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20/11/2021 - Saturday, 11:06 P.M.

Running became my way to feel a sense of control in a life where I had none to begin with, converting all my emotional suffering and agony into miles just because I had the unlucky chance of getting stuck in this endless loop of ups and downs. Others, perhaps, could have gotten the chance to pick their poison from fitting in or surrendering. But for me? What else was I supposed to do when the ground felt like crumbling just beneath my painfully-aching feet, and the walls of burnt-brown bricks narrowed ever-so-slowly around me? The electrical station's walls seemed as if they had stood for generations, keeping the interior sheltered from any signs of destruction.

The feeling of genuine and sincere fear triggered this hell of a place, with everyone in it, to be buried underground and completely forgotten as time passed by. I could feel an overwhelming suffocation making its way to my face and throat - but I knew exactly why this was happening; despite being chased by an enemy I could not see, I tried to remain calm and regain my composure, closing my eyes and taking deep, slow breaths, even if the nightmares from the deepest reaches of my mind started to corrupt the scenery in front of me.

"Get to them before they get to you." That was always my mentality to overcome my trepidations. After all, your own thoughts create your immediate reality. People's fears are triggered by real threats and by memories of threats; before anything, we must ask ourselves how real the threat is, or if we have begun to generalize fear and seek evidence to cement it rather than challenge it. That's the rational way of solving an issue... but who thinks rationally, clearly, and strategically when you feel like breathing can cause someone to die at the very same moment? When you feel as if your legs are going to betray you when you need them the most? How can you think with a clear, fresh mind about a future that seems so bright, positive, and close when the immediately crude present lies bare at your feet, clawing your legs and never letting go, no matter how hard you try?

My tired eyes dilated at the view of a generator-controlled door. I wanted to scream, cry out of happiness, call for help or at least stop for a moment to catch my breath, but I couldn't. The stark contrast of the door's light-gray and dark-blue sent shivers down my spine as my chest felt like aching. My right hand moved without thinking, wrapping my fingers around its metallic handle and pulling the heavy door toward me. In the abstraction of the moment, I found myself on the other side of the door, the loud slamming of the ponderous door behind me making my eardrums feel like they were erupting on the spot.

Oh my God. Had I finally left that confined zone? This new area was akin to a warm welcome to a house filled with peace, a portal to a brighter state of mind; the doorway stood there as if it were an invitation to a new adventure, a new challenge and a new chance to earn the merit of exploring further. Surprisingly, a musical vibration appearing to come from a small radio synchronized with a low, comfortable buzzing of unknown origin. I closed my eyes to hear it - my ears felt like capturing each note of the subtle and delicate tune, as they were long-since accustomed to fluorescent buzzing...

Beneath heavy eyelids, I let my eyes flutter open slowly again.

A mellow, melancholic amalgam of gray colors, ranging from charcoal to abalone, drowned the scenery before me. The only aspect that brought life to this empty office-like structure was the wispy, silvery sky outside the windows. The sweet music that maintained this sacred place's tranquility was suddenly replaced with the loud pattering of rain on glass; water drops bigger than prairie hailstones hit the surfaces of the windows.

Is that... rain? It's been so long since I've last seen daylight.