The fifth hour of laying there was when I was certain it’d never end.

I watched the sun rise into the black sky, over and over. I watched it melt into gold and fall down like rain, the moon swing dancing into the earth’s arms.

Constellations rearranged themselves right in front of my eyes and grass curled around my slit wrists. Drained of blood and tears, reposed like a broken puppet.

The eyes came and went, but I wasn’t alone. My chest had collapsed long ago, the weight pinning me down and opening my ribs with every breath. I’d given up on screaming, nothing responded to any of my thoughts. I remained still, lungs calmly inflating against my will.

Without moving my head, my eyes darted towards the multitude of white eyes staring at me from empty skulls and dead tree trunks. Then, I slowly looked up to see gleaming shark teeth bared in a smile and black goo seeping from blood-shot eyes. Dirty yellow hair spilling down around my face and tickled my cheeks, beads of black gunk dripping from the locks and pooling on my skin. It was ice cold against my feverish flesh.

They were the one singing, their fingers in my heart and their boney knees digging into my tummy. I watched the muscle beat in their hands, somehow I was still alive despite being gut like a fish and set out to dry.

Movement off to the side caught my attention. I looked away from the nightmare inches from my face and watched the sky bloom into orange tones. The creature above me made a groaning noise at the back of its throat, glancing over its shoulder at the pink clouds and growing light. Hope filling my bones, it was ending. It was ending.

The thing let out a hoarse laugh, their eyes still full of black tears and tar. That hope died as quickly as it came because the trees were dancing with dark flames and the gnarled fingers caged around my heart started pull it from my chest agonizingly slow. Agony burst from every nerve.

This will never end.

I had this thought right when a fist came out of nowhere and slammed into the creature’s head. It let out a shriek and slammed into the ground, it’s skull cracking open and a dark liquid spilling into the dirt.

I sucked in a sharp breath and my body twitched, my fingers curling into a tight ball. I leapt to my feet, my back pressing into the tree trunk behind me. A large figure was straddling the monster and punching the thing over and over, their knuckles covered black goo. Heart pounding so hard I was sure it’d fall from my open chest any moment.

Before the new monster could spot me, I turned and dove into a small hole in the roots. Digging frantically, I clawed my way into the tiny hiding spot. I pressed my legs into my chest and tried to make myself into a small ball, spots of light streaming in from the roots. I tried to slow the rapid rise and fall of my chest, blood pooling around me and flooding around me. I choked on my blood, wrapping my arms around my chest to keep everything vital inside.

I could feel my lungs and veins pulsing against my fingers.

I gagged, the warm liquid in my nose and down my throat.

Warm hands touched my arms, someone pulled me to the surface and I flinching at the bright light. I tried to break away from their grip, fear closing around me.

“Luka.” A voice said. “Luka, open your eyes.”

My eyes shot open with a gasp.

I was lying on my back, clouds drifting innocently across the periwinkle sky. A shadow fell over my eyes and I flinched.

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, you’re okay.” They gently took my wrists into their hands, stopping me from scrambling away. I whined low in my throat, I didn’t understand how I could still be alive. They’d reached inside me and spilled my guts across the ground. The world had burned around me and melted my skin. Yet here I was, alive. I sobbed, my mind spinning out of control and my lungs cramping. I struggled to breathe as they tugged me into a familiar embrace.

“It’s okay now. I’ve got you, Luka.” Max whispered.