One of the very first things that comes to mind when someone says a pig is well, a pig. Big pointy ears, long nose, that sorta stuff.

  So it wouldn't be strange if the first thing you saw when you wake up is a huge pig licking your face right? Right? Yeah totally right.

  And that begs the question. Why is there a pig here? Why did I wake up covered in absolute filth? And where the hell am I??

  You see… I’m a calm guy. Real level-headed, y’know? I believe most situations — no matter how weird — gotta have some logical explanation behind them. Reason, science, common sense, that kinda stuff.

  Lick.

  Would you cut that out?!

  Lick.

  Ahem. As I was saying — logic, reasoning, order in the universe—

  Lick.

  I SAID STOP, DAMMIT!

  Looking blankly at the weirdly bright sky, I screamed at the top of my lungs to the very same pig who was just licking my neck a few moments ago. Was it surprised or was it startled? I don't know but hey finally I can think without some oinky interruptions.

  Okay

  Now what?

  I was just walking around my school campus getting my grades for the upcoming college application and... Thats it. No no no, I must've forgotten something. It's, it's not the first time I easily forgot after all.

  Deep breaths, deeeep breaths. Ah, fresh filthy pig poop. Anyways school, grades, awkward conversations, canteen, and nothing. How helpful.

  I sat up slowly, making sure to avoid touching the suspicious looking mud that smells like a public restroom. Around me is a wooden fence with more pigs scattered about, a few paces to the right is a square red building that looks like a barn, and beyond that is a forest that looks like it hasn't seen urbanization yet.

  I sat there for a while looking around the place I'm in. It was strangely familiar. But I should probably get out of here no? Yeah I guess that's for the best. I ain't want my organs gon bye-bye. No organ-selling today Mr. piggies.

  The fence around here is just somewhere around my waist so it's rather easy to go over it. Looking at the barn-house I quietly crouched down and went to it's sides. There was a window at its front with a huge door as well. I'm gonna avoid that.

  I'm not going to lie, I'm very confused right now and potentially scared. I've read about these types of abductions and for all I know, those pigs are gonna stand up skinwalker-style and chase me through the wilderness chanting SCHKIKIKIKIKIKI...

  Hopefully not. Please don't.

  As I stand over to the side, I peeked through the small gaps in the walls. It was rather dark inside but the sunlight shining through the front window has enough brightness to lighten the place. There were quite a lot of these holes, the owner of this barn is either poor or just incompetent. The room inside has a bed I think, a table, some cabinets, a chair, an eye-

  "HOLY FUCK!"

  Holy cow that is holy. What the heck was that?! I asked myself as I fell down my butt in a wet and muddy splat. There was an eye! A bloody eye! There's a person there! And I ran.

  Well running is an overstatement. It's more of a half-crawling, half-tumbling on dirt but that's not important, details. As I near the tree lines I looked back at the barn again bobbing my head up and down. I'm... fine? No one was coming out of the barn yelling obscenities with a gun and I still have all my limbs attached. So it's all good.

  I briefly contemplated returning but no madman's going to go back to some random person's backyard. As I walk through the trees I keep thinking about how did I end up in this place. Was I kidnapped? Possibly, but that didn't explain why I'm not tied to a rope and gagged. Even still, my family can't afford paying a ransome. There's no point in it.

  Stepping on another twig, I keep going straight while observing the forest I'm in. It was strange, besides all this being alone in somewhere strange, but plants and stuff strange. The plants are not familiar. I see some with circular leaves with a spikey flower growing in each leaf and some shining fruits hanging from the tree to my left. Although, I can't seem to shake the idea this place is familiar.

  Enough of that, I should be close to a road or a highway right about now. The city I'm in is packed with buildings, so there would be no chance I'm in a forest with little to no infrastructure. The barn house is evidence of that.

