The situation was surreal.

Surreal in every sense of the word. Everything had happened so quickly that I barely managed to keep my composure.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!" I screamed, terror and fear completely overwhelming me.

I found myself in an underground shelter that was shaking as if it were about to collapse.

I felt the walls cracking, the lights flickering violently, and I struggled to stay on my feet as the ground tilted beneath me. To say I was feeling a lot of emotions would be an understatement.

I was, literally, terrified.

The poor visibility caused by the intermittent flashing red light didn't help at all.

In a desperate attempt to stay calm and avoid thinking about the imminent tragedy, I forced myself to focus on anything but this nightmare.

"YOUR HAPPY PLACE!! THINK OF YOUR HAPPY PLACE!!"

"THIS IS NOT REAL!!! THIS IS NOT REAL!!! THIS IS NOT REAL!!! THIS IS NOT REAL!!!" My hoarse and desperate screams mixed with the noise of debris falling around me. A wall had given way, or maybe the whole shelter was beginning to collapse.

Aware of the gravity of the situation, I set my fear aside. I felt death approaching as I ran toward the door, driven by adrenaline pumping through my system.

"WHY THE HELL IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!!"

I cursed as I ran, pushing the door with all my strength. I stumbled, miscalculated, and fell to the ground, feeling the pieces of earth and stone digging into my arms and legs as I tried to cushion the fall.

Ignoring the pain, driven by fear and adrenaline, I stood up shakily, leaning against the trembling wall. I was grateful the shelter still held after so many blasts and jolts, though I knew its resistance had a limit.

I continued running through the corridors, desperate to find an exit as quickly as possible.

"Maybe she wanted to kill me discreetly?" I couldn't help but think as I fell to the ground again, this time face first, unable to stop the fall and hitting the concrete floor hard.

I felt the smell of iron and the taste of dirt in my nose and mouth as I ran, dizzy from the effort and confusion. The dirt stuck to my face, and though I tried to compose myself, I couldn't align my actions due to the blow.

"Damn, and I was looking so good right now," I cursed, an erratic and irrelevant thought in the midst of chaos.

I ran, feeling the smoke and debris hitting me from behind, aware that the back of the shelter had already collapsed. I quickened my pace, turning the corner to reach the exit.

Just as I reached the corner, barely lit by the flashing red lights, an explosion threw me backward.

"What...?"

I tried to say something before being interrupted by the force of the impact, sending me flying backward, feeling a headache and confusion from the explosion and fall to the ground. I closed my eyes from the pain and grabbed my head tightly.

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This would surely hurt when it was all over, I thought, opening my eyes to realize everything was dark.

Now I missed the red light that, though giving little visibility, was better than nothing.

"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!!" I cursed again, sitting on the ground, trying to adjust my senses.

I was now surpassing my record of swear words said in a few minutes, which had nothing to do with video games to emphasize, but given the situation, I think it could be forgiven.

"Ah, I don't want to die here."

I said to no one in particular, wiping the dirt and blood off my face. Instantly, by reflex or instinct, I threw myself to the ground again, causing the rocks to prick my chest and abdomen.

Just as a reward for my quick action, something flew by just inches above me. I felt it tear part of my clothes and, in an instant, crash behind me, causing a roar along with hot air sweeping over my back. When I turned around, I was dazzled by a blazing fire, blinding me for a moment and forcing me to look away.

Turning my gaze forward, to my relief, instead of seeing the darkness of the place, I glimpsed a small hole where a ray of light was entering. Upon closer inspection, I noticed metal and melted metal beams and dry earth, and even bits of glass formed by the high temperatures.

The place was undoubtedly hot, and with all the conditions given, why not?

I mean, the place buried by the collapse, the object that almost hit me directly. It was still burning, probably because of the fresh drafts coming from outside that fanned the flame or maybe using a technology or method to make the flame last.

Napalm, perhaps?

No, it couldn't be; napalm doesn't glow emerald green. This was something unknown and, if it was unknown, it would be incredibly dangerous.

Well, being a simple fire, whatever it was, if I didn't get out of here, it would possibly be as hot as an oven. Not to mention that strange sinister fire behind me.

Following that thought, I got up with trembling hands and feet and numb hands, a bit slower than before, feeling something stiff on my back.

The contact with the burning surface on my back, right along the upper part of my spine down, was so sudden and searing that for a moment my brain couldn't register the pain.

It was as if the intensity of the pain had numbed my nerves, leaving them insensible at first.

Realizing this pain, I immediately knew what was happening.

I had been hit by the flames, by the bright green and eerie flames.

The burn felt strangely distant, almost as if it belonged to someone else. Only after a few eternal seconds did reality start to seep in.

A dull and throbbing pain began to manifest in my back, as if thousands of incandescent needles were slowly piercing my skin, while the initial numbness gave way to a sharp and relentless burning sensation running along my spine.

As the pain intensified, I felt a wave of desperation.

To my relief, apparently the green flames hadn't stayed on my skin, but just feeling the pain would undoubtedly leave more than a mark.

Only God would know what the burn looked like.

I struggled to stay calm and muster the courage to move, feeling the heat increasing by the moment.

I wouldn't lie, with every advance, my movements became slower and clumsier, my limbs trembling from the effort to keep going.

At first, I tried to stand up, but the pain was too intense, so I let myself fall to the ground and began to crawl.

Every inch gained required a titanic effort, my hands slipping on wet and slippery surfaces, injuring my hands and my body resisting every movement.

As I advanced little by little, my hands and knees filled with dust and debris. The scorching heat surrounded me, making every breath a struggle.

Feeling like I was suffocating either from the heat or because fresh air from freedom had stopped coming.

However, the need to escape pushed me forward, despite the pain, fatigue, heat, or suffocation.

Turning my gaze forward, and to my relief, I managed to see the exit, being dazzled by the small hole where a ray of light was entering.

There was no doubt when I observed the exit more closely, the metal and melted beams appeared better, but no longer so hot due to the small cold breeze from outside and small snowflakes entering through the hole.

The sight of the exit gave me a spark of hope.

With renewed determination, I crawled towards the light. The path, though cooled by the snow, was still full of debris. Among them were pieces of sand crystallized by the high temperature, accompanied by the fact that every movement was a monumental effort. My back burned with every brush against the walls, but the desire to survive, the idea of not dying here, was greater.

Finally, with one last desperate push, I reached the hole. The sunlight was blinding, but I felt the fresh air on my burned skin and knew I had made it out.

Crawling, but having survived.