I ran, trying to get away, but the storm was affecting the entire compound, and I couldn't run forever. Pieces of buildings detached themselves in acidic destruction, and I found myself welcomed into the landscape of an alien world, seemingly stretching to infinity. I managed to see the train wreck as it had fallen vertically from the cliff, and the cliff itself was obscured by the mist. Then the acid doused me, and I started screaming.

  Have you ever had a pain so acute that you simply wished to rip off the cause of your pain, like a rotten tooth that, in desperation, you want to grab pliers to pull it off? Now imagine it's your whole body, the whole stretch of your skin, and every single cell that hurts.

  I couldn't see; I moved out of reflex, and I knew that the moment I stopped, I'd collapse onto the floor and die. I tried to focus on my hearing, trying to seek refuge, and a thunderous noise of the acid rain clashing against some manner of hollow plastic or acrylic material led me like a moth to the fire. I navigated, or rather flailed around, until finally, the pain subsided, leaving just a dull, throbbing burn. I could finally breathe again, as the terrible pain had pushed all the air out of my lungs.

  I was in some kind of container made of coarse blue plastic, like something made out of hastily burnt pieces of different recycled plastic strings. I looked at my skin, red like a tomato, and my clothes were tattered, partly dissolved by the acid. I didn't understand how I was still alive, but a part of me took it for granted.

  In that moment of relief at feeling no more pain, a primitive urge to feed came to me, like I hadn't eaten in days, which, for the most part, was true. I dug through my pockets, only to find a sticky goo, a mixture of melted batteries, and a candy bar. There went my food...

  I looked at my flashlight, and while it was rather deformed, it still worked, partially, of course, as the light was much dimmer and no longer focused, more like a strobe that illuminated bits here and there with large patches of penumbra in between. Not to mention that, having gotten so deformed, unscrewing the back lid to recharge the batteries (assuming I got any) was out of the question.

  I felt bitter, but then I laughed at my bitterness hysterically. I was still alive; the acid hadn't melted me or my eyes. Why was I fussing over some pasty candy bars?

  I remembered a man who used to work at a theatre, and a bucket full of brick tempering acid fell on his face, rendering him malformed and ruining his entire career as an actor. He then tried to make the best out of it, making fun of his own deformity and working backstage, thanks to the goodwill he gathered through his years of health. But I could see in his eyes how much it hurt him – the disgusted gazes and those who averted their eyes from his jumpy eyes and bloated lips, sunken nose, and leper-like patched hair.

  I smiled again, assuming that not only would I get out of here, but that I would lead a normal life surrounded by people instead of a padded room in some isolated madhouse.

  I sighed as I observed the terrible storm. Clouds of dark green filled the background, along with thousands of smaller, sickly pale green clouds, like those of tennis balls or a particularly poisonous frog.

  Gales that whirled with millions of tiny shards of something like emerald, chastising the ground that would remain unfertile for ages to come.

  I remembered all those "lost away from civilization" shows I'd watched, of men who turned misfortune into prosperity through maximizing every resource in their surroundings, some even literally drawing water from stones.

  Well, no turning into an agricultural master here, I guess.

  I looked into the further end of the plastic container I was in, not see the end of it. I wondered what type of merchandise would be held in a container so large.

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  I heard something shuffling in the back. I started making my way towards it, hitting my flashlight several times, hoping to make it work better, but to no avail, of course. As I delved deeper, the sounds of the acid storm hitting the plastic became distant; I was getting deeper into the earth.

  I stopped for a moment to contemplate whether it was a good idea to delve into another labyrinth that possibly had no exit, as the acid rain wouldn't "save" me a second time. Then, I remembered the acute pain I suffered and decided it was madness to go exploring under such conditions. It was also impractical to wait for the rain to stop, as it could continue to rage for a thousand years.

  I'd even heard of planets like Neptune that had a perpetual storm of diamonds, which would shred to pieces any meteorite or alien life form unfortunate enough to end up in its gaseous maws.

  "Unknown depths it is," I sighed.

  Something skittered in the darkness, and I saw a telltale red brightness that appeared for a moment. The creature knew it had been found and showed its whole horrific, bloated form.

  I observed, immobile, as it crawled out of the depths. It was like a large, bulky predator – perhaps a bear – that had swallowed a gallon of lava, and after burning off its lower jaw, it made its way through its stomach onto the rest of its body, unhindered by blood, replacing it. It was as if it had been cooked alive from within, and the fire still burned bright beneath its degraded skin, past its charred pelt. The fire had not only scourged its organs but had also built some manner of gas or other abnormality that made it look like it was about to explode. I didn't want that thing near me.

  I looked behind me, and then again ahead of me, caught between certain deaths: either being slowly whittled away by acid or being burned to a crisp while being mauled.

  I slowly backed away, uncertain if playing dead would work on otherworldly predators. The scourge advanced, and right behind me, I could feel the droplets of acid hit the ground perpendicularly.

  It stopped, seemingly threatened by the outside environment – not that I blamed it. Perhaps I could endure the acid for some time and wait it out? But then again, for all I knew, the tunnel ahead was perfectly linear, and I'd just end up in the same position again. I swallowed hard.

  The creature's patience was wearing thin as it prepared to pounce on me, backing off a few meters to gain momentum and tackle me to the ground. It started running, and I closed my eyes. This was the end. But I couldn't accept it, and as I felt the air heat up, I ran scared into the acid rain.

  A terrible pain assaulted me, but I kept going, and in my blindness, I heard the creature howl in terrible pain as the acid hit it, too. I couldn't endure it anymore and tried to run past the thing, which swept at me, making me fall.

  Suddenly, I felt a terrible heat, as if I were inside a furnace. I crawled inside the container, and when the pain subsided a little, I felt myself dozing off, only for a terrible explosion to wake me back to my senses. I stood up with great pain, as I had a long gash along my leg, making it hard to stay upright, but I didn't look at my injury. Outside, a cataclysmic event mesmerized me to the point where my injuries seemed to disappear.

  The scourged-bear-thing had been hit by acid long enough that one of its vulnerable sides had opened up like a man whose body could no longer endure the pulling force of four cars tugging on each of his extremities. The fire that served as the beast's innards contacted the poisonous mist, making it burst into flames. I barely had time to back away as the fire spread wildly through the acidic rain, which was also flammable.

  The tornadoes of emerald turned into a topaz-colored gale of destruction that exploded at every moment, creating antagonizing currents that destroyed it and created three more in its place. The skies turned blood-red, and black storms of sulfur blazed across the ground.

  The plastic started to melt as whatever properties protected it from the acid didn't work as well against the fire. It was so hot that I could've sworn part of my sweat evaporated as I stood there, and the smoldering winds seared my flesh. I started running away as the plastic melted in, sealing away my exit. No thoughts of possible entrapment could stop me from trying to escape the all-encompassing inferno.

  And so I delved deeper and deeper, losing count of how many minutes had passed. I was out of breath, and limping had taken a toll on me. I collapsed onto the floor and looked at my injury. On the bright side, the heat had stopped the bleeding, so that was that.

  My delusion broke at the blinding sight of light right outside the cave/tunnel, and I approached, scared of further acid or fiery rains. Enough of God's judgment for one day, I thought as I got nearer to the light, step by step, as my eyes slowly accustomed to it.