Chapter Three

How in the fuck is this thing so fast?! I've been running for ten damn MINUTES!

I... I think. Fuck it, I... gotta keep moving!

The human once again found himself in a distressing pursuit. Though it may have actually been worse this time around with the lack of light guiding his way AND the persistent slithering that seemed to somehow echo around him. His breath was raggedy, his body becoming exhausted. My head is still pounding, too! Fuuuuck me, why is this happening to me!? Where in the fuck IS that thing?

Obviously, the human knew he was dealing with something TRULY alien because there was absolutely no sense in this situation. He never knew that the probably snake-like creature could keep up with him despite giving it his all. But that's not just it, damn it! Something is up with that fucking thing. The question is: what am I missing, then?

The sound of something slimy slithering about was VERY audible, yet every time he dared himself to look back with a pounding heartbeat, he didn't necessarily hear it behind him. Could the fucker be using... the roof or something? Shit, man, I dunno! Fuuuuuck, it probably has me right where it wants me!

Regardless of just how much it was stressing him out, he knew he had more pressing issues to deal with, that being just making it out of there alive. The auditory enigma soon found a place on the back shelf in his mind as he focused on keeping his pace up.

The human was glad he kept one arm out in front of him; otherwise, he would've run right smack dab into a sharp corner and losing what little distance he got from his head start was the only thing the human could not afford. "F-fuck!" One of his fingers crunched as he spun around whatever was in the way, though he could tell it wasn't broken: sprained and bruised, perhaps, but still operational enough for him to feel lucky. Damn.

He was beginning to get really sick and tired of constantly not seeing where he was going. His agitation grew with each subsequent bump and near-knock over that he suffered because of the dark robbing him of his sight.

Uncaring stone corners directed him certain ways, and twisting staircases forced him up, around and sometimes even down. A nagging feeling in the back of his mind told him that he was unbelievably lost, and the feeling only grew with every step. And yet he still found himself running, even when every little bit of logic he had within his brain told him it was pointless. What else am I supposed to do, damn it? I can't let that thing anywhere's close to me again!

Furrowing his brow, he shouted out all the pent-up anger and fear he felt. It did nothing but echo off the walls. But even though it was nothing but meaningless... somehow, some small part of his spirit became reinvigorated by that odd desire to resist pointlessly: the anomaly that was his fragile human spirit reignited with that one useless action.

And so he kept moving. Deeper and deeper into that horrifying, alien dark without really knowing why.

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His body and time caught up to the stumbling human, his long strides up the large steps becoming short shuffles; he struggled to catch his breath, let alone any trace of hope.

He continued to run and run, the pounding in his head slowly being replaced by the heart, but not once did he see even a hint of light to lead his way to escape. There was a moment past the fifth spiralling staircase that he didn't even bother trying to map out where he was.

His thighs felt non-existent, and the pounding in his head reached a point where it felt like his eyes were about to explode. He didn't realize just how tired he was until he, in a moment of dizzyness induced by the dark, tripped on the very outer edge of a stair.

He gasped as he just barely caught himself on his hands, thankfully still of able mind and body to do that small thing. "Fuck! Oh-oh, God, damn it..." A smidge of uncertainty about his fate appeared in his soul when he heard that slithering sound still as close by as it was a while back. Wh... When is this going to end? I've been running for so... damn... long!

He pushed himself up just enough to now crawl forward on the stairs, his arms doing most of the work since his legs could barely even feel the rock they were scrapping against. He didn't keep moving forward to spite the universe in a feeble attempt to resist the futility of the universe.

He just felt the breeze blowing his face. God fucking... It's gotta... be close... right? Just a little further..! Now crawling on his hands and knees, the slithering seemingly getting closer and closer did not bother him any longer; all that mattered was finding out where that damn breeze was coming from. His insatiable curiosity and that damn stubborn determination would allow him to do nothing else. I... have to get out of here!

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And there he was: the total culmination of the human race's efforts; trapped, afraid and alone in a void which seemed to hold no escape. He, a member of a species who once held the potential to do wondrous things... merely becoming the hunted once more. Every triumph and failure humanity had led up... to him: a miserable pile of flesh, tired out of his mind.

So why did he keep moving?

Like humans once were, hope in itself was a most peculiar thing: in some perspectives, one could say it was the driving force behind great things. But to others, it only led to further hopelessness. These different ways of looking at it were once equally spread out across billions, all to maintain that unbelievably unique balance of despair and hope.

