《A Labyrinth of Bones》


 An Unquenchable Thirst

    I wasn¡¯t thirsty anymore. I tried to let out a sigh, but all that came out was a rough cough. No, that wasn¡¯t true. I could still very much feel my need for water, but trying to force myself to think otherwise was a nice distraction, for all that it actually did to help. I could feel my legs starting to give up, and my vision was getting blurry, but I still forced myself to continue onwards.


    As my eyes wandered over the seemingly unending plain marble walls, they caught on a small mosaic of color. It depicted a beautiful eye filled with a dazzling array of colors, unlike any eye I had ever seen. The eye reminded me of someone I had met a long time ago, whose eyes were two different colors, but while each eye only contained one color, this single eye was filled with almost every color I had ever seen.


    It was one of the most beautiful mosaics I had seen in my wandering, and I knew I would have to try to remember where it was. although I doubted I would be traveling much further in my current state.


    I slapped myself on the face. I was starting to get distracted, the delirium and tiredness overtaking my body. I needed to keep moving, just one step at a time.


    Most others probably would have stopped by now. Find a nice spot to lie down and let the long sleep overtake them. But I knew better than that. Every step mattered, they had to, because eventually my travels would lead me to paradise.


    It also helped that I had seen someone digging a while back, and getting as far away from them as possible could never be a bad thing. Digging was a sign of someone that was unstable and untrustworthy, and it was clear from how fast they were clawing at the walls that they were getting desperate too.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I thought back to my first experience with another like the one I just saw. I had approached them to try and find out what they were doing and let them know that their struggle was a pointless task. The only way to reach paradise was to find it by wandering. But when I spoke to them, they lashed out, screaming and clawing at me.


    They clawed at me in a desperate attempt to drink my red water, rip it from my body, and that was how I knew they were too far gone. Red water could not help sustain you, and in fact, it would only increase dehydration, the same as water from the skin. This was something everyone should have learned in their first few cycles, but it appears that they were still new and unstable.


    I managed to flee, as I had awoken recently and still had my water, but it was not an experience I would forget. Since then, I have always kept my distance from those not wandering or resting, even if it meant I had to backtrack.


    I stumbled forward and fell, falling on my face unable to catch myself. It was nearing the end for me, and it was time I found a place to enter the long sleep. I had a good run and was satisfied with what I had done.


    I very slowly stumbled to my feet, finally deciding to search for a peaceful spot to lie down. I looked behind me to search for the eye, but it appeared I had long since left it behind. Fortunately for me, there were no other passages nearby, as I wasn¡¯t sure I had the strength left to carve my mark.


    As I stumbled forward, I noticed a small, shaded recess in the wall, with a lone skull sitting in it. I quickly contemplated giving it my body''s water but realized that wouldn¡¯t be possible. My throat felt as dry as the walls around me.


    Besides, it seemed like only the skull remained, the rest of the body long since crumbling away. It was a sad thing to see, but that was simply how the world was. Perhaps one day I would end up like that, but I still maintained hope I would find paradise. For if I lost my hope, then I may as well give up and let myself crumble away.


    I laid down next to the skull, careful to leave some distance from it. I had once seen someone with an arm not belonging to them, and they claimed it was because they slept too close to another body. Fortunately, I was able to understand them, as it was a warning I heeded. Although I was curious about what would happen if I took another¡¯s skull, but it was not something I would want to test.


    As I let myself stretch out, I knew that I didn¡¯t have the strength to get back up, even if I wanted to. With a final cough, I closed my eyes and let myself fall into the long sleep, hoping that my next cycle would be a good one.