Beyond the Walls

Come or Stay?

Holding their breaths against the incoming undeads from downstairs and upstairs, Lucas and his companion are racking their brains out.

*Thud thud thud thud

One undead was kicked by the young lad and stumbled down the stairs.

“What are we going to do?”

The horde is not something they could bump shoulders with and get past it.

*Bang bang

Behind them is the tugging sound of another set of undead.

“Do you trust me?” Lucas said 

“Ah… well I don’t know. DUDE!!! We barely know each other!” The young man replied.

“Get behind me now!” Urgency, as one of the undead takes a sliding flight down and almost at their feet.

“Eiik!” The young man kicked the undead’s hand away from grabbing him.

“Get ready!” Lucas said and pulled the door open.

“What the f---!” Lucas covered his companion’s mouth as two undead walked out of the door.

Lucas slightly closes the door and kicks the undead away.

“Let’s go!!!” Lucas said as he opened the door again and entered. His companion kicked again the grabbing hand of the undead from the floor and pushed the undead in front him away before entering the door. 

The young lad pulled the door with all his strength but an undead hand came through it.

“AHHH!” The young lad screams as it pulls him closer.

“DUCK!” Lucas said with a piece of wood in his hand and pushed back the undead.

The door finally closed.

“How can some undead be this brittle and some are not?!”  the young lad complained and scurried to remove the undead’s decapitated arm from his clothes.

Lucas offered his hand to help his companion to get up. “Undeads are basically dead. Even if they move around, they still rot. The longer the undead are, the more fragile their body structure is.”

“How come they never told us inside the walls that?” Still complaining he took Lucas hand, dust himself off and looked around. 

The surrounding is dark and eerily quiet also.

“...”

“By the way, shouldn’t we baragade that?” He asked and pointed at the thumping door in front of them.

“As long as they are brainless, they can’t open it. Those doors are designed to be easily pushed from this side and heavy to pull from the other side.” Lucas answered as he pointed at a long thick bar stuck to the door.

“...? Why?”

“Because it is an emergency exit.”

They both went silent for few second and the young lad exhaled and pass by Lucas

“I guess that’s the limit of your knowledge too. Let’s check this floor.” The young lad pat Lucas shoulder and pass him and start around. 

So far, the hall is quiet and no sign of undead. 

Wirings and collapse ventilations are all over the place.

“I wouldn’t get my hands on that.” Lucas said when his companion tried grabbing a couple of wires to move forward.

“Why?”

“It might be a live wire. A wire where electricity flows.” He explained but he got a questioning look in return. 

“In the pre-apocalypse world, there is this thing called a generator. They are used in case the main supply of electricity has been cut off.” 

Lucas took the lead and went around without touching the hanging wires.

“Is it normal for 8 years old to know all of this in a pre-apocalypse world?” His companion questions as he imitates Lucas in passing through the wires.

“...I am not sure.”

“Hahaha. You predicted the scream would happen, how? I bet you didn’t learn that before the apocalypse.”

Lucas didn’t answer right away, he squinted his eyes from a distance, wondering if something would move. 

No movements. 

They proceed to check the open room. 

Empty.

“Hunch.” Lucas answered.

“Then your hunch is spot on. What about opening the door earlier? What if there are more than two undead out in there? Then you hasten and minimize our chances of surviving.”

Lucas proceeded to the destroyed cubicles and threw a rock at the empty space and no undead had appeared.

“It was not a hunch, at least at the number of undead by the door.” Lucas said and turned to look at his companion with an unconfident look.

“Are you sure it’s not a lucky guess?” Not believing him, his companion questioned him.

“The door was not opening because the force from the other side is not opening, so I estimated there could be two or three at most beyond after listening to their banging.” Lucas explained.

Staring really close at Lucas, his companion had this scrutinizing look. “Where did you find time to do that?”

Lucas and his companion looked around the third floor and seemingly it was clear of undead. There was also a staircase leading to the second floor with no undead in sight but they decided to go find weapons just in case.

*Click

A sound of clicking made them flinch and immediately find their hiding place.

*Thud thud thud thud thud

Lucas noticed the odd and peek through the reflection of the mirror. He found multiple people entering the floor all drenched in sweat and blood. They hurriedly close the door and barragade it. 

“They wouldn’t be able to open, as long as they are brainless.” Lucas' companion said, which made a lot of them alert.

Lucas remained silent.

“You are not from the other group.” Said a man who make way from the crowd. He is holding an improvised short spear with a bloody knife strapped at the ends.

“Ah!! You are alive man!” The man smiled as he ran his hand in his hair. There are blood traces all over him but Lucas recognized this man. He is the person that talked to him and led them to the door on the top floor.

Lucas remained silent as that person walked up to him.

“I thought I'd lost you at the stairs.” He patted Lucas' shoulder with a smile.

“Yes, if not for this person, I would be dead.” He answered and introduced his companion.

“Ahh, I see. Good to see you, alive… How did you manage to get ahead of us?” The man asked.

Lucas grimaced at the sudden grip to his shoulder blades.

*Thud

The emergency staircase from the other side burst open and three people emerged. They are panting hard and with torn clothes and multiple wounds.

“YOU!!!” A familiar man angrily stomps his feet towards Lucas.

“I,I, I’m sor--” Lucas reflexibly bow and apologize even if he had no idea why this somehow familiar man was angry.

Bracing himself to get hit, the man passed him by and went for the collars of the man in front of him.

“YOU BASTARD!!! YOU ARE GOING TO HELL!!!”

Lucas finally remembered who this man is, this second man who had approached him, he lost his glasses it seems, despite the anger surging on Lucas looked for someone in the crowd.

“Honey! It turns out the door won’t open.” 

There was a girl with a guy in glasses but she was not among the crowd.

“HOW DARE YOU!! HOW DARE YOU!!! YOU DEVIL!!!”

People come and separate them. “Please don’t shout, you will attract the undead.”

“HA!! THAT IS BETTER! I WISH YOU GET EATEN WHILE YOU ARE ALIVE! AND FEEL EVERYTHING UNTIL THE END! JUST LIKE  WHAT YOU DID----”

*Thud

He was knocked unconscious by a person from the other group. 

“Thank you.” The man said and looked with a soft look at the group of three. one unconscious man and two women.

“I am sorry, if you felt that way but you’ve made your choice.”

Two women glared at the man but the man didn’t give a reaction to such hatred.

“Bastard! I hope you burn in hell.” One woman spit on his shoes as she continues to assist her unconscious comrade.

“Man, Let’s go. I want to hear your story.” Not minding at the continuous hostility, he put his hands around Lucas and guided him to his side.

Lucas walked with him and his companion stayed to check on the other group.

“So what kind of magic did you use?”

Lucas can feel stares and glares around him as he seats with the man.

‘Looks like he is the leader now.’ Lucas thought.

“Hmmm?” Pressing Lucas to answer.

Lucas briefly explained leaving the details of finding the map, instead he used the words “coincidence” and “lucky to find”. Somehow Lucas can feel this man is dangerous. 

Not knowing whether his story was bought but he only received a pat in the shoulders. 

“I found a stairs leading downstairs or should we use the emergency staircase again.” A man came up and informed them.

“Let’s go, we only have 15 minutes left.” The man said as he looked at a timer clock. It was a new watch. Lucas didn’t see that earlier.

Lucas looked at the other group from across the room.

“I’ve asked your companion to come with us but he said, he can’t do large groups. I’m sorry man, but they can’t come with us. I am afraid their companion’s condition will put the team’s life at risk.”

Lucas stayed silent and looked at his companion and they met eyes.

“What is your decision? Will you come with us or stay with them?”