I awoke to the crashing sound of waves. My eyes slowly opened, revealing a vast sea laid out in front of me. Looking up, I saw a pale yellow moon illuminating the ground beneath me.
Beads of sweat trickled down my face. Still feeling slightly lethargic, I looked around, trying to figure out where I was. Turning to the right, I found a belt lying on the ground, a single button embedded in its centre.
Pushing myself off the tree I had been resting against, I stared at the belt before picking it up. The button seemed to entice me, silently urging me to press it.
"Where… am I right now?" I muttered, horror creeping onto my face.
Looking down at the belt hanging from my grip, suspicion took hold.
"Was I kidnapped?" My lips parted, my eyes quivering as an ominous terror gripped my heart.
As I examined the belt more closely, a sense of misfortune seemed to emanate from it.
The belt was placed here too coincidentally. It might be my only way to understand what's going on, yet for some reason, I feel reluctant to press the button.
Gulping, the fog clouding my mind began to thin. Thinking it through once more, I came to the conclusion that this belt was my best chance at figuring out where I was. Steeling myself, I pressed the button.
Dink
The centre opened, ejecting a tightly rolled piece of paper. I caught it, dropped the belt to the ground, and unrolled it.
A map unfolded before me, depicting the island I was on. The centre was circled, and along the borders, a single time limit was written.
1 Week
The letters felt absolute as if I had to follow them, and if i didnt, something terrible might happen.
Summarising everything I currently knew, I realised I likely had a week to reach the centre of the island. For what reason, I didn't know—but a heavy sense of foreboding washed over me.
"It feels like I'm playing into someone else's strings," I muttered, a vague understanding of my situation slowly settling in.
Internally, my mind screamed at me to run and never go there. Yet, contradictorily, my heart pounded at the thought. Excitement filled me to the brim. No matter how cautious I felt, subconsciously, I sensed that something good might happen.
Looking at the tall trees in front of me, I felt terrified. To walk into the forest at night is frightening, even if you live in one for a long time, you still can't get used to the feeling.
Resolving myself, I stepped through the gate of leaves into the woods, leaves shuffling around me.
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The forest was eerily silent, the moon casting a shimmering light that created a pattern of torn leaves on the ground.
While walking through the forest, it felt lifeless. Occasionally, small insects could be seen scurrying in the canopy.
Suddenly, I heard it.
Shrkkk.
A faint rustle, something subtle I usually wouldn't notice. But something about it felt...
Creepy.
All my senses compelled me to run and never look back.
I stepped back, and a small rabbit emerged from the underbrush, locking eyes with that thing, seemingly drawn by its sound and smell.
In an instant, it darted into the bushes. The rustling ceased for a few seconds, nothing happened.
whats going — before i could finish my sentence a white blur shot out.
My eyes dilated with horror.
The rabbit was
Eating itself.
Jaw sank into its forearms, it chewed, glossy eyes staring at the wound as if it couldn't feel pain, as if it had gone mad.
In no time, the rabbit was close to entirely devouring itself, ribs protruding from its side organs, half spilling out, but it continued as if it felt nothing.
Shrkkk.
Looking to my right, I saw a bush rustling.
Shrkkk.
To my left, another
And all of a sudden, a cacophony of rustles surrounded me in all directions, my mind seemed on the verge of acceptance , as if I was being lulled into complacency by the sound itself.
But the absolute harrowing future that would occur if I gave in sobered me up in an instant
Face twisting in absolute terror, my voice came out cracked.
"W-where the hell am I?"