Lost In the Dunes [ I ]

Ryan's breath came in ragged gasps, his chest burning with each desperate inhale.

His throat was dry, his limbs heavy, and the gnawing ache of hunger coiled in his stomach like a tightening vice.

Every muscle in his body screamed for him to stop, but the shadow of death slithered beneath the sands behind him.

"I'm already exhausted. I'm thirsty. I'm starving."

His thoughts pounded in sync with his racing heart.

Then, frustration surged through him like a dying flame rekindled.

"Then what else should I give to survive?!" Ryan roared into the empty sky.

He pushed forward. Stopping meant death.

Even if his legs felt like lead, even if his vision blurred at the edges, he had to keep running.

The half-buried metallic ship loomed in the distance—a structure of salvation—but it was still too far. His stamina was dwindling fast, and he knew he wouldn't make it before collapsing.

His gaze darted around, searching for alternatives. Scattered metal platforms and broken machinery littered the wasteland like forgotten corpses.

"I won't last long at this pace."

A new idea struck him.

Instead of running straight toward the sunken ship, where he might never arrive, he veered toward a nearer structure—a scrap metal platform jutting out from the sand.

The centipede had been burrowing beneath him the entire time, tracking his every movement. The sand parted and shifted with a strange, unsettling grace as the monstrous thing glided beneath.Ryan pushed himself harder.

The platform was close—just a few more steps. But then—Rumble.The ground beneath him trembled violently.

"Not yet!" With the last of his strength, Ryan threw himself forward, rolling just as the sand behind him exploded.

A massive, gaping maw emerged, jagged mandibles snapping shut on the spot where he had stood mere moments ago.

If he had hesitated even a second longer—He would have been devoured.

Ryan crashed onto the metal platform, the impact rattling his already exhausted body.

But he had no time to recover.

The centipede reared back, its grotesque human-faced carapace glistening under the twin suns. Its many legs clattered against the sand, preparing to strike again.It was relentless.

Ryan gritted his teeth. He had to use its instincts against it."Over here!" he shouted, his voice hoarse, barely carrying over the howling wind.

The centipede reacted instantly, its grotesque body lunging toward him.

Ryan moved at the last possible second.

The creature collided—hard—with the thick metal structure.

A deafening PANG rang out as steel met exoskeleton.

For a brief moment, nothing happened.

Then, the centipede convulsed.

Its body thrashed wildly, its movements erratic, as if the impact had momentarily scrambled its senses.

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it burrowed back into the sand, vanishing into the depths below.

Ryan collapsed onto his back, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths.

"It could see Elen, even though he was entirely metal like any other debris everywhere around here."

That could only mean one thing.

"It's not hunting by sight—it's tracking through sound."He swallowed, his throat painfully dry.

"Anything else wanna kill me?" he muttered, staring up at the unforgiving sky.

Only silence answered him.

"That's… huff… what I thought."

His brief rest did little to quell the relentless thirst clawing at his throat.

Hunger gnawed at him, and exhaustion threatened to pull him under. But he had no choice.

He wasn't safe here.

His only chance was the half-buried ship.

"The best bet I have is that wreck over there. Either I make it… or I die out here with no one to bury me."

As he spoke, he finally noticed something strange.

The light in the sky had begun to fade.

The twin suns that had baked the land mercilessly were shifting, one dipping lower on the horizon while the other remained distant.

"A planet with two suns…No wonder the heat had been so unforgiving."

Ryan coughed, his parched throat rebelling against him.

He pushed himself to his feet, his legs wobbling beneath him.

"I have to get there before sundown."

He trudged forward, conserving what little strength he had left.The wreckage was close now. Just a few more steps.Then—Rumble.

The ground trembled.Ryan's breath hitched.

"No…"The sand swelled.

The earth cracked apart.And with an earsplitting SCREEEECH, the centipede erupted from below, its monstrous form silhouetted against the dying light of the suns.

Its guttural roar shattered the stillness.

Ryan staggered back, barely able to stay on his feet.

"Miss me already?" he muttered, forcing a bitter smirk—before reality came crashing down once more.

He was not out of this nightmare yet.