Beyond the Walls

Turn Back

“Hey, Aren’t you really not gonna sleep?” From outside the jeep’s window, A man with sunglasses and rolled jacket sleeves peek through. He rests his arms on the windows as he watches worn out Gabrielle from looking at a hologram map of the pre apocalypse world.

“...”

“No, how superhuman you are. You got to rest. Nothing will change even if you keep looking at that.”

Gabrielle looked at Adam’s blankly and then she exhaled. “You are right. I just can’t help but feel like we are missing something.” Her voice is declining as she rests her aching neck on the head board of the jeep.

Before closing the map, it can be seen that there are some red ‘X’ markings on some places.

“Go, take a rest, I’ll wake Alexa–”

“I’m up. Ughhh. Who wouldn’t be awake if you were talking so loud?” Alexa complained while removing the sheet on her face. Pulling herself up from laying flat from the back seat.

“I’ll leave it to you too then.” Gabrielle said as she finally dozed off.

*thud

“Arghhh!” Alexa groans as she stretches her arms, back then eventually went down to stretch her legs.

“You look hot stretching out.” Adam commented as he stood tall on top of the jeep pretending to look around with his binoculars.

“Stop it. We are not getting back together.” Alexa brushed it off and finished her stretching.

“What a bummer.” Adam clicked his tongue playfully.

Alexa pushed her body up to the jeep’s head and walked up to where Adam was.

“You can’t expect people to take you back and forget everything with a measly compliment.” She said seriously and put her own binoculars and looked ahead.

“I don’t.” Adam mumbled.

*THUD

If not for their moment of silence they would have missed the small bang sound. As if it was a cue, both of them bend a knee, look in the opposite direction with their hands on the guns on the side.

“Is that a bomb?” Alexa said.

*Bzzz

“Adam, Alexa.” Gabrielle on the other side of the line called.

“We are okay. We are currently locating the source… Found faint traces of smoke.”

Gabrielle went out from the jeep’s removable top cover. She fearlessly stood tall and looked at the source of smoke. She closed her eyes and smelled the air.

“It’s too far.”

Alexa and Adam went down immediately and went to the driver seat of each jeep. While Adam briefly wakes up the only remaining companion sleeping, Xian. Alexa and Gabrielle’s jeep start moving forward.

Still on top of the moving vehicle, Gabrielle closed her eyes and smelled the surroundings without strong wind; it was hard to identify the scent.

She bit her lips and opened the hologram map. There are not many big establishments around the area except for the amusement park but she is hesitating to go further as they are nearing the ‘Promiseland’.

The Promiseland, is something even her would not be able to go against.

‘This is bad.’ She said internally.

*Sniff

*Bzzz

“Stop the car.” She said, and two vehicles stopped.

*bzzz

“What is it?” Adam asked.

“I smell gunpowder… lots of it.” She said.

Meanwhile… back inside the walls, behind the hard steel door.

“Sir, We found the rest of Team 2.” One of the people behind the computer announced as he put the live feed to the big screen.

It showed three men, with one player limping in the middle.

*Zzzzzzt zzzzzt

[Connection Lost]

The drone that is in the process of zooming in suddenly shocked, went unstable and finally went out of connection.

The people behind monitors are working their hands on resuming the video.

“What happened? Give me another feed.” Macord asked and the live feed switched to another one. Another live feed was shown from a different angle.

“....!”

Everyone in the room stopped at what they were doing while some dropped what they were holding, ballpen, papers and even coffee.

“Im..possible.” One of the people had said.

“Fuck.” Macord cursed as he glared at the screen.

“You are screwed, Macord.” Yuslan was the only one who could have made a messed up comment during the messed up situation.

“RAISE, ALARM TO LEVEL 2. Secure exit, prepare for player’s extraction.” Macord composed himself and dropped orders as he roamed the desks of the still in daze soldiers behind the computers.

“Do you want your fellows to die? Reach them now!” He pushed.

Several people begin to repeat his first commands on their lines. The big screen was split to many screens not waiting for Macords instructions anymore. The screen showed even their own military force surrounding the theme park. There are various vans, trailers, jeeps and motorcycles shown on the screen. Some of them are equipped with heavy artillery and weapons.

