Dick struggled to crawl along the ground. All was silent, and everything before his eyes was gray.
He could see nothing else, only tree after tree. He was like a deaf man, a blind man. Only when he crawled forward, his body brushing against the thick layer of fallen leaves, did their soft rustling remind him that he was still alive.
But he was close to death.
He was thirsty and hungry. His bleeding left arm had gone numb, and after crawling for who knew how long, his aching legs had gone numb too. His entire weight was supported by a single right arm as he inched forward, little by little, in one direction.
Why was he crawling forward?
Was something waiting for him up ahead?
No, he didn't know. But there was always a voice inside him encouraging him: Keep going. Only by moving forward can you stay alive!
But he was tired. He couldn't crawl any farther. The armor he wore had become a burden, but the worst part was that he no longer had the strength to rid himself of it.
Forget it. There was no hope.
Using the last of his strength, Dick rolled over onto his back. He lay on the thick fallen leaves, looking up at the interwoven treetops and leaves above the gray jungle. One by one, the leaves drifted down from the canopy, like a melody accompanying life's passing. They spun as they fell, bidding farewell to the world with a beautiful dance.
"Hiss..."
A black snake poked its head out from behind a tree not far from Dick. Its head was triangular, and its tiny, bead-like eyes gleamed with a hunter's light. Its red tongue flicked in and out as it cautiously watched the creature lying in its hunting grounds, unsure whether to approach and give him a bite to drive him away.
Both sides seemed remarkably patient. After more than ten minutes, the black snake finally broke the standoff. It slithered forward, moving through the thick fallen leaves with swift, silent ease.
It drew closer to the large creature, maintaining a hunter's caution and patience. Tentatively, it touched the creature's body. There was no response.
It slithered around to the other side of the creature. Just as it was about to test him again, Dick's right hand grabbed its tail. The black snake was enraged. It aimed its triangular head at a gap in Dick's armor and sank its four sharp fangs into him.
But it didn't matter.
He needed food, even if it was full of venom.
Drinking poison to quench one's thirst sounded crazy, but when you were about to die of thirst, would you still care that the jug of poisonous wine could at least moisten your throat?
"Gah!"
His teeth sank into its scales, as if he were biting into a piece of tough wood. But when the first mouthful of foul-smelling flesh filled his empty stomach, the deepest longing of life overcame the pain. It was the desire to live.
Fifteen minutes later, Dick rolled over again. His head was spinning a little, and his vision had blurred. In his experience, these were probably signs of poisoning, but it didn't matter. He had regained enough strength to keep crawling forward.
Then crawl he would.
Before death came, he would crawl as far as he could.
"Captain, look! There's someone over there!"
"Morris, go check it out!"
"Captain, he's one of our soldiers! He's dying! Good heavens, what happened to him?"
"Then take him back. Whether he survives is up to his luck."
What followed was a bumpy journey. Dick struggled to open his eyes. A stinging pain... the pain of the light.
The blue sky. Warm light.
Wonderful...
I'm alive.