Beyond the Walls

Dark Secret (2)

*Rumble

The night sky is darkening despite it’s only early afternoon. Maybe because it’s going to rain… The rumbling in the sky is not subsiding.

Breathing slowly, the time had slowed down.

Alexa is out of touch, Adam and Xian are surrounded and Apollo is nowhere to be found. Gabrielle is running out of time as the whole attention is now directed to them. No time to think.

*BANG BANG

She fired the shots killing the undead dragging Xian.

*THWACK *BANG

Adam got a momentum to release himself from the grabs of the undead. He smashed and fired the brains out of the undead.

As if everything is in slow motion, seeing Adam all good, Gabrielle turn and start running. She picks up Xian who is sobbing on the ground.

“IF YOU DON’T WANT TO DIE. START RUNNING!”

Xian gets up trembling and starts running between Gabrielle in front and Adam at the back.

Gabrielle is waving her sickle, killing most undead that come in. Adam is also using his long gun to create distance but to deal with Level 0 undeads, the quickest way to kill it is to shoot it in the head.

*Grab

“EIKKK!” Xian shrieks as an undead with half of its head is falling.

*THUMP THUMP

Adam repeatedly kicked the head until it was like crushed grapes. Xian held his cries and moved forward.

*Click click

An on and off light repeatedly shone at Gabrielle’s face captured her attention. Looking in the direction she sees Alexa by the door all bloody but doesn’t seem like injured.

“Here!” She changed direction and went up stairs. In all directions they are being approached.

“Uwargh!! Arghh!”

They push themselves up despite all the grabbing hands and attempted bites. With Alexa not being spotted, she helped clear a path to them and opened the door.

*Thud

They all successfully reached the room.

“ARGH!” Xian almost vomited at the disfigured look of the undead inside the room.

“You! Pushed the couch here!!” Alexa is holding the door with her body as the thumping on the other side continues.

Adam is busy laying his weapons on the table near the window. Gabrielle sweeps a little off the blood in the glass window and when she takes a peek at it. A bloody eye met hers.

*CRASH

The glass window shattered and Gabrielle squatted down to avoid the shards.

“UWARGH!!!!”

*Stab

Gabrielle stabs it’s chin up, piercing its brains out. Even before she could pull her weapon back, another undead squeezed in.

*Slash

Alexa chopped the undead’s head showering Gabrielle the blood.

“...” She looked at Alexa but she only smiled at her.

“If you are done, why don’t you get your butts in here?” Adam asked but instead of having his usual smug face or playful tone, he is looking tense.

Getting up from the floor, Gabrielle sees the incoming horde. There are so much of them in a short amount of time. Layer after layers they are striding up. Growling and focused on their group.

"They really want us dead. Just who the hell are you investigating, Gabrielle?" Alexa's eyes look calm but her heart is pounding.

With the glass window now broken, the undead can now enter this room.

*Thump thump thump

The door is also blocked with undeads wanting to come in. Couch and table are stacked together and on the other side is the shivering Xian mouthing. 'It's impossible.'

Though not sure what he is referring to. Was it the fact that hundreds of undeads still live outside the walls or was it just an expression.

*Stab

Alexa stabbed in the eyes the rotting figure of undead that came from the side.

“Do we have enough bullets?” Alexa asked to get out her gun and check the bullets left.

“I’ll save four bullets.” Adam replied.

“Nice.”

As if for once they agree with each other by staying silent. Four bullets or four of them.

That is how overwhelming the horde is.

*Bzzz bzzz

Flying around are several drones capturing the scene.

It didn't take fifteen minutes, before the undead broke into the room both in the window and door.

*Rumble rumble

As the lightning came striking, the gunshots that rained down halted and it was quiet after the first water rain drops.

*****

Sitting alone in the corner, Lucas hugged his knees close to his chest.

The images of him with a cold and indifferent look kept hunting him.

'Was that really me?' He kept asking himself.

"HEY!!! IT'S UNFAIR!! DO THE RANKING AGAIN!!" The 10th place man shouted in the hologram.

