Let Me Breathe

Even so, I was afraid — all alone — helpless

"A-ah!" I moaned in agony, my wounds were still fresh.

I was completely desperate, I couldn't move my legs properly. The pain was excruciating, was this what they meant by a broken bone? The rocks had completely crushed my legs.

I couldn't stand anymore.

Now I could only sit like this, it was so rankling.

I swung my pickaxe vertically to split the dead wooden torch into two pieces.

𝗧𝗛𝗪𝗔𝗞! 

Then, I took a small folding knife from the pocket bag hanging on my belt, and with it, I tore off part of my trousers. 

𝗦𝗛𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗣!

Now, with these materials, I can make a splint for my left leg.

... ... ...

After applying the emergency splint to my leg, I reached into my pocket bag to look for food.

I found a beef jerky in it.

I ate the jerky with trembling hands, then drank water from my canteen to quench my thirst.

After that, I cleaned several wounds on my body with clean water to prevent infection.

It was stinging so bad when I cleaning it.

"Ack!" I groaned softly, enduring the pain.

It was very painful.

After that, I removed the cloth mask from my face and secured it in my pocket. Now I could breathe more freely.

After finishing taking care of myself, I decided to rest. Resting both of my body and mind.

... ... ...

I had no idea how long I'd slept, at least I've felt a little bit better now.

𝗗𝗨𝗠! 𝗗𝗨𝗠! 𝗗𝗨𝗠! 

I heard a thudding sound. It made the cave shake. Could it be the rescue team? I have to tell them my location!

With all my remaining energy, I shouted as loud as I could.

"HELP ME! I'M HERE!"

𝗗𝗨𝗠! 𝗗𝗨𝗠!! 𝗗𝗨𝗠!!! 

The thudding sound was getting closer.

And then, the stone wall in front of me crumbles, i can see some silhouettes. They were covered by the smoke dust.

I couldn't contain my joy. So I shouted again.

"IN HERE! IN HE— ... Re?"

My face turned pale, my eyes widened, chill run down my spine. Because what came were neither a rescue teams nor a humans, but terrifying creatures resembling giant mole walking on two legs, it has hollow eyes where the pupils almost covered the irises, also big claws seems for excavates the wall. And there were many of them.

My body froze instantly. I couldn’t run with my injured leg. But I could sense — if I didn’t run; I’d end up dead — miserably

I instantly got up then ran with all my might. The pain in my left leg seemed to have vanished, and my body felt like it was floating.

The good news; the cave branched off, and the bad news; there were countless of them. I was cornered, with only one path left: behind me, a deep ravine.

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵-𝗼𝗿-𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Without hesitation, I jumped into the ravine while hugging my pickaxe and closing my teary-eyes. Hoping for an painless death.

It was better than dying at their hands, as they were intended to eat me alive. So, falling to my death was a wise decision.

"Mom, I love you, I'm sorry," I murmured, tears prickled down my cheeks.

That was my last words for good.

𝗗𝗨𝗠!!! 𝗖𝗥𝗛𝗞𝗛𝗞!!!! 𝗚𝗥𝗛𝗞𝗛𝗞!!! 𝗚𝗥𝗛𝗞𝗞!!! 

I heard a loud thud, like something has struck and tunneling the stone wall just before I landed.

Instead of feeling my body splatter, I landed safely on a moving surface? I opened my eyes and looked around from the corner of my eyes — I found myself lying on a surface with scale-like pattern — this surface was moving through the stone wall, like a living creature.

This creature was as wide as the previous tunnel, I can roughly measures it's 5–6 meters width.

It was penetrated — digging — the stone wall, making new tunnels. I could only lie on it.

I don't care what kind of creature this was, I can’t move, my body has reached its limit. I did nothing but cry. I shut my eyes, wishing for this nightmare came to end, and I'd be happy to wake up in my mother’s arms.

But I can’t sleep, of course I can’t sleep with this pain and whole situation.

I have to bail out from this creature immediately.

The tunnel made by him could collapse at any moment, and that won't bother him. But me? I'll definitely die.

... ... ...

Finally, after waiting for eternity, this creature seems to have broken through the cave wall and is now in an open space. In the distance, I can see a glowing, colorful mushroom forest — it’s absolutely beautiful. I've never seen something like that before.

Setting that aside, I need to get off this creature body as quickly as possible.

I see a stone ground below.

This is my chance to jump. 

𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞! 

I land on the ground — it's a perfect height to make my injured leg useless.

I try my best to hold the pain.

At least I still have both my hands and the other leg.

I crawl, knowing that jumping on one leg is useless — only draining my energy.

My body scrapes against the rough stone surface, and I'm somewhat grateful that my chest was in its development phase.

But I don't make significant progress by crawling. So, I stop moving, lying flat on the stone surface. Crying silently over my pitiful situation, I’m so weak—I should've died in the beginning.

𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗞! 

I slapped both of my cheeks hard.

𝘕𝘰! 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴! 𝘔𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦!

I wipe away my tears; my face must look pitiful now. Mother would be so sad if she saw me like this — I should've been unfazed!

I didn’t have the courage to shout those words out loud; I didn't even dare make a noise.

Unfortunately, my carbide lamp is almost out; I need to refill it immediately.

I take the last carbide reserve and insert it into the lamp — reactivating it — now my life time is measured in hours.

This open space is vast, but there’s still no sunlight. It’s like another world, a sunless world.

At least I still have hope — the glowing mushroom forest.

But It’s so far away, just like a 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲. 

Will I only stay here and wait for the darkness to devour me?