Chapitre 7: What Follows is Hell
Kaiden assumed his life was coming to an end. Cold enveloped his uncontrollable body, and the darkness shifted into a reddish hue.
The redness grew even more intense, and he wondered if he was condemned to hell.
****
Although overwhelmed by fear, Kaiden knew that this decision by the gods was justified, for he embodied not ethics, but independent thinking.
His life had never been easy; he had experienced the reality of the world firsthand. But now, his selfishness seemed to have sealed his fate.
Suddenly, a searing pain shot through his entire body. It felt as if elephants were trampling over him, particularly his arms and legs.
This was accompanied by piercing swords digging deep into his body, and the sensation of fire causing additional burns.
He couldn't help but scream. Was this the gods' punishment in hell? If so, it seemed it would go on forever.
Tears streamed down Kaiden's face from the pain, and he continued to scream, but there seemed to be no end.
As he cried out his pain into the darkness, writhing like a fish out of water, distant voices seemed to echo.
Were there others like him here?
It seemed possible, as hell was likely visited often. But that wasn't the case.
Suddenly, a gently warm hand touched Kaiden's cold arm. The warmth spread over his skin, his muscles, his bones, down to his nerves.
A soft voice whispered in his ear, telling him to calm down, for everything would be alright. Kaiden didn't fully understand, but he didn't want this person to disappear.
He tensed his muscles to the extreme. His muscle fibers met resistance, but he exerted even more force.
Yet it seemed to be in vain, the resistance was too great.
Kaiden, whose eyes also refused to open, strained even harder to at least look at the person who filled him with warmth and express his gratitude.
The resistance now felt less strong, but it resembled a stubborn puppy tugging on a leash.
Kaiden gave it his all, feeling like his eye was about to pop out – at least in his perception.
When he finally succeeded, the dense crimson darkness disappeared, replaced by a slightly transparent reddish mixture that allowed him to perceive his surroundings.
His head was immobile, and he could only look upwards. His previously difficult-to-open eyes now opened a small fraction.
Above him, he saw a reddish ceiling bathed in bright, scarlet light. Immediately, his body, without much thought, forced his eyelids shut.
The light was too bright, he said, followed by screams as he once again felt burning and piercing sensations. Sweat poured from his body, and drool flowed from the corners of his lips.
But eventually, he no longer had the strength to scream. He mumbled to himself,
"I want to go home, let the nightmare end, home."
His eyes closed again, and silence ensued. However, this silence didn't last long.
Several voices broke through the calm atmosphere, sounding blurry and indistinct to Kaiden's ears.
He heard various sounds but couldn't think clearly. What did these mysterious voices mean?
"Awakened, unbelievable, a miracle," he heard them say.
But the silence returned as the loud, heavy steps receded. Then Kaiden heard nothing more and seemed to sink back into the darkness.
****
Suddenly, he felt a prick on his cheek, caused by two fingers. He seemed to have full control over his body again and sat up. But what was this?
As he looked forward, he saw his class. His friends and his teacher were alive. Kaiden felt a deep sense of relief despite the confusion.
Had he only dreamed all of this?
Normally, his teacher would have been giving a lecture at this time, but this time it seemed different, it was quiet.
She suddenly looked out the window, and everyone else in the class followed her gaze.
"Kaiden," Max whispered hoarsely, telling him to look outside too.
It was the recurring glowing mushroom. Kaiden was blinded for a short while and panicked.
His heart raced, and the confusion became even more drastic. Had he traveled back in time?
He quickly turned around and shouted for everyone to duck.
His eyes widened, and sweat poured from his body like a waterfall. In an instant, everyone seemed to be dead.
They stood there like lifeless corpses, covered in blood with entrails spilling out.
They stared at him with lifeless eyes.
"WHY?" they began to ask, their voices growing louder as they rushed towards him at a rapid pace.
They repeated the following phrases over and over:
"WE JUST WANTED TO LIVE TOO! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE US!? WHY! WHY! WHY!"
They continued to scream and reach for him until it suddenly stopped.
They no longer stared, but looked out the window again. Kaiden, trembling there, slowly turned his head towards the window.
He saw it now too, the tsunami. With colossal force, it tore through the school building, sweeping everyone and everything along with it.
With heavy breathing and a sudden start, Kaiden opened his bloodshot eyes once again. He was completely drenched in cold sweat and immediately tried to stand up, but once again, he couldn't.
He still felt the piercing pain in his limbs. But now, he could fully open his eye.
What he saw was once again the ceiling and the light, but this time only with a hint of redness. His eye twitched, and the dark pupil in his red-tinged blue iris contracted.
His eyes seemed narrower, as if squinting.
Kaiden tried to raise his right arm to shield the bright light with his hand, but then he suddenly screamed and asked where his arm was.
His iris flickered, desperately trying to grasp the surroundings. Left, right – everywhere he only saw blurry shades of red.
He screamed because his arm was not visible, and instead, he began to burn and be under tremendous pressure again. But gradually, his panic faded, and the pain lessened.
He felt the gentle hand again, warming him as before. This time, however, he could see it in his peripheral vision.
It was a young woman with brownish hair tied back in a braid. A hair tie kept her hair in place. She wore a gray t-shirt and long blue pants.
But the most notable thing was that she stood beside him, holding a notebook and wearing a white coat.
Despite the pain, Kaiden was able to piece together the basic details and recognized her as a nurse. He seemed calmer than before.
In fact, it seemed as though a great weight had been lifted from his chest. Finally, he said in a soft, calm voice,
"I made it, I survived."
****
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