The Dead Don't Feel Pain

Pain.

The first thing Jack noticed when he came to was the intense throbbing all over his body.

Letting out a soft groan, Jack twisted his body to the right in order to free his stiffened up body and relieve the pain a little. He winced as a wave of pain slammed into his head, forcing him to remain as still as a lamppost. Once he was sure the pain had subsided, he gently turned. Another blast of pain threatened to render him immobile, but it stopped at an increasingly painful pulsation.

Jack clenched his teeth and rolled onto his back. His left cheek, which had been on the hard, warm ground had accumulated droplets of sweat. Fighting through his persistent headache, he lifted his hand and rubbed off his sweat. Opening his eyes, he almost felt choked by the darkness around him. His eyes darted around looking for a light source but it was useless.

I had to forget the stupid phone, he thought, trying to sit up.

Patting the smooth marble ground, Jack hauled himself up. He stumbled for a brief moment as the sudden movement sent a shot of pain to his head. Sealing his eyes tight and keeping his body unmoving once more, he managed to tune down the pain. Once he was sure he could advance, Jack took a cautious step forward, trying to get to a wall to navigate the pitch-black environment with. After taking three slow steps forward he froze, but not from the second wave of pain.

If I fell from that damn cliff, where the hell am l?

Jack's frown deepened. He looked up, hoping to see if there was an entrance he fell through, but it was just too dark. How he survived was all the more confusing. If his memory served him right, the last thing he saw were jagged rocks. Shuddering, he pushed the thought of his body being pierced and ripped apart by the rocks out of his mind. He was just glad to be alive, that is if he hadn't found his way to some underworld of some sort.

Swallowing back his fear, Jack pictured his mother's face. If he was actually dead, his body would've been recovered and his death plastered all over the news. She would be completely devastated when she saw it. He grit his teeth and continued his slow movement forward.

Creeping further, Jack felt a little relief. If he was to measure his pain on a scale, it was a thirteen when he regained consciousness. Now the pain had become mild and a lot more manageable.

It's almost like…. Jack shook his head slowly. He must've hit his head really hard to have such childish assumptions leap to his mind

He hadn't bumped into or felt anything apart from the solid hard ground beneath him. Just as worry was building up in his chest again, Jack caught glimpse of a dim silver glow a few feet ahead. Throwing caution to the wind, he sprinted forward, desperate for a light source.

Halting in front of the source of the glow, Jack was starting to believe his luck meter had been turned to zero. His brief desperation had dissolved into complete despair. Before he was a silver broadsword, as plain as his mothers' self baked cookies. The sword face gave a little silverish glow, broadening his vision by a couple of centimeters. Now Jack had seen quite a number of movies and read even more books. If he was in some crappy adventure story, he was sure of what was coming next.

"Too much of that Percy whatever series," Jack grumbled, grabbing the sword hilt with his two hands. "Just pull it out and find a way out."

Jack yanked the sword out of the ground effortlessly. Holding it up, he estimated the blade was around six-feet long. The hilt, on the other hand, seemed to be nearly three- feet. The sword was entirely made of silver, making it a decent light source. Pointing it in the direction he was headed with ease, Jack continued forward.

Now that he could see the ground better, Jack was able to finally notice the large grey patches all over the ground. Wherever he was, there must've been a massive flood or maybe just a faulty drainage or pumping system, causing the dark patches. Or it could've been caused by sweat. He glanced down at his shirt for the first time. It was completely drenched in his body fluid, the area where the sweat was matching the dark patches on the ground. Wiping his forehead and his eye, Jack caught glimpse of two fairly large doors. Grinning, he strode forward, reaching them in no time.

He pushed them forward with ease, both doors creaking loudly before they slammed against the walls on the inside. The sound echoed round what seemed to be another massive room. Heaving an exasperated sigh, Jack stuck the sword inside the room, preparing for yet another long walk through this seemingly endless maze he found himself in. His eyes were well adjusted to the darkness and soft silver glow of the sword, so Jack had no second thoughts when he bolted out of the room.

What the hell.

The feeling of impending doom he had felt before he fell rose up to his chest immediately. Looking at the ground as he ran, Jack's face paled as he realized what the patches on the floor were. Adrenaline filled his head, shoving the pain aside. He dashed further away from the door, back towards where he woke up. Finally slowing down, he released the sword and dropped to the ground, panting like he just ran a four hundred meter race. The silver blade clattered loudly beside him, filling up wherever the hell he was with something other than darkness and bones. But that was his mistake.

Once he heard the growl, Jack's entire body shuddered in absolute terror. This was no animal or human being. It was a pure beast. The deep growl resonated from inside the room Jack had distanced himself from. Not like the distance mattered anyway. From the mere sound, he knew anything he attempted was futile. He was frozen solid in place, mouth agape.

Next came the footsteps.

In his sixteen years on Earth, Jack had heard many sounds. From the shrill screech of a bird to the loud sputtering of a faulty engine. There were even some that left him shaking in shock and gave him increased wariness. Out of everything, there was nothing that could have prepared him for this. He didn't need a mirror to see how ghastly white his face was. His body refused to move. All he could do was watch, like a statue, as the footsteps approached.

The figure marched slowly but covering a massive distance with each step. It's breathing was tagged and heavy, like it was forcing each breath out and sucking it in with even more force. As it neared Jack, the looming figure stared down at his tiny figure.

Tracing his eyes up the massive body, Jack was starting to wish he'd been killed by those stupid rocks. Thankfully it wasn't entirely naked. A ripped toga covered its hulking figure. Meeting the beast's eye, Jack almost laughed in hysteria.

Guess this is some stupid story after all, he thought helplessly, dropping to his knees and waiting for the beast to deliver its verdict.