An explosion thundered behind Archie, shaking the ground beneath him and causing him to stumble, his knees scraping against a jagged rock.

He spun around, his face a mask of terror as he took in the sight of the erupting mountain.

“KABOOM!” His worst fears were realized as he watched the mountain burst apart, debris hurtling towards him.

“AHHH…” A scream tore from his throat as he saw the rocks flying towards him. He scrambled to his feet and bolted away from the mountain.

His screams echoed around him as he ran. He didn't dare glance back to see where the debris would land, but he could sense it was close.

Just as he had feared, the debris from the explosion was homing in on him. Each piece, a rock covered in molten lava, streaked through the sky.

“BOOM!” “BOOM!”

The debris began to rain down several meters behind Archie. His decision to flee had been the right one - the rocks crashed to the ground, scattering rubble and melting the ground with heated lava. Had he chosen to stand his ground or head towards the volcanic mountain, he would have met his end.

The air around him grew hot. Sweat poured down his face; his heart pounded in his chest. Fear gripped Archie as he gasped for breath, his movements hindered by the delivery bag he was carrying.

His mind was a whirlwind of panic. He didn't have time to think about discarding the bag or finding a safe route. All he knew was that he had to keep running. He wasn't ready to die.

“BOOM!” Debris crashed just a few meters behind Archie. The explosions were getting closer.

“Damn it! I’m slowing down by each second. Ahhhh…” He cursed himself as he stumbled over the uneven, ragged rocks. His progress was slow and painful, but the debris had an easier path…

“BOOM!” A rock, the size of a boulder and covered in molten lava, crashed to Archie's right, just a short distance away. The impact sent a wave of heated air his way, creating a smoky haze. The heat seared his skin and lava debris tore through the smog, burning his body. A small piece of rubble hit Archie’s bag, causing him to stumble, but he managed to steady himself before falling. The impact made him realize the importance of the backpack.

As he continued to run, he unzipped the bag. He grabbed the phone, shoved it into his pocket, and discarded everything else. He used the bag as a shield to protect himself from the incoming debris, but it significantly slowed his pace.

“BOOM!”

The nearby explosions made it clear that Archie couldn’t escape unscathed. So, he decided to use the bag as a means to protect himself.

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To his surprise and relief, Archie spotted a small opening, like a crack in the ground, in the distance. A grin spread across his face as he realized he had a chance to escape this nightmare.

With a final burst of energy, Archie strapped his bag to his front and sprinted towards the crack. Just as he was about to reach it…

“BOOM!” A rock crashed and exploded in front of Archie. The force of the explosion sent him flying backwards, his back slamming into a rock. Hot rubble rained down on him. The bag shielded him from most of the debris, but the lava that fell on the bag began to melt and drip onto Archie.

A burning sensation spread through his body. He discarded the melting bag and stood up, his body covered in debris as volcanic gas filled the area. His vision blurred with debris in his eyes, a ringing sound echoed in his ears, and the gas made him nauseous. But his mind was consumed with thoughts of escape.

However, he began to walk towards the mountain from where the debris was erupting. Archie couldn’t tell which way he was going. He was moving on pure instinct, his eyes and ears impaired. He was walking towards his doom.

A boulder, twice the size of a car, hurtled straight towards Archie, but he was oblivious to the danger. He walked towards the boulder while ashes rained down like snow, soothing the burns on his skin.

The boulder neared, hot lava dripping onto him. The pain jolted him back to reality and he saw the boulder tearing through the smoke, just a few feet away from him. In a second, he would be crushed before he even realized what was happening.

“BOOM!” The boulder exploded, not upon impact with Archie, but in mid-air. Rubble was flung towards Archie. Before he could react…

“WHOOSH!” “SIZZLE!”

Everything around him froze, including the rubble headed towards him. It formed a wall in front of him, then suddenly the wall began to rise from the ground and encase him, forming a dome-like structure. Within moments, he found himself inside an ice hut.

“What is all this?” Archie was stunned. His legs gave out and he collapsed to his knees. His vision and hearing returned to normal, but the scene before him was anything but normal.

"BOOM!" Archie could see outside through the transparent ice. The rocks continued to explode near him, but nothing reached him. Volcanic poison gas filled the outside, but inside the dome, the chill from the ice provided a stark contrast to the chaos outside.

“CREAK!” Suddenly, one side of the ice dome opened up, and Archie turned to see a tall man, the same height as his father, 6 foot 6, entering the dome, followed by a girl a few feet taller than Archie. Both of them were wearing masks that covered their entire faces, obscuring their identities.

The man was clad in a suit of white and gold armor with a futuristic aesthetic. The armor included bulky shoulder pads, blue glowing gauntlets, and chest plating. Underneath the armor was a black under-suit with ribbed textures visible on the arms and legs.

The golden mask he wore was shaped like a skull, with the eye area glowing blue. A distinctive black marking over the left eye on the mask resembled a scar. A cloak trailed behind him, adding to his imposing appearance.

“Hey kid, what you did was pretty stupid. You're lucky that we were sightseeing earlier,” The man chided, while the girl scoffed, “What kind of Rift Runner just walks towards a volcano?”

The girl was also dressed in a futuristic black suit with blue accents and lights, complete with gloves, boots, and a belt adorned with circular devices that glowed with a blue light. She also had pouches around her waist, suggesting she was ready for combat.Her most distinctive feature was her headgear: a blue visor, reminiscent of a welding helmet, that covered her entire face.

“Rift Runner!” Archie was puzzled after hearing the girl mention ’Rift Runner.’

“HA!” The girl laughed after realizing what Archie was and said, “Dad, he is a virgin.”