But there was never a time before now where a person could ask this: what happens when there is only one last human in all of existence to perceive those peculiar sensations?

What happens when all this abstract fervour... could now only happen to one man? Could it be that only then that the answer to all the painful and hopeful enigmas that make up life... could finally be answered? Would it be only he that could give, once and for all, the TRUE meaning behind every abstract emotion?

The last human would soon know this answer.

For no more were these meanings spread out among a billion people, all these different outlooks being coveted by each individual's experiences in life. Every little spark of ecstasy and all the drowning waves of woe were no longer shared by the untold masses of humanity but now unknowingly concentrated onto one poor person.

Despite knowing that there really was no point, he continued to push forward, driven by something in him he just couldn't explain. It was almost like it wasn't even him pushing himself up anymore but something... primordial, something greater than anything he could even begin to perceive.

Yet whatever it was still felt particularly human. Still particularly hopeful. The driven yet mortally terrified human would soon know the true answer to what hope was: if it really was a deliverer of despair... or something else entirely.

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Just when he thought he couldn't go on any longer... the stairs stopped. He stumbled forward, groaning in surprise when he... saw something during his stumble. Light, nothing more but a small sliver... finally bounced off his hands and into his eyes. Li-light? No...

It was with that one small rectangle of light appearing at the end of an empty hallway filled with only dry rasps that he human finally stopped, all to admire something that any other person would shrug away: a small crack in a doorway. After what felt like an eternity of perpetual effort and pain, here he was, on his hands and knees staring at hope. "H-holy... shit. Is... is that..? Hahaha..."

The human was beyond himself with emotion, dry tears running down his face. Using the light as a small guide, he began to rub in front of him like a blind man would with a cane, chuckling all the while in utter disbelief. He found himself up against a wall in the hallway of sorts he found himself in.

Pushing against it with wobbly legs, everything in him was intensified by a billion: akin to how it should've felt if every single human alive felt the same emotion at once. His body heated up like there was still something left in his muscles to give; his blood began to simmer and boil with such heat that he thought he was burning from the inside out.

And before he knew it, he was pushing off the wall to properly stumble forward. Despite the exhaustion he felt, his legs continued to carry him onward. Tendons extended and shortened painfully, and yet they still pushed through to carry their host. His chest cramped with every breath, yet they still found it within themselves to suck in as much of the dry fuel as possible. Tired arms warned his shoulders that they were about to fall off, yet they still found the strength to keep holding on.

All to reach that damn door. Whatever that was in the human that found this determination, he intended to make the best of it. His short steps became long, hard shuffles forward, his knees too tired to even bother lifting his legs. The light on his eye grew brighter and slimmer with every step forward, his body instinctually hunching forward if only to slightly close the distance between them.

The human nearly fell over when an old crack in the floor caught his toe, his body being so tired that even that barely noticeable distraction was enough to catch him off balance. But with a gasp, a dry, sharp one, he caught himself before he could fall face first. "N-no! No..!"

Grunting in fatigue, he pushed himself up onto his knees, the determination in him unable to give his body the strength it needed to rise once again. But it still pushed him onward. It felt like ages, but indeed, only a few minutes of the painful crawling passed by.

And it was there he found himself by the door that would finally show him the fruits of his struggle would bear; what the curse and blessing that was all of humanity's collective hope would bestow upon him. And all he had to do... was give a giant stone door a push. Coughing the dust out of his extremely pasty throat, he got up onto his knees and brought his two arms up. "F-finally! Nya-hahaHA!"

The effort he had to give to do even that small act made him actually glad he was alone and in the dark for once as his face scrunched up beyond understanding. I can't... stop now! It's here; it's finally here! Escape; light; hope! I just... gotta... get this OPEN!

He wasn't too sure what thought made his body do what it did next, but it was surely one of those. For it was with that IT happened again. This time around, it didn't lead to an all-time low of defeat but rather, the greatest feeling of jubilation the human had felt in his short time of being awake.

Compared to where he once was, what came off him was now perfectly visible. And whatever it was nearly took away all the attention he had on the door. To say that feat boggled him was no overstatement. Would you look... at that...

Small eldritch sparks flew from the lines that appeared around his arms and legs; the unknown and eccentric runes fluttered almost innocently in front of his face, gently brightening his face, their glow like mythological fairies talked about in ancient human history. What in the fuck..?