  "Ah there we go." I muttered when I saw a cobblestone road cutting through the forest. "I should probably go right since the left path kind of goes to the barn's direction." So right I go. Honestly, I might be on the south-ish area of the city since this road is small. Like real small, I mean it's average though considering three or four motorcycles wide apart.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  As I continued walking, I kept patting my pants for my belongings. Looks like Mrs. luck has given me light, my phone is not working yippie. It's probably on low battery, damn. I sling my backpack to my chest and sat down near a big rock at the side of the road. It was rather full of clothes I forgot to take out last swimming lesson but after searching for a bit, I found my power bank stuck to my I.D..

  "You know, I've been walking for a while now," I closed my bag after drinking water, "and I still don't see the tall buildings of this place."

  Maybe I really am in a much deeper shit than I had thought. Calm breaths' calm breaths'. It's okay. Maybe I'm in another city? My school was rather far from the city's center and away from some houses. That, that makes sense.

  Sighing, I tried to get up before stopping completely still. A text hovers in front of me in a black background.

  [You feel eyes watching you.]

  "What?"

  "Wha, what do you mean 'eyes watching me'?" I stammered while looking around me. I'm starting to feel like the forest isn't safe anymore. I keep thinking about those pigs.

  Wait...

  Wait a bloody second. A screen? Text? Is this a System? With a capital S?

  Oh no. Oh hell no. I don't like this one single bit. Don't tell me.. I quietly opened my mouth, tasting the moist air before slowly speaking. "Sys..."

  "System?"

  Damn, I want to puke.

  I don't care if you thought I'm cringe, being cringe is free real estate. Unlike going completely ignorant without testing it for yourself. See? Look at you, all hoping for a system to show up. Idiot. Heh.

  No really, system? Helluu? Anyone there? Ah idiot. Look at this idiot. I sat back down hugging my bag. Totally not testing different synonyms of the word 'system'. Totally, for real.

  After wiping some weird water coming out my eyes, I look back again at the text hovering in front of me. It looks simplistic, not in the sans font type, but it's just a white text in a black background. I did try to touch it but it looks like my hands just passes through it, spitting on it didn't work either. Don't question me.

  "Eyes huh? Thats ironic. Why didn't you show up after that eye made me shit my pants-"

  Before I finished, it vanishes. In its place, another text materializes from nowhere.

  [Your heartbeat is getting louder.]

  Uh.

  Text?

  That, that doesn't make... A heartbeat...

  Heart.... Beat...

  Thump.

  ...

  Thump thump thump thump....

  Oh.

  Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump...

  Oh.....

  ...

  If you ask me what I'm feeling right about now, I will not be able to answer you. One point is maybe because I'm a self-titled nonchalant, the other point is because I'm currently running as fast as possibly can.

  SCHRIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

  I don't know why or how but after reading that prompt I had my gut telling me to run bloody murder away from whatever was over there. Not a second later after I reached fifteen or so meters away from where I sat, a loud shriek filled the air and grating my ears.

  Now that, that's enough for me to start crying I tell you. I might even start doing the bowing thing I often saw— NO! Focus!

  Left foot

  Right foot

  Doing this mantra certainly helps a whole lot to focus you know. I keep on leaning forward too much and it's making me want to puke, if I fail to not notice I might even crash head on to these rocks under me. Tree after tree I ran past without much of a glance. My feet are starting to get sore. I need to get away and fast, the animalistic screeching is getting closer.

  Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot, focus!! Left foot, right foot, right foo... Right? Shit!

  I tumble down the slope of the cobblestone road all the while cursing as my jeans were torn from the rocks into my skin. My heart felt like drums beating a gong with a long baseball bat. I can't think, it's too loud, my head is spinning. I briefly see another text floating above me but ignored it. My head hurts. Like real real nasty hurt.

  "I want to lay down."

  No, I can't. Not now. I pushed myself up with my right arm and tried to steady myself with the other before collapsing at my left. It hurts but I keep doing so, crawling away from the road. The rocks beneath me already scraping against exposed skin and cloth. Fuck it hurts.

