Beyond the Walls

The Second Round

[CONGRATULATIONS PLAYERS! YOU HAVE PASSED LEVEL 1!]

As if the system had been mocking them. The sound of fireworks and trumpets are being played.

“I… I want to go home! Let me go home!!!” One of the surviving players crawled up on the floor.

[Update: Remaining Players: 250]

[249] ...

[245] …

[230] ...

…

The number is still going down at a scary rate, that makes everyone so tense as if it’s their life countdown.

… [191]

[185]

[161]

…

*Ting ting ting

[Remaining Players: 133]

A round of applause had been sounded.

[Congratulations! Game Cash Prize had been earned!]

*Ting ting ting

A roulette of money count had played on the screen. Starting from $0.00 then eventually to …$468,000]

“...!!!”

*Ting

[PREPARING LEVEL 2…]

The window is stuck with notice of preparation for the next level.

“THIS IS CRAZY!!! I’M GOING HOME! YOU WANT ME TO PLAY MORE GAMES LIKE THAT?!” A violent reaction from a man who is drenched in sweat and has bleeding arms has started to get rough as he points at the entrance of the building with swarming undeads trapped.

“Y,you can p,play all you want… but I am going home… I will not–”

*Bang

The walking out player had dropped dead with still opened eyes, in the streets. The blood started to flow out of his head. Players had started to panic and scream at it.

*TING

[LEVEL 2 starts in 4 hours.]

The robotic woman’s voice began speaking and showed a timer glowing in green color.

[03:59:00]

Another pop out window appeared beside the stuck up window and instead of a woman's voice, a manly voice started speaking.

[Attention Players! Be aware of rules inside the Rest Zone]

Players are advised to stay within the yellow line.

Killing co-players is prohibited.

Disregarding the rules imposed, will result in player's elimination…]

[Attention Player! Be aware of…] The announcement had repeated but after it the warning the woman’s voice returned.

[Remaining Players: 132]

[Congratulations! Game Cash Prize had been earned!]

[ $468,000 …… $472,000]

Everyone had stopped and stared at the Cash price going up at the death of another player.

“We are… only worth $4,000? ” Someone said it outloud.

****

*Huff huff huff

Down on all fours, Lucas turned his head down and watched his sweat wet the pavement underneath him with his sweat and saliva.

Every…thing is going too fast…

“Man, Are you okay?”

A concerned voice talked to him as it’s figure obstructed the sunlight. Hysterically looking up, Lucas almost screamed as he crawled away from the figure.

“Dude! Dude! It’s me. You are out now! … Though I could say we are safe now, I can’t.” Carefully, calming Lucas down is a familiar lad.

“Ha!” Lucas, still having a hard time breathing, finally recognized the young man wearing a bonnet. He started to get himself together.

When he finally calms down the young lad offers his hand and pulls Lucas up.

Lucas while listening is roaming his eyes. The yellow lines are visible and freshly painted seeing not a stain the vibrancy of its color except for the dead man’s leaking blood.

His body was lying outside the lane and was killed by a gun. It was not too loud, Lucas could guess maybe it has a silencer.

The lines are as wide as the buildings width so they are not lacking any space and after the lines they can spot several white modified trailers parked around.

The timer and rules are left on display for everyone to see. As if there was a silent arrangement among the players and they calmed down and grouped among themselves. There are people who are alone but either they look half crazy and paranoid or they are extremely calm to the point of seeing an actual psychopath.

‘Who can remain calm under these circumstances?’

One of the lone wolves is a woman in an all black cropped top and distressed black jeans with a blood stained metal bat. She has around 10 piercings in just one ear plus a stud in the side of her nose and in the septum part. More piercing in her eyebrows. Her look is enough for Lucas to be intimidated and the time he meets eyes with her is enough to pee himself a little.

“You also like those types? Ah man! I know he looks hot. ” The young lad gives Lucas a pat but Lucas is speechless.

“Hey!”

Lucas looks over his shoulder and sees the short haired woman together with the buffed tattooed man she escaped with. He immediately turned his head down and scanned the ground.

“Hey. I thought you'd never turn.” Said the woman as she stayed in close distance with Lucas and the young man.

