Beyond the Walls

Don’t Look Back!

“Can I at least talk to him?” Lucas asked while staring at the floor.

The man didn’t say a word but just gave way to Lucas. Awkwardly, Lucas passes him by and approaches the other group. He excused his companion away from the group and settled on another corner but was still in line of sight of both groups.

It wasn’t that long when his companion walked out on him and went back to the smaller group.

“I’m guessing he is not coming with us. Let’s go.” The man said as he put his hands on his shoulder.

The larger group walked out on the smaller group and proceeded on the blocked staircase. It was the staircase that Lucas and his companion were checking out earlier.

“Do you think we should take this route?” The man asked Lucas who is currently trembling.

“Ah. Umm…I, I think, …” Lucas’ heart is pumping too much in nervousness. He shakily picks a stone and throws it on the floor.

The sound echoed but nothing happened.

The man nodded in satisfaction. The emergency staircase is still full of undeads based on thumping sounds behind it.

It was more probable to use this passage. People gathered around the block and removed it one by one.

Lucas put his hands together to stop himself from shaking.

“Let’s go.” The man said as he took the lead. He was cautious as he steps down in the staircase, Lucas was positioned a few rows in the back. He is holding a table leg with no sharp edges. He can’t stay still, he keeps glancing back and forth from the sides like he is suffering from paranoia.

*Growl

The undead appeared in front but subdued quickly.

Lucas bit his lips. They are nearing the hall where the main stairs are a few steps from the entrance.

*Thud thud

Faint sounds can be heard in the distance. The man in front signalled to stop, they all stopped but only Lucas pressed his back on the cement and kept looking at the close elevator doors. Something is not right.

“Why is it closed?” He mumbled.

“Shh!” Hushed by a shaky man embracing his weapon tightly around his chest.

*Ting

The elevator doors opened and soon the hallway was filled with growls and screams.

Lucas, who's back is against the wall, gets passed by the undeads as his group gets attacked. The man who hushed him was on the floor getting devoured in his face and sides. One by one the living gets pinned down and overwhelmed.

As if in slow motion, an undead walk pass by the chaos around them locked eyes with Lucas.

Lucas stopped breathing as his surroundings turned silent.

“How did this happen?”

A cold and sticky feeling had grabbed his arm from the side, another undead appeared. Half of it’s head is bashed in showing his brains leaking and a dangling eyeball.

“Haaaa.” Lucas exhaled.

From a distance he sees the man that leads this group together with dozens of them fleeing to the other side of the stairs.

*Thud

“Wait” He wanted to say but an undead blocked his view ready to bite him off.

“Haaaa.”

*Thud

He shook off the undead by his arm and hit the undead’s chin in front of him and smacked it to the other side.

Lucas panting he turned blind at the undead feast.

“Alive…. I need to stay alive.” He kept repeating it as he ran away. He ran towards the back. He can no longer forward as more undead keep materializing like waves.

*Thud *Bam

He tripped. He planked down the floor, No, he wasn’t tripped. His foot was grabbed.

“AH! HA!!!” It was an undead who was crawling to his pants. With only a few fingers left in one hand and dislocated jaw, the undead gave Lucas a fright.

*STOMP STOMP STOMP

Lucas kicked it mercilessly containing his urge to scream.

He finally freed himself. Frantically, crawling then eventually got up. Lucas reached the stairs and saw several people trying to baragade it again.

“NO! NO! PLEASE LET ME IN!!! PLEASE!!” He pleads as the wave of undead follows him behind.

“Let him in!” A woman said and he gave way for Lucas to squeeze in.

Lucas’ lips quiver as he slides down his body to the wall with distressed heart. The woman who let her in, kneeled in front of him and tried to calm him but Lucas slapped his hand away and looked at her with trembling eyes.

“You need to calm down. Now, try matching my breathing.” Said the woman.

Lucas did as she instructed.

*Thud thud thud

The barricade is shaking.

“We need to go, This will not hold much longer.” Said a man with tattoos in his arms as he stopped the cabinets from falling.

“We can’t find them.” Another one had said.

