There's no way out. I keep pushing the pile of boxes while trying to crawl closer to the ground, but what is the point if I can't see the exit with all the black smoke limiting my vision. Moreover, the deafening alarm going off makes me more panic than I already did. Everyone knows number one rule to survive in critical situation is to keep calm and analyses the situation but somehow none of them makes sense to me right now. There's nothing I want more than to be out of this building, take a deep breath of fresh air and enjoying the silence. Crackling and popping noises can be heard from every direction but I didn't dare to look around.

 I know the fire start eating out the ceiling and wall little by little, consuming all the precious oxygen I'm trying to breathe in. My legs feel numb already with all this crawling. There's no point to blame my non-athletic self now. Why is there so many boxes I here? I push another one out of my view and let out a sigh. Can I just give up? Lying down on the dirty floor seems like a good idea now and all this smoke began to irritate my eyes. Funny how this dirty wooden floor looks so comfy to lay down. 

Tears began rolling down my face; I always had a bad luck in everything. Life is so unfair to me. Did I do something wrong for being punished like this?

    "No, I can't give up here", I mutter to myself repeatedly. I can't die like this. I have so many dreams to achieve, food to eat and places to go. I refuse to lay here waiting for my life to end when the exit is here, somewhere in this room. As I was squinting my eyes trying to get a better view of the room, I see it. The white wooden door leads to outside of building looks like a gateway to heaven. The feel of having a slightest ray of hope makes me jump to my feet and race to the door, forcing every bits of energy left in me just so I can reach the handle. A little bit more, I whisper. 

Just a few painful steps more is nothing compare to the freedom I'll have in a minute. Seconds before I reach the handle, the fire above me roars makes me froze in my track. As I look up, a piece of big wooden ceiling engulf with flame flying in my direction. A pang of panic hit me and then I realize my throat burns with all the smoke I breathe, the alarm ringing louder and louder in my ears, my eyes sting to the point I was tearing, the wood comes closer and closer, the whole room seems like they're swallowed in darkness and then I wake up. 

Eyes wide open staring at the perfectly fine ceiling, covered in a cold sweat, heart pounding, hands shaking, I stroke my hair and let out a grunt. Thought I got used of the same dream I keep having since that incident happen 4 years ago. I reach out to my phone and look at the time then I glance to Ayana, my roommate who happens to be my only friend I have since pandemic hit last year. Duffel bag was placed on the other side of the room near the door. We're going to summer vacation together at a cabin owned by her family. She said there's hiking trail and river near them. 

The weather is nice and chilly but it can't take away the nightmare off my mind. "What are you thinking?" Ayana ask. One thing about Ayana is; she always concern about others even before herself sometimes. "I'm regretting my choice to spend my vacation with you, this cabin took forever to reach" I joked. "You're the one who beg to follow me when I said there's pretty hiking trail around the cabin" she huffed and I laugh at her cuteness. We arrived around 3 .00 p.m. and I stretched out and took in the view. Ayana didn't lie when she told me this place is pretty deep in the forest.

When I got inside the small stream, Ayana already unpack our stuff and took out our lunch from the bag. "We can go to hiking tomorrow evening; I already check the weather and we can set up a tent somewhere". I just nod and decide to take a nap. The next day, we spend time swimming in the river for the whole morning and get ready to hike. "There're no other people hiking or mountain guide as it was too far. But I already know the entire trail since I spend a lot of time hiking with my parents", Ayana chirps happily along our hiking even I still can't see the top of mountain. "Let's put up our tent, the sun is almost down.

Since I feel so sleepy so I got to bed first. I wake up when the sun is already up and shining brightly, did I just oversleep? Did I sleep for 19 hours and Ayana did not wake me up? Ayana is not there! When I peep outside the tent and scan the surrounding, I still find no sign of her. Maybe she goes out to find more branches? I began to pack our belongings and wait for her. 10 minutes passed. 20 minutes passed. Ayana won't go lost in the mountain right? Did something happen to Ayana when I'm asleep? I searched around but found nothing.

I'm starting to panic because there's no mountain guide around here which mean I can't ask for help. Second, I have no idea which direction to go as Ayana have been my guide all this time. I can't even tell which one is south without a compass. I keep walking along the trail but it getting faded more and more as I walk and thick overgrown grass began to cover the trail.  After hours trekked through the mountain, I reach a shack with smoke coming from the old chimney.

The path is dark and the shack was cast into shadow of the tall pines grown on either side of it. Someone was here besides us. I have seen enough horror movies to know it's a bad decision to wander through the shack. I move slowly to the shack and peer through the shrieking door. There's no one can be seen in the shack but some clothes lying on the floor. Then it hit me, it is Ayana cloth. I glance warily around me, I need to get out of here as soon as possible and contact someone else. All I know is that someone could be a dangerous person and I need to save Ayana.

Suddenly a shadowy figure appears from behind one of the big trees. It is hard to see the person as the forest is dark, little to no light pass through the thick branched of trees. The figure suddenly start running in my direction and I realize it notice me. My heart pace quicken, I feel like they might explode from the fright I feel right now and I break into a run. I push away all the small branches in my way ignoring the fact that it scratches my arm so bad. I keep running away. Anywhere would be fine. Anywhere but here. 

Fatigue starts to set in, my body is aching everywhere and my feet are burning and swollen. The shadowy figure began to catch with me. I tried harder to keep our distance. Where could I go? I need to find my way back to cabin. However, I feel like I'm running in the same place. The tree looks the same, the trail is nowhere in my sight and my vision is limited in this dark jungle. Suddenly, someone hit me in the back of my head with something hard. My visions start getting blurry, I feel nauseous and dizzy, and then I pass out.

Once I came to my sense, I was in a room. This room looks so familiar. Those burn marks on the wall, bits of ruin lying around the ground and I start sweating harder. Why am I here? It is the building where I was trapped 4 years ago. Then I realize that I am chained on one of the pillar of the building. Is this some kind of sick joke? As I was struggling to break free, I could hear heavy thuds of boots coming in my way, getting closer each fleeting second. A surge of panic creep inside of me, sensing the danger I am in. My body stiffen as the door creek and a figure could be seen walking towards me.