“...” Lucas fidget his fingers.

“You saved us back there. I am Hiraya and this is . . .” The girls introduce themselves.

“Aaron.” The bulky man said.

“What is your name?” She asked as she extended her hands to Lucas.

“Lucas.” He answered meekly and cautiously shook Hiraya’s hands. Peeking at her expression she gave him a smile and a tight handshake.

“Thank you, Lucas. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn’t make it out. What happened to Collin is not anyone’s fault. We all agree to not look back.”

‘Collin? It must be that person’s name.’ The person who was dragged back by the undead just right before the exit. Lucas wondered if they really didn’t look back.

“Ummm. I am Elijah. Aren’t you from that other group? What happened?” Lucas’ companion introduced himself, breaking Lucas' thoughts.

They looked at the previously large group. Their number has been reduced but still quite large compared to any group within the yellow line. Around the 50s maybe.Sitting and observing Lucas is their group's leader. The one who abandoned them by the elevator hall.

“That bastard.” Hiraya clicked her tongue.

“Hiraya?” One of the women who was with Elijah early approached them.

Hiraya looks at the call and smiles at the woman who was called Penelope saying it was relieved to see her there. They were led to another corner. Where the other woman and man who gave deathly stares at the other group stayed.

‘They all make it.’ Lucas thought.

The other woman introduced herself as Unica and gave an introduction on behalf of the other man. He is Brandy. The women kept praising Elijah for making it out alive. Enjoying enough the showered compliment and gratitude, Elijah blushed at the attention of pretty older girls.

“Ah… that, ah.. I,” He stammers when Unica, a beautiful blonde girl, clings to him and presses her chest on his arm, while Penelope is staring from near distance.

Opposite to him is Lucas completely out of place among the group, hugging his knees.

He didn’t really care if Elijah would tell it or not, but maybe because of the overwhelming attention of girls Elijah blurted it out. Before any group had arrived, Lucas and Elijah already discussed their routes. He says that if there are only two of them, they can escape to the stairs but if it's a group it will be close to impossible.

“Ah, Really? It’s all him? So.. How did you come up with it?” Unica’s voice had a trace of displeasure, knowing a timid and weak looking person could come up with a plan like that.

They waited Lucas for an explanation and when he retracted more for many eyes probing him, Elijah explained the rest he said, when they were running in the emergency staircase, the second floor was already flooded with undead and that’s when Lucas saw that the door was already open and possibly defective. The undead in the emergency staircase can come in and out at ease. So when the large group made a loud noise the emergency staircase undead swarmed to the second floor, letting Elijah and his group use the emergency staircase and sneaking out to the main staircase leading to the ground floor safely making it out of the building.

“Why did you join their group if you knew that might happen?” Unica skeptical and obviously puzzled at Lucas' decision.

“They might get suspicious. I, if I join you, they might think I know another way. . . a,at least that’s what I feel.” Lucas explained.

“...”

After that they shared their experience in the upper floors. The upper floors have different weapons lying around like the two police shields, machete, bats, water bottles and so on, but it was monopolized by Liam and his group. They encountered different scenarios on each floor and many lives were sacrificed. Blocked pathways, collapsed floors, and many more, they can’t descend to another floor at ease until the 12th floor. Liam decided to use scout and baiting tactics. It worked well until the 10th floor, where two emergency staircases were available.

Liam decided to split the group and lied in a meeting on the second floor. After splitting, someone from their group led the undeads to their group. Brandy's wife got separated, made a sacrifice to lead back all the undeads towards Liam’s group.

Silence dawned them.

“Would you like some water?” Hiraya gave out a bottle of water to Lucas whose lips were quivering and chapped.

Shakingly, Lucas tried reaching for it as fast as he could but Hiraya reached out first and supported Lucas’ hand in gripping the water.

“T,t,thank… you.”

“No. Problem. It’s the least I can do for you, you saved us back there. Hihihi.” Hiraya giggled like a child which made Lucas stare at her beautiful smile.

He would love to stare at her more but Aaron, the guy with him, is drilling a hole in his head with his stares. Averting his eyes on Hiraya, Hiraya smiled more and just beside him, silently.

A silence that he appreciates more than the offered water.