Lucas finally calmed down a bit but he can’t help but squeeze his eyes on each thumping he hears.

With the help of the short haired woman, he found his footing again.

“I know a way. Follow me.” Lucas said as he led the way to the emergency exit where the large group had exited earlier. The barricade is gone.

“Did you do this?” The woman asked one of her companions but her companion shook his head.

*knock knock

“We came in there earlier, there are lots of undead inside.” Said the skinny man.

Lucas had knocked and listened to the other side. There was nothing.

He slowly opened the door and saw an undead having a hard time going down the stairs and eventually fell its head open.

*Thud

The barricade on the main stairs was finally dismantled. Lucas put his index finger to his mouth and gestured to not make a sound on three people behind him. Silently, they close the door behind them to not alert the undeads.

Inside the emergency staircase growls and small thumping are heard, meaning, on the upper floors, lays in wait are undead.

Puzzled on why and how it was empty,they still kept their mouths shut as they thread carefully the stairs leading down. Reaching the second floor, the emergency door is fully open.

The munching and faint cries echoing on the floor. Just in the corner is the elevator hallway. Lucas stretches his fingers and inhales and exhales before he passes the opened door quickly and sleathily..

One by one they did that until they reached the ground floor. Lucas leaned his ears on the door again and can hear the growls. He bit his lips again.

“The exit should be straight ahead but the undead's numbers are quite high.” Lucas said as he looked at the faces of his new group.

They are in a group of four. The man with buff build and arms full of tattoos stepped forward. “Then we run, avoid confrontation and …. No matter what happens. Don’t look back.”

There was a silent agreement on them.

The door opened wide and the buffed man was in front, the skinny man on his left, the short haired woman on the other and Lucas stayed behind.

They were greeted by more or less than hundreds of undeads scattered around the huge lobby.

As the buffed man pushes aside the undead like a piece of rag they begin on running full ahead, focusing on the light ahead of them.

They’ve focused so much that maybe only Lucas had the time to see the counting time above the door.

00:00:30

00:00:29

The timer.

Passing by the main staircase, both are filled with undeads and humans desperately climbing down, only to be greeted by a horde of undead. Lucas can feel his breath slow down as he stares at an opened eye corpse as undead feast on his innards.

As if everything is in slow motion. Heavily panting, dragging himself out desperately on the ray of light at the end of the tunnel. He turned deaf to the continuous horrendous screams of help and dying cries of those behind him.

‘How did this all happen?!’ he thought as he kept running and running.

The screams seem to be getting closer behind.

00:00:10

‘Just a bit more!’ He refused to turn to his back and just focused on the light ahead.

“ACKKK! PLEASE! HELP ME!!” A hand touches the ends of his trouser, and he finds himself turning back slowly.

It was the skinny man, with blood all over his face.

00:00:05

Shaking his head, though he was trembling he still reached for the man’s despite his doubts and worries but even before they made contact, the lying man was dragged back to the darkness and the man’s piercing screams made him fall to his back. Holding back his overwhelming fear against the loud munching sound, he starts crawling the tiled floor and starts running once again.

00:00:01

He reached the light at last. It was perfect sunny weather outside but it’s not like anyone cares. Not far from the entrance where people were covered in blood, looking exhausted or partially crazy. Trembling, shaking and alertness, they are all drenched in an emotion called fear.

*RINGGGGG

Siren started ringing loudly. Not even done with catching his breath, the door he just exited closed down. Metal bars fall at the door, though some people are still inside shouting for a wait, the metal bar still closes down. Trapping people inside.

A window pops up in the air like a hologram.

[00:00:00]

[Times Up!]

As if in cue the screams behind the metal bars start resonating, like a firework background for the next level a robotic woman’s voice sounded.

[CONGRATULATIONS PLAYERS! YOU HAVE PASSED LEVEL 1!]

Everyone was speechless and soon more terrifying news descended on them.

He looked at the screen as if his surroundings turned mute.

‘How did I end up here? All I want is for my sister to live…’ His eyes trembled at the hopelessness he felt.