Wastelands

(Image is mine)
"I woke up but was asleep," Frank says, sitting in a traumatic posture. "Was it a dream? Yes, but it felt so real."

"I could feel the wind blowing hot like boiling steam… The golden sands roasting my feet sore."

"Every single step I made was like hell. I was sure I moved, but it felt like it made no difference."

"My head could only think back to the things I've done… I wondered if I was finally getting what I deserved for my wrongdoings."

"And for the first time in my life, I got down on my knees, looking up to the blazing sky, my eyes and face in burning pain."

"Joe, it was the first time I ever begged God for mercy."

"I cried that if I'd escape that desert, that my season of causing people pain would be over."

"I made a vow that I'd repay what I unjustly took double and kept increasing the bid."

"In my heart, riches had lost their value as I was ready to become a slave to escape the pain."

"I'm sorry to anyone I've hurt. I cried my eyes out, my heart melting, and soon I could see everything get blurred."

"It's finally my end, I thought, but I woke up on my bed."