Aleksander Endimiun bathes his bite wounds in the oasis, washing away the dried blood. He winces as the water stings his wound. Then he sighs, laying back in the water. He floats on his back in the shallows, the water covering most of his body.
He begins to swim lazily toward the center of the oasis, eyes closed against the sun’s bright rays. He floats easily, casually kicking a leg now and then to propel him away from shore.
He doesn’t notice the heat at first, but it quickly catches up with him. He sits up, treading water and looking around, frowning.
Then he yelps, and quickly starts paddling for shore. The oasis begins to boil around him and he screams, his skin reddening and blistering as he swims for his life.
He pulls himself out of the water just as the oasis reaches a full boil. Tears running down his face, he crawls into the dirt, sobbing quietly. He curls up on himself, wrapping his arms around his knees, as his skin continues to blister and his blisters continue to pop and ooze. The oasis boils.
