Beyond the Walls

Encounter

*Click

Elijah raised his hands instinctively as a gun was pointed in his head.

“Hey. Mind telling us who you are?” Unfamiliar man’s voice asked.

“C,can I turn around?” Elijah asked.

“Hey, Kid. Just answer the question.” The gun pushed the gun to make Elijah feel the urgency.

“Can I really not turn?” Elijah remained calm and himself. Given that he had been in the same situation too many times, who wouldn’t feel familiar with it.

*KIEEEEEERK!

A harpy landed on the side screeching.

*Swoosh

Elijah a distraction will come and all he needs is a split second to get focus and run while the other party is distracted. He jumped down on the empty railway ride and ran to the other side.

“Woah.” The man, who is Adam, said amused. Seeing that kid was already on the other side within two seconds.

*Bang

He turned and killed the harpy in a heartbeat and turned to look at the running kid but he was gone inside.

Seeing that mutants are gathering the man ran his hand on his hair and said.

“Time to go.”

Jumped down on the ride's way and followed the kid inside.

“You shouldn’t have gone that way.” He mumbled while shaking his head and clicking his tongue.

*THUD

“A,aw! Aw! Aw!” Elijah is squirming in pain as his arm was bent at his back and he was pushed down to the floor. He could feel a knee thrusting at the end of his spine.

Adam sighed at sight.

“I knew this was gonna happen.”

Alexa subdued Elijah.

“Who are you?” Alexa demanded and when Elijah was tapping the floor for time out, Alexa thrust more his knee on his back.

“AAAAAW! Seriously! Please. Let’s talk like humans.” Elijah is appealing in between groans.

“Ya, Alexa, give the kid a break. Look, his sweat. How long have you been running?” Adam said as he squatted to meet eyes with Elijah.

A bald man with a plain line tattoo on his wrist running inside the sleeves. He is whisked and stained with droplets of blood on his left half and showered with blood in the other half.

It was like a psycho mass murderer look in Elijah’s perspective. He swallowed his word and dry saliva as he stared uncomfortable up.

*Push

“AAAAH! Damn, it hurts.”

“Kid, If I were you, I’ll answer her question, You know she broke my arm once back when—”

“Shut up!” Alexa glared and Adam raised his arm in surrender.

“Just answer.” He whispers before getting up and turning his back while carrying his long gun.

“I am Ja. Who are you? I’ve never seen you in the games before?” Elijah asked back.

“Games? What games?”

Elijah tried looking up but Alexa lowered him lower.

“Ughh… I, I also don’t know. We are playing some sort of survival game.”

“Alexa, release the kid.”

Alexa didn’t have to look up to know, Adam is serious about it. He releases the kid. Elijah tried crawling but Alexa grabbed his ankle.

‘Wah. How strong is she?!’ Elijah was surprised after seeing he was stopped by one hand of a very pretty and cool woman. She has this short almost pixie cut black hair and deep set of black eyes and tall nose bridge. Even the tattered clothes and blood stains are like her accessories.

‘She must have been more beautiful when she was younger.’ She looks like she came out of a movie. Not like he had seen many movies before. It was considered a rare item and he had been tasked to retrieve a couple of those back in time. The covers are very artistic and cool to look at. Looking at the woman, he was reminded of those.

*Snap snap

“Stop staring, kid.” The bald man snapped his fingers in front of him which made him scowl.

“Answer the question, what is this game?” Though looking dissatisfied the man asked him again.

Elijah stretches and circles his bent arm as he answers. “I told you, I have no idea. We all woke up here one day and we are here. Playing games.”

The woman and man looked at each other.

“Here? You’ve been here in the park the whole time?”

“Ah. no. Who are you? What are you doing outside the walls?”

“Say, you’ve been to a building before here?” Alexa asked, looking straight to Elijah.

Elijah was taken aback. He hesitated but gave in to her piercing gaze. “Yes. That’s where the first game was held.”

“KWARGGGGHHH!” A ghoul had arrived inside. It howls like a monster before it starts charging at them.

“Iekk!” Elijah was surprised and wanted to crawl away and start running but the woman is not budging and still on hold of his ankle.

“Hey! We need to run—!” The ghoul was almost at their spot but only him was panicking.

*Phew

One shot. One kill.

