I could feel bubbles rush around my body, temporarily reminding me of the stinging warm liquid that was a mixture of sweat and water. I was submerged in it, no longer having a sense of time, the hot liquid surrounding me unfelt as my body was ruthlessly squeezed between the Sarah's insole and rough leather skin on her foot. My face and body was pressed into the flesh under Sarah's arch, the wall feeling rough even completely immersed in the salty liquid. The insole had given beneath me like a thin layer of muck, pushing up around my sides, detritus that felt like rocks or seaweed mixing with the strange rubbery material to create a distinctive feeling as it pressed into me. Sarah's skin seemed to pulsate, and the eternal purgatory of being unable to breathe left it feeling like the moment was going on forever, each movement distinctive and tickling, heightening my focus on the unending hell I was in. Even under water it was hot, like the heat in a sauna that was cranked up to 11. The slow crawl of a slimy material rolling along the side of my body drew my attention before I noticed the sudden lack of motion.

Has she stopped walking?

I found myself once again panicking from the unstoppable need to breathe, but from within the dirty liquid I could only hear what sounded like an enormous wave, distracting my attention. Then a single booming pulse echoed through me, the vibrations distinctive on my body. I could feel the strange seaweed material being wrapped around me as it rolled up and down my sides, before a fresh wave of bubbles ran past me, the brief sounds of popping bubbles as the air passed over my face and skin.

Am I even still alive?

How I wasn't dead I couldn't be sure. It felt like I hadn't breathed in hours, and the stinging pain of salty water against my ripped up skin had become so perpetual that I almost felt numb to it, like I was high on some strange drug. The booming vibration emanated from the wall of flesh pushing me down into the muck and water, locking me in place as I continued to suffocate in my submerged black coffin.

The feeling of life slipped from me like I was falling asleep. The skin above me seemed to quiver against my own, folding every so slightly, creating a rippling effect across the rough leather, each fold somehow distinctive against my naked body, like the living wall compressing me into the muck beneath me was an ocean of its own.

***

Sarah and Dianne continued to walk into the arid environment, the sun peaking into the valley and picking the afternoon heat up another degree. Both the girls were sweating heavily now, Dianne's armpits stained as her nose dripped with sweat.

Sarah was doing far better, but her clothes were still obviously stained, her yoga plants darkened along her butt and thighs. Each step she took her boots squelched, a tiny bit of water oozing from her muddy black boots leaving an imprint on the dry earth as she walked ahead of Dianne.

They had a while more to walk, but the view was pretty as the blue lake peaked out from the rising earth that came up on there sides. A boulder lied before them on the path, and Sarah bound up effortlessly.

“Looks like we got a bit of an obstacle course ahead.” She laughed, then smiled. “Wanna race?”

Dianne looked at the environment before her, the rocks jutting out of the ground creating stones she could climb, allowing her to get by faster rather than going around. But a misstep could mean disaster.

“I don't think that's the greatest idea...” She said, but Sarah didn't wait, and started bounding from rock to rock. After skipping up 3 she turned around, smiling as she pivoted on her foot, and stuck out her tongue.

“C'mon! Keep up old lady” Sarah yelled.

The comment “old” stung her, and Dianne tried to hide it as she started to move around the rocks.

“Um, no thanks, I'm not trying break an ankle right now” She said, moving forward.

Sarah laughed again, before jumping to another rock, and then leaping back down with a thump, her boots squelching loudly as she landed.

She checked her watch and then looked at Dianne. “Like, another hour?”

Dianne nodded. “About that, maybe an hour and half. Then we can setup camp.”

They both continued to walk, the cool air from the lake at the end of the valley creating more wind as they moved forward. The fresh air made them feel almost cold when contacting sweat on their bodies.

For Sarah, the feeling was pleasant. Her body was in excellent shape for this, her running lifestyle making the hike almost feel like nothing more then a walk around the block. It didn't really matter that she was wearing old boots, she could have done this barefoot. At this point she couldn't even really feel her feet within her boots, the heat and liquid seeming to mesh with the leather and giving her the strange feeling like the boots were part of her body, like it was perfectly normal. But the thought didn't really even register amongst the strange beautiful environment she was walking, she was too distracted by the azure and tan colors that surrounded her, which were so pleasing to her eyes.

Life was good, and she relaxed to live in the moment, taking in the fresh air and sun for what it was and appreciating this moment of beauty.

***

BOOOOOM

It felt like the hot liquid tomb I was encased in exploded, and sudden burst of consciousness registering as I found myself instinctually pressed myself into the wet hot leather of roof that was the arch under Sarah's foot. Hot water rushed around me, but the arch lifted upward, and as it did the surface of sweaty water remained just below the arch, giving enough of gap for me to take a steamy breath, the air around me somehow feeling underwater, like a sauna from some kind of terrible nightmare.

