"Rise!" the woman screamed at me.
I pretended not to hear her and kept my eyes shut. Truth is, I hadn't slept a wink all night.
My hands still burned from the serpent's scratch. She had pressed some leaves onto the wound to help it heal faster, but the pain never left.
The real reason I couldn't sleep wasn't the wound though, it was fear.
Fear that the serpent would return and that these people could decide to kill me in my sleep. Fear mixed with discomfort, because their so-called bed felt like lying on a block of stone.
Every joint in my body ached. If I died here, no one would remember my name. That thought stuck like a stone in my throat.
I just wanted to go home. Back to my world. Back to sleeping pills and soft mattresses. My eyes stung as I whispered, almost like a child, "I just wanna go home."
"Rise!" she shouted again, this time kicking my side. I didn't budge.
Suddenly, cold water crashed down on me. It shocked me awake, making me shiver so violently my teeth clattered.
"You insane sapien!" I yelled, leaping off the stone bed in anger and frustration.
She stood there, calm as ever, holding an empty clay bowl. My tantrum didn't move her one bit. Her expression softened into a small smile.
"You're awake," she said, as if nothing happened.
"Thanks to your water," I muttered bitterly.
She laughed and I glared at her until a trumpet blared outside.
"It's time to decide your fate," she whispered.
"Decide my fate? Are you my God?" I mumbled under my breath.
She pushed me lightly. "One of the first things you must learn if you want to survive is obey Latisha."
"Who the hell is Latisha?" I asked, frowning.
"That's me," she replied.
She gave me a sharp look, then turned and walked out. Like a chick following a hen, I trailed behind.
Outside, I froze. There were so many people. So many humans of every kind standing together, it was like walking into a dream.
I almost wanted to take a picture, but of course, no camera. Just this stinking stone world. I hissed under my breath.
Then he appeared.
The king. His posture was commanding and Instantly, every human dropped to their knees and bowed.
"Hail the king of humans!" Latisha declared.
"Long live he!" they screamed in unison, their voices so loud my ears rang.
I was the only one who wasn't bowing.
The king's eyes locked onto me and I lifted my chin. "Where I come from, we don't bow. We just say hi!" I shouted like some lunatic.
Latisha marched toward me with a spear in hand. She came close as if to whisper something in my ear then smacked my leg with the spear shaft. I collapsed to my knees.
The king approached, his shadow falling over me and he grabbed my chin, forcing my head up. His stench hit me instantly. Rancid, sour, my stomach twisted and my eyes watered immediately.
These people need deodorant.
"We have gathered to announce the challengers," the king said.
"The chosen ones will prove if they are worthy to lead the grand confederation to victory. Only one will survive."
Only one?
The words echoed in my head. My throat went dry and my palms grew clammy. This is brutal.
Names were called in groups of three, each from their clans. Then, I thought that was all and I was safe since my name wasn't called but I was wrong.
"The outcast from the unknown world."
Wait. Just me? Alone? My knees weakened. "This is bad," I whispered.
Latisha's eyes widened. "I thought you believed in equality?" she snapped at the sapien leader.
"Yes, and I always do," came the reply.
"Then why send him to die alone? Everyone else has a team. He has no one because he's an outcast?"
For once, someone defended me. My chest warmed. God bless you, Latisha.
"Who would like to go with the outcast?" The king asked.
When he asked for a volunteer, silence filled the air. No one stepped forward. Their faces hardened, eyes cold. They hated me.
"I won't force my people," the king said.
"Then I'll go with him," Latisha declared.
"No!"
The king refused, but Latisha didn't care. She stood beside me.
No one had ever stood for me like that. Not in my world. Not anywhere.
The king hissed under his breathe and said nothing.
I leaned closer to her. "He looks angry."
"He'll be fine. He has women to comfort him," she said with a soft smile.
******
That night, we were herded into the arena.
It was huge, an open pit carved into the earth, stone walls rising high like prison barriers. Torches burned along the rim. The ground below was wet and muddy.
Weapons were handed out to every of the competitors. I got a bow I didn't even know how to use. My hands shook as I gripped it. Something is better than nothing… right?
A horn blared and the crowd roared.
"Run!" Latisha yelled, running forward.
"Wait, there are no rules to guide any of us?" I asked in shock.
"Just follow me." Latisha said.
I ran too, my feet slapping the wet ground
But then the ground betrayed us.
My foot slid out from under me. I staggered, windmilling my arms, barely staying upright. All around me, others weren't so lucky.
