The atmosphere in the arena was depressing. The metallic smell of blood and the stench of fear floated in the air. All around, the roars and groans of the creatures echoed. From time to time a cry of help sounded. Everything was a grim reminder of the danger around, urging the few survivors to escape faster.
Pfft! Blood spurted as Jay stabbed a creature in the skull. He pushed its body to the ground and moved forward. His movements were clean and he barely stopped through the process. It showed that it wasn't the first monster he'd taken down.
If he could, he would have avoided fighting. But he wasn't given much of a choice.
At the start of their escape, things were easy.
They had sprinted across the court, easily going around the creatures scattered on it. Some had tried to chase them, but none were fast enough to keep up with them.
Unbothered by the ongoing chaos, Jay, Lexie and Alex quickly made their way to the tunnel. And if a creature couldn't be avoided, they dealt with it as quickly as possible. One or two moves were all it took , and the process barely slowed them down.
But things got complicated when they reached the tunnel.
Dozens of survivors had fled this way, followed closely by as many creatures. Now, if they wanted to break through, they had to face the equivalent of a small herd in a relatively tight corridor. It was dangerous. They had less room to maneuver and a single mistake could mean death.
'It was never supposed to be easy,' Jay thought as he stepped through the narrow tunnel, his senses heightened to the maximum.
Behind him, Alex exhaled sharply.
"Good thing we cleared out those monsters earlier," he muttered. "Would've been hell if we got caught in a pincer."
With a swift stab, Jay greeted the first zombie that came toward them. Then, pushing his forearm against its throat, he used it as a shield and blocked another creature. His bloodied hand then turned into a blur, and his knife found itself lodged in yet another creature's skull.
Lexie followed suit, her knives flashing past Jay and hammering two creatures that were trying to flank him. As for Alex, he swung a metallic chair he picked up and sent a creature crashing against the wall.
That first clash was just the beginning. With an unstoppable momentum they pushed forward cutting down one zombie after another.
By now, they already had a simple understanding of the creatures. They were clumsy and all they did was lunge straight at their target. Alone they were hardly a threat. But in large numbers, they became deadly. Jay and the twins had to be careful and avoid being surrounded.
While it was somehow tricky, their teamwork allowed them to pull through everything.
Their enhanced abilities also played a great part in their escape. As they fought, it became obvious to Jay that it wasn't just his strength that increased.
His senses were sharper, his reflexes faster. Every decision came naturally. His body responded the instant his mind issued a command. He moved with speed and precision that would've felt impossible just hours ago. The difference was so big he found it hard to believe it was his body.
And from the way Lexie and Alex moved, it was clear they'd undergone similar enhancements
The system changed them. He didn't know how. But it didn't matter as long as it kept them alive.
Behind them, Louisa, Sylvi, and several other survivors followed closely, using the opportunity created by the trio to flee. They couldn't believe their luck. Without Jay and the twins, they wouldn't have made it this far.
'We would have died,' Louisa thought, her heart pounding. That wasn't pessimism. Those who'd entered the tunnel before Jay and the twins had been slaughtered.
None of them could fight like Jay or the twins. Even if they could, there were just too many monsters. And beyond physical strength, there was mental fortitude. Louisa doubted many people could stay calm in the face of so much horror. Even now, she could not even look at one of the creatures without shaking. Fighting them? That was out of question.
'They are incredible,' she whispered, her gaze sweeping over the bloody trail left in their wake.
Meanwhile, Jay, unaware of the random thoughts of those behind him, continued to fight.
Even if he knew, he'd probably complain. Things weren't nearly as easy as Louisa believed.
They were dancing on the edge of a knife, and there had been more than one close call. At one point, Jay had even thought they wouldn't make it; his stamina was nearly gone.
But just then, a sudden wave of energy surged through his body, giving him the push he needed to keep going.
"Finally!" he muttered, his voice filled with relief as another creature fell to his feet. That was the last creature inside the tunnel.
'That feeling earlier should've been a level-up, right?' he wondered, resisting the urge to check the blinking icon hovering in the corner of his eye.
They weren't safe yet.
The roars, groans, snarls, and occasional cries for help. Only by going to the backcourt and closing the door leading to the arena would they be safe, temporarily.
Sweat running down his forehead, Jay quickly walked down a short flight of stairs and entered a wider hallway. The double doors he pinned his hope on were now standing just a few meters from him.
Just a few more steps and they would be safe.
But something stood between them and their escape.
The creature wore a blood-soaked guard uniform and had a massive, imposing frame. A dozen of dismembered corpses lay at its feet in a pool of blood. In its hand, it held a severed arm, casually chewing on it.
"That thing is dangerous," Jay cursed as soon as he laid his eyes on the creature.
How did he know? Just think about how much strength it would take to rip someone's arm off with brute force. Besides its demeanor was off. It wasn't rabid like the other.
Still, Jay didn't stop. He couldn't stop even if he wanted to.
"Alex, fall back. Lexie, cover me. Let's make this quick," he instructed as he sprinted toward the creature
As he approached it, the creature didn't pounce on him like every other one had. Instead, it gave a chilling grin and swung the severed arm in its grip like a club, aiming straight at Jay's head.
'Yup. Definitely not normal,' Jay thought grimly.
He dropped low, ducked under the strike, then darted to the creature's side.
With a smooth motion, he drove his knife into the back of its knee, slicing through the joint with a twist.
The creature roared and stumbled, crashing down to one knee. Before Jay could push further, it threw a punch. Jay rolled across the floor, narrowly avoiding the blow.