And as quick as I took my breath, the dread washed over me in a wave of salty hot liquid, the leather roof before me instantaneously slamming into me and pushing me deep into the muck in one terrifyingly violent moment.

BOOOOOOM

The leather wall above me hit me like a giant boxing glove, the muck and water around me giving only slightly in one violent blow. I felt confused all the sudden, not noticing the air being violently ejected from my lungs as I was compressed into the water, only sensing the strange seaweed like material that rubbed into my sides.

Time seemed to linger like this unnaturally, but then I could sense the wall above me beginning to stir, the living ceiling of rough leather quivering, squeezing me slightly before it seemed to shift like a wave, and I suddenly remembered I needed to breathe, panicking once again even in my pained confused state.

The ceiling of flesh familiarly pulsed, and the water begin to rush before me. I struggled as I sensed the wall lifting above me, pushing myself into it with all of my energy only to lift my face up above the sweat stained water, pressing my face partially into the folds of rough leather. I had only inches of space for a muggy breath as the sweaty water was up to the sides of my cheeks, splashing into my mouth and forcing me to once again swallow. It was pitch black but I could feel the hot flesh was in front of me, the folds of her skin creating a small wet cup for me to breathe as it wrapped around my face. The side of my face was partially pushing into it as I gasped in the almost liquid air, the flesh contorting like a wave itself. The smallest movement of it impending the inevitable reverse as I hopelessly tried to keep my face above the water in absolute terror.

The hot salty water around me splashed into my mouth again, causing me to cough as a piece of slimy material got pushed into my throat, making me instantly gag with it's mold like flavor. But before I could even spit, the hot leather wall above me slammed back down, pressing my face and body into the muck as the flesh warped slightly around me before slamming me violently back into the mud.

BOOOOOM

Everything seemed to flash white as the hot water enveloped me, the distinctive seaweed like material of the insole pushing around my body as I sunk an inch or so into it. The blackness slowly returned, and the pain of the foot slamming into me made me realize I was screaming, my ribs feeling like they were on fire, my sound muffled under the loud roar of water churning around me. Unable to breathe, the panic overwhelmed me even in my dazed confusion and pain, and I pitilessly began to squirm once again to free myself, and the flesh wrapping around me quivering in response, letting me further sink into it's amorphous rough texture like a balloon.

My body weakened, the energy draining from me focusing my senses, each quiver of her skin distinct, the mud like insole dragging along my back as a some strange stringy wetness rolled along my sides like hay dragged along in a river. I swallowed the goop in my mouth unconsciously, the hot sweaty water in my mouth slowly draining into my stomach, there were chunks of the slime hard in comparison to the rest of the goop.

I should have wanted to die, but I didn't. I was terrified. I wanted to live, even if it meant spending the rest of my life trapped in this coffin, constantly abused by the living ceiling that squeezed the air from me before battering me again.

BOOOOM

What little air was in my lungs was violently forced from, lost in the salty black water that foamed around me like I was trapped in huge wave. Each step made me weaker, the small amount of air I got seemed less and less as the time between steps seemed to occur faster and faster.

BOOOOM

I wasn't even sure what was happening anymore, the pain so intense that I'd lost the ability to think clearly, no longer aware I was underwater. I could taste the acrid liquid in my mouth, bits of slime and detritus bouncing around my face before the living a wall above me once again seemed to shiver.

BOOOOM

I could feel the hot liquid pouring into my lungs before my consciousness slipped away.

***

Sarah and Dianne could see the end of the valley now, the water to the lake only a few hundred yards away from the valley end. The cool air blew pleasantly into the valley, the sweat on their skin making them feel cold and causing them to shiver.

The plan was to walk along the side of the lake towards the trail they would be hiking tomorrow, the woods on the far side of the lake making a nice place to shelter directly next to the water. From there the could relax for the evening, enjoying the night sky next to a warm fire. The girls would share the small tent they brought, each girl carrying her extra clothes and food they would have for the evening.

“Wow” Dianne said as they emerged form the valley. “This is beautiful”

The blue lake juxtaposed the arid valley they emerged from, the browns and yellows of the sand turning green as they traced their eyes towards the sides and across the lake.

“Like, i'm glad we finally did this” Sarah said, walking forward still. Dianne followed, the sand giving slightly below them and slowing them down a bit.

