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I break through a thick layer of membrane. Lucky pushes me forward from behind, and we both tumble into a large, wet, fleshy, cylindrical canal. Behind us from where we fell is the tunnel I dug, the ridged membrane quickly sealing it closed. Light, faintly passing through the encompassing membrane, dimly illuminates our surroundings. A shallow brown, murky, putrid liquid rests stagnantly up to our ankles. On either end of the canal is a large closed orifice. The air reeks and brings out tears from our eyes.

Watery squeaks echo from one of the canal’s ends as an orifice opens. It reveals a brown, rolling mass, almost filling the whole circumference of the canal. We feel a strong, warm breeze blow past as the mass rolls towards us. A chokingly rancid odour pervades the cavity. As it approaches, I can barely make out what appear to be limbs and faces, partially disintegrated into the brown rot.

Lucky turns and tugs at my hand; I nearly trip. We both run for the opposite end. Our feet stumble on the cartilaginous ridges that line the canal, and we make a sluggish pace. The liquid in the canal sucks back at our feet — flowing behind us towards the mass.

I can almost feel the mass grace my back as it tumbles after us. Lucky is the first to reach the closed orifice in front of us. After realizing I am still holding onto the uprooted tooth, I quickly toss it to them. They hard press the sharp end of the exposed root into the orifice. It opens just enough for them to slip their arm through. Lucky turns to me and desperately sticks out their other hand. I grasp it, and they pull us through the orifice — right as I feel the mass press against my back.

We slip into another cylindrical canal with a membrane wall partially blocking the way ahead. Yellow light scorches from beyond. I hear the orifice stretching open behind us — the mass pokes my back. Lucky moves ahead, skipping over the canal’s ridges with ease. They jump and reach up, gripping on the edge of the membrane wall, and pull themselves over. They stand on top of a membrane platform. I see only their silhouette in the blinding light. They crouch down and reach out to me.

I stumble over almost every ridge getting to them. They rapidly shake their hand at me — their palm open. I don’t dare look behind. Nearly losing my footing, I launch myself upwards with all my might. They don’t even wait for me to grasp their hand… They grip mine violently and throw me over onto the platform. The light blinds me like bones piercing my eyes. Lucky pulls me by my hand. I fall forward on my chest and they drag me on ahead across the membrane. The pressure of the light keeps my eyes closed shut.

The membrane floor suddenly changes, shifting to a steep incline. Gravity now takes over. As Lucky and I slide down, they lose the grip on my hand. I lose contact with the floor and feel an abrupt weightlessness before falling again. A thick puddle of mucous cushions my fall. Without delay, Lucky holds me under my arms and slides me to the side. They slip on the mucous, and we fall back on a rough, grainy surface. The ground shakes for a brief moment.

A breeze, colder than any I have felt before, blows over us. My skin tingles. I hesitate before slowly opening my eyes. Our surroundings are entirely unrecognizable. A soft blue light permeates a cavern. The surface is not membrane but instead is made of a dark black and brown gritty texture. The ground is frigid. In front of us lies the putrid mass. Steam flows off and around it, filling the cavern with a foul fog. Behind it, to the side, is the gaped orifice from where we came. Around its opening, the cavern’s surface appears melted, where it and the membrane meet. As it cools and solidifies before our eyes, it leaves behind a series of ridges of the same texture as the rest of the cavern. The orifice closes and transforms into the same frigid surface.

The faint blue light comes around the corner on our other side. Lucky and I get up and follow the light. The floor of the cavern numbs my feet. What we see beyond is a world without flesh. At the entrance to the cavern, we stand before a vast valley of sparsely green. The green concentrates on a blue flowing stream. Foggy masses drift far above us. A warmer breeze brushes the numbness off my toes. Blue light fills the valley, broken up by speckles of yellow rays from above.

We have left our mother.

The End — Flesh Run