At the same time, Lexie threw a knife toward its head. The creature raised its arm and blocked it. Sparks flew as the blade struck its forearm and bounced off, leaving only a white scratch.
'Great. Just what we needed,' Lexie cursed, startled by the creature's reaction and its durability. Still, she didn't stop her offensive.
Two more blades flew from her hands. The first was aimed at its heart. Predictably, the creature raised its arm to block again, but that was the trap. The second knife followed in the same breath, aimed at its exposed head.
With a roar, the creature tried to defend itself, but Jay seized the moment. He quickly moved and launched a kick square into its head, snapping its neck forward, right into the path of Lexie's knife.
The blade punched through its forehead with a sickening crack. The creature then fell forward, planting face first into the ground. As a result, the knife sank further in its head and caused more damage.
But even that wasn't enough to bring it down.
Even with a knife in the middle of its head, it still tried to rise.
Jay didn't give it the chance and delivered the coup de grace.
Without hesitation, he brought his heel down on its head with a thud. Then again. And again. Bone crunched beneath his foot until blood and brain matter covered the ground.
Only then did it stop moving.
Jay exhaled and stepped back. "Luckily, it isn't too smart. And the head is still a weak point."
As Jay was praising his lucky star, the creature drew its last breath. Then, the weird sensation he felt earlier once again spread thought his body. Something like what you would feel when drinking a bottle of cold water in summer. It was relaxing and invigorating.
"Jay," Lexie who was next to him called. The surprised expression on her face mirroring his own.
"We will talk later," Jay said as he came back to his senses. He turned and pushed through the survivors gathered on the stairs to rejoin Alex.
"Sorry for the delay," he said as he kicked a creature away from his friend.
Alex stood with two of his teammates and a player from the opposing team, fending off a group of monsters. He was drenched in sweat, but still relentlessly swinging his chair.
"You owe me a beer," Alex grumbled, not even glancing his way.
Jay grinned. "Deal."
After all, Alex and his temporary allies had held the line and allowed them to focus on the creature. If they hadn't, things might've gone very differently.
"Time to go," Jay called out, watching the last survivor slip through the doorway. Without wasting a second, they disengaged from the creatures they were fighting and sprinted toward the doors. The three helpers went first, followed by Jay, and finally Alex bringing up the rear.
"Close it!" Lexie barked, motioning to the survivors to push the doors shut.
Once all five were inside, they slammed the doors shut in the face of their pursuers.
BANG! BANG!
Loud noises echoed through the as the pursuing creatures crashed against the doors. Then the furious pounding followed.
"Goddamn it," one of Jay's teammates cursed as he pushed all his weight against the shaking door.
"Move," Lexie said as she dragged a storage crate and used it to block the doors.
"This won't hold. Help me!" she shouted, her voice filled with urgency.
She and the others then scrambled to find anything heavy they could block the door with. Meanwhile Jay, Alex, and two other guys held the door against the relentless assault.
Luckily for them the creature they'd just killed had already cleared this part of the hallway. That gave them the few precious moments they needed to reinforce the entrance. Piece by piece, they built a barricade of furniture.
"How long will it last?" Alex asked, eyes on the door that still shuddered under the constant assault.
Lexie frowned. "Hard to say. If they give up, we might be good for hours. But if more of them come... maybe less than that." The creatures have shown great strength. Even if only a few of them could attack the doors at the same time, she didn't think they could hold for too long.
"It's enough," Jay said flatly. A few hours were more than he'd hoped for. Long enough to rest, regroup, and get ready to move.
As he glanced around at the small group catching their breath, his expression darkened. Fourteen survivors.
Fourteen. For figures, there were at least ten thousand people present in the arena today. He didn't know if there were more survivors. But this was tragic.
He exhaled quietly, the weight of it all sinking in.
"Thanks to you, man," Damian said, walking over with a tired smile. "You're a beast in everything you do."
"Yeah, seriously. You saved our asses," Hendrick added. Lucas, the third who had helped Alex, offered his thanks too.
Jay shook his head. "I didn't do anything special. Everyone just did what they had to do to survive."
Maybe he and the twins had done more of the fighting. But if the others hadn't seized the chance, they wouldn't have made it this far. He didn't believe anyone owed him.
"No," came a quiet, determined voice to his left.
It was a petite girl with delicate features and wide, sparkling eyes. Her voice was soft, but certain. "We owe you our lives."
"If that makes you happy," he muttered. He was too exhausted to argue.
"Look at you! Getting all the praise." Alex grinned, an arm around Jay's shoulders. "What about me?"
"Ah! Yes, thank you too," she blinked.
"Okay, stop," Jay said, nudging Alex in the ribs with his elbow. "You're scaring her."
"Jealous!" Alex whispered with a smirk.
Despite everything, the exchange brought a ripple of laughter from the others. The tension eased just a bit.
Jay turned toward Lexie.
"How's it looking?" he asked.
"This thing cleared the path for us," she said as she nudged the creature's body with her boot. "The locker rooms are clear. The security room too. The two rooms after are locked, and I could hear some noises coming from the one on the right."
Jay nodded grimly. "Media room," he muttered. "Probably full of whatever's left of the staff and press."
That was a problem for later.
"For now, we're good," he added.
The locker room section was split into several parts: the players' lounge, film review room, main locker space, and showers. More than enough space for the group to settle down.
"Let's move," Jay said, motioning for the others to follow.
The survivors gathered in the lounge, while Jay and the twins headed to the main locker room. There was still much they had to discuss. And more importantly, it was time to check on Jess and Samantha.