The monster dragged me all the way through the crowd, along the streets, and across the city.
My back burned from scraping against the ground. I must have been bleeding the whole way. Strangely, even though it had hurt for so long, I still hadn't gone numb.
It was as if the pain had been magnified without limit, while my other senses had grown dull.
I could feel only the pain in my body. The fear I'd felt before had vanished without my even noticing.
It wasn't until the monster dragged me into the courtyard and I saw the withered tree that a little fear returned.
A strange red hue covered the entire courtyard. The air was thick with the stench of burning. It was hot, more unpleasant than the sweltering summer heat. There didn't seem to be a trace of moisture here. All the water had evaporated.
My airways and lungs began to burn and ache.
Just as in my dream, the creature tied a leather cord around my neck and hung me from the tree.
The burning sensation vanished at once, leaving only the suffocating pain.
It felt as though my cervical vertebrae were about to snap. The pain made stars flash before my eyes.
Crack!
The whip cut through the air and struck me.
It tore away a piece of flesh from my chest, along with my clothes.
My back was still bleeding, and now there was a wound on my chest, too. Blood ran down my skin and evaporated as soon as it hit the ground, giving off a foul, bloody stench.
The monster laughed loudly, raised its hand, and brought the whip down again.
I cried out in pain, my mind going blank.
But in truth, I was still thinking.
A question surfaced in my