Once I was calmer, I could process everything better. "What kind of heartless and sadistic beasts would do that to poor animals?" My parents died in the worst possible way; I still have that image stuck in my head. I am alone in this world again. Well, not entirely; Uuk is still out there somewhere. Even though he disappeared, I know he hasn't betrayed me; at least, I hope so.
I began to observe the place where I was more closely; it was disgusting and the smell was unbearable, even more so now that my sense of smell has improved. The sensation of stepping on decomposing flesh is totally unpleasant, I don't know how to describe it; I'd say it's like stepping on very viscous and sticky jelly. I looked up and the pit seemed endless; barely any light filtered through.
—There must be another way out, right? —I asked myself, trying to give myself hope—. These guys must have some way to dispose of the waste.
Sometimes I curse my ability to anticipate things; my doubts were answered all too quickly. I began to hear something approaching, crawling, but I couldn't see it anywhere. Suddenly, the pile of trash I was standing on began to shake.
—Now what are they going to throw at me? —I quickly grabbed a splintered femur from the ground; I was already familiar with these kinds of improvised weapons, so I'm going to defend myself to the death against whatever it is.
The ground beneath my feet gave way suddenly. I didn't even have time to scream before the void swallowed me. I fell on my back and, in a matter of seconds, the mountain of corpses collapsed on top of me. The weight was suffocating; I felt the cold, rubbery flesh crushing me against the bottom of the pit while the smell of death became a physical presence that prevented me from breathing.
I felt something pierce my thig—Aaaaaah! I have to get out of here! —I tried to swim in that pit, but the pressure of the bodies was asphyxiating; if I didn't manage to get out, I was going to die drowned under the weight of the dead. As best as I could, I managed to stand up and pushed the putrefaction away from my face, leaving a space for some air.
ZZZZZZZZZZZ!
The metallic screech of a conveyor belt made itself present as the floor began to move.
—Ah, my leg hurts so much! I have to take out whatever got stuck in there —I roared in pain while traveling toward an uncertain destination.
After a while, the pile of waste to my left grew less dense, as if it were spreading out. And indeed, that was what was happening. I began to feel a suffocating heat.
—Don't tell me they have a furnace or something like that... —The claustrophobia of being trapped made me hyperventilate—. I can't take it anymore, I feel like I'm going to pass out —I said, feeling my consciousness slipping away as the orange glow increased.
Suddenly, the place where I was standing disappeared and I began to fall toward an orange void. Almost fainting, I could make out a beam a few steps away; if I made a superhuman effort, I could reach it. With the little strength I had left, I lunged and managed to cling to the metal.
—AAAAAAH! —I screamed, giving my all to be able to climb onto that thing and hang there.
After a desperate struggle, I made it. I let myself fall onto the beam, face up, and sighed deeply.
—How many... (sigh)... things... (sigh)... are... (sigh)... going... (sigh)... to... (sigh)... happen... (sigh)... to me? —I asked myself, my heart hammering against my ribs.
I looked toward my thigh and saw a damn worm latched onto my flesh.
—You bloodsucking son of a bitch! —I bellowed. I grabbed it firmly and ripped it from my skin, feeling a painful tug, and then threw the bastard toward the heat of the void.
I stayed there for a while lying on the metal, trying to catch my breath. I peeked a bit over the edge of the beam and could glimpse a giant pit of burning lava meters below. Around it, several of those demons were patrolling the area; I guess they were supervising that everything was being incinerated correctly.
[User is presenting symptoms of an infection]
[User is recommended to treat the wound]
[Otherwise you could die]
The system was right. My body was heating up little by little; at first, I thought it was because of the lava pit below, but now I understand it's a galloping fever.
—Hahaha... Just what I needed! —I laughed so as not to cry. I wondered where the hell I was going to get something to treat myself in this dump. There are no antibiotics or medicines here. "Maybe with heat?" If I managed to cauterize the wound, perhaps I would stop the infection before it killed me.
I was starting to see blurry and the beam, previously burning, now seemed cold to me. I stood up as best as I could; there had to be something hot around here to treat the wound. Down there I would find the solution. I looked around for a way to descend and, at the end of the metallic structure where I was, I saw a hole opening in the wall. That would be my exit for now.
I approached quickly. Upon entering the hole, I discovered an extensive hallway with a downward slope. "Bingo, this is it!", I celebrated in my head. I slid down there and, before I knew it, I was already on the lower level.
The bad thing was that I wasn't alone: three demons were patrolling right at the exit of the hallway. Luckily, they hadn't seen me yet. I had to come up with a quick plan to get rid of them and get fire before the infection made me lose consciousness.
Several things occurred to me. First: run like a madman toward something burning, heal my wound, and then fight. Two: use stealth to throw them into the burning lava and then heal myself. Three: fight to the death with just my fists.
The best option, by far, was stealth, since due to the fever I only saw blurry spots. Besides, the idiots were looking at the lava, almost hypnotized.
I got up and put my plan into action. I approached the first one cautiously and pushed him; the imbecile fell into the void without making a sound. The bad thing was that the other two noticed. They approached my position quickly, but I gave a well-aimed kick to the second one, making him fall as well. Only one was left. This one, after seeing the whole "circus," lunged at me with force. They really don't know any other move; I ducked and landed a heavy blow to his belly, right where they have that weird glow. And just like that, the last one fell too.
—If I were in an action movie, I'd be a secret agent —I said, proud of my feat.
Next, I grabbed a torch that was anchored nearby.
—This is going to hurt a lot, get ready —I warned myself.
I put a piece of wood between my teeth to bite on and brought the flame directly to the open wound.
—Mmmmmmph! Mmmmmmph! Aaaaaaaaah!
I spat out the piece of wood when I finished. The smell of burnt flesh turned my stomach.
—Ah... this is horrible... —Saliva escaped my mouth from the agonizing pain I had just witnessed. My vision darkened completely and I passed out.
Almost instantly, consciousness returned to me like a lash; my mind was in a critical state but I couldn't stay adrift in such a risky place.
[The infection was contained]
[The user presents serious symptoms of fatigue and exhaustion]
[User is recommended to rest]
[Otherwise you will collapse]
—Yes, yes, I heard you already. Since when do you care so much about me? —I muttered while standing up on trembling legs—. I must find a place to sleep a bit; I've been through a lot in a very short time.
With the wound sealed by fire and my body begging for mercy, I continued venturing through those uncertain lands, looking for a corner where death wouldn't find me sleeping.