Note: This is the first thing I have written in 5 years LOL couldn't quite get it to 300 words but I tried. 

 

This was a mistake. My mind repeated these four words over and over as I lay on the hot concrete. My senses reeling from the consequences of my decision, of my gluttony. It started innocently enough, a delicious temptation that beckoned me with its sweet embrace.

The burning sensation intensifies, a relentless fire that refuses to calm. A reminder of my mistake along with the red hue around my eyes. My body, small and frail, now bears the weight of my reckless ambition.

Every breath I take tastes of regret, the acrid chemicals clawing their way up my throat, punishing me for my naivety. I remember the phrase about not biting off more than you can chew, my swollen mouth proof.

My mind swims, thoughts blurring as the toxic treat courses through my veins. The ground beneath me pulsing and growing hotter as I feel my joints grow weak. 

Even my antennae, once so sensitive and finely tuned, now betray me with a persistent itch. How foolish I was to mistake a free offering for a safe one, the allure of the sweet treat blinding me.

I can only hope that my struggle serves as a warning to the others—never underestimate the consequences of a free, but dangerous, temptation. But as I see my friends approach the toxic treat, I know they are lost as well.