Beyond the Walls

His Plan

Lucas had the habit of remembering minor details. The first time he saw the gate minutes after the second round of games had started. He already knows that the gate won’t hold long in case hordes of undeads pressed themselves there.

“Come up! Now!” Lucas urged everyone down the entrance gate.

One of the men in the new group that joined didn’t know it wouldn’t hold and so he was stunned to see the gate moved. Aaron successfully got up but even before the next person started climbing. The stunned teenager was snatched to the gate.

*THUD

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!” he screamed at the top of his lungs as his flesh tore apart and blood spits out of his companions. It was too late to save him as the undead bit flesh out of his face, taking out his eyeball too.

“Snap out of it! Hurry!” Elijah pushed the teenager up.

*Creak

*Crash!

The gate had opened.

“Ah! s**t!!” Elijah said. As the undead pours on them.

The climbing teenager was caught by undead in his legs and dragged down.

“AHHHHHHH! Help me!!!” Tears had fallen to the teenager's cheeks as he begged Lucas to not let him go.

Lucas tried pulling him up but it was no use, his lower body is already half drowning to the undead.

*cough cough

The teenager starts vomiting blood. Convulsed and eventually dies. His hands lets go of Lucas'

“AH s**t s**t s**t!” Elijah cursed as he pushed the undead making way to him. If the undead were not busy eating the teenager, he will get undivided attention but soon that will be the case.

“Elijah jumped up!” Lucas shouted.

“Dude! Where?!” Elijah kicked another undead. Thanks to Lucas' voice, some undead are gathering below him.

“Here! Come Up here.” Lucas extended his hand.

It was a mystery how Elijah managed to get up to the audience area earlier but Lucas is trusting that mystery.

“Ah! Whatever.” Lucas kicks another undead and launches himself. He steps on the undead body and then the walls then pushes himself up to reach the opposite side where Lucas’ hand is waiting. If he missed it he would land right in the middle of the undead.

‘Ha. That's not a nice thought.’ he thought as he extended his hands.

*Clap

“Ah!” It was short.

Elijah is slipping.

*Grab

Aaron got hold of Elijah's hand.

“AHHHH! f**k! ” Elijah didn’t have time to think about it as he soon felt something was trying to grab him. Lucas pulled Elijah’s clothes up.

“1, 2, .. 3” Lucas and Aaron counted and they pulled Elijah up.

“Haaaa! DAMMIT! I thought I was going to die there.” Elijah’s eyes are wide and horrid.

“If you are done, let's go!” Said the only adult in the other group as he swung his bat at the undead and threw him to the field.

“There’s no end to this.” Elijah complained but still got up.

They soon make their way round the stadium to where there are only a few undead.

“I see that you make new friends, I am glad I trusted you. Aaron said and gave him a slight smirk.

“Where is Athena?” Elijah asked.

“Who?” Lucas wondered who that is in the first few seconds but then remembered there is a girl he left in the field.

“Shit.” he cursed and scanned the surroundings then the field. There are no traces of her. They make their way to the next stadium entrance and enter from there to the field.

With most of the undead busy on the part where two of their companions died, the kills on the scattered targets were easy. They acquired two new key cards immediately as agreed with Lucas earlier. In exchange for help, first two key cards will be given to them.

“We have no time.” Lucas said as they acquired another key card.

“Dawn is coming.” Said the adult man.

In total they have four key cards and they need nine, assuming Athena is still alive somewhere. Lucas can hope that she will retreat with Hiraya’s group.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

A loud roar was heard in the stadium, everyone turned to see what was and they saw a man in ropes thrown over the field the nearby undead started gathering around and his screams were louder.

“AHHHHH! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!!!! PLEASE HELPPPPPP ME!! AHHHH! Don’t come closer!”

Lucas and his group are in the middle of the field. The bound man came out of nowhere. He searched through the audience’s area and there he found several men moving up and on top the stairs is the man who led the largest group from round one, Liam.

“Lucas! C’mon!” Elijah tugged Lucas’ arm, before Lucas turned around, Liam waved at him.

