The Last 7 Days of My Life: Nils Stylus Diary

Torrent Part 1

Finally, I awoke, and my limbs started burning. This back of mine was like an oven. I shifted to shake off the uncomfortable burn rising from my waist to my upper shoulders. My body worn and tired, I licked my dried chapped lips and thanked the heavens for opening up to show me the morning's dawn. I had chosen a perfect little place in the corner of a room that was some sort of nook.

There shouldn't have been any problems, but it seemed like sleeping on the hard rock wasn't exactly the most comfortable sleep I was going to get. It was perfect, because it would conceal me from any hungry eyes if something had come in on me. I was not exactly looking to run into any predators if I can manage. I wasn't exactly a hunter like Joel.

Everything seems so peaceful; it was nice even.

I laid there for a while, staring into the cold stone. My body fidgeted with the ache.

The glare of the sun cascaded through the open slits and cracks in the wall, breaking into a rainbow of colors along the dusty rock. I leaned up and finally got to my feet. Stepping outside, I shielded my eyes from the intensity which died down to reveal the blessings of nature around me.

A greyish blue cast on the day was gentle in my exhausted eyes. I sighed into my body at the sight of everything around me. All the plants and birds were just awakening. The grass beneath my feet was cool. And in the distance was the most beautiful sight I had seen since I stepped foot on this mountain, the broken remains of what seemed like it was once a magnificent structure. It was beautiful to me now in the morning's glow.

Still, my body ached for sleep and I felt like I could sleep for days. Of course, I couldn't since today be day seven, my supposed last day on earth, but I longed to finish this journey and complete my diary. My eyes wavered over to the sack I had left inside with it. Hopefully, someone would find it. That was the hope at least. I found excitement in my feet as I pitter-pattered forward, uncaring of blisters on the deserted home that was now my bedroom for a bit.

God, I was excited to climb to get to the top. I took out my stuff in the sack. Fashioning my bag of goods to place my tools on the ground.

I gathered them up and slid the sack over my shoulder. Everything was in beaming color and the sun was pelting. It was the heat of the floor that woke me up now that I think about it.

I moved west of the ruins, looking for any food I can add to the food I already had. Yes, breakfast was going to be something I have to think about before I climb any further.

The surrounding space had the layout of a desert except that the sands were a pastel shade of purple. If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine there being twinkling stars floating about on top of it. Last night it was hard to see, so it was clearer to me now. This place wasn't that heavily forested as I thought it was.

Maybe I deluded, and perhaps that was because I severely dehydrated. I looked through my bag of items for water. Back then, I had so much of it coming up here. Now, I surprised to see that it was all done. I barely ate any of my items in the bag on my way up here. They hardened by the heat now, but I drank a lot of water. As cold as last night was, my throat felt parched, like no matter how much water I drank, I could not quench my thirst. The fact that I was sweating so much from my track up here didn't help. I needed more water. Looking around in panic, my eyes found nothing more than moss, shrubs, trees, and the cracked earth below me.

I was more anxious today than if I had gotten up here yesterday since today was day seven. It was unclear to me what time I was going to die and the thought of dying now from dehydration frightened me.

Let it not be that.

I hoped and prayed that as much as the place had the layout of a desert; it was not a desert and there was water to be found somewhere. My memory vaguely remembered the trickling of a river when I came up here, but I'm not sure where it was. I don't even hear it right now. Maybe I was not near it.

And like magic, like someone had been listening to my thoughts, the sound of a soft giggle which followed a powerful gust of wind put me on edge first. It was like a gentle song a code and drew me into a sweet slumber. That was before the sky opened up and poured purple rain down on me.