Red Sea

The Land of Beasts

A chill ran through his body. Jake instinctively curled up to fend off the cold. The warmth from the sand bed was seeping away.

“Ugh… Ugh… Mmm…”

Unconsciously groaning, he tossed and turned until he finally woke up. The first thing Jake did upon waking was to look around. He could already sense the absence of Kashan through the cold, but he needed to confirm it with his eyes. There was no sign of Kashan in the cave.

“Did he go out?”

He always disappeared somewhere at certain times. But that was during the day. Outside the cave, it was dark.

“It’s not… night, is it? Ugh…”

It wasn’t dark enough to be night. Listening closely, he could hear the sound of water, suggesting it was raining. As Jake tried to rise to confirm whether it was indeed raining, he clenched the sand on the bed and swallowed hard. His whole body ached. It felt similar to the sensation of impact spreading throughout his body right after falling from a height. The only difference this time was that the source of the pain was in his lower back.

The pain began to trigger memories of what he had done in the past. Embarrassing acts and all sorts of filthy behaviors. The sensation of being ruthlessly violated by a colossal being he could not resist. Jake turned pale as he recalled how he had grovelled before it and succumbed to his animalistic instincts. The cold settling over him, combined with the cold sweat trickling down his spine, made his body feel icy.

“Really… really…”

Am I going insane? No matter how much I struggle to keep my sanity, is it all in vain? Everything became clear now. The fact that he had been abandoned in this dark cave, forced to assist in the breeding of that creature due to the vile contract between the alien planet and the extraterrestrials, without knowing anything.

Jake was on the verge of losing his sanity. His hand, clutching the sand, trembled uncontrollably. Once he regained his composure and calmly assessed what had happened, a surge of anger boiled up inside him.

“Damn it!”

With no one to hear him, he acted even more violently. Jake threw sand against the wall and struck the bed with his fists, making sounds akin to sobbing. The periodic waves of burning pain and muscle aches were overshadowed by the pain in his head and chest. He felt wronged. It was unbearable to endure without screaming out in frustration.

“Damn it! You bastards, worthless pieces of trash…”

Jake continued to strike the bed until his fists were scraped and bleeding from the sand. He wished he had a gun in his hand. Living in a place where he could only eat what that monster provided and share his body with it. It would be better to commit suicide than to live a life dependent on that alone until death. His cries filled with rage soon turned into sobs. It was painfully clear that crying would have no effect on changing reality.

Jake crawled out of the bed, feeling miserable. What they called breeding was merely giving birth to and raising its offspring as it desired, rendering him a useless being. It was no different from a degraded army. If he couldn’t prove his worth, being discarded was a foregone conclusion.

“It was a wrong choice.”

He should have tried to curry favor with the higher-ups and struggled to get promoted somehow. Reaching the rank of major was already a significant achievement, but he lamented that he should have done something more before it ended. He regretted wasting time in a state of disillusionment, ultimately retiring without having done anything.

Having squeezed out all his physical energy, his mind became eerily calm. The intense pleasure that burned through his entire being left only black ash behind. Jake, engulfed in despair, was unaware that he had succumbed to irrationality, feeling anxious and tormented. Then, impulsively, he stretched out his legs. It was an action born from the inability to endure without moving his body.

Without an umbrella or any clothing to shield himself, Jake stepped outside the cave. Just a while ago, the sun had been shining, and the wet ground felt warm beneath his feet. The earth beneath him felt like torrential rain pouring down on asphalt heated under a scorching tropical climate. The puddles of rainwater were lukewarm, and he could feel the tepid heat emanating from the ground up to his ankles. All these sensations reminded him of the days spent on the alien planet.

Overcome with anger and despair, Jake connected all his senses and thoughts to those past days, letting out a sound like a wounded beast.

It was astonishing to think that it rained on this hot planet and that the landscape was visible even from afar under the obscured sunlight. Yet, humans merely wandered back and forth on the narrow cliff like someone who had lost their mind. Normally, if the sun were shining, the distance one could move would be quite limited, but with the heat now diminished, it was worth exploring the surroundings. Rather than being trapped and reduced to a plaything for that creature, he had to find another way, and that determination drove Jake to move.

Not knowing when the rain would stop, escaping right now seemed impossible. But at least it was an opportunity to find out where this cliff was located and what was around it. The very thought of escaping without any equipment or knowledge was irrational and reckless. Jake was mentally cornered to that extent.

Jake wiped the rainwater soaking his face with his hand and began to look for a way down the cliff. The cliff itself wasn’t extremely high, just about the height of a steep ridge. Moreover, since the cave was located on a terraced mountain with a steep slope, it seemed possible to reach the bottom if he was careful. The problem was that it was in a nearly untouched natural state, with no paths suitable for humans. However, seeing that the creature moved back and forth, Jake concluded that there must be a way somewhere and carefully examined the ground.

