Chapter 19 : A step in the unknown

Jason lay sprawled on the frigid sand, his body half-buried in the gritty grains. Unkempt hair fell in matted tangles around his gaunt, bearded face. Skeletal fingers clawed at the barren beach as he tried to push himself up, but his weakened muscles shuddered and gave out. Collapsing back into the sand, Jason's haunted blue eyes fell upon the carcass of a flightless bird a few feet away.

Summoning the dregs of his strength, Jason crawled towards the dead creature, desperation driving him onwards. His thin, tattered clothes hung loosely on his emaciated frame as he dragged himself across the coarse sand.

With a trembling hand, he grasped the bird and lifted it to his cracked lips. The coppery scent of blood filled his nostrils. Jason squeezed his eyes shut.

He brought the limp bird to his mouth, forcing himself to drink. The still-warm blood coated his tongue, thick and revolting. Jason's stomach heaved violently. Choking, he wrenched the carcass away and retched, his body rejecting the vile substance.

The bird fell to the sand as Jason turned away, gasping and shaking. Revulsion shuddered through him. He spat, trying to rid his mouth of the foul taste, but it lingered like a poison.

Jason raised his head, loose strands of hair whipping across his ashen face in the cold ocean breeze. He stared out at the endless steel-gray sea, the desolate horizon a perfect mirror for the emptiness devouring him from within. The world felt so bleak, so utterly void of warmth or comfort. Only the howling loneliness of the fathomless expanse echoed back the despair in his soul.

A glint of white broke the gray expanse of the shore, carried forward by the tide. Slowly, the object drifted closer, pushed up onto the wet sand. Jason's gaze remained fixed on it, watching as the waves retreated, leaving a bone-white mask nestled in the sand. Its surface was unblemished, its intricate lines etched so finely they seemed to shift in the dim light.

He stretched out a hand, then paused, fingers trembling just above the mask. His eyes lingered on the swirling patterns. After a moment, he lowered his arm, letting it fall by his side.

Jason rose slowly, his shoulders slumped, movements sluggish as he braced himself against the sand. He began to walk, one unsteady step at a time, his bare feet sinking into the cold sand. The only sound was the crunch beneath his steps and the soft whisper of waves. His voice, low and hoarse, drifted out as he continued to walk, each step marking time.

The beach stretched on, a vast expanse of desolate gray, blending into the mist beyond. Sparse, twisted trees appeared on the horizon, skeletal branches reaching skyward. Jason moved into the shadow of the forest, branches casting long, dark lines across his path. He walked without pause, the silence broken only by the snap of twigs underfoot.

He emerged from the woods onto a barren plain. The cracked earth stretched out toward a cliff in the distance, jagged and towering against the pale sky. His eyes followed its line upward as he approached, reaching out to place one hand against the rock.

Without a word, he began to climb. His fingers gripped the craggy surface, each pull drawing him closer to the summit. Near the top, he paused on a narrow ledge, catching his breath, then continued, reaching the edge. Standing at the summit, he faced the vast ocean below, waves crashing in endless rhythm against the cliffs.

The wind tugged at his clothes, and Jason remained still, a solitary figure poised on the edge of the world, facing the bleak horizon.

"Is that what you wanted ? To see me fall off the cliff, crash on the waves and dive to the bottom of the ocean ?"

The sky had morphed into a sinister, heavy shade of charcoal, as if ink had spilled across the heavens. A swarm of thick, suffocating clouds had gathered, black and bruised, smothering any hint of light. An eerie stillness descended, almost palpable in its weight, as if nature was holding its breath before unleashing its wrath.

In the distance, a low growl had rippled through the air, like a primal warning of approaching danger. The first gusts of wind rose, whipping through the trees with violent force, causing them to groan and sway in submission. The scent of petrichor filled the air, announcing the imminent arrival of a torrential downpour. In an instant, a blinding bolt of lightning split the sky in two, illuminating the landscape with a stark, white light that seared into the retinas.

Then came the rain—not gentle or peaceful, but a relentless assault. It poured down in sheets so thick they seemed solid, drowning out all other sounds except for the deafening crashes of thunder that shook the very ground beneath. The storm was there now, raging and uncontrollable, consuming everything in its path with savage fury.

"IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED ?!" Jason screamed at the sky.

He looked at his feet and the abyss in front of him.

He had just one step to take.

One step and everything would be over.

One step and his body would hit the water.

Maybe the wind would push him onto the corals, tearing the remnants of his body apart. But in the end, Jason couldn't care less. He would already be dead at this point, his body drifting on the waves like the one at the bottom of the cliff.

He took a step forward, the last of his life. 

"No…"

His body had started to tip over.

"Dead bodies don't float."