I woke up with the fresh ray of sunlight beaming on my face. The day looked bright and beautiful, with birds chirping around the beautiful blue sky. Next to me was the dead wolf rotting in broad daylight.
I could clearly see its features now. The wolf was pitch white in colour and was fairly huge for a normal wolf.
Its ribs were showing, and the body looked frail, indicating malnourishment. The wolf looked like it had starved for days, and that was quite worrying.
I looked at the two pups snuggling around my lap. Both of them had clear, pristine blue eyes but varied body colours.
One of them was white like the mother while the other was black. Both looked to be male and, for some reason, gave off a very unique vibe.
I petted them for a while before getting up and settling my memories in. I was working overtime and trying to complete the daily meeting overview. It was already my tenth coffee, but then I heard someone?
'Hmm, my memories are jumbled with this body. I already noticed this isn't my body. He looks like someone between twelve to fifteen years. What was my name again?? Roy?? Hmm… Roy Lark. His name sounds quite.....different.'
My thoughts were scattered when the pups attached onto my legs, slightly sulking. I didn't know if they knew I was their mother's killer. They seemed to have understood that their mother was not going to return.
SIGH…
I picked up the two and began walking away from the corpse. The already dead body was going to attract a lot of scavengers and other wildlife.
I was surprised it had been left unattended for a full night.
I quickly covered the pace with my legs, not wanting to remain in this place longer. Each passing moment increased the likelihood of me not coming out of this ALIVE.
To understand what exactly happened and how I ended up in this hellhole—I have to live.
GURGLE... GURGLE...
The sound of a stream caught my ears. This was definitely a water stream heading towards a larger water body—possibly a river.
This was good news because there would be human settlements along the riverbanks. I also had to wash up by any means.
I quickly sped up and reached a small stream flowing downwards. The water looked insanely clear, and only the area surrounding the water was green. The rest all was decayed and destroyed. I removed all my clothes and observed my bony body. I was clearly skinny—extremely skinny, if I may.
I looked dehydrated and even like a corpse, by the looks of it.
Without wasting time, I dived into the water and cleansed myself neatly. The wounds from yesterday's battle hadn't healed, and there were several claw marks. My ribs were broken, and I could hardly walk.
I bent down and saw the face of a black-haired kid, somewhat in his early teens.
He had deep blue eyes just like the pups and was somewhat white-brown in colour.
'Hmm, what's with this fcking body? How the hell can someone's conscience end up in a different body?? Haa... I want to go home.'
My body was already dreading the thought of living with such abominations daily. My thoughts were broken apart by the pups barking at me.
I finished up my washing and came towards their place, petting them. They kept barking towards a certain direction. I could not see any movement or any sort of indication that someone might be watching us.
"Seems like you sensed something quite ominous. Come on guys, let's get moving. Do not bark—I'm in no position to fight," I said, picking them after dressing up.
GRRR...GRRR...
They were growling at the small, tiny bushes. Seeing their reaction, my heart started to beat fast. I could not afford another fight—not here, not now.
I slowly picked up a sharp-looking rock from the riverbed and began to move backwards slowly.
Rustle... Rustle...
I slowly walked towards the sound, my hands wobbly and my heart beating faster than ever. Each step I took elevated my blood sugar levels, anxiety beyond the roof.
I held the stone in my hand, covering behind, and slowly pushed the grass aside before throwing the stone toward the sound.
SCREECH...
Something shrieked before it flew away. My body trembled as I watched a pack of vultures retreat from the body, and the tension instantly dropped.
I could see a dead piglet, its mouth wide open and eyes dug out.
The half-eaten body reeked of flesh and bones, blood oozing from all parts.
The body looked fresh, as the crimson fluid was still quietly flowing away as though it had just been set free.
The pups began scowling in hunger at the sight of meat, and I knew this wasn't a good sign.
"Come on, buddies, we don't have time for this. We'll get something else to eat, not this," I said, dragging them away.
We kept traveling downstream, walking for miles, only to find there wasn't a single visible living, moving organism till now.
I couldn't see anything—anything with a life except the plants.
As we walked a bit more, the pups suddenly barked toward a certain direction, biting my sleeve.
There was a small entrance to what looked like a cave, and separating the water stream and the cave was a big ravine.
The ravine looked run-down and spooky, fungus growing on either side of the walls, with many claw and bite marks etched into them.
I slowly crossed the ravine, keeping my guard up. The hollow air whistled around me, indicating the loneliness of this place.
The entrance to the cave was a bit opulent, with vines and small flowers decorating the mouth as though we were being welcomed to some wedding.
The entrance, which looked carved rather than natural, was sculpted perfectly. The size was just enough for one person.
If there were multiple parties around the entrance, they'd have to enter the cave one by one.
The darkness brimmed deeper the moment I entered, blinding my field of vision. Everything in and around felt eerie and repulsive, as though the cave was rejecting every fiber of my being.
Having no means to light a fire, I slowly took a step forward.
GUP...
The cave lit up with torches extending all the way back until the place opened up into something wider—more spacious.
This felt more like a passage than a cave, with neatly carved intricate pathways and strangely lit torches.
I took a small stone from the ground and threw it forward, to check for traps.
I mean, I had to make sure. After watching Lara Croft succumb to such situations, I felt proud for doing this.
Albeit, there were no traps… I probably just watched too many movies.
Still, I'm more inclined to believe being prejudiced is better… Right?
Anyway, I get why the protagonists in survival movies walk toward something that screams obvious death—I mean, the whole thing was just spectacular.
Who wouldn't want a journey into a cave filled with self-switching torches, getting chased by two huge megalithic centipedes, and fighting a wolf only to carry her pups around after killing her?
That would be ME.
So yes, I ventured in.
The stony path looked dry, and the wet cave walls were completely contrasting to the floor beneath.
The more I walked, the fainter the entrance felt. At one point, the light from the entrance vanished completely and in front of me was nothing but empty pathways and galloping silence.
Tuk...
The white pup's ears puffed up at the faint sound coming from somewhere nearby.
Grrr...
I raised my guard and looked around, trying to locate the source of the disturbance, beads of sweat rolling down my shirt and the constant pump of adrenaline induced from the sense of dread—a sensation that felt like I was being torn apart from the pressure.
TUK... TUK... TUK...
The sound was slow and monotonous. I took a deep breath and did the one thing everyone does in such situations.
I ran.