They start running away, with dawn approaching, some undead were able to see them more now.

“What the hell is that?” The new member of the group asked as he slammed away an undead.

“It was intentional.” Lucas is convinced that is the case.

“There!” Elijah pointed at another target not far from there. Aaron and Elijah separated from the group.

“We need to clear the way there.” Lucas said and pointed at the gate where Hiraya’s group were.

The gate is still intact as they hope it will be, there are only two undead around the gates. It was easily taken care of by the new added members of their group.

“Hiraya?” Lucas called.

“Lucas?” Hiraya emerges from the darkness, with bruises in her lips and forehead, there are also several wounds seen in her side like she kicked multiple times.

“We will come in a minute, Will you be ready?” Lucas says in a hurry, there is no time to inquire.

Hiraya nods. Lucas starts running away and soon a horde of undeads follow behind him.

As Lucas and others run again a lap, the sun is turning up and more undead become aware of their presence. Their movements also start getting faster.

Elijah and Aaron joined the lap. Now that the sunlight hit them, everyone looked tired and exhausted already.

Elijah showed three more key cards.

In need of two more key cards they are losing against time and stamina. Looking at everyone’s condition, they can’t make it to another round of running.

*Thud

The teenager’s body gave in. He is clenching his side and groaning. An undead is upon him,

Elijah didn’t think twice and ran back to him but he wouldn't make it.

Lucas was about to hold back Elijah from running back when.

*BAM!

The undead’s head got smashed as a woman figure came out of nowhere.

“Athena!” Elijah exclaimed happily. Almost forgetting about the young teenager.

“Aren’t you gonna help him?”

“Ah. Yes!” He helped the teenager while Aaron and the other adult man helped Athena protect them.

Lucas was the last to respond.

“Put him on my back!” Lucas said. Among all of them, Lucas didn’t do much killing, he is tasked to pull out the keycards from the dead bodies and there is no more time to deliberate for options.

He exhaled and carried the teenager in his back.

Athena runs to his side, protecting him from side attacks. There are many things he wanted to ask this girl on how she managed to hold up on her own in a field full of undead and he wanted to apologize for leaving her but his concerns and apologies were pushed out of priority.

“Have you collected any keycards?” He asked. Desperately praying she did because they are running back to their gate and have no time to collect more.

Athena smirked and showed keycards hanging in her neck. There are at least four or five.

“Thank y---” caught in Lucas peripheral vision, Liam and his large group eliminate a small horde of undead. Taking advantage that most undead are chasing them. On top of the field, some players went out of their rooms but instead of advancing down to the field they made their way to Lucas’ group side of the audience area.

This has now turned into a race against time.

Lucas looked at his group before they ran faster.

*PRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT

Elijah blows his whistle as loud as he can, attracting more undead.

*Huff huff

Losing his breath Lucas pushed for more sprint.

“Give him to me.” Aaron said.

“*Huff. No-- We need you.” Lucas answered, Aaron is essential to his plans. He can’t have any baggage.

Nearing the ladder are groups of players closing in.

*Creak

The gate has opened wide for them. His group all came in successfully. The players from the audience area came close but they couldn't go down and follow because the gate was left open, one tried closing it but soon it was flooded and undead started pouring inside, killing the players at the gate giving time for Lucas' group to create distance.

*TAK TAK TAK TAK

In front of the formation running in the corridors is a new added man of the group followed by Unica, Hiraya and Penelope. Then Lucas, carrying the teenager, Elijah , Athena and last is Aaron.

Reaching the end of it, the new man demanded his key card and the teenager. Somehow the teenager got back to his feet and made way to the front with their key cards.

The teenager swipes his card and enters the door closed immediately after him. As the next one swipes his card, the door near the exit door opens.

Another group of humans had appeared.

The door opens and the second man exits the door successfully leaving Lucas' original group in confrontation with another group.

“Hand over the key cards now!” The oldest man in the group demanded while holding a pocket knife on them.

He is the same old man that said he went to games in the stadium before the apocalypse. They are the group they woke up with before the second round had begun.