As the human kept watching, his own body began to become its own light. As this happened, because he was entranced by the runes in front of his face, he couldn't help but feel... hypnotized. They seemed to make no sound as they were blown around by the faint breeze, but as his heart slowed and the pounding FINALLY went away, he could've sworn he heard... wind chimes all around him: distant like the rest of his memories shrouded in fog.

Some calming, greater power than anything he could begin to understand was singing him the most melodic sound in existence. Where is it coming from? But instead of looking around, since it was fairly obvious that the question would stay unanswered-- as everything else had been so far, something he was coming to accept-- he simply went to inspect his own body.

In those lines that magically appeared with no warning, it was only when he brought a wobbly arm up to his eyes that the exact same snowflake-like runes-- in terms of them all looking VERY different from each other-- were transcribed in odd rows on his now-glowing skin.

But only certain parts of his body were these lines appearing: his core was completely untouched, leaving an odd absence of light that only confused him further considering how, even though he was now bathed in his light... it was like none of it graced his abs, leaving him with a black hole for a stomach. In fact... even the door is untouched! What the hell?

Even the floor below him was untouched by the odd light, leaving him confused about HOW this was happening, not WHY it was. But that would soon not matter in the slightest for me. Cause when you suddenly find a burst of pure POWER surge in your body, you best not question it: you only MOVE. What in the HELL is THIS!? Oh, hohoho, man! I feel... I FEEL..!

It felt like every single one of his muscles tensed up with a sense of vigour that it felt like his strength had suddenly grown tenfold. But I'm still so fucking tired! H-how? Before he could even begin to ask himself what in the hell was happening to him, his face shot up to stare at the cold, grey door in front of him, his dirty and sweaty brow slowly furrowing. A sense of overwhelming desire appeared in him that it just wouldn't allow him to think ANY other thought other than getting that door OPEN. And DAMN, does this feel good!

The lines on his legs grew brighter, and right after he stood up with no problem, it was like every little bit of worry and stress in him... disappeared. Like it never had even existed.

His body started to feel a wave of sheer WARMTH wash over as he slowly stood up against the door, his will giving him the force of purpose. He looked as the lines dug deeper into his muscles, amazed by what he was seeing and feeling. As that most pleasant and downright exciting restoration followed, it wasn't soon after that he felt the climax of this odd power approaching.

Staring down the door like it was his greatest adversary, his tired hands clenched one last time. He brought both of them behind his head and clasped his fingers together, forming a substantial ball of glowing white flesh as everything concentrated there. This fucking door... it's all that stands between me and getting the fuck out here...

Leaning back, he threw his hands onto the center of the door without warning. It barely budged. But that did not stop nor discourage him from immediately checking it hard with his shoulder as he followed through with another blow. Once again, it showed little signs of moving, but he could've sworn he heard something brittle... start to break. Y-yes! Fucking come on, then!

Huffing, he backed up and readied himself as his shaking fists steeled themselves for what was about to come. All the emotions he felt: anger, fear, determination, confusion. They were all starting to rise up from the depths of his troubled soul. I am... so damn TIRED... of all this BULLSHIT!

Throwing a quick right jab sucked the air around his arm, the sound it made like a whistle right before it connected into the door with a dull thud, dust blowing in all directions. Tired of all this shit!

Next came his left fist, the uppercut making but a little dent in the extremely aged, alien stone. Again, there was only a little crack... but a crack nonetheless. TIRED of running..! His knee connected, and while he felt the bone complained when he brought it back to stand, the disgruntled human couldn't help but notice how he felt the door bounce forward before returning to its original place.

Grinning in renewed energy, the human shook his hands before continuing his barrage. Tired of the PAIN! Tired of all this damn FEAR! But most of all... most importantly of all... is that I'm so fucking tired of... not knowing who I AM! Something snapped in him when he finally remembered how much he didn't remember. All that confusion rising to the surface caused his blood to surge in so many different emotions. That was the final straw for him: calculated blows meant to disconnect whatever hinge the old door was on soon led to a wild flurry of emotions and bashes.

Screaming out in frustration when he felt his fists had finally reached their limit, he reached a point where all he could do was kick and run into the door. The door began to rattle, and the breeze felt like it picked up. It may have been just his ever-increasing pace of attack causing his breath to spike, but nonetheless, the sensation drove him beyond what he thought currently possible. "God... damn it! Open... up."

