Beyond the Walls

Wrong Impression

[02:00:02]

When the timer hits down to Two hours more, another pop out window appears.

*Ting

[Players please proceed to the nearest transportation trailer, Second Test will be commenced at a different location… Players please proceed]

In cue with it, the trailers begin to move in front of their group and automatically open.

While the others hesitated and others tried slipping out, warning shots were fired from somewhere else.

Lucas sees others beg on their knees to be let out, that they can’t do it anymore, all while looking up as if they are begging the Gods.

The insides of the trailer driver seat can’t be seen and the windows are barred and sealed. There are two simple long seats facing each other. Lucas placed himself the nearest to the door.

Other people joined inside and there are twelve of them and unlucky for Lucas, he is faced with the girl, who had too many piercings, the girl he is too scared to look at.

After settling down, the door closes and the car begins.

The trailer released gas and soon was filled with gas making all players fall asleep.

The next thing that happened is the sound of breathing woke Lucas up and soon he finds himself with others lying on dirty floors of a room with lockers.

All the passengers from the same trailer he was in were all there.

Aside from him, who is awake, the girl in all blacks and piercing seemed to wake up seconds after him.

He hurriedly wakes up Elijah who is placed beside him.

"Hey!" He calls carefully.

"Ugh… Ah! Where are we?" Elijah jumped out and looked around.

Lucas points to a small device placed in the side. It looks like the same device is placed on the rooftop of the building and waiting area.

On top of it is a timer.

[LEVEL 2 starts in 00:18:00]

*Bang

Alerting Lucas and Elijah, they found the scary looking girl who slammed the locker and stared at them while opening a bottle.

They had a thought, Lucas woke the other while Elijah scanned the room and locker, they found biscuits and bottles but no weapons.

[00:05:10]

The girl quietly stays seated on top of the table watching them and when the rest of the consumables are distributed.

"The windows are sealed and doors are locked," Elijah reported. Lucas watches the door. It was oddly out of place among the rubbish and thrashed place.

The timer went down to 10 seconds before the window appeared before them with a voice announcement.

[Commencing Game #2 : Test of Stamina]

[Rule: Exit the Stadium]

'STADIUM?!!' Lucas internally exclaimed.

*Ring

The door automatically opened after the ringing sound.

Immediately all twelve players in the room hid respectively from the opened door. Lucas, who is the closest, didn't take his eyes away from the open door. After a few seconds the girl with many piercings was the first to approach the door, she looked around before exiting.

Elijah did the same and signalled for them to come over. It was an empty messy hallway.

“Where should we go?” Elijah asked and looked at Lucas.

“We need a map.” Lucas answered.

“I know a stadium, I have attended games before…” Man maybe in his 50s raised his hand and pointed to his left.

“That light might be connected to the arena, meaning there will be an exit on this side.” He said as he ended pointing to the right.

It was highly plausible that it is what the man had said but something is bugging Lucas.

“What do you think man?” Elijah nudges Lucas.

“Test of Stamina...” Lucas said in a whisper but someone had heard him.

“Kid, What are you trying to say?” Says another man who might be in his thirties.

“I,It might be a trap.” Lucas said feeling intimidated.

Some of them didn’t take his opinion lightly and grumbled among themselves. Feeling more intimidated, Lucas wanted to distance himself but Elijah had a better idea, he suggested they split, which was gladly accepted. On Lucas' side remained Elijah, Unica, Penelope, Brandy, Hiraya and Aaron. Basically the people he had helped escaped.

“A,are you sure?” Lucas asked the group that stayed with him.

“Well man, if it wasn't for your instincts and thinking we wouldn’t be able to get past Level 1. So show us what you got.” Elijah slap Lucas’ slouch back. He also received a smile from the girls of the group, a grip in the shoulder by Aaron and nothing but glare from Brandy.

They walk by two with Lucas on the wall side and Aaron at the other in front. Girls in the middle and Brandy and Elijah on the last line.

