Have you ever been in a moment where you need to make that leap of faith, metaphorical or literal, and you just can't make yourself do it, no matter how many times you say "jump?" That was exactly me at that moment. I was standing there, staring at the machines, trying to find the right way to get to the gem without getting decapitated by some of the moving parts. That was the biggest problem. I couldn't rely on my Divine Creativity and that place was swarming with pistons, pipes, and sorting mechanisms. All it would take is one second and I could end up with a serious injury. I knew that far too well. Back in the... previous world, I had a friend who used to work near some metalworking machines, and one day, he just put his hand in the wrong place and in the next second, he didn't have a finger anymore. That was a fate I didn't want to follow no matter what. In my mind, I started to create a map. The main thing that was transporting bottles of water across the room would always swing near the crystal every 60 seconds. Then there were some transportation and sorting tubes on the way there. They would move seemingly randomly between four locations every 30 seconds. Location A, as I called it, was quite high up. That wouldn't be a threat to me. Location B was around the same height as my head, but as long as I'd remember to crouch down, I would be fine. C and D were the real problems. As far as the first went, I should be able to crawl under it, but the latter position of the sorting mechanism would create an impassable barrier. At first, I thought I could stay behind it, near the gem, if it changed its position all the way to D, but then I noticed the steam vents located nearby. The hot vapor would burn me if I timed it wrong, and even after a very long time of simply observing it, it didn't seem to operate at any pre-defined intervals.

Then it was time for some simple math. 60 seconds until I would get thrown off the ramp and down into the workplace, which would most likely result in my death. Then, every 30 seconds the sorting changes. It never stays in the same position, so I would have to wait until it's at D before heading towards the gem to avoid getting locked inside the vent area. Theoretically, it sounded very simple, but actually forcing myself to put my life on the line? That was something else.

I waited. The big transportation machine swung by and the mechanism changed position to C. It wasn't the most optimal, so I decided to give it some more time. Part of me was happy that I get to enjoy this relatively peaceful time of sitting around for a little while longer, but another one was telling me that I should just get it over with. But my whole planning was ruined when I started to hear banging against the door of the observation room. And it wasn't your usual "knock knock, who's there" type of banging. They were trying to break to door down. And I can't blame them. I used their own locking mechanism against them and it seemed like there was no other way to open it. I looked at the door and then back at the machinery, it was now or never. If I'd go at that very instance, it could still make it. Waiting would only lead to me getting captured, or worse. With legs trembling uncontrollably with every glance at the distance between me and the floor, I climbed onto the other side of the railing and looked over my shoulder. The machinery was very loud, which made me feel even more nervous. Having one of my senses so overwhelmed was only increasing the difficulty of the whole ordeal.

I kicked myself off the railing and successfully landed on top of one of the machines. Around 40 seconds till the big thing comes back to knock me down. 10 until the pipes change positions and I might get trapped either up here or inside there. Now was the time to act. I took a running start and slid on my stomach right under the pipe in position C . The surface of the machine wasn't exactly smooth, so I managed to tear my shirt quite a bit. It was right there, the gem. All I had to do was to grab it and get the hell out of there. What I didn't realize at that moment though, was that there most likely was a reason why the gem was in that glass box back at the store. The moment I grabbed it and yanked it out of the machine, I could feel its cold aura biting me in the hand. Like millions of needles stabbing first just my palm, but then spreading to my fingers, and eventually up across my forearm. I tried to let go of it, but my hand refused to listen to me. Within a mere second, this thing immobilized it completely. I hissed in pain and tried to keep my mind from panicking. And then it hit me - I stopped counting. As I turned my head back to the exit, I hear the soft click of the sorting mechanism. It always made that sound when it was about to change positions. I couldn't take any risks, so I ran towards it and slid underneath the pipe again, As I saw the interior of the workplace, I felt a sense of relief. I made it out of there in time. Before my enthusiasm could properly settle in though, something caught me by my ankle. I turned around and my panic flew up to the highest level possible. The pipe was going towards position D, which was at the ground, and my leg was stuck right underneath it. I tried pulling it out, but the mechanism was pushing down on it more and more. That's when I lost it. I screamed out, not in pain, but in fear. The idea of a machine literally crushing my bones was so incredibly scary, that I let out the most high-pitched scream I'd ever heard. And almost as if the machine heard me, it responded. "Beep!" A little red light lit up on the sorting pipe and the whole contraption started going up again. As soon as my leg was free, I pulled it out of there and quickly tried standing up to see how bad the damage was. Surprisingly enough, it seemed alright. There was some pain, but it didn't hinder my movement in any way. That was a relief.

"There's that bastard! Get 'im!" I looked to the side, back at the platform from where I jumped, only to find three workers standing there. Each of them had an appearance that literally screamed: "Low IQ, lots of muscles." And what was even worse, one of them was loading up ammunition into a shotgun. That made me freak out once again, I was quickly looking around for a way out of this situation and found only the transportation device swiftly approaching, ready to knock me off.

My eyes went back to the armed man, he was taking aim. And in that moment of sheer panic, my brain reacted only based on instincts alone.

I started running and jumped towards the transportation device, grabbing onto it and holding it as strongly as I could. The gunshot echoed throughout the facility but fortunately for me, the only thing the bullets managed to hit was the metal.

That didn't mean I was safe though. I could barely hold onto the moving machinery, not to mention that my right hand was just lifelessly dangling next to me. The pain caused by the crystal was gone, but I couldn't feel the limb at all.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Quickly, sound the alarm!" one of the workers shouted and they all ran back into the overlooking station. A few seconds later, a bright red light started flashing on the ceiling and a loud bell noise was playing on repeat. It didn't take long for the other workers to come and take a look at what the hell is going on. I could feel their eyes watching me. There was no way of getting through all of them.

