The taste was horrible, there was nothing worse than a dry mouth. Especially when you couldn’t even brush your teeth. The bacteria would just continue to multiply, resulting in the worst case of bad breath. There was nothing that could be done about it.

A young man could be seen with his family wandering an endless trail. It was too dangerous to wander the forest and without a map who knows where they’d end up.

The sun was hot and glaring ruthlessly down on the traveling family. Sweat was seeping out of their clothed skin, spreading moisture and wetting the fabrics they wore. They had nothing on them except for the clothes on their backs.

“Daddy… I’m tired.” The little girl complained.

The man caught a glimpse of his daughter, seeing her dirty blonde locks plastered together from the intense heat. Her pale face was starting to turn red and seeing her look this exhausted pained his chest.

“We’re almost at our destination, honey. Can you be a strong girl for daddy? When we get to our new home I’ll play with you all day, how’s that sound?”

“Really? Ok, I’ll hold out for as long as I can!”

All that could be done at this point was to make false promises. Harmful in nature, yes, but in the right context, they could be just the right motivation needed to prosper. The father caught a nervous smile from his wife who clenched her arm tightly. Seeing this he wrapped a loving arm around her.

Whenever she got nervous she’d always hold her arm. It was cute back then and it’s still cute to this day. There’s nothing you have to be nervous about hun… I’m sorry I had to put you through this.

“It’s going to be alright, we’ll get through this as a family. We always do.”

“You’re right… you know I just can’t help but worry.”

“You’re a mother, I don’t expect anything else from you.”

After hearing this the group shared a laugh and suddenly their situation didn’t seem so horrible. Times like this were when you truly needed a family to lean on. Relationships were everything in times of need.

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“Hey look!”

He pointed towards a creek of water filled with fresh flowing water. With his mouth being so dry he couldn’t help but rush over to the area.

“Freshwater…”

“How do you know, daddy?”

Even if it isn’t fresh… I’m too damn thirsty to not drink it.

“We’ll die if we don’t hydrate. So, let’s just get our fill and continue moving ahead.”

“Honey… are you sure about this… you know about…”

“I’ll drink it first to make sure it's safe.”

Courage made men very stupid, but he had a family to protect. If he was leading his family to a grim fate then he wanted to be the first to die so they could linger on and try to survive. It was in his eyes a noble effort.

He approached the creek… his eyes staring down at the water; his own reflection. He saw just how dirty and stinky he truly appeared and frowned a bit before bending down, cupping his palms as he took a handful of water. His family looked on with worried eyes before he gulped it down.

“...”

“It’s safe!”

“Thank goodness! I was so worried…”

“I’m thirsty, daddy! Let me have a taste!”

The water tastes fresh. It’s good to see the pollution doesn’t reach out this far.

It didn’t take long to become satisfied. When you’re dehydrated water could taste like a gift from the heavens.

“Ok, let’s get a move on.”

“Can’t we rest for a few minutes?”

“No sweetie.”

“Please, daddy? My feet hurt… really bad.”

We have been walking nonstop… a short rest won’t hurt.

“10 minutes then we’re heading out.”

“Yay! Thanks, dad!”

Hopefully, this place will take us in. I just want to have a home again… if I knew that this would be the result...

A noise was heard from the creek… approaching from the other side was some kind of… creature.

“Oh no! We have to get out of here, now!”

Upon spotting them the creature with blue skin held out its hand… somehow able to manipulate the water from the creek to swirl around the trio, blocking their path.

“Shit… what do we…”

I’m at my wit’s end here!

It didn’t take long before the water encased them in a sphere… their bodies becoming light and floating in the body of liquid that engulfed them. Everything became silent all of a sudden.

I can’t move… my body…

The water appeared to restrict any kind of movement, keeping them trapped like an insect on a spider’s web. Without the power to resist all they could do was suffer. It wouldn’t take long before the young girl’s mouth opened up, releasing all of the air she tried to keep in. Bubbles quickly rose up while the girl’s eyes started to widen.

Without oxygen, the body can’t function and death quickly occurs. The little girl unfortunately inhaled deeply… forcing a rush of water to enter her body. It was quiet, yet the water seemed to contain all of their screams and agony. Once it seemed like they had ascended to the next life, the monster released the prison, allowing their lifeless corpses to scatter across the ground like a sack of fish.