The path to the light is chaotic as if a tornado has come through this corridor. The glass framed picture was destroyed and tainted with darkening blood stains all over it and the walls.The tiled floor has a large brush streak as if something has been dragged around.

Nearing the exit they heard multiple groans, with nowhere to hide, they stuck their body near the wall and stopped walking.

In peripheral vision of Lucas, something had moved. When he looked again an undead had appeared on Aaron’s side, They didn’t notice they had stopped in front of the room with a partial damage door.

He froze stiff, unable to make a sound.

*Thud

Hiraya, who is behind him, struck the undead with a sharpened wood. It pierce through its eye.

“Thanks.” Aaron mouthed to Hiraya and she gave him an assured look. The same smile Lucas received hours ago.

“...”

“It’s fine.” She comforted Lucas and took over the front position.

“T,than…” He was not able to get it out but she looked at him like she understood it.

They came out of the light and the afternoon sun made the view clear. A newly enforced gate stood tall. From there they can see a wide field and hundreds of undeads roaming around. The sides from the gate have a ladder leading towards the seating. They went up to the ladder and saw a small number of undead everywhere. They keep their head down and hide by the chairs as one by one they climb up.

“What now?” Brandy asked grumpily in a small voice.

Elijah looks at Lucas but Lucas is busy roaming his eyes carefully.

“We need a map. We should split apart and look for it.”

Lucas holds Elijah’s hand and points to the VIP seating up the stairs.

“Why there?” Penelope asked. There’s a high chance that they will be discovered if they go there, since the higher they go the more visible they will be.

“There might be something in there.” Lucas answered.

“Okay, let’s try.” Hiraya agreed and so is Aaron.

As sleathility as they could, they went up the stairs. Being mindful of the eyes of the distanced undeads, Penelope didn’t notice it until the last split second when a cold wet hand touched her thighs.

“Huh?” Her eyes widened.

*Bite!!

“ARGHHHH! AHHHH!!” She screamed in pain as her flesh was torn. She stumbled down but the undead remained sticking to her. Hiraya who is in front of her tries to remove the undead on top of her but in her shock there is only half body remaining from the undead.

“AHHHHHH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!!” Penelope hysterically screams at the top of her lungs.

On the second bite of the undead, Brandy pulled up the undead using a piece of cloth that he wrapped around its neck.

“Give that to me.” Lucas demanded Unica’s cardigan, which she gave right away.

“We need to go now.” Aaron said after smacking away the incoming undead from above.

All the undead now are moving towards them and there’s still quite a distance towards the VIP section.

Lucas finished wrapping Penelope’s wound then he wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pulled her up.

*SMACK

Hiraya blows the head of an undead that is coming for Lucas’ back.

They nodded to each other and hurriedly went up. Aaron and Hiraya in front and Unica, Brandy and Elijah.

With Penelope’s declining speed, they are being surrounded fast.

“Hold Her!” Lucas gave Penelope to Unica. Brandy came to assist them.

“Where are you going?” Elijah shouted at Lucas.

“I’m going to lead them away.” Lucas' eyes are trembling and obviously scared.

Someone has to do it or else not one of them will make it. That’s all Lucas can think of.

Elijah got it. He threw a metal bar he picked up from earlier.

Lucas started running, by just him running, he got attention from the nearby undeads. He ran balanced himself while squeezing himself in the gaps of the chairs towards the next stair. He avoided getting grabbed by the undeads he passed by. He soon reaches enough distance and the end of his path since more undeads are coming from ahead of him.

He breathes in and steps above the chairs and runs down as he lets the metal bar hit the chairs creating more sound that even some of the undeads in the stadium are reaching for him.

*Thud

He lost his footing as one of the chairs fell through in rust. He fell down on racks of chairs. His stomach, arms, chin and even forehead were hit at the same time. His body slides down more until the end of it. His back hit the wall that separates the audience and the field. It was so painful that he was disabled and couldn't breathe for more than a few seconds.

“UGHHH!” He groaned as his body bleed from impact and friction.

Spinning vision, he hazily spots several moving figures but he… is on the verge of losing consciousness.