Another kick caused an echo in the nearly empty hallway, though he paid the sound, which seemed to disappear in the infinite darkness behind, no mind. That, and whatever it was that was on his tail. Fuck, it's practically right behind me! "Fucking..." Slamming his body into it repeatedly, it seemed that his efforts were finally paying off. His eyes nearly grew to the size of his head when all of a sudden, a gigantic crack appeared, practically enveloping his entire torso in the grey light coming from the outside world.

The laugh that came right after was one of wonder, amazement and total disbelief. "AHAHA! Yes! YEEEEEEEEEES!" Though the human felt nothing but despair every time he tried to remember how he got here, the human could not help but admit that it was a good feeling to have all his troubles actually amounting to something.

An awesome curiosity filled him afterwards as he could see but a faint glimpse of the world beyond this last obstacle. Following was the determination to see it before it was too late, that wish of fulfillment being all he needed to push him. Come on! Slowly, he took a step back... and clenched his fists one last time. His right arm swung all the way back, and his leg went up into the air as his body spectacularly twisted itself. One... last... TIME!

And then he followed through. "Fucking open UP!" His entire body was like a wave of righteous power, all of everything flowing exactly how it needed to maximize the damage needed to breakthrough. The white glow reached its zenith, and with it, the sparks around him exploded in an awe-inspiring chain reaction.

It oddly failed to light up any of his surroundings yet again, but the blinding glare fueled his soul with something... remarkable. His fist collided, and, for a moment, it was met with resistance. But it was before he could even begin thinking he failed, his fist... finally went through. And he sure wasn't ready for that despite everything just motivating him. Oh, shit!

After the dull crack resonated in the dark behind him, it was like the door, after millennia of standing strong, decided it finally fulfilled its purpose. Suddenly shattering into dust and dull fragment, the human soon found himself face first on an odd, grainy surface as momentum took him forward.

He was then bombarded by a literal whole new world of sensations, his senses going into overdrive. Where he once touched the unforgiving stone, he now felt smooth... sand... gracing his body. He went to pick himself up, but as he opened his eyes after such a shocking event, his only thought was to cover his eyes and wince. Fuck, it's bright!

Where he before heard his own terrified breathing and smelt his own cold sweat, he heard, smelt, and tasted the presence of an extremely salty body of water. He heard the nearby body of water sloshing and churning as lakes tended to do, and already was his mind thinking of what it looked like as if the world depended on it.

Though it certainly wasn't how he thought waves should sound, the peaceful sounds of blowing wind and distant waves soothed something in him that he didn't even know needed calming. It's like... I'm back home...

A few seconds passed by, and it seemed that his eyes adjusted just enough underneath the eyelid that he could look through the spaces between his fingers. And though it wasn't spectacular in the slightest-- indeed, it was quite a dull sight-- the implications of it caused his breath to be snatched away. Holy fuck... I-I'm touching an alien surface right now.

He knew that it shouldn't have been such a big deal considering his previous experiences, running away and getting beaten by literal aliens. But there was still a child-like and almost innocent wonder he held somewhere deep in his scarred soul that rejoiced at finally proving that he was DEFINITELY not on Earth anymore. He chalked it up to the natural curiosity humans held for such grand occasions as right now.

He was leaning on his elbows, letting just enough light underneath his body to shine over dull particles littering the ground below him. It was grey in colour, and each little particle of it was so very small. Though it was quite a shock landing face-first into it, now that he looked at it, it was actually quite calming to see little bits of light reflecting off it.

It wasn't necessarily unpleasant to the touch either, like how one would feel letting pure white sand fall through their fingers: grainy and coarse to the touch, but satisfying enough that it made you want to squeeze it with all your might.

The human would discover that as, finally, he let his hands go from his face and onto the floor below him, pushing himself up enough that he fell onto his back, panting loudly. The adrenaline-- and whatever just happened to him-- was starting to wear off, and his body made VERY sure to tell him of its state. "Jesus... fuck! Holy shit."

He was tired enough that he felt no need to ask pointless questions, like where he was exactly or what to do next. For as he lifted up his hand and watched the small grey circles and squares that made up the grainy carpet fall onto his chest, as well as feeling the oddly cold shine from whatever sun that the planet, he knew he had finally done it. I'm fucking out!

I'm... I'm free.