purplish sky. The world around me was a nightmare landscape of jagged, thorny mountains. But these weren't normal mountains. Each one was monstrous, with thorns the size of entire buildings sprouting from them like twisted spears.
Squinting, I could see dark, indistinct shapes impaled on many of the thorns. A deep, primal dread began to coil in my stomach. I had to get a closer look.
I moved cautiously towards one of the nearest thorns. What I saw made my blood run cold. Pierced through the chest was a creature that looked almost human. But its body was horrifically burst open. Its intestines, stomach, liver, and heart were all ripped out, hanging from its torso like grotesque decorations. The organs were swollen and blackened, dripping a thick, dark fluid.
A scream tore from my throat. I doubled over and vomited, my stomach heaving from the sheer horror. Wh-what kind of place is this!? I looked around in a panic. Every thorn I could see was the same. Different creatures—some humanoid, some beastly—were all impaled, their internal organs violently displayed.
"WHERE AM I!?" I screamed into the oppressive silence.
Terror took over. I started to run, my feet pounding against the hard ground, desperate to find an exit from this hellhole. I ran until my lungs burned, turning corners and scrambling over rocky outcrops. But it was useless. Every path looked the same. Every turn led me back to another forest of thorny mountains and their grisly trophies. I was trapped.
Thunk!
A heavy footstep echoed through the valley, shaking the ground beneath me. My heart leaped into my throat. Wh-what should I do!? I'm scared!! I spun around, my eyes wide with panic, searching for anywhere to hide from the approaching monstrosity. WhAt is happening!!!
My gaze landed on a small crack where one massive thorn had pierced another, creating a narrow crevice. I scrambled towards it, squeezing my body into the tight space. Sharp, broken shards of the thorn grazed my arms and back, slicing my skin open with smooth, clean cuts. I hissed in pain, biting my lip to keep from crying out. I curled into a ball, trying to make myself as small as possible.
The heavy footsteps grew louder, closer. THUNK. THUNK. They stopped right outside my hiding place. Driven by a terrible instinct, I opened my eyes.
A giant, bloodshot eye was peering directly into the crack! It had seen me!!!
Before I could even process this new horror, the creature rose to its full height, and I could finally see it clearly. The sight was worse than anything I could have imagined. It was a hulking, blue-skinned humanoid beast with six muscular arms. Two of its hands had grotesque, unblinking eyes embedded in the palms. Its face was a nightmare—it had no nose or normal eyes. Instead, there were two wide, slobbering mouths stacked vertically, both filled with rows of dirty, blood-stained teeth. Both mouths were grinning at me.
It swung one of its massive left arms, the one without an eye, directly at my hiding place. Its fist slammed into the sharp thorns, and the entire structure shuddered. A web of cracks appeared where it hit. Wh-what should I do!? It is going to destroy this cover! It had made a crack with just one swing! Its hand wasn't unscathed; the bones were clearly broken, and a thick, black liquid oozed from the wounds.
Th-this is unbelievable! It's after me even if it costs it its hand!? Why!? What is happening!? I was supposed to be in my room!? Is this a bad dream!?
The beast pulled back its mangled left arm and swung again with even more brutal force. Its arm bent backwards at a sickening angle upon impact. The wall of thorns protecting me groaned, on the verge of shattering. The beast looked at its useless, shattered arm, then brought one of its mouths down and tore the limb clean off with its teeth. It spat the severed arm onto the ground with a wet thud.
I was in pure shock. This thing was so desperate to get to me that it would tear off its own arm!?
It pulled its right arm back, muscles coiling. It's going to finish it!! My mind raced, but I was frozen. What can I even do!? Before I could force my legs to move, its fist connected.
The wall of thorns exploded inwards. The force of the blow sent me flying through the air like a ragdoll. A searing pain erupted in my side as I was hit; I felt the bones in my ribs and left arm snap. I tumbled through the air and skidded across the ground, my body grazing against another sharp thorn. By sheer luck, it didn't impale me, but it sliced a deep, bloody gash down my left arm.
The hulking beast began to approach me again, its heavy footsteps sounding like a death knell. Its remaining right arm was even more damaged now, dripping black fluid. Is it because it used more strength in that last hit?
I still have a chance! I thought, desperate. It was moving slowly. I tried to push myself up, but the moment I stood, a wave of nausea overwhelmed me. I vomited, and a spray of bright red blood painted the ground. My vision swam, dark spots dancing at the edges. No! I have to do something!
My eyes landed on the thorny mountain beside me. It was my only way up. I stumbled towards it, ignoring the agony screaming from every part of my body. I started to climb, using whatever handholds I could find. The edges were razor-sharp, slicing fresh cuts into my palms with every grip I took. My blood made the surface slick and treacherous.
The beast was still approaching, its twin mouths gnashing hungrily. I have to climb faster before I faint! I screamed at myself internally. Climb! Climb! Climb!
The dark surface of the thorn became streaked with red as I hauled myself upward. The beast reached the base and began pounding on the mountain with its fists. Its strength wasn't enough to destroy it, but each blow sent a powerful shudder through the structure. The shaking made the climb a new kind of torture. My already bloody hands were ground against the sharp edges with every tremor. The pain was unbearable. To fight it, I bit down hard on my own tongue, using that sharper, more localized pain to try and distract myself from the agony in my hands.
Fast! I climbed like a madman, my mouth and palms dripping blood onto the hellscape below. Fast or I'll die!!!
Somehow, I managed to haul myself onto a small, flat ledge on the mountainside. There was barely enough space for me to lie down. The shaking from the beast's attacks continued for a few more minutes as I pressed myself into a corner, hiding my body behind a smaller outcropping of thorns. I had no idea what other horrors lived in this place.
What place even is this? The thought was a whimper in my mind. The adrenaline that had been fueling me began to fade, and as my mind started to calm, all the pent-up, excruciating pain I had been suppressing crashed over me like a wave. It flooded every nerve, every broken bone, every cut. It was too much.
A raw, guttural scream was torn from my very soul.
"ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!"
---
[News Channel - Live Broadcast]
The scene cut to a news studio. A beautiful news anchor, her face pale and stricken with terror, was shouting into the camera, her professional composure completely gone.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING!?" she cried, her voice trembling. "WE ARE GETTING REPORTS OF A DARK EXPLOSION THAT OCCURRED OUT OF NOWHERE NEAR A RESIDENTIAL AREA! THE CASUALTIES ARE... THEY'RE STAGGERING! AND THEN... AND THEN A HUGE SWARM OF MONSTERS STARTED TO POUR FROM THE CRACK THE EXPLOSION CREATED! THEY ARE KILLING EVERYTHING! EVERY LIVING ORGANISM IN THE ENTIRE CITY IS UNDER ATTACK! THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE NEVER SEEN IN RECORDED HISTORY! TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, SOME PEOPLE ARE REPORTED TO HAVE VANISHED ENTIRELY, NOT KILLED, BUT DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE! THIS IS A CATASTROPHIC, HORRIFYING EVENT FOR ALL OF HUMANITY!!"