He and I (2)
1590 Words
Four men had gathered around behind the staircase.
“We can’t stay here any longer. We have no more water or food. This place might not hold much longer.” Aaron said it and at exact time, they heard some banging sound at the barricaded door.
It was only one time but it shook the entirety of the door and things behind it.
“We will need to move as soon as possible.” Aaron lowered his voice and looked at Lucas but Lucas was distracted, he was playing with a bullet in his fingers.
“Lucas?”
His name caught his attention but later he was distracted by a figure behind Aaron. It was like it was coming out of darkness.
It was his image.
He held his breath as the figure stepped out with cold eyes.
“--cas! Lucas!”
“Yes?” Lucas blinked away and looked up to Aaron who was frowning and then went back to the shadow behind. It was gone.
“Are you okay? You seem out of it.”
“I’m fine… sorry, What were you saying again?”
Aaron crumpled his expression more and repeated what he had said before.
“Right. We can’t stay here for long. These will wear out soon.”
Lucas stretches his stained shirt. They’ve dyed it with mutant’s blood and insides but with all the running, flesh is bound to get lost and blood is drying up. Soon their human scent will be stronger.
He opens the map and there, they are 4 blocks away from the next entrance/ exit way. It seems closer but in reality, it's far and dangerous.
“Do you think we’ve been abandoned?” Elijah asked.
“...”
“Though they said it was a game round, don't they care if we escape? The exit ways are not blocked at all. What if we run away at that time? We were already free. Why did we go back?”
“...” Everyone went silent.
*Bang bang
Another slamming sounds around the vicinity.
“We can’t.” Lucas finally answered.
“What do you mean we can’t?”
“We are being tracked.” Lucas showed their unremovable watch. It was like it was glued in and if they tried removing it then part of them feels like being ripped. He opened the map again and their location was updated every time.
“If I can see this, of course, they too can.”
Elijah sighed and mumbled. “Why does it feel like we are abandoned?”
That sounds right to Lucas too. Something felt fishy as soon as Game 4 was suddenly replaced.
‘What is Game 5’s nature?’ He thought.
In Game 1 it was ‘Test of Endurance’. They had to go down from rooftop to ground in two hours. Undead are popping left and right in the duration of it. They had to endure and push forward. That is the case for most players.
In Game 2 ‘Test of Stamina’. Snatching the key cards from the undead in the field full of them, really showed and tested their agility and stamina.
In Game 3 ‘Test of Strength’. They are tasked to gather points and according to their kills, they will be ranked.
Game 4: ‘Test of Intelligence’. Two groups pitted against each other. Though it wasn’t finished, this game is human against human. Is that why it was called ‘Intelligence’?
Game 5: ‘Test of the Apocalypse.’
‘Test of Apocalypse? What does it mean?’ Lucas is thinking long and hard.
‘Hey. Do you want me to tell you?’ As if a devil is whispering in his ear. He hears his own voice.
His own voice that sent shivers in his spine.
“W,what?” He mumbled.
“Should I give you the answer? Just like I always do?” The man Lucas thought was behind him, appeared before him. At the center of their meeting. He is squatting down with his head on his arms, boredly looking at him.
Lucas looked up and saw others looking back at him with bewilderment.
“Are you sure you are okay? You are sweating.” Aaron asked. His hand is reaching his face.
*Slap
“Huh?” Aaron was surprised and Lucas was too.
“I, I am sorry. I’m o,okay. P,p,please let me be.”
His companion looked at each other. Well, Elijah pushed the two out and left Lucas alone with his knees crawled up to him.
“Are you sure you want to do that to your shield?” The man wearing his face appeared once more, this time he is on the opposite side, sitting and legs apart and staring at him.
His eyes are really cold.
“W,what do you want from me?” Lucas mumbled.
“You are asking the wrong question here. It is… ‘What do you want from me.” The man emphasises the last word.
“..?”
“Lucas, I am only here because you are peeking through the red door. You are seeking answers from the past.”
“I… I must never o,open that door.” Lucas shivered at that thought like he was a kid repeating the warnings.
The man before him disappeared and appeared beside him.
“Yet here I am. You want to know why this game is called ‘Test of Apocalypse’ right? You’ll know the answer to that if you go deeper in your memory. Just open the door Lucas…” he whispers to his ears.
*bzzz bzzz
*Creak
The sound of the door opening little by little, his eyes are wide open but his vision is hazy…
The bright room is turning to something dark and unfamiliar. In the wide dark room the surroundings begin to feel familiar.
“....)!&))”
A voice is echoing. Looking ahead, a man’s back was shown, then one by one there were other people together with him. They are busy… busy defending themselves on the undead coming into the bright tunnel. There was no shortage of newly turned undead pouring in.
A group of men stayed together forming a circle, watching each other back as they stayed alive in the dire situation.
Though Lucas can’t see their faces the place they are in is eerily familiar…
*BANG BANG BANG
The vision is moving away, just when the man in the middle is about to turn around.
*BANG BANG *THUD THUD
Lucas wakes up in a daze by frantic loud banging. When he came to be, he was on Aaron’s back and on the way to the second floor.
“Back to earth now, aren’t we?” Kiko sarcastically asked in a low voice. He is running up besides Aaron.
*CRASH!
The moment the barricade was pushed and destroyed, the four men had already gone to the second floor.
Lucas was slowly put down to avoid unnecessary noise. Peeking slowly down, there is one hunched back ghoul entering the place. With piles of things, it finds itself on unstable footing.
Slowly getting out his gun, Lucas aims for it. They are looking for a way to mask their human smell, and this one right here walked inside at the perfect time.
Releasing slowly the safety pin, Lucas placed his finger on the trigger.
“That’s right. Your posture is good.” A man’s voice is speaking in his head. He shook his head and refocused himself.
*Huuu*
He breathes in but his hands are trembling.
‘Huh? Why am I trembling?’
“You have to calm down. Shaking won’t help you. Breathe slowly.” There it is again. The man’s voice.
“Breathe… breathe or you’ll—”
*Phew
The ghoul looked at the bullet that had grazed it’s cheek before looking up. Met eyes with shaking Lucas. He missed.
“KWARRRRRRRRRK! ARGHKKK! UWARGHHH!” It turned violent. It went down on all four and shook his feet.
“It’s launching!” Aaron said in a hurry and pulled Lucas' legs.
*BAM
The mutant’s legs are strong enough to launch its body up to the height of the second floor.
It’s long arms and nails landed on balusterless second floor.
*Screech
It’s nails dig on the flooring as it slides down. It is trying hard to climb up.
“Grab him.” Aaron tossed Lucas’ body to Kiko and went to the climbing ghoul. He sheathed his machete and didn’t think twice about severing the arms of it.
It screeches and screams monstrously as it falls down.
Aaron watched it squirming, holding up it’s torn arm. It is crying profusely like a child throwing a tantrum.
“URKKKK! ARGHHH! KWARGHH!”
“What the fuck.” Kiko watched it with Aaron but then… something else caught their attention.
Coming in is another ghoul followed by another one.
“What the f**k!” Kiko repeated it with horror.
The ghouls looked up and screeched. Just like earlier the two dropped in all fours.
“RUN!” Aaron panicked as another one was coming in.
*Jump
Aaron and Kiko run away from the spot as the ghouls emerge.
Elijah is in the middle of dragging Lucas out the window, when Aaron picks Lucas up and effortlessly carries Lucas like luggage.
Lucas who can’t part his eyes away on the inside is seeing himself standing without care as the ghouls successfully climb up at his feet.
His doppleganger mouthed something to him just before he was completely out of sight.
- Writer