"How can someone like that pathetic guy come in 2nd! If not for the gun installed he would die! Is this some sort of favouritism huh?!! HE BARELY KILLED IN THE WHOLE GAME!"

Lucas agreed. The undead he had killed personally might not be even higher than his fingers while others can kill them easily.

The violent reaction continued on and no one had stopped it.

Elijah and Aaron settled in a far bed from him, while Athena silently watched it from her bed.

"YOU! You better tell the admin you don't deserve it too!"

Striding angrily, the man walked up to him and collared him.

"TELL THEM!!! You don't deserve any of this s**t!!!"

Lucas knows why this man is angry with him because of the difference in their meals. Unlike before where bread and water are the only food, the food right now is assigned and the higher rank they have the fancier their meal is. Ranking from 1st-5th they have meat.

“Do you want my food?” Lucas asked and it ticked the other player off.

“WHAT?!! This fucker is really testing my patience!” On the mark Lucas was about to be hit off, he closed his eyes.

Only a soft wind touches the tips of his nose. Opening his eyes, he sees the man’s fist close in his face.

“Stop it. It’s his tactics.” Athena is holding the man’s wrist. They are both shaking.

“What are you saying?! Aren’t you two together?!” No sign of calming down, he shook off her hand and glared at them.

“Are you not using your brain?” She asked as if she was taunting him to throw a punch.

The 10th player is out of patience now. He charged at Athena. Lucas only stayed still and made Athena smile at him.

She dodges each charge easily.

*Ting ting ting ting

They only stopped when the siren rings. It brought memories, most players reflexively covered their nose and mouth. Contrary to expectations, there was no gas released.

[Warning! Players! Please abide by the rules of the Rest Zone! Please abide by the rules of the Rest Zone!...]

Flickering red and white the whole room feels like the inside of a police siren.

It took a little while before the siren calmed down and disappeared.

“What the hell is that?” The 10th player said.

“That is a warning for you.” Athena replied.

“Rule number 2: Players are not allowed to Injure other Players during the duration of the Rest time…” Liam recitation concealing his amused look.

Replaying the scene of the punishment, the 10th player swallowed his dry saliva.

“It wasn’t your fault. He incited it.” Athena tapped the man’s shoulder and pointed at Lucas, looking like a lost child.

“...Did you forget his titles? …Cunning 29 pts, Choreographer 28, Actor 15 pts… He wanted you to punch him. That’s how he plays things here.” She continued.

Lucas frowned at the accusation. “It’s n,not like that! I… I really thought, h,he wanted some beef… I’m going to share it…”

“Is that why you only stood still, while he was attacking me?”

“...!”

*Clap clap clap

“I give it to you. You are really a good actor!”

“Athena, stop it…” Elijah tried stepping in but was cut short.

“I have seen it, the looks he is making. He wears that occasionally when he is alone or when no one pays attention to him… Should I give an example? Did you really think he wanted to save that bitten girl from game 2? No, he did not. He looks at her like an excess baggage but with that girl Hiraya insists on bringing that girl, he had no choice but to include her in the plans… why? Because he doesn’t trust him and the other girl, also Hiraya has you.” She pointed at Brandy then Aaron.

“Am I correct?”

“I, I don’t understand. I wanted all of us to come out there alive.”

Athena laughed at Lucas' answer. “I saw the way you looked at Hiraya after voicing her intentions. Then you restlessly look at the other girl’s condition. That's why you rushed the plan to hold it that same night… but of course that’s not all. Don’t you feel odd, why this guy here, give us formation when we are exiting game 2? Hmmm? That is because he already knows there are people hiding and waiting. Am I wrong?”

There was a silence waiting for Lucas' answer but he remained quiet.

“Also, on the last round, he baited the three of us, so he could rappel down while they were distracted with us… He only saves people he has used for. So much for being a hero…”

‘That’s why she said, I am far from being a hero. Last time. She already…’

Her arguments are plausible but it doesn’t make it necessarily the truth.

‘Ah.’ A memory of him seeing moving shadows below the door, becomes vivid.

He did see the sign.

“...”

Lucas’ response mirroring his thoughts.

Nothing.