Macord was handed a palm size microphone. He wears this serious dreaded expression as he says these words. “Attention Soldiers, arm yourselves. Prepare to engage. Promiseland’s mutant had been sighted.”

The receiving end of his deathly gaze is the biggest video on the screen. The scene where Lucas has this blank shocked expression, and blood is lined to his neck up to his eyes.

*Cough cough

“W,wha?...Arghhh. *Cough” Unable to grasp what is happening, Jack looked at Lucas who was staring at him with wide eyes.

‘Why does he have blo–’

*Cough

Jack can’t feel anything at first second of what happened. He looked down and saw pools of blood coming out his body and puddles of it were spilled to the ground. He is coughing blood non stop and

*Flap flap flap

*Thud

Lucas’ legs gave out of freight.

Jack is skewered in a three hook like arrows by his mid ribs. It can definitely be said that it punctured his lung at the very least. Seeing Jack is still conscious and had not died immediately, then it might have missed his heart…but in reality none of it matters, since there is no doubt he will die sooner or later.

*Hufff huffff

Split second earlier, Lucas is panting because of running exhaustion but it’s different now. He is trying to process what he is seeing right now.

A round head with no eyes, wide mouth that extends down to its thick neck to collarbone. Set of teeth that are placed circular inside and each are sharpened like chainsaws… and and… and it’s upper body is disfigured but can still see traces of male human torso but it’s lower part… is horrifying there was nothing there but a lump of dangling meat. Like ground meat stuck to each other that serves no form.

But it's more horrifying than its body.

*Flap flap flap

It’s wings.

Wings that are connected directly to it’s torso. Made in huge thin skin with pumping veins and lines and traces of different sizes of bones. At the end of the wings is the hook like an arrow.

Maybe because of the weight of its body it’s thin wings cannot support its body and another one, that everytime it attempts to fly it’s brought down by force and it’s only ripping Jack inside.

“Lu…Lu..c *cough*” Jack weakly called.

Because Jack's blood stopped gushing out, Lucas can see the ends of the wings are actually made of bones also. Thick broken bones. They are not pointed but they are sharp.

“EIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIK!!!!” The monster dogs more to Jack’s body resulting in drawing him more blood.

“Lu…Lu…” Jack is still calling.

Lucas met eyes on bloody tears coming out of Jack as he mouthed with not a frowning expression. “I’M-SO-RRY”

Moving up as fast as he can Lucas, scurried away.

“EIIIIIIIK!”

*Flap flap flap

Three of his other members are petrified in horror of the scene unfolding.

“We have to go now.” Lucas' tap on their shoulder brought them back to their senses.

“...But.”

“He is dead.” Lucas coldly shuts Aaron down.

Kiko was able to grasp it faster. He turned around just like Lucas and said in a contained voice.

“Are you confident in winning?” he said,

Aaron bit his lips and gave one last glance as he mouthed the same words as Lucas. “I’m sorry.” then turned his back.

They missed seeing Jack raising his hands. “P,ple…ase… d,d,don *Cough.. H,help….”

As he whispers his pleas and cries behind him looming closer is the wide opened mouth of the monster.

*MUNCH

The monster had bitten half his body off. As it chews noisily Jack’s meat and bones, his body slides off it’s bone claws and makes a little thudding sound.

*Thud

The monster had stopped chewing and looked at the direction of the sound. Since it cannot really see, it was confused at first but in it’s vision it detected a heat signal coming from below it.

*Stab

“EIIIIIIIIIIIIK!! EIIIK!” The monster shrieked, spitting pieces of Jack’s and started mutilating the body more.

As it continued to do so, one hard item flew out and coincidentally flew in view of one of the cameras.

It’s a broken wristwatch. Was it Lark's or Jacks? Even the people behind the camera couldn't tell anymore.

“Sir… What shall we do with the ‘event’?” One of the soldiers asked.

“...”

“Sir?”

Macord was not able to respond as he watches more of the same monster had begin to enter the premise and their forces is starting to gain casualty at the encounter.

“Macord.” Yuslan called with all seriousness.

“Call back the forces, we can’t risk any more casualties. Let the players survive this on their own… We are switching to Game 5.”