  I whipped my head around me trying to search for something or anything at all. Its shrieks growing louder by the second, making my heart beat in a full crescendo. And I spotted it, a bush, a big one, under a tree just a few paces from me.

  For a moment I saw another text appearing to my left but I'm too busy hiding from whatever hell that thing came from.

  As I neared the bush, I practically dived inside, wincing as its thorns scraped more of my skin. My head still feels like being drilled but it's a bit bearable now. I slightly shuffled around to get in a better position and when that was done I tried to calm my breath.

  "Hah... Hahh... Hah.."

  ...

  "W... the shit was that?"

  Man, when I say, 'tried to', that means doing the process of trying right? You can't expect me to get better that fast after running a damn kilometer. But it's getting more bearable.

  I'm tired...

  I barely see the trees now...

  The moon above is slowly rising behind the orange clouds at the treetops. The shadows around me starts to turn into wisps of orange flame. Must be my imagination. This looks like hell.

  "Both metaphorically and quite figuratively. Metaphorically because I was chased by some demon from hell and figuratively — Well you get the idea." I talked to myself.

  In a short while, I realized I'm starting to hold my chest with both my hands. It's instinctual I guess... I haven't done this in a while, hugging myself I mean. It's hard ignoring the situation I'm in but what else could I do? Not joke around trying to make sense how I'm suddenly here in this shit while some demon... Hah... Deep breaths... Calm down Jian...

  "I think I'm going to die..." I quietly whispered to myself while trying to wipe my eyes. Damn I look like an idiot. A really really bloody idiot. I stared at the puddle forming under me. It looks like some beta-male liquid is falling down my face. Heh, weak.

  I'm not sure what is happening anymore.

  Honestly? I kind of already have an idea but... Damn. I can't. I just can't. I like reading these stories but this... This is just too much. Not that I don't want to pretend all of this is just some kind of dream, it'll be easier if I did honestly. Way better than being like this, covered in dirt and snot. But I'm no dumb idiot. Being an idiot is already enough.

  Whew, okay.. repressing... repressing... Let's do those things later. I waited under the bush for a while — It smells sweet and earthy. The shrieking is now louder than ever so I kept myself from moving. Before long, I closed my eyes as the noise filled the air like horns blasting through a concert. Nothing but it, me, and the beating of my ears that was being covered by both of my hands.

  ...

  It's quiet now. My ears, still covered, start to ring from the stillness of it all. This is bad. There is one thing one must know when a forest goes deathly quiet. It's that you must be as well.

  So I slowly opened my eyes and stopped breathing the moment I saw what was in front of me.

  A pig's head.

  All bloodied and gored.

  It's teeth ripping through its jaw in a wicked smile while it looks under where I'm at.

  I kept quiet.

  It's nose twitching near my face outside the bush as its white eyes are moving erratically in convulsion.

  I did not breathe.

  Its saliva drips down its jaw slowly while bobbing its head up and down looking at my eyes, at my soul.

  I shake.

  But I did not speak.

  I prayed.

  But I did not blink

  A screen materializes in front of me.

  [Don't Breathe]

  I will not.

  The pig shrieked for the last time before standing up in two legs and walked towards the middle of the road. Standing there, it sniffs the blood I left behind on the rocks and suddenly another shriek resounded from the air. It didn't come from the pig... not this pig.

  I watched it open its mouth so wide that its skin started to peel off and squealed the loudest shriek I've heard of yet. And then it started running back to where the other shriek came from.

  Now I lay there frozen in place. Alone inside the bush. I barely can hold my breath any longer, my heart thumping in my ears like drums. I'm afraid. What if it comes back? What if when I stop holding my breath it finds me somehow? What if I'm in hell after I died in a somewhat way after going back home from school?

  As I started to see my vision fading, I watched as the text fades away into nothingness. Even so, I did not breathe.

  It's fine, maybe this is better.

  I will not breathe.

  It could've been way worse...

  I must not...