Darkness—Unbridled. Disorienting.

  A void, infinite and empty, devouring light itself. These were my first thoughts. I felt my consciousness being pulled apart as I tumbled down to the waters below. Before light, there was nothing. And in that silent nothingness—I was.

  Water began to fill my ears, the intrusion finding its way to my nose. The lack of air threatened to burst open my lungs. Out of sheer desperation, I forced myself to look up, and it was there: Dim lights looming overhead. Instinctively, I kicked towards the top, pumping my legs and stretching my body towards the surface.

  Air! I need air! I need to breathe! Despite the horrific pains that threatened to drag me down to a watery death, I strained—fighting, trying to shift my body. Desperation crept to my mind as I thought of the thousand ways I could meet my demise. The sudden light hit my eyes like a brutal force of pure energy, blinding me momentarily as my eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness of my surroundings. The beacon to my salvation, its glow dominated the dark expanse of the ocean.

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  That’s when it hit me: I was approaching an island. At its center stood a towering lighthouse, its glow dominating the darkness. “The shore wasn’t far,” I whispered to myself. “Despair wouldn’t help, not when the cold already gnawed at my tired bones.” I had to swim to land and find help.

  As I swam—dizzy, disoriented, struggling to stay afloat. I rasped, noticing something bizarre—stakes protruding from the sand, each topped with jagged jaws. Skulls of unknown animals, their hollow eyes staring blankly, sat atop them like grim sentinels. Fierce. Unwelcoming. A warning. Finally, against all odds, I felt the sand tickle my feet. The water seemed to recede beneath me, and I realized I could stand.

  As I rose and staggered to the shore, the soles of my feet felt the sting of seawater coming into contact with hot sand. It was the dead of night, the moon staring down at me with its graceful allure, but it didn’t bring me any comfort. If anything, it seemed to hate me. Why would the sand feel hot if it was hours past the afternoon? In the distance, I could see two figures—a woman desperately trying to run from something. “HEY! HEY! OVER HERE!” I drew upon my remaining strength, my voice hoarse from exhaustion, hoping they would hear me.