The ghoul’s dead body slides down to their side.

“Show off.” Alexa scoffs.

“I couldn’t see a thing!” Adam defended.

Alexa gives an ‘Whatever’ look.

“So where are we?” Adam said, returning to his squatting position, sandwiching his gun to stomach and legs, his legs are shaking.

“Are you perhaps not comfortable squatting?” Elijah asked.

Adam stared at Elijah with wide eyes and squinted. “You are right. How the hell, girls do this anyway, can you do it?”

Alexa then pushed Adam and he fell down to his butt and accidentally touched the ghoul’s head, his thumb was pressed to the mutant’s eyes and some slimy liquid thing poured out. He shrieked a little.

Elijah was speechless. He was told too many times that he is so carefree and everything seems to be a joke or a play with him but…

“Aren’t you too carefree?”

He never would have thought he would be saying it. The two strangers looked at him.

“Do you not know what’s out there?” Elijah continued to ask.

Adam smirked. “Kid, you are too young to worry about us.”

“C’mon, let’s go. We need to take this kid to Gabrielle. She will want to know your story.” Alexa said, getting up.

“Beware, that kid is good at running.” Adam said and got up.

“Try running. I’ll shoot you in the leg, you will not want to be disable especially in this environment.” Alexa added.

Elijah nodded and as if in cue, the ghouls had appeared at the end of the wide hall. It was a waiting hall for the ride lane, therefore it was generally a large space and seeing it being filled with mutants is just plain hair-raising.

“Can I run?” Elijah carefully asked.

“Can we come with you?” Adam asked back.

*KWARKKKKKKKK!

All ghouls rush forward knocking down everything in their path while the three humans start running away. Elijah with thieving experience he navigates and slides through railings with an ease and the two who have military experience did not outshine in their acrobatics in fitting themselves in tight spaces and jumping in the hallways full with fallen things.

Coming down in flight of stairs they are focused on their own track trials. While their chasers are coming like a flood waiting to devour them.

“I don’t think we should head down!” Adam said as he watched the outside. The mutants are gathering and running inside.

“Let’s head back!” Alexa shouted back as she stopped in her tracks.

Adam did too. They begin searching the top.

“What? Why did you stop?” Elijah is a few steps below.

“Look.” Adam pointed down with his chin and showed that the first wave of mutants had come rushing up.

“There!” Alexa pointed to an opening on the other floor. Putting back his gun to her side, she pulled another item and aimed at the spot. A long black thin rope came out of the item and under a second she had secured her waist around it and offered her hand to Elijah.

“Come now!” She said,

As Elijah reached her hand there was an awe in his eyes.

*Slap

“He is coming with me.” Already set up, Adam went in between them and grabbed Elijah by the waist.

“Dude.Ew!” Elijah was disgusted.

“I agree! So stop acting like a princess.”

“I wonder what is really going on in that shiny useless head of yours.” Alexa cursed first before pressing a button and she was pulled up.

“Stop looking at my wife with such dreamy eyes! I know she is beautiful.” Adam hissed at Elijah.

“I get it! I get it! Can we now go?!!” Elijah speaked with urgency.

In a short amount of time, they were now surrounded by mutants but before any could reach them, Adam pulled the rope and pushed the button. They were pulled up and like rappelling only it was rappelling upwards, Adam pushed with his legs the momentum, so they can be pulled up more easily and faster.

*Thud

Reaching their starting point again, Adam throws Elijah before pulling himself up.

*Bang

Alexa pulled the trigger on a harpy with an open mouth trying to devour Adam’s feet.

“Thank you, Love.”

“Get your head straight. I won’t save you next time. Hey! What are you doing?! We don’t have time!” Alexa glared deadly at Aaron and shouted at Elijah after witnessing him, cutting the abdomen of the mutant.

“It will mask our scent! Come fast!” Unbothered by the unknown inside, he carries them and throws it to Alexa and Adam’s body.

“This boy is crazy!” Adam was flabbergasted.

“KIEEEEEEWRK” A half harpy showed itself flying up from the lower floor.

*Bang

No hesitation, Adam shot it dead.

“Let’s go!” Alexa runs to ride.

“Where?!”

“There!!”

“Alexa! You’ve got to be kidding me!!!”