**And there he was, face-to-face with death itself.**

https://img.leopedia.io/DQma1GS65cMwDLKFtnL1VPQW3aY6vvDzL7eVM4wZ8UGwgqg/v.jpg

Okay, okay… let’s back up. Three days ago, Daniel and his two friends, David and John, were sent on a mission by the King of Zunan. Their task? Find the Golden Scroll of Life, said to be hidden deep in the desert, under the tallest pyramid known to man. Daniel and his boys packed their gear and set out. When they finally reached the pyramid, it was massive. Ancient. Intimidating. But they didn’t hesitate. They stepped inside. Along the way, they passed scattered human skeletons. It was creepy, yeah, but nothing they hadn’t prepared for. They’d been warned. This place was dangerous. But they kept moving. At the center of the pyramid, there it was, the Golden Scroll. Just sitting there. Too easy. Daniel didn’t trust it. Neither did David. But John? He didn’t care. He marched up and grabbed it. The moment his hand touched it, everything went sideways. His whole body locked up. His face twisted in pain. He dropped to the ground without a word. One second he was smiling, scroll in hand, ready to celebrate. The next, he was gone. Just like that. Still. Cold. Daniel froze. David dropped to his knees, barely breathing. *"This... this isn’t what they told us,"* David whispered. *"They said traps. Not this."* Before they could move or think or do anything at all, the pyramid began to shake. The torches along the walls lit themselves, one by one. For the first time, they could clearly see the symbols on the walls, Latin, glowing faintly. *“You are mine,”* they read. Before they could react, something, someone, was there. A dark figure. Not quite human. It didn’t wait. *“One lives. One dies,”* it said. And just like that, David shoved Daniel toward it and ran. No warning. No hesitation. Daniel stumbled forward, stunned. David sprinted ahead. But he didn’t get far. He saw something, his own body, up ahead, falling. Headless. Motionless. He didn’t even feel it happening. It was over before he understood what was going on. And then his head… was crushed. Daniel couldn’t move. He couldn’t even think. He just stood there, staring into the darkness. The figure turned to him and said, *“Are you Zunian?”* Daniel didn’t know why, but he answered. *“Yes.”* Everything went black. When he woke up, he was in his room. Home. Zunan. Safe. Or so it seemed. He couldn’t move his body. Couldn’t speak. Could barely breathe. It was like someone else had taken over. A voice whispered in his head: Don’t bother struggling. Next thing he knew, he was standing in front of the King. Then he was dead. And then...... He woke up. Covered in sweat. Gasping for air. Dream? Vision? Something in between? As he tried to make sense of it, David’s voice cut through the silence: *“We’re here.”* Daniel looked up. The pyramid. Nope. No way. He took off running. As fast as he could. No explanation. Just gone. David and John watched him go, exchanged a look, shrugged, and walked right into the pyramid.

https://img.leopedia.io/DQmWqBew2qAYMV5wwTNAfjwVt77v6ChZixDxuevMkAaSjEU/l.jpg All images were from [Meta AI](https://www.meta.ai/) Posted Using [INLEO](https://inleo.io/@loladami/a-freewrite-daniel-ran-5sp)