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Author: Sky3 (Author Page)
Do I enter?
https://youtu.be/ypBbg3-WbD4?feature=shared
"Inside the Mouth” ~ Jeremy Winters' Final Photograph.
The Open Mouth is a rather unassuming building partially submerged in the Sands of Time. To the naive individual, it is merely another structure in the infinite desert, serving as temporary respite from the blistering heat. However, those who are aware of its notoriety know to steer clear of its entrance. The predatory building will present itself in random locations from time to time, usually in the center of a wanderer's vision. The first couple times may be chalked up to coincidence or illusion, but eventually, it will become apparent that the Open Mouth engages in a deliberate attempt to follow individuals, perhaps in an attempt to coerce them to enter.
Walking into its maw is undoubtedly a dangerous idea — the Open Mouth has been known to digest humans under mounds of sand, leaving nothing but their personal belongings and their bones behind when the building finishes its business. Then, it'll try to lure its next victim. Astute individuals may immediately sense the danger and attempt to exit the way they came, but unfortunately, the critical moment will have likely passed already. Once the jaw closes, anyone inside will be swallowed.
The methods the Open Mouth uses to lure its prey are calculated, yet unmistakably barbarian. Fleeting cries of help exploit those too altruistic for their own good. Subtle humanoid shadows deceive those prone to investigating unusual phenomena. A bottle filled with liquid tempts those desperate for nourishment. The bait is always personalized, leveraging their quarry's entrenched instincts to blindside them. Even those wary of the Open Mouth can still fall victim after heat exhaustion sufficiently hinders their mental capacities.
Any house can be the Open Mouth — it is not limited to one exterior appearance. It will relentlessly pursue its prey until it gets to feast on human flesh. Just because a building lacks overt temptations does not make it safe; assuming a mundane appearance has earned the Open Mouth at least 23 kills. Since exiting the Sands of Time requires that one find a specific doorway inside a building, pray that your search does not cross paths with the hunt of an apex predator.
Individuals overly paranoid about the Open Mouth will die rotting in the Sun's heat. Individuals too reckless to identify the signs of danger will become the building's next meal. Everyone else will be trapped in a perpetual game of cat and mouse until the Open Mouth inevitably reigns victorious.
The vultures, then, will feast on your delicious bones.
I should have kept a closer eye on Jamie. Now she's gone.
She wandered off to God knows where. Maybe she found an exit and ditched me. Maybe she died and I never noticed. Maybe my new companion was just a figment of my imagination this whole time.
Yet I still hear her voice, calling to me from the patio of the building. She found the exit. She's waving at me with sadness in her eyes, wondering why I'm ignoring her. I want to give her a hug, tell her how much I missed her. We would leave this place together.
I already made that mistake once, and her flesh melted as I embraced her. I pulled away in shock, but she begged me to come back. A couple seconds later, as I looked down at my hands, I saw my fingers slowly disintegrating in the wind, turning into sand.
The desert took Jamie from me, turned her into a monster, and turned her against me.
I was next.