"Ding!"

The transportation device reached its destination and stopped to pick up the empty bottles, but my momentum carried me further and forced me to let go. I flew off the machine and landed on another observation platform not too far below. That gave the workers the opportunity they needed. Before I could even get back on my feet, hordes of them were rushing up to me, blocking all available exits, and holding all kinds of tools in a very aggressive fashion. The only way down was to jump. It was a leap of faith right onto the ground.

*You can't survive it.

*You're gonna break your legs.

*It's gonna kill you.

"Shut up!" I shouted at my own thoughts, not paying attention to how stupid it might've looked in the eyes of the workers. Those voices were wrong. I landed on both my feet without a single scratch. At least without one that would be caused by the fall. The workers were standing by for a while, looking surprised at my jump down from quite the height, but as soon as I started running, they were right on my back.

My aim was the main gate. The doors were open and I could see them leading right back into the desert. There, I should be able to outrun the people. What was important now was to get out of the facility.

"The bastard's making a run fer it! Close the door, ya fuckers!" one of them shouted at the others. The workers could practically climb over each other just to get to the control panel. Eventually, one of them made it and the massive doors slowly started closing. There was no way I could allow them to trap me here. If those doors would close, it would all be over. And so I picked up speed and just rushed towards them. The workers were flooding the area from every side room, armed with all kinds of blunt weapons, ready to strike the moment I'd be in reach. I guess Jack told them I'd come. That or the working force around Sunwalley is far more aggressive than I thought it would be. Very quickly, I noticed that my chances of escape were growing increasingly thin. The doors were much faster than I anticipated.

"They will slow down!" I thought and focused on the exit as much as I could, but my attempts to control the Divine Creativity weren't fruitful.

A crowd of people gathered in front of me. There was no way to rush through them, so I tried to zigzag. For a while, I felt like a player of American football. I was carrying the gem they wanted and to score, I had to get through the enemy team, who were trying to stop me. The only difference was that there was nobody I could pass "the ball" onto. It was one versus many, and everything was allowed.

"I got him!" My heart stopped as I felt one of them grab me by my jacket. His grip was strong and no matter how I tried, he wouldn't let go. Slipping out of the clothing was also impossible since that gem made my right arm practically completely paralyzed. I was just hoping I'd find a way to reverse the effect later, assuming I'd survive. I wouldn't want to lose an arm here.

I saw them getting closer. The nearest one was holding a sledgehammer. No matter where he'd hit me with that, such a blow would be devastating. I started panicking and desperately trying to pry myself out of the grasp of one of the workers. And then, something made a sound in my pocket. It was only a soft "cling!" but even that made me immediately realize what I forgot about. The amulet Jack gave me. It could get me anywhere, at least according to him, so it had to work as my ticket out of here too. Well, there was no harm in trying. Could not get any worse than this. I reached into the pocket, grabbed the artifact, and shouted: "SUNWALLEY!"

My vision went blurry for a while and then the next thing I knew, I fell onto the sand in the main street of the town. I looked up and saw the saloon, playing the same old songs as always. Then my eyes flew to my frozen hand. Layers of ice were slowly starting to cover it, but the gem was still there. Yes, that was good. My mission was successful.

"Ehm!" That voice scared me more than the basement filled with Darkness. Only now did my head turn to the other side. "I see you have been busy Mr. Wright." I quickly sprung up to my feet. Jack and The Gunslinger were both standing in the middle of the street. Neither of them looked very happy. "I can also see that you stole something that was mine. A good move, I will say, but then you threw away your ticket out of this mess. And that, Mr. Wright, I find offensive." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny amulet with a large red gem embedded into it. "Do you know what this is, Mr. Wright?" I shook my head. "This is an amulet of life. It is basically life magic condensed into this tiny artifact. Normally, it grants the wearer an unusually long lifespan, fantastic regeneration, and immunity to most diseases. There is, however, also a different way to use it. When such a thing comes into contact with... Death, for example, it will drain its power. And if it's not removed, it will kill it." He pulled his watch out of the other pocket. "And if the Death cannot move. Well... then the amulet will be just such a perfect tool for killing them." My heart kept beating faster and faster. "Well, it already worked on your big friend back then, so it will work on those hiding in the hills as well. I will now go to pay them a visit. In your last hours, I want you to think about how they are dying in pain because of you. Just because you could not step away from me and my plans." He turned around and headed towards the cave where White and the others were hiding.

"Gunslinger, kill him!"

I saw his hand move. A gunshot echoed through the world where time didn't move. Part of me thought I was already dead. But then there was the fragment of my mind that wanted to keep me alive. My body moved out of the way. His hand and the bullet were faster than anything possible for a mere human, and yet, I dodged the bullet at an even higher speed. Jack stopped and turned around. Both his and the Gunslinger's faces were filled with surprise and confusion. And there it came from within my mind. I kept seeing images of the Deaths dying at the hands of that bastard. With each such potential scenario I could imagine, a wave of hot burning rage spread throughout my body, making almost every inch of it terribly itchy. This kept on happening for a while, growing in intensity more and more, until something finally gave in. My heartbeat calmed down and the voices went silent. My muscles moved almost on their own, and despite the gravity of the situation, the world around me seemed calmer and more peaceful than ever before in my life. Words escaped my mouth automatically, almost as if they weren't mine: "My turn."