One man's legs flew out as if he'd stepped on ice, and he crashed flat on his back with a loud thud. Another tried to help him up but slipped too, both of them rolling in the sludge.
The arena floor wasn't just mud, it was a nightmare. A thick, slick pit of brown that grabbed at our legs and pulled.
Everyone began to scream. People scattered, only to slip again. Some stronger ones didn't bother helping the fallen—they stepped on their backs and shoulders, using their bodies like stepping stones to launch themselves forward.
I heard bones crack. Someone cried out in agony, trampled underfoot. Another clawed at an ankle ahead of him, dragging the runner down with him in a desperate attempt not to be left behind.
A boy no older than me dug his nails into the mud, he tried to push himself up, eyes begging at everyone who ran past, but a pair of feet slammed into his back and he vanished beneath the sludge with a soft, choking sound. That small moment never left me.
Latisha slipped hard, her body slamming sideways into the mud with a loud splat. She gasped, struggling to rise, but the ground seemed to come alive beneath her. It clung and began to suck her in.
That's when I realized.
This wasn't just a normal mud. The floor was sinking.
People around me began to disappear lower and lower in it.
"The mud is pulling us under!" someone screamed.
I could tell it was a quicksand.
Panic exploded like wildfire. The more they struggled, the faster they sank.
I was also sinking, my legs refused. I wanted to scream too, but my voice clung to the back of my throat.
Beside me, Latisha struggled, mud already at her hips. Her eyes locked on mine, wild and desperate. "Help me!" she cried out.
I swallowed hard, forcing my brain to work. Think. Think.
"Listen!" I yelled. "It's quicksand, but it won't kill you if you stay calm!"
No one listened. They just fought harder, their terror feeding the mud.
Latisha's face twisted. "What are you saying?!" she coughed, trying to keep her balance.
"It's science! Just, stop moving so much!" My hands shook as I raised them. "Spread out your weight. Lean back. Float!"
Latisha's breathing came in sharp gasps. "Show them!" she spat, mud already creeping toward her ribs.
My body trembled. Every instinct told me to fight, to claw, to run but I forced myself still. I leaned back, spreading my arms, laying flat across the surface.
The mud sucked at me, thick and heavy, but then slowly, I floated up. My chest rose above the surface. I could breathe again. The mud made a sucking sound around my hips.
They all gasped.
Latisha gritted her teeth and copied me. She leaned back, trembling, then, slowly, she steadied. Her eyes widened in relief.
"It's working," she whispered, almost in disbelief.
Others followed, fear twisting their faces as they leaned back. The chaos softened into silence, broken only by panting breaths and the occasional sob.
I clawed my way free, dragging myself to solid ground, mud dripping from my clothes.
"Take the torch and go to the cave." Latisha shouted form behind.
My heart hammered against my ribs like a drum. I stumbled forward and snatched a torch and Latisha pulled herself out beside me, mud streaked across her face. She glanced at me, relieved and grateful.
Behind us, more figures rose from the quicksand, following what I'd shown them.
For the first time, their eyes weren't filled with hatred. They looked at me with something else.
Shock and respect. Maybe even hope.
"Go!" Latisha shouted.
Together we ran away from the mud and toward the opened gate. As I stepped outside, my eyes caught the broken frame of my machine. The memory of the serpent that had appeared near it rushed back, and a cold shiver crawled down my spine.
But that wasn't the priority now, I had to survive this.
Latisha noticed I was lagging behind and grabbed my hand tightly. Her palm was rough, nothing like the softness I remembered from my world, but right now it felt like the only anchor keeping me alive. I let out a soft groan but couldn't say a word. We ran towards the underground cave.
The torchlight flickered as we stepped inside. The walls were damp, carved with strange markings that glowed under the firelight. I reached out, mesmerized.
"You people carved this?" I asked, my voice breaking the heavy silence.
"No. Probably the ones before us," Latisha replied.
The deeper we went, the colder it grew. Then suddenly, my torch sputtered, hissed and died. The whole place became dark.
I heard a loud scary sound and every hair on my body stood up. A chill ripped down my spine, and my lungs froze as if the cave itself refused to let me breathe.
Latisha?" I whispered, my voice cracking. My hands fumbled in the dark, searching for her. The air pressed in, heavy and suffocating.
Something brushed against my body. Soft and slow.
My entire body froze. I was scared.
"Latisha…" I croaked. My voice shook. "D-did you just touch my… dick?"
For a second, there was silence.
Then she replied slowly,
"What is a dick?"