I grip the trigger, trying hard not to, but still trembling. Focus.

   A glow of white,

   a smell of decay,

   a deafening silence,

   a taste of blood,

   and an intense pain that rifles through my body.

l

   He is ready. Nothing is going to stop him. He strides onwards. He strides towards his end. The gates welcome him, death awaits him.

   A light breeze blows across the plains as the sun levels with the horizon. He picks up a steady pace and jogs through the unsteady ground, a seemingly endless supply of adrenaline pulsing through his body, urging him on. The evening wind rushes around him, immersed in his presence; emptiness, his only companion. A goal is set. Tonight’s the night. There will be no tomorrow. He smiles at the thought as his legs carry him across the dying sunset.

   By the time he arrives, the sun had truly disappeared and the moon took its place, emitting a strange glow that spread endlessly across the plains. Shivers ran down his back, constantly reminding him of the situation at hand. There was not a sound to be heard except the pounding of his heart, pounding its last beats of the day.

O

   My legs should be aching; hell, my whole body should be aching. The regular doses of adrenaline are all my body is left to run on. Hopefully I’ll be able to manage another hour or so before my body gives in. The facility is close. Well, it should be close. I can already smell the rot of the beast and I’m sure that I’m well over a mile away from it. Who knows how far the stench stretches.

   It burns my nostrils, travelling so deep into my throat that I can almost taste it.

   Ugh. It’s worse than last time.

   I gear up, struggling to catch my breath as my body deteriorates. Gun; check. One dose of adrenaline; check. It is all I need. My heart aches with every beat. I don’t blame it. It hammers hard, uneven beats against my chest, pounding its last beats of the day.