CONTAINMENT ZERO: PROJECT SHADOW CODE

Chapter 5- Safe Zone

The stranger's expression immediately grew darker, and he stared straight into Zamora's eyes.

For the first time since he appeared to her, she saw fear in his eyes.

"We need to disappear," he said immediately.

Before she could even respond—

SCREEEEEEEEEECH.

The creature launched itself across the ceiling toward them.

"MOVE!" Kate screamed.

He shoved the two girls aside just as the thing slammed into the wall where they had been standing only a half-second ago.

Pieces of concrete flew everywhere as other prisoners were hurled to the ground in shock.

This time, the thing let out an angry scream.

SPECIAL PREDATOR HAS LOCKED ONTO HIGH PRIORITY TARGETS.

SURVIVAL PROBABILITY UPDATED: 3%

"Oh hell no—" Kate whispered shakily.

"Three percent?!" Zamora snapped. "THREE?!"

The stranger grabbed her wrist hard.

"Stop talking and run."

He dragged them further down the side passage when screams broke out behind them once more.

The passage was significantly darker and narrower than the rest of the prison.

Rusted piping adorned the walls alongside flickering emergency lights that flashed everything red.

And then she saw something that was truly horrific.

The walls around them were scarred with scratches, not just any, either, but hundreds of messages written within them.

RUN BEFORE IT SMELLS YOU

THEY LEARN

DON'T TRUST THE SCREAMING

Then one had been gouged out of the metal so viciously that blood still tinged its edges.

IT ISN'T HUNTING EVERYONE.

Zamora slowed slightly, reading it.

"What does that mean…?"

The stranger immediately yanked her forward again.

"Don't stop moving."

Something smashed against the entrance to the corridor behind them, and the thing had discovered the passageway.

Kate seemed on the verge of losing complete control.

"What ARE those things?!"

Nobody answered, and another system announcement suddenly echoed throughout the prison.

ATTENTION PLAYERS:

FIRST SAFE ZONE HAS BEEN OPENED.

A holographic symbol instantly appeared somewhere far above the prison levels, glowing faint blue through the darkness.

The crowd ahead immediately changed direction.

"SAFE ZONE!" someone screamed.

They all began running towards the safe zone symbol immediately, but before they could get far, the stranger abruptly froze in place and stared straight ahead.

"That's bad."

"What?!" Kate yelled. "Are you insane?! That's literally a safe zone!"

"That's exactly why it's bad."

Zamora's stomach tightened, and the stranger looked grimly toward the glowing symbol.

"They're gathering players together."

Then complete silence, and then suddenly the system calmly added:

SAFE ZONE CAPACITY: 50 PLAYERS.

The corridor went dead silent, and then absolute chaos exploded again.

PLAYER KASH6 CHARACTER ADVANCED TO LEVEL 80 AND BEAT LEVEL 50'S BOSS

"There's almost TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE!"

"MOVE!"

"GET THERE FIRST!"

"Wait, there's a level 50?…"

The prisoners immediately began fighting among themselves, and one pushed another straight into the darkness behind them.

One prisoner stabbed another using jagged pieces of metal to gain an advantage.

One prisoner started crying uncontrollably after hearing the announcement that there are actually way more levels.

PLAYER GUEST511 HAS BEEN ELIMINATED — GAME OVER.

PLAYER ASH HAS BEEN ELIMINATED — GAME OVER.

The stranger cursed quietly beneath his breath.

"It already started…"

Then the lights above them suddenly went out, and the hallway went pitch-black.

Then everyone froze, and from somewhere within the shadows, something murmured her name.—-