As they emerged from the valley, the wind died died, and the sun on their bodies made them once again feel hot. They continued to trudge along, the sands browns and yellows turning more green as they walked along the side of the lake. When they finally reached the other side, there was an area of flat grass next to the beach, a canopy of trees next to the sand providing cover. There were some broken logs here, and Sarah picked her boot up and placed it on it, leaning onto her knee, the water in her boot squeezing out audibly.

“This'll be, like, a great spot for camp” Sarah said whilst looking at the grass below her.

Dianne nodded in agreement. She turned around and sat on the log, breathing a sigh of relief that they could finally relax.

Sarah through her pack off. “I'm going to go for a swim, you coming?”

Dianne felt hot in the evening sun, and a swim sounded like a good idea.

“Yea, it'll be nice to get some cool water on me” She paused. “Ugh, i'm so sweaty”

Sarah laughed. “Yea we're both pretty sweaty”

She was leaning down, unlacing her boots, and her eyes widened. “Oh my god” She said, before snickering.

“What?” Dianne asked inquisitively.

She giggled. “Like, it's nothing...” She kept giggling.

“What?” Diane asked again, impatiently. “Tell me!”

Sarah laughed, before composing herself, pulling her boot off her foot. “I just totally forget about your insert” She paused, and laughed. “Or what's his name, Mark?”

Dianne frowned. “Oh. What, was he not doing his job?”

Sarah shook her head. “No, he worked fine. Honestly he worked too well, I completely forgot about him”

She picked her boot up towards her face. “Pee-you, these things are ripe” She waved her hand above her nose. She could feel the heat rising from it, the air thick and moist.

Dianne leaned over and slightly and could feel the heat and smell the boot, like a strange mix of leather and old cheese.

“Jesus Sarah you need to get a new pair of boots.” she said, taking off her own shoes and removing her socks, the feeling of the dirt and sand on the bottom of her foot felt pleasant as she pushed her toes into the ground.

Sarah laughed. “Yea, I do” She tilted her boot over, water pouring from the mouth of the boot and onto the dirt.

But she didn't see Mark tumble out. So she looked back inside her boot, picking the tongue up from it to get a better view.

At first she didn't see him, her insole was so warn and haphazard that the material wasn't uniform enough to see anything distinctive. She scanned across the wet surface, bits of dirt and material strewn over the insole, a thing layer of water still rolling across the surface as she tilted the boot in various directions. But then she saw him.

There, partially buried with brown and black material, was Mark. His face and body were difficult to see amongst the dirt and debris, but she could see his pink and purple skin distinctively against the browns and black garbage that he was covered in. He was sunken into her insole, the sweaty sole shining in the evening light, a slight layer if liquid glimmering around his sides.

The little boy wasn't moving, his eyes were closed, as if he was asleep. Sarah had seen this many times before, and there were only two options. Either he's alive and unconscious, or...

She moved her finger over the tiny boy, her white fingernail in stark contrast to the rest of the dark environment.

And then she flicked it down, not really thinking about where she was aiming it, straight into the tiny boys crotch.

Water emerged from Marks mouth, and the gurgling scream he emitted could barely be heard from outside of the boot. Sarah, left her finger on him as he begin to squirm below her, before picking it up again, and stared as the little boy who trembled beneath her finger, his face looking battered as his one eye was swollen in comparison to the other, like a boxer gone one too many rounds in the ring.

For the briefest second she could see the tiny man staring into her eyes.

There he is. She thought. Like, he really could be part of my insole.

Sarah smiled before slowly bringing her finger down again, straight into the boys crouch. He tried to twist and writhe to free himself, but the dirt and detritus had glued him into the sunken insole, and he couldn't go anywhere.

Sarah giggled as the boy's face turned to one of terror, before he once again was screaming as Sarah pressed down into him. She could feel the little boy trying to squirm beneath her finger, the feeling reminding her of a worm as he was wet and slimy. She instinctively moved her finger upward to her face, before lightly bringing it down onto his face, knocking the boy in the head enough for him to simply yelp before he stopped screaming.

The sound of Dianne's voice distracted her from her little game. “How's he doing in there? Think we should take him for a swim?”

Sarah laughed, and then put her boot down, taking off her shirt and then standing up. “He's fine. And like, he'll be safer in there anyway. Let's go for our swim. We'll put him to work after were done.”

Dianne nodded, slipping on a one piece black bathing suit, before walking towards the beach.

“You know, I've been thinking about that since lunch” She turned her head towards the muddy black boot behind her.

“I hope you enjoyed your free ride Mark, because after this, your working off your debt to us.” She said, before following Sarah towards the water.

Sarah nodded, walking with her. “He must be like, starving by now too, so I'm sure he'll be in a prime position to be fully broken in”

Dianne looked back at her friend and smiled. “Great. Let's hit the water”