“Ah.”

At the edge of the cliff, Jake discovered something resembling handprints and right next to it, a depression in the ground. It seemed the creature had been climbing up the cliff. Although he couldn’t descend in the same way due to the significant difference in height, following the traces it had left while climbing might lead him down to the ground.

Could he really go down? What would he do once he got down?

A sneer rose in his heart. He internally warned himself not to waste energy on a rebellious act without any sense of purpose. He knew well enough that it was a futile and reckless endeavor. If he slipped and fell while descending the cliff barehanded, he could die.

Perhaps, he might even be hoping to die that way.

Half of him was resigned to whatever would happen. The emotions that burst forth clouded Jake’s judgment and urged his body to release the surging anger and impulse. Before descending the cliff, Jake looked down to see what lay below. There was a vast expanse of tawny earth with a few sparse, desolate grasses growing. A little further away, there were several long, thick trees, but they looked charred as if struck by lightning.

Jake resolved to go as far as he could. The thought of sitting idly on that bed, where he had mixed bodies with that creature the night before, made him feel nauseous. So, he firmly grasped the rock that bore Kashan’s handprints and extended his foot downwards. The cliff was made up of very uneven rocks, providing plenty of places to step. Moreover, the stones were quite solid, allowing him to descend the cliff with some confidence.

After all, if a giant was climbing up and down, the rocks must be sturdy enough.

Thinking again about how that giant had climbed the rocks with such force that handprints were left behind made his knees tremble. He encouraged himself to stay calm, not to be afraid, and to limit today’s exploration to a light reconnaissance of the surroundings as he moved his feet again.

The focused man’s face was serious, and the muscles executing precise movements were constantly writhing. Since Kashan was also not wearing clothes, and considering that the concept of clothing was nearly nonexistent on this planet, Jake felt no hesitation in moving around naked. He had become so accustomed to living in the nude that he barely recognized it as strange anymore.

“What….”

As he descended halfway down the slope, the things on the ground became clearer. The trees he had seen from above were moving. Sensing something was off, Jake squinted and focused on the black pillars. When they finally turned around, Jake let out a silent scream and gripped the rock he was holding tightly.

The long, strange pillars he had thought were trees were all members of the Thermo tribe, just like Kashan. The parts he had thought were branches were their arms. Unlike Kashan, all their arms were black, and they were continuously engaged in some task. Thinking that it would not end well if he were discovered, Jake lifted his legs to climb back up. The sound of movement was drowned out by the rain, and it was certain that they had not noticed the pitiful human body descending the cliff.

So, escape was hopeless after all.

Overwhelmed by despair, Jake felt his vision turn white. Telling himself not to panic and to slowly climb back up, he shifted his center of gravity when the rock he was holding, weakened by the rain, wobbled and rolled down.

“Ugh…!”

Startled by the sound he had made, Jake lost his footing and slid down the slope. Climbing down the earthen wall barehanded felt like rolling over thorny bushes. He curled his body to protect his head from hitting the rocks, trying to slide down as much as possible along a diagonal path. Dust rose as the broken stones crumbled, creating a loud noise. This time, the Thermo tribe could not possibly miss the sound.

Dozens of faces, each with different scratch marks, turned to look at the dust rising from the cliff. They stopped what they were doing and trudged toward the commotion. As dozens of beings moved in unison, the ground shook, and Jake sensed that his end was approaching.

“Hah… Hahaha…”

Yes, I had secretly wished to fall and die. However, since the slope wasn’t steep, instead of dying, he came down with nothing broken, just a lot of scratches. Aside from some blood flowing from his scratched thighs and back, his body was intact.

“Hah…”

Faced with a desperate situation, even the hollow laughter that had lingered on his lips vanished. Jake’s eyes met the countless black pillars surrounding him. They were the legs of the Thermo tribe, and although they weren’t as thick and sturdy as Kashan’s, they appeared stronger than a human’s.

“It’s over.”

Jake muttered briefly. If they had the same tendencies as Kashan, he would not be eaten but rather die from being violated like this. The frantic struggle he had put up in front of Kashan was not true fear. Losing hope, Jake stared helplessly at their legs, as if he were aware of an impending disaster but unable to avoid it.

One of them reached out an arm toward Jake. He couldn’t even close his eyes as he stared at the black, dirt-covered palm reaching for him. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks, but mixed with the rain, no one noticed. Instead, they seemed to understand the meaning of the words Jake had muttered.

Ah, this being is currently capable of bearing eggs, half of our kin.

Jake’s body trembled. He was shaking so much that he could see the raindrops bouncing off his head.